Bench and Bedside
Published in Molecular Cancer
Bench and Bedside
Reactivation of a silenced H19 gene in human rhabdomyosarcoma by demethylation of DNA but not by histone hyperacetylatio...
Published in Molecular Cancer
BackgroundThe active copy of the imprinted gene H19 is turned off by inappropriate methylation in several pediatric tumors including Wilms' Tumour and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. H19 controls in cis the linked Insulin-like Growth Factor 2 (IGF2) gene, encoding an important growth factor. Recent work has suggested that methylation of a gene may lead...
Mapping common deleted regions on 5p15 in cervical carcinoma and their occurrence in precancerous lesions
Published in Molecular Cancer
BackgroundPrevious studies have shown that the short arm of chromosome 5 (5p) exhibit frequent genetic changes in invasive cervical carcinoma (CC), and that these changes arise early during the carcinogenesis, in precancerous lesions. These data therefore suggest that loss of candidate tumor suppressor genes located on 5p is associated with the dev...
Glycerol as a chemical chaperone enhances radiation-induced apoptosis in anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells
Published in Molecular Cancer
IntroductionAnaplastic thyroid carcinoma, which is one of the most aggressive, malignant tumors in humans, results in an extremely poor prognosis despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The present study was designed to evaluate therapeutic effects of radiation by glycerol on p53-mutant anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cells (8305c cells). To examine th...
Plasma PGE-2 levels and altered cytokine profiles in adherent peripheral blood mononuclear cells in non-small cell lung ...
Published in Molecular Cancer
IntroductionPGE-2 is constitutively produced by many non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) and its immunosuppressive effects have been linked to altered immune responses in lung cancer. We asked whether elevated levels of plasma PGE-2 correlated with monocyte IL10 production in the NSCLC environment. Looking for correlation in NSCLC patient blood we ...
Nuclear genes involved in mitochondria-to-nucleus communication in breast cancer cells
Published in Molecular Cancer
BackgroundThe interaction of nuclear and mitochondrial genes is an essential feature in maintenance of normal cellular function. Of 82 structural subunits that make up the oxidative phosphorylation system in the mitochondria, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes 13 subunits and rest of the subunits are encoded by nuclear DNA. Mutations in mitochondria...
The roles of sex steroid receptor coregulators in cancer
Published in Molecular Cancer
Sex steroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone and androgen, play pivotal roles in sex differentiation and development, and in reproductive functions and sexual behavior. Studies have shown that sex steroid hormones are the key regulators in the development and progression of endocrine-related cancers, especially the cancers of the reproductive tissu...
Characteristic promoter hypermethylation signatures in male germ cell tumors
Published in Molecular Cancer
BackgroundHuman male germ cell tumors (GCTs) arise from undifferentiated primordial germ cells (PGCs), a stage in which extensive methylation reprogramming occurs. GCTs exhibit pluripotentality and are highly sensitive to cisplatin therapy. The molecular basis of germ cell (GC) transformation, differentiation, and exquisite treatment response is po...
Mitochondrial defects in cancer
Published in Molecular Cancer
Mitochondria play important roles in cellular energy metabolism, free radical generation, and apoptosis. Defects in mitochondrial function have long been suspected to contribute to the development and progression of cancer. In this review article, we aim to provide a brief summary of our current understanding of mitochondrial genetics and biology, ...
Association of Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) gene mutation/deletion with Rhabdomyosarcoma
Published in Molecular Cancer
BackgroundRhabdomyosarcoma is a common malignancy in children. There are two major types of rhabdomyosarcomas, the embryonal and the alveolar, differing in cytogenetic and morphologic features. The alveolar type of rhabdomyosarcoma is frequently associated with chromosome translocation t(2, 13) and poor clinical prognosis. Pathogenesis of rhabdomyo...
