Search

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-associated mortality among women worldwide, and the prevalence and mortality rates associated with this disease are high in Western countries. The melanoma-associated antigen (MAGE) family proteins are well-known tumor-specific antigens; this family includes >60 proteins that serve an important part in cell cycle withdrawal, neuronal differentiation and apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to identify a biomarker within the MAGE family that is specific for breast cancer. In the present study, the prognostic role of MAGE mRNA expression was investigated in patients with breast cancer using the Kaplan-Meier plotter database. The prognostic value of MAGE members in the different intrinsic subtypes of breast cancer was further investigated, as well as the clinicopathological features of the disease. The results of the present study indicated that patients with breast cancer that had high mRNA expression levels of MAGEA5, MAGEA8, MAGEB4 and MAGEB6 had an improved relapse-free survival, whereas those with high mRNA expression levels of MAGEB18 and MAGED4 did not. These results suggested that MAGEA5, MAGEA8, MAGEB4 and MAGEB6 may have roles as tumor suppressors in the occurrence and development of breast cancer, whereas MAGEB18 and MAGED4 may possess carcinogenic potential. MAGED2, MAGED3 and MAGEF1 had different effects depending on the type of breast cancer. In particular, high MAGEC3 mRNA expression was associated with worse RFS in lymph node-positive breast cancer, but with improved RFS in lymph node-negative breast cancer. In patients with wild-type TP53 and patients with different pathological grades of breast cancer, MAGEE2, MAGEH1 and MAGEL2 were more worthy of attention as potential prognostic factors. The results of the present study may help to elucidate the role of MAGE family members in the development of breast cancer, and may promote further research that identifies MAGE-targeting reagents for the treatment of breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Localized scleroderma (LoS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by fibrosis of the skin and atrophy of the subcutaneous fat tissue. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) is a promising treatment approach for LoS. However, ASCs from scleroderma patients (LoS-ASCs) have been shown to exhibit altered characteristics compared to ASCs from healthy donors (healthy-ASCs). This study aimed to compare the abilities of LoS-ASCs and healthy-ASCs in treating skin fibrosis., Methods: The paracrine ability of ASCs was tested with cytokine array. Bleomycin-challenged mice models received subcutaneous injection of LoS-ASCs and healthy-ASCs. Pathological staining and western blotting of COL1, α-SMA was performed. Fibroblasts derived from LoS lesions (LoS-FB) was co-cultured with ASCs, and subjected to RNA sequencing to further explore the similarities and differences in the treatment mechanism., Results: In vivo comparison revealed that healthy ASCs had a stronger proliferation ability and secreted higher levels of growth factors and cytokines, including VEGFA, PDGFB, and IL-10. Pathological staining of the skin in mice models treated with ASCs demonstrated that healthy ASCs were more effective in reducing dermal thickness and collagen deposition, while increasing microvessel density and the proportion of M2 macrophages. Co-culture with both healthy-ASCs and LoS-ASCs reduced the proliferation and migration abilities of LoS-FB, as well as the protein expression of α-SMA and COL1. RNA sequencing and validation revealed potential difference in the canonical Wnt pathway., Conclusions: Healthy-ASCs exhibited stronger proliferation, paracrine, anti-fibrosis, pro-angiogenesis, and immunomodulation abilities in treating skin fibrosis in scleroderma mouse models., Clinical Relevance Statement: Allogenic ASCs obtained from healthy donors are more efficient in treating skin fibrosis, and could serve as a potential alternative for patients who are not suitable candidates for liposuction surgery in the future., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest statement: Dr. Yuemei Yang is currently in the employment of Beijing AeglesStem Technology Co., Ltd., Beijing AeglesStem Technology Co., Ltd. did not provide funding or other assistances for this research. The authors state no other conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.)

Background: Both arrhenotoky (sexual reproduction of females and asexual reproduction of males) and thelytoky (asexual reproduction of females) occur within the order Hymenoptera. The existence of both thelytokous and arrhenotokous strains within one species provides an opportunity to compare the biocontrol efficiency between two reproductive modes. The parasitoid Neochrysocharis formosa (Westwood) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) has thelytokous and arrhenotokous strains with sympatric distributions. This parasitoid is used to control invasive leafminers through feeding, stinging, and parasitization. To compare the biocontrol efficiency of the two strains, we analyzed life tables and host-killing parameters of these two strains reared on the leafminer Liriomyza sativae Blanchard using the age-stage, two-sex life table and the CONSUME-MSChart software., Results: Our results showed that the intrinsic rate of increase (r), finite rate of increase (λ), and net reproduction rate (R 0 ) of the thelytokous strain were significantly higher than those of the arrhenotokous strain. The thelytokous females also performed better than the arrhenotokous females for the net host-feeding rate, net host-stinging rate, and net host-killing rate, but not the finite parasitism rate. Conclusively, the finite host-killing rate of the thelytokous strain (0.8720 ± 0.0516) was significantly higher than that of the arrhenotokous strain (0.5914 ± 0.0832)., Conclusion: We concluded that thelytokous N. formosa is a better candidate as a biocontrol agent than arrhenotokous N. formosa to control leafminers. Our results shed light on how to choose a better biocontrol agent for integrated pest management (IPM) based on biological control, especially for co-occurring thelytokous and arrhenotokous parasitoids. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry., (© 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.)

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease of the synovial joints. Although numerous studies have been performed, the aetiology of OA remains unclear. Evidence suggests that DNA methylation plays important roles in OA., Methods: Integrated analysis of five gene expression and one methylation profilings in OA was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially methylated genes (DMGs), respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment were then conducted to reveal the biological functions of DEGs and DMGs. The protein-protein interaction network was finally constructed., Results: A set of 500 DEGs and 1219 DMGs in OA was found when compared with normal tissues. Function analysis of DEGs and DMGs revealed 3 critical OA-related pathways. A total of 20 DEGs were screened whose expressions showed strongly negative correlations with DNA methylation levels. Among them, 4 up-regulated DEGs (BST2, HDAC4, ITGB2 and VCAM1) may be closely related to the pathogenesis of OA., Conclusions: The results of integrated analysis explored 3 OA-related pathways (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoclast differentiation and ECM-receptor interaction) and 4 candidate genes of OA (BST2, HDAC4, ITGB2 and VCAM1) that may be therapeutic targets.