A Fusion Protein of RGD4C and β-Lactamase Has a Favorable Targeting Effect in Its Use in Antibody Directed Enzyme Prodrug Therapy.

Antibody directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) utilizing β-lactamase is a promising treatment strategy to enhance the therapeutic effect and safety of cytotoxic agents. In this method, a conjugate (antibody-β-lactamase fusion protein) is employed to precisely activate nontoxic cephalosporin prodrugs at the tumor site. A major obstacle to the clinical translation of this method, however, is the low catalytic activity and high immunogenicity of the wild-type enzymes.

Radiation-sensitising effects of antennapedia proteins (ANTP)-SmacN7 on tumour cells.

The objective of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms behind the radiation-sensitising effects of the antennapedia proteins (ANTP)-smacN7 fusion protein on tumour cells. ANTP-SmacN7 fusion proteins were synthesised, and the ability of this fusion protein to penetrate cells was observed. Effects of radiation on the expression of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) were detected by western blotting.

Evaluation of the comet assay for assessing the dose-response relationship of DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation.

Dose- and time-response curves were combined to assess the potential of the comet assay in radiation biodosimetry. The neutral comet assay was used to detect DNA double-strand breaks in lymphocytes caused by γ-ray irradiation. A clear dose-response relationship with DNA double-strand breaks using the comet assay was found at different times after irradiation (p < 0.

Cytogenetic abnormalities in lymphocytes from victims exposed to cobalt-60 radiation.

The present study investigates cytogenetic damage in lymphocytes, derived from three victims who were unfortunately exposed to cobalt-60 (60Co) radiation (the 1999 accident occurred in a village in China's Henan province). Case A of the three victims was exposed to a higher dose of 60Co radiation than Cases B and C. The chromosomal aberrations, cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN, the CBMN assay), and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs, the comet assay) examined in this study are biomarkers for cytogenetic abnormalities.

Effect of radiation on the Notch signaling pathway in osteoblasts.

Notch signaling has been shown to be important in osteoblast differentiation. Therapeutic radiation has been shown to alter the skeletal system, yet little information is available on the changes in Notch signaling in irradiated osteoblasts. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of radiation therapy with 2 and 4 Gy on Notch signaling in osteoblasts.

Increased miRNA-22 expression sensitizes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma to irradiation.

miRNA-22 was previously reported to be a tumor suppressor. The aim of this study was to explore the expression and function of miRNA-22 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Expression of miRNA-22 in 100 ESCC tissues was examined by q-PCR.

In vivo renal clearance, biodistribution, toxicity of gold nanoclusters.

Gold nanoparticles have shown great prospective in cancer diagnosis and therapy, but they can not be metabolized and prefer to accumulate in liver and spleen due to their large size. The gold nanoclusters with small size can penetrate kidney tissue and have promise to decrease in vivo toxicity by renal clearance. In this work, we explore the in vivo renal clearance, biodistribution, and toxicity responses of the BSA- and GSH-protected gold nanoclusters for 24 h and 28 days.

Effect of radiation on the expression of osteoclast marker genes in RAW264.7 cells.

Cancer radiation therapy can cause skeletal complications, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. To understand the mechanism responsible for the skeletal complications, the expression profiles of osteoclast marker genes in RAW264.7 cells were observed.

Methotrexate-mediated inhibition of RAD51 expression and homologous recombination in cancer cells.

Background: Methotrexate is an inhibitor of folic acid metabolism. Homologous recombination is one of the most important ways to repair double-stranded breaks in DNA and influence the radio- and chemosensitivity of tumor cells. But the relationship between methotrexate and homologous recombination repair has not been elucidated.

Size-dependent in vivo toxicity of PEG-coated gold nanoparticles.

Background: Gold nanoparticle toxicity research is currently leading towards the in vivo experiment. Most toxicology data show that the surface chemistry and physical dimensions of gold nanoparticles play an important role in toxicity. Here, we present the in vivo toxicity of 5, 10, 30, and 60 nm PEG-coated gold nanoparticles in mice.

First-principles investigation of Ag-doped gold nanoclusters.

Gold nanoclusters have the tunable optical absorption property, and are promising for cancer cell imaging, photothermal therapy and radiotherapy. First-principle is a very powerful tool for design of novel materials. In the present work, structural properties, band gap engineering and tunable optical properties of Ag-doped gold clusters have been calculated using density functional theory.

Toxicologic effects of gold nanoparticles in vivo by different administration routes.

Gold nanoparticles have potential applications in biomedicine, but one of the important concerns is about their safety. Most toxicology data are derived from in vitro studies and may not reflect in vivo responses. Here, an animal toxicity study of 13.

Construction, expression and functional characterization of the β-lactamase with αv integrin ligands.

Antibody-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (ADEPT) delivers chemotherapeutic agents at high concentration to tumor tissues while minimizing systemic drug exposure. β-Lactamases are particularly useful enzymes for ADEPT systems due to their unique substrate specificity, which allows the activation of a variety of lactam-based prodrugs with minimal interference from mammalian enzymes. This study used integrin α(v)β(3) as a target for tumor-specific delivery of β-Lactamase.

Expression and function of miRNA in postoperative radiotherapy sensitive and resistant patients of non-small cell lung cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the different miRNA expression profiles of postoperative radiotherapy sensitive and resistant patients of non-small cell lung cancer, explore their potential role and find some radio-sensitivity markers.

Materials And Methods: Thirty non-small cell lung cancer patients who have been treated by postoperative radiotherapy were selected and were divided into radiotherapy sensitive group and resistant group according to overall survival and local or distant recurrence rate. Expression profile of miRNA in these two groups was detected by a microarray assay and the results were validated by quantitative RT-PCR and Northern blot.

Knockdown of Rad51 expression induces radiation- and chemo-sensitivity in osteosarcoma cells.

Osteosarcoma is the common primary bone malignancy in children and young adults in Eastern countries. Resistance to ionizing radiation (IR) or drugs is an underlying mechanism contributing to the failure of therapy in these patients. Rad51 is the key protein of DNA homologous recombination repair.

Expression of miRNA-130a in nonsmall cell lung cancer.

MicroRNAs are short regulatory RNAs that negatively modulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and are deeply involved in the pathogenesis of several types of cancer. The miRNA-130a has been shown to play a role in antagonizing the inhibitory effects of GAX on endothelial cell proliferation, migration and tube formation, and antagonizing the inhibitory effects of HoxA5 on tube formation in vitro. Here the authors show, for the first time, that miRNA-130a expression is increased in nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues.

Chromosomal aberrations and DNA damage in human populations exposed to the processing of electronics waste.

Background, Aim, And Scope: It has been known that the pollutants of electronic wastes (E-wastes) can lead to severe pollution to the environment. It has been reported that about 50% to 80% of E-wastes from developed countries are exported to Asia and Africa. It has become a major global environmental problem to deal with 'E-wastes'.

ShRNA-mediated Ku80 gene silencing inhibits cell proliferation and sensitizes to gamma-radiation and mitomycin C-induced apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma lines.

To investigate the effects of Ku80 depletion on cell growth and sensitization to gamma-radiation and MMC-induced apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma lines. Six human carcinoma cell lines (LNcaP, K562, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7, EC9706, and K150) and normal HEK293 cell line were examined for basal levels of Ku80 protein by western blotting analysis. The suppression of Ku80 expression was performed using vector-based shRNA in EC9706 cells.

[Detection of DNA injury and repair with single cell gel electrophoresis radiation in biodosimetry].

Objective: To explore the relationship between DNA repair in vitro and in vivo after irradiation, and to describe the curves of DNA repair which can improve the accuracy of radiation dose estimation.

Methods: The DNA double-strand break in lymphocytes of human and mouse was detected using neutral single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) after radiation and the curves of DNA repair individually were estimated, which were compared later.

Results: Along with the time lapsing, the DNA repair of human peripheral blood and mice increased significantly and the residual damage decreased gradually, which showed significant time-effect relationship.