Publications by authors named "Christos K Kontos"

Several non-coding RNAs are known to be associated with the pathobiology and progression of multiple myeloma (MM). ciRS-7 (also known as CDR1-AS), a key oncogenic circular RNA (circRNA) that sponges miR-7-5p and other cancer-related microRNAs, was recently found to be downregulated in malignant plasma cells resistant to immunomodulatory drugs. Considering that various circRNAs have a strong potential as molecular biomarkers, we aimed to investigate the expression of ciRS-7 in plasma cell disorders, assess its prognostic importance in MM, and compare these findings with those of individuals with smoldering MM (SMM) and monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a serious illness that often needs strong treatments called chemotherapy, but sometimes these treatments don't work well enough.
  • Researchers studied how certain genes related to DNA damage respond in AML cells after chemotherapy using two different medicines: Idarubicin and Cytarabine.
  • They found that a gene called PPP1R15A is important for helping cells recover from stress, and when they turned off this gene, the cancer cells didn't survive as well when treated with the chemotherapy, suggesting a way to make the treatment more effective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are associated with the pathobiology of multiple myeloma (MM). Recent findings regarding circCCT3 support its involvement in the development and progression of MM, through microRNA sponging. Thus, we aimed to examine the expression of circCCT3 in smoldering and symptomatic MM and to assess its clinical importance.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * The researchers analyzed RNA from 89 PCa and 53 benign prostate tissue samples, finding lower levels of 28S rRNA fragments in PCa compared to benign cases and linking higher levels to more aggressive cancer features.
  • * Elevated 28S rRNA fragment levels were independently associated with a higher risk of disease relapse after treatment, suggesting these fragments could serve as a new biomarker for predicting prostate cancer outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Breast cancer (BrCa) is a predominant type of cancer with a disparate molecular nature. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising key players in the regulation of pathological processes in BrCa. Proteasome inhibitors (PIs) emerged as promising anticancer agents for several human malignancies, including BrCa, inhibiting the function of the proteasome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

tRNA fragments (tRFs) are small non-coding RNAs generated through specific cleavage of tRNAs and involved in various biological processes. Among the different types of tRFs, the 3'-tRFs have attracted scientific interest due to their regulatory role in gene expression. In this study, we investigated the role of 3'-tRF-Cys, a tRF deriving from cleavage in the T-loop of tRNA, in the regulation of gene expression in HEK-293 cells.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

CircRNAs have become a novel scientific research hotspot, and an increasing number of studies have shed light on their involvement in malignant progression. Prompted by the apparent scientific gap in circRNAs from apoptosis-related genes, such as , we focused on the identification of novel circRNAs in human ovarian and prostate cancer cells. Total RNA was extracted from ovarian and prostate cancer cell lines and reversely transcribed using random hexamer primers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer characterized by poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Oleuropein and oleocanthal are bioactive chemicals found in extra-virgin olive oil; they have been shown to have anti-cancer potential. In this study, we examined the inhibitory effects of these two natural compounds, on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 TNBC cell lines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel RNA type generated by back-splicing, are key regulators of gene expression, with deregulated expression and established involvement in leukemia. The products of BCL2 and its homologs, including BAX and BCL2L12, are implicated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). However, to the best of our knowledge, nothing is known about circRNAs produced by these two genes and their role in CLL.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Since the discovery of alternative splicing in the late 1970s, a great number of alternatively spliced transcripts have emerged; this number has exponentially increased with the advances in transcriptomics and massive parallel sequencing technologies [...

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are ubiquitous ATP-independent chaperones that contribute to the maintenance of proteome integrity and functionality. Recent evidence suggests that sHSPs are ubiquitously expressed in numerous types of tumors and have been proposed to be implicated in oncogenesis and malignant progression. Heat shock protein family B member 2 (HSPB2) is a member of the sHSPs, which is found to be expressed, among others, in human breast cancer cell lines and constitutes an inhibitor of apical caspase activation in the extrinsic apoptotic pathway.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) constitute a type of RNA formed through back-splicing. In breast cancer, circRNAs are implicated in tumor onset and progression. Although histone methylation by PRMT1 is largely involved in breast cancer development and metastasis, the effect of circular transcripts deriving from this gene has not been examined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most lethal cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe. Fragments of tRNA are conserved among vertebrates, characterized by pleiotropic regulatory functions and have been found to discriminate colorectal tumors from normal colorectal mucosa. In the current study, we investigated the prognostic utility of 5'-tiRNA-Pro levels in CRC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy arising from the clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells. tRNA-derived RNA fragments (tRFs) constitute a class of small non-coding RNAs, deriving from specific enzymatic cleavage of tRNAs. To the best of our knowledge, this is one of few studies to uncover the potential clinical significance of tRFs in MM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, arising from terminally differentiated B cells, namely plasma cells. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that participate in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. In this study, we investigated the role of nine miRNAs in MM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is increasing in incidence and is still associated with a high rate of mortality. Only a minority of patients are diagnosed in the early stage. Radical surgery is the only potential curative procedure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Multiple myeloma bone disease (MMBD) constitutes a common and severe complication of multiple myeloma (MM), impacting the quality of life and survival. We evaluated the clinical value of a panel of 19 miRNAs associated with osteoporosis in MMBD.

Methods: miRNAs were isolated from the plasma of 62 newly diagnosed MM patients with or without MMBD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Signal transduction is an essential process that regulates and coordinates fundamental cellular processes, such as development, immunity, energy metabolism, and apoptosis. Through signaling, cells are capable of perceiving their environment and adjusting to changes, and most signaling cascades ultimately lead to alterations in gene expression. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) constitute an emerging type of endogenous transcripts with regulatory roles and unique properties.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Retinoids are commonly used for various diseases, including skin conditions and cancer, but they often cause serious side effects.
  • A new compound called RASP, a conjugate of all-trans-Retinoic Acid and spermine, shows promise as an effective treatment without the harmful side effects typically associated with retinoids.
  • Research on RASP's impact on skin-like cells revealed it influences key gene networks related to cell growth and death, indicating potential for benefiting conditions like skin cancer while minimizing toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Normal B-cell development is a tightly regulated complex procedure, the deregulation of which can lead to lymphomagenesis. One common group of blood cancers is the B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs), which can be categorized according to the proliferation and spread rate of cancer cells into indolent and aggressive ones. The most frequent indolent B-cell NHLs are follicular lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common hematological malignancy arising from terminally differentiated plasma cells. In the majority of cases, symptomatic disease is characterized by the presence of bone disease. Multiple myeloma bone disease (MMBD) is a result of an imbalance in the bone-remodeling process that leads to increased osteoclast activity and decreased osteoblast activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies, with an elevated mortality rate [...

View Article and Find Full Text PDF