Fei Ren^1,#, Yansen Cai^2,#, Yang Song^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.33, No.8, pp. 2055-2074, 2025, DOI:10.32604/or.2025.061301 - 18 July 2025

Abstract Objectives: Epigenetic changes, particularly N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modifications, play a pivotal role in cancer development. This study explored the role of ovarian tumor deubiquitinase 7B (OTUD7B) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in the context of m6A methylation and the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway. Methods: The GSE179267 dataset was used to conduct differential gene expression analysis to identify key m6A-enriched genes. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE), and Sequence-based RNA Adenosine Methylation Site Predictor (SRAMP) databases were used to evaluate the expression of OTUD7B in ESCC and its correlation with methyltransferase-like 14… More >

Giuseppe Carota¹, Lucia Di Pietro^2,3, Vincenzo Cardaci⁴, Anna Privitera^1,2, Francesco Bellia¹, Valentina Di Pietro⁵, Giuseppe Lazzarino¹, Barbara Tavazzi⁶, Angela Maria Amorini¹, Giacomo Lazzarino⁶, Giuseppe Caruso^6,7,*

BIOCELL, Vol.49, No.4, pp. 563-578, 2025, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2025.062176 - 30 April 2025

Abstract Carnosine (β-alanyl-L-histidine) is a naturally occurring endogenous peptide widely distributed in excitable tissues, such as the heart and brain. Over the years, several beneficial effects of carnosine have been discussed well in scientific literature. In particular, this dipeptide is well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-aggregation activities. It is of great interest in the context of numerous systemic and neurodegenerative diseases, besides performing important “side activities” such as metal chelation and pH-buffering. Despite a plethora of preclinical and clinical data supporting carnosine’s therapeutic potential, researchers are still searching for new pharmacological targets that better highlight More >

Xin Qi^1,#, Yu Wang^1,#, Xing Zhang¹, Xiaoshuang Wei¹, Xinyang Liu¹, Zhennan Wang¹, Zhenhui Wang^1,*, Fenglou Ling^2,*

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.93, No.7, pp. 1767-1779, 2024, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2024.052844 - 30 July 2024

Abstract DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulatory mechanism, it regulates gene expression by recruiting proteins involved in gene repression or by inhibiting the binding of transcription factor(s) to DNA. In this study, a novel methyltransferase 2a gene (Zmet2a) was cloned in maize and identified by polymerase chain reaction-base (PCR-base) using a bioinformatics strategy. The Zmet2a cDNA sequence is 2739 bp long and translates to 912 amino acid peptides. The Zmet2a protein revealed that it contains BAH and CHROMO structural domains, is a non-transmembrane protein that is hydrophilically unstable, and has no signal peptide structure. Meanwhile, we verified More >

MAHER KURDI^1,*, ALAA ALKHOTANI², ABDULRAHMAN SABBAGH³, EYAD FAIZO⁴, AHMED I. LARY⁵, AHMED K. BAMAGA⁶, MAJID ALMANSOURI⁷, BADR HAFIZ⁸, THAMER ALSHARIF⁹, SALEH BAEESA⁸

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.6, pp. 1037-1045, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.051112 - 23 May 2024

Abstract Background: The dysregulation of Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and the subsequent production of 2-Hydroxyglutrate (2HG) may alter the expression of epigenetic proteins in Grade 4 astrocytoma. The interplay mechanism between IDH, O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT)-promoter methylation, and protein methyltransferase proteins-5 (PRMT5) activity, with tumor progression has never been described. Methods: A retrospective cohort of 34 patients with G4 astrocytoma is classified into IDH-mutant and IDH-wildtype tumors. Both groups were tested for MGMT-promoter methylation and PRMT5 through methylation-specific and gene expression PCR analysis. Inter-cohort statistical significance was evaluated. Results: Both IDH-mutant WHO grade 4 astrocytomas (n = 22, 64.7%) and IDH-wildtype… More > Graphic Abstract

KIMBERLY FENECH¹, ISAAC MICALLEF^1,2, BYRON BARON^1,*

Oncology Research, Vol.32, No.6, pp. 1047-1061, 2024, DOI:10.32604/or.2024.049173 - 23 May 2024

Abstract Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers. In many cases, the poor prognosis of advanced CRC is associated with resistance to treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs such as 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and dysregulation in protein methylation are two mechanisms associated with chemoresistance in many cancers. This study looked into the effect of 5-FU dose escalation on EMT and protein methylation in CRC. Materials and Methods: HCT-116, Caco-2, and DLD-1 CRC cell lines were exposed to dose escalation treatment of 5-FU. The motility and invasive potentials of the cells before… More > Graphic Abstract

YOULIN TUO, XUBAO LIU^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 319-328, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025250 - 18 November 2022

Abstract Retinoic acid receptor responder 3 (RARRES3) has been characterized as a tumor suppressor in multiple types of cancer. This study aimed to examine the expression profile of RARRES3 across the PAM50 subtypes of breast cancer. The DNA methylation status of RARRES3 was checked in the basal-like subtype, and the underlying mechanisms of its dysregulation were explored. RNA-sequencing (seq) and methylation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas were used for in-silico analysis. Basal-like representative SUM149 and MDA-MB-468 cell lines were used for in vitro and in vivo studies. Compared to tumor-adjacent normal tissues, only the basal-like tumor tissues had… More >

LING SHENG^1,2, YUEHONG SHEN^1,2, HONGYU YANG^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2387-2397, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.021032 - 07 July 2022

Abstract N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification is the most widespread and conserved internal mRNA modification in mammalian cells. It greatly affects genetic regulation by enhancing the involvement of diverse cellular enzymes and thus, plays a significant role in basic life processes. Numerous studies on m⁶A modification identified FTO as a crucial demethylase that participates in various biological processes. Not only does FTO play a pivotal role in obesity-related conditions, but it also influences the occurrence, development, and prognosis of several cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia, breast cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer. Moreover, FTO also shows a close association More >

XINWEI WU¹, GUOYONG JIA^2,*, HONGNA YANG³, CONGCONG SUN², YING LIU², ZENGYAN DIAO²

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.2, pp. 471-478, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.015701 - 20 October 2021

Abstract A progressive neurodegenerative disease, Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Studies suggest that highly expressed protein isoaspartate methyltransferase 1 (PCMT1) in brain tissue. In the current study, we explored the effects of neural stem cell-conditioned medium (NSC-CDM) on the PCMT1/MST1 pathway to alleviate Aβ_25-35-induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells. Our data suggested that Aβ25-35 markedly inhibited cell viability. NSC-CDM or Neural stem cell-complete medium (NSC-CPM) had a suppression effect on toxicity when treatment with Aβ_25-35, with a greater effect observed with NSC-CDM. Aβ_25-35 + NSC-CDM group exhibited an increase in PCMT1 expression. sh-PCMT1 markedly decreased cell proliferation and suppressed the protective More >

Yongtao Li^*, Fanyu Chen^*, Jiancheng Chu^*, Chao Wu^*, Yuan Li^†, Heng Li^†, Hongxin Ma^*

Oncology Research, Vol.27, No.8, pp. 911-921, 2019, DOI:10.3727/096504019X15516966905337

Abstract To date, miR-148-3p and DNMT1–recombinant human runt-related transcription factor 3 (RUNX3) axis have been linked to cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; however, their roles and relationships in human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are still not clear. Here we found that the expression of miR-148-3p in glioma tissues was decreased compared with adjacent nontumor tissues and correlated with WHO grade, tumor size, and prognosis as well as DNMT1 and RUNX3 expressions. Compared with NHA cells, the expression of miR- 148-3p in U87 and U251 cells was also downregulated and accompanied with upregulation of DNMT1 and hypermethylation level… More >

Xin-sheng Cheng^*†, Shi-bo Sun^*, Feng Zhong^*, Kun He^*, Jie Zhou^*

Oncology Research, Vol.24, No.4, pp. 239-245, 2016, DOI:10.3727/096504016X14648701448011

Abstract Our aim was to study the expression of human SET domain containing protein 1A (hSETD1A) in hepatocellular carcinoma patients and its relationship with human hepatocellular carcinoma cell function. A total of 30 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma were enrolled in this study. The expression of hSETD1A was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blotting. The immortalized normal human liver cell line including SMMC-7721 was subjected to real-time PCR for hSETD1A mRNA. Furthermore, hSETD1A-small hairpin RNA (shRNA) was used to knock down hSETD1A expression in SMMC-7721 cells. Cell proliferation, cell apoptosis, and cell migration More >