Nuno Rodrigues dos Santos
Genetic Dynamics of Cancer Cells
Principal Researcher
I graduated in Biology in Porto before undertaking an MSc course in Oncobiology at IPATIMUP. After my first steps in Cancer Research and obtaining the MSc degree from the Medical Faculty of the University of Porto, I went on to pursue a PhD degree at the University of Nijmegen (the Netherlands) under the supervision of Ad Geurts van Kessel. Here I characterized the function of specific proteins (SYT and SSX) involved in synovial sarcoma and melanoma. My post-doctoral studies in Jacques Ghysdael's group (Institut Curie, France) sought to unravel the mechanisms underlying the development of T-cell acute leukemia. Among other findings, we found that expression of the RelB transcription factor in stromal cells promoted T-cell leukemogenesis in mice. These data led to projects aiming to uncover the microenvironmental factors and mechanisms involved in this malignancy, developed since 2008 in my lab (Ciencia 2007 contract)at the University of Algarve. Since 2013 I have been an FCT Investigator, first at the Center for Biomedical Research (U. Algarve) and now at IPATIMUP/I3S, with the aim of uncovering the thymic microenvironmental factors involved in T-cell leukemia.
Selected Publications
Fernandes M., Caroço L., Pacheco-Leyva I., dos Santos N.,
NF-κB-dependent RANKL expression in a mouse model of immature T-cell leukemia. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications510(2):272-277, 2019. [Journal: Article] [IF: 2,7 (*)]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.01.089 SCOPUS: 85060714173. .
Ghezzo M., Fernandes M., Pacheco-Leyva I., Rodrigues P., Machado R., Araújo M., Kalathur R., Futschik M., Alves N., Dos Santos N.,
FoxN1-dependent thymic epithelial cells promote T-cell leukemia development. Carcinogenesis39(12):1463-1476, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 1] [IF: 4,0]
DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgy127 SCOPUS: 85059494778. .
Trinquand A., Dos Santos N., Quang C., Rocchetti F., Zaniboni B., Belhocine M., De Jesus C., Lhermitte L., Tesio M., Dussiot M., Cosset F., Verhoeyen E., Pflumio F., Ifrah N., Dombret H., Spicuglia S., Chatenoud L., Gross D., Hermine O., Macintyre E., Ghysdael J., Asnafi V.,
Triggering the TCR developmental checkpoint activates a therapeutically targetable tumor suppressive pathway in T-cell leukemia. Cancer Discovery6(9):973-985, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 9] [IF: 20]
DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-0675 SCOPUS: 85012044290. .
Fernandes M., Dejardin E., dos Santos N.,
Context-dependent roles for lymphotoxin-ß receptor signaling in cancer development. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer1865(2):204-219, 2016. [Journal: Review] [CI: 5] [IF: 9,5]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2016.02.005 SCOPUS: 84962019175. .
Fernandes M., Ghezzo M., Silveira A., Kalathur R., Póvoa V., Ribeiro A., Brandalise S., Dejardin E., Alves N., Ghysdael J., Barata J., Yunes J., dos Santos N.,
Lymphotoxin-ß receptor in microenvironmental cells promotes the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with cortical/mature immunophenotype. British Journal of Haematology171(5):736-751, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 5,4]
DOI: 10.1111/bjh.13760 SCOPUS: 84955381960. .
dos Santos N., Ghezzo M., da Silva R., Fernandes M.,
NF-κB in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Oncogenic functions in leukemic and in microenvironmental cells. Cancers2(4):1838-1860, 2010. [Journal: Review] [CI: 7]
DOI: 10.3390/cancers2041838 SCOPUS: 79952272863. .
dos Santos N., Williame M., Gachet S., Cormier F., Janin A., Weih D., Weih F., Ghysdael J.,
RelB-dependent stromal cells promote T-cell leukemogenesis. PLoS ONE3(7):, 2008. [Journal: Article] [CI: 17]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002555 SCOPUS: 49749145583. .
Medyouf H., Alcalde H., Berthier C., Guillemin M., Dos Santos N., Janin A., Decaudin D., De Thé H., Ghysdael J.,
Targeting calcineurin activation as a therapeutic strategy for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Medicine13(6):736-741, 2007. [Journal: Article] [CI: 96] [IF: 26,4]
DOI: 10.1038/nm1588 SCOPUS: 34250025396. .
Dos Santos N., Rickman D., De Reynies A., Cormier F., Williame M., Blanchard C., Stern M., Ghysdael J.,
Pre-TCR expression cooperates with TEL-JAK2 to transform immature thymocytes and induce T-cell leukemia. Blood109(9):3972-3981, 2007. [Journal: Article] [CI: 22] [IF: 10,9]
DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-09-048801 SCOPUS: 34247326918. .
dos Santos N., Ghysdael J.,
A transgenic mouse model for TEL-JAK2-induced B-cell lymphoma/leukemia [21]. Leukemia20(1):182-185, 2006. [Journal: Letter] [CI: 19] [IF: 6,1]
DOI: 10.1038/sj.leu.2404026 SCOPUS: 33644976909. .
NF-κB-dependent RANKL expression in a mouse model of immature T-cell leukemia. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications510(2):272-277, 2019. [Journal: Article] [IF: 2,7 (*)]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.01.089 SCOPUS: 85060714173. .
Ghezzo M., Fernandes M., Pacheco-Leyva I., Rodrigues P., Machado R., Araújo M., Kalathur R., Futschik M., Alves N., Dos Santos N.,
FoxN1-dependent thymic epithelial cells promote T-cell leukemia development. Carcinogenesis39(12):1463-1476, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 1] [IF: 4,0]
DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgy127 SCOPUS: 85059494778. .
Trinquand A., Dos Santos N., Quang C., Rocchetti F., Zaniboni B., Belhocine M., De Jesus C., Lhermitte L., Tesio M., Dussiot M., Cosset F., Verhoeyen E., Pflumio F., Ifrah N., Dombret H., Spicuglia S., Chatenoud L., Gross D., Hermine O., Macintyre E., Ghysdael J., Asnafi V.,
Triggering the TCR developmental checkpoint activates a therapeutically targetable tumor suppressive pathway in T-cell leukemia. Cancer Discovery6(9):973-985, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 9] [IF: 20]
DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-15-0675 SCOPUS: 85012044290. .
Fernandes M., Dejardin E., dos Santos N.,
Context-dependent roles for lymphotoxin-ß receptor signaling in cancer development. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Reviews on Cancer1865(2):204-219, 2016. [Journal: Review] [CI: 5] [IF: 9,5]
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2016.02.005 SCOPUS: 84962019175. .
Fernandes M., Ghezzo M., Silveira A., Kalathur R., Póvoa V., Ribeiro A., Brandalise S., Dejardin E., Alves N., Ghysdael J., Barata J., Yunes J., dos Santos N.,
Lymphotoxin-ß receptor in microenvironmental cells promotes the development of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with cortical/mature immunophenotype. British Journal of Haematology171(5):736-751, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 5,4]
DOI: 10.1111/bjh.13760 SCOPUS: 84955381960. .
dos Santos N., Ghezzo M., da Silva R., Fernandes M.,
NF-κB in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Oncogenic functions in leukemic and in microenvironmental cells. Cancers2(4):1838-1860, 2010. [Journal: Review] [CI: 7]
DOI: 10.3390/cancers2041838 SCOPUS: 79952272863. .
dos Santos N., Williame M., Gachet S., Cormier F., Janin A., Weih D., Weih F., Ghysdael J.,
RelB-dependent stromal cells promote T-cell leukemogenesis. PLoS ONE3(7):, 2008. [Journal: Article] [CI: 17]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0002555 SCOPUS: 49749145583. .
Medyouf H., Alcalde H., Berthier C., Guillemin M., Dos Santos N., Janin A., Decaudin D., De Thé H., Ghysdael J.,
Targeting calcineurin activation as a therapeutic strategy for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nature Medicine13(6):736-741, 2007. [Journal: Article] [CI: 96] [IF: 26,4]
DOI: 10.1038/nm1588 SCOPUS: 34250025396. .
Dos Santos N., Rickman D., De Reynies A., Cormier F., Williame M., Blanchard C., Stern M., Ghysdael J.,
Pre-TCR expression cooperates with TEL-JAK2 to transform immature thymocytes and induce T-cell leukemia. Blood109(9):3972-3981, 2007. [Journal: Article] [CI: 22] [IF: 10,9]
DOI: 10.1182/blood-2006-09-048801 SCOPUS: 34247326918. .
dos Santos N., Ghysdael J.,
A transgenic mouse model for TEL-JAK2-induced B-cell lymphoma/leukemia [21]. Leukemia20(1):182-185, 2006. [Journal: Letter] [CI: 19] [IF: 6,1]
DOI: 10.1038/sj.leu.2404026 SCOPUS: 33644976909. .