The notion of "morphogens" is an important one in developmental biology. By definition, a morphogen is a molecule that emanates from a specific set of cells that is present in a concentration gradient and that specifies the fate of each cell along this gradient. The strongest candidate morphogens are members of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), Hedgehog (Hh), and Wnt families. While these morphogens have been extensively described as differentiation inducers, some reports also suggest their possible involvement in cell death and cell survival. It is frequently speculated that the cell death induction that is found associated with experimental removal of morphogens is the manifestation of abnormal differentiation signals. However, several recent reports have raised controversy about this death by default, suggesting that cell death regulation is an active process for shaping tissues and organs. In this review, we will present morphogens, with a specific emphasis on Sonic Hedgehog, a mammalian member of the Hh family, not as a positive regulators of cell differentiation but as key regulators of cell survival.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/neu.20167 | DOI Listing |
Clin Exp Med
January 2025
Department of Clinical Oncology, Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology, Krakow Branch, Poland.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have improved the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC), with the combination of nivolumab (NIVO) and ipilimumab (IPI) showing promising results. However, not all patients benefit from these therapies, emphasizing the need for reliable, easily assessable biomarkers. This multicenter study involved 116 advanced RCC patients treated with NIVO + IPI across nine oncology centers in Poland.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeotrop Entomol
January 2025
Depto de Biologia Geral, Univ Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Caterpillars of the genus Spodoptera are the main pests in soybean and cotton crops and Spodoptera cosmioides causes more severe losses than other caterpillars in these agricultural crops. However, there are few recommended insecticides for controlling this pest. Lambda-cyhalothrin is a pyrethroid used to control a wide spectrum of arthropods including lepidopterans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFunct Integr Genomics
January 2025
Department of Oncology, the First People's Hospital of Qujing City/the Qujing Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, 1 Yuanlin Road, Qujing, Yunnan, China.
Background: T cells are involved in every stage of tumor development and significantly influence the tumor microenvironment (TME). Our objective was to assess T-cell marker gene expression profiles, develop a predictive risk model for human papilloma virus (HPV)-negative oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) utilizing these genes, and examine the correlation between the risk score and the immunotherapy response.
Methods: We acquired scRNA-seq data for HPV-negative OSCC from the GEO datasets.
J Gastrointest Cancer
January 2025
Medical Physics Research Center, Basic Sciences Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Background: Radioresistance is a major challenge in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) and impairs the efficacy of radiotherapy. The PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway plays a critical role in CRC and contributes to the development of radioresistance. Accordingly, targeting this signaling pathway may be a promising strategy to improve oncotherapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnn Hematol
January 2025
Department of Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Despite advancements in multiple myeloma treatment, prognostic variability persists. We investigated the impact of income and education on treatment and survival in a country with publicly funded healthcare. We analysed data from the Swedish Myeloma Registry (2008-2021) linked to national registers.
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