HONGMIN CAO^1,#,*, YING XUE^2,#, FEI WANG¹, GUANGYAO LI¹, YULAN ZHEN¹, JINGWEN GUO¹

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.3, pp. 473-490, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2024.048946

Abstract Background: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD8+ T) cells function critically in mediating anti-tumor immune response in cancer patients. Characterizing the specific functions of CD8+ T cells in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) could help better understand local anti-tumor immune responses and estimate the effect of immunotherapy. Methods: Gens related to CD8+ T cells were identified by cluster analysis based on the single-cell sequencing data of three LUAD tissues and their paired normal tissues. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), consensus clustering, differential expression analysis, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and Cox regression analysis were conducted to classify molecular subtypes for LUAD… More > Graphic Abstract

XIAN ZHANG¹, ZHUANG ZHOU², JUNZHE WANG¹, MENGMENG HAN¹, HAN LIU¹, MEIRONG ZANG¹, JIANNING LIU¹, JIAPEI LU¹, JINQIAO ZHANG¹, GUOCHUAN ZHANG^2,*, LIXIA SUN^1,#,*

BIOCELL, Vol.48, No.2, pp. 303-311, 2024, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.046640

Abstract Background: Prognosis of multiple myeloma (MM) patients with extramedullary disease (EMD) remains poor. T cell dysfunction and an immunosuppressive environment have been reported in the bone marrow (BM) of MM patients. However, the immunosuppressive microenvironment and immune checkpoint receptors (ICRs) on CD8 T cells in the EMD tissue of newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients have not been thoroughly studied. Methods: We investigated the expression levels of T cell immunoglobulin mucin-domain-containing-3 (TIM-3) and T-cell immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) on CD8 T cells and the expression of their ligands (Galectin-9 and CD155) on myeloma cells in EMD tissue of NDMM patients.… More > Graphic Abstract

SAMANEH MOSTAFAVI, ZUHAIR MOHAMMAD HASSAN^*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.3, pp. 477-487, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.043926

Abstract Intracellular communications between breast cancer and fibroblast cells were reported to be involved in cancer proliferation, growth, and therapy resistance. The hallmarks of cancer-fibroblast interactions, consisting of caveolin 1 (Cav1) and mono-carboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4) (metabolic coupling markers), along with IL-6, TGFβ, and lactate secretion, are considered robust biomarkers predicting recurrence and metastasis. In order to promote a novel phenotype in normal fibroblasts, we predicted that breast cancer cells could be able to cause loss of Cav1 and increase of MCT4, as well as elevate IL-6 and TGFβ in nearby normal fibroblasts. We created a co-culture model using breast cancer… More >

YINGDONG ZHANG^1,2, MING CHU^1,2,*, HONGZHOU LU^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2591-2595, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030331

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of the central nervous system (CNS) has attracted significant attention because it contributes to severe complications of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and seriously impairs the life quality of infected patients. In this review, we briefly describe the latent infection of HIV in CNS and focus on the role of the important immune cells, such as T cells, in the formation and maintenance of the HIV reservoir in CNS. This review explores the mechanisms by which T cells enter CNS and establish latent infection of HIV in the CNS. In conclusion, we summarize the role of… More > Graphic Abstract

QILU PAN^1,2,#, YAN JIANG^1,2,#, LINQIAO LI^1,2, XIAOJING DU¹, QIAN HAN¹, FEIXIANG LING¹, ROU LI¹, SHUYUAN CHU^1,2, LIN MAI¹, JIANWEI HUANG¹, LIBING MA^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.11, pp. 2495-2502, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.042617

Abstract Introduction: Allergen-specific CD4⁺ T cells play a central role in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma, with Th2-type immunity being the typical functional response of CD4⁺ T cells. This study aimed to investigate the role of MBD2 in regulating Th2 cell differentiation. Methods: Splenic mononuclear cells were extracted from C57BL/6 mice, and CD4⁺ T cells were isolated using magnetic beads and confirmed through flow cytometry. Lentivirus was employed to construct MBD2-silenced CD4⁺ T cells. In vitro experiments were performed to treat splenogenic mononuclear cells and CD4⁺ T cells with Ovalbumin (OVA), and Th2 cell ratios and IL-4 levels were assessed using… More >

LU SUN^1,2, HUAICHENG TAN¹, TING YU³, RUICHAO LIANG^4,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 967-988, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.042309

Abstract Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common and deadliest subtype of lung cancer. To select more targeted and effective treatments for individuals, further advances in classifying LUAD are urgently needed. The number, type, and function of T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) determine the progression and treatment response of LUAD. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), may regulate T cell differentiation, development, and activation. Thus, our aim was to identify T cell-related lncRNAs (T cell-Lncs) in LUAD and to investigate whether T cell-Lncs could serve as potential stratifiers and therapeutic targets. Seven T cell-Lncs were identified to further establish the T… More >

EUN SOOK KIM¹, SANGHEE KIM², AREE MOON^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.6, pp. 867-875, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.030411

Abstract Invasion and metastasis are important hallmarks of breast cancer and are the leading cause of patient mortality. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive type of breast cancer characterized by a poor prognosis and a lack of effective targeted therapies. The present study investigated the inhibitory effect of a novel FTY720 derivative on the invasive phenotype of TNBC cells. Here, we showed that a novel compound with an isoxazole ring, 4-(3-Decylisoxazol-5-yl)-1-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)butan-2-aminium chloride (CM2-II-173), significantly inhibited invasiveness of MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. Expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and invasiveness of MCF10A normal breast cells induced by sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) were reduced by CM2-II-173… More >

YUE CAO, LIN HU, YISHU TANG^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1537-1548, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027205

Abstract Backgrounds: Both hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) and microRNA-221 (miR-221) have been implicated in the development of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The present study demonstrates that HBx promotes HCC cell proliferation via the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12-C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCL12-CXCR4) axis. We predict that HBx/miR-221-mediated CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling induces NKT cells to promote HBV-related HCC. Methods: After miR-221 mimic, miR-221 mimic negative control, miR-221 inhibitor, miR-221 inhibitor negative control were transfected into cells, the expression of CXCL12 and miR-221 was detected by qPCR and western blot. Then we constructed a stable HBV-HCC cell line.… More >

YUTING WANG^1,2,3, PEIWEN FAN^1,2,3, YANING FENG^1,2,3, XUAN YAO⁴, YANCHUN PENG⁴, RUOZHENG WANG^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.6, pp. 1365-1375, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027201

Abstract Background: This study was designed to investigate the feasibility of tumor-infiltrating immune cells with different phenotypic characteristics for predicting short-term clinical responses in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Methods: Thirty-four patients who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy and twenty-one patients who merely underwent radiotherapy were enrolled in this study. We retrospectively analyzed the T cell markers (i.e., CD3, CD4, CD8), memory markers (i.e., CD45, CCR7), and differentiation markers (i.e., CD27) in the peripheral blood and tumor tissues of patients with LACC before treatment based on flow cytometry. We also analyzed the relationship of T cell subsets between peripheral blood and… More >

WEI XIA¹, NING YANG², XIAOYAN FENG³, TING XIN¹, YONGLE JING¹, YUMING LI^4,*, CHENGZHI LU^1,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 837-847, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026161

Abstract Background: Preeclampsia (PE), characterized by hypertension and proteinuria, leads to serious maternal and infant complications. Uridine-cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2) belongs to the UCK family, a class of enzymes that catalyzes the conversion of uridine and cytidine to monophosphate form. However, the role of UCK2 in PE has not been reported. Methods: The expression of UCK2 was detected in the placenta of PE patients and N(ω)-nitro-L-arginine methyl esterinduced PE mouse model. Through forced up-regulation or down-regulation of UCK2 in vitro, we examined the effects of UCK2 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of trophoblast cells. Stattic, the inhibitor of STAT3… More >