305,123 research outputs found
Tbx3 represses E-cadherin expression and enhances melanoma invasiveness.
No full textThe T-box transcription factors Tbx2 and Tbx3 are overexpressed in many cancers and in melanoma promote proliferation by actively suppressing senescence. Whether they also contribute to tumor progression via other mechanisms is not known. Here, we identify a novel role for these factors, providing evidence that Tbx3, and potentially Tbx2, directly repress the expression of E-cadherin, a keratinocyte-melanoma adhesion molecule whose loss is required for the acquisition of an invasive phenotype. Overexpression of Tbx2 and Tbx3 in melanoma cells down-regulates endogenous E-cadherin expression, whereas depletion of Tbx3, but not Tbx2, increases E-cadherin mRNA and protein levels and decreases melanoma invasiveness in vitro. Consistent with these observations, in melanoma tissue, Tbx3 and E-cadherin expression are inversely correlated. Depletion of Tbx3 also leads to substantial up-regulation of Tbx2. The results suggest that Tbx2 and Tbx3 may play a dual role during the radial to vertical growth phase transition by both inhibiting senescence via repression of p21(CIP1) expression, and enhancing melanoma invasiveness by decreasing E-cadherin levels
RALP, A NOVEL PROGNOSTIC MOLECULAR MARKER IN MELANOMA, IS INVOLVED IN THE NOTCH PATHWAY
No full textMelanoma is an aggressive disease with high metastatic potential and resistance to cytotoxic agents. Early-stage melanomas can be successfully cured by surgery and, as in all solid tumours, morbidity and mortality of melanoma are a consequence of local invasion and metastatic spread. The molecular mechanisms involved in the progression of the malignancy, the genetic markers associated to metastatic melanoma dissemination and the acquisition of chemoresistance are only beginning to be defined. An understanding of the molecular biology of melanoma provides a necessary basis to enable the generation of more effective therapeutic modalities.
RaLP, a new member of the SHC family of adaptor proteins was previously characterized in our laboratory as a determinant in the regulation of migration of melanoma cells in short-term assays in vitro. In this study we further characterized the role of RaLP in the progression of melanoma. We have verified that the expression of RaLP significantly correlates with the most important prognostic markers of melanoma (Breslow thickness, Clark’s level of invasion, ulceration, mitotic index and presence of metastasis in lymph nodes) and that patients with RaLP expressing tumours had reduced disease-free survival and overall survival, suggesting that RaLP can be identified as a novel prognostic molecular marker and an independent prediction factor of melanoma progression. We have shown that permanent RaLP silencing does not interfere with the proliferation of three different metastatic melanoma cell lines, while it significantly decreases their migration and this phenomenon was observed even after extended time in culture. The phenotype could be rescued by the overexpression of RaLP in the silenced cells, suggesting that RaLP is a central molecule that positively regulates migration of melanoma cells. Besides regulating migratory abilities of the melanoma cells, RaLP positively influences their invasive potential, by regulating collagen matrix digestion. We also tested cell – cell and cell – ECM adhesion abilities of melanoma cells after RaLP ablation. We observed that RaLP decreases adhesion of the cells to each other in cell – cell adhesion assays and negatively regulates adhesion of melanoma cells to different matrices in cell – ECM adhesion assay. Analyzing gene expression profiles of RaLP – proficient and – deficient cells we have shown that RaLP is involved in the regulation of the NOTCH molecular pathway.
Our in vitro studies suggest that RaLP expression in melanoma might facilitate dissociation of metastatic cells from a tumour mass by loosening cell – cell adhesion, and favour invasion of the surrounding tissues. We still do not know the exact signalling cascade by which RaLP regulates cell motility and adhesion processes and additional studies are necessary to fully understand its role in melanoma progression
Melanoma : targeting signaling pathways and RaLP
No full textBackground: Metastatic melanoma remains one of the most aggressive forms of cancer, with a survival expectation of above six months only in rare cases. Despite advances in the characterization of the underlying molecular pathways and in the development of specific targeted treatments, available chemo- and immuno-therapy are unable to prolong survival significantly in advanced-stage melanoma. Rai like protein (RaLP) is a newly identified Src homology 2 domain containing (Shc) family member selectively expressed during the transition to metastatic melanoma and thus is a potential melanoma-specific drugable target. Objective: To summarize progress in the ongoing therapeutic approaches to metastatic melanoma and discuss RaLP as a potential novel therapeutic target. Methods: Current understanding of the major signaling pathways involved in melanoma metastatization and of the corresponding pharmacological inhibitors is discussed. Conclusion : RaLP might represent a new drugable target for the treatment of metastatic disease
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
No full textWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Author, publisher and bookseller : a tripartite synergy in Nigerian book industry
No full textThis work is about the roles of Author, Publisher and Bookseller in Book development in
Nigeria. The paper started by delving into the history of Book Publishing in Nigeria after
which it proceeded by defining who an author, a publisher, and a bookseller is and
expatiated on the indispensable roles of these key actors in Nigerian Book Industry and in
the emerging Information Society. Furthermore, the various constraints to book
development were identified while the paper advised on how the Book Industry can be
further promoted in Nigeria. However, the paper concluded and made recommendations
on how the Book sector can help in enhancing scholarship in the country
MicroRNA and gene co-expression networks characterize biological and clinical behavior of rhabdomyosarcomas
No full textAbstractRhabdomyosarcomas (RMS) in children and adolescents are heterogeneous sarcomas broadly defined by skeletal muscle features and the presence/absence of PAX3/7-FOXO1 fusion genes. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression in a cell context specific manner. Sequencing analyses of microRNAs in 64 RMS revealed expression patterns separating skeletal muscle, fusion gene positive and negative RMS. Integration with parallel gene expression data assigned biological functions to 12 co-expression networks/modules that reassuringly included myogenic roles strongly correlated with microRNAs known in myogenesis and RMS development. Modules also correlated with clinical outcome and fusion status. Regulation of microRNAs by the fusion protein was demonstrated after PAX3-FOXO1 reduction, exemplified by miR-9-5p. MiR-9-5p levels correlated with poor outcome, even within fusion gene positive RMS, and were higher in metastatic versus non-metastatic disease. MiR-9-5p reduction inhibited RMS cell migration. Our findings reveal microRNAs in a regulatory framework of biological and clinical significance in RMS
[Report to Chief J. E. Curry, by an unknown author #2]
No full textReport to Chief J. E. Curry, by an unknown author. The report contains a list of officers who gave depositions to the United States Attorney
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