R. M. White

The lipid droplet protein DHRS3 is a regulator of melanoma cell state

The paper identifies DHRS3 as a lipid droplet protein that regulates melanoma cell state by modulating retinoid signaling.

Mechanical confinement governs phenotypic plasticity in melanoma

This study shows mechanical confinement drives phenotype switching in melanoma via chromatin remodeling mediated by HMGB2.

Epigenetic reprogramming of melanoma cell state through fatty acid β-oxidation and Toll like receptor 4 signaling

This study shows that fatty acid β-oxidation and TLR4 signaling drive melanoma progression by altering histone acetylation and inflammatory gene expression.

Lipid droplets are a metabolic vulnerability in melanoma

This study identifies lipid droplets as a metabolic vulnerability in melanoma by linking the pigmented cell state to increased fatty acid uptake and oxidative metabolism.

Bioluminescent zebrafish transplantation model for drug discovery

This study develops a bioluminescent zebrafish model to screen kinase inhibitors for cancer therapy, finding that NanoLuc luciferase enables sensitive and rapid in vivo drug response evaluation.

Anatomic position determines oncogenic specificity in melanoma

The paper shows that anatomic position influences oncogenic specificity in melanoma by identifying position-specific gene programs that interact with oncogenes like CRKL.

Spatially resolved transcriptomics reveals the architecture of the tumor/microenvironment interface

This study uses spatial transcriptomics to identify a conserved tumor-microenvironment interface in zebrafish and human melanoma characterized by cilia gene upregulation.

SATB2 induction of a neural crest mesenchyme-like program drives invasion and drug resistance in melanoma

This study shows SATB2 drives melanoma invasion and drug resistance by inducing a neural crest mesenchyme-like transcriptional program in zebrafish and human models.

Developmental chromatin programs determine oncogenic competence in melanoma

The paper shows that BRAFV600E transforming ability depends on the cell of origin's transcriptional program, with neural crest and melanoblasts being more susceptible due to higher chromatin modifying enzyme expression and ATAD2-SOX10 complex formation.

A population of stress-like cancer cells in melanoma promotes tumorigenesis and confers drug resistance

The paper identifies a stress-like cancer cell state in melanoma that promotes tumorigenesis and drug resistance, validated across zebrafish and human models.

Active Receptor Tyrosine Kinases, but not Brachyury, are sufficient to trigger chordoma in zebrafish

This study identifies that RTKs EGFR and KDR/VEGFR2, not Brachyury, can induce chordoma in zebrafish by disrupting notochord differentiation through RTK/Ras signaling.

Regulation of the error-prone DNA polymerase polκ by oncogenic signaling and its contribution to drug resistance

Cancer cells under stress from oncogene or mTOR inhibition dysregulate the error-prone DNA polymerase polκ, which contributes to drug resistance in melanoma cells.

Cancer modeling by Transgene Electroporation in Adult Zebrafish (TEAZ)

The paper introduces TEAZ, a method to rapidly model cancer in zebrafish by delivering gene constructs to specific cells, enabling faster tumor development and tracking.