Publications by authors named "Moammir H Aziz"

Cancer metastasis is a major reason for the cancer-associated deaths and a role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in cancer metastasis is increasingly being realized. Among the many oncogenic pathways, NF-κB signalling's involvement in cancer metastasis as a key inflammation-regulatory transcription factor has been a subject of interest for long time. Accumulating data from in vitro as well as in vivo studies along with analysis of clinical cancer tissues points to regulation of NF-κB signalling by lncRNAs with implications toward the onset of cancer metastasis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Skin cancer is a major health problem worldwide. It is the most common cancer in the United States and poses a significant healthcare burden. Excessive UVR exposure is the most common cause of skin cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Macrophage accumulation is a critical step during development of chronic inflammation, initiating progression of many devastating diseases. Leukocyte-specific integrin αβ (CD11d/CD18) is dramatically upregulated on macrophages at inflammatory sites. Previously we found that CD11d overexpression on cell surfaces inhibits in vitro cell migration due to excessive adhesion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Earlier age at menarche is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Our previous study identified Nrip1 (also known as Rip140) as a candidate gene for delaying female sexual maturation (FSM) and found that knocking out Nrip1 could significantly delay FSM in mice. To investigate the effects of NRIP1 in breast cancer we used human cell lines and tissue arrays along with an in vivo study of DMBA-induced carcinogenesis in Nrip1 knockout mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that can promote apoptosis or survival in a cell-specific manner. Activated GR has been reported to inhibit apoptosis in mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells by increasing pro-survival gene expression. In this study, activated GR inhibited p53-dependent apoptosis in MCF10A cells and human mammary epithelial cells that overexpress the MYC oncogene.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

We have reported that protein kinase C epsilon (PKCε) expression level in epidermis dictates the susceptibility of mice to the development of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) elicited either by repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) or by the DMBA-TPA tumor promotion protocol. To find clues about the mechanism by which PKCε mediates susceptibility to UVR-induced development of SCC, we found that PKCε-over-expressing transgenic mice, as compared to their wild-type littermates, when exposed to UVR, elicit enhanced phosphorylation of Stat3 at Ser727 residues. Stat3 is constitutively activated in SCC and UVR fails to induce SCC in Stat3 mutant mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic exposure to UVR is the major etiologic factor in the development of human skin cancers including squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC). We have previously shown that protein Kinase C epsilon (PKCepsilon) transgenic mice on FVB/N background, which overexpress PKCepsilon protein approximately eightfold over endogenous levels in epidermis, exhibit about threefold more sensitivity than wild-type littermates to UVR-induced development of SCC. To determine whether it is PKCepsilon and not the mouse genetic background that determines susceptibility to UVR carcinogenesis, we cross-bred PKCepsilon FVB/N transgenic mice with SKH-1 hairless mice to generate PKCepsilon-overexpressing SKH-1 hairless mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein kinase C (PKC)epsilon overexpression in FVB/N transgenic mice sensitized skin to UVR-induced development of squamous cell carcinomas and suppressed formation of sunburn cells, which are DNA-damaged keratinocytes undergoing apoptosis. Here, we elucidated the mechanisms associated with the inhibition of UVR-induced appearance of sunburn cells in PKCepsilon transgenic mice. We found that the inhibition of UVR-induced sunburn cell formation in PKCepsilon transgenic mice may be the result of the inhibition of the expression of Fas, Fas ligand, and the mammalian death adaptor protein termed Fas-associated with death domain (FADD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. Hormone-refractory invasive PCa is the end stage and accounts for the majority of PCa patient deaths. We present here that plumbagin (PL), a quinoid constituent isolated from the root of the medicinal plant Plumbago zeylanica L.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men and ranks second only to lung cancer in cancer-related deaths. The management of locally advanced prostate cancer is difficult because the cancer often becomes hormone insensitive and unresponsive to current chemotherapeutic agents. Knowledge about the regulatory molecules involved in the transformation to androgen-independent prostate cancer is essential for the rational design of agents to prevent and treat prostate cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein kinase C (PKC) represents a large family of phosphatidylserine (PS)-dependent serine/threonine protein kinases. At least six PKC isoforms (alpha, delta, epsilon, eta, micro, and zeta) are expressed in epidermis. PKC is a major intracellular receptor for 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and is also activated by a variety of stress factors including ultraviolet radiation (UVR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic exposure to UV radiation (UVR) is the major etiologic factor in the development of human skin cancers including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We have shown that protein kinase C(epsilon) (PKC(epsilon)), a Ca(2+)-independent, phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinase, is an endogenous photosensitizer. PKC(epsilon) is among the six isoforms (alpha, delta, epsilon, eta, mu, and zeta) expressed in both mouse and human skin.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer is a major health problem in the U.S. and the available treatment and surgical options have proven to be inadequate in controlling the mortality and morbidity associated with this disease.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein kinase C (PKC) represents a large family of phosphatidylserine (PS)-dependent serine/threonine protein kinases. At least five PKC isoforms (alpha, delta, epsilon, eta, and zeta) are expressed in epidermal keratinocytes. PKC isoforms are differentially expressed in proliferative (basal layer) and nonproliferative compartments (spinous, granular, cornified layers), which exhibit divergence in their roles in the regulation of epidermal cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Protein kinase C delta (PKCdelta), a Ca(2+)-independent, phospholipid-dependent serine/threonine kinase, is among the novel PKCs (delta, epsilon, and eta) expressed in mouse epidermis. We reported that FVB/N transgenic mice that overexpress ( approximately 8-fold) PKCdelta protein in basal epidermal cells and cells of the hair follicle are resistant to the development of both skin papillomas and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) elicited by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene initiation and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promotion protocol. We now present that PKCdelta overexpression in transgenic mice failed to suppress the induction of SCC developed by repeated exposures to UV radiation (UVR), the environmental carcinogen linked to the development of human SCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cancer of the prostate gland (CaP), the most common invasive malignancy and a major cause of cancer related deaths in male population in the USA, is an ideal candidate disease for chemoprevention because it is typically detected in elderly population with a relatively slower rate of growth and progression. Many dietary phytochemicals are showing promising chemopreventive effects, at-least in pre-clinical models of CaP. Our published data in cell culture and animal studies, supported by the work from other laboratories, as well as epidemiological observations and case-control studies, suggest that polyphenols present in green tea possess CaP chemopreventive and possibly therapeutic effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding the molecular determinants of ultraviolet (UV) response may lead to the development of novel targets; and therefore, better approaches for the management of cancers, which mainly arise due to the exposure of skin to UV (particularly its UVB spectrum). Signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) proteins have been shown to activate multiple signaling pathways to contribute to oncogenesis. Here, we studied the regulation of Stat3 during UVB exposure-mediated responses in the skin of SKH-1 hairless mouse, a model regarded to possess relevance to human situations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

According to the World Cancer Report, skin cancer constitutes approximately 30% of all newly diagnosed cancers in the world, and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (particularly, its UVB component; 290-320 nm) is an established cause of approximately 90% of skin cancers. The available options have proven to be inadequate for the management of skin cancers. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop mechanism-based novel approaches for prevention/therapy of skin cancer.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Understanding of the mechanism of ultraviolet (UV)-mediated cutaneous damages is far from complete. The cancer-specific expression of Survivin, a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis family of proteins, coupled with its importance in inhibiting cell death and in regulating cell division, makes it a target for cancer treatment. This study was designed to investigate the modulation of Survivin during UV response, both in vitro and in vivo.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in the United States, and multiple exposures to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation (particularly its UV-B component, 290-320 nm), is its major cause. 'Chemoprevention' by naturally occurring agents is being appreciated as a newer dimension in the management of neoplasia including skin cancer. We recently demonstrated that resveratrol (trans-3, 5, 4-trihydroxystilbene), an antioxidant found in grapes, red wines and a variety of nuts and berries, imparts protection from acute UV-B-mediated cutaneous damages in SKH-1 hairless mice.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in males in the United States. This warrants the development of novel mechanism-based strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of prostate cancer. Several studies have shown that plant-derived alkaloids possess remarkable anticancer effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Multiple exposures to solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation cause critical damages that may lead to the development of several cutaneous disorders including skin cancer, the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in the USA. Therefore, efforts are needed to: (i) study the mechanism(s) of UV-mediated cutaneous damages, and (ii) design novel approaches for the management of skin cancer. 'Chemoprevention' via plant-based agents may be a useful approach for the management of neoplasia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Oleandrin, derived from the leaves of Nerium oleander, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and tumor cell growth-inhibitory effects. Here, we provide evidence that oleandrin could possess anti-tumor promoting effects. We determined the effect of topical application of oleandrin to CD-1 mice against l2-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), a widely studied skin tumor promoter, -induced conventional and novel markers of skin tumor promotion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sanguinarine, derived from the root of Sanguinaria canadensis and other poppy fumaria species, possesses strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. We earlier showed that sanguinarine kills human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells via an induction of apoptosis [N. Ahmad et al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF