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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Three-Dimensional (3D) Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay
Published on: May 1, 2015
Three-dimensional regulatory hubs support oncogenic programs in glioblastoma
Sarah L Breves1, Dafne Campigli Di Giammartino2, James Nicholson3
1Sanford I. Weill Department of Medicine, Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology Program, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Surgery, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA; Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
Dysregulated enhancer-promoter networks in the 3D nucleus drive cancer. Identifying 3D regulatory hubs in glioblastoma reveals key oncogenic programs and potential therapeutic targets across multiple cancers.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Cancer Biology
- Epigenetics
Background:
- Enhancer-promoter communication in the 3D nucleus is crucial for gene regulation.
- Dysregulation of these interactions is implicated in oncogenesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To profile 3D enhancer-promoter networks in glioblastoma stem cells.
- To identify critical regulatory hubs driving oncogenic programs.
Main Methods:
- 3D genome conformation capture techniques.
- Single-cell expression analysis.
- Epigenetic silencing experiments.
- Cross-cancer dataset integration.
Main Results:
- Hyperconnected 3D hubs identified in glioblastoma.
- Hub-interacting genes show coordinated expression and link to oncogenic programs.
- Epigenetic silencing of a specific hub reduced tumor cell properties.
- Universal and cancer-specific 3D hubs associated with poor prognosis found across 16 cancers.
Conclusions:
- 3D regulatory hubs play a central role in controlling oncogenic programs.
- These hubs represent potential therapeutic targets in cancer.
- Hub activity is largely independent of genetic alterations.
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