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 >

RAGHDA A. SOLIMAN¹, RANA A. YOUNESS^1,2,*, TAMER M. MANIE³, EMAD KHALLAF⁴, MOHAMED EL-SHAZLY¹, MONA ABDELMOHSEN⁵, HEBA HANDOUSSA¹, MOHAMED Z. GAD^6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.3, pp. 769-783, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016636

Abstract Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) immunotherapy has recently shown promising approach. However, some TNBC patients presented with resistance. One of the reasons was attributed to the excessive release of cytokines at the tumor microenvironment (TME) such as Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and Interleukin-10 (IL-10). Fine regulation of these cytokines’ levels via non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) might alleviate the immune quiescent nature of TME at TNBC tumors. However, the extrapolation of ncRNAs as therapeutic tools is highly challenging. Therefore, disentanglement the nature for the isolation of natural compounds that could modulate the ncRNAs and their respective targets is an applicable translational… More >

JIAYU ZHANG^1,2,3,#, RUOYAN CAO^1,2,3,#, JIANMIN PENG^1,2,3, QINCHAO HU^1,2,3, JUAN XIA^1,2,3,*, BIN CHENG^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.1, pp. 111-125, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016612

Abstract Metabolic reprogramming and immunologic suppression are two critical characteristics promoting the progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The integrative analysis of all the metabolism-related genes (MRGs) in HNSCC is lacking and the interaction between the metabolism and the immune characteristics also requires more exploration to uncover the potential mechanisms. Therefore, this study was designed to establish a prognostic signature based on all the MRGs in HNSCC. Genes of HNSCC samples were available from the TCGA and GEO databases while the MRGs were retrieved from a previous study. Ultimately 4 prognostic MRGs were selected to construct a model… More >

XINGHONG YAO^1,2,#, CHENGQUAN LU^3,#, JUNYI SHEN¹, WENLI JIANG¹, YAN QIU¹, YE ZENG^1,*, LIANG LI^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.6, pp. 1425-1448, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.017289

Abstract Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are heterogeneous with self-renewal and differentiation ability. The mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) described the similarity between tumor cells and CSCs, which is positively associated with the poor prognosis of cancer patients. However, the key prognostic genes related to mRNAsi in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. A 9-gene signature related to mRNAsi and HCC prognosis including PSMG3, SNRPD1, DTYMK, PIGU, NME1, TXNL4A, IPO4, PES1, and REXO4 was obtained. High expression of this signature indicates poor prognosis of HCC. PIGU was an independent prognostic factor of HCC, which was significantly associated with progression of HCC. Among them,… More >

FRANCESCO MAININI^*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.5, pp. 1171-1173, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.017399

Abstract Adoptive cell therapy and Immune Checkpoint Blockade Inhibitors have recently revolutionized the field of oncology. However, these types of immunotherapeutic approaches have limited success in treating solid tumors. In particular, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells efficacy is hampered by immunosuppressive signals in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and by a limited infiltration of re-infused T cells to the tumor site. The field of nanobiotechnology applied to oncology is also rapidly expanding. Nanoparticles-based delivery systems can be employed to modulate the activity of immune cells present in the TME enhancing the efficacy of CAR-T cells. Interestingly, nano-backpacks can be attached to CAR-T… More >

Pierre-Guillaume Poureau^1,2,*, Jean-Philippe Metges²

Oncologie, Vol.23, No.1, pp. 47-59, 2021, DOI:10.32604/Oncologie.2021.15525

Abstract Immunotherapy for digestive cancers is booming and for the first time an immune checkpoint inhibitor has been granted marketing authorization for the treatment of digestive cancer. In order to better understand the mecanism of action of these treatments, their adverse events and the escape mecansim, it is necessary to know the fundamentals of cancer immunology. The innate and adaptive immune system allows the elimination of cancer cells by direct non-specific cytotoxicity (Natural Killer cells), by the development of an adaptive cell-mediated response (dendritic cells becoming antigen presenting cells, allowing the differentiation of lymphocytes naive in CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes)… More >

MENGDAN WU¹, MENGYAO SUN¹, QINHUAI LAI¹, YIN LU¹, YUYIN FU¹, YUJIA PENG¹, WEIRONG LAI¹, LISHI ZENG¹, SHENGYAN ZHAO¹, YUYAN LI¹, ZHIXIONG ZHANG¹, XIAOFENG CHEN¹, FAN QIAO¹, YIWEN ZHANG^1,*, SHIJIE ZHOU^1,2,*, LANTU GOU¹, JINLIANG YANG^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.3, pp. 589-597, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.013882

Abstract The chemokine ligand 13-chemokine receptor 5 (CXCL13-CXCR5) axis has been characterized as a critical tumor-promoting signaling pathway in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in multiple types of solid tumors. In this study, we analyzed the expression profile of CXCL13 in kidney clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) and its correlation with tumor-infiltrating immune cells (TIICs). A monoclonal antibody against CXCL13 with high affinity and purity was generated in our lab for western blot and immunohistochemistry (IHC). Bioinformatic analysis was performed based on bulk-seq data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-KIRC and single-cell RNA-seq data from scRNASeqDB and PanglaoDB. Results showed that high CXCL13… More >

WENXI GAO^1,2,#, QIANQIAN MA^3,#, CHENYU TANG^2,#, YUELI ZHAN⁴, YINONG DUAN², HUIHUA NI^5,*, YUNZHAO XU^5,6,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.4, pp. 597-605, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.011328

Abstract Cervical cancer (CESC) is one of the most common cancers and affects the female genital tract. Consistent HPV infection status has been determined to be a vital cause of tumorigenesis. HPV infection may induce changes to the immune system and limit the host’s immune response. Immunotherapy is therefore essential to improving the overall survival of both locally advanced and recurrent CESC patients. Using 304 relevant samples from TCGA, we assessed immune cell function in CESC patients to better understand the status of both tumor micro-environment cells and immune cells in CESC. Functional enrichment analysis, pathway enrichment analysis, and PPI network… More >

ANDREA P. RODRIGUEZ, HIDETSUGU TSUJIGIWA, MEHMET GUNDUZ, BEYHAN CENGIZ, NORIYUKI NAGAI, RYO TAMAMURA, SILVIA S. BORKOSKY, TOHRU TAKAGI, MIHO INOUE, HITOSHI NAGATSUKA*

BIOCELL, Vol.33, No.1, pp. 39-47, 2009, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2009.33.039

Abstract Progenitor cells play an important biological role in tooth and bone formation, and previous analyses during bone and dentine induction have indicated that they may be a good alternative for tissue engineering. Thus, to clarify the influence of the microenvironment on protein and gene expression, MDPC23 cells (mouse dental papilla cell line) and KUSA/A1 cells (bone marrow stromal cell line) were used, both in vitro cell culture and in intra-abdominal diffusion chambers implanted in 4-week-old male immunodefficient mice (SCID mice). Our results indicate that KUSA/A1 cells differentiated into osteoblast-like cells and induced bone tissue inside the chamber, whereas, MDPC-23 showed… More >

Muyi Guo¹, Yan Cai¹, Zhiyong Li^1,2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.1, pp. 49-49, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.05727

Abstract Observational studies have identified angiogenesis from the adventitial vasa vasorum and intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) as critical factors in atherosclerotic plaque progression and destabilization. Here we propose a mathematical model incorporating intraplaque neovascularization and hemodynamic calculation for the quantitative evaluation of atherosclerotic plaque hemorrhage. An angiogenic microvasculature based on histology of a patient’s carotid plaque is generated by two-dimensional nine-point model of endothelial cell migration. Three key cells (endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells and macrophages) and three key chemicals (vascular endothelial growth factors, extracellular matrix and matrix metalloproteinase) are involved in the intraplaque angiogenesis model, and described by the reaction-diffusion partial… More >