Malate initiates a proton-sensing pathway essential for pH regulation of inflammation.

Metabolites can double as a signaling modality that initiates physiological adaptations. Metabolism, a chemical language encoding biological information, has been recognized as a powerful principle directing inflammatory responses. Cytosolic pH is a regulator of inflammatory response in macrophages.

Antitumor Effect of By-1 from Spent Broth from Submerged Cultures of Stout Camphor Medicinal Mushroom, Taiwanofungus camphoratus (Higher Basidiomycetes), on A549 Adenocarcinoma Cells.

By-1 was obtained from spent broth from submerged cultures of Taiwanofungus camphoratus. This report evaluates the effects of By-1 on plate clone formation, wound healing, cell cycle, activated caspase-3 expression, and ROS release in A549 lung cancer cells. The result of plate clone formation assay revealed that By-1 could dramatically inhibit the viability of A549 cells in vitro.

Expression and prognostic significance of MAP4K4 in lung adenocarcinoma.

Accumulating evidence indicates that mitogen-activated protein 4 kinase 4 (MAP4K4) is frequently overexpressed in many types of human cancers, and plays important roles in transformation, invasiveness, adhesion, and cell migration. The aim of the present study was to explore the expression and prognostic significance of MAP4K4 in lung adenocarcinoma. The results of real-time quantitative PCR and Western blotting analysis revealed an enhanced expression of MAP4K4 in lung adenocarcinomas relative to adjacent non-tumorous lung tissues at both transcriptional and translational levels.

Expression and prognostic significance of centromere protein A in human lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: Centromere protein A (CENP-A), one of the fundamental components of the human active kinetochore, is frequently upregulated in many cancers and plays important roles in cell cycle regulation, cell survival, and genetic stability. The aim of the present study was to explore the expression and prognostic significance of CENP-A in lung adenocarcinoma.

Experimental Design: The expression of CENP-A was detected in 20 fresh human lung adenocarcinoma specimens and corresponding non-tumorous lung tissues by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting analysis.

Clinicopathologic significance and function of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 overexpression in hepatocellular carcinoma.

The F-box protein S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 is frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Herein, we aimed to investigate the expression pattern, clinical significance, and biological function of S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 in hepatocellular carcinoma. Analysis by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemistry revealed that S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 was aberrantly overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinomas relative to adjacent nontumor liver tissues.

Expression and clinicopathologic significance of glypican 3 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Glypican 3 (GPC3) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored membrane protein and plays an important role in regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and migration. The aims of this study were to investigate the expression of GPC3 in human liver, biliary tract, and pancreatic tumors and to evaluate its diagnostic role in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from other hepatic mimickers. Immunohistochemistry was performed on a large collection of surgically resected samples from 941 primary liver tumors, 50 metastatic adenocarcinomas, and 30 normal livers as well as primary adenocarcinomas of the pancreas (n = 17), gallbladder (n = 30), and extrahepatic bile duct (n = 20).

ShRNA-targeted MAP4K4 inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma growth.

Purpose: Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase 4 (MAP4K4) is overexpressed in many types of cancer. Herein, we aimed to investigate its expression pattern, clinical significance, and biological function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Experimental Design: MAP4K4 expression was examined in 20 fresh HCCs and corresponding nontumor liver tissues.

Apigenin inhibits hepatoma cell growth through alteration of gene expression patterns.

Apigenin, a common plant flavonoid, has been shown to possess anti-tumor properties; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not completely understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of apigenin on human hepatoma Huh7 cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and colony formation in vitro, as well as on the tumorigenicity of Huh7 cells in vivo. To get more insight into the mechanism of apigenin action, we performed genome-wide expression profiling of apigenin-treated Huh7 cells using cDNA microarrays (Agilent Whole Human Genome Oligo Microarray) that contain 41,000 genes.