Revisiting characteristics of oncogenic extrachromosomal DNA as mobile enhancers on neuroblastoma and glioma cancers.

Cancer can be induced by a variety of possible causes, including tumor suppressor gene failure and proto-oncogene hyperactivation. Tumor-associated extrachromosomal circular DNA has been proposed to endanger human health and speed up the progression of cancer. The amplification of ecDNA has raised the oncogene copy number in numerous malignancies according to whole-genome sequencing on distinct cancer types. The unusual structure and function of ecDNA, and its potential role in understanding current cancer genome maps, make it a hotspot to study tumor pathogenesis and evolution. The discovery of the basic mechanisms of ecDNA in the emergence and growth of malignancies could lead researchers to develop new cancer therapies. Despite recent progress, different aspects of ecDNA require more investigation. We focused on the features, and analyzed the bio-genesis, and origin of ecDNA in this review, as well as its functions in neuroblastoma and glioma cancers.

An Extracellular Matrix-based Culture System for Generation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived-hepatocytes.

Liver disease (hepatic disease) adversely affects the normal function of the liver and causes liver problems. Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) can be predicted by primary human hepatocytes. However, the sources of hepatocytes for large-scale drug toxicity screening are limited. To solve this problem, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and hepatic stem cells (HSCs) have emerged as attractive cell sources for cell-based therapies. Human PSCs, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the ability to undergo self-renewal and differentiate into lineages of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. Human PSC can be used for the generation of hepatocytes to facilitate the development of novel drugs for the treatment of severe liver diseases. The therapeutic potential of PSC-derived hepatocytes for liver failure have been identified to enhance the development of chemically defined and xenogenic- free 3D culture methods. To date, several hepatic differentiation strategies and various extracellular matrix (ECM) components have been employed to produce hepatocytes or hepatic-like cells (HLCs) in vitro. In this review, we focused on the potential of Matrigel, collagen type 1, Ro- Gel, and laminin as ECM on the differentiation and function of hESC- and hiPSC-derived hepatocytes. The hepatic differentiation of human ESCs and iPSCs would offer an ideal tool for cell therapy and liver diseases.