Article
Reproductive Biology
Xiameng Shen, Conghui Wang, Huihui Zhu, Yaping Wang, Xinyu Wang, Xiaodong Cheng, Wanzhong Ge, Weiguo Lu
Summary: Tumor-derived exosomes play important roles in promoting migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cells. CD44, transferred through exosomes, influences the metastatic phenotype of cancer cells and may be a potential therapeutic target for ovarian cancer.
JOURNAL OF OVARIAN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Amber Gonda, Nanxia Zhao, Jay Shah, Jake N. Siebert, Srujanesh Gunda, Berk Inan, Mijung Kwon, Steven K. Libutti, Prabhas V. Moghe, Nicola L. Francis, Vidya Ganapathy
Summary: Late-stage diagnosis of ovarian cancer significantly reduces survival rates, highlighting the need for early screening tools. This study shows the potential of sEV-derived signatures as a minimally invasive screening tool for ovarian cancer.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Catherine Zhou, Marieke Louwman, Marlies Wakkee, Astrid Van der Veldt, Dirk Grunhagen, Cornelis Verhoef, Antien Mooyaart, Tamar Nijsten, Loes Hollestein
Summary: Melanoma of the skin is the most lethal form of skin cancer, with a substantial proportion of patients initially diagnosed with early-stage disease progressing to metastatic disease, highlighting the need for further research on high-risk patients.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xuewei Zhang, Wataru Sakamoto, Daniel Canals, Masumi Ishibashi, Masaya Matsuda, Kentaro Nishida, Masafumi Toyoshima, Shogo Shigeta, Makoto Taniguchi, Can E. Senkal, Toshiro Okazaki, Nobuo Yaegashi, Yusuf A. Hannun, Takeshi Nabe, Kazuyuki Kitatani
Summary: Regulation of sphingolipid metabolism has a significant impact on cellular homeostasis and cancer progression. Dysregulation of ceramide-centered metabolism is associated with metastatic potential in ovarian cancer cells. Specifically, the CerS2-C-24:1-ceramide axis, possibly counteracted by neutral ceramidase, plays a key role in limiting cell motility and metastatic potential.
Review
Cell Biology
Jacob P. Veenstra, Lucas Felipe Fernandes Bittencourt, Katherine M. Aird
Summary: Ovarian cancer is a highly aggressive disease, often diagnosed late after it has spread. Inflammatory signals and cellular senescence play important roles in ovarian cancer dissemination. Recent studies have shown that platinum-based or PARP inhibitor therapies, standard treatments for ovarian cancer, can induce senescence in ovarian cancer cells, leading to an inflammatory response known as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). The SASP may promote metastasis in ovarian cancer.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Tetiana Korzun, Abraham S. Moses, Jeonghwan Kim, Siddharth Patel, Canan Schumann, Peter R. Levasseur, Parham Diba, Brennan Olson, Katia Graziella De Oliveira Rebola, Mason Norgard, Youngrong Park, Ananiya A. Demessie, Yulia Eygeris, Vladislav Grigoriev, Subisha Sundaram, Tanja Pejovic, Jonathan R. Brody, Olena R. Taratula, Xinxia Zhu, Gaurav Sahay, Daniel L. Marks, Oleh Taratula
Summary: This study introduces a mRNA therapy for metastatic ovarian cancer and cachexia-induced muscle wasting, which utilizes lipid nanoparticles to deliver follistatin mRNA to cancer clusters. The therapy effectively reduces activin A levels associated with aggressive ovarian cancer and cachexia, preventing malignant ascites, delaying cancer progression, inducing solid tumor formation, and preserving muscle mass in cancer-bearing mice. The therapy also shows synergistic effects when combined with cisplatin, increasing mice survival and countering chemotherapy-induced muscle atrophy and cancer-associated cachexia.
Article
Oncology
Nuria Gendrau-Sanclemente, Agnes Figueras, Kristina Gracova, Alvaro Lahiguera, Elisenda Alsina-Sanchis, Juan A. Marin-Jimenez, August Vidal, Xavier Matias-Guiu, Sergi Fernandez-Gonzalez, Marc Barahona, Lola Marti, Jordi Ponce, Francesc Vinals
Summary: High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), the deadliest gynecological malignancy, spreads through transcoelomic dissemination. This study reveals that platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRβ) is essential for the formation of tumorspheres in HGSOC. Inhibition of PDGFRβ blocks the clustering of ovarian cancer cells and prevents peritoneal dissemination.
MOLECULAR ONCOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Oncology
Yueying Liu, Jing Yang, Zonggao Shi, Xuejuan Tan, Norman Jin, Catlin O'Brien, Connor Ott, Anna Grisoli, Eric Lee, Kelly Volk, Meghan Conroy, Emily Franz, Annamarie Bryant, Leigh Campbell, Brian Crowley, Stephen Grisoli, Aris T. Alexandrou, Chunyan Li, Elizabeth Harper, Marwa Asem, Jeff Johnson, Annemarie Leonard, Katie Santanello, Ashley Klein, Qingfei Wang, Siyuan Zhang, Tyvette S. Hilliard, M. Sharon Stack
Summary: The highly differentially expressed protein AMIGO2 in ovarian cancer metastasis could potentially serve as a therapeutic target, as its knockdown significantly attenuated the metastatic capacity of ovarian cancer cells.
Article
Immunology
Wei Cang, Anyue Wu, Liying Gu, Wenjing Wang, Qi Tian, Zhong Zheng, Lihua Qiu
Summary: This study found that low concentration of erastin greatly promoted invasion and migration of ferroptosis-resistant OC cells through STAT3-mediated M2 polarization of macrophages. Additionally, erastin increased IL-8 production of macrophages, and blockade of IL-8 partially eliminated the stimulatory effect of erastin on ferroptosis-resistant OC cells.
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Abdus Subhan, Sara Aly Attia, Vladimir Torchilin
Summary: Metastasis is a major challenge in cancer therapy, and while siRNA therapeutics show promise in treatment, they may not be sufficient on their own. Combining siRNA with targeting agents or small molecule drugs can enhance therapeutic effectiveness in controlling metastasis.
Article
Biology
Songzi Zhang, Dokyeong Kim, Minyoung Park, Jing Hu Yin, Junseong Park, Yeun-Jun Chung
Summary: In this study, the effectiveness of bepridil, a calcium channel blocker, in ovarian cancer cells was assessed. The study found that bepridil significantly reduced cell viability, migration, and invasion, and reversed the TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like phenotype. In an in vivo mouse xenograft model, bepridil treatment significantly reduced tumor growth. These findings suggest that bepridil holds promise as an effective therapeutic agent for metastatic ovarian cancer.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Teekaraman Dhanaraj, Manju Mohan, Jagadeesan Arunakaran
Summary: Research has shown that quercetin inhibits the survival and proliferation of human metastatic ovarian cancer cells by inactivating PI3K/Akt, Ras/Raf pathways, and EGFR expression. It also alters N-cadherin expression, decreases gelatinase secretion and MMP-2/-9 gene expression, and inhibits migration and adhesion of the cancer cells. These findings suggest that quercetin could be a valuable therapeutic drug for the treatment and prevention of metastatic ovarian cancer.
ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Karolina Seborova, Radka Vaclavikova, Lukas Rob, Pavel Soucek, Pavel Vodicka
Summary: Although advances have been made in cancer research, efficient predictive biomarkers for ovarian cancer progression and metastasis remain elusive. This review critically discusses recent findings on non-coding RNAs and DNA methylation as promising novel biomarkers in ovarian cancer. Identifying molecular changes in primary tumors and their metastases can help reveal the nature of metastatic development and provide early biomarkers for prognosis and disease progression. Regulatory elements from non-coding RNA families appear to play a role in these processes and may serve as potential molecular biomarkers for patient prognosis.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Yining Zhang, Kevin R. Hughes, Ravi M. Raghani, Jeffrey Ma, Sophia Orbach, Jacqueline S. Jeruss, Lonnie D. Shea
Summary: The study showed that cargo-free PLG nanoparticles can enhance the efficacy of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy by diverting circulating immune cells, reducing immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment. When combined with anti-PD-1 antibody, these nanoparticles significantly slowed tumor growth and provided a survival benefit.
Letter
Oncology
Chen Wang, Taiyang Ye, Wenjing Wang, Keqi Song, Jie Zhu, Lan Dai, Wen Di
Summary: In this study, it was found that SphK1 is over-expressed in omental metastases of EOC patients. The inhibition of SphK1 suppressed the metastatic ability of EOC induced by adipocytes. SphK1 modulates adipocyte-induced E/N-cadherin switch through Twist1, suggesting a new target for EOC therapy.
EXPERIMENTAL HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Stephen N. Housley, Paul Nardelli, Dario I. Carrasco, Travis M. Rotterman, Emily Pfahl, Lilya V. Matyunina, John F. McDonald, Timothy C. Cope
Article
Oncology
Bohuslava Vankova, Tomas Vanecek, Nikola Ptakova, Veronika Hajkova, Martin Dusek, Michael Michal, Peter Svajdler, Ondrej Daum, Magdalena Daumova, Michal Michal, Roman Mezencev, Marian Svajdler
GENES CHROMOSOMES & CANCER
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Slavka Hamulakova, Zuzana Kudlickova, Ladislav Janovec, Roman Mezencev, Zachery J. Deckner, Yury O. Chernoff, Jana Janockova, Veronika Ihnatova, Petr Bzonek, Nikola Novakova, Vendula Hepnarova, Martina Hrabinova, Daniel Jun, Jan Korabecny, Ondrej Soukup, Kamil Kuca
Summary: The study reports on the synthesis and biological evaluation of new compounds that combine tacrine and indole moieties. These compounds, particularly 3c, show promising potential as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and anti-amyloid agents that can cross the blood-brain barrier.
FUTURE MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Roman Mezencev, Scott S. Auerbach
Summary: This study analyzed the mechanisms involved in cancer development in mice exposed to Cr(VI) in drinking water, identifying CFTR gene's tumor-suppressor role and supporting the human relevance of Cr(VI)-mediated carcinogenesis in the small intestines of exposed mice. The research also predicted for the first time the role of CFTR inactivation in chemical carcinogenesis and expanded the range of plausible mechanisms involved in Cr(VI)-mediated carcinogenesis of intestinal and possibly other tissues.
TOXICOLOGY AND APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zainab Arshad, John F. McDonald
Summary: Changes in gene-network interactions in cancer development are not often accompanied by changes in the expression of network genes relative to normal precursor tissues, implying a complex relationship between gene interactions and cancer progression.
Article
Oncology
Peter Svajdler, Peter Vasovcak, Marian Svajdler, Monika Sedivcova, Veronika Urban, Michal Michal, Roman Mezencev
Summary: This study identified a specific germline mutation in the CHEK2 gene that is associated with an increased risk of developing adult-type granulosa cell tumors. Female carriers of this mutation were found to have a significantly higher proportion of ovarian adult-type granulosa cell tumors compared to the general population. These findings suggest potential avenues for the development of targeted interventions for this type of tumor.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Katherine M. Young, Congmin Xu, Kelly Ahkee, Roman Mezencev, Steven P. Swingle, Tong Yu, Ava Paikeday, Cathy Kim, John F. McDonald, Peng Qiu, Todd Sulchek
Summary: Stiffness decreases with increasing metastatic potential in various cancer cell types, but the molecular factors associated with these phenotypes are unknown. A workflow combining atomic force microscopy and multiplexed RT-qPCR gene expression analysis has been developed to measure mechanical properties and gene expression of single cells. Surprisingly, genes related to extracellular matrix remodeling, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, cell adhesion, and cancer stemness showed the strongest correlation with mechanical properties. Cell clustering was improved by combining mechanical and gene expression data types. The single cell genome mechanics method identifies molecular drivers that may affect biophysical processes underlying metastasis.
Review
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Martina Bago Pilatova, Zuzana Solarova, Roman Mezencev, Peter Solar
Summary: Programmed cell death is crucial for maintaining the homeostasis and integrity of multicellular organisms, and dysregulation of this process contributes to various diseases. Ceramides, a group of macromolecules and low-molecular messengers, play important roles in regulating programmed cell death. Different types of ceramides have distinct functions in cell death, and dihydroceramides have emerged as a new class of bioactive sphingolipids with future implications in cancer growth, drug resistance, and tumor metastasis.
ADVANCES IN MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dongjo Ban, Stephen N. Housley, John F. McDonald
Summary: The study aims to comprehensively examine the nucleotide and chromosomal variation associated with the onset and progression of serous ovarian cancer. Computational and statistical methods were used to analyze the exome sequence profiles of genetic variants in 432 ovarian cancer patient samples. The results show that genetic variation is a significant contributor to ovarian cancer and can be used as a predictor of tumor aggressiveness and resistance to chemotherapy.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
R. Mezencev, C. Gibbons
Summary: Epidemiological and animal studies have supported the carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) but the specific molecular changes responsible for this induction of cancer are still not fully understood. The role of oxidative stress and genotoxicity in Cr(VI)-mediated carcinogenesis has been suggested, but the specific types of DNA damage attributed to specific chromium species or other reactive byproducts in biological systems exposed to Cr(VI) have not been definitively determined. The complexity of chromium species and their reactivity with DNA and other biologically relevant molecules in vitro is discussed in this report to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Cr(VI)-mediated toxicity and to reconcile conflicting findings on the biological role of chromium species in previous studies.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
M. E. Z. E. N. C. E. Roman, K. L. E. M. E. N. T. Cyril
Summary: This study examined the association between the stringency of containment measures and the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 cases in the first wave of the pandemic in 28 European countries. The results support the effectiveness of containment measures in mitigating or suppressing the COVID-19 epidemics. Early adoption of stringent containment measures and increasing containment stringency during the early days of the epidemics were associated with lower disease occurrence. Delayed adoption of stringent measures did not fully compensate for the lack of early response. Containment measures continue to play a significant role in controlling COVID-19 in the post-vaccination period.
BRATISLAVA MEDICAL JOURNAL-BRATISLAVSKE LEKARSKE LISTY
(2022)
Letter
Immunology
Jana Kerlik, Maria Avdicova, Monika Musilova, Jana Beresova, Roman Mezencev
Summary: This is a case of probable transmission of Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) from an unvaccinated mother to an infant through breast-feeding. It highlights the importance of being cautious when exposed to infected animals or consuming raw food products, especially for individuals who are not vaccinated.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Kara Keun Lee, Lavanya Rishishwar, Dongjo Ban, Shashwat Deepali Nagar, Leonardo Marino-Ramirez, John F. McDonald, I. King Jordan
Article
Immunology
R. Mezencev, C. Klement, S. Dluholucky
Summary: When efficient non-pharmaceutical public health measures are applied to control or mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the catastrophic collision of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 epidemics is unlikely. The extremely low seasonal influenza activity registered in the Southern Hemisphere in 2020 supports this conclusion, although mixed SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infections have been demonstrated in humans, highlighting the need for vigilance in the potential severity of these mixed infections.
EPIDEMIOLOGIE MIKROBIOLOGIE IMUNOLOGIE
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Biophysics
Katherine M. Young, Congmin Xu, Kelly Ahkee, Roman Mezencev, Peng Qiu, Todd Sulchek
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2020)
