Review
Genetics & Heredity
Jiayang Wu, Jiaming Feng, Qiran Zhang, Yazhou He, Chuan Xu, Chengdi Wang, Weimin Li
Summary: Epigenetics plays a crucial role in regulating stem cell signaling and the oncogenesis of lung cancer, as well as therapeutic resistance. Utilizing these regulatory mechanisms for cancer treatment is a fascinating medical challenge.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Myungjin Lee, Hae Yun Nam, Hee-Bum Kang, Won Hyeok Lee, Geun-Hee Lee, Gi-Jun Sung, Myung Woul Han, Kyung-Ja Cho, Eun-Ju Chang, Kyung-Chul Choi, Seong Who Kim, Sang Yoon Kim
Summary: Tumors contain subpopulations of cancer cells with distinct functionalities, which limit the effectiveness of cancer drugs. Understanding the regulatory mechanisms driving subclonal variation within therapy-resistant tumors can provide novel treatment options to overcome resistance to current therapies.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Review
Oncology
Rhiannon French, Siim Pauklin
Summary: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess stem-like properties and play a crucial role in tumor initiation and progression. Evidence suggests that non-stem tumor cells may undergo dedifferentiation to CSCs, and epigenetic regulation of CSCs provides new opportunities for therapeutic interventions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Yuliang Feng, Xingguo Liu, Siim Pauklin
Summary: In cancer formation, cells can dedifferentiate into a stem cell-like state, giving rise to cancer stem cells with the ability to form the entire tumor and resist therapy. Studying the epigenetic mechanisms and 3D chromatin architecture is crucial for understanding tumorigenesis and cancer stem cell transformation.
Review
Immunology
Huimin Liu, Dongxu Wang, Zhijing Yang, Shuangji Li, Han Wu, Jingcheng Xiang, Shaoning Kan, Ming Hao, Weiwei Liu
Summary: Epigenetic modifications play crucial roles in regulating the tumor microenvironment of head and neck tumors, influencing tumor development by altering gene expression and behavior of cells in TME.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Mayur D. Mody, James W. Rocco, Sue S. Yom, Robert Haddad, Nabil F. Saba
Summary: Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer worldwide, with the predominant risk factors being tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and oncogenic viruses. Treatment typically involves a multidisciplinary approach with surgery, radiotherapy, and systemic therapy, and is challenging due to site-specific and histology-specific variations.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Libo Xu, Jinghua Zhang, Jicheng Sun, Kunlin Hou, Chenxin Yang, Ying Guo, Xiaorui Liu, Dhan V. Kalvakolanu, Ling Zhang, Baofeng Guo
Summary: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a crucial role in tumor progression, metastasis, and recurrence. The epigenetic modification machinery is essential for the viability and aggressive evolution of CSCs. Targeting these mechanisms with specific drugs offers a promising approach to block CSCs and reduce drug resistance, quiescence, and tumor heterogeneity.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hsing-Ju Wu, Pei-Yi Chu
Summary: Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among women globally. Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) play essential roles in the progression, recurrence, metastasis, chemoresistance, and treatments of breast cancer. Aberrant epigenetic regulation is involved in carcinogenesis, therapeutic resistance, and metastasis of BCSCs, and therapies targeting these biomarkers are being developed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Diego M. Avella Patino, Vijay Radhakrishnan, Kanve N. Suvilesh, Yariswamy Manjunath, Guangfu Li, Eric T. Kimchi, Kevin F. Staveley-O'Carroll, Wesley C. Warren, Jussuf T. Kaifi, Jonathan B. Mitchem
Summary: This review article summarizes the role of epigenetic regulation in immune response in a wide range of cancers, including the epigenetic changes in immune cells such as T cells, macrophages, and natural killer cells.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Sarah E. Mudra, Pritam Sadhukhan, M. Talha Ugurlu, Shorna Alam, Mohammad O. Hoque
Summary: Resistance to cancer therapy is a significant obstacle, with cancer stem cells (CSCs) playing a key role in resistance and the need for novel targeted agents to combat CSCs.
Article
Oncology
Sabah Akhtar, Shireen Hourani, Lubna Therachiyil, Abdullah Al-Dhfyan, Abdelali Agouni, Asad Zeidan, Shahab Uddin, Hesham M. Korashy
Summary: This article summarizes the characteristics and important roles of cancer stem cells (CSCs) and their connection with environmental toxin PAHs and cytosolic receptor AhR. The review also discusses the signaling pathways related to tumorigenesis and progression that are mediated by AhR, as well as the epigenetic regulations of CSCs by the AhR/CYP1A pathway.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Oncology
B. W. M. Thilini J. Basnayake, Paul Leo, Sudha Rao, Sarju Vasani, Lizbeth Kenny, Nikolas K. K. Haass, Chamindie Punyadeera
Summary: Head and neck cancers (HNC) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies arising in various anatomical sites within the head and neck region. Patient-derived cancer organoids, or tumouroids, have been developed as in vitro model systems that replicate in vivo tumor characteristics. These tumouroids can play an essential role in bringing precision medicine for highly heterogeneous cancer types such as HNC.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Leticia Antunes Muniz Ferreira, Maria Antonia dos Santos Bezerra, Rosa Sayoko Kawasaki-Oyama, Glaucia Maria de Mendonca Fernandes, Marcia Maria Urbanin Castanhole-Nunes, Vilson Serafim Junior, Rogerio Moraes Castilho, Erika Cristina Pavarino, Jose Victor Maniglia, Eny Maria Goloni-Bertollo
Summary: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) possess self-renewal ability and contribute to tumor heterogeneity, leading to chemotherapy resistance and cancer relapse. This study used two methods, ALDH and CD44/CD117/CD133, to isolate CSCs and found that ALDH cells had higher expression of ZEB1 microRNA compared to CD44/CD117/CD133 triple-positive cells. The inhibition of ZEB1 was driven by miR-101-3p, miR-139-5p, miR-144-3p, miR-199b-5p, and miR-200c-3p, which also affected CSC-related genes. Overall, this study improves our understanding of the role of ZEB1-suppressed miRNAs in CSC biology.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Song-Hee Kim, Byung-Chul Kang, Daseul Seong, Won-Hyeok Lee, Jae-Hee An, Hyoung-Uk Je, Hee-Jeong Cha, Hyo-Won Chang, Sang-Yoon Kim, Seong-Who Kim, Myung-Woul Han
Summary: This study revealed that EPHA3 regulates DNA methylation and histone methylation of PTEN through the PTEN/Akt/EMT pathway, affecting PTEN levels in radioresistant head and neck cancer cells. This provides a novel mechanism for radiotherapy resistance in these cancer cells.
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Sorayya Ghasemi, Suowen Xu, Seyed Mohammad Nabavi, Mohammad Amir Amirkhani, Antoni Sureda, Silvia Tejada, Zahra Lorigooini
Summary: Epigenetic alterations play a significant role in cancer development, especially in cancer stem cells (CSCs). Epigenetic therapies targeting CSCs are emerging as a promising strategy for cancer treatment, with phenolic compounds potentially neutralizing CSCs development and metabolism through epigenetic mechanisms.
PHYTOTHERAPY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Alec J. McCann, Tina L. Samuels, Joel H. Blumin, Nikki Johnston
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Miles J. Klimara, Nikki Johnston, Tina L. Samuels, Alexis M. Visotcky, David M. Poetker, Todd A. Loehrl, Joel H. Blumin, Jonathan M. Bock
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Miles J. Klimara, Tina L. Samuels, Nikki Johnston, Robert H. Chun, Michael E. McCormick
ANNALS OF OTOLOGY RHINOLOGY AND LARYNGOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tina L. Samuels, Michael T. Zimmermann, Atefeh Zeighami, Wendy Demos, Jessica E. Southwood, Joel H. Blumin, Jonathan M. Bock, Nikki Johnston
Summary: In this in vitro study, brief exposure to pepsin was found to activate cancer-associated signaling pathways in laryngeal cells, revealing new mechanisms by which chronic reflux may contribute to carcinogenesis. The developed cell line provides a novel tool to investigate pepsin-dysregulated pathways identified by RNA sequencing and disparities in tumor susceptibility of laryngeal subsites.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Caroline A. McCormick, Tina L. Samuels, Michele A. Battle, Talia Frolkis, Joel H. Blumin, Jonathan M. Bock, Clive Wells, Ke Yan, Kenneth W. Altman, Nikki Johnston
Summary: The study found expression of gastric proton pump subunits in the larynx of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Cells expressing the full proton pump exhibited mitochondrial damage and changes in gene expression associated with inflammation and cancer, indicating that functional proton pump expression in upper airway mucosa may lead to local cellular and molecular changes with pathological implications.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mana Espahbodi, Tina L. Samuels, Caroline McCormick, Pawjai Khampang, Ke Yan, Samuel Marshall, Michael E. McCormick, Robert H. Chun, Steven A. Harvey, David R. Friedland, Nikki Johnston, Joseph E. Kerschner
Summary: Cell culture models are valuable for investigating the molecular pathogenesis of otitis media (OM), showing that pediatric MEE cells differ significantly from adult-derived HMEEC-1 cells in response to inflammatory stimuli and expression of OM-related molecules. OM may be associated with specific molecular phenotypes that are retained in primary cell culture.
Review
Otorhinolaryngology
Tina L. Samuels, Nikki Johnston
CURRENT OPINION IN OTOLARYNGOLOGY & HEAD AND NECK SURGERY
(2020)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Kaleigh A. Stabenau, Michael T. Zimmermann, Angela Mathison, Atefeh Zeighami, Tina L. Samuels, Robert H. Chun, Blake C. Papsin, Michael E. McCormick, Nikki Johnston, Joseph E. Kerschner
Summary: This study utilized RNA sequencing to identify differential gene expression in middle ear epithelial cells of pediatric patients with otitis media with effusion (OME) compared to healthy controls, highlighting pathways related to inflammation, immune response, and auditory cell differentiation. These findings have important implications for infection susceptibility, hearing loss, and the role of tobacco exposure in the development and severity of OME in pediatric patients.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tina L. Samuels, Pawjai Khampang, Mana Espahbodi, Caroline A. McCormick, Robert H. Chun, Michael E. McCormick, Ke Yan, Joseph E. Kerschner, Nikki Johnston
Summary: The study found an association between pepsin and middle ear effusion viscosity, inflammatory cytokines, and mucin, suggesting a potential impact on outcomes of OM.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Kaleigh A. Stabenau, Tina L. Samuels, Tina K. Lam, Angela J. Mathison, Clive Wells, Kenneth W. Altman, Michele A. Battle, Nikki Johnston
Summary: The study demonstrates the carcinogenic potential of pepsin and proton pump expression in Barrett's esophagus, and identifies the molecular pathways affected by their expression. Further investigation is needed to explore the role of these pathways in carcinogenesis associated with Barrett's esophagus.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Tina L. Samuels, Ke Yan, Nishma Patel, Kate Plehhova, Cathal Coyle, Bryan P. Hurley, Nikki Johnston
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the topical protective capacity of alginate-based Gaviscon Advance (GA) and Double Action (GDA) against pepsin-acid mediated aerodigestive epithelial barrier dysfunction in vitro. The results showed that GA and GDA preserved epithelial barrier function better than placebo, indicating the protective effect of alginate.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Nikki Johnston, Tina L. Samuels, Christopher J. Goetz, Leggy A. Arnold, Brian C. Smith, Donna Seabloom, Beverly Wuertz, Frank Ondrey, Timothy S. Wiedmann, Nemanja Vuksanovic, Nicholas R. Silvaggi, Alexander C. MacKinnon, James Miller, Jonathan Bock, Joel H. Blumin
Summary: This study aimed to find small molecule inhibitors of pepsin and test their efficacy in preventing pepsin-mediated laryngeal damage. The study found that fosamprenavir and darunavir, FDA-approved therapies for HIV/AIDS, can bind and inhibit pepsin, thus preventing pepsin-mediated laryngeal damage in a laryngopharyngeal reflux mouse model.
Article
Otorhinolaryngology
Tina K. Lam, Tina L. Samuels, Ke Yan, Liyun Zhang, Jazzmyne Adams, Kaleigh A. Stabenau, Joseph E. Kerschner, Nikki Johnston
Summary: Exposure to e-cigarette emissions (EE) may increase the risk of pediatric OM recurrence, but this association becomes non-significant after adjusting for certain covariates. Further research on the health implications of EE in children is warranted.
ANNALS OF OTOLOGY RHINOLOGY AND LARYNGOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Simon Blaine-Sauer, Tina L. Samuels, Ke Yan, Nikki Johnston
Summary: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) significantly affects patient quality of life and is a major risk factor for Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the standard treatment for GERD but don't protect against nonacid components of reflux or prevent reflux-associated cancer. However, a recent study found that amprenavir, an HIV protease inhibitor, can inhibit pepsin and protect against esophageal epithelial barrier disruption and related molecular events associated with GERD severity and esophageal cancer. These findings suggest a potential therapeutic role for amprenavir in GERD patients who do not respond to PPI therapy and to prevent GERD-associated neoplastic changes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tina L. Samuels, Simon Blaine-Sauer, Ke Yan, Kate Plehhova, Cathal Coyle, Nikki Johnston
Summary: Epithelial barrier dysfunction is a major characteristic of GERD, which is associated with symptom origination, inflammatory remodeling, and carcinogenesis. Alginate-based antireflux medications have been found to protect against peptic barrier disruption, and this study reveals the molecular mechanisms behind the injury and protection. The findings highlight the potential of targeting regulated intramembrane proteolysis and molecular mechanisms induced by weakly acidic reflux to treat GERD and prevent carcinogenesis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
