Selection and Application of Aptamer Affinity for Protein Purification.

Aptamers are affinity-based oligonucleotide ligands raised against a target molecule, which might be of proteic or other nature. Aptamers are developed by using a reiterative in vitro selection procedure, named SELEX, in which the target is exposed to a combinatorial oligonucleotide combinatorial library. Target bound oligonucleotides are eluted, and PCR amplified followed by the next SELEX round.

Pulmonary Neuroendocrine Neoplasms Overexpressing Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Mechanical Barriers Genes Lack Immune-Suppressive Response and Present an Increased Risk of Metastasis.

Typical carcinoids (TC), atypical carcinoids (AC), large cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (LCNEC), and small cell lung carcinomas (SCLC) encompass a bimodal spectrum of metastatic tumors with morphological, histological and histogenesis differences, The hierarchical structure reveals high cohesiveness between neoplastic cells by mechanical desmosomes barrier assembly in carcinoid tumors and LCNEC, while SCLC does not present an organoid arrangement in morphology, the neoplastic cells are less cohesive. However, the molecular mechanisms that lead to PNENs metastasis remain largely unknown and require further study. In this work, epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) transcription factors were evaluated using a set of twenty-four patients with surgically resected PNENs, including carcinomas.

Variants in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Immune Checkpoint Genes Are Associated With Immune Cell Profiles and Predict Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Context.—: Identification of gene mutations that are indicative of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and a noninflammatory immune phenotype may be important for predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Objective.

Usefulness of complementary next-generation sequencing and quantitative immunohistochemistry panels for predicting brain metastases and selecting treatment outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer.

To demonstrate the usefulness of complementary next-generation sequencing (NGS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) counting, we analyzed 196 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent surgical resection and adjuvant chemotherapy. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples of adenocarcinoma (ADC), squamous cell carcinoma, and large cell carcinoma were used to prepare tissue microarrays and were examined by protein H-score IHC image analysis and NGS for oncogenes and proto-oncogenes and genes of tumor suppressors, immune checkpoints, epithelial-mesenchymal transition factors, tyrosine kinase receptors, and vascular endothelial growth factors. In patients with brain metastases, primary tumors expressed lower PIK3CA protein levels.

Biomolecular analysis of matrix proteoglycans as biomarkers in non small cell lung cancer.

Matrix proteoglycans (PGs) have shown promise as biomarker in malignancies. We employed agarose gel eletrophoresis, quantitative real- time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry to evaluate the content of sulfated glicosaminoglycans (chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate) and expression of PG (biglycan, glypican, perlecan, syndecan e versican) in patient-matched normal and tumor tissues obtained from resected specimens of lung cancer. A significant increase of heparan sulfate (HS) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) concentrations was found in tumor tissue samples when compared to normal lung tissue samples.

Lung cancer in Brazil: epidemiology and treatment challenges.

Lung cancer persists throughout the world as a major cause of death. In 2014, data from the Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA) estimated 16.400 new cases of lung cancer among men (second most common) and 10.

DNA nanoparticle-mediated thymulin gene therapy prevents airway remodeling in experimental allergic asthma.

Thymulin has been shown to present anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic properties in experimental lung diseases. We hypothesized that a biologically active thymulin analog gene, methionine serum thymus factor, delivered by highly compacted DNA nanoparticles may prevent lung inflammation and remodeling in a mouse model of allergic asthma. The DNA nanoparticles are composed of a single molecule of plasmid DNA compacted with block copolymers of poly-L-lysine and polyethylene glycol (CK30PEG), which have been found safe in a human phase I/II clinical trial.

Hyaluronidase splice variants are associated with histology and outcome in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Heterogeneity of hyaluronidase (HYAL) expression has been identified in tumors and shows promise as an indicator of disease progression. The expression profile of alternatively spliced forms of HYAL was evaluated in tumors and normal lung tissue from 69 resected tumors of patients with adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. HYAL1-wild-type (wt) and variants 1 to 5, HYAL2-wt, and HYAL3-wt, and variants 1 to 3 were identified by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing.

Isoforms of hyaluronidases can be a predictor of a prostate cancer of good prognosis.

Introduction: Hyaluronidases (HAases) are enzymes related to cancer progression. Isoforms of HAases have been described as products of alternative splicing responsible for differences in enzyme activity. The heterogeneity of HAase expression has been identified in tumors and could be related to the differences in their biological behavior.