Derivation of pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma cell line HS-1 as a patient-derived tumor organoid.

Acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) of the pancreas is a malignant tumor of the exocrine cell lineage with a poor prognosis. Due to its rare incidence and technical difficulties, few authentic human cell lines are currently available, hampering detailed investigations of ACC. Therefore, we applied the organoid culture technique to various types of specimens, such as bile, biopsy, and resected tumor, obtained from a single ACC patient.

Transcriptomic analysis reveals high ITGB1 expression as a predictor for poor prognosis of pancreatic cancer.

Transcriptomic analysis of cancer samples helps identify the mechanism and molecular markers of cancer. However, transcriptomic analyses of pancreatic cancer from the Japanese population are lacking. Hence, in this study, we performed RNA sequencing of fresh and frozen pancreatic cancer tissues from 12 Japanese patients to identify genes critical for the clinical pathology of pancreatic cancer among the Japanese population.

Machine learning with imaging features to predict the expression of ITGAV, which is a poor prognostic factor derived from transcriptome analysis in pancreatic cancer.

Radiogenomics has attracted attention for predicting the molecular biological characteristics of tumors from clinical images, which are originally a collection of numerical values, such as computed tomography (CT) scans. A prediction model using genetic information is constructed using thousands of image features extracted and calculated from these numerical values. In the present study, RNA sequencing of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) tissues from 12 patients was performed to identify genes useful in evaluating clinical pathology, and 107 PDAC samples were immunostained to verify the obtained findings.

The Thioredoxin-1 Inhibitor, PX-12, Suppresses Local Osteosarcoma Progression.

Background/aim: The thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) inhibitor, PX-12, is active against several cancer types. This study aimed to evaluate its effects on local osteosarcoma (OS) progression and to describe PX-12-related signal transduction pathways.

Materials And Methods: Publicly available expression cohort data were analyzed to determine the relationship between the expression levels of TXN, which codes for the Trx protein, and survival in patients with OS.

Prediction of the differences in tumor mutation burden between primary and metastatic lesions by radiogenomics.

Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is gaining attention as a biomarker for responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer patients. In this study, we evaluated the status of TMB in primary and liver metastatic lesions in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). In addition, the status of TMB in primary and liver metastatic lesions was inferred by radiogenomics on the basis of computed tomography (CT) images.

The Thioredoxin Reductase Inhibitor Auranofin Suppresses Pulmonary Metastasis of Osteosarcoma, But Not Local Progression.

Background/aim: Auranofin (AUR), a thioredoxin reductase (TXNRD) inhibitor, shows anticancer activity against several cancers. This study investigated the effects of AUR on the local progression and pulmonary metastasis of osteosarcoma (OS).

Materials And Methods: Publicly available expression cohorts were analysed to study the relationship between TXNRD-2 expression and the survival of patients with OS.

CD133 prevents colon cancer cell death induced by serum deprivation through activation of Akt-mediated protein synthesis and inhibition of apoptosis.

During the early phase of tumorigenesis, primary malignant cells survive within a low nutrition environment caused by a poorly organized vascular system. Here, we sought to determine the functional significance of CD133 in the survival of cancer cells under nutrient-poor conditions. Knockdown and overexpression experiments demonstrated that CD133 suppresses colon cancer cell death induced by serum deprivation through activation of Akt-mediated anti-apoptosis and protein synthesis pathways.

PTPRK suppresses progression and chemo-resistance of colon cancer cells via direct inhibition of pro-oncogenic CD133.

Receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase κ (PTPRK) is considered to be a candidate tumor suppressor. PTPRK dephosphorylates CD133, which is a stem cell marker; phosphorylated CD133 accelerates xenograft tumor growth of colon cancer cells through the activation of AKT, but the functional significance of this has remained elusive. In this study, we have demonstrated that knockdown of PTPRK potentiates the pro-oncogenic CD133-AKT pathway in colon cancer cells.

Histone deacetylase 2 is involved in DNA damage-mediated cell death of human osteosarcoma cells through stimulation of the ATM/p53 pathway.

Tumor suppressor p53 is a short-lived nuclear transcription factor, which becomes stabilized and activated in response to a wide variety of cellular stresses. Around 50% of human cancer tissues carry mutations, and certain mutations contribute to chemoresistance. In the present study, we found that histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) acts as a co-activator of tumor suppressor p53 and participates in the early molecular events following DNA damage.

Hydrophobic structure of hairpin ten-ring pyrrole-imidazole polyamides enhances tumor tissue accumulation/retention in vivo.

To examine the hydrophobic structure of PI polyamides on tumor accumulation in vivo, PI polyamide-fluorescein conjugates 1-5 with the distinct number of N-methylimidazole (Im) units were synthesized. There existed an inverse relationship between the Im unit number of the compounds and their hydrophobicity. Compound 1 with one Im unit and 3 with three Im units accumulated and retained preferentially in tumor tissues compared to 5 with five Im units.

Impact of RUNX2 gene silencing on the gemcitabine sensitivity of p53‑mutated pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa‑2 spheres.

Recently, it has been well‑recognized that the response toward anticancer drugs differs between two‑ and three‑dimensional (2D and 3D) in vitro cancer cell growth models. In the present study, we have demonstrated that, similar to the conventional 2D monolayer culture systems which often lack in vivo physiological insights, RUNX2 gene silencing increases the gemcitabine (GEM) sensitivity of the 3D spheres generated from p53‑mutated pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa‑2 cells. According to our results, MiaPaCa‑2 cells, but not p53‑wild‑type pancreatic cancer SW1990 cells efficiently formed sphere structures in serum‑free sphere‑forming medium.

Cancer-Type OATP1B3 mRNA in Extracellular Vesicles as a Promising Candidate for a Serum-Based Colorectal Cancer Biomarker.

Cancer-type organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (Ct-OATP1B3) mRNA is a variant isoform of the liver-type OATP1B3. Because Ct-OATP1B3 mRNA shows an excellent cancer-specific expression profile in colorectal cancer (CRC), and that its expression levels are associated with CRC prognosis, it holds the potential to become a useful CRC detection and diagnosis biomarker. While the potential is currently justified only at the tissue level, if existence of Ct-OATP1B3 mRNA in CRC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) is validated, the findings could enhance its translational potential as a CRC detection and diagnosis biomarker.

Depletion of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) enhances SAHA sensitivity of p53-mutated pancreatic cancer cells through the regulation of mutant p53 and TAp63.

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) represents one of the new class of anti-cancer drugs. However, multiple lines of clinical evidence indicate that SAHA might be sometimes ineffective on certain solid tumors including pancreatic cancer. In this study, we have found for the first time that RUNX2/mutant p53/TAp63-regulatory axis has a pivotal role in the determination of SAHA sensitivity of p53-mutated pancreatic cancer MiaPaCa-2 cells.

Cancer-type OATP1B3 mRNA has the potential to become a detection and prognostic biomarker for human colorectal cancer.

Aim: We aimed to clarify diagnostic and prognostic biomarker potentials of cancer-type organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (Ct-OATP1B3) mRNA in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients.

Patients & Methods: Ct-OATP1B3 mRNA levels in 97 CRC and adjacent normal colon tissues were measured by real-time PCR. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and the Kaplan-Meier curve analysis were performed to characterize its biomarker potentials.

Depletion of pro-oncogenic RUNX2 enhances gemcitabine (GEM) sensitivity of p53-mutated pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells through the induction of pro-apoptotic TAp63.

Recently, we have described that siRNA-mediated silencing of runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) improves anti-cancer drug gemcitabine (GEM) sensitivity of p53-deficient human pancreatic cancer AsPC-1 cells through the augmentation of p53 family TAp63-dependent cell death pathway. In this manuscript, we have extended our study to p53-mutated human pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells. According to our present results, knockdown of mutant p53 alone had a marginal effect on GEM-mediated cell death of Panc-1 cells.

Novel Implications of DNA Damage Response in Drug Resistance of Malignant Cancers Obtained from the Functional Interaction between p53 Family and RUNX2.

During the lifespan of cells, their genomic DNA is continuously exposed to theendogenous and exogenous DNA insults. Thus, the appropriate cellular response to DNAdamage plays a pivotal role in maintaining genomic integrity and also acts as a molecularbarrier towards DNA legion-mediated carcinogenesis. The tumor suppressor p53 participatesin an integral part of proper regulation of DNA damage response (DDR).

Fas ligand DNA enhances a vaccination effect by coadministered DNA encoding a tumor antigen through augmenting production of antibody against the tumor antigen.

Interaction of Fas and Fas ligand (FasL) plays an important role in the regulation of immune responses by inducing apoptosis of activated cells; however, a possible role of FasL in DNA vaccination has not been well understood. We examined whether administration of DNA encoding FasL gene enhanced antitumor effects in mice that were vaccinated with DNA expressing a putative tumor antigen gene, β-galactosidase (β-gal). Growth of β-gal-positive Colon 26 tumors was retarded in the syngeneic mice immunized with β-gal and FasL DNA compared with those vaccinated with β-gal or FasL DNA.

Unique expression features of cancer-type organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 mRNA expression in human colon and lung cancers.

Background: We have previously identified the cancer-type organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B3 (Ct-OATP1B3) mRNA in several human colon and lung cancer tissues. Ct-OATP1B3 is a variant of the liver-type OATP1B3 (Lt-OATP1B3) mRNA, which is a hepatocyte plasma membrane transporter with broad substrate specificity. However, in cancer tissues, both the detailed characteristics of Ct-OATP1B3 mRNA expression and its biological functions remain unclear.

Novel 1p tumour suppressor Dnmt1-associated protein 1 regulates MYCN/ataxia telangiectasia mutated/p53 pathway.

Neuroblastoma (NB) is a paediatric solid tumour which originates from sympathetic nervous tissues. Deletions in chromosome 1p are frequently found in unfavourable NBs and are correlated with v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene neuroblastoma derived homolog (MYCN) amplification; however, it remains to be elucidated how the 1p loss contributes to MYCN-related oncogenic processes in NB. In this study, we identified the role of Dnmt1-associated protein 1 (DMAP1), coded on chromosome 1p34, in the processes.

Expression of a murine homolog of apoptosis-inducing human IL-24/MDA-7 in murine tumors fails to induce apoptosis or produce anti-tumor effects.

Expression of human interleukin (IL)-24 in tumors achieved anti-tumor effects through apoptosis. IL-24 also induced secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, suggesting the role in immunity. We showed that murine IL-24 transcripts started from the second initiation codon and that expressed mIL-24 in tumors failed to induce apoptosis.

CD70 is selectively expressed on Th1 but not on Th2 cells and is required for Th1-type immune responses.

The interaction between CD27 and CD70 provides a costimulatory signal for T-cell survival. Although the role of CD27 signaling in CD8(+) T cells has been well defined, its role in CD4(+) T cells is relatively unknown. Here, we report that CD70 is specifically expressed on differentiated T-helper (Th)1 cells, but not on Th2 cells.

CREB represses p53-dependent transactivation of MDM2 through the complex formation with p53 and contributes to p53-mediated apoptosis in response to glucose deprivation.

Recently, we have described that CREB (cAMP-responsive element-binding protein) has the ability to transactivate tumor suppressor p53 gene in response to glucose deprivation. In this study, we have found that CREB forms a complex with p53 and represses p53-mediated transactivation of MDM2 but not of p21(WAF1). Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that CREB interacts with p53 in response to glucose deprivation.

Bmi1 regulates cell fate via tumor suppressor WWOX repression in small-cell lung cancer cells.

Mortality from lung cancer is important worldwide. Recently, epigenetic aberration of lung cancer, not only genomic DNA methylation but also chromatin modification, has become an important target for lung cancer research, although previous research has demonstrated that lung cancer develops as a result of both environmental and genetic factors. Here, we demonstrated that an epigenetic regulator/polycomb group protein Bmi1 is more highly expressed in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) than in non-small-cell lung cancer by immunohistochemical analysis.

MDM2 promotes the proteasomal degradation of p73 through the interaction with Itch in HeLa cells.

It has been shown that MDM2 inhibits the transcriptional and pro-apoptotic activities of p73 but does not promote its proteasomal degradation. In this study, we found that MDM2 indirectly induces the degradation of p73 through the interaction with Itch in HeLa cells. During adriamycin (ADR)-mediated apoptosis, p53 and p73 were induced to stabilize in association with a significant reduction of MDM2 and Itch, suggesting that, in addition to Itch, MDM2 could also be involved in the stability control of p73.