Microtubule-associated NAV3 regulates invasive phenotypes in glioblastoma cells.

Glioblastomas are aggressive brain tumors for which effective therapy is still lacking, resulting in dismal survival rates. These tumors display significant phenotypic plasticity, harboring diverse cell populations ranging from tumor core cells to dispersed, highly invasive cells. Neuron navigator 3 (NAV3), a microtubule-associated protein affecting microtubule growth and dynamics, is downregulated in various cancers, including glioblastoma, and has thus been considered a tumor suppressor.

Molecularly targeted protease-activated probes for visualization of glioblastoma: a comparison with 5-ALA.

Objective: The highly infiltrative growth of glioblastoma (GBM) makes distinction between the tumor and normal brain tissue challenging. Therefore, fluorescence-guided surgery is often used to improve visual identification of radiological tumor margins. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of recently developed molecularly targeted near-infrared (NIR) protease-activated probes to visualize GBM tissue and to compare the most promising candidate with the gold standard, 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA).

Critical appraisal of the piRNA-PIWI axis in cancer and cancer stem cells.

Small noncoding RNAs play an important role in various disease states, including cancer. PIWI proteins, a subfamily of Argonaute proteins, and PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) were originally described as germline-specific molecules that inhibit the deleterious activity of transposable elements. However, several studies have suggested a role for the piRNA-PIWI axis in somatic cells, including somatic stem cells.

Targeting fibroblast activation protein in cancer - Prospects and caveats.

Fibroblast activation protein (FAP, seprase) is a serine protease with post-proline dipeptidyl peptidase and endopeptidase enzymatic activity. FAP is upregulated in several tumor types, while its expression in healthy adult tissues is scarce. FAP molecule itself and FAP+ stromal cells play an important although probably context-dependent and tumor type-specific pathogenetic role in tumor progression.

Analysis of dermal fibroblasts isolated from neonatal and child cleft lip and adult skin: Developmental implications on reconstructive surgery.

The nonsyndromic cleft is one of the most frequent congenital defects in humans. Clinical data demonstrated improved and almost scarless neonatal healing of reparative surgery. Based on our previous results on crosstalk between neonatal fibroblasts and adult keratinocytes, the present study focused on characterization of fibroblasts prepared from cleft lip tissue samples of neonates and older children, and compared them with samples isolated from normal adult skin (face and breast) and scars.

Functional differences between neonatal and adult fibroblasts and keratinocytes: Donor age affects epithelial-mesenchymal crosstalk in vitro.

Clinical evidence suggests that healing is faster and almost scarless at an early neonatal age in comparison with that in adults. In this study, the phenotypes of neonatal and adult dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes (nestin, smooth muscle actin, keratin types 8, 14 and 19, and fibronectin) were compared. Furthermore, functional assays (proliferation, migration, scratch wound closure) including mutual epithelial‑mesenchymal interactions were also performed to complete the series of experiments.

Simultaneous blocking of IL-6 and IL-8 is sufficient to fully inhibit CAF-induced human melanoma cell invasiveness.

Tumour microenvironment plays a critical role in cell invasion and metastasis. To investigate the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in melanoma cell invasiveness, we used 3D spheroid invasion assay. The effect of conditioned media from normal fibroblasts and CAFs cultivated alone or co-cultivated with melanoma cells on BLM or A2058 melanoma spheroid invasion was analysed.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are not formed from cancer cells by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in nu/nu mice.

Cancer-associated fibroblasts are bioactive elements influencing the biological properties of malignant tumors. Their origin from different cell types has been established, and the possibility of their formation by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition from cancer cells is under debate. This study shows that human cancer cells grafted to nu/nu mice induced formation of tumor stroma with the presence of typical smooth muscle actin-containing cancer-associated fibroblasts.