Publications by authors named "Haiyan Zhai"

Recent studies have elaborated on the concept that a number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have a potential effect on the pathogenesis and development of Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is recognized as a common progressive bradykinetic disorder that results from the death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra. The purpose of this study was to explore whether microRNA-124 (miR-124) affected dopamine receptor (DAR) expression and neuronal proliferation and apoptosis in the 1-methyl-4-pheny-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mouse models of PD.

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We present the modulation of van der Waals interactions to further adjust supramolecular chirality by incorporation of S and Se into the bay region. These chalcogen atom-mediated supramolecular interactions were transferred to nanostructures and affected the gas responses of devices. This study will facilitate the development of smart materials with modulated handedness in materials science.

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The biology of tumor-associated stroma (TAS) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is not well understood. The paradoxical observation that stroma-depletion strategies lead to progression of PDAC reinforced the need to critically evaluate the functional contribution of TAS in the initiation and progression of PDAC. PDAC and TAS cells are unique in their expression of specific miRNAs, and this specific miRNA expression pattern alters host to tumor microenvironment interactions.

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Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) constitutes an array of morphologically and genetically distinct tumors the most prevalent of which are clear cell, papillary, and chromophobe RCC. Accurate distinction between the typically benign-behaving renal oncocytoma and RCC subtypes is a frequent challenge for pathologists. This is critical for clinical decision making.

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microRNA (miRNA) based biomarkers have unique advantages due to their critical regulatory function, superior stability, and relatively small number compared to mRNAs. A number of miRNAs play key roles in colon cancer stem cell chemoresistance and have clinical potential as prognostic biomarkers. The purpose of this study is to systematically validate the prognostic potential of miRNAs in colorectal cancer.

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Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third highest mortality cancer in the United States and frequently metastasizes to liver and lung. Smad2 is a key element downstream of the TGF-β signaling pathway to regulate cancer metastasis by promoting epithelial to mesenchymal transition and maintaining the cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype. In this study, we show that hsa-miR-140-5p directly targets Smad2 and overexpression of hsa-miR-140-5p in CRC cell lines decreases Smad2 expression levels, leading decreased cell invasion and proliferation, and increasing cell cycle arrest.

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Here we have shown that it is possible to modulate π-π stacking, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions to further adjust the supramolecular helicity by simply changing the core-substituted group. These modulated supramolecular interactions provide a new pathway to the controlled production of helical superstructures.

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In the last decade, cancer research efforts in the field of noncoding microRNA (miRNA) have been growing exponentially. miRNA-based therapeutics have been tested in both preclinical and clinical settings, and miRNA-based cancer diagnostics and prognostics have moved into clinics to help better manage cancer treatment. A growing body of evidence in recent literature suggests miRNA-129 plays important roles in gastrointestinal cancer, including gastric, colorectal, hepatocellular carcinoma, and esophageal cancer.

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Early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC) is key for prevention and the ability to impact long-term survival of CRC patients. However, the compliance rate of recommended colonoscopy for the population aged from 50 to 75 years is only 50-75 % in the US. A highly sensitive and specific non-invasive test is needed to enhance CRC management.

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Most previously described immunohistochemical markers of cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and squamous cell carcinoma may help to improve diagnostic accuracy but have a minimal prognostic value. The goals of the current study were to identify and validate novel candidate biomarkers that could potentially improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy for cervical HSIL and squamous cell carcinoma. Microdissected tissue sections from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded normal ectocervical squamous mucosa, low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), HSIL and squamous cell carcinoma sections were analyzed by mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics for biomarker discovery.

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Endometrial cancer (EC) is the leading malignant tumor occurring in the female genital tract and some subtypes are highly invasive and metastatic. miRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that have a broad impact on cancer progression. In particular, miR-194 regulates epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) by suppressing the expression of BMI-1 in EC.

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Background: Long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been shown to be novel regulators for both transcription and posttranscriptional/translation. One of them, lincRNA-p21, was regulated by p53 and contributed to apoptosis in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. However, the impact of such regulation on colorectal cancer (CRC) remains to be determined.

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Autophagy is a catabolic process that allows cellular macromolecules to be broken down and recycled into metabolic precursors. It is a highly conserved, critical process, allowing cells to gain survival advantages under various stress situations due to growth and environmental changes. In the past few years, mounting evidence indicates that the post-transcriptional and translational controls mediated by non-coding miRNAs contribute significantly to autophagy in cancer.

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Since its discovery as a src kinase substrate more than three decades ago, appreciation for the physiologic functions of annexin A2 and its associated proteins has increased dramatically. With its binding partner S100A10 (p11), A2 forms a cell surface complex that regulates generation of the primary fibrinolytic protease, plasmin, and is dynamically regulated in settings of hemostasis and thrombosis. In addition, the complex is transcriptionally upregulated in hypoxia and promotes pathologic neoangiogenesis in the tissues such as the retina.

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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding small RNAs with critical regulatory functions as post-transcriptional regulators. Due to the fundamental importance and broad impact of miRNAs on multiple genes and pathways, dysregulated miRNAs have been associated with human diseases, including cancer. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most deadly diseases, and miRNAs offer a new frontier for target discovery and novel biomarkers for both diagnosis and prognosis.

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Gliomas are highly invasive, lethal brain tumors. Tumor-associated proteases play an important role in glioma progression. Annexin A2 is overexpressed in many cancers and correlates with increased plasmin activity on the tumor cell surface, which mediates degradation of extracellular matrix and promotes neoangiogenesis to facilitate tumor growth.

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Gliomas are highly aggressive and accompanied by numerous microglia/macrophages (MG/MP) in and about the tumor. Little is known about what MG/MP do in this setting, or whether modulating MG/MP activation might affect glioma progression. Here, we used a glioma-microglia in culture system to establish the effects the tumor and microglia have on each other.

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