Chromatin accessibility is central to basal and inducible gene expression. Through ATAC-seq experiments in estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer cell line MCF-7 and integration with multi-omics data, we found estradiol (E2) induced chromatin accessibility changes in a small number of breast cancer-relevant E2-regulated genes. As expected, open chromatin regions associated with E2-inducible gene expression showed enrichment of estrogen response element (ERE) and those associated with E2-repressible gene expression were enriched for ERE, PBX1, and PBX3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic hypoxia is associated with a variety of physiological conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, stroke, diabetic vasculopathy, epilepsy and cancer. At the molecular level, hypoxia manifests its effects via activation of HIF-dependent transcription. On the other hand, an important transcription factor p53, which controls a myriad of biological functions, is rendered transcriptionally inactive under hypoxic conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCancers exhibit a remarkable degree of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH), which results from complex cellular interactions amongst various cell types. This phenomenon provides an opportunity for clonal selection and growth advantages to aggressive cancer cell types, resulting in worse prognosis and challenges to anti-cancer therapy. Cell competition is a conserved mechanism operational in cellular and organ systems, which allows neighboring cells to compare their relative fitness levels and results in the elimination of viable but suboptimal cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn humans, the adaptive immune system uses the exchange of information between cells to detect and eliminate foreign or damaged cells; however, the removal of unwanted cells does not always require an adaptive immune system. For example, cell selection in Drosophila uses a cell selection mechanism based on 'fitness fingerprints', which allow it to delay ageing, prevent developmental malformations and replace old tissues during regeneration. At the molecular level, these fitness fingerprints consist of combinations of Flower membrane proteins.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFp53 is an important tumor-suppressor protein that is mutated in more than 50% of cancers. Strategies for restoring normal p53 function are complicated by the oncogenic properties of mutant p53 and have not met with clinical success. To counteract mutant p53 activity, a variety of drugs with the potential to reconvert mutant p53 to an active wildtype form have been developed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHeart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome that represents the end stage of heart disease and remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As heart failure mortality rates remain elevated, additional biomarkers that facilitate early detection or risk stratification in HF is of particularly great interest. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) cause the activation of intracellular signaling, gene expression, and production of inflammatory cytokines and have been linked to many inflammatory disease states such as diabetes mellitus and atherosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) to formulate γ-tocotrienol (GT3) in a nanoemulsion formulation as a prophylactic orally administered radioprotective agent; and (2) to optimize the storage conditions to preserve the structural integrity of both the formulation and the compound. γ-tocotrienol was incorporated into a nanoemulsion and lyophilized with lactose. Ultra performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (UPLC-MS) was used to monitor the chemical stability of GT3 over time, the particle size and ζ potential, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to study the physical stability of the nanoemulsion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with complex inflammatory pathways that lead to the development of secondary injuries such as cerebral ischaemia, elevated intracranial pressure and cognitive deficits. The association between intracellular danger signalling involving nuclear chromatin-binding factor, high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) and inflammatory pathways following TBI has not yet been fully understood.
Primary Objective: To comprehensively review the available literature regarding the potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic use of HMGB1 in TBI.