Publications by authors named "Yu-Ching Fan"

One-carbon metabolism plays a crucial role in tumorigenesis as it supplies the one-carbon units necessary for nucleotide synthesis, epigenetic regulation, and redox metabolism, ensuring the rapid proliferation of cancer cells. However, their roles in prostate cancer progression remain poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the association between genetic variants in the one-carbon metabolism pathway and clinical outcomes in patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.

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Background: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is a pernicious disease characterized by an immunosuppressive milieu that is unresponsive to current immunotherapies. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a natural anti-inflammatory cytokine; however, its contribution to cancer pathogenesis and immunosuppression remains elusive. In this research, we investigated the role and mechanism of IL-1Ra in malignant progression of PDA.

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Background: MSCs are known to secrete abundant CCL2, which plays a crucial role in recruiting TAMs, promoting tumor progression. It is important to know whether disrupting MSC-derived CCL2 affects tumor growth.

Methods: Murine bone marrow-derived MSCs were characterized by their surface markers and differentiation abilities.

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It was shown that mixed lineage kinase 1 (MLK1) regulates pancreatic cancer growth; however, its role in prostate cancer remains unclear. We showed that MLK1 is a tumor marker in prostate cancer by analyzing clinical gene expression data and identified a novel MLK1 inhibitor (NSC14465) from the compound library of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) using a MLK1 protein structure. The inhibitory effects of MLK1 were validated by an in vitro kinase assay and by monitoring phosphorylation signaling, and the anti-proliferation function was shown in several prostate and pancreatic cancer cell lines.

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Aims: The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades integrate various upstream signals to regulate many cellular functions, including proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Dysregulation of these pathways has been implicated in the occurrence and progression of a variety of cancers.

Main Methods: This study aimed to assess the association of 192 single nucleotide polymorphisms in 22 MAPK cascade genes with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk and survival in 312 patients and 318 controls.

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Background: Inflammation is known to promote tumor formation and progression; however, we found a natural anti-inflammatory factor, interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist (IL1RN), in a mouse transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP)-C1-derived tumor microenvironment (TME). We sought to characterize the functions of the IL1RN-secreting cells in the TME.

Methods: We compared tumors collected from two syngeneic mouse models and isolated tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) with different cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b) statuses.

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Background: Several lines of evidence have demonstrated the tumor-promoting function of inflammation. Since many chemokines are important in coordinating immune cells during inflammation, monitoring intratumoral chemokines provides a way to study the tumor microenvironment.

Methods: To identify tumorigenic chemokines, we compared two syngeneic mouse prostate cancer cell lines by an antibody array and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

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Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a malignant subtype of thyroid cancers and its mechanism of development remains inconclusive. Importantly, there is no effective strategy for treatment since ATC is not responsive to conventional therapies, including radioactive iodine therapy and thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression. Here, we report that a combinational approach consisting of drugs designed for targeting lipid metabolism, lovastatin (an inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, HMGCR) and troglitazone (an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, PPARγ), exhibits anti-proliferation in cell culture systems and leads to tumor regression in a mouse xenograft model.

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Malignant human anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is pertinacious to conventional therapies. The present study investigated the anti-cancer activity of simvastatin and its underlying regulatory mechanism in cultured ATC cells. Simvastatin (0-20 μM) concentration-dependently reduced cell viability and relative colony formation.

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Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk), a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase, was initially identified as a crucial regulator in proximal immunoreceptor signaling. Additional studies have revealed its pleiotropic roles, and drugs targeting Syk are under development for inflammatory diseases. Syk expression in the skin has been detected, but its functions in the skin are still unknown.

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Catechins, a family of polyphenols found in tea, evoke various responses, including cell death. However, the side effects of these compounds, particularly those on embryonic development, have not been characterized in detail. A previous study by our group showed that (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a catechin highly abundant in green tea, induces different cell-death modes in MCF-7 cells, depending on the treatment dosage.

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