Suppression of Slit3 induces tumor proliferation and chemoresistance in hepatocellular carcinoma through activation of GSK3β/β-catenin pathway.

Background: It is essential to understand the mechanisms responsible for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression and chemoresistance in order to identify prognostic biomarkers as well as potential therapeutic avenues. Recent findings have shown that SLIT3 appears to function as a novel tumor suppressor gene in various types of cancers, yet its clinical correlation and role in HCC has not been understood clearly.

Methods: We determined the transcript levels of Slit3 in tumor and adjacent normal tissues within two cohorts (N = 40 and 25) of HCC patients, and correlated the gene expression with the clinicopathological data.

Preclinical analysis of the anti-tumor and anti-metastatic effects of Raf265 on colon cancer cells and CD26(+) cancer stem cells in colorectal carcinoma.

Background: In colorectal carcinoma (CRC), activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway is commonly observed. In addition, the commonly used 5FU-based chemotherapy in patients with metastatic CRC was found to enrich a subpopulation of CD26(+) cancer stem cells (CSCs). As activation of the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway was also found in the CD26(+) CSCs and therefore, we hypothesized that an ATP-competitive pan-Raf inhibitor, Raf265, is effective in eliminating the cancer cells and the CD26(+) CSCs in CRC patients.