Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40666988›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2025

Paclitaxel-induced mitotic arrest results in a convergence of apoptotic dependencies that can be safely exploited by BCL-X

Xingping Qin, Adam Presser, Lissah Johnson, Yusuke Matoba, Brendan S Shay, Weiyi Xu, Jonathan Choiniere, Cameron Fraser, Filip Garbicz, Johan Spetz and 14 more

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

24 authors.

Xingping QinJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Adam PresserJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Lissah JohnsonJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Yusuke MatobaVincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Brendan S ShayDepartment of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Weiyi XuDepartment of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Jonathan ChoiniereJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Cameron FraserJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Filip GarbiczDepartment of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-5548-1564
Johan SpetzJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Stacey YuJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Mary H C FloridoJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Francesca PicucciJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.
Yang YangUniversity of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Ronny DrapkinPenn Ovarian Cancer Research Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA.ORCID 0000-0002-6912-6977
Ruben CarrascoDepartment of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA.
Sarah J HillDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.
Joyce LiuDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.
Ursula MatulonisDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.
Joan BruggeDepartment of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Bo R RuedaVincent Center for Reproductive Biology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA.
Daohong ZhouUniversity of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.
Elizabeth H StoverDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston MA.
Kristopher A SarosiekJohn B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.ORCID 0000-0002-4618-5085

Funding

Translational Research Support CoreP30ES000002 · NIEHS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI Gary Adamkiewicz · 1985 to 2026
$44.6M
Developmental regulation of apoptosis as a modifiable driver of radiotherapy-induced neurocognitive impairment in pediatric patientsR37CA248565 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI Kristopher Andrew Sarosiek · 2020 to 2026
$2.6M
Identifying targetable apoptotic vulnerabilities for the treatment of AL amyloidosisR01DK125263 · NIDDK · HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI SAROSIEK, KRISTOPHER ANDREW · 2020 to 2023
$1.4M
The roles of anti-apoptotic proteins BCL-XL and MCL1 in mediating survival of high-grade serous ovarian cancer following drug-induced DNA damageK08CA237871 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI STOVER, ELIZABETH HARMON · 2019 to 2023
$921k
Regulation of Apoptotic Priming and Competence in Healthy and Cancerous CellsR00CA188679 · NCI · HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI SAROSIEK, KRISTOPHER ANDREW · 2017 to 2019
$747k
Understanding and exploiting apoptotic dysregulation in ovarian cancerF31CA281083 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI Lissah Kyalamboka Johnson · 2024 to 2026
$136k
Investigating the role of apoptosis regulation in cancer therapy-induced vascular toxicitiesF31CA275321 · NCI · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI FLORIDO, MARY HEATHER CELINE · 2022 to 2025
$116k
Optimizing the therapeutic index for pediatric medulloblastomas by targeting apoptosisF31CA246811 · NCI · HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI YU, STACEY JESSICA · 2020 to 2022
$101k
NCI NIH HHS F31 CA246811NCI NIH HHS F31 CA275321NCI NIH HHS F31 CA281083NCI NIH HHS K08 CA237871NCI NIH HHS R00 CA188679NCI NIH HHS R37 CA248565NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK125263NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES000002
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Paclitaxel and other microtubule-targeting agents are cornerstone therapies for diverse cancers, including lung, breast, cervical, pancreatic, and ovarian malignancies. Paclitaxel induces tumor cell apoptosis during mitosis by disrupting microtubule dynamics required for chromosome segregation. However, despite initial responsiveness, many tumors develop resistance, limiting therapeutic durability. Here, we used high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), the most common and lethal subtype of ovarian cancer, as a model to dissect the mechanisms underlying this resistance. We find that paclitaxel-induced mitotic arrest triggers degradation of the pro-survival protein MCL-1 and upregulation of BCL-XL, followed by inactivating phosphorylation of BCL-XL at Ser62 to promote apoptosis. In resistant cells, this MCL-1 downregulation is insufficient to commit cells to apoptosis but instead results in a transient convergence of apoptotic dependencies by forcing BCL-X

Identifiers

PMID40666988
PMCPMC12262480

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.