0000000000134746
AUTHOR
Jana Pindjakova
Induction of cancer cell stemness by depletion of macrohistone H2A1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.
Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) contain a subpopulation of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which exhibit stem cellâlike features and are responsible for tumor relapse, metastasis, and chemoresistance. The development of effective treatments for HCC will depend on a molecular-level understanding of the specific pathways driving CSC emergence and stemness. MacroH2A1 is a variant of the histone H2A and an epigenetic regulator of stem-cell function, where it promotes differentiation and, conversely, acts as a barrier to somatic-cell reprogramming. Here, we focused on the role played by the histone variant macroH2A1 as a potential epigenetic factor promoting CSC differentiation. In human HCC section…
Gut dysbiosis and adaptive immune response in diet-induced obesity vs. Systemic inflammation
A mutual interplay exists between adaptive immune system and gut microbiota. Altered gut microbial ecosystems are associated with the metabolic syndrome, occurring in most obese individuals. However, it is unknown why 10-25% of obese individuals are metabolically healthy, while normal weight individuals can develop inflammation and atherosclerosis. We modelled these specific metabolic conditions in mice fed with a chow diet, an obesogenic but not inflammatory diet - mimicking healthy obesity, or Paigen diet - mimicking inflammation in the lean subjects. We analysed a range of markers and cytokines in the aorta, heart, abdominal fat, liver and spleen, and metagenomics analyses were performed…