Macrophage-Induced Carboxypeptidase A4 Promotes the Progression of Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

The density of tumor-associated macrophages in the tumor microenvironment of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is associated with poor prognosis. However, the crosstalk between macrophages and ATC cells is poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the impact of macrophages on cancer cell phenotypes.

Inhibition of MEK Signaling Attenuates Cancer Stem Cell Activity in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is highly aggressive and has very limited treatment options. Recent studies suggest that cancer stem cell (CSC) activity in ATC could underlie this recurrence and resistance to treatment. The recent approval by the U.

Dynamical memristive neural networks and associative self-learning architectures using biomimetic devices.

While there is an abundance of research on neural networks that are "inspired" by the brain, few mimic the critical temporal compute features that allow the brain to efficiently perform complex computations. Even fewer methods emulate the heterogeneity of learning produced by biological neurons. Memory devices, such as memristors, are also investigated for their potential to implement neuronal functions in electronic hardware.

Reactivated thyroid hormone receptor β attenuates anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) stem cell activity.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is one of the most aggressive solid cancers in humans, with limited treatment options. Recent studies suggest that cancer stem cell (CSC) activity contributes to therapeutic resistance and recurrence of ATC. We show that the expression of the endogenous thyroid hormone receptor β gene (THRB) is silenced in ATC and demonstrate that the exogenously expressed TRβ suppresses CSC activity.

Community-level evolutionary processes: Linking community genetics with replicator-interactor theory.

Understanding community-level selection using Lewontin's criteria requires both community-level inheritance and community-level heritability, and in the discipline of community and ecosystem genetics, these are often conflated. While there are existing studies that show the possibility of both, these studies impose community-level inheritance as a product of the experimental design. For this reason, these experiments provide only weak support for the existence of community-level selection in nature.

Non-genomic activation of the AKT-mTOR pathway by the mitochondrial stress response in thyroid cancer.

Cancer progression is associated with metabolic reprogramming and causes significant intracellular stress; however, the mechanisms that link cellular stress and growth signalling are not fully understood. Here, we identified a mechanism that couples the mitochondrial stress response (MSR) with tumour progression. We demonstrated that the MSR is activated in a significant proportion of human thyroid cancers via the upregulation of heat shock protein D family members and the mitokine, growth differentiation factor 15.

Morphological and Functional Colonic Defects Caused by a Mutated Thyroid Hormone Receptor α.

Mutations of thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα1) result in resistance to thyroid hormone (RTHα), exhibiting symptoms of retarded growth, delayed bone maturation, anemia, and severe constipation. Using a mouse model of RTHα ( mouse), we aimed at understanding the molecular basis underlying the severe constipation observed in patients. The mouse expresses a strong dominant negative mutant, PV, which has lost T3 binding and transcription activity.

Blocking CDK7-Mediated NOTCH1-cMYC Signaling Attenuates Cancer Stem Cell Activity in Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive solid cancer in humans with few treatment options. Recent studies suggest that aberrant gene transcription could contribute to aggressive ATC progression. To test this hypothesis, we assessed if blocking cyclin-dependent protein 7 (CDK7) activity could impede ATC progression through attenuation of cancer stem cell (CSC) activity.

Regulation of cancer stem cell activity by thyroid hormone receptor β.

Increasing numbers of cancer stem cell markers have been recently identified. It is not known, however, whether a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, thyroid hormone receptor β (TRβ), can function to regulate cancer stem cell (CSC) activity. Using anaplastic thyroid cancer cells (ATC) as a model, we highlight the role of TRβ in CSC activity.

Substantial P-Type Conductivity of AlN Achieved via Beryllium Doping.

Beryllium has long been predicted by first principle theory as the best p-type dopant for GaN and AlN. But experimental validation of these theories has not, until now, borne out the original predictions. A key challenge is the dopant-induced strain leading to Be rejection from substitutional sites in favor of interstitial sites, leading to self-compensation.

Thermal conductivity measurements of sub-surface buried substrates by steady-state thermoreflectance.

Measuring the thermal conductivity of sub-surface buried substrates is of significant practical interests. However, this remains challenging with traditional pump-probe spectroscopies due to their limited thermal penetration depths. Here, we experimentally and numerically investigate the TPD of the recently developed optical pump-probe technique steady-state thermoreflectance (SSTR) and explore its capability for measuring the thermal properties of buried substrates.

'Species' without species.

Biological science uses multiple species concepts. Order can be brought to this diversity if we recognize two key features. First, any given species concept is likely to have a patchwork structure, generated by repeated application of the concept to new domains.

The role of purifying selection in the origin and maintenance of complex function.

Fitness contribution alone should not be the criterion of 'function' in molecular biology and genomics. Disagreement over the use of 'function' in molecular biology and genomics is still with us, almost eight years after publicity surrounding the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project claimed that 80.4% of the human genome comprises "functional elements".

Could this pandemic usher in evolution's next major transition?

Much discussion about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and whatever emerges as the 'new normal' has been psychological or political in nature, but there is a more inclusive evolutionary biological context in which we might understand it, ourselves, and our responsibilities to the planet.

Comprehensive Analysis of Metal Modulated Epitaxial GaN.

While metal modulated epitaxy (MME) has been shown useful for hyperdoping, where hole concentrations 40 times higher than other techniques have been demonstrated, and the ability to control phase separation in immiscible III-nitrides, the complexity of the dynamically changing surface conditions during the cyclic growth is poorly understood. While MME is capable of superb crystal quality, performing MME in an improper growth regime can result in defective material. These complications have made the transfer of MME knowledge challenging.

Evolution: Two Domains of Life or Three?

That Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya (eukaryotes) represent three separate domains of Life, no one having evolved from within any other, has been taken as fact for three decades. Recent work shows this to be untrue. Eukarya arose from well within Archaea and are specifically related to newly discovered archaeal species with eukaryote-like features.

Neutral evolution of cellular phenotypes.

Eukaryotes exhibit a great diversity of cellular and subcellular morphologies, but their basic underlying architecture is fairly constant. All have a nucleus, Golgi, cytoskeleton, plasma membrane, vesicles, ribosomes, and all known lineages but one have mitochondrion-related organelles. Moreover, most eukaryotes undergo processes such as mitosis, meiosis, DNA recombination, and often perform feats such as phagocytosis, and amoeboid and flagellar movement.

Archaeological assessment reveals Earth's early transformation through land use.

Environmentally transformative human use of land accelerated with the emergence of agriculture, but the extent, trajectory, and implications of these early changes are not well understood. An empirical global assessment of land use from 10,000 years before the present (yr B.P.

Making Evolutionary Sense of Gaia.

The Gaia hypothesis in a strong and frequently criticized form assumes that global homeostatic mechanisms have evolved by natural selection favoring the maintenance of conditions suitable for life. Traditional neoDarwinists hold this to be impossible in theory. But the hypothesis does make sense if one treats the clade that comprises the biological component of Gaia as an individual and allows differential persistence - as well as differential reproduction - to be an outcome of evolution by natural selection.

We simply cannot go on being so vague about 'function'.

Function is an onerous concept, as the recent study by Steven Salzberg and colleagues demonstrates. We should be careful and always specific in using the 'F-word'.