MedWorm: Cytology Top 20

The transcriptional regulation of miR-21, its multiple transcripts, and their implication in prostate cancer.

Cell Cycle — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:30:30 +0100

Authors: Ribas J, Lupold SE MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a natural part of the most recently discovered and global regulatory pathway known as RNA interference. Functional studies have shown how specific miRNAs can function as tumor suppressors or oncogenes and, correspondingly, deregulated miRNA profiles have been observed in prostate and other cancers. However, the upstream pathways which regulate miRNA expression are only currently being uncovered. The Androgen Receptor (AR) is a nuclear hormone receptor and transcription factor which plays a paramount role in prostate cancer (PCa) pathobiology. We performed high throughput miRNA microarray analysis on two AR-responsive cell lines to identified 16 candidate AR-regulated miRNAs.(1) One of the most androgen-induced candidates was a known on...

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p62, an autophagy hero or culprit?

Nature Cell Biology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:13 +0100

Authors: Tor Erik Rusten & Harald Stenmark The p62 protein recognizes toxic cellular waste, which is then scavenged by a sequestration process known as self-eating or autophagy. Lack of autophagy leads to accumulation of p62, which is not good for liver cells, as it induces a cellular stress response that leads to disease. (Source: Nature Cell Biology)

Humanized Gene Replacement in Mice Reveals the Contribution of Cancer Stroma-Derived HB-EGF to Tumor Growth.

Cell Structure and Function — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:38:02 +0100

Authors: Ichise T, Adachi S, Ohishi M, Ikawa M, Okabe M, Iwamoto R, Mekada E Tumor progression is a complex process that involves the interaction of cancer cells with the cancer-surrounding stromal cells. The cancer stroma influences the cancer cell growth and metastatic potential. The EGF family growth factor HB-EGF is synthesized in cancer cells and plays pivotal roles in oncogenic transformation and tumor progression, but the contribution of HB-EGF expressed in tumor stromal cells to tumor growth remains unclear. In the present study, we found that HB-EGF was expressed in host-derived cancer stromal cells in xenograft and allograft mouse tumor models. CRM197 is a specific inhibitor of human HB-EGF that has no effect on mouse HB-EGF. To elucidate whether host-derived stromal HB-EGF c...

The Function of LPR1 is Controlled by an Element in the Promoter and is Independent of SUMO E3 Ligase SIZ1 in Response to Low Pi Stress in Arabidopsis thaliana

Plant and Cell Physiology — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:01:15 +0100

In Arabidopsis thaliana, there exist many typical responses to low phosphate (LP) stress, such as inhibition of primary root elongation, proliferation of lateral roots and accumulation of anthocyanin in leaves. The physiological, genetic and molecular mechanisms of these developmental responses remain undefined. We have isolated a phosphorus starvation-insensitive (psi) mutant. The mutant shows impaired inhibition of primary root growth, reduction of root hair growth and reduction of anthocyanin accumulation compared with the wild-type (WT) plants under an LP level. CycB1;1::GUS (cyclin B1;1::β-glucuronidase) staining suggests that the mutant has a higher ability to maintain cell elongation and cell division than the WT. The genetic analysis and gene cloning indicate that psi is a new...

Science without borders

Nature Cell Biology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:13 +0100

Nature Cell Biology 12, 201 (2010). doi:10.1038/ncb0310-201 A shared culture of science across nations can bring cohesion in the face of difference. The launch of the Nature Middle East portal promises to engage the Arabic-speaking science community. (Source: Nature Cell Biology)

PTH battles TGF-β in bone

Nature Cell Biology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:13 +0100

PTH battles TGF-β in bone Nature Cell Biology 12, 205 (2010). doi:10.1038/ncb0310-205 Authors: Azeddine Atfi & Roland Baron Bone remodelling in vertebrates is coordinately regulated by the opposing effects of parathyroid hormone (PTH) and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). PTH couples the processes of bone resorption and formation by enforcing simultaneous internalization of TGF-β type II receptor (TβRII) and PTH type 1 receptor (PTH1R), which attenuates both TGF-β and PTH signalling in vivo. (Source: Nature Cell Biology)

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The peroxisomal protein importomer: a bunch of transients with expanding waistlines

Nature Cell Biology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:13 +0100

Authors: Fred D. Mast, Andrei Fagarasanu & Richard Rachubinski Peroxisomes can import large multimeric protein complexes and even 9-nm gold particles decorated with peroxisome-targeting signals. They achieve these feats of protein passage using a distinctive translocon whose highly dynamic aqueous pore can expand to accommodate the increasing girths of different peroxisome receptor–cargo complexes. (Source: Nature Cell Biology)

Nod proteins link bacterial sensing and autophagy.

Autophagy — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:52:05 +0100

Authors: Travassos LH, Carneiro LA, Girardin S, Philpott DJ Autophagy is one of the main cellular degradation systems in eukaryotes, responsible for the elimination of long-lived proteins and damaged organelles. Besides its well-documented role as a housekeeping mechanism, autophagy has recently caught the attention of groups working in the fields of microbiology and immunology, especially those working in innate immunity. In particular, the highly specific segregation and degradation of intracellular bacteria by the autophagic machinery was a matter of great interest. However, it was still unclear how the autophagy machinery could target intracellular bacteria with such specificity. We have recently analyzed the role of the intracellular peptidoglycan (PG) receptors Nod1 and Nod2 as a...

Educational challenges of molecular life science: characteristics and implications for education and research.

CBE Life Sciences Education — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:56:04 +0100

Authors: Tibell LA, Rundgren CJ Molecular life science is one of the fastest-growing fields of scientific and technical innovation, and biotechnology has profound effects on many aspects of daily life-often with deep, ethical dimensions. At the same time, the content is inherently complex, highly abstract, and deeply rooted in diverse disciplines ranging from "pure sciences," such as math, chemistry, and physics, through "applied sciences," such as medicine and agriculture, to subjects that are traditionally within the remit of humanities, notably philosophy and ethics. Together, these features pose diverse, important, and exciting challenges for tomorrow's teachers and educational establishments. With backgrounds in molecular life science research and secondary life science teaching, ...

Stepping up melanocytes to the challenge of UV exposure

Pigment Cell Research — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) is the main etiological factor for skin cancer, including melanoma. Cutaneous pigmentation, particularly eumelanin, afforded by melanocytes is the main photoprotective mechanism, as it prevents UV-induced DNA damage in the epidermis. Therefore, maintaining genomic stability of melanocytes is crucial for prevention of melanoma, as well as keratinocyte-derived basal and squamous cell carcinoma. A critical independent factor for preventing melanoma is DNA repair capacity. The response of melanocytes to UV is mediated mainly by a network of paracrine factors that not only activate melanogenesis, but also DNA repair, anti-oxidant, and survival pathways that are pivotal for maintenance of genomic stability and prevention of malignant transformation or...

Different but equal? How nonmajors and majors approach and learn genetics.

CBE Life Sciences Education — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:56:04 +0100

Authors: Knight JK, Smith MK Introductory biology courses are frequently offered separately to biology majors and nonbiology majors, with the assumption that the two groups of students are different enough to merit different courses. To assess the evidence behind this assumption, we compared students in two different genetics classes at the University of Colorado-Boulder, one class for nonscience majors (nonmajors) and the other class for biology majors and students planning a biology-related career (majors), to see whether these two groups of students were fundamentally different in performance and attitudes. To measure content knowledge, we administered identical assessments to both groups of students during the semester: a validated pre- and postcontent assessment (Genetics Concept ...

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New beginnings: getting the kick I needed

Nature Cell Biology — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:45:13 +0100

Nature Cell Biology 12, 202 (2010). doi:10.1038/ncb0310-202 Author: Kai Simons (Source: Nature Cell Biology)

Genomic instability — an evolving hallmark of cancer

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:13:21 +0100

Genomic instability — an evolving hallmark of cancer Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 11, 220 (2010). doi:10.1038/nrm2858 Authors: Simona Negrini, Vassilis G. Gorgoulis & Thanos D. Halazonetis Genomic instability is a characteristic of most cancers. In hereditary cancers, genomic instability results from mutations in DNA repair genes and drives cancer development, as predicted by the mutator hypothesis. In sporadic (non-hereditary) cancers the molecular basis of genomic instability remains unclear, but recent high-throughput (Source: Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology)

p38 MAP Kinase is necessary for melanoma-mediated regulation of VE-cadherin disassembly.

American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

In this study, VE-cadherin junction disassembly was further examined under fluorescence microscopy. We found that melanoma-induced VE-cadherin junction disassembly and upregulation of p38 MAP Kinase in endothelial cells is regulated by both soluble factors from melanomas, particularly interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, and IL-1beta and through vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Neutralizing melanoma-secreted soluble factors reduced endothelial gap formation. Endothelial cells transfected with MAP kinase kinase (MKK) 6, a direct activator of p38 MAP kinase increased VE-cadherin mediated gap formation facilitating melanoma transendothelial migration. In contrast, endothelial cells transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) against p38 MAP kinase expression largely prevented melanoma transendo...

Analysis of radiation-induced changes to human melanoma cultures using a mathematical model

Cell Proliferation — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The results, combined with existing data from clonogenic survival assays, support the hypothesis that a dominant effect of radiation in these melanoma lines is the induction of long-term cell cycle arrest. (Source: Cell Proliferation)

Reduced skin homing by functional treg in vitiligo.

Pigment Cell and Melanoma Research — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0100

REDUCED SKIN HOMING BY FUNCTIONAL TREG IN VITILIGO. Pigment Cell Melanoma Res. 2010 Feb 19; Authors: Klarquist J, Denman CJ, Hernandez C, Wainwright DJ, Strickland FM, Overbeck A, Mehrotra S, Nishimura MI, Le Poole IC In human vitiligo, cutaneous depigmentation involves cytotoxic activity of autoreactive T cells. It was hypothesized that depigmentation can progress in the absence of regulatory T cells (Treg). The percentage of Treg among skin infiltrating T cells was evaluated by immunoenzymatic double staining for CD3 and FoxP3, revealing drastically reduced numbers of Treg in non-lesional, perilesional and lesional vitiligo skin. Assessment of the circulating Treg pool by FACS analysis of CD4, CD25, CD127 and FoxP3 expression, and mixed lymphocyte reactions in presence and ab...

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Genomic analysis of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 reveals association of increasing disease severity with emergence of novel hemagglutinin mutations.

Cell Cycle — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 15:30:51 +0100

Authors: Glinsky GV Experimental studies and epidemiological observations during the first wave of the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 suggest that a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus has significant pandemic potential based on high transmissibility of the virus. Substantial uncertainty remains regarding evolution of the clinical severity of this pandemic during the transition to the second wave which is currently underway in the Northern Hemisphere. We carried-out analysis of large volume of clinical, epidemiological and genomics data for assessment of evolution of the current pandemic in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan based on official reports of public health agencies of corresponding countries. Analysis of reported sequences of virus strains isolated from postmortem s...

NVP-BEZ235 as a New Therapeutic Option for Sarcomas.

Cell Research — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: NVP-BEZ235 displays the features to be considered for sarcoma therapy to potentiate the activity of other anticancer agents. The drug is currently undergoing phase I/II clinical trials in advanced cancer patients. Clin Cancer Res; 16(2); 530-40. PMID: 20068094 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cell Research)

Activation of GPR30 inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells through sustained activation of Erk1/2, c-jun/c-fos-dependent upregulation of p21, and induction of G2 cell-cycle arrest

Cell Death and Differentiation — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Activation of GPR30 inhibits the growth of prostate cancer cells through sustained activation of Erk1/2, c-jun/c-fos-dependent upregulation of p21, and induction of G2 cell-cycle arrest Cell Death and Differentiation advance online publication, March 5, 2010. doi:10.1038/cdd.2010.20 Authors: Q K Y Chan, H-M Lam, C-F Ng, A Y Y Lee, E S Y Chan, H-K Ng, S-M Ho & K-M Lau (Source: Cell Death and Differentiation)

The genomics education partnership: successful integration of research into laboratory classes at a diverse group of undergraduate institutions.

CBE Life Sciences Education — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:56:04 +0100

Authors: Shaffer CD, Alvarez C, Bailey C, Barnard D, Bhalla S, Chandrasekaran C, Chandrasekaran V, Chung HM, Dorer DR, Du C, Eckdahl TT, Poet JL, Frohlich D, Goodman AL, Gosser Y, Hauser C, Hoopes LL, Johnson D, Jones CJ, Kaehler M, Kokan N, Kopp OR, Kuleck GA, McNeil G, Moss R, Myka JL, Nagengast A, Morris R, Overvoorde PJ, Shoop E, Parrish S, Reed K, Regisford EG, Revie D, Rosenwald AG, Saville K, Schroeder S, Shaw M, Skuse G, Smith C, Smith M, Spana EP, Spratt M, Stamm J, Thompson JS, Wawersik M, Wilson BA, Youngblom J, Leung W, Buhler J, Mardis ER, Lopatto D, Elgin SC Genomics is not only essential for students to understand biology but also provides unprecedented opportunities for undergraduate research. The goal of the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), a collaboration between...