infection promotes TNF-α signaling and SMAC mimetic-mediated apoptosis in human prostate cancer.

Growing evidence suggests an association between Mycoplasma infections and the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). In this study, we report that chronic and persistent infection induced robust TNF-α secretion from PCa cells. TNF-α secreted from -infected PCa cells subsequently led to activation of the NF-κB pathway.

Integrin alpha V beta 3 targeted dendrimer-rapamycin conjugate reduces fibroblast-mediated prostate tumor progression and metastasis.

Therapeutic strategies targeting both cancer cells and associated cells in the tumor microenvironment offer significant promise in cancer therapy. We previously reported that generation 5 (G5) dendrimers conjugated with cyclic-RGD peptides target cells expressing integrin alpha V beta 3. In this study, we report a novel dendrimer conjugate modified to deliver the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, rapamycin.

TBK1 regulates prostate cancer dormancy through mTOR inhibition.

The mechanisms that regulate hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) dormancy and self-renewal are well established and are largely dependent on signals emanating from the HSC niche. Recently, we found that prostate cancer (PCa) cells target the HSC niche in mouse bone marrow (BM) during metastasis. Little is known, however, as to how the HSC niche may regulate dormancy in cancer cells.

mTor plays an important role in odontoblast differentiation.

Introduction: Signaling pathways responsible for dentin regeneration in a dental pulp are not fully understood. In this study, we determined the effects of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTor) on the differentiation and mineralization of dental pulp stem cells. We hypothesized that the two known mTor complexes Torc1 and Torc 2 play pivotal roles in the differentiation of odontoblasts and that they modulate deposition of a mineralized extracellular matrix.

Regulating myoblast phenotype through controlled gel stiffness and degradation.

Mechanical stiffness and degradability are important material parameters in tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to address the hypothesis that these variables regulate the function of myoblasts cultured in 2-D and 3-D microenvironments. Development of cell-interactive alginate gels with tunable degradation rates and mechanical stiffness was established by a combination of partial oxidation and bimodal molecular weight distribution.