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Anke van den Berg
prof. dr.

I work as a clinical molecular biologist in the department of Pathology. In this function I supervise and implement advanced molecular diagnostic techniques. Within my research line, I focus on the molecular pathogenesis of B-cell Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The specific fields of interest are genomic aberrations, genetic susceptibility, and the role of small and long noncoding RNAs. I have several international collaborations and am PI and co-PI in various projects.

The Growth Supporting Role of ZDHHC11 Is Linked to the MEF2B-BCL6 Regulatory Circuit in Burkitt Lymphoma
Published in: International Journal of Cancer
We previously showed that ZDHHC11 promotes cell growth in Burkitt lymphoma (BL). To explore the underlying mechanism, we performed a genome-wide gene expression analysis upon ZDHHC11 knockdown. We identified MEF2B, a transcription factor critical for germinal center formation, as a downstream target and validated repression of MEF2B at the RNA and protein level upon ZDHHC11 knockdown in BL cell lines. The relevance of MEF2B was shown upon its knockdown, which strongly inhibited growth of BL cells. Since MEF2B is a known regulator of BCL6 in normal GC B-cells,...
Lotteke J Y M Ziel-Swier, Karolina Rassek, Yichen Liu, Annika Seitz, Jasper Koerts, Debora de Jong, Bea Rutgers, Anastasiia Kompaniiets, Julia Przybył, Martine E D Chamuleau, Anke van den Berg, Agnieszka Dzikiewicz-Krawczyk, Joost Kluiver
Dynamics of circulating tumour DNA in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients
Published in: British Journal of Haematology
The response to salvage chemotherapy in relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is poor, and data on circulating tumour deoxyribonucleic acid (ctDNA) in this setting are limited. We evaluated ctDNA dynamics in 29 patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL who received platinum-based salvage chemotherapy at the University Medical Center Groningen. In total, 124 plasma samples were analysed using low-coverage whole-genome sequencing to detect copy number alterations (CNAs) and targeted sequencing with a 115-gene panel for single- and multi-nucleotide variants (SNVs/MNVs). The complete response rate at the end...
Yujie Zhong, Johanna Bult, Nick Veltmaat, Filipe Montes de Jesus, Laurens Sillje, Joost Kluiver, Anke van den Berg, Wouter Plattel, Arjan Diepstra, Marcel Nijland
Relevance of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) miRNAs in EBV-Infected B Cells and B-Cell Lymphomas
Published in: Cancers
Viral infection is a critical early event in Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-positive B-cell lymphomas. While latent EBV proteins are known to promote cancer development, the role of EBV-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) is not yet clear. These miRNAs are reported to regulate viral persistence, immune evasion, B-cell survival, and growth. This review compiles evidence on the role of EBV miRNAs in B cells and B-cell lymphomas, including their known target genes, and their effects on cancer-related pathways. By combining profiling studies and results from laboratory models, we highlight how EBV miRNAs...
Mutational landscape and risk estimates of DDR genes in Chinese ovarian cancer patients
Published in: Journal of ovarian research
BACKGROUND: Pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants (P/LPVs) in DNA damage response (DDR) genes are known ovarian cancer (OC) risk factors, but gene-specific risk estimates in Han Chinese remain unclear. OBJECTIVE: To accurately assess the risk associated with DDR genes in the Han Chinese population to facilitate personalized risk management and enhance clinical decision-making. METHODS: We performed next-generation sequencing of 45 DDR genes in 666 OC patients from Henan, China. Associations between P/LPVs and clinical features were assessed using chi-squared tests. Variant frequencies were compared with population controls (gnomAD and ChinaMAP...
Cuiyun Zhang, Bing Wei, Xia Xue, Qingxin Xia, Yi Wang, Lanwei Guo, Tingjie Wang, Li Wang, Junli Deng, Yuping Guan, Xiaoyan Wang, Lu Feng, Rui Wu, Ziqing Hu, Klaas Kok, Anke van den Berg, Yongjun Guo, Jun Li
Superior survival in diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the bone with immune rich tumor microenvironment
Published in: Blood cancer journal
With tumor genomic and gene-expression profiling (GEP), this study investigated the immune-molecular signatures of a unique cohort of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the bone (bone-DLBCL), including primary bone (PB-DLBCL, n = 52) and polyostotic-DLBCL (n = 20), in comparison to nodal DLBCLs with germinal center B-cell (GCB) phenotype (nodal-DLBCL-GCB, n = 34). PB-DLBCL and polyostotic-DLBCL shared similar genomic profiles and transcriptomic signatures, justifying their collective analysis as bone-DLBCL. Differential incidences of EZH2, HIST1H1E, and MYC aberrations (p < 0.05) confirmed the distinct oncogenic evolution between bone-DLBCL and...
Ruben A.L. de Groen, Fleur A. de Groot, Stefan Böhringer, Esther J. Kret, Lorraine M. de Haan, Troy Noordenbos, Susan Blommers, Romée E.W. Jansen, Tom van Wezel, Ronald van Eijk, Richard Raghoo, Dina Ruano, Liane te Boome, Valeska Terpstra, Henriette Levenga, Els Ahsmann, Eduardus F.M. Posthuma, Isabelle Focke-Snieders, Lizan Hardi, Wietske C.E. den HartogAnke van den Berg, Pim Mutsaers, King Lam, Marjolein W.M. van der Poel, Myrurgia Abdul Hamid, F. J.Sherida H. Woei-A-Jin, Ann Janssens, Thomas Tousseyn, Judith V.M.G. Bovée, Lianne Koens, Arjan Diepstra, Arjen H.G. Cleven, Marie José Kersten, Patty M. Jansen, Hendrik Veelken, Marcel Nijland, Tim J.A. Dekker, Joost S.P. Vermaat