Article
Oncology
Wesley N. Saintilnord, Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf
Summary: Arsenic, a ubiquitous metalloid, poses major health concerns worldwide due to its high toxicity, potentially driving oncogenic gene expression through mechanisms such as generation of reactive oxygen species or epigenetic dysregulation. Further research is needed to fully understand the role of arsenic in cancer development.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Yiting Gong, Ye Li, Xiaoming Zhang, Yiming Ma, Ying Wu, Xueyuan Zhi
Summary: This study found that arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of hypertension, and arsenic metabolism and folate concentrations also play a role in hypertension risk. The results also suggest a significant interaction between high red blood cell (RBC) folate and high urinary total arsenic (UTAs) with low urinary dimethylarsinic acid (DMA%) on hypertension risk.
FOOD AND CHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Ranakul Islam, Lei Zhao, Yifang Wang, Grace Lu-Yao, Ling-Zhi Liu
Summary: Arsenic is a toxic chemical element that can cause various cancers. The molecular mechanism of arsenic-induced carcinogenesis is still unclear, but dysregulation of epigenetic mechanisms may play a role in this process.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Arijit Chakraborty, Soma Ghosh, Bratisha Biswas, Sreemanta Pramanik, Jerome Nriagu, Subhamoy Bhowmick
Summary: Arsenic exposure can cause harmful epigenetic alterations, leading to various health complications. This review summarizes the mechanisms underlying arsenic-induced epigenetic changes and proposes therapeutic strategies to alleviate the global burden of arsenic poisoning.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Ahlam Abuawad, Anne K. Bozack, Roheeni Saxena, Mary Gamble
Summary: The one-carbon metabolism-related micronutrients play a critical role in arsenic methylation, toxicity, and associated health outcomes. Folate has been shown to impact arsenic methylation, but the effects of other micronutrients are less studied and require further research.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
David H. Abbott, Daniel A. Dumesic
Summary: The study found global genomic DNA hypomethylation in women with PCOS and their daughters, as well as in F3 generation PCOS-like mice, and significant normalization of PCOS-like mice through methyl donor dietary supplementation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Haotian Wu, Vrinda Kalia, Megan M. Niedzwiecki, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Brandon Pierce, Vesna Ilievski, Jeff Goldsmith, Dean P. Jones, Ana Navas-Acien, Douglas I. Walker, Mary Gamble
Summary: Chronic exposure to arsenic remains a global health concern, but the biological mechanisms underlying its adverse effects are not fully understood. This study used metabolomics to examine how arsenic affects metabolic pathways in humans. The results identified multiple metabolites and pathways associated with arsenic exposure.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ting-Yu Lai, Ying-Chieh Ko, Yu-Lian Chen, Su-Fang Lin
Summary: Identifying and treating tumors early is crucial for cancer control. However, preventing oral cancer remains challenging due to the unknown molecular drivers. This review focuses on epigenetic alterations in malignant and nonmalignant epigenomes and highlights potential biomarkers for oral cancer. The development of epigenome sequencing methods may provide a nonmutagenic approach for cancer therapies.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Roheeni Saxena, Xinhua Liu, Ana Navas-Acien, Faruque Parvez, Nancy J. LoIacono, Tariqul Islam, Mohammed Nasir Uddin, Vesna Ilievski, Vesna Slavkovich, Olgica Balac, Joseph H. Graziano, Mary V. Gamble
Summary: The study reveals associations between OCM-related micronutrients and arsenic methylation in Bangladeshi adolescents, with differences in arsenic metabolism patterns based on gender. Further research is needed to explore the role of Hcys in adolescent physiology and its impact on arsenic-related health outcomes.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Fei-Xiang Xu, Xu Chen, Heng Zhang, Yi-Jun Fan, Ya-Ping Song, Jin-Wei Lv, Ya-Li Xie, Yichao Huang, Dao-Zhen Chen, Hua Wang, De-Xiang Xu
Summary: Gestational arsenic exposure is associated with intrauterine growth restriction, and this restriction may be related to a reduction in folate content in maternal and umbilical plasma.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Zhuoyue Bi, Qian Zhang, Yao Fu, Akimasa Seno, Priya Wadgaonkar, Yiran Qiu, Bandar Almutairy, Liping Xu, Wenxuan Zhang, Chitra Thakur, Fei Chen
Summary: This review discusses recent discoveries on how the transcription factor NRF2 and the epigenetic regulator MDIG contribute to the arsenic-induced generation of cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) through CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing and ChIPseq analysis. While extensive studies have been conducted on the molecular mechanisms, the process of malignant transformation of normal cells or stem cells induced by arsenic exposure remains unclear.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Adrianne Wallace-Povirk, Zhanjun Hou, Md. Junayed Nayeen, Aleem Gangjee, Larry H. Matherly
Summary: New therapies are urgently needed for ovarian cancer, and this review discusses the remarkable advances in identifying metabolic vulnerabilities and strategies for targeted therapy. The development of tumor-selective approaches, such as folate receptors and the proton-coupled folate transporter, as well as the discovery of drugs targeting key metabolic processes, show extraordinary potential for improving the lives of women with this devastating disease.
Article
Cell Biology
Claire E. Senner, Ziqi Dong, Malwina Prater, Miguel R. Branco, Erica D. Watson
Summary: One-carbon metabolism plays a crucial role in fetal development, but its molecular function is complex and unclear. This study reveals genome-wide epigenetic instability in Mtrr ( gt/gt ) placentas and identifies abnormal DNA methylation and expression of key genes, suggesting a role for histone modifications in epigenetic inheritance.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Martyna W. Sroka, Christopher R. Vakoc
Summary: Two studies have shown that certain cancers are driven by genetic changes in the NSD3 protein, which alter its enzymatic activity. Biochemical and structural characterization suggest a potential route for pharmacological reversal.
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
David Corujo, Marcus Buschbeck
Summary: The interaction between non-immune and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment plays a crucial role in the immune attack on cancer cells. A recent study on melanoma cells reveals that specific histone variants can suppress the expression of cytokine genes in cancer-associated fibroblasts, resulting in an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
