GERWIN HELLER^1,*, THORSTEN FUEREDER¹, ALEXANDER MICHAEL GRANDITS¹, ROTRAUD WIESER^1,2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.1, pp. 1-17, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.044774

Abstract Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. The main risk factors are consumption of tobacco products and alcohol, as well as infection with human papilloma virus. Approved therapeutic options comprise surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, targeted therapy through epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition, and immunotherapy, but outcome has remained unsatisfactory due to recurrence rates of ~50% and the frequent occurrence of second primaries. The availability of the human genome sequence at the beginning of the millennium heralded the omics era, in which rapid technological progress has advanced our knowledge of the molecular biology of… More >

JIAZHUANG LI^*, WEI ZHANG, SHOUBAO GAO, LI SUN, QINGYANG TAI, YING LIU

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2313-2320, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029860

Abstract Background: Trastuzumab resistance accounts for chemotherapy failure in gastric cancer patients in clinical practice. The significance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the maintenance of drug resistance in gastric cancer has been already underlined. Method: This study aimed to identify the specific role of lncRNA-ATB in gastric cancer progression and trastuzumab resistance. The downstream miRs of lncRNA-ATB and target genes of miRs were predicted by bioinformatics analysis and verified using dual luciferase reporter assay. Loss- and gain-function assays were performed to explore the roles of lncRNA-ATB, miR-200c, and zinc-finger protein 217 (ZNF217) in the cell functions and trastuzumab resistance of… More >

LINGYAN LV^1,2,#, JING ZHAO^1,2,#, XUAN WANG^1,2, LIUYAN XU^1,2, YINGYI FAN², CHUNHUI WANG³, HONGQIAO FAN^4,5,*, XIAOHUA PEI^5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.9, pp. 1977-1994, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030742

Abstract Background: The development and prognosis of breast cancer are intricately linked to psychological stress. In addition, depression is the most common psychological comorbidity among breast cancer survivors, and reportedly, Fang-Xia-Dihuang decoction (FXDH) can effectively manage depression in such patients. However, its pharmacological and molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Methods: Public databases were used for obtaining active components and related targets. Main active components were further verified by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-HRMS). Protein–protein interaction and enrichment analyses were taken to predict potential hub targets and related pathways. Molecule docking was used to understand the interactions between main compounds and hub… More >

WEI DU¹, FANG YIN¹, YATING ZHONG¹, MINJIE LUO¹, ZHEN WANG², PENG LIN², QING LIU^2,*, HAN YANG^2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 929-936, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030611

Abstract Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a highly lethal cancer, and better treatments are urgently needed. Many studies have implicated circular RNAs (circRNAs) in the progression of multiple malignant tumors. Nonetheless, the functions of circRNAs in NSCLC remain unclear. To study new targets for the treatment of NSCLC, circRNA expression profiling was performed on NSCLC tissues and para-carcinoma nonmalignant tissues. RNA was isolated and used for circRNA sequencing. Biological studies were performed in vitro and in vivo to determine the functions of circRNAs in NSCLC, including their functions in cell proliferation and migration. How circRNAs function in NSCLC was explored… More > Graphic Abstract

RUI ZHANG^1,2,#, PENG ZHOU^1,3,#, XIA OU⁴, PEIZHU ZHAO², XIJING GUO², MIAN XI^5,*, CHEN QING^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 887-897, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030184

Abstract Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is among the most prevalent causes of cancer-related death in patients worldwide. Resistance to immunotherapy and chemotherapy results in worse survival outcomes in ESCC. It is urgent to explore the underlying molecular mechanism of immune evasion and chemoresistance in ESCC. Here, we conducted RNA-sequencing analysis in ten ESCC tissues from cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy patients. We found that DMRTA1 was extremely upregulated in the non-pathologic complete response (non-pCR) group. The proliferation rate of esophageal squamous carcinoma cells was markedly decreased after knockdown of DMRTA1 expression, which could increase cisplatin sensitivity in ESCC. Additionally, suppression of DMRTA1… More >

BIN ZHANG^1,#, JIANYI ZHAO^3,#, YONGZHI WANG^2,#, HUA XU¹, BO GAO¹, GUANGNING ZHANG¹, BIN HAN¹, GUOHONG SONG¹, JUNCHEN ZHANG^1,*, WEI MENG^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 917-927, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030425

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive cancer of the brain and has a high mortality rate due to the lack of effective treatment strategy. Clarification of molecular mechanisms of GBM’s characteristic invasive growth are urgently needed to improve the poor prognosis. Single-nuclear sequencing of primary and recurrent GBM samples revealed that levels of M3 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (CHRM3) were significantly higher in the recurrent samples than in the primary samples. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining of an array of GBM samples showed that high levels of CHRM3 correlated with poor prognosis, consistent with The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Knockdown of CHRM3 inhibited… More >

CARL RANDALL HARREL¹, VALENTIN DJONOV², ANA VOLAREVIC³, DRAGICA PAVLOVIC⁴, VLADISLAV VOLAREVIC^4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1757-1769, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028567

Abstract Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exos) are nano-sized extracellular vesicles enriched with bioactive molecules, such as microRNAs, enzymes, cytokines, chemokines, immunomodulatory, trophic, and growth factors. These molecules regulate the survival, phenotype, and function of malignant and tumor-infiltrated immune cells. Due to their nano-size and bilayer lipid envelope, MSC-Exos can easily bypass biological barriers and may serve as drug carriers to deliver chemotherapeutics directly into the tumor cells. Here, we summarize current knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms responsible for MSC-Exos-dependent modulation of tumor progression and discuss insights regarding the therapeutic potential of MSC-Exos in the treatment of malignant diseases. More > Graphic Abstract

TIANYING CAI^1,2, JUNJIE BAI¹, PENG TAN³, ZHIWEI HUANG¹, CHEN LIU¹, ZIMING WU¹, YONGLANG CHENG¹, TONGXI LI¹, YIFAN CHEN¹, JIAN RUAN⁴, LIN GAO⁵, YICHAO DU^3,*, WENGUANG FU^1,3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.5, pp. 805-817, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029549

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy that is driven by multiple genes and pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate the role and specific mechanism of the actin-interacting protein zyxin (ZYX) in HCC. We found that the expression of ZYX was significantly higher in HCC tissues compared to that in normal liver tissues. In addition, overexpression of ZYX in hepatoma cell lines (PLC/PRF/5, HCCLM3) enhanced their proliferation, migration and invasion, whereas ZYX knockdown had the opposite effects (SK HEP-1, Huh-7). Furthermore, the change in the expression levels of ZYX also altered that of proteins related to cell… More >

CHIWEN BU^1,2, LIGANG ZHAO¹, LISHAN WANG¹, ZEQIAN YU¹, JIAHUA ZHOU^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 495-503, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029309

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers with a median survival time of less than 5 months, and conventional chemotherapeutics are the main treatment strategy. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have been recently approved for BRCA1/2-mutant pancreatic cancer, opening a new era for targeted therapy for this disease. However, most pancreatic cancer patients carry wild-type BRCA1/2 with resistance to PARP inhibitors. Here, we reported that mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) kinase is overexpressed in pancreatic cancer tissues and promotes pancreatic cancer cell growth and invasion. Moreover, we found that knockdown of the mTORC2 obligate subunit Rictor sensitized… More > Graphic Abstract

MIN WANG^1,#, HAILIANG ZHAO^1,2,#, WEIWEI CHEN^3,#, CAIQUN BIE^4,#, JINYING YANG¹, WENRUI CAI¹, CHUTIAN WU¹, YANFANG CHEN¹, SHUFEN FENG¹, YING SHI¹, YUTING LI¹, HUIJUN TANG⁴, LIXIAN ZHONG¹, LILIANGZI GUO¹, SISI CHEN¹, LINJING LONG⁵, SHAOHUI TANG^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 515-541, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029101

Abstract The dysregulation of exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) plays a crucial role in the development and progression of cancer. This study investigated the role of a newly identified serum exosomal miRNA miR-4256 in gastric cancer (GC) and the underlying mechanisms. The differentially expressed miRNAs were firstly identified in serum exosomes of GC patients and healthy individuals using next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics. Next, the expression of serum exosomal miR-4256 was analyzed in GC cells and GC tissues, and the role of miR-4256 in GC was investigated by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Then, the effect of miR-4256 on its downstream target genes… More > Graphic Abstract