Review
Cell Biology
Ian James Bell, Matthew Sheldon Horn, Terence John Van Raay
Summary: The non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways have different roles in cancer and development, involving calcium and Vangl2. Cells tend to choose non-canonical Wnt signaling over canonical Wnt signaling when presented with a choice, but this occurs rarely in vivo.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Kyle Doxtater, Manish K. Tripathi, Radhika Sekhri, Bilal B. Hafeez, Sheema Khan, Nadeem Zafar, Stephen W. Behrman, Murali M. Yallapu, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan
Summary: This study reveals the role of MUC1 3 in survival and distant metastasis of colorectal cancer cells. MUC1 3 targets and activates YAP1, promoting its nuclear translocation and increasing the expression of pro-survival and metastasis-associated genes. The correlation between MUC1 3 and YAP1 expression was observed in animal models and human colorectal cancer tissues.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Courtney A. Dreyer, Kacey VanderVorst, Dean Natwick, George Bell, Prachi Sood, Maria Hernandez, James M. Angelastro, Sean R. Collins, Kermit L. Carraway III
Summary: In this study, we found that the non-canonical Wnt planar cell polarity (Wnt/PCP) signaling pathway components Vangl1 and Fzd7 promote the malignancy of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) by enhancing cellular proliferation, migration, and invasiveness. They also activate Rho GTPases to regulate cytoskeletal rearrangements and actin dynamics in migrating GBM cells. We discovered a novel Vangl1/Fzd7 complex at the leading edge of migratory GBM cells, which is critical for recruiting downstream effectors to promote tumor progression. Depletion of FZD7 resulted in suppressed tumor growth, delayed latency, and improved overall survival in a mouse xenograft model, suggesting that targeting the Wnt/PCP pathway could be a potential therapeutic strategy for GBM patients.
Article
Oncology
Meng Zhang, Dan Wang, Lan Su, Jingjiao Ma, Sizhen Wang, Meng Cui, Shunming Hong, Bing Guan, Xiaodong Ma
Summary: The study thoroughly characterized the activity of the Wnt/PCP regulation pathway in low-grade glioma (LGG) patients, revealing three subgroups with significant survival differences and distinct genomic characteristics. Each subgroup had different genetic features, with C1 enriched in CIC truncating mutations and 1p19q codel, C2 characterized by TP53 and ATRX inactivating mutations but lacking TERT promoter mutations, and C3 showing the worst survival outcome and elevated malignancy.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Correction
Cell Biology
Anika Bottcher, Maren Buttner, Sophie Tritschler, Michael Sterr, Alexandra Aliluev, Lena Oppenlander, Ingo Burtscher, Steffen Sass, Martin Irmler, Johannes Beckers, Christoph Ziegenhain, Wolfgang Enard, Andrea C. Schamberger, Fien M. Verhamme, Oliver Eickelberg, Fabian J. Theis, Heiko Lickert
Summary: A correction has been published for this paper, the details can be found at the provided link.
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Myan Do, Christina C. N. Wu, Pooja R. Sonavane, Edwin F. Juarez, Stephen R. Adams, Jason Ross, Alessandra Rodriguez Y. Baena, Charmi Patel, Jill P. Mesirov, Dennis A. Carson, Sunil J. Advani, Karl Willert
Summary: The study identified elevated expression of the WNT receptor FZD7 in ovarian cancers and developed a novel antibody-drug conjugate, F7-ADC, which selectively kills ovarian cancer cells and induces regression of ovarian tumor xenografts in mice. The treatment of mice with F7-ADC did not induce acute toxicities, suggesting a potentially safe profile in patients.
MOLECULAR CANCER THERAPEUTICS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jiajia Wang, Xichen Wan, Qihua Le
Summary: SOX9, a member of the SRY-related HMG-box transcription factors, plays a critical role in fetal development and stem cell homeostasis. The interactions between SOX9 and the canonical Wnt signalling pathway are involved in various physiological and pathological processes of stem cells, including organ development, stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and tumorigenesis. This review summarizes the molecular mechanism of cross-interactions between SOX9 and the canonical Wnt signalling pathway, outlines its regulatory effects on homeostasis in different types of stem cells, and explores its potential in translational stem cell therapy.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Maria Sirakov, Leo Claret, Michelina Plateroti
Summary: This study describes the significant role of thyroid hormones and their nuclear receptors in intestinal development and homeostasis, and their controversial involvement in intestinal carcinogenesis. It also presents new data on their functional interaction with the WNT signaling pathway, providing new insights for translational research.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ophthalmology
Zhen Liu, Yanghui Xiu, Fangfang Qiu, Zhenzhen Zhu, Rongrong Zong, Xiangtian Zhou, Jianhong An, Qiongsi Wang, Peter S. Reinach, Wei Li, Wensheng Chen, Zuguo Liu
Summary: This study found that plasma levels of Wnt inhibitor DKK-1 were significantly reduced in patients with myopia, while the canonical Wnt pathway was progressively activated during myopia development in mice. Targeting Wnt signaling pathways has the potential to be a therapeutic strategy for myopia by inhibiting myopia progression.
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana R. Moshkovsky, Marc W. Kirschner
Summary: Axin is a crucial protein in the canonical Wnt pathway, and its differential regulation allows for tissue-specific functions.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alexandre Vallee, Yves Lecarpentier, Jean-Noel Vallee
Summary: Glaucoma is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with oxidative stress, inflammation, and glutamatergic pathway playing key roles. CBD, a non-psychotomimetic phytocannabinoid, has shown potential therapeutic effects on glaucoma by increasing the WNT/beta-catenin pathway and reducing GSK-3 beta activity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vishnu V. Krishnamurthy, Hyojeong Hwang, Jia Fu, Jing Yang, Kai Zhang
Summary: Optogenetics utilizes light-inducible protein-protein interactions to control signaling activity with precision, offering attractive spatial and temporal resolution for studying embryonic development. In a comparative study, a cytoplasm-to-membrane translocation-based optogenetic system outperformed membrane-anchored dimerization systems in activating receptor tyrosine kinase signaling in live Xenopus embryos. This engineering strategy may have broad applicability to other signaling pathways involving membrane-bound receptors, as demonstrated by triggering Wnt activity through optogenetic activation of LRP6.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shiwei Guo, Jingyu Deng, Pengliang Wang, Fan Kou, Zizhen Wu, Nannan Zhang, Zhenzhen Zhao, Yongzhan Nie, Lili Yang
Summary: BCL6 expression is significantly decreased in gastric cancer tissues, and low expression is associated with malignant clinical features and poor prognosis. BCL6 inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells by directly binding and repressing the Wnt receptor FZD7 and promoting ferroptosis through the FZD7/ss catenin/TP63/GPX4 pathway. The expression and function of BCL6 in gastric cancer are regulated by the RNF180/RhoC pathway, which is involved in mediating the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Rongkun Li, Hengchao Li, Lili Zhu, Xiaoxin Zhang, Dejun Liu, Qing Li, Bo Ni, Lipeng Hu, Zhigang Zhang, Yanli Zhang, Xu Wang, Shu-Heng Jiang
Summary: This study identifies a previously unknown hypoxia-LOXL2-HIF1α axis that regulates the Warburg effect in PDAC, providing a potential drug target for therapy. LOXL2 plays a crucial role in stabilizing HIF1α and promoting glycolytic metabolism under hypoxia, linking the Warburg effect to tumor growth and metastasis in PDAC. Hijacking glycolysis compromises LOXL2-induced oncogenic activities in this context.
CELL DEATH & DISEASE
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Chongyang Wang, Ruochen Hu, Liuyuan Duan, Qili Hou, Mengqing Yang, Ting Wang, Haijin Liu, Sa Xiao, Ruyi Dang, Juan Wang, Xinglong Wang, Shuxia Zhang, Zengqi Yang
Summary: This study showed that pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection activates the Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway, leading to enhanced virus proliferation and regulation of virus-induced autophagy. Inhibitors of this pathway can reduce PRV titers, while stimulation of the pathway can enhance PRV proliferation. These findings provide potential targets for the development of antiviral agents against PRV.
VETERINARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Muthukrishnan Chandrika, Pei Jou Chua, Umamaheswari Muniasamy, Ruby Yun Ju Huang, Aye Aye Thike, Cheng Teng Ng, Puay Hoon Tan, George W. Yip, Boon Huat Bay
Summary: This study found that PHGDH plays a regulatory role in breast cancer cell proliferation, and its expression is associated with tumor severity and patient prognosis. It may serve as a potential prognostic marker and therapeutic target in breast cancer.
BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT
(2021)
Review
Anatomy & Morphology
Pei-Yu Chu, Angele Pei-Fern Koh, Jane Antony, Ruby Yun-Ju Huang
Summary: The chick CAM model has been a valuable alternative in oncology research, showing increased xenograft take rates and retention of tumor heterogeneity. Various imaging techniques and data analysis have been widely applied to study tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, and therapeutic response to novel agents.
CELLS TISSUES ORGANS
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Valerie Heong, Tuan Z. Tan, Maiko Miwa, Jieru Ye, Diana Lim, C. Simon Herrington, Yasushi Iida, Mitsutake Yano, Masanori Yasuda, Natalie Y. L. Ngoi, S. B. Justin Wong, Aikou Okamoto, Charlie Gourley, Kosei Hasegawa, David S. P. Tan, Ruby Y. J. Huang
Summary: This study investigated the immune environment of ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) in ethnically diverse populations and identified four novel immune subtypes with differentially expressed pathways. The PD1-high and CTLA4-high subtypes were associated with poorer clinical outcomes. Deficient Mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression was found in about 5% of OCCCs, clustering in the CTLA4-high subtype. The study highlights significant clinical and molecular similarities between OCCC in women of Asian and Caucasian descent.
JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Angsumita Pramanick, Abhiram Kanneganti, Jing Lin Jeslyn Wong, Sarah Weiling Li, Pooja Sharma Dimri, Aniza Puteri Mahyuddin, Sailesh Kumar, Sebastian Enrique Illanes, Jerry Kok Yen Chan, Lin Lin Su, Arijit Biswas, Paul Anantharajah Tambyah, Ruby Yun-Ju Huang, Citra Nurfarah Zaini Mattar, Mahesh Choolani
Summary: Most vaccine trials exclude pregnant women, leading to limited information on recommendations for their vaccination. Pregnancy is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, so pregnant women with high exposure risks or comorbidities should be prioritized for vaccination.
PRENATAL DIAGNOSIS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Darwesh Mohideen Kaderbatcha Aladin, Yeh Shiu Chu, Shuo Shen, Robert Charles Robinson, Sylvie Dufour, Virgile Viasnoff, Nicolas Borghi, Jean Paul Thiery
Summary: This study reveals that different EC repeats in cadherins' extracellular regions can modulate epithelial sheet integrity, cell-cell separation forces, and cell cortical tension, which further affect epithelial tensile strength, ductility, and collective migration. Interestingly, dissipative processes rather than static adhesion energy play a dominant role in cell-cell separation forces. This framework provides insights into how epithelial phenotypes emerge from cell mechanical properties dependent on EC outside-in signaling.
Article
Oncology
Yee Kit Tai, Karen Ka Wing Chan, Charlene Hui Hua Fong, Sharanya Ramanan, Jasmine Lye Yee Yap, Jocelyn Naixin Yin, Yun Sheng Yip, Wei Ren Tan, Angele Pei Fern Koh, Nguan Soon Tan, Ching Wan Chan, Ruby Yun Ju Huang, Jing Ze Li, Juerg Frohlich, Alfredo Franco-Obregon
Summary: Chemotherapy is the main treatment for invasive breast cancer, but it can cause adverse effects and drug resistance. This study investigated the potential synergistic effects of doxorubicin and pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy in breast cancer. The results showed that PEMF and doxorubicin individually reduced tumor size and increased apoptosis, and the combination of both treatments enhanced these effects. The study also found that breast cancer cells were more vulnerable to PEMF exposure due to the overexpression of TRPC1 channel. The expression levels of TRPC1 consistently predicted breast cancer sensitivity to treatments.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Oncology
Valerie S. LeBleu, Jean Paul Thiery
Summary: Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an epithelial plasticity program associated with embryonic development and organogenesis, which plays an important role in metastatic dissemination and secondary tumor formation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Chien-Chang Lee, Meng-tse Gabriel Lee, I-Hsuan Huang, Jasmine Tan, Zachary R. McCaw, Ke-Ying Su, Tzu-Chun Hsu, Ruby Y. J. Huang, Po-Hsiu Kuo, Shyr-Chyr Chen
Summary: Using the Taiwan Biobank, this study identified associations between NGF, IL1A, IL1B genes and primary dysmenorrhea in Han Chinese women in Taiwan.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS
(2022)
Correction
Oncology
Yee Kit Tai, Karen Ka Wing Chan, Charlene Hui Hua Fong, Sharanya Ramanan, Jasmine Lye Yee Yap, Jocelyn Naixin Yin, Yun Sheng Yip, Wei Ren Tan, Angele Pei Fern Koh, Nguan Soon Tan, Ching Wan Chan, Ruby Yun Ju Huang, Jing Ze Li, Juerg Froehlich, Alfredo Franco-Obregon
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jia Yu, David M. Virshup
Summary: Wnts are lipid-modified signaling glycoproteins that play critical roles in development and homeostasis. Their function is regulated by post-translational modifications, such as O-linked palmitoleation. The abundance and activity of Wnt are controlled by intracellular recycling, ubiquitylation-mediated degradation, and cleavage by metalloprotease TIKI. Understanding these modifications provides insights into the regulation of Wnt signaling.
BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Review
Oncology
Asad Mohammad, Sudhakar Jha
Summary: Epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and histone modification, play a crucial role in cancer progression and metastasis. Inhibitors targeting deregulated enzymes can reverse these modifications and show promising results in cancer therapeutics.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Zheng Zhong, Nathan Harmston, Kris C. Wood, Babita Madan, David M. Virshup
Summary: Wnt signaling plays a crucial role in regulating the balance between stemness and differentiation. RNF43-mutant pancreatic cancers are resistant to PORCN inhibitors due to genetic alterations that silence EP300 and downregulate GATA6 expression, leading to a shift in phenotype and resistance to Wnt inhibition.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Qing You Pang, Tuan Zea Tan, Vignesh Sundararajan, Yi-Chia Chiu, Edward Yu Wing Chee, Vin Yee Chung, Mahesh A. Choolani, Ruby Yun-Ju Huang
Summary: This study reveals distinct regulation of epithelial and mesenchymal genes in the context of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The authors find that EMT genes are regulated within topologically associated domains (TADs) and propose a novel workflow to unravel the heterogeneity of EMT at single-cell resolution. The study provides insights into the three-dimensional genome context of EMT and its regulation.
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Natalie Y. L. Ngoi, Nicholas L. X. Syn, Robby M. Goh, Boon Cher Goh, Ruby Yun-Ju Huang, Yu Yang Soon, Elizabeth James, Adrian Cook, Andrew Clamp, David S. P. Tan
Summary: This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of weekly paclitaxel and tri-weekly paclitaxel, both in combination with carboplatin, as first-line treatment for epithelial ovarian cancer. The results showed that weekly paclitaxel may slightly improve progression-free survival (PFS), but does not affect overall survival (OS). Additionally, weekly paclitaxel is associated with an increased risk of high-grade anemia.
COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Ming Wang, Mui Hoon Nai, Ruby Yun-Ju Huang, Hwa Liang Leo, Chwee Teck Lim, Chia-Hung Chen
Summary: A novel hydrogel drop-screen device was developed for rapid measurement of single-cell morphologies and secretions, revealing functional heterogeneities associated with cellular biological functions. The level of cell heterogeneity increased with increasing substrate stuffiness, and a database related to breast cells was constructed to correspond to the progress of tumor metastasis based on morphologies and secreted bioindicators.