RUI XU¹, QIBIAO WU¹, YUHAN GONG², YONGZHE WU¹, QINGJIA CHI^1,*, DA SUN^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1261-1288, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018427

Abstract There is currently no effective solution to the problem of poor prognosis and recurrence of HCC. The technology of immunotherapy and prognosis of genetic material has made continuous progress in recent years. In the study, a 5-gene signature was established for the prognosis of HCC through biological information, and the immune infiltration of HCC patients was studied. After studied HCC patients’ immune infiltration, the paper screened the differential target genes of miR-126-3p in HCC downloaded from TCGA database, and uses WGCNA method to select the modular genes highly relevant to M2 macrophage. Then we use LASSO and COX regression analysis… More >

QUANWEI LU^1,2,#, YUZHEN SHI^2,#, RUILI CHEN^1,2, XIANGHUI XIAO^2,3, PENGTAO LI^1,2, JUWU GONG^2,3, RENHAI PENG¹, YOULU YUAN^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1347-1356, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018254

Abstract Aluminum-activated malate transporters (ALMT) are widely involved in plant growth and metabolic processes, including adaptation to acid soils, guard cell regulation, anion homeostasis, and seed development. Although ALMT genes have been identified in Arabidopsis, wheat, barley, and Lotus japonicus, little is known about its presence in Gossypium hirsutum L. In this study, ALMT gene recognition in diploid and tetraploid cotton were done using bioinformatics analysis that examined correlation between homology and evolution. Differentially regulated ALMT genetic profile in G. hirsutum was examined, using RNA sequencing and qRT-PCR, during six fiber developmental time-points, namely 5 d, 7 d, 10 d, 15… More >

XIAOFEI LV^1,#, XI YU^2,#, JIE XU³, MINGYI WANG⁴, CHENG PENG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1189-1196, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018249

Abstract The kinesin family member 18A protein was dysregulated in several human cancers and involved in cancer progression. However, the significance in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) has not been studied. The present study was intended to explore the functions of KIF18A in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was performed to assess the relationships between the KIF18A protein expression level and clinical-pathological features of the patients. The biological functions of KIF18A in OTSCC cells were investigated by the experiments in vitro and in vivo. Based on immunohistochemistry, we found that KIF18A was correlated with the clinical-pathological… More >

LU YANG^1,#, YUN LIU^1,#, BOKE ZHANG², MENGSI YU³, FEN HUANG¹, YANG WEN¹, JIANGZHENG ZENG¹, YANDA LU¹, CHANGCHENG YANG¹

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1215-1243, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018221

Abstract The aim of this study was to reveal genes associated with breast cancer metastasis, to investigate their intrinsic relationship with immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, and to screen for prognostic biomarkers. Gene expression data of breast cancer patients and their metastases were downloaded from the GEO, TCGA database. R language package was used to screen for differentially expressed genes, enrichment analysis of genes, PPI network construction, and also to elucidate key genes for diagnostic and prognostic survival. Spearman’s r correlation was used to analyze the correlation between key genes and infiltrating immune cells. We screened 25 hub genes,… More >

YUKA IKEDA, NOZOMI NAGASE, AI TSUJI, KURUMI TANIGUCHI, YASUKO KITAGISHI, SATORU MATSUDA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1163-1167, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018177

Abstract Stemness of cancer cells contains limitless self-renewal proliferation. For the purpose of proliferation, secretome might exert its effects via the paracrine signaling. Specific microRNAs enclosed in the secretome of cancer stem cells could regulate the expression of anti-proliferative APRO family proteins. The biological functions of APRO family proteins seems to be quite intricate, however, which might be a key modulator of microRNAs, then could regulate the proliferation of cancer cells. In addition to affecting proliferation/differentiation during cellular development, APRO family proteins might also play an imperious role on keeping homeostasis in healthy stem cells under a physiological condition. Therefore, relationship… More >

YUHUA ZOU^1,#, LEI ZHANG^2,#, XIN ZHONG^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1309-1317, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018167

Abstract Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a poor prognosis due to limited diagnosis and treatment. Thus, it is necessary to find novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The aberrant expression of microRNAs plays an important role in RCC oncogenesis. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) acts as a downstream target of miR-181b. The aim of this study was to understand the role and molecular mechanism of miR-181b in RCC oncogenesis. The results showed that miR-181b expression was significantly higher in RCC tumour tissues, especially in those with significant invasion or metastasis. miR-181b overexpression promoted proliferation and migration of the RCC cell… More >

ANGELES C. TECALCO-CRUZ^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1209-1213, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018136

Abstract Cytoskeletal remodeling affects the shape, adhesion, and motility of cells. Cytoskeletal dynamics are modulated by matrix proteins, integrins, and several cytokines in the tumor microenvironment. In this scenario, signaling is activated by integrins and interferons, which can induce ISG15 gene expression. This gene encodes a ubiquitin-like protein that functions as a protein modifier via the ISGylation system. Furthermore, non-conjugated ISG15 acts as a cytokine-like protein. In this viewpoint, the interplay between free ISG15, protein ISGylation, and cytoskeletal dynamics in the tumor microenvironment is discussed. More >

HAN ZHAO¹, JING GUO¹, QINGJIA CHI², MENG FANG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1245-1259, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018117

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignant tumor that caused irreversible consequences. Tanshinone IIA has been shown to play a notable role in HCC treatment. However, the potential targets and associating mechanism of Tanshinone IIA against HCC remain unknown. We first screened out 105 overlapping genes by integrating the predicted targets of Tanshinone IIA from multiple databases and the differentially expressed genes of HCC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) using the RNA-seq profiles of overlapping genes and HCC-related clinical information. 23 genes related to clinical tumor grade in the… More >

RAFAEL SCAF DE MOLON^1,2, MARTA MARIA ALVES PEREIRA², ERICA DORIGATTI DE AVILA²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1151-1156, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018026

Abstract It has been recognized that physical and chemical properties of biomaterial surfaces mediate the quality of extracellular matrix (ECM) that may affect cell behaviors. In nature, ECM is a heterogeneous three-dimensional superstructure formed by three major components, glycosaminoglycan, glycoconjugate, and protein, that anchors cellular compartments in tissues and regulates the function and the behavior of cells. Changes in the biointerface alter the quality of ECM and morphology through cell surface receptors, which, in turn, enable it to trigger specific cell signaling and different cellular responses. In fact, a number of strategies have been used to improve the functionality of surfaces… More >

HONGQIANG ZHAO^1,2, QI LIU³, HAORUN LIU³, WEIMIN LI^3,*, JIANGYANG LU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1299-1308, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017217

Abstract HMGN2 have functions in inflammatory response. However, the role of HMGN2 in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains unclear. Here, our study was to discuss the role and regulatory mechanism ofHMGN2 in SAP. In this study, the SAP cell model of AR42J was used to study the function and mechanism of HMGN2 in SAP. The protein expression in cells and serums were examined by western blot and ELISA assay. qPCR was used to test the transcriptional RNA level. Cell viability were examined by MTT assay. Luciferase assay was used to evaluate the interaction between gene and gene. Our results showed that… More >