Current Applications of Colorectal Cancer Organoids: A Review.

Colorectal cancer is a prevalent malignancy, with advanced and metastatic forms exhibiting poor treatment outcomes and high relapse rates. To enhance patient outcomes, a comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiological processes and the development of targeted therapies are imperative. The high heterogeneity of colorectal cancer demands precise and personalized treatment strategies.

Nutraceuticals for the Treatment of IBD: Current Progress and Future Directions.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic relapsing-remitting inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal tract. Patients are usually diagnosed in adolescence and early adulthood and need lifelong treatment. In recent years, it has been found that diet plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Quantification of Proliferative and Dead Cells in Enteroids.

The intestinal epithelium acts as a barrier that prevents luminal contents, such as pathogenic microbiota and toxins, from entering the rest of the body. Epithelial barrier function requires the integrity of intestinal epithelial cells. While epithelial cell proliferation maintains a continuous layer of cells that forms a barrier, epithelial damage leads to barrier dysfunction.

Contributions of Myosin Light Chain Kinase to Regulation of Epithelial Paracellular Permeability and Mucosal Homeostasis.

Intestinal barrier function is required for the maintenance of mucosal homeostasis. Barrier dysfunction is thought to promote progression of both intestinal and systemic diseases. In many cases, this barrier loss reflects increased permeability of the paracellular tight junction as a consequence of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activation and myosin II regulatory light chain (MLC) phosphorylation.

Interleukin 22 Expands Transit-Amplifying Cells While Depleting Lgr5 Stem Cells via Inhibition of Wnt and Notch Signaling.

Background & Aims: Epithelial regeneration is essential for homeostasis and repair of the mucosal barrier. In the context of infectious and immune-mediated intestinal disease, interleukin (IL) 22 is thought to augment these processes. We sought to define the mechanisms by which IL22 promotes mucosal healing.

In Vitro and In Vivo Approaches to Determine Intestinal Epithelial Cell Permeability.

The intestinal barrier defends against pathogenic microorganism and microbial toxin. Its function is regulated by tight junction permeability and epithelial cell integrity, and disruption of the intestinal barrier function contributes to progression of gastrointestinal and systemic disease. Two simple methods are described here to measure the permeability of intestinal epithelium.

[Hypoxia promotes the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by down-regulating miR-132 in vitro].

Objective: To explore the expression of miR-132 in prostate cancer and its effects on the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells and the influence of hypoxia on the level of miR-132 and biological behavior of prostate cancer cells.

Methods: Real time PCR was used to measure the expression level of miR-132 in the prostate cancer tissue, analyze its relationship with the clinical stage and Gleason score of prostate cancer, and determine the influence of hypoxia on the miR-132 level in the human prostate cancer PC3 cell line in vitro. Sulfor-hodamine B chromatometry and Matrigel invasion assay were employed to detect the effects of hypoxia and miR-132 mimic plasmid transfection on the viability and invasiveness of PC3 cells in vitro.

MiR-155 up-regulated by TGF-β promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells .

It has previously been reported that microRNA (miR)-155 is linked to the recurrence and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) following liver transplantation. However, the role of miR-155 in the invasion and metastasis of HCC cells remains largely unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of miR-155 in HCC cells and its role in the invasion and migration of HCC cells .

Myosin regulatory light chain phosphorylation is associated with leiomyosarcoma development.

Leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant smooth muscle tumor which can be very unpredictable. Myosin II is involved in many functions, including cell contraction, migration, and adhesion. The phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (MLC) by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) determines the activity of Myosin II.

IL-22 Upregulates Epithelial Claudin-2 to Drive Diarrhea and Enteric Pathogen Clearance.

Diarrhea is a host response to enteric pathogens, but its impact on pathogenesis remains poorly defined. By infecting mice with the attaching and effacing bacteria Citrobacter rodentium, we defined the mechanisms and contributions of diarrhea and intestinal barrier loss to host defense. Increased permeability occurred within 2 days of infection and coincided with IL-22-dependent upregulation of the epithelial tight junction protein claudin-2.

Altered contractile phenotypes of intestinal smooth muscle in mice deficient in myosin phosphatase target subunit 1.

Background & Aims: The regulatory subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase, MYPT1, has been proposed to control smooth muscle contractility by regulating phosphorylation of the Ca(2+)-dependent myosin regulatory light chain. We generated mice with a smooth muscle-specific deletion of MYPT1 to investigate its physiologic role in intestinal smooth muscle contraction.

Methods: We used the Cre-loxP system to establish Mypt1-floxed mice, with the promoter region and exon 1 of Mypt1 flanked by 2 loxP sites.

Comparison of gene transcription between subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue in Chinese adults.

Obese individuals with fat stored in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) generally suffer greater adverse metabolic consequences than those with fat stored predominantly in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), but its molecular basis is not completely understood. We isolated paired samples of SAT and VAT from 15 lean and 15 obese subjects and systematically compared the transcription level of genes that may determine fat distribution and metabolic sequelae between SAT and VAT using quantitative real-time PCR. We found that, leptin levels were lower in VAT than SAT, for both lean and obese subjects.