Epigenetic alterations of a novel antioxidant gene predispose susceptible individuals to increased risk of esophageal cancer.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) occurs with the highest frequency in China, especially in the high-risk Northern Chinese. Recent studies have reported that is significantly downregulated in non-tumor (NT) esophageal tissues from familial ESCC patients compared with those from sporadic ESCC. However, the mechanism of how regulates familial ESCC remains unknown.

FZD7 is a novel prognostic marker and promotes tumor metastasis via WNT and EMT signaling pathways in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Frizzled (FZD) proteins are receptors for secreted WNT proteins and play a critical role in the malignant progression of various cancers. However, the role of human FZD family members in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was rarely investigated. In this study, we found that the gene was the most commonly up-regulated member in ESCC cell lines compared with other .

Reg4 protects against acinar cell necrosis in experimental pancreatitis.

Background and aims Reg4 is a recently discovered member of the regenerating gene family with distinctive expression profiles in primary cancers. To date, the physiological function of Reg4 is poorly understood. Previously, the authors found that Reg4 was markedly upregulated during acute pancreatitis (AP).

Expression, purification, and characterization of a novel soluble form of human Delta-like-1.

The notch signaling pathway plays an important role in inhibiting cell differentiation and enhancing the repopulation capability of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. In this study, we developed rhDSL, a novel soluble form of Notch ligand Delta-like-1, which contains the DSL domain and the N-terminal sequence of the ligand, and investigated its function in ex vivo expansion of human umbilical cord blood (UCB)-primitive hematopoietic cells. The coding sequence for rhDSL was cloned into a pQE30 vector, and the recombinant rhDSL, fused with a 6x His tag, was expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies after isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactoside induction.