Alfonso Urbanucci
- Principal investigator; PhD
Bio :
Dr. Urbanucci graduated from the University of Perugia, Italy, in biology with a specialization in pathophysiology, and obtained his Ph.D. in cancer genetics and molecular biology of cancer at the University of Tampere , Finland, in 2012. His personal research interest is on the transcriptional and chromatin drivers underpinning prostate cancer progression , with the androgen receptor as a focal point. He published a series of papers regarding the molecular effects of the deregulation of the androgen receptor on chromatin and transcription, and how these effects drive prostate cancer progression.
Dr. Urbanucci is currently Project Group Leader at the Institute for Cancer Research of the Oslo University Hospital, and associate investigator at the Center for Molecular Medicine Norway (European Molecular Biology Laboratory partnership) .
His research group investigates molecular mechanisms of action of small molecule inhibitors and derives novel prognostic and predictive tools for patient stratification.
Dr Urbanucci is also Group Leader and principal investigator at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology (University of Tampere).
The focus of the research is on dissecting prostate cancer dependencies at a single cell level for tailored treatments. We aim to retrieve cell composition from bulk tissue gene expression data and prognostic and predictive gene signatures associated with aggressive vs non-lethal tumor behaviour.
Publications 2024
Patient-derived acellular ascites fluid affects drug responses in ovarian cancer cell lines through the activation of key signalling pathways
Mol Oncol (in press)
DOI 10.1002/1878-0261.13726, PubMed 39245677
Link between circadian rhythm and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)/lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
Prostate, 84 (5), 417-425
DOI 10.1002/pros.24656, PubMed 38193363
Publications 2023
Clinical testing of transcriptome-wide expression profiles in high-risk localized and metastatic prostate cancer starting androgen deprivation therapy: an ancillary study of the STAMPEDE abiraterone Phase 3 trial
Res Sq
DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2488586/v1, PubMed 36798177
Enhancer profiling identifies epigenetic markers of endocrine resistance and reveals therapeutic options for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients
medRxiv
DOI 10.1101/2023.02.24.23286403, PubMed 36865297
Publications 2022
Estimation of tumor cell total mRNA expression in 15 cancer types predicts disease progression
Nat Biotechnol, 40 (11), 1624-1633
DOI 10.1038/s41587-022-01342-x, PubMed 35697807
Measuring Autophagic Cargo Flux with Keima-Based Probes
Methods Mol Biol, 2445, 99-115
DOI 10.1007/978-1-0716-2071-7_7, PubMed 34972988
Publications 2021
Gene Regulation Network Analysis on Human Prostate Orthografts Highlights a Potential Role for the JMJD6 Regulon in Clinical Prostate Cancer
Cancers (Basel), 13 (9)
DOI 10.3390/cancers13092094, PubMed 33925994
Chromatin and Epigenetic Dysregulation of Prostate Cancer Development, Progression, and Therapeutic Response
Cancers (Basel), 13 (13)
DOI 10.3390/cancers13133325, PubMed 34283056
The Quandary of DNA-Based Treatment Assessment in De Novo Metastatic Prostate Cancer in the Era of Precision Oncology
J Pers Med, 11 (5)
DOI 10.3390/jpm11050330, PubMed 33922147
Single-cell ATAC and RNA sequencing reveal pre-existing and persistent cells associated with prostate cancer relapse
Nat Commun, 12 (1), 5307
DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-25624-1, PubMed 34489465
Publications 2020
Inhibition of O-GlcNAc Transferase Renders Prostate Cancer Cells Dependent on CDK9
Mol Cancer Res, 18 (10), 1512-1521
DOI 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0339, PubMed 32611550
AR and ERG drive the expression of prostate cancer specific long noncoding RNAs
Oncogene, 39 (30), 5241-5251
DOI 10.1038/s41388-020-1365-6, PubMed 32555329
Dysregulation of MITF Leads to Transformation in MC1R-Defective Melanocytes
Cancers (Basel), 12 (7)
DOI 10.3390/cancers12071719, PubMed 32605315
Loss of Snord116 impacts lateral hypothalamus, sleep, and food-related behaviors
JCI Insight, 5 (12)
DOI 10.1172/jci.insight.137495, PubMed 32365348
Publications 2019
The β2-Adrenergic Receptor Is a Molecular Switch for Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation of Prostate Cancer Cells
Mol Cancer Res, 17 (11), 2154-2168
DOI 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-18-0605, PubMed 31395667
Chromatin reprogramming as an adaptation mechanism in advanced prostate cancer
Endocr Relat Cancer, 26 (4), R211-R235
DOI 10.1530/ERC-18-0579, PubMed 30844748
Drivers of AR indifferent anti-androgen resistance in prostate cancer cells
Sci Rep, 9 (1), 13786
DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-50220-1, PubMed 31551480
High OGT activity is essential for MYC-driven proliferation of prostate cancer cells
Theranostics, 9 (8), 2183-2197
DOI 10.7150/thno.30834, PubMed 31149037
Publications 2018
Molecular Evolution of Early-Onset Prostate Cancer Identifies Molecular Risk Markers and Clinical Trajectories
Cancer Cell, 34 (6), 996-1011.e8
DOI 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.10.016, PubMed 30537516
Publications 2017
c-Myc Antagonises the Transcriptional Activity of the Androgen Receptor in Prostate Cancer Affecting Key Gene Networks
EBioMedicine, 18, 83-93
DOI 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.04.006, PubMed 28412251
Lipid degradation promotes prostate cancer cell survival
Oncotarget, 8 (24), 38264-38275
DOI 10.18632/oncotarget.16123, PubMed 28415728
The expression of AURKA is androgen regulated in castration-resistant prostate cancer
Sci Rep, 7 (1), 17978
DOI 10.1038/s41598-017-18210-3, PubMed 29269934
Androgen Receptor Deregulation Drives Bromodomain-Mediated Chromatin Alterations in Prostate Cancer
Cell Rep, 19 (10), 2045-2059
DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.05.049, PubMed 28591577
Bromodomain-containing proteins in prostate cancer
Mol Cell Endocrinol, 462 (Pt A), 31-40
DOI 10.1016/j.mce.2017.06.007, PubMed 28624514
Bromodomain protein 4 discriminates tissue-specific super-enhancers containing disease-specific susceptibility loci in prostate and breast cancer
BMC Genomics, 18 (1), 270
DOI 10.1186/s12864-017-3620-y, PubMed 28359301
Publications 2016
CTCF modulates Estrogen Receptor function through specific chromatin and nuclear matrix interactions
Nucleic Acids Res, 44 (22), 10588-10602
DOI 10.1093/nar/gkw785, PubMed 27638884
Cell cycle-coupled expansion of AR activity promotes cancer progression
Oncogene, 36 (12), 1655-1668
DOI 10.1038/onc.2016.334, PubMed 27669432
Changes of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine distribution during myeloid and lymphoid differentiation of CD34+ cells
Epigenetics Chromatin, 9, 21
DOI 10.1186/s13072-016-0070-8, PubMed 27252783
Publications 2015
Myc-dependent purine biosynthesis affects nucleolar stress and therapy response in prostate cancer
Oncotarget, 6 (14), 12587-602
DOI 10.18632/oncotarget.3494, PubMed 25869206
CIP2A is a candidate therapeutic target in clinically challenging prostate cancer cell populations
Oncotarget, 6 (23), 19661-70
DOI 10.18632/oncotarget.3875, PubMed 25965834
Slug-dependent upregulation of L1CAM is responsible for the increased invasion potential of pancreatic cancer cells following long-term 5-FU treatment
PLoS One, 10 (4), e0123684
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0123684, PubMed 25860483
Publications 2014
Androgen-regulated metabolism and biosynthesis in prostate cancer
Endocr Relat Cancer, 21 (4), T57-66
DOI 10.1530/ERC-13-0515, PubMed 24497572
Publications 2012
Androgen-regulated miR-32 targets BTG2 and is overexpressed in castration-resistant prostate cancer
Oncogene, 31 (41), 4460-71
DOI 10.1038/onc.2011.624, PubMed 22266859
Goserelin and bicalutamide treatments alter the expression of microRNAs in the prostate
Prostate, 73 (1), 101-12
DOI 10.1002/pros.22545, PubMed 22674191
Chemical castration and anti-androgens induce differential gene expression in prostate cancer
J Pathol, 227 (3), 336-45
DOI 10.1002/path.4027, PubMed 22431170
Androgen receptor (AR) aberrations in castration-resistant prostate cancer
Mol Cell Endocrinol, 360 (1-2), 38-43
DOI 10.1016/j.mce.2011.12.019, PubMed 22245783
Publications 2011
Androgen receptor overexpression alters binding dynamics of the receptor to chromatin and chromatin structure
Prostate, 72 (11), 1223-32
DOI 10.1002/pros.22473, PubMed 22212979
Overexpression of androgen receptor enhances the binding of the receptor to the chromatin in prostate cancer
Oncogene, 31 (17), 2153-63
DOI 10.1038/onc.2011.401, PubMed 21909140
Publications 2010
Androgen regulation of micro-RNAs in prostate cancer
Prostate, 71 (6), 604-14
DOI 10.1002/pros.21276, PubMed 20945501
Publications 2009
Potential internalisation of caliciviruses in lettuce
Int J Food Microbiol, 135 (2), 175-8
DOI 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2009.07.036, PubMed 19720414
Publications 2008
Androgen regulation of the androgen receptor coregulators
BMC Cancer, 8, 219
DOI 10.1186/1471-2407-8-219, PubMed 18673534