Background And Aims: Niche differentiation is a crucial issue in speciation. Although it has a well-known role in adaptive processes of hybrid angiosperms, it is less understood in hybrid ferns. Here, we investigate whether an intermediate ecological niche of a fern hybrid is a novel adaptation that provides insights into fern hybrid speciation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCircular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in the initiation and progression of various cancers. However, the potential functional roles of circSNX14 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain largely unknown. CircSNX14 expression pattern was analyzed in HCC tissues and cell lines via qRT-PCR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness affects the drug resistance behavior of cancer cells, while multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) on the cell membrane confers treatment resistance actively transporting drugs out of cancer cells. However, the relationship between ECM stiffness and MRP1 functional activity in cancer cells remains elusive, mainly due to the technical challenge of monitoring. Herein, we engineered cancer cell models using breast cancer cells (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells) as the reprehensive cells on polyacrylamide (PA) gels with three stiffness, mimicking different developmental stages of cancer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) is a prognostic indicator for several malignancies, including pancreatic carcinoma; however, there is no consensus on its significance. In the current study, a systematic meta-analysis was used to explore the correlation between SII and prognosis in pancreatic carcinoma patients.
Methods: PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were screened from inception to May 2020.
Cardiac fibrosis, in which cardiac fibroblasts differentiate into myofibroblasts, leads to oversecretion of the extracellular matrix, results in increased stiffness, and facilitates disequilibrium of cellular redox state, further leading to oxidative stress and various degrees of cell death. However, the relationship between the matrix stiffness and the redox status of cardiac fibroblasts remains unclear. In this work, we constructed an cardiac fibrosis model by culturing cardiac fibroblasts on polyacrylamide gels with tunable stiffness and characterized the differentiation of cardiac fibroblasts to myofibroblasts by immunofluorescence staining of α-smooth muscle actin.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is frequently observed in patients with PBC after liver transplantation (LT). We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the risk factors for PBC recurrence.
Methods: We searched the EMBASE, PubMed and the Cochrane Library databases for studies published before August 2020.
Multilayered and stacked cellulose paper has emerged as a promising platform for construction of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture because of its low cost, good biocompatibility, and high porosity. However, its poor light transmission makes it challenging to directly and clearly monitor cell behaviors (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
July 2020
The extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffness has direct effect on cancer cells homeostasis (e.g., cell volume), which is critical for regulation of their migration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMechanical microenvironment plays a key role in the regulation of the phenotype and function of cardiac cells, which are strongly associated with the intracellular redox mechanism of cardiomyocytes. However, the relationship between the redox state of cardiomyocytes and their mechanical microenvironment remains elusive. In this work, we used polyacrylamide (PA) gels with varying stiffness (6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell volume regulation, as one of the fundamental homeostasis of the cell, is associated with many cellular behaviors and functions. With the increased studies on the effect of environmental mechanical cues on cell volume regulation, the relationship between cell volume regulation and mechanotransduction becomes more and more clear. In this paper, we review the mechanisms and hypotheses by which cell maintains its volume homeostasis both in vivo and in constructed cell mechanical microenvironment (CMM) in vitro.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe physical confinement of cell microenvironment could enhance the invasive capability and drug resistance of cancer cells. However, due to the lack of in vitro experimental platform to mimic both stiffness and confinement of the tumor microenvironment, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we developed a hydrogel-based microchannel platform with independently tunable channel stiffness and width in a physiological range.
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