Molecular biological role of epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

Aim: Epithelial splicing regulatory protein 1 (ESRP1) regulates tumor progression and metastasis through the epithelial‒mesenchymal transition by interacting with zinc finger E-box binding 1 (ZEB1) and CD44 in cancers. However, the role of ESRP1 in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) remains unclear.

Methods: Three iCCA cell lines (HuCCT-1, SSP-25, and KKU-100) were analyzed using small interfering RNA to investigate the molecular biological functions of ESRP1 and ZEB1.

Cytomorphological Disparities in Invasive Breast Cancer Cells following Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy and Chemotherapy.

Introduction: Neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NAE) offers a breast-conserving surgery rate and clinical response rate similar to those of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), while presenting fewer adverse events and lower pathological complete response rates. The assessment of pathological response determines degenerative changes and predicts the prognosis of breast cancer treated with NAC. This study clarified the degenerative changes occurring in breast cancer following NAE.

Use of Ultrasonographic Shear Wave Measurements to Diagnose Thyroid Metastasis from Breast Carcinoma.

A metastatic thyroid tumor (MTT) arising from breast carcinoma (BC) is rare and sometimes difficult to diagnose. We present a case of MTT from BC; we suspected anaplastic thyroid carcinoma at initial presentation. The patient was a 58-year-old female with a hard nodule in the right anterior neck and a history of breast cancer.

Cytological Assessment of Desmoplastic Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in an Autopsy Case.

Introduction: Desmoplastic malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) is a sarcoma-type mesothelioma, comprising approximately 5% of malignant pleural mesotheliomas. Although effusion cytology is commonly used as the primary diagnostic approach for mesothelioma, it may not be useful for DMPM because of the presence of desmoplasia and bland cellular atypia. We report a case, and previously undescribed cytological features, of DMPM that was diagnosed during autopsy.

Toll‑like receptor 4 plays a tumor‑suppressive role in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), a key regulator of the innate immune system, is expressed not only in immune cells, but also in a number of cancer cells. A biological role for TLR4 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), however, is unclear. In this study, we first examined TLR4 expression and localization in cases of SCC, actinic keratosis (AK) and Bowen's disease (BD) by immunohistochemistry.

Enhanced Sternal Healing Through Platelet-Rich Plasma and Biodegradable Gelatin Hydrogel.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains numerous growth factors and promotes bone fracture healing. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the controlled release of PRP from biodegradable gelatin hydrogel for promoting healing in a rabbit ischemic sternal model. PRP was prepared from the whole blood of a Japanese white rabbit.

2-Deoxy-d-glucose increases GFAT1 phosphorylation resulting in endoplasmic reticulum-related apoptosis via disruption of protein N-glycosylation in pancreatic cancer cells.

The glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG) causes energy starvation, affecting cell viability in a wide range of cancer cell lines. To determine the action of 2DG in pancreatic cancer, we performed proteomic analysis of pancreatic cancer cell line after 2DG treatment. Eighty proteins showed differential expression and among these, proteins involved in phosphohexose metabolism were upregulated.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein-3 as a marker for distinguishing between cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma.

In the histopathological diagnosis of cutaneous tumors, the differential diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with crateriform architecture and keratoacanthoma (KA) is often difficult so an accurate understanding of the biological features and the identification of reliable markers of SCC and KA are crucial issues. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein-3 (IGF2BP3, also known as IMP3) is thought of as a bona fide oncofetal protein, which is overexpressed and is involved in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in several kinds of tumors. However, the role of IMP3 in cutaneous SCC and KA has not been well studied.

Phosphorylation of Thr(1495) of nestin in a mouse model of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion damage.

Nestin, a class VI intermediate filament protein, is expressed by neuronal progenitor cells in the subventricular zone (SVZ). In the present study, we analyzed the nestin expression and phosphorylation levels in nerve cells in a mouse model of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to three-vessel occlusion for 14 min, and were killed either 1 or 4 days after the procedure.

Morphological and cytoskeletal alterations of nervous system tumor cells with different culturing methods.

Cell culture is one of the most important methods of research in molecular and cellular biology, and various culture systems have been developed, including two-dimensional (2D), three-dimensional (3D) and floating culture systems. In the present study, we examined morphological changes and different expression patterns of cytoskeletal proteins in three different types of nervous system tumor cells grown in 2D, 3D and floating cell cultures. A172, KG-1-C and IMR-32 cells showed marked morphological changes, depending on the cell culture methods.

Morphological and cytoskeletal changes of pancreatic cancer cells in three-dimensional spheroidal culture.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures are expected to mimic in vivo environments. We used a NanoCulture plate to determine the spheroid-forming ability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and compared the morphology and expression of cytoskeletal proteins of PDAC cells to those in two-dimensional (2D) cultures. All examined PDAC cells grew as monolayers in 2D culture.

Comparison of fixation methods for preservation of morphology, RNAs, and proteins from paraffin-embedded human cancer cell-implanted mouse models.

Xenograft transplantation of human tumor cells into immunodeficient mice is an important method to clarify the roles of specific molecules or chemicals in vivo. Recently, this method has been reported as a definitive examination to identify tumor stem cells. In this study, the authors compared the morphology and the quality and quantity of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein in paraffin-embedded tissues of nude mice implanted with human uterine cervical cancer cells, followed by fixation with commonly used fixatives, including 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), 20% NBF, and 99% ethanol (EtOH).

Enhanced expression of lumican inhibited the attachment and growth of human embryonic kidney 293 cells.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family and it regulates the assembly and diameter of collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix of various tissues. Lumican expression was reported in various kinds of tumor cells. Lumican inhibits the growth of melanoma cells, but the lumican in pancreatic cancer correlated with an advanced stage and retroperitoneal and duodenal invasion.

Keratinocyte growth factor induces vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression in colorectal cancer cells.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), which is also called fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7, belongs to the FGF family. KGF is not commonly produced by human cancer cells, but the KGF receptor (KGFR) is expressed in most cancer cells and particularly highly expressed in well-differentiated types of cancer. Recently, it has been reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A expression is induced by KGF in pancreatic cancer cells.

Differential distribution of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7 and FGF-10 in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis.

The regenerative process of the pancreas after acute pancreatitis (AP) is characterized by acinar and ductal cell proliferation with synthesis and transient deposition of extracellular matrices. Various growth factors were reported to be highly expressed in AP, but their regulation has not yet been clarified. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7, also known as keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and FGF-10 are members of the FGF family and show high structural homology and similar biological characteristics.

Expression and accumulation of lumican protein in uterine cervical cancer cells at the periphery of cancer nests.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family and is reported to be overexpressed during the wound healing process of the cornea, and ischemic and reperfused heart. In the carcinomatous tissues, lumican is overexpressed in human breast and pancreatic cancer tissues. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the expression of lumican mRNA and its protein in human cervical cancer cell lines (CaSki, ME-180 and HeLa cells) and their localization in normal and cancerous human cervical tissues.