The hallmarks of cancer

Author(s):  
Douglas Hanahan ◽  
Robert A. Weinberg

A major challenge for cancer medicine involves the remarkable variability of the disease, at all levels. The hallmarks of cancer constitute an organizing principle that may provide a rational basis for distilling this complexity so as to better understand mechanisms of the disease in its diverse manifestations. The conceptualization involves eight acquired capabilities—the hallmarks of cancer—and two generic characteristics of neoplastic disease that facilitate their acquisition during the multistage process of neoplastic development and malignant progression. The integration of these hallmark capabilities in symptomatic disease involves multiple cell types populating the tumor microenvironment, including heterogeneous populations of cancer cells, in particular cancer stem cells, and three prominent classes of stromal support cells. A premise is that the hallmarks of cancer constitute a useful heuristic tool for understating the mechanistic basis and interrelationships between different forms of human cancer, with potential applications to cancer therapy.

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sadman Sakib ◽  
Anna Voigt ◽  
Taylor Goldsmith ◽  
Ina Dobrinski

Abstract Organoids are three dimensional structures consisting of multiple cell types that recapitulate the cellular architecture and functionality of native organs. Over the last decade, the advent of organoid research has opened up many avenues for basic and translational studies. Following suit of other disciplines, research groups working in the field of male reproductive biology have started establishing and characterizing testicular organoids. The three-dimensional architectural and functional similarities of organoids to their tissue of origin facilitate study of complex cell interactions, tissue development and establishment of representative, scalable models for drug and toxicity screening. In this review, we discuss the current state of testicular organoid research, their advantages over conventional monolayer culture and their potential applications in the field of reproductive biology and toxicology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunbin Zhong ◽  
Haibo Li ◽  
Peiwen Li ◽  
Yong Chen ◽  
Mengyao Zhang ◽  
...  

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are secreted into body fluids by multiple cell types and are enriched in bioactive molecules, although their exact contents depend on the cells of origin. Studies have shown that exosomes in the tumor microenvironment affect tumor growth, metastasis and drug resistance by mediating intercellular communication and the transport of specific molecules, although their exact mechanisms of action need to be investigated further. In this review, we have summarized current knowledge on the relationship between tumor drug resistance and exosomes, and have discussed the potential applications of exosomes as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.


2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (8) ◽  
pp. 769-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Antonio Estrada ◽  
Irazú Contreras

: The endocannabinoid system participates in the regulation of CNS homeostasis and functions, including neurotransmission, cell signaling, inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as neuronal and glial cell proliferation, differentiation, migration and survival. Endocannabinoids are produced by multiple cell types within the CNS and their main receptors, CB1 and CB2, are expressed in both neurons and glia. Signaling through these receptors is implicated in the modulation of neuronal and glial alterations in neuroinflammatory, neurodegenerative and psychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, stroke, epilepsy, anxiety and depression. The therapeutic potential of endocannabinoid receptors in neurological disease has been hindered by unwelcome side effects of current drugs used to target them; however, due to their extensive expression within the CNS and their involvement in physiological and pathological process in nervous tissue, they are attractive targets for drug development. The present review highlights the potential applications of the endocannabinoid system for the prevention and treatment of neurologic and psychiatric disorders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra A. C. Newman ◽  
Vlad Serbulea ◽  
Richard A. Baylis ◽  
Laura S. Shankman ◽  
Xenia Bradley ◽  
...  

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 630
Author(s):  
Huili Lyu ◽  
Cody M. Elkins ◽  
Jessica L. Pierce ◽  
C. Henrique Serezani ◽  
Daniel S. Perrien

Excess inflammation and canonical BMP receptor (BMPR) signaling are coinciding hallmarks of the early stages of injury-induced endochondral heterotopic ossification (EHO), especially in the rare genetic disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP). Multiple inflammatory signaling pathways can synergistically enhance BMP-induced Smad1/5/8 activity in multiple cell types, suggesting the importance of pathway crosstalk in EHO and FOP. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and IL-1 receptors mediate many of the earliest injury-induced inflammatory signals largely via MyD88-dependent pathways. Thus, the hypothesis that MyD88-dependent signaling is required for EHO was tested in vitro and in vivo using global or Pdgfrα-conditional deletion of MyD88 in FOP mice. As expected, IL-1β or LPS synergistically increased Activin A (ActA)-induced phosphorylation of Smad 1/5 in fibroadipoprogenitors (FAPs) expressing Alk2R206H. However, conditional deletion of MyD88 in Pdgfrα-positive cells of FOP mice did not significantly alter the amount of muscle injury-induced EHO. Even more surprisingly, injury-induced EHO was not significantly affected by global deletion of MyD88. These studies demonstrate that MyD88-dependent signaling is dispensable for injury-induced EHO in FOP mice.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (34) ◽  
pp. E4995-E5004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Lu ◽  
Michael Winding ◽  
Margot Lakonishok ◽  
Jill Wildonger ◽  
Vladimir I. Gelfand

Cytoplasmic streaming in Drosophila oocytes is a microtubule-based bulk cytoplasmic movement. Streaming efficiently circulates and localizes mRNAs and proteins deposited by the nurse cells across the oocyte. This movement is driven by kinesin-1, a major microtubule motor. Recently, we have shown that kinesin-1 heavy chain (KHC) can transport one microtubule on another microtubule, thus driving microtubule–microtubule sliding in multiple cell types. To study the role of microtubule sliding in oocyte cytoplasmic streaming, we used a Khc mutant that is deficient in microtubule sliding but able to transport a majority of cargoes. We demonstrated that streaming is reduced by genomic replacement of wild-type Khc with this sliding-deficient mutant. Streaming can be fully rescued by wild-type KHC and partially rescued by a chimeric motor that cannot move organelles but is active in microtubule sliding. Consistent with these data, we identified two populations of microtubules in fast-streaming oocytes: a network of stable microtubules anchored to the actin cortex and free cytoplasmic microtubules that moved in the ooplasm. We further demonstrated that the reduced streaming in sliding-deficient oocytes resulted in posterior determination defects. Together, we propose that kinesin-1 slides free cytoplasmic microtubules against cortically immobilized microtubules, generating forces that contribute to cytoplasmic streaming and are essential for the refinement of posterior determinants.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 229
Author(s):  
Yo Shinoda ◽  
Daitetsu Kato ◽  
Ryosuke Ando ◽  
Hikaru Endo ◽  
Tsutomu Takahashi ◽  
...  

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is an amino acid derivative and a precursor of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). The photophysical feature of PpIX is clinically used in photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). These clinical applications are potentially based on in vitro cell culture experiments. Thus, conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of in vitro 5-ALA PDT experiments is meaningful and may provide opportunities to consider future perspectives in this field. We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed to summarize the in vitro 5-ALA PDT experiments and calculated the effectiveness of 5-ALA PDT for several cancer cell types. In total, 412 articles were identified, and 77 were extracted based on our inclusion criteria. The calculated effectiveness of 5-ALA PDT was statistically analyzed, which revealed a tendency of cancer-classification-dependent sensitivity to 5-ALA PDT, and stomach cancer was significantly more sensitive to 5-ALA PDT compared with cancers of different origins. Based on our analysis, we suggest a standardized in vitro experimental protocol for 5-ALA PDT.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1299
Author(s):  
Yi Wu ◽  
Peng Huang ◽  
Xian-Ping Dong

Ca2+ is pivotal intracellular messenger that coordinates multiple cell functions such as fertilization, growth, differentiation, and viability. Intracellular Ca2+ signaling is regulated by both extracellular Ca2+ entry and Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. Apart from working as the cellular recycling center, the lysosome has been increasingly recognized as a significant intracellular Ca2+ store that provides Ca2+ to regulate many cellular processes. The lysosome also talks to other organelles by releasing and taking up Ca2+. In lysosomal Ca2+-dependent processes, autophagy is particularly important, because it has been implicated in many human diseases including cancer. This review will discuss the major components of lysosomal Ca2+ stores and their roles in autophagy and human cancer progression.


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