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Effective Therapeutic Target (effective + therapeutic_target)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	75%

Selected Abstracts

Reduction of TIP30 correlates with poor prognosis of gastric cancer patients and its restoration drastically inhibits tumor growth and metastasis

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 3 2009
Xiaohua Li
Abstract Gastric cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis. Identification of precise prognostic marker and effective therapeutic target is important in the treatment of gastric cancer. TIP30, a newly identified tumor suppressor, appears to be involved in multiple functions including tumorigenic suppression, apoptosis induction and diminishing angiogenic properties. Here, the level of TIP30 expression was determined in gastric cancer, and the impact of its alteration on cancer biology and clinical outcome was investigated. We found that TIP30 protein was absent or reduced in gastric cancer cell lines. There was also a loss or substantial decrease of TIP30 expression in 106 cases of gastric tumors as compared with that in normal gastric mucosa (p < 0.05), which was significantly associated with inferior survival duration. In a Cox proportional hazards model, TIP30 expression independently predicted better survival (p < 0.05). We also restored TIP30 protein expression in human gastric cancer-derived cells AGS and MKN28 lacking endogenous TIP30 protein to study the effects of TIP30 expression on cell proliferation, cell kinetics, tumorigenicity and metastasis in BALB/c nude mice and found that adenoviral-mediated restoration of TIP30 expression led to downregulation of cyclin D1, Bcl-2, Bcl-xl, but to upregulation of p27, Bax, p53, caspase 3 and 9 expression, cell cycle G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in vitro, and dramatic attenuation of tumor growth and abrogation of metastasis in animal models. Taken together, the present work revealed a novel function of TIP30, which can possibly be used as an independent prognostic factor and a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

The involvement of hypoxia-inducible factor-1, in the susceptibility to ,-rays and chemotherapeutic drugs of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 2 2007
Eri Sasabe
Abstract The transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1, (HIF-1,) is the key regulator that controls the hypoxic response of mammalian cells. The overexpression of HIF-1, has been demonstrated in many human tumors. However, the role of HIF-1, in the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer cells is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the influence of HIF-1, expression on the susceptibility of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells to chemotherapeutic drugs (cis -diamminedichloroplatinum and 5-fluorouracil) and ,-rays. Treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs and ,-rays enhanced the expression and nuclear translocation of HIF-1,, and the susceptibility of OSCC cells to the drugs and ,-rays was negatively correlated with the expression level of HIF-1, protein. The overexpression of HIF-1, induced OSCC cells to become more resistant to the anticancer agents, and down-regulation of HIF-1, expression by small interfering RNA enhanced the susceptibility of OSCC cells to them. In the HIF-1,-knockdown OSCC cells, the expression of P-glycoprotein, heme oxygenase-1, manganese-superoxide dismutase and ceruloplasmin were downregulated and the intracellular levels of chemotherapeutic drugs and reactive oxygen species were sustained at higher levels after the treatment with the anticancer agents. These results suggest that enhanced HIF-1, expression is related to the resistance of tumor cells to chemo- and radio-therapy and that HIF-1, is an effective therapeutic target for cancer treatment. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2008
Joana M. Gil
Abstract Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of cytosine,adenine,guanine (CAG) repeats in the huntingtin gene, which leads to neuronal loss in the striatum and cortex and to the appearance of neuronal intranuclear inclusions of mutant huntingtin. Huntingtin plays a role in protein trafficking, vesicle transport, postsynaptic signaling, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis. Thus, a loss of function of the normal protein and a toxic gain of function of the mutant huntingtin contribute to the disruption of multiple intracellular pathways. Furthermore, excitotoxicity, dopamine toxicity, metabolic impairment, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy have been implicated in the progressive degeneration observed in HD. Nevertheless, despite the efforts of a multidisciplinary scientific community, there is no cure for this devastating neurodegenerative disorder. This review presents an overview of the mechanisms that may contribute for HD pathogenesis. Ultimately, a better understanding of these mechanisms will lead to the development of more effective therapeutic targets. [source]

Vestibular Schwannoma Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Expression of Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors,

THE LARYNGOSCOPE, Issue 8 2008
Andrew K. Patel MD
Abstract Objectives/Hypothesis: Determine the role of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) expression in sporadic and neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2)-related vestibular schwannomas (VS). Growth and proliferation signaling in human VS tumorigenesis may play a key role in molecular therapeutic targeting. VS carry mutations of the NF2 gene encoding the tumor suppressor, merlin, which interacts with ErbB2 in Schwann cells, implicating ErbB receptors in VS tumorigenesis. ErbB receptor family members are overexpressed or constitutively activated in many human tumors, and are effective therapeutic targets in some human cancers. VS occur more frequently in women and are larger, more vascular, and demonstrate increased growth rates during pregnancy. ER and PR may play a role in ErbB pathway activation and VS progression. Study Design: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for ER and PR messenger RNA was performed using greater auricular and vestibular nerve controls (n = 8), sporadic VS (n = 23), and NF2-related VS (n = 16) tissues. Methods: The qRT-PCR data were normalized with standardization to a single constitutively expressed control gene, human cyclophylin. Results: Reverse transcription of messenger RNA from control and tumor specimens followed by RT Q-PCR demonstrated differences in ER and PR gene expression between sporadic and NF2-related VS. Conclusions: ER and PR expression in VS might have implications for development of a VS-specific drug delivery system using antihormone and ErbB pathway small molecule inhibitors, due to crosstalk between these receptors. These signals may be critical for re-establishing ErbB-mediated cell density dependent growth inhibition. [source]