An In Vitro model to study bone metastasis.

Novel biomarker panel for colon cancer unveiled by proteomics

Two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of proteins extracted from leaves of homozygous and heterozygous citrus

Proteomic analysis of exosome-like vesicles derived from breast cancer cells.

Background/Aim: The phenomenon of membrane vesicle-release by neoplastic cells is a growing field of interest in cancer research, due to their potential role in carrying a large array of tumor antigens when secreted into the extracellular medium. In particular, experimental evidence show that at least some of the tumor markers detected in the blood circulation of mammary carcinoma patients are carried by membrane-bound vesicles. Thus, biomarker research in breast cancer can gain great benefits from vesicle characterization. Materials and Methods: Conditioned medium was collected from serum starved MDA-MB-231 sub-confluent cell cultures and exosome-like vesicles (ELVs) were isolated by ultra…

DIFFERENTIAL INFLUENCE OF HYPOXIA ON GENE EXPRESSION OF TUMORAL AND NON TUMORAL MAMMARY CELLS

Cancer metastasis is the result of a series of deregulated biological phenomena, including alterations of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and of other microenvironmental conditions such as the oxygen tissue supply. Hypoxia is a well-known driver of aggressive cancer phenotypes, indeed tumors with poor prognosis have higher proportions of anoxic and hypoxic areas1. The consequences of tumour hypoxia can be local or even systemic towards distant organs, and it can evoke diversified responses: whereas low oxygen concentration in tissue environments. (pO2 <7 mmHg) exerts anti-proliferative effects and promotes differentiation, apoptosis and/or necrosis on normal cells, the tumoral cells …

Erratum to: Donor age and long-term culture do not negatively influence the stem potential of limbal fibroblast-like stem cells

In regenerative medicine the maintenance of stem cell properties is of crucial importance. Ageing is considered a cause of reduced stemness capability. The limbus is a stem niche of easy access and harbors two stem cell populations: epithelial stem cells and fibroblast-like stem cells. Our aim was to investigate whether donor age and/or long-term culture have any influence on stem cell marker expression and the profiles in the fibroblast-like stem cell population.Fibroblast-like stem cells were isolated and digested from 25 limbus samples of normal human corneo-scleral rings and long-term cultures were obtained. SSEA4 expression and sphere-forming capability were evaluated; cytofluorimetric…

Proteomic profiling of Trastuzumab (Herceptin(R))-sensitive and -resistant SKBR-3 breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: The Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-2), overexpressed in 25-30% of breast carcinomas (BC), is the therapeutic target for trastuzumab, a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody. The initial response to trastuzumab is often followed by drug-insensitivity within one year. Several hypotheses have been raised to explain this event, but the mechanisms behind the responses to trastuzumab are still unclear. Aim: To study the effects of short and prolonged trastuzumab treatment on the proteomic profiles of HER-2-overexpressing SKBR-3 BC cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cells were treated with trastuzumab to obtain sensitive and resistant clones. The drug effects were evaluat…

COMPARATIVE PROTEOMIC PROFILING OF NORMAL AND BREAST CANCER CELLS UNDER HYPOXIC CONDITIONS

influences emanating from the tissue microenvironment, such as cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and other local pathophysiologic conditions as hypoxia. However the hypoxic effect may be different according to the cell conditions. For example, the low concentration of tissue oxygen (pO2 <7 mmHg) may exert anti-proliferative effects on normal cells and may induce differentiation or apoptosis and necrosis. On the other contrary, tumour cells likely react to hypoxic stress with an adaptive process through modification of gene expression that may confer an aggressive phenotype to cells, promoting their local and distant spread [1]. In general it is believed that hypoxic microenvironments i…