Expression of DNA-repair proteins and activated mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) may differ according to smoking status. The authors investigated whether p38 MAPK activity contributed to the viability of cisplatin in lung cancer cell lines from never or light smokers and to ERCC1 mRNA expression. »
03/13/12

While changes in heme oxygenase (HO-1) in lung cancer have already been reported, conflicting results were obtained for enzyme expression in human lung cancer specimens. Therefore, the aim of this work was to study HO-1 expression in a large collection of human lung cancer samples. »
03/12/12

Several lines of evidence support a role for infectious agents in the development of prostate cancer (PCa). In particular, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been implicated in PCa etiology, and studies have found that the risk of acquiring a STI can be reduced with circumcision. Therefore, circumcision may reduce PCa risk. »
03/12/12

Ras association domain family (RASSF) comprises several tumor suppressor genes, which are often epigenetically inactivated in human tumors. Here, we aim to analyze the relevance of the recently identified member RASSF10 in prostate carcinogenesis. »
03/13/12

The chemokine CXCL12 and its cognate receptor, CXCR4, have been implicated in numerous tumour types where expression promotes tumour growth, angiogenesis, metastasis and suppresses tumour immunity. »
03/13/12

Xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) is a key enzyme in the degradation of DNA, RNA and high-energy phosphates. In the human cancers previously studied, down-regulated XOR identifies patients with unfavorable prognosis. We assessed the clinical relevance of XOR expression in serous ovarian cancer. »
02/01/12

The nucleosome binding protein 1 (HMGN5/NSBP1) is a member of the HMGN protein family and is highly expressed in several kinds of cancer. Nevertheless, the role of NSBP1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unclear. This study aimed to confirm the oncogenic role of NSBP1 in ccRCC using in vitro and in vivo models and explore the mechanism by which NSBP1 contributes to ccRCC tumorigenesis. »
03/15/12

Multidrug resistance is one of the main impediments to the successful treatment of colon cancer. Glucosylceramide synthase (GCS) which is related to multidrug resistance (MDR) can reduce the level of ceramide and can help cells escape from the ceramide-induced cell apoptosis. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. »
03/16/12

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is over-activated or phosphorylated in breast cancers. The hyper-phosphorylation of STAT3 was attributed to either up-regulated phosphorylation by several tyrosine-kinases or down-regulated activity of phosphatases. Although several factors have been identified to phosphorylate STAT3, it remains unclear how STAT3 is dephosphorylated by PTPMeg2. The aim of this study was to determine the role of PTPMeg2 as a phosphatase in regulation of the activity of STAT3 in breast cancers. »
03/06/12

Vaccines in a protein format are attractive for breast and other cancers given their relative simplicity of manufacture and ability to be injected repeatedly. However, soluble human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)/neu protein as a vaccine has not been immunogenic. When protein is directly targeted to antigen uptake receptors, such as DEC205 (DEC), efficient processing and presentation of antigen takes place. The aim of this study was to determine the immunogenicity of a HER2 protein vaccine that directly targets to DEC+ dendritic cells (DCs) in a mouse breast cancer model. »
03/07/12