LU YANG^1,#, YUN LIU^1,#, BOKE ZHANG², MENGSI YU³, FEN HUANG¹, YANG WEN¹, JIANGZHENG ZENG¹, YANDA LU¹, CHANGCHENG YANG¹

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1215-1243, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018221

Abstract The aim of this study was to reveal genes associated with breast cancer metastasis, to investigate their intrinsic relationship with immune cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment, and to screen for prognostic biomarkers. Gene expression data of breast cancer patients and their metastases were downloaded from the GEO, TCGA database. R language package was used to screen for differentially expressed genes, enrichment analysis of genes, PPI network construction, and also to elucidate key genes for diagnostic and prognostic survival. Spearman’s r correlation was used to analyze the correlation between key genes and infiltrating immune cells. We screened 25 hub genes,… More >

YUKA IKEDA, NOZOMI NAGASE, AI TSUJI, KURUMI TANIGUCHI, YASUKO KITAGISHI, SATORU MATSUDA^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1163-1167, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018177

Abstract Stemness of cancer cells contains limitless self-renewal proliferation. For the purpose of proliferation, secretome might exert its effects via the paracrine signaling. Specific microRNAs enclosed in the secretome of cancer stem cells could regulate the expression of anti-proliferative APRO family proteins. The biological functions of APRO family proteins seems to be quite intricate, however, which might be a key modulator of microRNAs, then could regulate the proliferation of cancer cells. In addition to affecting proliferation/differentiation during cellular development, APRO family proteins might also play an imperious role on keeping homeostasis in healthy stem cells under a physiological condition. Therefore, relationship… More >

YUHUA ZOU^1,#, LEI ZHANG^2,#, XIN ZHONG^3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1309-1317, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018167

Abstract Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has a poor prognosis due to limited diagnosis and treatment. Thus, it is necessary to find novel prognostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The aberrant expression of microRNAs plays an important role in RCC oncogenesis. Tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) acts as a downstream target of miR-181b. The aim of this study was to understand the role and molecular mechanism of miR-181b in RCC oncogenesis. The results showed that miR-181b expression was significantly higher in RCC tumour tissues, especially in those with significant invasion or metastasis. miR-181b overexpression promoted proliferation and migration of the RCC cell… More >

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 >

HAN ZHAO¹, JING GUO¹, QINGJIA CHI², MENG FANG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1245-1259, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018117

Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a worldwide malignant tumor that caused irreversible consequences. Tanshinone IIA has been shown to play a notable role in HCC treatment. However, the potential targets and associating mechanism of Tanshinone IIA against HCC remain unknown. We first screened out 105 overlapping genes by integrating the predicted targets of Tanshinone IIA from multiple databases and the differentially expressed genes of HCC from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Then, we performed weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) using the RNA-seq profiles of overlapping genes and HCC-related clinical information. 23 genes related to clinical tumor grade in the… More >

RAFAEL SCAF DE MOLON^1,2, MARTA MARIA ALVES PEREIRA², ERICA DORIGATTI DE AVILA²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1151-1156, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018026

Abstract It has been recognized that physical and chemical properties of biomaterial surfaces mediate the quality of extracellular matrix (ECM) that may affect cell behaviors. In nature, ECM is a heterogeneous three-dimensional superstructure formed by three major components, glycosaminoglycan, glycoconjugate, and protein, that anchors cellular compartments in tissues and regulates the function and the behavior of cells. Changes in the biointerface alter the quality of ECM and morphology through cell surface receptors, which, in turn, enable it to trigger specific cell signaling and different cellular responses. In fact, a number of strategies have been used to improve the functionality of surfaces… More >

HONGQIANG ZHAO^1,2, QI LIU³, HAORUN LIU³, WEIMIN LI^3,*, JIANGYANG LU^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1299-1308, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.017217

Abstract HMGN2 have functions in inflammatory response. However, the role of HMGN2 in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains unclear. Here, our study was to discuss the role and regulatory mechanism ofHMGN2 in SAP. In this study, the SAP cell model of AR42J was used to study the function and mechanism of HMGN2 in SAP. The protein expression in cells and serums were examined by western blot and ELISA assay. qPCR was used to test the transcriptional RNA level. Cell viability were examined by MTT assay. Luciferase assay was used to evaluate the interaction between gene and gene. Our results showed that… More >

RAFIQ AHMED BHAT¹, SYED MANZOOR ALI², YOOSUF ALI ASHRAF MUHAMMAD HUSSENBOCUS³, AKANKSHA RATHI⁴, JAVAID AKHTER BHAT⁵, ABDUL ALEEM KHAN⁶, SYED MAQBOOL², RAJA SAQIB IQBAL⁷, MD MONOWARUL ISLAM⁸, YONGSHENG QU⁹, YOU ZHANG⁹, YUXIAO SUN¹, WENTAO XIAO⁹, ABHISHEK TIBREWAL¹⁰, CHUANYU GAO^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1139-1150, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016833

Abstract The adverse outcomes of a ventricular heart failure (left, right or biventricular) caused by cardiogenic shock are aggravated by lung oedema and organ mal perfusion. Despite advances in medical sciences, revascularisation and mechanical hemodynamic support have proved ineffective in reducing the mortality rate in such patients. A thorough study of the data available about cardio-vascular diseases reveals that the application of conventional methods of treatment are least helpful to practically restore normal functions of heart when it experiences end-stage systolic ventricular failure. Thus, to overcome the challenges and find alternatives to address this issue, percutaneous ventricular support devices/machines were designed… More >

LEI FU¹, JINGWEN JIANG², XUEWU CHEN², FENGTING ZHU², HUI ZHANG²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1289-1297, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016726

Abstract The levels of hsa circular RNA_0002198 (hsa_circ_0002198) have been found to be significantly upregulated in keloid dermal fibroblasts. However, the functional role of hsa_circ_0002198 in keloid fibroblasts and the underlying molecular mechanism for its effects have not been reported. In this study, the levels of hsa_circ_0002198 and nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain, leucine rich repeat and pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) expression in keloid scar tissues and adjacent normal skin tissues were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and western blotting, respectively. In vitro models of keloid tissue were created by culturing primary keloid fibroblasts obtained from patients. A series of functional… More >

PANPAN WANG^1,2, GANG LI³, LI GAO^1,2, CHUANJIANG ZHAO^1,2

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.5, pp. 1197-1207, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.016607

Abstract Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss, which is also a high-risk factor for other diseases including oral cancer and cardiovascular disease. Periodontitis is one of the most common type of periodontal diseases. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. However, the mechanism how IL-1β is produced during periodontitis is still unclear. In the present study, we found that human β-defensin 2 (hBD2) enhances IL-1β production through an LPS-primed human acute monocytic leukemia (THP-1) macrophage model. Inhibition of P2X purinoceptor 7 (P2X7) reduced hBD2-enhanced IL-1β production. Incubation of LPS-primed THP-1 macrophages with potassium chloride… More >