Ubiquitin-Specific Protease 1 Promotes Bladder Cancer Progression by Stabilizing c-MYC.

Background: Ubiquitination is an important post-transcriptional modification crucial for maintaining cell homeostasis. As a deubiquitination enzyme, ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1) is associated with tumor progression; however, its role in bladder cancer is unknown. This study aimed to analyze USP1 expression and study its roles in bladder cancer.

Grade Classification of Camellia Seed Oil Based on Hyperspectral Imaging Technology.

To achieve the rapid grade classification of camellia seed oil, hyperspectral imaging technology was used to acquire hyperspectral images of three distinct grades of camellia seed oil. The spectral and image information collected by the hyperspectral imaging technology was preprocessed by different methods. The characteristic wavelength selection in this study included the continuous projections algorithm (SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), and the gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) algorithm was used to extract the texture features of camellia seed oil at the characteristic wavelength.

Targeting fatty acid synthase in preclinical models of TNBC brain metastases synergizes with SN-38 and impairs invasion.

Fatty acid synthesis (FAS) has been shown to play a key role in the survival of brain-metastatic (BM) breast cancer. We demonstrate that the fatty acid synthase inhibitor TVB-2640 synergizes with the topoisomerase inhibitor SN-38 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) BM cell lines, upregulates FAS and downregulates cell cycle progression gene expression, and slows the motility of TNBC BM cell lines. The combination of SN-38 and TVB-2640 warrants further consideration as a potential therapeutic option in TNBC BMs.

Blood-brain barrier remodeling in an organ-on-a-chip device shows Dkk1 to be a regulator of early metastasis.

Brain metastases are the most lethal progression event, in part because the biological processes underpinning brain metastases are poorly understood. There is a paucity of realistic models of metastasis, as current murine models are slow to manifest metastasis. We set out to delineate metabolic and secretory modulators of brain metastases by utilizing two models consisting of microfluidic devices: 1) a blood brain niche (BBN) chip that recapitulates the blood-brain-barrier and niche; and 2) a migration chip that assesses cell migration.

Cu-NPs@C Nanosheets Derived from a PVP-assisted 2D Cu-MOF with Renewable Ligand for High-Efficient Selective Hydrogenation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) containing C=O, C-O, and furan ring functional groups is an important platform chemical derived from C sugars. The selective hydrogenation of C=O in HMF produces 2,5-dihydroxymethylfuran (DHMF), which is a potential sustainable substitute for petroleum-based building blocks. Here, 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (H FDC), a promising sustainable alternative to terephthalic acid, was employed as a renewable ligand to synthesize a novel Cu metal-organic framework (Cu-FDC).

RhoC Modulates Cell Junctions and Type I Interferon Response in Aggressive Breast Cancers.

Metastases are the leading cause of death in cancer patients. RhoC, a member of the Rho GTPase family, has been shown to facilitate metastasis of aggressive breast cancer cells by influencing motility, invasion, and chemokine secretion, but as yet there is no integrated model of the precise mechanism of how RhoC promotes metastasis. A common phenotypic characteristic of metastatic cells influenced by these mechanisms is dysregulation of cell-cell junctions.

Norstictic Acid Is a Selective Allosteric Transcriptional Regulator.

Inhibitors of transcriptional protein-protein interactions (PPIs) have high value both as tools and for therapeutic applications. The PPI network mediated by the transcriptional coactivator Med25, for example, regulates stress-response and motility pathways, and dysregulation of the PPI networks contributes to oncogenesis and metastasis. The canonical transcription factor binding sites within Med25 are large (∼900 Å) and have little topology, and thus, they do not present an array of attractive small-molecule binding sites for inhibitor discovery.

Heterogeneity at the invasion front of triple negative breast cancer cells.

Identifying better predictive and prognostic biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is complicated by tumor heterogeneity ranging from responses to therapy, mutational burden, and clonal evolution. To overcome the gap in our understanding of tumor heterogeneity, we hypothesized that isolating and studying the gene expression profile of invasive tumor cell subpopulations would be a crucial step towards achieving this goal. In this report, we utilized a fluidic device previously reported to be capable of supporting long-term three-dimensional growth and invasion dynamics of cancer cells.

Aerobic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid over Holey 2 D Mn O Nanoflakes from a Mn-based MOF.

The aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a promising renewable monomer to produce bio-based polymers such as polyethylene furanoate (PEF), has recently emerged as the subject of increasing interest. Here, holey 2 D Mn O nanoflakes were obtained by a facile thermal treatment of a Mn-based metal-organic framework (MOF) precursor. The structural and morphological properties of the nanoflakes were characterized by powder XRD, FTIR, SEM and TEM to explore the formation process.

Molecular determinants of drug response in TNBC cell lines.

Purpose: There is a need for biomarkers of drug efficacy for targeted therapies in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). As a step toward this, we identify multi-omic molecular determinants of anti-TNBC efficacy in cell lines for a panel of oncology drugs.

Methods: Using 23 TNBC cell lines, drug sensitivity scores (DSS) were determined using a panel of investigational drugs and drugs approved for other indications.

IL-4/IL-13 Stimulated Macrophages Enhance Breast Cancer Invasion Via Rho-GTPase Regulation of Synergistic VEGF/CCL-18 Signaling.

Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) are increasingly recognized as major contributors to the metastatic progression of breast cancer and enriched levels of TAMs often correlate with poor prognosis. Despite our current advances it remains unclear which subset of M2-like macrophages have the highest capacity to enhance the metastatic program and which mechanisms regulate this process. Effective targeting of macrophages that aid cancer progression requires knowledge of the specific mechanisms underlying their pro-metastatic actions, as to avoid the anticipated toxicities from generalized targeting of macrophages.

Biophysical Phenotyping and Modulation of ALDH+ Inflammatory Breast Cancer Stem-Like Cells.

Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) have been shown to initiate tumorigenesis and cancer metastasis in many cancer types. Although identification of CSCs through specific marker expression helps define the CSC compartment, it does not directly provide information on how or why this cancer cell subpopulation is more metastatic or tumorigenic. In this study, the functional and biophysical characteristics of aggressive and lethal inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) CSCs at the single-cell level are comprehensively profiled using multiple microengineered tools.

Synergistic inhibition of aggressive breast cancer cell migration and invasion by cytoplasmic delivery of anti-RhoC silencing RNA and presentation of EPPT1 peptide on "smart" particles.

Overexpression of RhoC protein in breast cancer patients has been linked to increased cancer cell invasion, migration, and metastases. Suppressing RhoC expression in aggressive breast cancer cells using silencing RNA (siRNA) molecules is a viable strategy to inhibit the metastatic spread of breast cancer. In this report, we describe the synthesis of a series of asymmetric pH-sensitive, membrane-destabilizing polymers engineered to complex anti-RhoC siRNA molecules forming "smart" nanoparticles.

Microwave-assisted in-situ elimination of primary tars over biochar: Low temperature behaviours and mechanistic insights.

An efficient method for microwave-assisted low temperature catalytic elimination of primary tars using cheap biochar as catalyst has been developed along with H rich syngas production. Tar removal efficiency reached 94.03% after 8 min reaction at 600 °C, while the concentration of H and syngas was up to 50.

Formic Acid-Induced Controlled-Release Hydrolysis of Microalgae (Scenedesmus) to Lactic Acid over Sn-Beta Catalyst.

Formic acid-induced controlled-release hydrolysis of sugar-rich microalgae (Scenedesmus) over the Sn-Beta catalyst was found to be a highly efficient process for producing lactic acid as a platform chemical. One-pot reaction with a very high lactic acid yield of 83.0 % was realized in a batch reactor using water as the solvent.

Loss of PTEN promotes formation of signaling-capable clathrin-coated pits.

Defective endocytosis and vesicular trafficking of signaling receptors has recently emerged as a multifaceted hallmark of malignant cells. Clathrin-coated pits (CCPs) display highly heterogeneous dynamics on the plasma membrane where they can take from 20 s to over 1 min to form cytosolic coated vesicles. Despite the large number of cargo molecules that traffic through CCPs, it is not well understood whether signaling receptors activated in cancer, such as epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), are regulated through a specific subset of CCPs.

Mechanism of Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis of Glucose to Furfural Revealed by Isotopic Tracer and Quantum Chemical Calculations.

Glucose labeled with C or O was used to investigate the mechanism of its conversion into furfural by microwaveassisted pyrolysis. The isotopic content and location in furfural were determined from GC-MS and C NMR spectroscopic measurements and data analysis. The results suggest that the carbon skeleton in furfural is mainly derived from C1 to C5 of glucose, whereas the C of the aldehyde group and the O of the furan ring in furfural primarily originate from C1 and O5 of glucose, respectively.

Low temperature microwave-assisted pyrolysis of wood sawdust for phenolic rich compounds: Kinetics and dielectric properties analysis.

Microwave-assisted pyrolysis of wood sawdust for phenolic rich compounds was carried out between 400 and 550°C in a batch reactor. An efficient preparation of liquid products was observed at 500°C with a yield of 58.50%, which was similar to conventional fast pyrolysis.

Synthesis and Visible-Light Photocatalytic Activity of CeO₂ Nanoboxes Based on Pearson’s Principle.

The CeO₂ nanoboxes with well-defined hollow structure were fabricated by template-engaged coordinating etching of Cu₂O cubes based on Pearson’s hard and soft acid-base principle. The morphologically uniform CeO₂ nanoboxes have an average edge length of 400 nm and shell thickness of around 60 nm. The strong chemical affinity between Cu+ and S₂O(2− 3) was the driving force for the etching of Cu₂O templates and the formation of shells.

Macrophages Enhance Migration in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells via RhoC GTPase Signaling.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most lethal form of breast cancer. All IBC patients have lymph node involvement and one-third of patients already have distant metastasis at diagnosis. This propensity for metastasis is a hallmark of IBC distinguishing it from less lethal non-inflammatory breast cancers (nIBC).

Nanoroughened adhesion-based capture of circulating tumor cells with heterogeneous expression and metastatic characteristics.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have shown prognostic relevance in many cancer types. However, the majority of current CTC capture methods rely on positive selection techniques that require a priori knowledge about the surface protein expression of disseminated CTCs, which are known to be a dynamic population.

Methods: We developed a microfluidic CTC capture chip that incorporated a nanoroughened glass substrate for capturing CTCs from blood samples.

Bacteria-Directed Construction of ZnO/CdS Hollow Rods and Their Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) hollow rods were fabricated by precipitation method with Bacillus subtilis as template. CdS nanoparticles were then decorated on the surface of the ZnO rods through hydrothermal method. The as-prepared samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscope and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy techniques.

RhoC GTPase Is a Potent Regulator of Glutamine Metabolism and N-Acetylaspartate Production in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells.

Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an extremely lethal cancer that rapidly metastasizes. Although the molecular attributes of IBC have been described, little is known about the underlying metabolic features of the disease. Using a variety of metabolic assays, including (13)C tracer experiments, we found that SUM149 cells, the primary in vitro model of IBC, exhibit metabolic abnormalities that distinguish them from other breast cancer cells, including elevated levels of N-acetylaspartate, a metabolite primarily associated with neuronal disorders and gliomas.

PKC ε Phosphorylates and Mediates the Cell Membrane Localization of RhoA.

Protein kinase C ε (PKC ε ) signals through RhoA to modulate cell invasion and motility. In this study, the multifaceted interaction between PKC ε and RhoA was defined. Phosphopeptide mapping revealed that PKC ε phosphorylates RhoA at T127 and S188.