miR-378a regulates keratinocyte responsiveness to interleukin-17A in psoriasis.

Background: Psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease, in which an interplay between infiltrating immune cells and keratinocytes sustains chronic skin inflammation. Interleukin (IL)-17A is a key inflammatory cytokine in psoriasis and its main cellular targets are keratinocytes.

Objectives: To explore the role of miR-378a in psoriasis.

BAFF Attenuates Immunosuppressive Monocytes in the Melanoma Tumor Microenvironment.

Emerging evidence indicates B-cell activating factor (BAFF, ) to be an important cytokine for antitumor immunity. In this study, we generated a BAFF-overexpressing B16.F10 melanoma cell model and found that BAFF-expressing tumors grow more slowly than control tumors.

Alterations in the p53 pathway and their association with radio- and chemosensitivity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are established measures in treatment protocols of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). However, we still lack reliable predictive markers for the response to radio- and chemotherapy. The p53 pathway is involved in stress response and thus might influence chemo-/radiosensitivity.

Tumor immune escape by the loss of homeostatic chemokine expression.

The novel keratinocyte-specific chemokine CCL27 plays a critical role in the organization of skin-associated immune responses by regulating T cell homing under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. Here we demonstrate that human keratinocyte-derived skin tumors may evade T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses by down-regulating the expression of CCL27 through the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-Ras-MAPK-signaling pathways. Compared with healthy skin, CCL27 mRNA and protein expression was progressively lost in transformed keratinocytes of actinic keratoses and basal and squamous cell carcinomas.

Reliable detection of p53 aberrations in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck requires transcript analysis of the entire coding region.

Background: Aberrations of the p53 tumor suppressor gene are common events in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). However, reported frequencies range considerably, and the predictive value of aberrant p53 is continuing to be an issue of controversy. These inconsistencies are possibly caused by methodical limitations.

Effects of tamoxifen on human squamous cell carcinoma lines of the head and neck.

Tamoxifen (TAM) is a well-tolerated compound in the treatment of breast cancer and is primarily considered to act by competition with estrogen receptors (ER). Here we investigated the in vitro efficacy and potentially underlying mechanisms of TAM in established cell lines of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (SCCHN). Using proliferation and apoptosis assays the antitumor activity of TAM in five SCCHN and the breast carcinoma line MCF-7 (positive control) was determined.