Article
Oncology
Sieun Lee, Ji Hyung Hong, Jeong Seon Kim, Jung Sook Yoon, Sang Hoon Chun, Soon Auck Hong, Eun Ju Kim, Keunsoo Kang, Jihee Lee Kang, Yoon Ho Ko, Young-Ho Ahn
Summary: This study reveals that miR-196a promotes the migration and invasion of lung cancer cells by regulating ANXA1 and CCL2 in the tumor microenvironment. High expression of miR-196a is associated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.
Article
Oncology
Lauren E. Hillers-Ziemer, Abbey E. Williams, Amanda Janquart, Caitlin Grogan, Victoria Thompson, Adriana Sanchez, Lisa M. Arendt
Summary: Obesity promotes rapid growth and metastases of mammary tumors in mice by increasing recruitment of myeloid lineage cells and deposition of collagen fibers within the lungs. Lung stromal cells isolated from obese mice show higher expression of extracellular matrix proteins and inflammatory cytokines, facilitating metastatic growth prior to tumor formation. Understanding these mechanisms may provide new therapeutic options for obese breast cancer patients.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Zishen Yan, Xingyu Xia, William C. Cho, Dennis W. Au, Xueying Shao, Chao Fang, Ye Tian, Yuan Lin
Summary: Metastasis plays a crucial role in tumor development, but a lack of quantitative methods to study the plastic deformation of cells has hindered our understanding. In this study, a microfluidic system is developed to impose controlled cyclic deformation on cells, allowing the investigation of their viscoelastic and plastic characteristics. It is found that highly invasive cancer cells and late-stage lung cancer circulating tumor cells (CTCs) can rapidly accumulate significant plastic strain, while less invasive cell lines and early-stage lung cancer CTCs show minimal irreversible deformation. These findings highlight the potential of using the plastic response of cells as a novel marker in future cancer research, with the observed irreversible deformation mainly originating from cytoskeleton damage rather than cell nucleus plasticity.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
XuKai Liu, JiZu Tang, LiQiang Peng, HaiBo Nie, YuanGuang Zhang, Pan Liu
Summary: Dysregulation of autophagy in cancer-associated fibroblasts has been shown to contribute to the malignant phenotypes of human tumors. This study investigated the role of CAFs autophagy in prostate cancer. Results demonstrated that CAFs had higher levels of autophagy compared to normal fibroblasts. Furthermore, inhibition of autophagy in CAFs suppressed the proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities of PCa cells. Silencing of ATG5 in CAFs also inhibited fibroblast autophagy and suppressed malignant phenotypes of PCa cells. These findings suggest that CAFs play a promotive role in PCa through ATG5-dependent autophagy, providing a novel mechanism for PCa progression.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Meiyan Qi, Yun Xia, Yanjun Wu, Zhuo Zhang, Xinyu Wang, Liying Lu, Cheng Dai, Yanan Song, Keying Xu, Weiwei Ji, Lixing Zhan
Summary: The formation of pre-metastatic niche is a critical step in breast cancer metastasis. Lin28B plays a crucial role in promoting lung metastasis of breast cancer by establishing an immune-suppressive pre-metastatic niche.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Giuseppina Caligiuri, David A. Tuveson
Summary: Activated fibroblasts in tumors, known as cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), have been a highly studied topic in the past decade. CAFs play important roles in various aspects of tumor biology, from collagen deposition to immunosuppression, and their potential as both promoters and inhibitors of tumorigenesis has been revealed through clinical and pre-clinical studies. This review discusses the crucial role of CAFs in the tumor microenvironment, the technological advances that have facilitated their investigation, and the current models available for studying CAFs. Additionally, the review highlights the need to consider CAF investigation as a promising therapeutic avenue alongside immune and cancer cells and outlines the challenges that need to be addressed for successful translation of new findings.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Xueshu Chen, Wei Chen, Yan Zhao, Qinrong Wang, Wenling Wang, Yining Xiang, Hang Yuan, Yuan Xie, Jianjiang Zhou
Summary: The interaction between Helicobacter pylori, fibroblasts, and cancer cells induces the expression of Serpin E1, promoting the activation of normal fibroblasts to cancer-associated fibroblasts and gastric carcinogenesis.
JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Tadakazu Ao, Satsuki Mochizuki, Yoshiki Kajiwara, Keisuke Yonemura, Takehiro Shiraishi, Ken Nagata, Eiji Shinto, Koichi Okamoto, Ines P. Nearchou, Hideyuki Shimazaki, Yoji Kishi, Yasunori Okada, Hideki Ueno
Summary: The tumor microenvironment, specifically the desmoplastic reaction (DR) composed of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), plays a crucial role in cancer aggressiveness. The study found that patients with immature-type DR have the worst relapse-free survival compared to other types. CAFs from the immature-type DR promote CRC cell proliferation and migration through the secretion of ADAM9s, leading to tumor growth and dissemination.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kevin Nee, Dennis Ma, Quy H. Nguyen, Maren Pein, Nicholas Pervolarakis, Jacob Insua-Rodriguez, Yanwen Gong, Grace Hernandez, Hamad Alshetaiwi, Justice Williams, Maha Rauf, Kushal Rajiv Dave, Keerti Boyapati, Aliza Hasnain, Christian Calderon, Anush Markaryan, Robert Edwards, Erin Lin, Ritesh Parajuli, Peijie Zhou, Qing Nie, Sundus Shalabi, Mark A. LaBarge, Kai Kessenbrock
Summary: Premalignant stromal cells from women with germline BRCA1 mutations have increased expression of secreted factors regulating epithelial homeostasis, promoting premalignant epithelial changes and increased breast cancer risk. The stromal niche in BRCA1-driven tumor initiation promotes epithelial proliferation and mutant BRCA1-driven tumorigenesis through paracrine signals, such as matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP3), produced by pre-cancer-associated fibroblasts (pre-CAFs). This study highlights the importance of precancerous stroma in BRCA1(+/mut) in elevating breast cancer risk.
Article
Oncology
Hangqi Liu, Hui Zhang, Xiaoqian Liu, Wenting Guo, Qiaofei Liu, Longyun Chen, Junyi Pang, Xiaoding Liu, Ruiyu Li, Huanwen Wu, Menghua Dai, Zhiyong Liang
Summary: Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) play a critical role in the metabolism and progression of pancreatic ductal adeno-carcinoma (PDAC). This study identified the Wnt/beta-catenin/TCF7/GS-mediated growth-promoting effect of PSCs and provided new insights into stromal glutamine (Gln) metabolism, which may offer novel therapeutic strategies for PDAC.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Minli Huang, Mengru Fu, Jia Wang, Chunhua Xia, Hong Zhang, Yuqing Xiong, Jiake He, Jianming Liu, Bingchen Liu, Siyi Pan, Fanglan Liu
Summary: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role in breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and invasion. This study investigated the requirement of autophagy and FAP-alpha in breast cancer cell invasion and metastasis, finding that both are necessary. Targeting autophagy or FAP-alpha individually may be a potential approach to improve the prognosis of human breast cancer.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Linor Rubinstein-Achiasaf, Dina Morein, Hagar Ben-Yaakov, Yulia Liubomirski, Tsipi Meshel, Eti Elbaz, Orly Dorot, Edward Pichinuk, Michael Gershovits, Miguel Weil, Adit Ben-Baruch
Summary: In breast cancer progression, chronic inflammation can induce the conversion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to inflammatory cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). These inflammation-driven CAFs secrete metastasis-promoting factors that enhance the dispersion and migration of breast cancer cells. The findings suggest that targeting pro-inflammatory mediators could lead to lower levels of pro-metastatic CAFs in breast tumors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rupsa Datta, Sharanya Sivanand, Allison N. Lau, Logan Florek, Anna M. Barbeau, Jeffrey Wyckoff, Melissa C. Skala, Matthew G. Vander Heiden
Summary: The direct interactions between pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) and cancer cells promote a more oxidized state in cancer cells, overcoming the redox limitations of cell proliferation in pancreatic cancer.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mengmeng Chen, Qicheng Zhang, Sijia Zheng, Xueru Guo, Limin Cao, Yinghui Ren, Yongmei Qian, Min Wang, Xiang Wu, Ke Xu
Summary: Cancer progression relies on the interaction between tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote metastasis, and this study shows that N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is responsible for CAFs' role in promoting the migration and invasion of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Specifically, the methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) protein in NSCLC cells mediates CAFs' effect on m6A modification, which is regulated by CAFs-secreted vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). Knockdown of METTL3 inhibits cell migration, invasion, and tumor growth in NSCLC cells. Moreover, the study reveals that METTL3 is associated with poor prognosis of lung cancer. Mechanistically, METTL3 increases m6A modification of RAC3 mRNA, resulting in increased stability and translation of RAC3 mRNA. RAC3, in turn, promotes cell migration through the AKT/NF-kappa B pathway. Overall, this study presents a CAF-METTL3-RAC3 m6A modification-dependent regulation system in NSCLC metastasis and identifies potential targets for metastasis treatment.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Pavitra Viswanath, Alana L. Welm
Summary: A new study in Nature has identified metastatic tropism in xenograft mouse models, resulting in a metastasis map for 21 tumor types. The study demonstrated the utility of the map by identifying unique alterations in lipid metabolism in breast cancer cell lines that metastasize to the brain.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yutaka Naito, Yusuke Yoshioka, Yusuke Yamamoto, Takahiro Ochiya
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2017)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Tomonari Shimagaki, Tomoharu Yoshizumi, Norifumi Harimoto, Sachiyo Yoshio, Yutaka Naito, Yusuke Yamamoto, Takahiro Ochiya, Yoshihiro Yoshida, Tatsuya Kanto, Yoshihiko Maehara
HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Susumu Hamada-Tsutsumi, Yutaka Naito, Seiichi Sato, Akinori Takaoka, Keigo Kawashima, Masanori Isogawa, Takahiro Ochiya, Yasuhito Tanaka
ALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yutaka Naito, Yusuke Yamamoto, Naoya Sakamoto, Iwao Shimomura, Akiko Kogure, Minami Kumazaki, Akira Yokoi, Masakazu Yashiro, Tohru Kiyono, Kazuyoshi Yanagihara, Ryou-u Takahashi, Kosei Hirakawa, Wataru Yasui, Takahiro Ochiya
Article
Cell Biology
Marco Montagner, Rahul Bhome, Steven Hooper, Probir Chakravarty, Xiao Qin, Jahangir Sufi, Ajay Bhargava, Colin D. H. Ratcliffe, Yutaka Naito, Arianna Pocaterra, Christopher J. Tape, Erik Sahai
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Akiko Kogure, Yusuke Yoshioka, Takahiro Ochiya
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2020)
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Takeshi Matsui, Susumu Hamada-Tsutsumi, Yutaka Naito, Masanori Nojima, Etsuko Iio, Akihiro Tamori, Shoji Kubo, Tatsuya Ide, Yasuteru Kondo, Yuichiro Eguchi, Atsumasa Komori, Yuji Morine, Mitsuo Shimada, Tohru Utsunomiya, Ken Shirabe, Koichi Kimura, Yoichi Hiasa, Natthaya Chuaypen, Pisit Tangkijvanich, Aya Naiki-Ito, Satoru Takahashi, Takahiro Ochiya, Yasuhito Tanaka
Summary: The miRNA clusters miR-183/96/182 and miR-217/216a/216b are significantly upregulated in nonviral hepatocellular carcinoma (NBNC-HCC). High levels of miR-182-5p and miR-217-5p, but low levels of miR-96-5p, in tumor tissues are associated with poor recurrence-free survival of NBNC-HCC patients. Further upregulation of miR-96-5p in tumors may have an inhibitory effect on recurrence, suggesting its potential as a tumor suppressor in NBNC-HCC patients at high risk of recurrence. Transfection of miR-96-5p mimic induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells and suppressed proliferation and invasion, indicating its potential antitumor effects.
HEPATOLOGY RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Yutaka Naito, Yusuke Yoshioka, Takahiro Ochiya
Summary: Intercellular communication plays a crucial role in cancer initiation and progression, with cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) being a key component in this process. Recent research on extracellular vesicles (EVs) as regulators of intercellular communication has shown significant advancements. EVs facilitate the transfer of functional molecules to recipient cells, influencing the communication between cancer cells and CAFs and promoting cancer progression.
CANCER CELL INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Yusuke Matsuzaki, Yutaka Naito, Nami Miura, Taisuke Mori, Yukio Watabe, Seiichi Yoshimoto, Takahiko Shibahara, Masayuki Takano, Kazufumi Honda
Summary: The expression of RIOK2 is associated with poorer overall survival in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC), and it is an independent prognostic factor. Inhibition of RIOK2 expression can decrease cell growth and S6 ribosomal protein expression in oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, as well as significantly reduce protein synthesis in cancer cells. RIOK2 has potential as a novel therapeutic target for TSCC treatment.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nobuyoshi Kosaka, Akiko Kogure, Tomofumi Yamamoto, Fumihiko Urabe, Wataru Usuba, Marta Prieto-Vila, Takahiro Ochiya
EXPERIMENTAL AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2019)
Review
Cell Biology
Akiko Kogure, Nobuyoshi Kosaka, Takahiro Ochiya
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE
(2019)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Akiko Kogure, Nobuyoshi Kosaka, Takahiro Ochiya
