Publications by authors named "I Pucci-Minafra"

Article Synopsis
  • Colorectal cancer (CRC) is influenced by genetic and epigenetic changes, with the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in tumor progression and metastasis being significant yet poorly understood.
  • A multi-omics analysis was performed focusing on MMP2 and MMP9, revealing their correlation with immune markers and their potential role in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immune response.
  • The study suggests that MMPs may serve as valuable biomarkers in CRC and highlights the need for further research to clarify their biological functions and regulatory mechanisms across different tissues.
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Article Synopsis
  • Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones implicated in cancer, particularly breast cancer, but their specific roles and interactions have not been thoroughly examined.
  • A systematic multi-omics approach revealed that deregulated expression of HSPs correlates with patient prognosis, influencing biological pathways like the cell cycle and Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (ETM).
  • The study suggests that HSPs could serve as valuable biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in breast cancer management due to their varied expression patterns and complex functions.
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Colon cancer is an aggressive tumor form with a poor prognosis. This study reports a comparative proteomic analysis performed by using two-dimensional differential in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) between 26 pooled colon cancer surgical tissues and adjacent non-tumoral tissues, to identify potential target proteins correlated with carcinogenesis. The DAVID functional classification tool revealed that most of the differentially regulated proteins, acting both intracellularly and extracellularly, concur across multiple cancer steps.

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Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are a family of well-known enzymes which operate prevalently in the extracellular domain, where they fulfil the function of remodeling the extracellular matrix (ECM). Within the 26 family members, encoded by 24 genes in humans, MMP-2 and MMP-9 have been regarded as primarily responsible for the basement membrane and peri-cellular ECM rearrangement. In cases of infiltrating carcinomas, which arise from the epithelial tissues of a gland or of an internal organ, a marked alteration of the expression and the activity levels of both MMPs is known to occur.

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The S100 gene family is the largest subfamily of calcium binding proteins of EF-hand type, expressed in tissue and cell-specific manner, acting both as intracellular regulators and extracellular mediators. There is a growing interest in the S100 proteins and their relationships with different cancers because of their involvement in a variety of biological events closely related to tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the collective role and the possible coordination of this group of proteins, as well as the functional implications of their expression in breast cancer (BC) is still poorly known.

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