SLFN11

Overview

SLFN11 (Schlafen Family Member 11) encodes a member of the Schlafen protein family involved in DNA damage response. Its expression level has been identified as a potent predictive biomarker for sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, particularly topoisomerase I inhibitors (irinotecan, topotecan). SLFN11 expression is highest in Ewing sarcoma among solid tumors, making it a clinically actionable marker for treatment stratification.

Alterations observed in the corpus

  • SLFN11 expression predicts sensitivity to topoisomerase I inhibitors (irinotecan, topotecan) across multiple cancer lineages in the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (947 cell lines, 24 drugs); SLFN11 knockdown via shRNA did not affect steady-state growth, leaving the mechanistic basis unresolved PMID:22460905
  • EZH2-mediated H3K27me3 spreading across the SLFN11 gene body silences SLFN11 expression in chemoresistant SCLC PDX models; loss of SLFN11 confers cross-resistance to cisplatin, etoposide, topotecan, and irinotecan PMID:28196596.

Cancer types (linked)

  • Expression is highest in Ewing sarcoma cell lines among solid tumors profiled in the CCLE, suggesting particular relevance in this cancer type for topoisomerase inhibitor sensitivity PMID:22460905

Co-occurrence and mutual exclusivity

  • No co-occurrence or mutual exclusivity data in the current corpus.

Therapeutic relevance

  • High SLFN11 expression is the top predictive feature for sensitivity to irinotecan and topotecan across 947 cancer cell lines, suggesting it may stratify patients for topoisomerase I inhibitor therapy PMID:22460905

Open questions

  • The mechanistic basis for SLFN11’s role in topoisomerase inhibitor sensitivity is unresolved; SLFN11 knockdown does not affect steady-state growth, suggesting context-dependent function PMID:22460905
  • Clinical validation of SLFN11 as a predictive biomarker for topoisomerase inhibitor treatment remains to be performed.

Sources

This page was processed by entity-page-writer on 2026-05-06. - PMID:28196596

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