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High‐risk neuroblastoma (NB) is responsible for a disproportionate number of childhood deaths due to cancer. One indicator of high‐risk NB is amplification of the neural MYC (MYCN) oncogene, which is currently therapeutically intractable. Identification of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) as an NB oncogene raised the possibility of using ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in treatment of patients with activating ALK mutations. 8–10% of primary NB patients are ALK‐positive, a figure that increases in the relapsed population. ALK is activated by the ALKAL2 ligand located on chromosome 2p, along with ALK and MYCN, in the “2p‐gain” region associated with NB. Dysregulation of ALK ligand in NB has not been addressed, although one of the first oncogenes described was v‐sis that shares > 90% homology with PDGF. Therefore, we tested whether ALKAL2 ligand could potentiate NB progression in the absence of ALK mutation. We show that ALKAL2 overexpression in mice drives ALK TKI‐sensitive NB in the absence of ALK mutation, suggesting that additional NB patients, such as those exhibiting 2p‐gain, may benefit from ALK TKI‐based therapeutic intervention.

The NR4A orphan nuclear receptor, Nurr1, has been shown to regulate the expression of osteoblastic genes and osteoblastic differentiation. However, the expression profile of Nurr1 in the developing mouse forelimb and its relationship to skeletogenesis has not, to the best of our knowledge, been previously analyzed. In this study, the relationship between Nurr1 expression pattern, skeletogenesis and osteogenesis in the developing mouse forelimb was investigated. The expression level of Nurr1 during development was also quantified by real time-polymerase chain reaction. Our results revealed that Nurr1 is expressed in the mesenchyme cells that will form the skeleton. Nurr1 is aabundantly expressed in the primary ossification centers of the forelimb skeletal elements and its expression level is gradually increased during limb development, particularly, at the onset of ossification. Collectively, these data suggested that Nurr1 plays an important role in skeletogenesis and patterning of the developing mouse forelimb.

Mice lacking ALK activity have previously been reported to exhibit subtle behavioral phenotypes. In this study of ALK of loss of function mice we present data supporting a role for ALK in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in male mice. We observed lower level of serum testosterone at P40 in ALK knock-out males, accompanied by mild disorganization of seminiferous tubules exhibiting decreased numbers of GATA4 expressing cells. These observations highlight a role for ALK in testis function and are further supported by experiments in which chemical inhibition of ALK activity with the ALK TKI crizotinib was employed. Oral administration of crizotinib resulted in a decrease of serum testosterone levels in adult wild type male mice, which reverted to normal levels after cessation of treatment. Analysis of GnRH expression in neurons of the hypothalamus revealed a significant decrease in the number of GnRH positive neurons in ALK knock-out mice at P40 when compared with control littermates. Thus, ALK appears to be involved in hypogonadotropic hypogonadism by regulating the timing of pubertal onset and testis function at the upper levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary gonadal axis.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is an important molecular target in neuroblastoma. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors abrogating ALK activity are currently in clinical use for the treatment of ALK-positive (ALK(+)) disease, monotherapy with ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors may not be an adequate solution for ALK(+) neuroblastoma patients. Increased expression of the gene encoding the transcription factor MYCN is common in neuroblastomas and correlates with poor prognosis. We found that the kinase ERK5 [also known as big mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 1 (BMK1)] is activated by ALK through a pathway mediated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), AKT, MAPK kinase kinase 3 (MEKK3), and MAPK kinase 5 (MEK5). ALK-induced transcription of MYCN and stimulation of cell proliferation required ERK5. Pharmacological or RNA interference-mediated inhibition of ERK5 suppressed the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells in culture and enhanced the antitumor efficacy of the ALK inhibitor crizotinib in both cells and xenograft models. Together, our results indicate that ERK5 mediates ALK-induced transcription of MYCN and proliferation of neuroblastoma, suggesting that targeting both ERK5 and ALK may be beneficial in neuroblastoma patients.

A relevant gender difference exists in adrenal physiology and propensity to disease. In mice, a remarkable sexual dimorphism is present in several components of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with females displaying higher adrenal weight, plasma ACTH, corticosterone, and aldosterone levels than males. The molecular bases of this sexual dimorphism are little known. We have compared global gene expression profiles in males vs. female mouse adrenal glands and also studied the effect that testosterone treatment and castration have on adrenal gene expression in female vs. male mice, respectively. Our study evidenced a set of 71 genes that are coordinately modulated according to sex and hormonal treatments and represent the core sexually dimorphic expression program in the mouse adrenal gland. Moreover, we show that some genes involved in steroid metabolism have a remarkable sexual dimorphic expression and identify new potential markers for the adrenal X-zone, a transitory cellular layer in the inner adrenal cortex, which spontaneously regresses at puberty in males and during the first pregnancy in females and has an uncertain physiological role. Finally, sexually dimorphic expression of the transcriptional regulators Nr5a1 and Nr0b1 may explain at least in part the differences in adrenal steroidogenesis between sexes.