Mindin serves as a tumour suppressor gene during colon cancer progression through MAPK/ERK signalling pathway in mice.

Mindin is important in broad spectrum of immune responses. On the other hand, we previously reported that mindin attenuated human colon cancer development by blocking angiogenesis through Egr-1-mediated regulation. However, the mice original mindin directly suppressed the syngenic colorectal cancer (CRC) growth in our recent study and we aimed to further define the role of mindin during CRC development in mice.

Immunoglobulin E induces colon cancer cell apoptosis via enhancing cyp27b1 expression.

The pathogenesis of colon cancer (Cca) is to be further investigated. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cancer growth; the underlying mechanism is unclear. Published data indicate that Cca cells express CD23.

Therapeutic targeting of liver cancer with a recombinant DNA vaccine containing the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase gene of Newcastle disease virus via apoptotic-dependent pathways.

A total of ~38.6 million mortalities occur due to liver cancer annually, worldwide. Although a variety of therapeutic methods are available, the efficacy of treatment at present is extremely limited due to an increased risk of malignancy and inherently poor prognosis of liver cancer.

Dragon (RGMb) induces oxaliplatin resistance in colon cancer cells.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and a major cause of cancer mortality. Chemotherapy resistance remains a major challenge for treating advanced CRC. Therefore, the identification of targets that induce drug resistance is a priority for the development of novel agents to overcome resistance.

Immunopathogenesis of Colitis-Associated Cancer in an Animal Model.

Chronic inflammation, such as that seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), greatly increases the risk of developing colon cancer. Growing evidence supports a role for T cell-mediated immune response and release of various cytokines in the pathogenesis of colitis-associated cancer (CAC). In fact, CD4+ effector T cells promote chronic inflammation associated with IBD through release of proinflammatory cytokines, which leads to initiation and progression of colon cancer.

Dragon (repulsive guidance molecule b, RGMb) is a novel gene that promotes colorectal cancer growth.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and a major cause of cancer death. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying CRC initiation, growth and metastasis are poorly understood. Dragon (RGMb), a member of the repulsive guidance molecule (RGM) family, has been recently identified as a co-receptor for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, but the role of Dragon in CRC development is undefined.

Exome sequencing identifies novel compound heterozygous IFNA4 and IFNA10 mutations as a cause of impaired function in Crohn's disease patients.

Previous studies have highlighted the role of genetic predispositions in disease, and several genes had been identified as important in Crohn's disease (CD). However, many of these genes are likely rare and not associated with susceptibility in Chinese CD patients. We found 294 shared identical variants in the CD patients of which 26 were validated by Sanger sequencing.

Enoyl-coenzyme A hydratase short chain 1 silencing attenuates the proliferation of hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting epidermal growth factor signaling in vitro and in vivo.

Enoyl-coenzyme A hydratase short chain 1 (ECHS1) regulates fatty acid metabolism and is an essential factor in tumor development. The present study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of ECHS1 in hepatocellular carcinogenesis by studying proliferation and survival in ECHS1 knocked-down hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines, HepG2 and HuH7. The effect of ECHS1 on tumor development was investigated by tumor transplantation in nude mice, and the signaling pathways involved in the ECHS1-mediated regulation of HCC cell proliferation were identified by western blot analysis.

miR218-5p regulates the proliferation of gastric cancer cells by targeting TFF1 in an Erk1/2-dependent manner.

Trefoil factor 1 (TFF1), a member of the trefoil peptide family, is not only associated with mucosal protection and restoration but is also correlated with tumorigenesis of the gastrointestinal tract. In an early study, we performed sequence analysis and identified one potential miR423-5p binding site within the 3'-untranslated region of TFF1 using microRNA target prediction tools. In the current study, we demonstrated that the coding DNA region within TFF1 is also a candidate for miR218-5p targeting.

ALDOB acts as a novel HBsAg-binding protein and its coexistence inhibits cisplatin-induced HepG2 cell apoptosis.

Chronic infection with hepatitis B virus is a cause of end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). We previously screened fructose-bisphosphate aldolase B (ALDOB) as a candidate binding protein of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) using a yeast 2-hybrid assay. In this study we aimed to confirm ALDOB as a binding protein of the S region of the HbsAg (HBs) and to investigate the function and involved mechanism between its interactions during HCC development.

Serum TFF3 may be a pharamcodynamic marker of responses to chemotherapy in gastrointestinal cancers.

Background: As a secreted protein, serum trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) has been reported to be a biomarker of several malignancies. We further investigated whether TFF3 can be applied as a biomarker for and predictor of responses to chemotherapy in gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: Serum and urine samples were collected from 90 patients with gastric cancer, 128 patients with colorectal cancer and 91 healthy individuals.

Piezo1 is as a novel trefoil factor family 1 binding protein that promotes gastric cancer cell mobility in vitro.

Background: Trefoil factor family 1 (TFF1) is a member of the TFF-domain peptide family involved in epithelial restitution and cell motility. Recently, we screened Piezo1 as a candidate TFF1-binding protein.

Aim: We aimed to confirm Piezo1 as a novel TFF1 binding protein and to assess the role of this interaction in mediating gastric cancer cell mobility.

Distribution of bone-marrow-derived endothelial and immune cells in a murine colitis-associated colorectal cancer model.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can lead to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to establish a model for combined bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) and to define the contribution of BM-derived cells during the inflammation associated with carcinogenesis. We established a model for BMT using green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice, followed by AOM/DSS-induced CAC, and performed confocal microscopy analysis on in vivo living tissue and frozen tumor sections.

Silencing of Pokemon enhances caspase-dependent apoptosis via fas- and mitochondria-mediated pathways in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

The role of Pokemon (POK erythroid myeloid ontogenic actor), a recently identified POK transcription factor with proto-oncogenic activity, in hepatocellular carcinogenesis has only been assessed by a few studies. Our previous study revealed that Pokemon is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) and promotes HCC cell proliferation and migration via an AKT- and ERK- dependent manner. In the present study, we used the TUNEL assay and FACS analysis to demonstrate that oxaliplatin induced apoptosis was significantly increased in cells with silenced Pokemon.

ECHS1 acts as a novel HBsAg-binding protein enhancing apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway in HepG2 cells.

We aimed to confirm the role of ECHS1 as a binding protein of HBsAg (HBs) and investigate its function during the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our results show that both exogenous and endogenous ECHS1 proteins bind to HBs and co-localize in the cytoplasm in vitro. The coexistence of HBs and ECHS1 enhances HepG2 cell apoptosis, affects ECHS1 localization in the mitochondria and induces apoptosis by decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP).