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Abstract The extracellular matrix (ECM) governs a wide spectrum of cellular fate processes, with a particular emphasis on anoikis, an integrin‐dependent form of cell death. Currently, anoikis is defined as an intrinsic apoptosis. In contrast to traditional apoptosis and necroptosis, integrin correlates ECM signaling with intracellular signaling cascades, describing the full process of anoikis. However, anoikis is frequently overlooked in physiological and pathological processes as well as traditional in vitro research models. In this review, we summarized the role of anoikis in physiological and pathological processes, spanning embryonic development, organ development, tissue repair, inflammatory responses, cardiovascular diseases, tumor metastasis, and so on. Similarly, in the realm of stem cell research focused on the functional evolution of cells, anoikis offers a potential solution to various challenges, including in vitro cell culture models, stem cell therapy, cell transplantation, and engineering applications, which are largely based on the regulation of cell fate by anoikis. More importantly, the regulatory mechanisms of anoikis based on molecular processes and ECM signaling will provide new strategies for therapeutic interventions (drug therapy and cell‐based therapy) in disease. In summary, this review provides a systematic elaboration of anoikis, thus shedding light on its future research.

Fish are considered objective indicators of environmental health and ecosystem stability. Establishing regional reference databases of mitochondrial genome sequences from local fish communities can significantly enhance fish monitoring using environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. For non-native species, the eDNA technique provides early detection and rapid monitoring. It is also crucial to include fundamental genetic information for both native and non-native species in genetic databases. This study presents the complete mitochondrial genomes of 17 fish species inhabiting the Baiyangdian Basin, a national key wetland in China. The mitochondrial DNA of these fish was analyzed to investigate their characteristics, and their phylogeny was determined using maximum likelihood (ML) methods. Various analyses were performed, including the examination of nucleotide composition, evaluation of AT-skew and GC-skew, analysis of codon frequency, and determination of relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) values, and assessment of selection pressure on protein-coding genes (PCGs). The analysis showed that all PCGs in all fish underwent purifying selection. Using Xenocyprididae as a representative, this study investigated the genetic selection tendencies of native and non-native fish species in the Baiyangdian Basin. Significant differences were found in five of the 13 PCGs: COI, COII, COIII, Cytb, and ATP8. Except for ATP8, the findings indicated that the genes of non-native species underwent stronger purifying selection during evolution compared to native species. Additionally, comparing the population ω values of non-native species to those of native species showed that the Cytb and COIII genes exhibited greater differential purification selection than COI and COII. These differences may be the result of the evolution of non-native species to migrate and adapt to the Baiyangdian Basin, thereby affecting the evolution of related genes.

Abstract Background Organoid technology is an emerging and rapidly growing field that shows promise in studying organ development and screening therapeutic regimens. Although organoids have been proposed for a decade, concerns exist, including batch‐to‐batch variations, lack of the native microenvironment and clinical applicability. Main body The concept of organoids has derived patient‐derived tumour organoids (PDTOs) for personalized drug screening and new drug discovery, mitigating the risks of medication misuse. The greater the similarity between the PDTOs and the primary tumours, the more influential the model will be. Recently, ‘tumour assembloids’ inspired by cell‐coculture technology have attracted attention to complement the current PDTO technology. High‐quality PDTOs must reassemble critical components, including multiple cell types, tumour matrix, paracrine factors, angiogenesis and microorganisms. This review begins with a brief overview of the history of organoids and PDTOs, followed by the current approaches for generating PDTOs and tumour assembloids. Personalized drug screening has been practised; however, it remains unclear whether PDTOs can predict immunotherapies, including immune drugs (e.g. immune checkpoint inhibitors) and immune cells (e.g. tumour‐infiltrating lymphocyte, T cell receptor‐engineered T cell and chimeric antigen receptor‐T cell). PDTOs, as cancer avatars of the patients, can be expanded and stored to form a biobank. Conclusion Fundamental research and clinical trials are ongoing, and the intention is to use these models to replace animals. Pre‐clinical immunotherapy screening using PDTOs will be beneficial to cancer patients. Key Points The current PDTO models have not yet constructed key cellular and non‐cellular components. PDTOs should be expandable and editable. PDTOs are promising preclinical models for immunotherapy unless mature PDTOs can be established. PDTO biobanks with consensual standards are urgently needed.