Publications by authors named "Sharanjot Saini"

Article Synopsis
  • Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a severe form of prostate cancer that's resistant to standard treatments, which currently rely only on toxic platinum drugs.
  • A study developed engineered exosomes designed to target the CEACAM5 surface protein in NEPC cells, loading them with drugs that inhibit EZH2 and the androgen receptor to effectively combat cancer progression.
  • In tests, these targeted exosomes significantly reduced NEPC cell viability and tumor size in animal models, suggesting a promising new treatment strategy that could be adapted for other cancers.
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The molecular basis of prostate cancer (PCa) progression from the primary disease to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) followed by therapy-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer is not fully understood. In this study, we elucidate the role of miR-410, a little-studied microRNA located on chromosome 14q32.31 within the DLK1-DIO3 cluster, in PCa.

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Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and associated lower urinary tract symptoms affect a large percentage of the male population and places a substantial burden on the world health system. Current therapies include 5-alpha reductase inhibitors and alpha-blockers that are only partially effective and pose a huge economic burden, emphasizing the urgent need for effective, economical therapies. We isolated nanovesicles from pomegranate juice (Punica Granatum) (referred to as 'POM-NVs') and report to our knowledge for the first time, that these vesicles possess therapeutic potential against BPH.

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Therapy-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a highly lethal variant of prostate cancer that is increasing in incidence with the increased use of next-generation of androgen receptor (AR) pathway inhibitors. It arises a reversible trans-differentiation process, referred to as neuroendocrine differentiation (NED), wherein prostate cancer cells show decreased expression of AR and increased expression of neuroendocrine (NE) lineage markers including enolase 2 (ENO2), chromogranin A (CHGA) and synaptophysin (SYP). NEPC is associated with poor survival rates as these tumors are aggressive and often metastasize to soft tissues such as liver, lung and central nervous system despite low serum PSA levels relative to disease burden.

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Therapy-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (t-NEPC/NEPC) is an aggressive variant of prostate cancer (PCa) that frequently emerges in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) under the selective pressure of androgen receptor (AR)-targeted therapies. This variant is extremely aggressive, metastasizes to visceral organs, tissues, and bones despite low serum PSA, and is associated with poor survival rates. It arises via a reversible trans-differentiation process, referred to as 'neuroendocrine differentiation' (NED), wherein PCa cells undergo a lineage switch and exhibit neuroendocrine features, characterized by the expression of neuronal markers such as enolase 2 (ENO2), chromogranin A (CHGA), and synaptophysin (SYP).

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Catechol-estrogens can cause genetic mutations and to counteract their oncogenicity, the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is capable of neutralizing these reactive compounds. In this study, we determined the functional effects and regulation of COMT in prostate cancer. Both the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and immunohistochemical analysis of clinical specimens demonstrated a reduction of COMT expression in prostate cancer.

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Gene silencing in occurs by heterochromatin formation at the centromere (), mating-type () and telomere loci. It is mediated by silencing factors including Swi6, Clr1-4, Rhp6 and Pola. RNAi pathway also plays a role in establishment of silencing at the and loci.

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Article Synopsis
  • Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a highly aggressive form of prostate cancer that can develop after treatment with androgen inhibitors, making diagnosis difficult due to insufficient specific markers.
  • Researchers aimed to find new extracellular vesicle-based biomarkers for diagnosing NEPC by analyzing small RNA from serum EVs of CRPC patients and discovering 182 dysregulated miRNAs, leading to the creation of an 'EV-miRNA classifier' to differentiate NEPC from adenocarcinoma.
  • Their study highlights thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) as a specific protein biomarker, proposing that a combination of a miRNA panel and TSP1 can serve as effective, non-invasive diagnostic tools for NEPC, improving clinical management of this challenging condition
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Article Synopsis
  • Prostate cancer is a major health issue for men, primarily due to its tendency to metastasize to organs like bones, lungs, and liver, making early detection and understanding of metastasis mechanisms vital for treatment.
  • Intercellular communication plays a crucial role in how prostate cancer cells spread, involving both local interactions within the tumor's environment and long-range signaling to prepare distant sites for future metastasis.
  • Exosomes, which are tiny vesicles released from cells, facilitate this communication by carrying important biomolecules, and they are being studied for their potential as biomarkers and therapeutic tools in managing prostate cancer.
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Metastasis is the leading cause of mortality from kidney cancer, and understanding the underlying mechanism of this event will provide better strategies for its management. Here we investigated the biological, functional, and clinical significance of lncTCL6 and its interacting miR-155 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). We employed a comprehensive approach to investigate the lncTCL6-miR-155-Src/Akt-mediated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway as a novel regulatory mechanism in ccRCC progression.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prostate cancer is a major health concern in the U.S., with many cases progressing to advanced stages despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment.
  • Research highlights the deletion of the chromosome 8p region, which includes tumor-suppressor microRNAs (miRNAs), as a key factor in this progression, specifically noting miR-4287, which has not been previously studied.
  • The study found that miR-4287 is downregulated in tumor tissues and may serve as a potential diagnostic tool and therapeutic target by inhibiting metastasis and promoting cell cycle arrest in prostate cancer.
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Prostate cancer is a condition commonly associated with men worldwide. Androgen deprivation therapy remains one of the targeted therapies. However, after some years, there is biochemical recurrence and metastatic progression into castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

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This study investigated the role of the PI3K/Akt pathway in cadmium (Cd) induced malignant transformation of normal prostate epithelial (PWR1E and RWPE1) cells. Both PWR1E and RWPE1 cells were exposed to 10 μM Cd for one year and designated as Cd-PWR1E and Cd-RWPE1. Cd-RWPE1 cells robustly formed tumors in athymic nude mice.

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Therapy-induced neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), an extremely aggressive variant of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), is increasing in incidence with the widespread use of highly potent androgen receptor (AR)-pathway inhibitors (APIs) such as Enzalutamide (ENZ) and Abiraterone and arises via a reversible trans-differentiation process, referred to as neuroendocrine differentiation (NED). The molecular basis of NED is not completely understood leading to a lack of effective molecular markers for its diagnosis. Here, we demonstrate for the first time, that lineage switching to NE states is accompanied by key miRNA alterations including downregulation of miR-106a~363 cluster and upregulation of miR-301a and miR-375.

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The molecular heterogeneity of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) complicates the therapeutic interventions for advanced metastatic disease and thus its management remains a significant challenge. This study investigates the role of the lncRNA CDKN2B-AS1 and miR-141-3p interactions in the progression and metastasis of kidney cancer. Human renal cancer cell lines (ACHN and Caki1), normal RPTEC cells, tissue cohorts, and a series of in vitro assays and in vivo mouse model were used for this study.

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Ablation of androgen receptor (AR) signaling by androgen deprivation is the goal of the first line of therapy for prostate cancer that initially results in cancer regression. However, in a significant number of cases, the disease progresses to advanced, castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which has limited therapeutic options and is often aggressive. Distant metastasis is mostly observed at this stage of the aggressive disease.

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Purpose: Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), an aggressive variant of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), often emerges after androgen receptor-targeted therapies such as enzalutamide or , via trans-differentiation process of neuroendocrine differentiation. The mechanistic basis of neuroendocrine differentiation is poorly understood, contributing to lack of effective predictive biomarkers and late disease recognition. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of novel proneural it-ct-nc-domain transcription factors (TF) in NEPC and examine their potential as noninvasive predictive biomarkers.

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Prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in African-American (AA) than in European-American (EA) men. The main objective of this study was to elucidate the role of miR-130b as a contributor to prostate cancer health disparity in AA patients. We also determined whether miR-130b is a prognostic biomarker and a new therapeutic candidate for AA prostate cancer.

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The prostate cancer (PCa) genome is characterized by deletions of chromosome 8p21-22 region that increase significantly with tumor grade and are associated with poor prognosis. We proposed and validated a novel, paradigm-shifting hypothesis that this region is associated with a set of microRNA genes-miR-3622, miR-3622b, miR-383-that are lost in PCa and play important mechanistic roles in PCa progression and metastasis. Extending our hypothesis, in this study, we evaluated the role of a microRNA gene located in chromosome 8p-miR-4288-by employing clinical samples and cell lines.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prostate cancer is a serious health issue for men, leading to significant illness and is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths mainly due to metastatic disease.
  • The spread of prostate cancer is influenced by both internal cellular mechanisms and external factors, regulated by certain genes associated with metastasis.
  • Research indicates that microRNAs, which are small non-coding RNA molecules, play a crucial role in regulating these processes and show different expressions in primary vs. metastatic prostate cancer.
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Cytochrome P450 1B1 (CYP1B1) converts xenobiotics to carcinogens and how lifestyle choices may interact with CYP1B1 polymorphisms and affect prostate cancer risk was assessed. Blood genomic DNA from a Caucasian population was analysed at polymorphic sites of the 5' untranslated region of CYP1B1 using TaqMan genotyping assays. Overall, drinker status and minor alleles at rs2551188, rs2567206 and rs10175368 were associated with prostate cancer.

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The molecular heterogeneity of clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) makes prediction of disease progression and therapeutic response difficult. Thus, this report investigates the functional significance, mechanisms of action, and clinical utility of miR-182-5p and metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (), a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), in the regulation of kidney cancer using human kidney cancer tissues as well as and model systems. Profiling of miR-182-5p and in human renal cancer cells and clinical specimens was done by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR).

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates how miR-203 interacts with HOTAIR to suppress renal cell carcinoma (RCC) through various assays and a tumor model.
  • The results show that miR-203 is underexpressed while HOTAIR is overexpressed in RCC compared to normal tissues, and both play a significant role in distinguishing malignant from healthy cells.
  • Overexpression of miR-203 or suppression of HOTAIR inhibits RCC cell proliferation and migration, suggesting that targeting this interaction could be a potential therapeutic approach for RCC treatment.
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