Faculty Opinions recommendation of Interference of tenascin-C with syndecan-4 binding to fibronectin blocks cell adhesion and stimulates tumor cell proliferation.

Alteration of β-catenin expression is involved in the development and evolution of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); β-catenin is able to influence tumor cell proliferation. We analyzed the immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of β-catenin on a group of 32 patients diagnosed with HCC using the anti-β-catenin monoclonal antibody (clone E247). We correlated the expression of β-catenin with the proliferation index of Ki-67 (PI Ki-67), the mitotic index (MI) and other clinical and pathological features. We observed an altered β-catenin expression in 58.38% of all HCC cases. This expression was insignificantly correlated with tumor size (]5 cm) (p = 0.683), histological grade G1-G2 (p = 0.307), vascular invasion (p = 0.299) and advanced pT stage (p = 0.453); we obtained a significantly higher MI in HCC with altered β-catenin expression (p = 0.018), as compared to HCC without overexpression (1.66 � 1.37) (p = 0.038) and a PI Ki-67 of 22.49 � 20.1 and 28.24 � 18.2, respectively in tumors with altered β-catenin expression with insignificant differences compared to HCC without overexpression (25.95 � 15.2) (p = 0.682 and p = 0.731, respectively). According to the results we obtained, aberrant β-catenin expression in HCC was correlated with a high mitotic index, therefore playing an important role in tumor progression by stimulating tumor cell proliferation; non-nuclear β-catenin overexpression can have a pathological significance in HCC, especially in cases of HCC associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

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Combined Application of Pan-AKT Inhibitor MK-2206 and BCL-2 Antagonist Venetoclax in B-Cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22052771 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 2771

Author(s):

Anna Richter ◽

Elisabeth Fischer ◽

Clemens Holz ◽

Julia Schulze ◽

Sandra Lange ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Cell Lines ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Synergistic Effects ◽

Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽

Tumor Cell Proliferation ◽

Akt Inhibitor ◽

Akt Phosphorylation ◽

Combined Application

Aberrant PI3K/AKT signaling is a hallmark of acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) resulting in increased tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis deficiency. While previous AKT inhibitors struggled with selectivity, MK-2206 promises meticulous pan-AKT targeting with proven anti-tumor activity. We herein, characterize the effect of MK-2206 on B-ALL cell lines and primary samples and investigate potential synergistic effects with BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax to overcome limitations in apoptosis induction. MK-2206 incubation reduced AKT phosphorylation and influenced downstream signaling activity. Interestingly, after MK-2206 mono application tumor cell proliferation and metabolic activity were diminished significantly independently of basal AKT phosphorylation. Morphological changes but no induction of apoptosis was detected in the observed cell lines. In contrast, primary samples cultivated in a protective microenvironment showed a decrease in vital cells. Combined MK-2206 and venetoclax incubation resulted in partially synergistic anti-proliferative effects independently of application sequence in SEM and RS4;11 cell lines. Venetoclax-mediated apoptosis was not intensified by addition of MK-2206. Functional assessment of BCL-2 inhibition via Bax translocation assay revealed slightly increased pro-apoptotic signaling after combined MK-2206 and venetoclax incubation. In summary, we demonstrate that the pan-AKT inhibitor MK-2206 potently blocks B-ALL cell proliferation and for the first time characterize the synergistic effect of combined MK-2206 and venetoclax treatment in B-ALL.

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Validation of MicroRNA-188-5p Inhibition Power on Tumor Cell Proliferation in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Cell Transplantation ◽

10.1177/0963689720918300 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 ◽

pp. 096368972091830 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ping Zhou ◽

Andrew Irving ◽

Huifang Wu ◽

Juan Luo ◽

Johana Aguirre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Thyroid Carcinoma ◽

Tumor Cell ◽

Cellular Proliferation ◽

Tumor Cell Proliferation ◽

Papillary Thyroid ◽

Tumor Tissues ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

And Function

Given the crucial role of microRNAs in the cellular proliferation of various types of cancers, we aimed to analyze the expression and function of a cellular proliferation-associated miR-188-5p in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Here we demonstrate that miR-188-5p is downregulated in PTC tumor tissues compared with the associated noncancerous tissues. We also validate that the miR-188-5p overexpression suppressed the PTC cancer cell proliferation. In addition, fibroblast growth factor 5 (FGF5) is observed to be downregulated in the PTC tumor tissues compared with the associated noncancerous tissues. Subsequently, FGF5 is identified as the direct functional target of miR-188-5p. Moreover, the silencing of FGF5 was found to inhibit PTC cell proliferation, which is the same pattern as miR-188-5p overexpression. These results suggest that miR-188-5p-associated silencing of FGF5 inhibits tumor cell proliferation in PTC. It also highlights the importance of further evaluating miR-188-5p as a potential biomarker and therapy target in PTC.

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