Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yu Shang, Yingying Chen, Qing Wang, Yuqiu He, Shizhen He, Shanshan Yu, Xiaoqing Liu, Fuan Wang
Summary: This study developed an endogenously and sequentially activated DNA circuit for in vivo imaging of tumor cells with high precision and reliability. The smart DNA circuit, engineered using a specific enzymatic regulation strategy, ensured the specific reaction and sensitive imaging, providing a powerful tool for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Article
Oncology
Hossein Sendi, Mostafa Yazdimamaghani, Mengying Hu, Nikhila Sultanpuram, Jie Wang, Amber S. Moody, Ellie McCabe, Jiajie Zhang, Amanda Graboski, Liantao Li, Juan D. Rojas, Paul A. Dayton, Leaf Huang, Andrew Z. Wang
Summary: Efficient delivery of miR-122 to hepatocytes using a nanomedicine-based formulation has the potential to prevent and treat colorectal cancer liver metastasis. Mechanistically, it downregulates key genes involved in metastatic and cancer inflammation pathways, increases CD8(+)/CD4(+) T-cell ratio, and decreases immunosuppressive cell infiltration, making the liver more conducive to antitumor immune response.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tong-shuai Wang, Wei Tian, Yan Fang, Kong-rong Guo, An-qi Li, Yuan Sun, Han-tian Wu, Guo-qiao Zheng, Nan-nan Feng, Cai-hong Xing, William W. Au, Dao-yuan Sun, Zhao-lin Xia
Summary: The study identified genotoxicity in lymphocytes of workers with low exposure doses to benzene, with up-regulation of miR-222 expression inversely associated with DNA repair capacity (DRC). In vitro studies confirmed that exposure to 1,4-benzoquinone (1,4-BQ) increased miR-222 expression and Comet tail length, while decreasing DRC. Loss of miR-222 alleviated DNA damage, but induced S-phase arrest and apoptosis.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Boya Peng, Poh Ying Theng, Minh T. N. Le
Summary: miR-125b, a key miRNA in cancer pathogenesis, is deregulated in various types of cancer and plays important roles in tumourigenesis and cancer progression. Its potential as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as a therapeutic tool against cancer, is supported by emerging evidence on its essential functions.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Masoumeh Amirian, Amir Masoud Jafari-Nozad, Majid Darroudi, Tahereh Farkhondeh, Saeed Samarghandian
Summary: Accumulating evidence has shown the significant role of miR-29 in human malignancies, particularly breast cancer (BC). MiR-29 acts as a tumor suppressor by targeting multiple signaling pathways and transcripts, but it can also promote BC progression through gene and transcription factor targeting. The conflicting roles of miR-29 in BC may be attributed to its regulatory roles dependent on the environment and signaling pathways.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Songjie Shen, Yu Song, Bin Zhao, Yali Xu, Xinyu Ren, Yidong Zhou, Qiang Sun
Summary: The study identified miR-7641 as a key miRNA in cancer-derived exosomes promoting tumor progression and metastasis via intercellular communication. Exosomal miR-7641 may serve as a non-invasive diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target in breast cancer treatment.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Lie Chen, Xiaofei Miao, Chenchen Si, An Qin, Ye Zhang, Chunqiang Chu, Zengyao Li, Tong Wang, Xiao Liu
Summary: The study identified the role of CCNE1 in TNBC and revealed that its regulation through the ceRNA mechanism contributes to the progression of breast cancer, while DNA hypermethylation of miR-195-5p might also play a role.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Christos Miliotis, Frank J. Slack
Summary: In gastric cancer, miR-105-5p has been identified as a key regulator of PD-L1 expression, impacting T cell activation, and could serve as a potential biomarker and target for combination immunotherapy targeting PD-1/PD-L1 interactions.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Neeraj Agarwal, Arun A. Azad, Joan Carles, Andre P. Fay, Nobuaki Matsubara, Daniel Heinrich, Cezary Szczylik, Ugo De Giorgi, Jae Young Joung, Peter C. C. Fong, Eric Voog, Robert J. Jones, Neal Shore, Curtis Dunshee, Stefanie Zschaebitz, Jan Oldenburg, Xun Lin, Cynthia G. Healy, Nicola Di Santo, Fabian Zohren, Karim Fizazi
Summary: This study compared the efficacy and safety of talazoparib plus enzalutamide versus enzalutamide alone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The results showed that the combination of talazoparib and enzalutamide significantly improved radiographic progression-free survival compared to enzalutamide alone, with clinically meaningful benefits.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Cagdas Aktan, Cag Cal, Burcin Kaymaz, Nur Selvi Gunel, Sezgi Kipcak, Buket Ozel, Cumhur Gunduz, Ali Sahin Kucukaslan, Duygu Ayguenes Jafari, Buket Kosova
Summary: In this study, differentially expressed miRNAs that target androgen receptors (ARs) were identified and investigated in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. The expression levels of miR-625-5p and miR-874-3p were significantly increased in CRPC cells compared with androgen dependent cells, and transfection of CRPC cells with anti-miRs suppressed their proliferation and AR protein levels.
Review
Immunology
William W. Tang, Kaylyn M. Bauer, Cindy Barba, Huseyin Atakan Ekiz, Ryan M. O'Connell
Summary: The rising toll of cancer globally necessitates ingenuity in early detection and therapy. In the last decade, the utilization of immune signatures and immune-based therapies has made significant progress in the clinic. Non-coding RNAs, specifically microRNAs, have been explored in pre-clinical contexts with tremendous success. MicroRNAs play indispensable roles in programming the interactions between immune and cancer cells, providing opportunities to complement and improve immunotherapies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Cuige Zhu, Mari Iwase, Ziqian Li, Faliang Wang, Annabel Quinet, Alessandro Vindigni, Jieya Shao
Summary: This study reveals the previously unknown nuclear functions of the actin-binding factor profilin-1 (PFN1) in DNA replication. PFN1 interacts with poly-L-proline (PLP)-containing proteins to regulate DNA replication initiation, fork progression, and fork stalling under replication stress. Moreover, PFN1 collaborates with fork reversal enzymes to promote over-resection of unprotected forks. These findings suggest that PFN1 is a multi-functional regulator of DNA replication and could be potentially targeted for anti-cancer therapy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Edison Salas-Huenuleo, Andrea Hernandez, Lorena Lobos-Gonzalez, Iva Polakovicova, Francisco Morales-Zavala, Eyleen Araya, Freddy Celis, Carmen Romero, Marcelo J. Kogan
Summary: This study developed a nano-platform that selectively delivered miR-145 to ovarian cancer cells, resulting in reduced cell viability and activation of apoptosis through the disruption of cell membranes, indicating its potential for inhibiting cancer cell growth.
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Debora Napoli, Leonardo Lupori, Raffaele Mazziotti, Giulia Sagona, Sara Bagnoli, Muntaha Samad, Erika Kelmer Sacramento, Joanna Kirkpartick, Elena Putignano, Siwei Chen, Eva Terzibasi Tozzini, Paola Tognini, Pierre Baldi, Jessica C. F. Kwok, Alessandro Cellerino, Tommaso Pizzorusso
Summary: Research has shown that the expression of miR-29a in the visual cortex increases dramatically with age but is not experience-dependent. Precocious high levels of miR-29a can block ocular dominance plasticity and cause an early appearance of perineuronal nets, while inhibiting miR-29a in adult mice can activate ocular dominance plasticity and reduce perineuronal nets. This suggests that miR-29a plays a role in regulating the plasticity brakes that promote age-dependent stabilization of visual cortical connections.
Article
Oncology
Mackenzie L. Davenport, John B. Echols, Austin D. Silva, Joshua C. Anderson, Philip Owens, Clayton Yates, Qing Wei, Shuko Harada, Douglas R. Hurst, Mick D. Edmonds
Summary: miR-31 demonstrates oncogenic properties in specific subtypes of lung cancer, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target in these subtypes.
Article
Oncology
Ayman J. Oweida, Adam C. Mueller, Miles Piper, Dallin Milner, Benjamin Van Court, Shilpa Bhatia, Andy Phan, Thomas Bickett, Kimberly Jordan, Theresa Proia, Richard Schulick, Wells A. Messersmith, Marco Del Chiaro, Eric Clambey, Michael J. Gough, Jason Williams, Kirk Hansen, Karyn Goodman, Sana D. Karam
Summary: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a heterogeneous tumor microenvironment, and targeting STAT3 in combination with RT can mitigate the pro-tumorigenic effects of RT and improve tumor response by reducing RT-induced MDSC infiltration and increasing effector T cell proportion.STAT3 inhibition also contributes to the remodeling of the PDAC extracellular matrix when combined with RT, resulting in decreased collagen deposition and fibrotic tissue formation. Overall, the study provides evidence that targeting STAT3 in combination with RT is a promising approach to enhance the anti-tumor effects of radiotherapy in PDAC.
CANCER IMMUNOLOGY IMMUNOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Sara J. Zakem, Adam C. Mueller, Cheryl Meguid, Robert J. Torphy, Douglas E. Holt, Tracey Schefter, Wells A. Messersmith, Martin D. McCarter, Marco Del Chiaro, Richard D. Schulick, Karyn A. Goodman
Summary: In patients with BRPC and LAPC undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy and SBRT, promising pathologic response rates, R0 resection rates, and acceptable perioperative morbidity were observed.
Article
Cell Biology
Kyung Yong Lee, Anindya Dutta
Summary: The cell-cycle phase plays a crucial role in determining repair pathway choice at DNA double-strand breaks, with Chk1 promoting non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair in the G1 phase. ASF1A, a histone chaperone, also promotes NHEJ independently of its chaperone activity. Chk1 phosphorylates ASF1A at Ser-166 in G1, enhancing its interaction with the repair protein MDC1 and promoting NHEJ repair.
Article
Oncology
Adam C. Mueller, Miles Piper, Andrew Goodspeed, Shiv Bhuvane, Jason S. Williams, Shilpa Bhatia, Andy Phan, Benjamin Van Court, Kathryn L. Zolman, Brisa Pena, Ayman J. Oweida, Sara Zakem, Cheryl Meguid, Michael W. Knitz, Laurel Darragh, Thomas E. Bickett, Jacob Gadwa, Luisa Mestroni, Matthew R. G. Taylor, Kimberly R. Jordan, Peter Dempsey, M. Scott Lucia, Martin D. McCarter, Marco Del Chiaro, Wells A. Messersmith, Richard D. Schulick, Karyn A. Goodman, Michael J. Gough, Casey S. Greene, James C. Costello, Antonio Galveo Neto, David Lagares, Kirk C. Hansen, Adrie Van Bokhoven, Sana D. Karam
Summary: This study identified drivers of fibrosis and tumor progression in PDAC tumors after radiation therapy, and proposed a targetable pathway to enhance radiation therapy efficacy.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ajay Chatrath, Aakrosh Ratan, Anindya Dutta
Summary: High TMB is associated with response to checkpoint blockade in cancer, and germline variants (GVITMB) in certain genes are found to influence molecular phenotypes of tumors and predict the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhangli Su, Anindya Dutta
Review
Oncology
Rodrigo Rodrigues Pessoa, Adam C. Mueller, Peter Boxley, Thomas W. Flaig, Christi Piper, Badrinath Konety, James B. Yu, Boris Gershman, Janet Kukreja, Simon P. Kim
Summary: XRT for high-risk NMIBC provides some degree of oncologic control, although distant progression was noted. In the setting of the low-quality evidence, a prospective clinical trial is needed to clearly define the risks and benefits of this approach.
UROLOGIC ONCOLOGY-SEMINARS AND ORIGINAL INVESTIGATIONS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Michael W. Knitz, Thomas E. Bickett, Laurel B. Darragh, Ayman J. Oweida, Shilpa Bhatia, Benjamin Van Court, Shiv Bhuvane, Miles Piper, Jacob Gadwa, Adam C. Mueller, Diemmy Nguyen, Varuna Nangia, Douglas G. Osborne, Xiyuan Bai, Sarah E. Ferrara, Mary-Keara Boss, Andrew Goodspeed, Matthew A. Burchill, Beth A. Jiron Tamburini, Edward D. Chan, Curtis R. Pickering, Eric T. Clambey, Sana D. Karam
Summary: The study reveals that regulating Treg functionality and DC activation status is crucial for generating a T cell effector response in highly radioresistant HNSCC tumors. The findings suggest a new therapeutic approach for reprogramming the tumor microenvironment in HNSCCs resistant to conventional radioimmunotherapy.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Miles Piper, Benjamin Van Court, Adam Mueller, Shuichi Watanabe, Thomas Bickett, Shilpa Bhatia, Laurel B. Darragh, Max Mayeda, Diemmy Nguyen, Jacob Gadwa, Michael Knitz, Sophia Corbo, Rustain Morgan, Jung-Jae Lee, Alexander Dent, Karyn Goodman, Wells Messersmith, Richard Schulick, Marco Del Chiaro, Yuwen Zhu, Ross M. Kedl, Laurel Lenz, Sana D. Karam
Summary: The study found that radiotherapy increases the infiltration and activation of dendritic cells in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients, but also increases the infiltration of Treg cells while failing to recruit NK cells and CD8 T cells. Targeting Treg-mediated immunosuppression with STAT3 inhibition improves disease control and enhances NK cell-mediated immune surveillance of metastasis. Targeting Treg-mediated immunosuppression is a critical step in improving treatment response.
CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Shashi Kiran, Briana Wilson, Shekhar Saha, Julia Ann Graff, Anindya Dutta
Summary: This study revealed that the E6-USP46 complex in cervical cancer increases Cdt2 levels and decreases Set8 levels, promoting cancer progression, and suggests USP46 as a potential drug target for HPV-induced cancers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhangli Su, Ida Monshaugen, Briana Wilson, Fengbin Wang, Arne Klungland, Rune Ougland, Anindya Dutta
Summary: This study reveals the presence of N-1-methyladenosine modification in small RNAs, which acts as a regulatory element in gene expression. The higher level of m(1)A modification in bladder cancer is associated with dysregulation of genes involved in unfolded protein response.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Immunology
Robert Hughes, Adam E. Snook, Adam C. Mueller
Summary: Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and therapy-resistant cancer with an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Previous attempts at utilizing immunotherapies have been unsuccessful in treating pancreatic cancer. Unlike other cancers, radiation therapy has limited success in stimulating immune responses in pancreatic cancer due to the common pathways of fibrosis and chronic inflammation activated by radiation therapy, resulting in immune suppression. Targeting these pathways may improve outcomes by utilizing the cytotoxic and immune-activating aspects of radiation therapy.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Briana A. Wilson, Zhangli Su, Pankaj A. Kumar, Anindya A. Dutta
Summary: Gene expression is regulated by small RNAs binding to mRNAs within RISC, reducing protein production. Some tRFs are able to interact with RISC, but the mechanism for selective entry is unclear. We provide evidence that tRF-1s have short half-lives mediated by XRN2 degradation, preventing their accumulation in RISC. Our study highlights the complex and tightly controlled nature of RISC, with implications for tRF and microRNA biology.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Divya Sahu, Ajay Chatrath, Aakrosh Ratan, Anindya Dutta
Summary: Here, a bioinformatic pipeline is presented to identify germline variants (GVs) in the TCGA lower grade glioma cohort and predict cancer risk and patient outcomes. By integrating paired whole exome sequences and tumor RNA sequences, a patient's GV status can be determined, and a subset of predictive GVs can be identified using Cox regression.
Article
Oncology
Rustain L. Morgan, Megan M. Eguchi, Jessica McDermott, Adam C. Mueller, Arya Amini, Julie A. Goddard, Premal S. Trivedi, Sana D. Karam
Summary: The study found that posttreatment imaging with PET was associated with improved survival in patients with advanced laryngeal carcinoma compared to CT imaging. There was a trend towards improved cancer-specific survival in patients with oral cavity or oropharyngeal malignancies who underwent PET/CT imaging, but it did not reach statistical significance.