Altered distribution and function of NK-cell subsets lead to impaired tumor surveillance in JAK2V617F myeloproliferative neoplasms.

In cancer, tumor cells and their neoplastic microenvironment can sculpt the immunogenic phenotype of a developing tumor. In this context, natural killer (NK) cells are subtypes of lymphocytes of the innate immune system recognized for their potential to eliminate neoplastic cells, not only through direct cytolytic activity but also by favoring the development of an adaptive antitumor immune response. Even though the protective effect against leukemia due to NK-cell alloreactivity mediated by the absence of the KIR-ligand has already been shown, and some data on the role of NK cells in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) has been explored, their mechanisms of immune escape have not been fully investigated.

Focused screening reveals functional effects of microRNAs differentially expressed in colorectal cancer.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still a leading cause of death worldwide. Recent studies have pointed to an important role of microRNAs in carcinogenesis. Several microRNAs are described as aberrantly expressed in CRC tissues and in the serum of patients.

A High-Content Screening Approach to Identify MicroRNAs Against Head and Neck Cancer Cell Survival and EMT in an Inflammatory Microenvironment.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is among the most common cancer types. Metastasis, the main cause of death by cancer, can be promoted by an inflammatory microenvironment, which induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through a NF-κB-mediated stabilization of Snail. Here, we aimed to explore how microRNAs (miRs) can affect cell survival and EMT in HNSCC cells under an inflammatory microenvironment.

High-content screen in human pluripotent cells identifies miRNA-regulated pathways controlling pluripotency and differentiation.

Background: By post-transcriptionally regulating multiple target transcripts, microRNAs (miRNAs or miR) play important biological functions. H1 embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and NTera-2 embryonal carcinoma cells (ECCs) are two of the most widely used human pluripotent model cell lines, sharing several characteristics, including the expression of miRNAs associated to the pluripotent state or with differentiation. However, how each of these miRNAs functionally impacts the biological properties of these cells has not been systematically evaluated.

TGF-beta/atRA-induced Tregs express a selected set of microRNAs involved in the repression of transcripts related to Th17 differentiation.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential regulators of immune tolerance. atRA and TGF-β can inhibit the polarization of naïve T cells into inflammatory Th17 cells, favoring the generation of stable iTregs, however the regulatory mechanisms involved are not fully understood. In this context, the roles of individual microRNAs in Tregs are largely unexplored.

LL-37 boosts immunosuppressive function of placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Background: Although promising for graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) treatment, MSC therapy still faces important challenges. For instance, increasing MSC migratory capacity as well as potentializing immune response suppression are of interest. For GvHD management, preventing opportunistic infections is also a valuable strategy, since immunocompromised patients are easy targets for infections.

MicroRNA-29 impairs the early phase of reprogramming process by targeting active DNA demethylation enzymes and Wnt signaling.

Somatic cell reprogramming by transcription factors and other modifiers such as microRNAs has opened broad avenues for the study of developmental processes, cell fate determination, and interplay of molecular mechanisms in signaling pathways. However, many of the mechanisms that drive nuclear reprogramming itself remain yet to be elucidated. Here, we analyzed the role of miR-29 during reprogramming in more detail.

TNF-alpha and Notch signaling regulates the expression of HOXB4 and GATA3 during early T lymphopoiesis.

During the early thymus colonization, Notch signaling activation on hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) drives proliferation and T cell commitment. Although these processes are driven by transcription factors such as HOXB4 and GATA3, there is no evidence that Notch directly regulates their transcription. To evaluate the role of NOTCH and TNF signaling in this process, human CD34 HPCs were cocultured with OP9-DL1 cells, in the presence or absence of TNF.

DSP30 enhances the immunosuppressive properties of mesenchymal stromal cells and protects their suppressive potential from lipopolysaccharide effects: A potential role of adenosine.

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are imbued with an immunosuppressive phenotype that extends to several immune system cells. In this study, we evaluated how distinct Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists impact immunosuppressive properties of bone marrow (BM)-MSC and explored the potential mechanisms involved. We show that TLR4 stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) restricted the ability of MSC to suppress the proliferation of T lymphocytes, increasing the gene expression of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6.