Publications by authors named "D Unterleuthner"
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second deadliest cancer in the world. Besides APC and p53 alterations, the PI3K/AKT/MTOR and MAPK pathway are most commonly mutated in CRC. So far, no treatment options targeting these pathways are available in routine clinics for CRC patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) constitute the most abundant immune cells in the tumor stroma initiating pro-inflammatory (M1) or immunosuppressive (M2) responses depending on their polarization status. Advances in tumor immunotherapy call for a detailed understanding of potential immunogenic mechanisms of irradiation routinely applied in rectal cancer patients.
Methods: To test the effects of radiotherapy on TAM, we ex vivo irradiated tissue samples of human rectal cancer and assessed the phenotype by flow cytometry.
WNT2 acts as a pro-angiogenic factor in placental vascularization and increases angiogenesis in liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (ECs) and other ECs. Increased WNT2 expression is detectable in many carcinomas and participates in tumor progression. In human colorectal cancer (CRC), WNT2 is selectively elevated in cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), leading to increased invasion and metastasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) plays a critical role in regulating cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metabolism, making it a potential target for anticancer therapies.
- In studies of colorectal cancer (CRC), mTORC2 activity was found only in tumor-adjacent macrophages, and its absence in these immune cells led to increased tumor growth due to inflammation-driven factors.
- The findings suggest that instead of inhibiting mTORC2, activating it in macrophages may provide a more effective therapeutic strategy for managing colitis-associated CRC.
The canonical WNT signaling pathway is crucial for intestinal stem cell renewal and aberrant WNT signaling is an early event in colorectal cancer (CRC) development. Here, we show for the first time that WNT2 is one of the most significantly induced genes in CRC stroma as compared to normal stroma. The impact of stromal WNT2 on carcinoma formation or progression was not addressed so far.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF