U melanomu je učestalost mutacija tumor supresorskog proteina p53 relativno niska u usporedbi s drugim vrstama tumora a divlji tip gena je pojačano eksprimiran. Pretpostavljamo da se funkcija p53 u malignom melanomu može izmijeniti putem interakcija s drugim proteinima, i to s izoformama p53 niske molekulske mase, izoformama p73, te proteinima obitelji nm23 i Gli.
Cilj ovog projekta je utvrditi kompleksnost ovih interakcija i njihovu ulogu u nastanku i progresiji melanoma u ljudi te ponuditi nova rješenja u dijagnostici, prognostici i terapiji.

Ciljevi istraživanja:

1. Odrediti ekspresijski profil izoformi p53, p73, nm23/NDPK i Gli, te mutacijski status p53 u tkivu melanoma (metastaze i histološki rezovi), pripadajućem zdravom tkivu i staničnim linijama melanoma koristeći kvantitativnu tehniku lančane reakcije polimerazom real time PCR. Metodom imunohistokemije na tkivu tumora uklopljenog u parafin odredit ćemo je li p53 u tumorima mutiran, te ekspresiju p73, nm23 i Gli.
2. Ustanoviti interakciju proteina p53/izoformi p53/izoformi p73 u metastazama melanoma te u staničnim tumorskim linijama koristeći masenu spektroskopiju i tehniku ko-imunoprecipitacije.
3. Povezati tijek bolesti i preživljenja s ekspresijom pojedinih proteina praćenjem ishoda bolesti u bolesnika od kojih ćemo uzeti uzorke tkiva za gore navedene analize i njihovo povezivanje s ekspresijskim profilom navedenih proteina.

Znanstveni radovi:

1. Vlašić, I⁺, Horvat, A⁺, Tadijan, A⁺, Slade, N. p53 Family in Resistance to Targeted Therapy of Melanoma. Int. J. Mol. Sci. (2023), 24, 65. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24010065, ⁺jednak doprinos
2. Tadijan A, Precazzini F, Hanžić N, Radić M, Gavioli N, Vlašić I, Ozretić P, Pinto L, Škreblin L, Barban G, Slade N*, Ciribilli Y*. Altered Expression of Shorter p53 Family Isoforms Can Impact Melanoma Aggressiveness. Cancers (2021) 13, 5231. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13205231 *dopisni autori
3. Horvat, A.; Tadijan, A.; Vlašić, I.; Slade, N. p53/p73 Protein Network in Colorectal Cancer and Other Human Malignancies. Cancers (2021) 13, 2885. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/cancers13122885. 
4. Radić M., Šoštar M., Weber I., Ćetković H., Slade N., Herak Bosnar M. The Subcellular Localization and Oligomerization Preferences of NME1/NME2 upon Radiation-Induced DNA Damage. Int J Mol Sci (2020) 21(7):2363. 
5. Ozretić P.⁺, Hanžić N.⁺, Proust B., Sabol M., Trnski D., Radić M., Musani V., Ciribilli Y., Milas I., Puljiz Z., Herak Bosnar M., Levanat S., Slade N. Expression profiles of p53/p73, NME and GLI families in metastatic melanoma tissue and cell lines. Sci Rep (2019) 9(1):12470. ⁺jednak doprinos
6. Knezović M., Ozretić P., Bujak M., Pezzè P., Ciribilli Y., Kaštelan Ž., Slade N.*, Hudolin T. The role of p53 isoforms’ expression and p53 mutation status in renal cell cancer prognosis. Urol Oncol – Semin Ori (2019) 37(9):578.e1-578.e10. *dopisni autor 
7. Jazvinšćak Jembrek M., Slade N., Hof P.R., Šimić G. The interactions of p53 with tau and Aß as potential therapeutic targets for Alzheimer's disease. Prog Neurobiol (2018) 168:104-127. 

Sudjelovanja na skupovima:

1. Ozretić, Petar; Radić, Martina; Hanžić, Nikolina; Proust, Bastien; Sabol, Maja; Ciribilli, Yari; Milas, Ivan; Puljiz, Zvonimir; Bosnar Herak, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. Functional interplay between p53 and p53/p73 isoforms in human melanoma // International p53/p63/p73 Isoforms Workshop, Book of Abstracts / Slade, Neda (ur.).Zagreb, 2019. str. 23-23 (pozvano predavanje, sažetak, ostalo)
2. Radić, Martina; Dekanić, Ana; Jazvinšćak Jembrek, Maja; Ozretić, Petar; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Slade, Neda. p53 in resistance to targeted therapy in metastatic melanoma // International p53/p63/p73 Isoforms Workshop, Book of Abstracts / Slade, Neda (ur.). Zagreb, 2019. str. 126-126 (poster, sažetak, znanstveni)
3. Ozretić, Petar; Radić, Martina; Hanžić, Nikolina; Proust, Bastien; Sabol, Maja; Trnski, Diana; Musani, Vesna; Jazvinšćak Jembrek, Maja; Ciribilli, Yari; Milas, Ivan; Puljiz, Zvonimir; Bosnar Herak, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. Functional interplay between p53 and p53/p73, NME and GLI protein families in human melanoma // HDBMB2019 Crossroads in Life Sciences / Katalinić, Maja; Dulić, Morana; Stuparević, Igor (ur.). Zagreb: Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2019. str. 43-43 (pozvano predavanje, sažetak, znanstveni)
4. Radić, Martina; Jazvinšćak Jembrek, Maja; Sabol, Maja; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Slade, Neda. Otpornost na ciljanu terapiju u metastatskom melanomu // Simpozij "Prvih 10 godina HDIR-a" – knjiga sažetaka / Ozretić, Petar (ur.). Zagreb: Hrvatsko društvo za istraživanje raka (HDIR), 2019. str. 11-11 (pozvano predavanje, domaća recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
5. Hanžić, Nikolina; Proust, Bastien Lucien Jean; Ozretić, Petar; Radić, Martina; Horvat, Anđela; Milas, Ivan; Puljiz, Zvonimir; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. Functional interplay between p53 and p53/p73, NME and GLI protein families in human melanoma // Libri oncologici, Zagreb, Hrvatska, 2018. str. 51-51 (poster, podatak o recenziji nije dostupan, sažetak, znanstveni)
6. Radić, Martina; Hanžić, Nikolina; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Slade, Neda. Protein interactions of wild-type p53 in human melanoma // HDIR-5 Meeting, Libri Oncologici, Croatian Journal of Oncology. Zagreb: University Hospital for Tumors, Zagreb, Croatia, 2018. str. 1-93 (poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
7. Slade, Neda; Hanžić, Nikolina; Radić, Martina; Ozretić, Petar; Petrović, Lidija; Jazvinšćak Jembrek, Maja. EXPRESSION PROFILES OF P53/P73 ISOFORMS IN HUMAN MELANOMA CELL LINES // ESMO Open - Abstracts of the 25th Biennial Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 30 June - 3 July 2018 / Berns, Anton (ur.). London: European Society for Medical Oncology, 2018. 00, 463 (poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
8. Ozretić, Petar; Hanžić, Nikolina; Trnski, Diana; Proust, Bastien Lucien Jean; Radić, Martina; Sabol, Maja; Milas, Ivan; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. Expression Profiling of TP53, TP73, NME and GLI Families of Genes/Proteins in Metastatic Melanoma // ESMO Open - Abstracts of the 25th Biennial Congress of the European Association for Cancer Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 30 June - 3 July 2018 / Berns, Anton (ur.). London: European Society for Medical Oncology, 2018. str. A284-A284 doi:10.1136/esmoopen-2018-EACR25.672 (poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
9. Radić, Martina; Hanžić, Nikolina; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Slade, Neda. Protein interactions of wild-type p53 in human melanoma // FEBS3+ From molecules to living systems Final programme & Book of Abstracts, Siofok, Mađarska, 2018. 00, 272 (poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
10. Hanžić, Nikolina; Ozretić, Petar; Trnski, Diana; Radić, Martina; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. The expression of p53/p73 isoforms, NME and GLI in melanoma cell lines // 3rd international p53 isoforms workshop / Bourdon, J. C.; Gjertsen, B. T.; Braithwaite, A.; Mollereau, B.; Rotter, V.; Roux, P.; Terrier, O. (ur.). Bergen: Academic Press, 2017. str. 72-72 (poster, sažetak, znanstveni)
11. Martina Radić, Marko Šoštar, Helena Ćetković, Igor Weber, Neda Slade, Maja Herak BosnarNDPK A and NDPK B – subcellular dynamics and interactions // 13th Multinational Congress on Microscopy, Rovinj, Hrvatska, 24. - 29.09.2017. Rovinj, Hrvatska, 2017. str. 199-199 (poster, sažetak, ostalo)
12. Hanžić, Nikolina; Petrović, Lidija; Sabol, Maja; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. The expression of p53/p73 isoforms, nm23/NDPK and Gli in Mel 505 melanoma cell line upon γ- irradiation // Book of Abstracts of the Congress of the Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary, HDBMB2016 / Katalinić, Maja ; Kovarik, Zrinka (ur.).Zagreb: Croatian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2016. str. 83-83 (poster, međunarodna recenzija, sažetak, znanstveni)
13. Hanžić, Nikolina; Proust, Bastien Lucien Jean; Petrović, Lidija; Ozretić, Petar; Milas, Ivan; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Slade; Slade, Neda. The Expression of p53/p73 Isoforms, NME and GLI in Metastatic Melanoma and Their Induction by γ-Irradiation // HDIR-4 - 4thMeeting with International Participation “From Bench to Clinic / Beketić-Orešković, L ; Kusić, Z ; Šarčević, B (ur.). Zagreb: Libri Oncologici, 2016. str. 18-18 (predavanje, sažetak, znanstveni)
14. Hanžić, Nikolina; Proust, Bastien Lucien Jean; Petrović, Lidija; Ozretić, Petar; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. The expression of NME, p53/p73 isoforms and GLI and their induction by ɣ-irradiation in metastatic melanoma // NDPK2016-The 10th International Congress of the NDP Kinase/Nm23/awd Gene Family / Ćetković, H ; Herak Bosnar, M (ur.). Zagreb: Institut Ruđer Bošković, 2016. str. 52-52 (poster, sažetak, znanstveni)
15. Hanžić, Nikolina; Petrović, Lidija; Sabol, Maja; Herak Bosnar, Maja; Levanat, Sonja; Slade, Neda. The expression of p53/p73 isoforms, nm23/NDPK and Gli in MEL505 melanoma cell line upon gamma-irradiation // HDBMB2016 – on the Occasion of the 40th Anniversary / Katalinić, Maja, Kovarik, Zrinka (ur.). Zagreb: HBDBM, 2016. str. 83-83 (poster, sažetak, znanstveni)