Oncogenic Alterations of Metabolism Associated with Resistance to Chemotherapy.

Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is a strategy to meet high proliferation rates, invasion, and metastasis. Also, several researchers indicated that the cellular metabolism changed during the resistance to chemotherapy. Since glycolytic enzymes play a prominent role in these alterations, the ability to reduce resistance to chemotherapy drugs is promising for cancer patients.

Nanostructured multifunctional stimuli-responsive glycopolypeptide-based copolymers for biomedical applications.

Inspired by natural resources, such as peptides and carbohydrates, glycopolypeptide biopolymer has recently emerged as a new form of biopolymer being recruited in various biomedical applications. Glycopolypeptides with well-defined secondary structures and pendant glycosides on the polypeptide backbone have sparked lots of research interest and they have an innate ability to self-assemble in diverse structures. The nanostructures of glycopolypeptides have also opened up new perspectives in biomedical applications due to their stable three-dimensional structures, high drug loading efficiency, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability.

Design, construction, and expression of recombinant human interferon beta gene in CHO-s cell line using EBV-based expression system.

Background And Purpose: Codon optimization has been considered as a powerful strategy to increase the expression level of protein therapeutics in mammalian cells. As an empirical approach to study the effects of the codon usage and GC content on heterologous gene expression in suspension adapted Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-s) cells, we redesigned the recombinant human interferon beta (rhIFN- β) gene based on the codon preference of the CHO cell in a way to increase the GC content in the third position of each codon.

Experimental Approach: The nucleotide sequence of the codon-optimized rhIFN-β was synthesized in parallel with the wild-type and expressed transiently in CHO-s cells using Epstein-Bar virus (EBV)-based expression system.

Phototherapy alters the oncogenic metabolic activity of breast cancer cells.

Background: Metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells is a strategy to attain a high proliferation rate, invasion, and metastasis. In this study, the effects of phototherapy at different wavelengths were investigated on the metabolic activity of breast cancer cells.

Methods: The states of the MCF7 cells proliferation and viability were measured by the MTT assay.

Synergistic effect of phototherapy and chemotherapy on bladder cancer cells.

Drug resistance as an important barrier to cancer treatment, has a close relation with alteration of cancer metabolism. Therefore, in this study the synergistic effect of phototherapy and chemotherapy were investigated on the bladder cancer cells viability. The cytotoxicity effect of blue light irradiation was measured by the MTT assay.

Improving the Growth Rate of Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Alginate/Gelatin Versus Alginate Hydrogels.

Background: Expansion and differentiation of stem cells relies on the soluble materials as well as the physical conditions of their microenvironment. Several methods have been studied in attempt to enhance the growth and differentiation rates of different adult stem cells extracted from different sources.

Objectives: The purpose was to improve the three-dimensional (3D) culture condition of the semi-permeable polymeric beads for encapsulation of the human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADSCs) by modifying the ratio of the alginate-gelatin composition.

A novel in vitro model for cancer stem cell culture using ectopically expressed piwil2 stable cell line.

Objective: Piwil2, a member of Ago/Piwi gene family containing Piwi and PAZ domains, has been shown to be ectopically expressed in different cancer cells, especially its remarkable expression in cancer stem cells (CSCs), and is also known to be essential for germ line stem cell self-renewal in various organisms. The hypothesis that CSC may hold the key to the central problem of clinical oncology and tumor relapse leads to more anticancer treatment studies. Due to emerging controversies and extreme difficulties in studying of CSC, like the cells using in vivo models, more attempts have expended to establish different in vitro models.