Mee-Young Ahn^*1, Hyo-Eun Yoon^†1, Seong-Yong Moon^‡, Yong-Chul Kim^§, Jung-Hoon Yoon^†

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 295-304, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732527645922

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a therapeutic alternative for malignant tumors that uses a photosensitizer. Our group recently synthesized photosensitizer pheophorbide a (Pa) from chlorophyll-a. The present study investigated the therapeutic effect of PDT using intratumoral administration of the synthetic photosensitizer Pa in an in vivo murine oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) animal model. Pa accumulation was measured using the fluorescence spectrum and imaging in living C3H mice. Intratumoral treatment of Pa-PDT (IT Pa-PDT) significantly inhibited the growth of transplanted OSCC cells. Histopathological examination of tumor tissues showed that PCNA expression was significantly decreased, while TUNEL-stained… More >

Wujun Li^*, Shaobo Zhang^†

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 285-293, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732523471442

Abstract The CKLF-like MARVEL transmembrane domain-containing 3 (CMTM3), a member of the CMTM family, was found in several human tumors and plays an important role in the development and progression of tumors. However, the role of CMTM3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unknown. Thus, in the present study, we explored its expression pattern in human HCC cell lines, as well as its functions in HCC cells. Our results demonstrated that the expression of CMTM3 is lowly expressed in HCC cell lines. In vitro, we found that overexpression of CMTM3 obviously inhibited the proliferation, invasion, and More >

Ke Wang, Yu Ren, Yang Liu, Jian Zhang, Jian-jun He

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 277-283, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732514133203

Abstract miRNAs have been shown to be involved in breast cancer growth and progression. miR-4262 is a potential tumor promoter in human cancers. In this study, we first investigated the role of miR-4262 in the proliferation and invasion of human breast cancer cells. Our results showed that, compared with the adjacent tissues and MCF-10A normal breast epithelial cells, miR-4262 was markedly increased in the breast cancer tissues and five cell lines, including MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468, MDA-MB-435, SKBR3, and MCF-7. Then the miR- 4262 mimic or oligo anta-miR-4262 was transfected into MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines.… More >

Qianren Xiao^*1, Lu Huang^†1, Zhongzu Zhang^‡1, Xiang Chen^*, Jiaquan Luo^*, Zhanmin Zhang^§, Shaoqing Chen^§, Yong Shu^*, Zhimin Han^*, Kai Cao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 267-275, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732510786564

Abstract miRNAs play a pivotal role in the development and progression of osteosarcoma (OS). Previous studies indicated that miR-140 acts as a tumor suppressor in many cancers. However, its accurate expression and exact function in OS cells remain unknown. Herein, we demonstrated the lower expression of miR-140 in 40 paired OS tissues. Restoring miR-140 expression in OS cells had a marked effect on inhibiting cell proliferation and invasion, inducing cell apoptosis in vitro, and suppressing tumor growth in vivo. Moreover, a bioinformatics prediction indicated that the histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4) is a target gene of miR-140 and More >

Xin Zhang^*, Shaowen Li^†, Chunli Dong^‡, Xiuying Xie^*, Yunping Zhang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 259-265, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732503870766

Abstract Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of gynecological cancer-related deaths worldwide. We investigated the role of a newly discovered long noncoding RNA, NR_026689, in cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells. Our results showed that NR_026689 was overexpressed in both clinical ovarian cancer patients and cultured ovarian cancer cells. Knockdown of NR_026689 in HO-8910PM cells significantly decreased the cell proliferative rate and the ability to form colonies. Transwell assays revealed that depletion of NR_026689 suppressed cell migration ability by 68% and cell invasive capacity by 71% in HO-8910PM cells. Moreover, specific More >

Jin Zhang, Danjie Zhang, Liangzhang Sun

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 249-257, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X693164

Abstract Ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14), one of three proteasome-associated deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), plays an essential role in the development of human carcinoma. However, to the best of our knowledge, the role of USP14 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is unknown. In the current study, we investigated the expression and role of USP14 in ESCC. Our results showed that the level of USP14 was significantly increased in ESCC tissues and cell lines. Downregulation of USP14 significantly inhibited ESCC cell proliferation and ESCC tumor growth in nude mice. Downregulation of USP14 also suppressed the migration/invasion in ESCC More >

Junkai Chang^*1, Weibo Xu^*1, Guangchao Liu^†, Xinyi Du^*, Xiaodong Li^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 241-248, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14742891049118

Abstract Rab23, a novel member of the Rab GTPase family, was found to be implicated in the progression of some human cancers. However, what role Rab23 plays in prostate cancer (PCa) remains to be illustrated. In the present study, we investigated the expression pattern and roles of Rab23 in PCa. The study results showed that Rab23 was upregulated in PCa tissues and cell lines. Moreover, downregulation of Rab23 remarkably suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion of PCa cells. In addition, downregulation of Rab23 significantly downregulated the protein expression levels of Shh and Gli1. Furthermore, we found More >

Min Li^*†, Mao Zhang^*, Zhi-lang Zhang^*, Ning Liu^*, Xiao-yu Han^*, Qin-cheng Liu^*, Wei-jun Deng^†, Cai-xian Liao^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 233-239, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14742891049073

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly resistant to traditional chemotherapeutic approaches, which causes difficulty in the development of effective drugs for the treatment of HCC. Berberine, a major ingredient of Rhizoma coptidis, is a natural alkaloid used in traditional Chinese medicine. Berberine exhibits potent antitumor activity against HCC due to its high efficiency and low toxicity. In the present study, we found that berberine sensitized HepG cells to NF-kB-mediated apoptosis. Berberine exhibited a significant antiproliferation effect on the HepG2 cells and promoted apoptosis. Both qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining revealed that berberine reduced the NF-kB p65 levels in More >

Jianpeng Liu^*, Wei Li^†, Shunshun Liu^*, Xu Zheng^*, Lin Shi^*, Weitao Zhang^*, Hongfa Yang^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 225-232, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732772150587

Abstract Collagen triple helix repeat containing 1 (CTHRC1), an extracellular matrix-related protein, has been found to be upregulated in many solid tumors and contributes to tumorigenesis. We found that CTHRC1 is overexpressed in glioblastoma tissues and cells. By using the technique of RNA interference, the expression of CTHRC1 in the human glioblastoma U-87MG cell line was downregulated, and the proliferation and migration of U-87MG cells were examined. The results showed that the knockdown of CTHRC1 exerts inhibitory effects on the proliferation and migration ability of U-87MG cells. Knockdown of CTHRC1 expression in U-87MG cells resulted in More >

Haiyang Wang^*, Chongyang Tang^*, Meng Na^*, Wei Ma^*, Zhenfeng Jiang^*, Yifei Gu^*, Guizhen Ma^†, Haitao Ge^*, Hong Shen^*, Zhiguo Lin^*

Oncology Research, Vol.25, No.2, pp. 187-194, 2017, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14732772150389

Abstract Glioma is a common type of malignant brain tumor characterized by aggressive metastasis capability. Recent evidence has suggested that noncoding RNAs, including microRNAs, have important functions in the pathophysiology of glioma development. In this study, we investigated the biological function of miR-422a in human glioma. We found that miR-422a was downregulated in glioma tissues. We also demonstrated that expression of miR-422a in glioma cells markedly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. In addition, we identified insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) as inhibitory targets of miR-422a in glioma cells. We established that More >