Epigenetic deregulation in breast cancer microenvironment: Implications for tumor progression and therapeutic strategies.

Breast cancer comprises a substantial proportion of cancer diagnoses in women and is a primary cause of cancer-related mortality. While hormone-responsive cases generally have a favorable prognosis, the aggressive nature of triple-negative breast cancer presents challenges, with intrinsic resistance to established treatments being a persistent issue. The complexity intensifies with the emergence of acquired resistance, further complicating the management of breast cancer.

Chemotherapy-triggered changes in stromal compartment drive tumor invasiveness and progression of breast cancer.

Background: Chemotherapy remains a standard treatment option for breast cancer despite its toxic effects to normal tissues. However, the long-lasting effects of chemotherapy on non-malignant cells may influence tumor cell behavior and response to treatment. Here, we have analyzed the effects of doxorubicin (DOX) and paclitaxel (PAC), commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, on the survival and cellular functions of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), which comprise an important part of breast tumor microenvironment.

Napabucasin overcomes cisplatin resistance in ovarian germ cell tumor-derived cell line by inhibiting cancer stemness.

Background: Cisplatin resistance of ovarian yolk sac tumors (oYST) is a clinical challenge due to dismal patient prognosis, even though the disease is extremely rare. We investigated potential association between cisplatin resistance and cancer stem cell (CSC) markers in chemoresistant oYST cells and targeting strategies to overcome resistance in oYST.

Methods: Chemoresistant cells were derived from chemosensitive human oYST cells by cultivation in cisplatin in vitro.

Permanent Pro-Tumorigenic Shift in Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Induced by Breast Malignancy.

During cancer progression, breast tumor cells interact with adjacent adipose tissue, which has been shown to be engaged in cancer aggressiveness. However, the tumor-directed changes in adipose tissue-resident stromal cells affected by the tumor-stroma communication are still poorly understood. The acquired changes might remain in the tissue even after tumor removal and may contribute to tumor relapse.

Disulfiram Overcomes Cisplatin Resistance in Human Embryonal Carcinoma Cells.

Cisplatin resistance in testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) is a clinical challenge. We investigated the underlying mechanisms associated with cancer stem cell (CSC) markers and modalities circumventing the chemoresistance. Chemoresistant models (designated as CisR) of human embryonal carcinoma cell lines NTERA-2 and NCCIT were derived and characterized using flow cytometry, gene expression, functional and protein arrays.

Novel Insights into the Effect of Hyperforin and Photodynamic Therapy with Hypericin on Chosen Angiogenic Factors in Colorectal Micro-Tumors Created on Chorioallantoic Membrane.

Photodynamic therapy with hypericin (HY-PDT) and hyperforin (HP) could be treatment modalities for colorectal cancer (CRC), but evidence of their effect on angiogenic factors in CRC is missing. Convenient experimental model utilization is essential for angiogenesis research. Therefore, not only 2D cell models, but also 3D cell models and micro-tumors were used and compared.

CAIX Regulates Invadopodia Formation through Both a pH-Dependent Mechanism and Interplay with Actin Regulatory Proteins.

Tumor metastasis is tightly linked with invasive membrane protrusions, invadopodia, formed by actively invading tumor cells. Hypoxia and pH modulation play a role in the invadopodia formation and in their matrix degradation ability. Tumor-associated carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX), induced by hypoxia, is essential for pH regulation and migration, predisposing it as an active component of invadopodia.

Detection of Breast Cancer Cells Using Acoustics Aptasensor Specific to HER2 Receptors.

Detection of the breast cancer cells is important for early diagnosis of the cancer. We applied thickness shear mode acoustics method (TSM) for detection of SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells using DNA aptamers specific to HER2 positive membrane receptors. The biotinylated aptamers were immobilized at the neutravidin layer chemisorbed at gold surface of TSM transducer.

Recent advances in understanding tumor stroma-mediated chemoresistance in breast cancer.

Although solid tumors comprise malignant cells, they also contain many different non-malignant cell types in their micro-environment. The cellular components of the tumor stroma consist of immune and endothelial cells combined with a heterogeneous population of stromal cells which include cancer-associated fibroblasts. The bi-directional interactions between tumor and stromal cells therefore substantially affect tumor cell biology.

Type 3 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor has antiapoptotic and proliferative role in cancer cells.

Although the involvement of type 1 (IPR1) and type 2 (IPR2) inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors in apoptosis induction has been well documented in different cancer cells and tissues, the function of type 3 IPR (IPR3) is still elusive. Therefore, in this work we focused on the role of IPR3 in tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. We determined increased expression of this receptor in clear cell renal cell carcinoma compared to matched unaffected part of the kidney from the same patient.

DNA Aptamers in the Detection of Leukemia Cells by the Thickness Shear Mode Acoustics Method.

By using the thickness shear mode acoustics method (TSM) and single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) we studied the interactions between DNA aptamers (sgc8c) specific to the protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7), which is localized in the membranes of leukemia lymphoblastics (MOLT-4), and lymphocyte (Jurkat) cell lines, as well with PTK7-negative U266 myeloid leukemia cells. The TSM method allowed the development of a highly sensitive, label-free biosensor for the detection leukemia cells with a limit of detection of (195±20) cells/mL. SMFS approved the high selectivity of the sgc8c aptamers to the PTK7 receptors at the cell surface and allowed determining the binding probability of the aptamers to the PTK7 receptors at different cell lines.

Hypericin fluorescence kinetics in the presence of low density lipoproteins: study on quail CAM assay for topical delivery.

There has been increasing interest in fluorescence-based imaging techniques in clinical practice, with the aim to detect and visualize the tumour configuration and the border with healthy tissue. Strong photodynamic activity of hypericin (Hyp) can be improved by various molecular transport systems (e.g.