Article
Oncology
Vural Tagal, Michael G. Roth
Summary: This study reveals that Aurora kinases are crucial in the formation of polyploid giant cancer cells in lung cancer cell lines, leading to endoreplication, multinucleation, and cell growth, which contributes to resistance against cancer therapy.
Review
Immunology
Frederic Bornancin, Carien Dekker
Summary: This review focuses on the regulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation, and discusses the kinases and phosphatases that have been reported to modulate NLRP3 activity. The aim is to integrate the current understanding and highlight potential gaps for further studies.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Margaret E. Wilson, Shin-Cheng Tzeng, Megan M. Augustin, Matthew Meyer, Xiaoyue Jiang, Jae H. Choi, John C. Rogers, Bradley S. Evans, Toni M. Kutchan, Dmitri A. Nusinow
Summary: Protein phosphorylation is a crucial posttranslational modification in eukaryotic systems, and MLKs play a key role in regulating protein dynamics and plant metabolism, connecting environmental stimuli to developmental processes.
MOLECULAR & CELLULAR PROTEOMICS
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Li-Xia Peng, Ming-Dian Wang, Ping Xie, Jun-Ping Yang, Rui Sun, Li-Sheng Zheng, Yan Mei, Dong-Fang Meng, Xing-Si Peng, Yan-Hong Lang, Yuan-Yuan Qiang, Chang-Zhi Li, Liang Xu, Zhi-Jie Liu, Ling-Ling Guo, De-Huan Xie, Di-Tian Shu, Si-Ting Lin, Fei-Fei Luo, Bi-Jun Huang, Chao-Nan Qian
Summary: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) originates in the nasopharyngeal epithelium and is known for its high metastatic rate. The study found elevated expression of LACTB in tumor tissues of NPC, which correlated with poorer patient survival. The role of LACTB in promoting NPC metastasis is dependent on the activation of ERBB3/EGFR-ERK signaling pathway.
Article
Cell Biology
Yingying Gao, Bin Ma, Yifan Li, Xiangyu Wu, Shifeng Zhao, Huiping Guo, Yiwei Wang, Lihua Sun, Jing Xie
Summary: The study shows that Haspin is essential for maintaining a balanced ratio of asymmetric cell division (ACD) in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Knockout of Haspin leads to an increased ratio of ACD. This imbalance is rescued by overexpression of Wnt5a, suggesting that Haspin regulates ACD through the Wnt5a pathway.
CELL DEATH DISCOVERY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Melissa L. L. Johnson, Judy S. S. Wang, Gerald Falchook, Carol Greenlees, Suzanne Jones, Donald Strickland, Giulia Fabbri, Caroline Kennedy, J. Elizabeth Pease, Liz Sainsbury, Alexander MacDonald, Stein Schalkwijk, Philip Szekeres, Jan Cosaert, Howard Burris
Summary: AZD2811 is a potent, selective Aurora kinase B inhibitor. The dose-escalation phase of a first-in-human study assessing nanoparticle-encapsulated AZD2811 in advanced solid tumours was reported. The results showed that AZD2811 was tolerable with G-CSF support at the recommended dose.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Matthew P. Swaffer, Georgi K. Marinov, Huan Zheng, Lucas Fuentes Valenzuela, Crystal Yee Tsui, Andrew W. Jones, Jessica Greenwood, Anshul Kundaje, William J. Greenleaf, Rodrigo Reyes-Lamothe, Jan M. Skotheim
Summary: A fundamental feature of cellular growth is that protein and RNA amounts increase with cell size to maintain constant concentrations. In budding yeast, RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) is identified as the limiting factor scaling mRNA transcription with cell size. The global RNAPII transcription is determined by the mass action recruitment kinetics of unengaged nucle-oplasmic RNAPII to the genome. However, this increase in transcription with size is partially compensated for by a decrease in mRNA decay rates as cells enlarge.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yonghwan Shin, Sungmin Kim, Gangning Liang, Tobias S. Ulmer, Woojin An
Summary: VprBP is highly expressed in melanoma cells and phosphorylates threonine 120 (T120) on histone H2A to drive the transcriptional inactivation of growth-regulatory genes. Inhibition of VprBP or its kinase activity could mitigate melanoma tumor growth, indicating the therapeutic potential of targeting VprBP for melanoma treatment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hisayo Nishida-Fukuda, Keizo Tokuhiro, Yukio Ando, Hiroaki Matsushita, Morimasa Wada, Hiromitsu Tanaka
Summary: HASPIN, a kinase regulating mitosis, is associated with tumor malignancy and poor survival in various cancers. CHR-6494, a potent HASPIN inhibitor, showed antiproliferative effects in breast cancer cell lines and mammary epithelial cells, suggesting potential as an anticancer agent in breast cancer patients.
Article
Plant Sciences
Zhen Wang, Junmei Kang, Juan Armando Casas-Mollano, Yongchao Dou, Shangang Jia, Qingchuan Yang, Chi Zhang, Heriberto Cerutti
Summary: The plant-specific protein kinase MLK4 regulates flowering time by phosphorylating histone H3, which in turn accelerates flowering by repressing the transcription of the negative flowering regulator FLC/MAF.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kyle W. Bender, Daniel Couto, Yasuhiro Kadota, Alberto P. Macho, Jan Sklenar, Paul Derbyshire, Marta Bjornson, Thomas A. DeFalco, Annalise Petriello, Maria Font Farre, Benjamin Schwessinger, Vardis Ntoukakis, Lena Stransfeld, Alexandra M. E. Jones, Frank L. H. Menke, Cyril Zipfel
Summary: Receptor kinases are key in extracellular sensing and stress responses in plants, with leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases regulating responses to internal and external stimuli. The phosphorylation of cytoplasmic domains is crucial for activating RK complexes, but it is not a ubiquitous requirement for LRR-RK activation. Further studies on different protein kinase domains may provide insights into the regulation of LRR-RK complexes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Binglu Ru, Xinchang Hao, Wenhao Li, Qin Peng, Jianqiang Miao, Xili Liu
Summary: Using a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene replacement system, we investigated the biological function of PsZFPK1. PsZFPK1-knockout mutants showed significantly reduced growth on a nutrient-rich V8 medium compared to the wild-type strain P6497, with a more pronounced defect on a nutrient-poor Plich medium. The mutants also exhibited increased sporangium production and PsZFPK1 was found to be essential for oospore production and complete virulence in P. sojae, but dispensable for the stress response.
Article
Oncology
Julie A. Shields, Samuel R. Meier, Madhavi Bandi, Erin E. Mulkearns-Hubert, Nicole Hajdari, Maria Dam Ferdinez, Justin L. Engel, Daniel J. Silver, Binzhang Shen, Wenhai Zhang, Christopher G. Hubert, Kelly Mitchell, Sajina Shakya, Shan-Chuan Zhao, Alborz Bejnood, Minjie Zhang, Robert Tjin Tham Sjin, Erik Wilker, Justin D. Lathia, Jannik N. Andersen, Yingnan Chen, Fang Li, Barbara Weber, Alan Huang, Natasha Emmanuel
Summary: Synthetic lethality between paralog genes VRK1 and VRK2 plays a crucial role in treating VRK2-deficient glioblastoma.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yang Liu, Qian Liu, Handong Su, Kunpeng Liu, Xue Xiao, Wei Li, Qianwen Sun, James A. Birchler, Fangpu Han
Summary: The study identified over 700,000 R-loop peaks in the maize genome, with sense R-loops mainly enriched in promoters and transcription termination sites. At the chromosome scale, maize R-loops were enriched in pericentromeric heterochromatin regions.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Veronica Uribe-Etxebarria, Jose Ramon Pineda, Patricia Garcia-Gallastegi, Alice Agliano, Fernando Unda, Gaskon Ibarretxe
Summary: The dental pulp of permanent human teeth contains stem cells known as Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs), which have the ability to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. The pluripotency core factors expressed by these cells, as well as the involvement of signaling pathways like Notch and Wnt, contribute to their stemness maintenance. Utilizing recombinant proteins, pharmacological modulators, serum-free media, and appropriate scaffolds, researchers can optimize the potency of DPSCs without genetic modification. This review highlights the mechanisms and regulatory pathways responsible for maintaining stemness in DPSCs, drawing interesting parallels with pluripotent stem cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Serah Kimani, Suparna Chakraborty, Ikponmwosa Irene, Jo de la Mare, Adrienne Edkins, Andre du Toit, Ben Loos, Angelique Blanckenberg, Annick Van Niekerk, Leticia Costa-Lotufo, K. N. ArulJothi, Selwyn Mapolie, Sharon Prince
Summary: The study investigated the anti-cancer activity of a palladium complex, BTC2, in human breast cancer cells, demonstrating its selectivity, inhibition of cancer cell migration, and suppression of cancer stem cell activity. BTC2 also induced DNA double strand breaks, triggered cell cycle arrests, and activated multiple cell death pathways, showing promising anti-breast cancer activity both in vitro and in vivo.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Karabo Serala, Paul Steenkamp, Leseilane Mampuru, Sharon Prince, Kgomotso Poopedi, Vusi Mbazima
Summary: The study demonstrated that the crude acetone extract of Momordica balsamina (MBE) inhibited the metastatic ability of HT-29 colorectal cancer (CRC) cells in vitro. MBE consists of a mixture of compounds with cytotoxic effects against HT-29 cells and can suppress reactive oxygen species formation, cell invasion, migration, and adhesion. The antimetastatic effects of MBE were associated with the regulation of various proteins related to cancer metastasis.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Victoria Damerell, Melvin Anyasi Ambele, Shanel Salisbury, Alexis Neumann-Mufweba, Chrisna Durandt, Michael Sean Pepper, Sharon Prince
Summary: Sarcomas are aggressive cancers of mesenchymal origin and their clinical management is complex. This study reveals that the c-Myc/TBX3 pathway may be a key mechanism that transforms mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) into sarcomas. TBX3 overexpression promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, which are key processes in sarcomagenesis.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Virology
Carly A. Burmeister, Saif F. Khan, Georgia Schafer, Nomonde Mbatani, Tracey Adams, Jennifer Moodley, Sharon Prince
Summary: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common female cancer worldwide, but it is rare in high-income countries with established vaccination and screening programs. However, it remains a deadly disease for women in low- and middle-income countries due to limited resources. Current treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, but there are challenges. Promising new therapies, such as immunotherapies, targeted therapies, combination therapies, and genetic treatment approaches, offer hope for treating cervical cancer.
TUMOUR VIRUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Editorial Material
Virology
Shaheen Mowla, Riyaadh Ahmed
Article
Cell Biology
Vincent Harrison, Saif F. Khan, Victoria Damerell, Jenna Bleloch, Kn ArulJothi, Musalula Sinkala, Katie Lennard, Nicola Mulder, Bridget Calder, Jonathan Blackburn, Sharon Prince
Summary: This study shows that tadpole tail blastema extracts (TAD) from the stream frog have anti-cancer potential against embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) cells. TAD inhibits cell viability, induces senescence and apoptosis, and activates DNA damage and stress signaling pathways. Furthermore, TAD inhibits tumor promoters and proteins required for cancer cell survival.
IN VITRO CELLULAR & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY-ANIMAL
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Nosipho Msimango, Athi Welsh, Sharon Prince, Gregory S. Smith
Summary: This article describes the synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity of a novel tris-benzimidazole-quinoline hybrid ligand and its corresponding cationic trimetallic complexes. The complexes show stability in DMSO and exhibit antiproliferative properties against human breast cancer cells, with the ruthenium(II) p-cymene complex being the most active.
INORGANIC CHEMISTRY COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Amanda-Lee E. Manicum, Hitler Louis, Gideon E. Mathias, Ernest C. Agwamba, Frederick P. Malan, Tomsmith O. Unimuke, Wakopo J. Nzondomyo, Sibusiso A. Sithole, Supratim Biswas, Sharon Prince
Summary: In this study, two neutral complexes were synthesized using acetylacetone and characterized by various methods. The synthesized compounds showed potential as anticancer drugs and exhibited binding affinity to specific receptors.
INORGANICA CHIMICA ACTA
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Saif F. Khan, Carly A. Burmeister, David J. Scott, Musalula Sinkala, Amsha Ramburan, Hue-Tsi Wu, Georgia Schafer, Arieh A. Katz, Sharon Prince
Summary: Cervical cancer, mainly caused by persistent infection with high-risk strains of HPV, is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women globally. This study highlights the upregulation of TBX3 in cervical cancer cell lines and patient tissues, and its association with larger and more invasive tumors. It also reveals the dual role of TBX3 in promoting cell proliferation and migration in HPV-positive cells and inhibiting these processes in HPV-negative cells, with its tumor promoting activity depending on E6/E7.
MOLECULAR CANCER RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Lehlohonolo Moherane, Orbett T. Alexander, Marietjie Schutte-Smith, Robin E. Kroon, Penny P. Mokolokolo, Supratim Biswas, Sharon Prince, Hendrik G. Visser, Amanda-Lee E. Manicum
Summary: This study reports on the solid-state structures, solution-state photoluminescence, and in vitro biological applications of fac-[Re(CO)3(N,N'-Bid)(X)]n complexes. The complexes exhibited excellent luminescent properties, and two of them showed inhibitory effects on breast cancer cells.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Annick van Niekerk, Angelique Blanckenberg, Serah Kimani, Suparna Chakraborty, Sharon Prince, Prinessa Chellan, Selwyn Mapolie
Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a low survival rate and current chemotherapy options have severe side effects and drug resistance. Palladium compounds show promise as alternatives with less toxicity and selectivity towards TNBC. This study reports the design and synthesis of benzylidene palladacycles with different phosphine bridging ligands. BTC2 emerges as a more soluble and less toxic compound with effective anticancer properties. It displays multimodal DNA binding properties and can be transported by albumin in mammalian cells.
JOURNAL OF INORGANIC BIOCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Ghodeejah Higgins, Faatiemah Higgins, Jade Peres, Dirk M. Lang, Tamer Abdalrahman, Muhammad H. Zaman, Sharon Prince, Thomas Franz
Summary: Cell stiffness and TBX3 expression are biomarkers of melanoma metastasis in 2D environments. Soft extracellular environments are more favorable for tumor growth. TBX3 mediates collective cell migration and tumor growth in the early VGP disease stage but plays a lesser role in the later metastatic stage of melanoma.
EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biology
Alexis Neumann-Mufweba, Serah Kimani, Saif Feroz Khan, Kelly Chibale, Sharon Prince
Summary: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. Researchers have discovered a compound called MMV652103 that shows potential in the treatment of breast cancer. This compound inhibits oncogenic proteins and displays selective cytotoxicity to breast cancer cells, inhibiting their survival and migration, while also demonstrating a favorable safety profile.
Article
Oncology
Tarryn Willmer, Victoria Damerell, Shannon Smyly, Danica Sims, Michelle Du Toit, Stephanie Ncube, Musalula Sinkala, Dhirendra Govender, Edward Sturrock, Jonathan M. Blackburn, Sharon Prince
Summary: The study identifies TBX3 as upregulated in various sarcoma subtypes and requiring nucleolin as a cofactor to promote sarcomagenesis. Disruption of the TBX3-nucleolin interaction by AS1411 shows selective anti-cancer activity in sarcoma cells, providing a novel approach for treating sarcomas.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CANCER RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Victoria Damerell, Michael S. Pepper, Sharon Prince
Summary: Sarcomas are complex mesenchymal neoplasms with a poor prognosis, originating from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells. Research has focused on identifying molecular markers and mechanisms for targeted therapy in recent years.
SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND TARGETED THERAPY
(2021)
