Adenosinergic Signalling in Cervical Cancer Microenvironment.

Despite the emergence of the first human papillomavirus vaccine, the incidence of cervical cancer is still responsible for more than 350,000 deaths yearly. Over the past decade, ecto-5'-nucleotidase (CD73/5'-NT) and extracellular adenosine (ADO) signalling has been the subject of many investigations to target cancer progression. In general, the adenosinergic axis has been linked to tumourigenic effects.

Rat Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells (ADSCs) Increases the Glioblastoma Growth and Decreases the Animal Survival.

Many studies have shown that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their secreted factors may modulate the biology of tumor cells. However, how these interactions happen in vivo remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of rat adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) and their conditioned medium (ADSC-CM) in glioma tumor growth and malignancy in vivo.

A three-dimensional microenvironment alters CD73 expression in cervical cancer.

Stem-like cells (CSCs) have a tumour-initiating capacity and play critical role in tumour metastasis, relapse and resistance to therapy. The ectoenzyme CD73, encoded by the NT5E gene, which catalyses the hydrolysis of AMP into adenosine, has been associated to an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, tumour cell adhesion and migration. Therefore, we investigated the expression and activity of CD73 in sphere-forming cells from cervical cancer in comparison to monolayer cells in vitro.

Normalization in Human Glioma Tissue.

For tissues obtained from glioma samples with/without nonneoplastic brain there is no consensus for universal reference gene but there are some potential genes that might have good stability, under certain conditions. Considering all points described in this work, the care with tissue collection, until gene amplification, directly impacts on the reliable characterization of its mRNA levels. Moreover, it is clear the importance of selecting the most appropriate reference genes for each experimental situation, to allow the accurate normalization of target genes, especially for genes that are subtly regulated.

Characterization of soluble CD39 (SolCD39/NTPDase1) from PiggyBac nonviral system as a tool to control the nucleotides level.

Extracellular ATP (eATP) and its metabolites have emerged as key modulators of different diseases and comprise a complex pathway called purinergic signaling. An increased number of tools have been developed to study the role of nucleotides and nucleosides in cell proliferation and migration, influence on the immune system and tumor progression. These tools include receptor agonists/antagonists, engineered ectonucleotidases, interference RNAs and ectonucleotidase inhibitors that allow the control and quantification of nucleotide levels.

EMT-like process in glioblastomas and reactive astrocytes.

The concept of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in epithelial cells has accelerated our understanding about cancer spreading. Fortunately, much of this information has been able to be extrapolated to non-epithelial cancers, such as glioblastoma (GBM). Interestingly, reactive astrocytes, which are present in the tumor edge in association with glioma cells, might also undergo EMT-like under stimuli of GBM cells.

Extracellular Nucleotide Hydrolysis in Dermal and Limbal Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Source of Adenosine Production.

Human Limbal (L-MSCs) and Dermal Mesenchymal Stem Cell (D-MSCs) possess many properties that increase their therapeutic potential in ophthalmology and dermatology. It is known that purinergic signaling plays a role in many aspects of mesenchymal stem cells physiology. They release and respond to purinergic ligands, altering proliferation, migration, differentiation, and apoptosis.

The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Process in Glioblastoma: An Updated Systematic Review and In Silico Investigation.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive form of brain cancer due to its highly invasive nature that impedes the surgical removal of all tumor cells, making relapse inevitable. However, the mechanisms used by glioma cells to invade the surrounding tissue are still unclear. In this context, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has emerged as a key regulator of this invasive state and although the real relevance of this program in malignant glioma is still controversial, it has been strongly associated with GBM malignancy.

Conditioned Medium from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells (ADSCs) Promotes Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal-Like Transition (EMT-Like) in Glioma Cells In vitro.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been described to home to brain tumors and to integrate into the tumor-associated stroma. Understanding the communication between cancer cells and MSCs has become fundamental to determine whether MSC-tumor interactions should be exploited as a vehicle for therapeutic agents or considered a target for intervention. Therefore, we investigated whether conditioned medium from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs-CM) modulate glioma tumor cells by analyzing several cell biology processes in vitro.

Mesenchymal stem cells from different murine tissues have differential capacity to metabolize extracellular nucleotides.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown a great potential for cell-based therapy and many different therapeutic purposes. Despite the recent advances in the knowledge of MSCs biology, their biochemical and molecular properties are still poorly defined. Ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolases (E-NTPDases) and ecto-5'-nucleotidase (eNT/CD73) are widely expressed enzymes that hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides, generating an important cellular signaling cascade.

Perspectives of purinergic signaling in stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration.

Replacement of lost or dysfunctional tissues by stem cells has recently raised many investigations on therapeutic applications. Purinergic signaling has been shown to regulate proliferation, differentiation, cell death, and successful engraftment of stem cells originated from diverse origins. Adenosine triphosphate release occurs in a controlled way by exocytosis, transporters, and lysosomes or in large amounts from damaged cells, which is then subsequently degraded into adenosine.