LIPING YE^1,2,3,#, HUIYAN SUN^4,#, XINHUA LIANG^2,#, WENXU PAN², LI XIANG^2,3, WENJUN DU², LANLAN GENG², WANFU XU^2,3,*, SITANG GONG^1,2,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.12, pp. 2709-2719, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.044295

Abstract Introduction: Helicobacter pylori is a risk factor for the development of peptic ulcers with autophagy dysfunction. Omeprazole was widely known as the first-line regimen for H. pylori-associated gastritis. Objectives: The objective of this work was to assess the role of omeprazole on cell pyroptosis and autophagy. Methods: The clinical samples were collected. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and immunofluorescence (IF) analysis were conducted to reveal the mechanism of omeprazole on cell pyroptosis and autophagy. Results: The results revealed that omeprazole could decrease cell pyroptosis, which was attributed to the downregulation of cleaved caspase-1 expression, resulting… More >

MARIA-LUISA VEISAGA^1,2, MARIAM AHUMADA², STACY SORIANO², LEONARDO ACUNA³, WEI ZHANG³, IVY LEUNG², ROBERT BARNUM², MANUEL A. BARBIERI^1,2,3,4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1835-1852, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.029076

Abstract Backgorund: Fruits and seed extracts of Annona montana have significant cytotoxic potential in several cancer cells. This study evaluates the effect of A. montana leaves hexane extract on several signaling cascades and gene expression in metastatic breast cancer cells upon insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) stimulation. Methods: MTT assay was performed to determine the proliferation of cancer cells. Propidium iodide staining and flow cytometry analysis of Annexin V binding was utilized to measure the progression of the cell cycle and the induction of apoptosis. Protein expression and phosphorylation were determined by western blotting analysis to examine the underlying cellular mechanism triggered… More >

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 >

JUNYU HE^1,2,3, FENG ZENG^1,2,3, XI JIN^1,2,3, LIN LIANG^1,2,3, MENGXIANG GAO^1,2,3, WENTAO LI^1,2,3, GUIYUAN LI^1,2,3, YANHONG ZHOU^1,2,3,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 615-630, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029698

Abstract Fos-related antigen 1 (Fra-1) is a nuclear transcription factor that regulates cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. It is involved in the proliferation, invasion, apoptosis and epithelial mesenchymal transformation of malignant tumor cells. Fra-1 is highly expressed in gastric cancer (GC), affects the cycle distribution and apoptosis of GC cells, and participates in GC occurrence and development. However, the detailed mechanism of Fra-1 in GC is unclear, such as the identification of Fra-1-interacting proteins and their role in GC pathogenesis. In this study, we identified tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein eta (YWHAH) as a Fra-1-interacting protein in GC cells using co-immunoprecipitation… 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

FAYU SHAN¹, LANLAN LIANG¹, CHONG FENG¹, HONGBAO XU¹, ZIROU WANG¹, WEILI LIU¹, LINGLING PU¹, ZHAOLI CHEN¹, GANG CHEN^2,*, XINXING WANG^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.4, pp. 481-493, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.029064

Abstract Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common malignant tumor. Recently, Laminin Gamma 2 (LAMC2) has been shown to be abnormally expressed in OSCC; however, how LAMC2 signaling contributes to the occurrence and development of OSCC and the role of autophagy in OSCC has not been fully explored. This study aimed to analyze the role and mechanism of LAMC2 signaling in OSCC and the involvement of autophagy in OSCC. Methods: To explore the mechanism by which LAMC2 is highly expressed in OSCC, we used small interfering RNA (siRNA) to knock down LAMC2 to further observe the changes in the… More >

XUELIANG WU^1,#, SHAOYU GUAN^2,#, YONGGANG LU³, JUN XUE⁴, XIANGYANG YU¹, QI ZHANG^5,*, XIMO WANG^1,5,*, TIAN LI⁶

Oncology Research, Vol.31, No.2, pp. 125-139, 2023, DOI:10.32604/or.2023.028657

Abstract This research aimed to explore the influence of Src homology-2 containing protein tyrosine phosphatase (SHP- 2) on the functions of tyrosine kinase receptors with immunoglobulin and EGF homology domains 2 (Tie2)-expressing monocyte/macrophages (TEMs) and the influence of the angiopoietin(Ang)/Tie2-phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (Ang/Tie2-PI3K/Akt/mTOR) signaling pathway on the tumor microvascular remodeling in an immunosuppressive microenvironment. In vivo, SHP-2- deficient mice were used to construct colorectal cancer (CRC) liver metastasis models. SHP-2-deficient mice had significantly more metastatic cancer and inhibited nodules on the liver surface than wild-type mice, and the high-level expression of p-Tie2 was found in… More > Graphic Abstract

JINGYAO XU^1,#, SHUANGLI HAO^1,#, KAIYUE HAN^1,#, WANXI YANG^1,*, HONG DENG^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.4, pp. 773-788, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026618

Abstract As a pathway that plays a role in nutrient absorption, anabolic response, cell growth and survival, the important role of AKT/mTOR in tumorigenesis has also come to light. For cancer patients, most deaths are caused by the growth of metastatic tumors outside the primary focus. Therefore, migration and invasion in the late stage of tumor progression are the main unresolved issues in the study of tumor pathogenesis, and AKT/mTOR has been found to participate in the migration and invasion of cancer cells, which means that the study of this pathway may contribute to a solution for the problem. Because of… More >

HUAQING MO^#, JINGYI SHEN^#, YUXIAO ZHONG, ZENAN CHEN, TONG WU, YANYU LV^*, YANYAN XIE, YANRONG HAO^*

Oncology Research, Vol.30, No.4, pp. 187-199, 2022, DOI:10.32604/or.2022.027534

Abstract Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is the most prevalent human primary malignancy of the head and neck, and the presence of vasculogenic mimicry (VM) renders anti-angiogenic therapy ineffective and poorly prognostic. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the present study, we used miR-940 silencing and overexpression for in vitro NPC cell EdU staining, wound healing assay and 3D cell culture assay, and in vivo xenograft mouse model and VM formation to assess miR-940 function. We found that ectopic miR-940 expression reduced NPC cell proliferation, migration and VM, as well as tumorigenesis in vivo. By bioinformatic analysis, circMAN1A2 was identified as a… More >

HONGMEI WU^#, DI LI^#, YUANYUAN HUANG, RUYUAN LIU, XIAONIAN ZHU^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 485-491, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026049

Abstract Autophagy is an important metabolic process. It facilitates the recycling of intracellular substances by removing, degrading, and recycling damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids in lysosomal vacuoles and plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key serine/threonine phosphatase and one of the main cell cycle regulatory enzymes. As PP2A activity is essential for the cell, dysfunction or dysregulation of PP2A can affect various physiological processes, including autophagy. Here, we review the autophagy-related factors that target PP2A in different diseases, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, to maintain cell homeostasis… More >