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MERAN KESHAWA EDIRIWEERA^*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 441-444, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025747 - 03 January 2023
Abstract Irregularities in the DNA repair pathways are frequently observed in cancer. Dysregulated DNA repair pathways support growth advantages to tumor cells. DNA polymerase-theta (POLQ) is an error-prone DNA polymerase involved in double-strand break repair through microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ). POLQ also mediates translesion DNA synthesis and it is largely not expressed in normal cells. POLQ is overexpressed in a range of cancer cells, including homologous recombination (HR) deficient cancer cells. In HR deficient cells, MMEJ is crucial as a backup DNA repair pathway, indicating the indispensable role of POLQ-mediated MMEJ in HR deficient cancer cells. More >

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YUANYUAN HUANG^#, HONGMEI WU^#, RUYUAN LIU, SONG JIN, WEILAI XIANG, CHANG YANG, LI XU, XIAONIAN ZHU^*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 445-454, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025880 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Recent Advancement in Cancer Molecular Signaling)
Abstract The tripartite motif (TRIMs) protein family has E3 ubiquitin ligase activity among most of its members. They participate in multiple cellular processes and signaling pathways in living organisms, including cell cycle, growth, and metabolism, and mediate chromatin modification, transcriptional regulation, post-translational modification, and cellular autophagy. Previous studies have confirmed that the TRIMs protein family is involved in the development of various cancers and correlated with the prognosis of tumor patients. Here we summarize the biological roles of the TRIMs protein family in cancers. More >

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MOHADESEH NEMATI¹, YOUSEF RASMI¹, JAFAR REZAIE^2,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 455-464, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025603 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Extracellular Vesicles and Cancer)
Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death globally. Resistance to therapy is a challenge for CRC treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become one of the furthermost effective approaches for tumor treatment due to their specific feature; however, their therapeutic function is controversial. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from MSCs (MSCs-EVs) have attracted extensive research attention due to their promising role in CRC treatment. EVs are cell-derived vesicles that transfer different biomolecules between cells, contributing to intracellular communication. MSCs-EVs can suppress CRC by delivering therapeutic agents… More >

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JESSICA CRISTINA MARÍN-LLERA^*, CARLOS AMAURY JIMÉNEZ-CÁRDENAS, JESÚS CHIMAL-MONROY^*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 465-471, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.024625 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Cellular and Molecular Toxicology in Reproductive and Developmental Biology)
Abstract The molecular cascade underlying tendon formation starts when progenitor cells begin to express the Scleraxis (Scx) gene. Scx knockout mice develop some but not all tendons, suggesting that additional factors are necessary for tendon commitment, maintenance, and differentiation. Other transcription factors, such as Mohawk (Mkx) or early growth response (Egr), maintain Scx expression and extracellular matrix formation during fibrillogenesis. The inhibition of wingless and int-related protein signaling is necessary and sufficient to induce the expression of Scx. Once the commitment of tenogenic lineage occurs, transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) induces the Scx gene expression, becoming involved in the maintenance of tendon More >

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MOMINA SHAHID¹, KANWAL REHMAN², MUHAMMAD SAJID HAMID AKASH^1,*, SHALEEM SUHAIL¹, SUMBAL RASHEED¹, MUHAMMAD IMRAN^3,4, MOHAMMED A. ASSIRI^3,4
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 473-484, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025930 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: )
Abstract Genetic polymorphism has a vital role in the pathogenesis and development of myocardial infarction (MI). Single nucleotide polymorphism at any one of the amino acid sequences can result in a diseased state. A single gene can exhibit genetic polymorphism at more than one position giving rise to different variants. Genetic polymorphism of angiotensinogen (AGT) M235T, AGT T174M, and angiotensin-1-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) can be a risk factor for MI. However, it is important to study the prevalence of genetic polymorphisms of these genes among different populations. More >

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HONGMEI WU^#, DI LI^#, YUANYUAN HUANG, RUYUAN LIU, XIAONIAN ZHU^*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 485-491, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026049 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: )
Abstract Autophagy is an important metabolic process. It facilitates the recycling of intracellular substances by removing, degrading, and recycling damaged organelles, proteins, and lipids in lysosomal vacuoles and plays an important role in maintaining cellular homeostasis. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a key serine/threonine phosphatase and one of the main cell cycle regulatory enzymes. As PP2A activity is essential for the cell, dysfunction or dysregulation of PP2A can affect various physiological processes, including autophagy. Here, we review the autophagy-related factors that target PP2A in different diseases, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, and Alzheimer’s More >

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WEICHEN ZHAO¹, PINGFAN ZHOU¹, BENZHEN LOU¹, YAQI JIANG¹, YUANBO LI¹, MINGSHU LI¹, NOMAN SHAKOOR¹, YUKUI RUI^1,2,3,4,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 493-502, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025740 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Plant Cell Biology Research)
Abstract As the climate worsens and the demand for food grows, so does the interest in nanoagriculture. The interaction between plants and nanomaterials (NMs) has been extensively and intensively examined. However, stopping at the outcome of a phenomenon is often insufficient. Therefore, we introduce three important processes of nanoparticle-plant interactions: translocation, transformation, and plant metabolism. During the migration of nanoparticles, size and surface electrical properties are the main determining factors. Additionally, the interaction of nanoparticles with cell membranes is another key aspect of research. The transformation of nanoparticles in plants is mainly due to redox substances. More >

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DURGA KORA¹, ANANYA DEY¹, BABITA PAL¹, UTHPAL KRISHNA ROY^1,2, NIVEDITA DEY¹, TREESHA BHATACHARJEE¹, SOUMEN BHATTACHARJEE^1,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 503-521, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025744 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plant Stress Tolerance)
Abstract The elaborate redox network of the cell, comprising of events like turnover of reactive oxygen species (ROS), redox sensing, signaling, expression of redox-sensitive genes, etc., often orchestrates with other bonafide hormonal signaling pathways through their synergistic or antagonistic action in the plant cell. The redox cue generated in plant cells under fluctuating environmental conditions can significantly influence other hormonal biosynthetic or signaling mechanisms, thereby modulating physiology towards stress acclimation and defense. There is also strong evidence of the recruitment of ROS as a ‘second messenger’ in different hormonal signaling pathways under stress. Moreover, the retrograde… More >

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ABDUL SAMAD¹, KANVAL SHAUKAT^1,*, MAHMOOD-UR-REHMAN ANSARI², MEREEN NIZAR¹, NOREEN ZAHRA³, AMBREEN NAZ⁴, HAFIZ MUHAMMAD WALEED IQBAL⁵, ALI RAZA⁶, VLADAN PESIC⁷, IVICA DJALOVIC⁸
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 523-532, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.023704 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plant Stress Tolerance)
Abstract Salinity is one of the major abiotic factors that limit the growth and productivity of plants. Foliar application of plant growth regulators (PGRs) may help plants ameliorate the negative impacts of salinity. Thus, a field experiment was conducted at the Botanical Garden University of Balochistan, Quetta, to explore the potential role of PGRs, i.e., moringa leaf extract (MLE; 10%), proline (PRO; 1 µM), salicylic acid (SA; 250 µM), and thiourea (TU; 10 mM) in ameliorating the impacts of salinity (120 mM) on Plantago ovata, an important medicinal plant. Salinity hampered plant photosynthetic pigments and metabolites but… More >

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YONGLI WANG^1,2,#, SHENHONG QU^2,#, YONG YANG¹, YING QIN², FEI LIU³, GUANGWU HUANG^1,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 533-545, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025280 - 03 January 2023
Abstract Background: Kinesin family member 15 (KIF15) is a protein that regulates cell mitosis and plays an important role in the development and progression of several types of human cancers. However, the role of KIF15 in the development of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is still unclear. Methods: The differential expression of KIF15 in NPC and para-carcinoma tissues was evaluated based on data collected from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and immunohistochemical analysis of clinical specimens collected from a patient cohort. Cell lines 5-8F and CNE-2Z were selected for the construction of KIF15‑knockdown cell models. CCK8 assay, flow cytometry,… More >

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LIJUN DU¹, KAIKAI DOU¹, NIANHAI LIANG^1,2, JIANMIN SUN¹, RU BAI^1,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 547-554, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025048 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Non-Coding RNAs in the Regulation of Human Cancers)
Abstract Background: The Warburg effect is considered as a hallmark of various types of cancers, while the regulatory mechanism is poorly understood. Our previous study demonstrated that miR-194-5p directly targets and regulates insulin-like growth factor1 receptor (IGF1R). In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of miR-194-5p in the regulation of the Warburg effect in ovarian cancer cells. Methods: The stable ovarian cell lines with miR-194-5p overexpression or silencing IGF1R expression were established by lentivirus infection. ATP generation, glucose uptake, lactate production and extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) assay were used to analyze the effects of aerobic… More >

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ZEKUN XIN^1,#, YUDAN MA^2,#, WEIQIANG SONG³, HAO GAO³, LIJUN DONG³, BAO ZHANG^1,*, ZHILONG REN^3,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 555-567, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026254 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Application of Deep Learning in Cancer)
Abstract Background: Recently, researchers have been attracted in identifying the crucial genes related to cancer, which plays important role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, in performing the cancer molecular subtype classification task from cancer gene expression data, it is challenging to obtain those significant genes due to the high dimensionality and high noise of data. Moreover, the existing methods always suffer from some issues such as premature convergence. Methods: To address those problems, we propose a new ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm called DACO to classify the cancer gene expression datasets, identifying the essential genes of… More >

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YUHAN JI¹, YONG LIANG^1,*, ZIYI YANG², NING AI¹
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 569-579, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025865 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Application of Deep Learning in Cancer)
Abstract Few-shot learning is becoming more and more popular in many fields, especially in the computer vision field. This inspires us to introduce few-shot learning to the genomic field, which faces a typical few-shot problem because some tasks only have a limited number of samples with high-dimensions. The goal of this study was to investigate the few-shot disease sub-type prediction problem and identify patient subgroups through training on small data. Accurate disease sub-type classification allows clinicians to efficiently deliver investigations and interventions in clinical practice. We propose the SW-Net, which simulates the clinical process of extracting… More >

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WENLI ZENG¹, FENG LING², KAINUO DANG³, QINGJIA CHI^3,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 581-592, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025957 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Bioinformatics Study of Diseases)
Abstract Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with poor prognosis and fluctuations in immune status. Although studies have found that secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) is involved in HCC progression, its independent prognostic value and immune-mediated role remain unclear. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus data, we found that low expression of SPP1 is significantly associated with improved survival of HCC patients and that SPP1 expression is correlated with clinical characteristics. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression confirmed that SPP1 is an independent prognostic factor of HCC. Subsequently, we found that T cell CD4 memory-activated monocytes,… More >

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ZHANSHU LIU¹, XI HUANG^2,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 593-605, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.024148 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Bioinformatics Study of Diseases)
Abstract Purpose: Iron metabolism maintains the balance between iron absorption and excretion. Abnormal iron metabolism can cause numerous diseases, including tumor. This study determined the iron metabolism-related genes (IMRGs) signature that can predict the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The roles of these genes in the immune microenvironment were also explored. Methods: A total of 514 IMRGs were downloaded from the Molecular Characteristics Database (MSigDB). IMRGs related to AML prognosis were identified using Cox regression and LASSO analyses and were used to construct the risk score model. AML patients were stratified into high-risk groups (cluster 1)… More >

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HAOTONG SUN^1,2, HEYING WANG^1,3, XIN LI^1,2, YANJIE HAO^1,2, JUN LING^1,2, HUAN WANG^1,2, FEIMIAO WANG^1,2, FANG XU^1,2,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 607-618, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026445 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Bioinformatics Study of Diseases)
Abstract Background: Colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide thus, identification of COAD biomarkers is critical. Mitotic Arrest Deficient 2 Like 2 (MAD2L2) is a key factor in mammalian DNA damage repair and is highly expressed in many malignant tumors. This is a comprehensive study of MAD2L2 expression, its diagnostic value, prognostic analysis, potential biological function, and impact on the immune system of patients with COAD. Methods: Gene expression, clinical relevance, prognostic analysis, diagnostic value, GO/KEGG cluster analysis, data obtained from TCGA, and bioinformatics statistical analysis were performed using the R package. Immune… More >

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JING JIN^1,#, XINGHUA WANG^2,#, XIAOXIAO ZHENG³, JIAHUA LAN³, LI ZHENG³, YING CAI³, HUI CHEN⁴, HONGWEI WANG^5,*, LIFANG ZHENG^6,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 619-626, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026016 - 03 January 2023
Abstract Ischemic cerebrovascular disease is a leading cause of death globally and is often exacerbated by cerebral ischemic/reperfusion injury (CIRI). The exact mechanisms underlying I/R injury are unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of m⁶A-modified methylase complex methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. We found that m6A and METTL3 levels increased in OGD/RX-induced mouse astrocytes-cerebellar (MA-C) and the brain of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model mice. METTL3 siRNA treatment reduced OGD-RX-induced MAC cell viability and proliferation, which increased with METTL3 over-expression. Flow cytometry analysis showed that silencing METTL3 significantly enhanced More >

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QIAOJIN JIA^1,2, YUEJUN FU^1,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 627-645, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026182 - 03 January 2023
Abstract Background: The immune system of insects exerts fundamentally different antiviral mechanisms than mammals. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play vital roles in developing insect antiviral immunity. MiRNAs expression profiles of insects changed significantly during baculovirus infection. Methods: Differential expression profiles of miRNAs in Spodoptera frugiperda were monitored by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and RT-qPCR during Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) infection. The transcription levels of genes were detected by RT-qPCR. The 50% tissue culture infective dose (TCID50) endpoint dilution assay was used to determine the proliferation of progeny virus. Results: NGS revealed that 49 miRNAs were differentially expressed in Sf9 cells, and 10… More >

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FENGLIN BAI^1,2,#, BIANXIA BAI^1,2,#, TINGTING JIN^1,2, GUIPING ZHANG^1,2, JIAHONG REN^1,2,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 647-656, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.024758 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Plant Cell Biology Research)
Abstract Background: Serratia ureilytica DW2 is a highly efficient phosphate-solubilizing bacteria isolated from Codonopsis pilosula rhizosphere soil that can promote the growth of C. pilosula; nonetheless, until now, no validated reference genes from the genus Serratia have been reported that can be used for the normalization of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT–qPCR) data. Methods: To screen stable reference genes of S. ureilytica DW2, the expression of its eight candidate reference genes (16S rRNA, ftsZ, ftsA, mreB, recA, slyD, thiC, and zipA) under different treatment conditions (pH, temperature, culture time, and salt content) was assayed by RT–qPCR. The expression stability of these genes was analyzed using… More >

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XIAOJUN ZHOU^1,*, MENGXUE LIU¹, LINLIN SONG²
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 657-668, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.026781 - 03 January 2023
（This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Plant Cell Biology Research)
Abstract Azalea is a general designation of Rhododendron in the Ericaceae family. Rhododendron not only has high ornamental value but also has application value in ecological protection, medicine, and scientific research. In this study, we used Illumina and PacBio sequencing to assemble and annotate the entire chloroplast genomes (cp genomes) of four Rhododendron species. The chloroplast genomes of R. concinnum, R. henanense subsp. lingbaoense, R. micranthum, and R. simsii were assembled into 207,236, 208,015, 207,233, and 206,912 bp, respectively. All chloroplast genomes contain eight rRNA genes, with either 88 or 89 protein-coding genes. The four cp genomes were compared and analyzed by More >

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YONGDAE YOON^1,#, SOONJAE HWANG^1,2,#, FATEMA TUJ SAIMA^3,#, MOON YOUNG KIM^1,3,4, SOON KOO BAIK^1,3,4,*, YOUNG WOO EOM^1,3,*
BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 669-676, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025365 - 03 January 2023
Abstract Background: Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are closely involved in the initiation, perpetuation, and resolution of liver fibrosis. Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are positively correlated with the transition from liver injury to fibrogenesis and contribute to HSC pathophysiology in liver fibrosis. Methods: In this study, we investigated the effect of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β on the proliferation and signaling pathways involved in fibrogenesis in LX-2 cells, an HSC cell line, using western blotting and cell proliferation assays. Results: IL-1β increased the proliferation rate and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) expression of LX-2 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Within… More >

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