Acquisition Of Capabilities Research Articles

Playing a double game? Pursuing innovation through ambidexterity in an international acquisition program from the Arabian Gulf Region

Acquisitions represent a strategy for enhancing competitive responsiveness in the global management of technology and innovation. Even more than single and domestic acquisitions, cross‐border acquisition programs present opportunities for firms seeking to sustain innovation. Yet, scant attention has been paid to the innovation dynamics of pursuing multiple, international acquisitions. We remedy this gap by investigating a multinational logistics firm enacting a multi‐decade program of cross‐border, technology intensive acquisitions and achieving dual competencies in (1) innovation and ambidexterity, (2) the exploration and exploitation capabilities of ambidexterity, and (3) tight and loose integration approaches. We determine that the firm relied on contextual, temporal, and structural manifestations of ambidexterity in acquisition integration. Findings illuminate the processual nature of an international acquisition program and suggest how ambidexterity benefits the acquisition of both innovation and innovative capabilities, when a firm applies a portfolio of tight‐to‐loose integration approaches.

The traffic ATPase PilF interacts with the inner membrane platform of the DNA translocator and type IV pili from Thermusthermophilus.

A major driving force for the adaptation of bacteria to changing environments is the uptake of naked DNA from the environment by natural transformation, which allows the acquisition of new capabilities. Uptake of the high molecular weight DNA is mediated by a complex transport machinery that spans the entire cell periphery. This DNA translocator catalyzes the binding and splitting of double‐stranded DNA and translocation of single‐stranded DNA into the cytoplasm, where it is recombined with the chromosome. The thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus exhibits the highest transformation frequencies reported and is a model system to analyze the structure and function of this macromolecular transport machinery. Transport activity is powered by the traffic ATPase PilF, a soluble protein that forms hexameric complexes. Here, we demonstrate that PilF physically binds to an inner membrane assembly platform of the DNA translocator, comprising PilMNO, via the ATP‐binding protein PilM. Binding to PilMNO or PilMN stimulates the ATPase activity of PilF ~ 2‐fold, whereas there is no stimulation when binding to PilM or PilN alone. A PilMK26A variant defective in ATP binding still binds PilF and, together with PilN, stimulates PilF‐mediated ATPase activity. PilF is unique in having three conserved GSPII (general secretory pathway II) domains (A–C) at its N terminus. Deletion analyses revealed that none of the GSPII domains is essential for binding PilMN, but GSPIIC is essential for PilMN‐mediated stimulation of ATP hydrolysis by PilF. Our data suggest that PilM is a coupling protein that physically and functionally connects the soluble motor ATPase PilF to the DNA translocator via the PilMNO assembly platform.

Anaconda-becoming: Huni Kuin image-songs, an Amerindian relational aesthetics

Abstract After depicting the contemporary scene of Huni Kuin ayahuasca shamanism and artistic agency, I analyze a selection of image-songs from this ritual. The songs unveil the workings of embodied perception and synesthesia, that is, the transductions of bodily sensations and perceptions in vision, rhythm, song and sound. The experience entails a process of other-becoming where to know means to see through the eyes of Other; to be covered with the skin/ornaments of those beings one has consumed and to sing through their voice. This other-becoming is a becoming in a deleuzian sense, which means that the lived experience is situated in-between the space of self and other. In this context the expression “you are what you eat” has specific implications for one’s health and for the acquisition of agentive and perceptive capabilities of other beings. The ritual technique of almost becoming consists of alternatingly producing and undoing temporary transformations through song.

Comparative Methods for Molecular Determination of Host-Specificity Factors in Plant-Pathogenic Fungi.

Many plant-pathogenic fungi are highly host-specific. In most cases, host-specific interactions evolved at the time of speciation of the respective host plants. However, host jumps have occurred quite frequently, and still today the greatest threat for the emergence of new fungal diseases is the acquisition of infection capability of a new host by an existing plant pathogen. Understanding the mechanisms underlying host-switching events requires knowledge of the factors determining host-specificity. In this review, we highlight molecular methods that use a comparative approach for the identification of host-specificity factors. These cover a wide range of experimental set-ups, such as characterization of the pathosystem, genotyping of host-specific strains, comparative genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, as well as gene prediction and functional gene validation. The methods are described and evaluated in view of their success in the identification of host-specificity factors and the understanding of their functional mechanisms. In addition, potential methods for the future identification of host-specificity factors are discussed.

ICub-HRI: A Software Framework for Complex Human-Robot Interaction Scenarios on the iCub Humanoid Robot.

Generating complex, human-like behavior in a humanoid robot like the iCub requires the integration of a wide range of open source components and a scalable cognitive architecture. Hence, we present the iCub-HRI library which provides convenience wrappers for components related to perception (object recognition, agent tracking, speech recognition, and touch detection), object manipulation (basic and complex motor actions), and social interaction (speech synthesis and joint attention) exposed as a C++ library with bindings for Java (allowing to use iCub-HRI within Matlab) and Python. In addition to previously integrated components, the library allows for simple extension to new components and rapid prototyping by adapting to changes in interfaces between components. We also provide a set of modules which make use of the library, such as a high-level knowledge acquisition module and an action recognition module. The proposed architecture has been successfully employed for a complex human–robot interaction scenario involving the acquisition of language capabilities, execution of goal-oriented behavior and expression of a verbal narrative of the robot’s experience in the world. Accompanying this paper is a tutorial which allows a subset of this interaction to be reproduced. The architecture is aimed at researchers familiarizing themselves with the iCub ecosystem, as well as expert users, and we expect the library to be widely used in the iCub community.

The determinants for sustainability in a low-technology SME textile cluster in an emerging economy

The purpose of this paper is to ascertain whether cluster-based strategies for SMEs could result in the enhancement of competitiveness in an environment of a developing nation, with a primary objective of examining the use of a cluster approach as a tool for sustainability – particularly for a low-technology textile cluster. Building on extensive literature dealing with SME clusters and cluster-based strategies, the paper identifies the determinants and variables for SME cluster sustainability in philosophy and policies. The paper builds upon and links together research about collective efficiency in small-industry clusters and literature about entrepreneurial environments, the significance of cluster policy and intermediaries, trust, and the acquisition of technological capabilities in context to low-technology textile clusters of an emerging economy. The paper identifies the different advantages that commonly occur in a typical cluster and then examines the ways in which these advantages may boost competitiveness, resulting in sustainability. Theoretical insight from the literature about clustering, agglomeration advantages, skill, trust, and competitiveness in developing and advanced economies is examined in order to make the assessment. Subsequently, solutions for the future have been proposed by means of a conceptual framework. Generation of hypotheses for further empirical validation are proposed.

MicroRNAs, Regulatory Messengers Inside and Outside Cancer Cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of short non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) with typical sequence lengths of 19-25 nucleotides and extraordinary abilities to regulate gene expression. Because miRNAs regulate multiple important biological functions of the cell (proliferation, migration, invasion, apoptosis, differentiation, and drug resistance), their expression is highly controlled. Genetic and epigenetic alterations frequently found in cancer cells can cause aberrant expression of miRNAs and, consequently, of their target genes. The tumor microenvironment can also affect miRNA expression through soluble factors (e.g., cytokines and growth factors) secreted by either tumor cells or non-tumor cells (such as immune and stromal cells). Furthermore, like hormones, miRNAs can be secreted and regulate gene expression in recipient cells. Altered expression levels of miRNAs in cancer cells determine the acquisition of fundamental biological capabilities (hallmarks of cancer) responsible for the development and progression of the disease.

Reino Unido y Argentina: geopolítica de la limitación tecnológica y controles de exportación estratégicos.

El presente artículo se propone estudiar la geopolítica de la limitación tecnológica por parte del Reino Unido a la República Argentina utilizando controles de exportación de tecnología militar o de uso dual, usando para ello instituciones de Defensa y de comercio del Parlamento británico, pero también instituciones internacionales. Se analiza la documentación publicada por dicho gobierno referida alpaís de suramericano en materia de control de exportaciones, cuya política pública está supeditada a decisiones de índole estratégico, tanto a nivel local como global, representadas en la lógica espacio/poder por las Malvinas. Se verá cómo las instituciones gubernamentales se ocupan de atacar los resortes institucionales por los cuales la Argentina pudiera acceder a tecnologías sensibles, es decir, limitando la adquisición de capacidades que redundarán en poder militar, y que amenacen los intereses de las islas. La evidencia de las fuentes consultadas demuestra que dicha política ha sido explícita y abierta, y ha sido exitosa, limitando la adquisión de tecnología británica.

A look at digital literacy in health and social care

Health-care services need to maximise the potential of technology to enhance patient care. The improved digital literacy of the workforce is vital in this. Technology enhanced learning, applied to all aspects of education and training, including the development of digital capabilities in all learners, can offer greater flexibility, accessibility, collaboration, innovation and more effective communication and participation. The health and social care workforce need both the digital skills and confidence across a range of domains. Increasingly, citizens are digitally enabled and empowered; raising expectations of capability and innovation, relating to their health and wellbeing aspirations. Working with a national definition and digital capabilities framework, staff working in health and social care can begin to think about how they might want to improve their own digital literacy. In addition, organisations require the leadership, strategy and culture to support the acquisition of digital capabilities in their staff, as well as more general technology enhanced learning. Rewarding and valuing staff, and working in partnership with them in their learning, organisations need to be working to build a digitally ready workforce.

Negotiating the next step: The part that experience plays with middle leaders’ development as they move into their new role

Leading is not the same as teaching, and middle leaders in schools require different capabilities to those of classroom teachers. This article explores the ways in which these capabilities are acquired by middle leaders in the independent sector during the early stages of their appointment as they progress through a transitional period. It draws on two previous strands of research – the part that experience plays in informing the emergent leader’s development and the acquisition of capabilities over time – from which a theoretical perspective is used in analysing data derived from a series of interviews with 20 middle leaders as part of a case study in an independent school in the North West of England. The findings from the study are combined with these two strands to demonstrate the central role that experience plays in the leader’s capability set and how, during the early period of appointment to a leadership position, the reflection on experience can significantly ease the transitional period. It is recommended that aspiring middle leaders should actively seek out experience, and that senior leaders should proactively make experiential opportunities available. It is also recommended that such action can be applied to other step changes in the teacher leader’s career.

Using InputtOutput Analysis Framework to Explain Economic Diversification and Structural Transformation in Bangladesh

Existing literature on economic growth and structural change relies on trade data to make pronouncements about a country’s competitiveness and long-term growth prospects through the acquisition of capabilities. However, insufficient data give us a limited view of what is happening within the domestic economy, and how the development of manufacturing through links in the production process leads to the export of intermediate or final products. Using input–output data, this paper devises an agglomeration indicator to measure economic diversification and to compare Bangladesh with other key economies. In the process, we shed light on the symbiotic relationship between manufacturing and services as the country develops. Despite Bangladesh’s astounding growth over the past 15 years, diversification has been somewhat slower than expected for its level of development.

The role of miR-451 in the switching between proliferation and migration in malignant glioma cells: AMPK signaling, mTOR modulation and Rac1 activation required.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), WHO grade IV astrocytoma, is the most common primary neoplasm of the central nervous system (CNS) and has the highest malignancy and mortality rates. The invasive nature of GBM complicates surgical resection and restricts chemotherapeutic access, contributing to poor patient prognosis. The migration of tumor cells is closely related to the tumor cell proliferation. The acquisition of migratory capability, in addition to intracellular factors, is proposed to be a crucial mechanism during the progression of invasion. Using qRT-PCR analysis, we determined that the expression of miR-451 in glioma tissue was lower than in control brain tissue, especially in the central portions of the tumor. In glioma cell lines, we found that decreased miR-451 expression suppressed tumor cell proliferation but enhanced migration with a concomitant low level of CAB39/AMPK/mTOR pathway activation and high level of Rac1/cofilin pathway activation, respectively. Notably, the effect of miR-451 on cytological behavior and on the activation of mTOR and Rac1 was limited when AMPKα1 expression was knocked-down with a synthetic shRNA. We suggest that the glioma microenvironment results in heterogeneity of miR-451 expression. Our data indicated that miR-451 relays environmental signals by upregulating the activity of AMPK signaling, thereby modulating the activation of mTOR and Rac1/cofilin which, in turn, play key roles in glioma cell proliferation and migration, respectively. Our results highlight the need to consider opposing roles of a therapeutic target which, while suppressing tumor cell proliferation, could also promote cell infiltration.

Economic Assimilation and Skill Acquisition: Evidence From the Occupational Sorting of Childhood Immigrants.

We study the economic assimilation of childhood immigrants to the United States. The linguistic distance between English and the predominant language in one's country of birth interacted with age at arrival is shown to be closely connected to occupational sorting in adulthood. By applying big-data techniques to occupations' detailed skill requirements, we provide evidence that childhood immigrants from English-distant countries who arrived after the primary school years reveal comparative advantages in tasks distinct from those for which (close to) Anglophone immigrants are better suited. Meanwhile, those who arrive at younger ages specialize in a bundle of skills very similar to that supplied by observationally equivalent workers. These patterns emerge even after we net out the effects of formal education. Such findings are compatible with the existence of different degrees of complementarity between relative English-learning potential at arrival and the acquisition of multiple capabilities demanded in the U.S. labor market (math/logic, socioemotional, physical, and communication skills). Consistent with the investment-complementarity argument, we show that linguistic distance and age at arrival also play a significant role on the choice of college major within this population.

Developmental intervals during the larval and juvenile stages of the Antarctic myctophid fish Electrona antarctica in relation to changes in feeding and swimming functions

The Antarctic myctophid fish species Electrona antarctica is believed to play a key role in the Southern Ocean food web, but there have been few studies on its early life history. This study examined the developmental changes in the external morphology and osteology of E. antarctica from the early larva to juvenile stages through the transformation phase and inferred changes in its behaviour and feeding mode. Once the larvae reached 12–13 mm body length (BL), they adopted a primordial suction feeding mode along with the acquisition of early swimming capabilities. Thereafter, both swimming and feeding functions were enhanced through fin development and ossification and acquisition of elements of the jaw and suspensorium. These processes indicate that larvae transition from the planktonic to nektonic phase upon reaching 12–13 mm BL when they enhance their both swimming and feeding abilities with growth. Transformation occurred when larvae reached 19–21 mm BL with changes such as discontinuous increases in eye diameter and upper jaw length and the appearance of photophores and dense body pigmentation. Osteological development of swimming- and feeding-related structures were mostly complete after transformation. Rapid changes in external morphology and osteology during the transformation stage are most likely related to ontogenetic vertical migration into deep waters.

Heterogeneity in learning processes and the evolution of dynamic managerial capabilities as a response of emergence of biosimilar market: evidence from the Indian pharmaceutical industry

ABSTRACTThis paper examines heterogeneity in the response of Indian firms to the emergence of a new segment in the pharmaceutical generics market – biosimilars. The necessary diversity of the knowledge base and regulatory requirements underlying biosmilar products have created significant technological capability and market access challenges for Indian firms. This is but the latest development which adds to an existing catalogue of challenges including the decline of the traditional generics markets, regulatory hurdles in advanced country markets and failures in managing new drug development. Using case studies of three Indian firms we show that dynamic managerial capability is a key driver of heterogeneity in learning processes involved in acquisition of technological capabilities for biosimilars and market access strategies. It further highlights the important role of pre-existing capabilities in enabling and constraining the development of new biosimilar capabilities.

American Middle East Policy: Pragmatism or Fata Morgana?

American Middle East Policy:Pragmatism or Fata Morgana? Juan Romero (bio) Ray Takeyh and Steven Simon. The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016. xviii + 396 pp. Notes and index. $28.95. Osamah F. Khalil. America's Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016. x + 426 pp. Notes, bibliography, and index. $35.00. Students of Middle East history know that instability in the Middle East did not originate with the Cold War, but this worldwide conflict contributed to the perpetuation of earlier tensions in the region, at the same time as it fueled new rivalries and conflicts. The early Cold War was characterized by tension between Arabs and Israelis, revolutionary governments and conservative monarchies, nationalists and extra-regional powers, and efforts by the two superpowers to increase their influence in the region. The later period of the Cold War brought the superpowers closer to a direct confrontation, as a result of intensifying Arab-Israeli tension, Israel's acquisition of nuclear capability, and superpower machinations. Two new works aim at shedding light on the role of the United States in the Middle East during the superpower conflict. The Pragmatic Superpower: Winning the Cold War in the Middle East by Roy Takeyh and Steven Simon examines U.S. policies toward the Middle East from the perspective of high politics, with the title containing the book's main argument in a nutshell. The second book is America's Dream Palace: Middle East Expertise and the Rise of the National Security State by Osama. F. Khalil. In this work the author focuses on a little studied subject—the interrelationship between American knowledge production about the Middle East, academia, and U.S. policies toward the region. As in the case of the first work, the title provides a clear indication of the book's main argument—the close relationship between formulation of U.S. foreign policy and academic scholarship and other expertise on the Middle East. Both studies complement one another since they examine two different aspects of the Cold War and draw different conclusions regarding U.S. policies toward the region. [End Page 672] The authors of The Pragmatic Superpower are well qualified to take on the complex and difficult task of assessing American foreign policy as it relates to the Middle East during the Cold War. Both authors have an academic background and have served in the Department of State. Takeyh and Simon examine ten crises which had the potential to grow into serious regional conflicts or even confrontations between superpowers. The chapters are evenly split between the early- and late-Cold War, with the Six-Day War of 1967 serving as the chronological dividing line. Unlike early scholarship on the Cold War, which was frequently preoccupied with assigning blame for the conflict to the Soviet Union, later succeeded by a trend to reexamine superpower tension and advance the argument that the United States played a much more prominent role in causing friction between the two superpowers, Takeyh and Simon have adopted an innovative approach to the Cold War. They treat it as a learning process illustrated by the ability of American administrations to change or rectify policies which did not produce the desired result. This ability to adapt and adjust—styled "pragmatism" by the authors—has led them to conclude that American administrations achieved their stated objective of denying Soviet leaders control of Middle Eastern natural resources and minds. Furthermore, this conclusion yields the concomitant argument that U.S. policy in the region during the Cold War was successful and amounted to making the right decisions, which, according to Takeyh and Simon, includes the recognition of the state of Israel in 1948 (p. 49). Both conclusions without doubt deserve further examination. Many scholars in the field are more critical of U.S. Cold War policies than Takeyh and Simon. One example is Ervand Abrahamian, who notes in his The Coup: 1953, the CIA, and the Roots of Modern U.S.-Iranian relations (2013), that it was the efforts of American and British oil companies to secure oil concessions in northern...

New dimensions of connectomics and network plasticity in the central nervous system.

Cellular network architecture plays a crucial role as the structural substrate for the brain functions. Therefore, it represents the main rationale for the emerging field of connectomics, defined as the comprehensive study of all aspects of central nervous system connectivity. Accordingly, in the present paper the main emphasis will be on the communication processes in the brain, namely wiring transmission (WT), i.e. the mapping of the communication channels made by cell components such as axons and synapses, and volume transmission (VT), i.e. the chemical signal diffusion along the interstitial brain fluid pathways. Considering both processes can further expand the connectomics concept, since both WT-connectomics and VT-connectomics contribute to the structure of the brain connectome. A consensus exists that such a structure follows a hierarchical or nested architecture, and macro-, meso- and microscales have been defined. In this respect, however, several lines of evidence indicate that a nanoscale (nano-connectomics) should also be considered to capture direct protein-protein allosteric interactions such as those occurring, for example, in receptor-receptor interactions at the plasma membrane level. In addition, emerging evidence points to novel mechanisms likely playing a significant role in the modulation of intercellular connectivity, increasing the plasticity of the system and adding complexity to its structure. In particular, the roamer type of VT (i.e. the intercellular transfer of RNA, proteins and receptors by extracellular vesicles) will be discussed since it allowed us to introduce a new concept of 'transient changes of cell phenotype', that is the transient acquisition of new signal release capabilities and/or new recognition/decoding apparatuses.

Identification of Super-Enhancer-Associated Cancer Genes Provides Novel Therapeutic Targets in Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a highly aggressive lymphoproliferative disorder that arises from mature T-lymphocytes. The onset of this disease is preceded by a long period of latency of 30 to 50 years, indicating that multiple cellular oncogenic mechanisms after HTLV-1 infection are involved in its pathogenesis. Notably, the recent genome-wide sequencing study revealed that a large number of genetic and chromosomal abnormalities are found in ATL. However, there is still a lack of functional evidence of those genetic abnormalities in the ATL pathogenesis due to a large mutation burden per sample and a high genetic heterogeneity across different ATL samples.Super-enhancers are clusters of enhancers typically marked by a high level of acetylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27Ac) using ChIP-seq analysis. Recently, rapidly accumulating evidences have shown that super-enhancers are often enriched at cancer genes in various malignancies. Therefore, the identification of such enhancers would pinpoint crucial genes, on which cancer/leukemia cells depend on in the acquisition of hallmark capabilities in cancer.Here, we performed a super-enhancer profiling combined with gene expression analysis followed by a loss-of-function RNA interference (RNAi) screen in ATL cells. By H3K27Ac ChIP-seq, we found that super-enhancers are frequently enriched at the genes involved in T-cell activation and T-cell signaling pathway, including CD2, IL2RA/CD25 and TNFRSF8/CD30, both in ATL and normal mature T-cells, confirming the origin of ATL cells. RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) metagene analysis demonstrated that super-enhancer-associated genes showed higher Pol II signal at the transcriptional start site (TSS) to transcriptional end site (TES) than the typical enhancer-associated genes. These super-enhancer-associated genes are sensitive to the THZ1 small-molecule CDK7 inhibitor treatment. Additionally, by a RNAi screen, we identified several genes including CCR4, which are highly activated in primary ATL samples and are required for the growth of ATL cell line. THZ1 treatment efficiently downregulated the expression of these genes and resulted in cell growth inhibition. Individual knockdown analysis demonstrated that a loss of each of these proteins significantly blocked the growth of multiple ATL cell lines but not T-ALL cells.Taken together, our study identified critical cancer genes in ATL based on a super-enhancer profiling. This study is the first to utilize a combinatorial approach of super-enhancer profiling, gene analysis after THZ1 treatment and functional RNAi screening to identify genes that are aberrantly activated and required in cancer. DisclosuresIida:Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Research Funding. Ueda:Kyowa Hakko Kirin: Research Funding; Mundipharma KK: Consultancy. Ishida:Bayer Pharma AG: Research Funding; Kyowa Hakko Kirin, Co., Ltd.: Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene KK: Research Funding.

North Korean Nuclear Issue: Regime Collapsism or Negotiation?

The North Korean nuclear issue has become one of international importance since North Korea’s withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty and acquisition of nuclear capabilities. It threatens both the US and its Asian allies even as the DPRK regime reveals its intentions for more sophisticated nuclear tests. The international community has two rational options: 1) wait for collapse of the DPRK regime 2) and/or restart diplomatic negotiations to settle the North Korean nuclear issue. Currently, the Six Party Talks enacts tough economic sanctions on the DPRK while the world “waits and sees” how and when the DPRK’s regime will collapse. Given the failure of the international community in preventing the North Koreans from acquiring atomic weaponry, this article describes why diplomatic negotiation and reengagement with the DPRK’s existing regime, not a collapsism framework, is the most viable strategy to deal with the prevailing situation in the Korean Peninsula which, in turn, could ensure peace and stability in the East Asian region.

Oncogenic mechanisms of HOXB13 missense mutations in prostate carcinogenesis.

The recurrent germline mutation HOXB13 p.(Gly84Glu) (G84E) has recently been identified as a risk factor for prostate cancer. In a recent study, we have performed full sequencing of the HOXB13 gene in 462 Portuguese prostate cancer patients with early-onset and/or familial/hereditary disease, and identified two novel missense mutations, p.(Ala128Asp) (A128D) and p.(Phe240Leu) (F240L), that were predicted to be damaging to protein function. In the present work we aimed to investigate the potential oncogenic role of these mutations, comparing to that of the recurrent G84E mutation and wild-type HOXB13. We induced site-directed mutagenesis in a HOXB13 expression vector and established in vitro cell models of prostate carcinogenesis with stable overexpression of either the wild-type or the mutated HOXB13 variants. By performing in vitro assays we observed that, while the wild-type promotes proliferation, also observed with the F240L variant along with a decrease in apoptosis, the A128D mutation decreases apoptosis and promotes anchorage independent growth. No phenotypic impact was observed for the G84E mutation in the cell line model used. Our data show that specific HOXB13 mutations are involved in the acquisition of different cancer-associated capabilities and further support an oncogenic role for HOXB13 in prostate carcinogenesis.