Gaofeng Pan^1,2,3, Jiali Li^1,2, Weijie Sun⁴, Jiayu He^1,2, Maoying Fu³, Yufeng Gao^1,2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.8, pp. 1991-2011, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2025.063993 - 18 July 2025

Abstract Aims: The aim of this study is to develop a prognostic model for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using stemness-related genes (SRGs), while also pinpointing and validating pivotal genes associated with this process. Methods: Utilizing the TCGA and ICGC database, a prognostic stemness-related scores (SRS) for HCC through a combination of WGCNA and machine learning. Bioinformatics analysis evaluated tumor immune infiltration characteristics and drug sensitivity in different SRS subgroups, identifying the key gene TOMM40L. qRT-PCR and IHC were employed to detect the expression level of TOMM40 L. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis assessed the prognostic value of TOMM40L in… More >

Qing Wang, Luyao Cai, Shouyi Tang, Dan Pan, Zhen Wang, Qianming Chen, Yu Zhou^*, Yingqiang Shen^*

BIOCELL, Vol.49, No.4, pp. 579-605, 2025, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2025.060045 - 30 April 2025

Abstract Cancer Stem Cells (CSCs) are cancer cells with self-renewal and tumorigenesis abilities. CSCs in tumor tissues are the leading cause of tumor progression, recurrence, and drug resistance. CSCs have distinct metabolic features that contribute to maintaining their self-renewal and stemness. Phospholipids are essential components of cell membranes and play fundamental roles in cellular activities. CSCs have abnormal phospholipid metabolism, which affects their self-renewal, differentiation, invasion, and drug resistance. Compared with non-CSCs, the phospholipid metabolism of CSCs mainly focused on significantly increased fatty acid (FAs) and phospholipids synthesis, phospholipid unsaturation, and lipolysis-fatty acid oxidation (FAO). In More > Graphic Abstract

YULIAN WANG¹, LIANLI ZHU¹, RONGHAO ZENG², YUNPING PU³, BAIJIAN CHEN³, YUWEI TAN³, MING HONG^2,*, WEIJIA WANG^1,2,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.3, pp. 695-708, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.051746 - 28 February 2025

Abstract Background: The role of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)₂D₃) in cancer prevention and treatment is an emerging topic of interest. However, its effects on the stemness of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells are poorly understood. Methods: The proliferation and differentiation of AML cells (HL60 and NB4) were investigated by the CCK-8 assay, immunocytochemical staining, and flow cytometry. The abilities of HL60 and NB4 cells to form spheres were examined by the cell sphere formation assay. In addition, the levels of stemness-associated markers (SOX2, Nanog, OCT4, and c-Myc) in HL60 and NB4 cells were measured by western blotting and… More >

RUOYU CHEN¹, YIMAN WU¹, FENG WANG¹, JUNTAO ZHOU¹, HUAZHANG ZHUANG¹, WEI LI^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.7, pp. 1037-1046, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.051074 - 03 July 2024

Abstract Background: Oleanolic acid (OA), a pentacyclic triterpenoid exhibiting specific anti-cancer properties and highly effective antioxidant activity, was isolated from traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Conversely, the OA that impacts colon cancer (CC) cells and its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Methods: The cytotoxic effect of OA alone or OA-5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) combination on normal and CC cells was analyzed by methyl thiazolyl diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT). Then, the impact of OA on CC cell lines (LoVo and HT-29) proliferation and stemness were measured using colon formation and tumorsphere formation assays. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4), Prominin-1 (CD133), Nanog,… More >

JIAWEI YIN¹, YONGSHENG WANG^2,3, GUANGWEI WEI⁴, MINGXIN WEN^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.6, pp. 959-970, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.049349 - 10 June 2024

Abstract Objectives: This study aimed to reveal the role and possible mechanism of the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 2T (UBE2T) in the biological activities of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs). Methods: The specific protein and gene expression were quantified by Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, the proportion of BCSCs was examined by flow cytometry, and the self-renewal and proliferation of BCSCs were verified by serial sphere formation and soft agar. Results: Increasing expression of UBE2T was drastically found in breast cancer than that in adjacent tissues. Furthermore, UBE2T overexpression significantly increased the proportion of BCSCs in More >

JIA SHAO^1,2, CAN ZHANG², YAONAN TANG², AIQIN HE², WEIPEI ZHU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.4, pp. 571-580, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.049092 - 09 April 2024

Abstract Objective: Previous studies indicated that aberrant circular RNA (circRNA) expression affects gene expression regulatory networks, leading to the aberrant activation of tumor pathways and promoting tumor cell growth. However, the expression, clinical significance, and effects on cell propagation, invasion, and dissemination of circRNA_001896 in cervical cancer (CC) tissues remain unclear. Methods: The Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets (GSE113696 and GSE102686) were used to examine differential circRNA expression in CC and adjacent tissues. The expression of circRNA_001896 was detected in 72 CC patients using fluorescence quantitative PCR. Correlation analysis with clinical pathological features was performed through… More >

TABEA GEWALT^1,2, KA-WON NOH³, LYDIA MEDER^1,2,4,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.2, pp. 101-115, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028105 - 10 April 2023

Abstract LIN28B is an RNA-binding protein that targets a broad range of microRNAs and modulates their maturation and activity. Under normal conditions, LIN28B is exclusively expressed in embryogenic stem cells, blocking differentiation and promoting proliferation. In addition, it can play a role in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition by repressing the biogenesis of let-7 microRNAs. In malignancies, LIN28B is frequently overexpressed, which is associated with increased tumor aggressiveness and metastatic properties. In this review, we discuss the molecular mechanisms of LIN28B in promoting tumor progression and metastasis in solid tumor entities and its potential use as a clinical therapeutic More >

Dongliang Zhu^1,*, Jun Yang², Jiaxin Xu³

Oncologie, Vol.24, No.3, pp. 471-482, 2022, DOI:10.32604/oncologie.2022.024062 - 19 September 2022

Abstract G-protein coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) is a transmembrane receptor that mediates non-genomic effects of estrogen. This study aimed to investigate the role of GPER in the stemness formation and malignancies in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Spheroids of MDA-MB-468 cells were induced by mammosphere culture, and the proportion of the CD44⁺ /CD24^−/low stem cell subpopulation was detected. Malignant characteristics, expression of GPER and stemness-related markers, and tumorigenesis in a xenograft assay were compared between the mammospheres and adherent cultured cells. The impacts of 17β-estradiol (E2) and the GPER-specific antagonist G15 were studied in in vitro assays.… More >

KEWEI GAO^1,#, JIANGFENG HU^2,#, YI ZHOU³, LIANG ZHU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.6, pp. 1521-1526, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.09220 - 01 September 2021

Abstract Increasing evidence proves that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play an important role in regulating the biological behaviors of tumors. The central purpose of this research was to investigate the functions of circRNA in gastric cancer. The utilization of real-time PCR was to test circPTN expression in gastric cancer cells. Cell counting colony formation assays, CCK-8 assay, and EdU assay were used to investigate proliferation. Transwell assay was applied to investigate migration. We discovered that circPTN was highly expressed in gastric cancer cells. Low expression of circPTN inhibits gastric cancer cell proliferation and migration. Elevated expression of 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 - 01 September 2021

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… More >