Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Debanwita Roy Burman, Shalini Das, Chandrima Das, Rahul Bhattacharya
Summary: Enhanced metastasis and disease recurrence contribute to the high mortality rates in cancer. Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and alternative splicing play crucial roles in cancer invasiveness, drug resistance, and stem-like behavior. Splicing factors control the splicing alterations of genes like FGFR and CD44 during trans-differentiation, impacting cancer progression.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Jamal Elhasnaoui, Giulio Ferrero, Valentina Miano, Santina Cutrupi, Michele De Bortoli
Summary: This study reveals a novel mechanism of gene regulation mediated by estrogen receptor alpha in breast cancer cells, involving the control of RNA-binding protein expression and effects on isoform usage and alternative splicing. These regulatory mechanisms play a significant role in cell proliferation and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jamal Elhasnaoui, Giulio Ferrero, Valentina Miano, Lorenzo Franchitti, Isabella Tarulli, Lucia Coscujuela Tarrero, Santina Cutrupi, Michele De Bortoli
Summary: This study found that ESRP1 is overexpressed in breast cancer patients, particularly in luminal BCs, and is correlated with estrogen receptor alpha levels. Analysis of genome-binding profiles revealed that ER alpha regulates the expression of ESRP1 and ESRP2 genes. Knocking down ESRP1/2 led to dysregulation of 754 genes, including alterations in alternative splicing events involved in cell signaling, metabolism, cell growth, and EMT. Functional network analysis identified RAC1 as the hub node affected by ESRP1/2 silencing in ER alpha+ BCs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Yuanchi Weng, Hao Qian, Liwen Hong, Shulin Zhao, Xiaxing Deng, Baiyong Shen
Summary: This study aimed to identify the alternative splicing (AS) events related to epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in pancreatic cancer. Key gene AS events associated with liver metastasis were identified and evaluated in cell lines and organoid models. The AS events of TMC7 and CHECK1 were found to be associated with liver metastasis in pancreatic cancer, and exon 17 of TMC7 could be a potential therapeutic target.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Qun Liu, Yu Cao, Xiaolin Wei, Huiting Dong, Mengyao Cui, Shu Guan, Bo Liu, Xu Wang, Peng Xing
Summary: Radioresistance limits the effectiveness of radiotherapy in breast cancer, especially in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the most lethal subtype of breast cancer. This study identified FOXQ1 and its interaction with RAPH1-i3 as key factors promoting breast cancer progression and radioresistance. These findings offer potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of breast cancer, including TNBC.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Yao-Jie Pan, Fu-Chun Huo, Meng-Jie Kang, Bo-Wen Liu, Meng-Di Wu, Dong-Sheng Pei
Summary: SRSF11 is found to be overexpressed in colorectal cancer (CRC) and associated with poor prognosis. It plays a pro-metastatic role in both in vitro and in vivo settings. The study highlights the relationship between SRSF11-regulated splicing and CRC metastasis, suggesting a potential therapeutic target and prognostic biomarker in CRC.
CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Misung Park, Dohee Kim, Sunghyub Ko, Ayoung Kim, Kyumin Mo, Hyunho Yoon
Summary: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, and metastasis is the leading cause of high mortality. Currently, breast cancer is often discovered or diagnosed after metastasis has occurred, resulting in poor prognosis. Understanding the mechanisms and nature of breast cancer metastasis can facilitate the development of targeted therapies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Arianna Parnigoni, Paola Moretto, Manuela Viola, Evgenia Karousou, Alberto Passi, Davide Vigetti
Summary: Breast cancer is the most common neoplasm in women, and its lethality is mainly due to the ability of tumor cells to invade and seed distant organs. Hormone receptors play a critical role in determining tumor aggressiveness and targeted therapies, but the role of the tumor microenvironment is also evident. This article focuses on the role of the extracellular matrix polysaccharide hyaluronan in relation to hormone receptor expression in breast cancer cells.
Article
Oncology
Ying Zhang, Yi Sun, Lin Ding, Wenjing Shi, Keshuo Ding, Yong Zhu
Summary: LINC00467 plays a crucial role in breast cancer progression by interacting with miR-138-5p and LIN28B directly, promoting tumor growth and metastasis. It could potentially serve as a candidate for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giovanni Pratelli, Daniela Carlisi, Diana Di Liberto, Antonietta Notaro, Michela Giuliano, Antonella D'Anneo, Marianna Lauricella, Sonia Emanuele, Giuseppe Calvaruso, Anna De Blasio
Summary: TNBC is an aggressive subtype of breast cancer characterized by resistance to anoikis, high invasiveness, and metastatic potential, as well as epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness features. Inhibition of MCL1 using A-1210477 BH3-mimetic promotes anoikis/apoptosis, impairs focal adhesions, reduces migration and invasiveness, and downregulates EMT and stemness markers in MDA-MB-231 cell line.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Giovanna Rigillo, Silvia Belluti, Virginia Campani, Gregorio Ragazzini, Mirko Ronzio, Giacomo Miserocchi, Beatrice Bighi, Laura Cuoghi, Valentina Mularoni, Vincenzo Zappavigna, Diletta Dolfini, Laura Mercatali, Andrea Alessandrini, Carol Imbriano
Summary: Aberrant splicing of NF-YAl transcript is associated with aggressive mesenchymal CRC and predicts shorter survival. CRC cells overexpressing NF-YAl exhibit altered cell behavior and transcription of genes involved in cell adhesion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These findings suggest that NF-YAl may serve as a prognostic factor for CRC and splice-switching strategies could be used to reduce metastatic progression.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lorenz Isert, Aditi Mehta, Gabriele Loiudice, Altea Oliva, Andreas Roidl, Olivia M. Merkel
Summary: During the progression from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive breast cancer (IBC), cells undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to acquire invasive features. In this study, the interplay between the tumor microenvironment and EMT phenotype was investigated in vitro. The combination of collagen with the growth factor TGF-beta 1 induced prominent phenotypic changes, independent of collagen type and cell line. The results highlight the potential of the EMT-phenotyping model to predict the efficacy of EMT-targeting drugs.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jagyeong Oh, Davide Pradella, Changwei Shao, Hairi Li, Namjeong Choi, Jiyeon Ha, Sonia Ruggiero, Xiang-Dong Fu, Xuexiu Zheng, Claudia Ghigna, Haihong Shen
Summary: Aberrant alternative splicing in breast cancer is linked to disease progression, metastasis, and patient survival. High-metastatic breast cancer cells exhibit different AS choices in genes related to cancer progression compared to low-metastatic cells. Analysis reveals novel AS features in metastatic breast tumors.
Article
Oncology
Jagyeong Oh, Davide Pradella, Yoonseong Kim, Changwei Shao, Hairi Li, Namjeong Choi, Jiyeon Ha, Anna Di Matteo, Xiang-Dong Fu, Xuexiu Zheng, Claudia Ghigna, Haihong Shen
Summary: Aberrant alternative splicing (AS) regulation is crucial in breast cancer development, progress, and resistance to therapy. Our study identified dysregulated AS events in breast cancer cells, shedding light on the molecular mechanisms underlying malignant transformation. Analysis revealed that aberrantly regulated AS events in cancer tissues encode for regions with high flexibility and potential for modifications, impacting breast cancer biology.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Yirong Jin, Suzhen Yang, Xiaoliang Gao, Di Chen, Tingting Luo, Song Su, Yanting Shi, Gang Yang, Lei Dong, Jie Liang
Summary: DDX27 is highly expressed in gastric cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. It promotes gastric cancer metastasis, while knockdown of DDX27 weakens the aggressiveness of gastric cancer. Furthermore, our study suggests that DDX27 may mediate the molecular mechanisms in gastric cancer through regulation of alternative splicing of LPP.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2022)
Letter
Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
Alessandro De Vita, Anna Ferrari, Giacomo Miserocchi, Silvia Vanni, Chiara Domizio, Eugenio Fonzi, Valentina Fausti, Federica Recine, Massimo Bassi, Angelo Campobassi, Chiara Liverani, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Giovanni De Luca, Federica Pieri, Lorena Gurrieri, Giandomenico Di Menna, Sebastiano Calpona, Alberto Bongiovanni, Giovanni Martinelli, Toni Ibrahim, Laura Mercatali
Article
Oncology
Federica Recine, Alessandro De Vita, Valentina Fausti, Federica Pieri, Alberto Bongiovanni, Eugenia Franchini, Roberto Casadei, Maria Cristina Falasconi, Devil Oboldi, Federica Matteucci, Maria Caterina Pallotti, Laura Mercatali, Nada Riva, Lorena Gurrieri, Silvia Vanni, Chiara Liverani, Giacomo Miserocchi, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Toni Ibrahim
Summary: NTRK-rearranged spindle cell neoplasms are a new type of tumor with diverse histologies and clinical behavior. Several targeted therapies have been approved for tumors harboring NTRK fusions. In this case, treatment with larotrectinib resulted in tumor shrinkage and no drug-related toxicity.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessandro De Vita, Silvia Vanni, Giacomo Miserocchi, Valentina Fausti, Federica Pieri, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Chiara Liverani, Chiara Calabrese, Roberto Casadei, Federica Recine, Lorena Gurrieri, Alberto Bongiovanni, Toni Ibrahim, Laura Mercatali
Summary: This study investigated the molecular and pharmacological aspects of GCTB and DF, revealing the expression changes in bone-vicious-cycle- and neoangiogenesis-related genes. The combination therapy of denosumab and lenvatinib was found to be a promising strategy for these diseases, as supported by in vitro, in vivo, and clinical observations.
Review
Oncology
Giulia Lorenzoni, Elisabetta Petracci, Emanuela Scarpi, Ileana Baldi, Dario Gregori, Oriana Nanni
Summary: Sequential multiple assignments randomized trials (SMARTs) are an experimental design in which patients are randomized multiple times according to pre-specified decision rules. This study investigates the current state of SMART designs in oncology and identifies a discrepancy between the statistical literature and actual procedures used in cancer clinical trials. A systematic review found that SMART designs in oncology are still limited and there is a need for formal reporting guidelines.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Chiara Liverani, Chiara Spadazzi, Toni Ibrahim, Federica Pieri, Flavia Foca, Chiara Calabrese, Alessandro De Vita, Giacomo Miserocchi, Claudia Cocchi, Silvia Vanni, Giorgio Ercolani, Davide Cavaliere, Nicoletta Ranallo, Elisa Chiadini, Giovanna Prisinzano, Stefano Severi, Maddalena Sansovini, Giovanni Martinelli, Alberto Bongiovanni, Laura Mercatali
Summary: Neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) are a rare group of tumors with a wide range of clinical presentations. Lenvatinib, a multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been shown to be effective in treating gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs). The overexpression of HRAS in tumor tissue may be a potential biomarker for lenvatinib response.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Silvia Vanni, Valentina Fausti, Eugenio Fonzi, Chiara Liverani, Giacomo Miserocchi, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Chiara Calabrese, Lorena Gurrieri, Nada Riva, Federica Recine, Roberto Casadei, Federica Pieri, Ania Naila Guerrieri, Massimo Serra, Toni Ibrahim, Laura Mercatali, Alessandro De Vita
Summary: Myxofibrosarcoma (MFS) and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) are considered as a spectrum of the same disease entity, representing common adult soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremities. MFS has a high rate of local recurrences, while UPS is prone to distant recurrence and poor prognosis. Differential diagnosis is challenging due to their heterogeneous morphology, and both lack diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Genomic profiling combined with pharmacological approaches can identify predictive biomarkers for differential diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy, improving STS patient management.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Giacomo Miserocchi, Martine Bocchini, Michela Cortesi, Chiara Arienti, Alessandro De Vita, Chiara Liverani, Laura Mercatali, Sara Bravaccini, Paola Ulivi, Michele Zanoni
Summary: Tumors are complex and heterogeneous diseases connected with surrounding and distant tissues. Developing functional and realistic tumor organs is a major challenge, but efforts have been made to improve and integrate in vitro and in vivo models to better understand the disease biology and improve therapeutic approaches.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Valentina Fausti, Alessandro De Vita, Silvia Vanni, Virginia Ghini, Lorena Gurrieri, Nada Riva, Roberto Casadei, Marco Maraldi, Giorgio Ercolani, Davide Cavaliere, Carlo Alberto Pacilio, Federica Pieri, Flavia Foca, Alberto Bongiovanni, Nicoletta Ranallo, Sebastiano Calpona, Giovanni Luca Frassineti, Toni Ibrahim, Laura Mercatali
Summary: High NLR, PLR, and SII are associated with worse PFS in second-line STS patients. Trabectedin-treated patients have a better PFS when LMR is low, while patients treated with other regimens have a worse PFS when LMR is low. Patients showing a high LMR seem to have high levels of M2 intratumoral macrophages.
Review
Oncology
Beatrice Fontana, Giulia Gallerani, Irene Salamon, Ilaria Pace, Roberta Roncarati, Manuela Ferracin
Summary: ARID1A is a chromatin regulatory protein that plays a role in maintaining accessibility at promoters and enhancers to regulate gene expression. It is frequently altered in various human cancers and can act as a tumor suppressor or oncogene depending on the tumor type and context. ARID1A mutations are observed in approximately 10% of tumors, including endometrial, bladder, gastric, liver, biliopancreatic cancer, some ovarian cancer subtypes, and aggressive cancers of unknown primary. Its loss is generally associated with disease progression and worse prognostic features. However, the association of ARID1A genetic alterations with patient prognosis is controversial. Nevertheless, ARID1A loss of function can be targeted with inhibitory drugs based on synthetic lethality mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Giovanna Rigillo, Silvia Belluti, Virginia Campani, Gregorio Ragazzini, Mirko Ronzio, Giacomo Miserocchi, Beatrice Bighi, Laura Cuoghi, Valentina Mularoni, Vincenzo Zappavigna, Diletta Dolfini, Laura Mercatali, Andrea Alessandrini, Carol Imbriano
Summary: Aberrant splicing of NF-YAl transcript is associated with aggressive mesenchymal CRC and predicts shorter survival. CRC cells overexpressing NF-YAl exhibit altered cell behavior and transcription of genes involved in cell adhesion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. These findings suggest that NF-YAl may serve as a prognostic factor for CRC and splice-switching strategies could be used to reduce metastatic progression.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Concetta Cursano, Emilio Francesco Giunta, Emanuela Scarpi, Chiara Casadei, Alessandra Virga, Paola Ulivi, Sara Bleve, Nicole Brighi, Giorgia Ravaglia, Francesco Pantano, Vincenza Conteduca, Daniele Santini, Ugo De Giorgi
Summary: This study evaluated the prevalence of DNA damage repair (DDR) gene mutations in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients and their impact on clinical outcomes related to bone metastases. The results showed that DDR mutations were associated with larger bone metastases volume, but did not affect skeletal-related events incidence and time to onset.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Lorena Gurrieri, Laura Mercatali, Toni Ibrahim, Valentina Fausti, Monia Dall'Agata, Nada Riva, Nicoletta Ranallo, Giuseppe Pasini, Marcella Tazzari, Flavia Foca, Daniela Bartolini, Luca Riccioni, Chiara Cavatorta, Federico Paolo Morigi, Jenny Bulgarelli, Claudia Cocchi, Virginia Ghini, Luigino Tosatto, Giovanni Martinelli, Andrea Pession, Laura Ridolfi
Summary: The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the role of the immune system in glioblastoma (GBM) and identify prognostic markers related to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). The study analyzed inflammatory markers in the blood of 95 patients and compared the impact of circulating and inflammatory markers within the tumor microenvironment (TME) in 31 patients. Results showed that SII and specific immune infiltrating subsets expressed in the vascular/perivascular area could serve as predictive markers for response to treatment and prognosis.
JOURNAL OF NEURO-ONCOLOGY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Silvia Vanni, Graziana Gallo, Valentina Fausti, Giacomo Miserocchi, Chiara Liverani, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Chiara Calabrese, Giovanni De Luca, Massimo Bassi, Manlio Gessaroli, Angelo Campobassi, Federica Pieri, Giorgio Ercolani, Davide Cavaliere, Lorena Gurrieri, Nada Riva, Giovanni Martinelli, Laura Mercatali, Alessandro De Vita
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Chiara Spadazzi, Micaela Pannella, Chiara Bellotti, Elisa Martella, Silvia Vanni, Alessandro De Vita, Chiara Liverani, Giacomo Miserocchi, Claudia Cocchi, Chiara Calabrese, Valentina Fausti, Roberto Casadei, Federica Pieri, Ania Naila Guerrieri, Giovanni Martinelli, Greta Varchi, Enrico Lucarelli, Laura Mercatali, Toni Ibrahim
Meeting Abstract
Oncology
Chiara Calabrese, Giacomo Miserocchi, Silvia Vanni, Alessandro De Vita, Alberto Bongiovanni, Chiara Spadazzi, Claudia Cocchi, Nicoletta Ranallo, Federica Pieri, Michela Tebaldi, Flavia Foca, Giorgio Ercolani, Davide Cavaliere, Carlo Alberto Pacilio, Giovanni Martinelli, Laura Mercatali, Chiara Liverani