Induced resistance to ifosfamide in osteosarcoma cells suggests a more aggressive tumor profile.

Aims: Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary malignant bone sarcoma among children and adolescents. Treatment is based on neo-adjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy, using the standard drugs cisplatin, methotrexate, doxorubicin, and ifosfamide (IFO). Due to the high capacity of tumor resistance, the current work aimed to analyze genes related to cycle control and cell differentiation in OS cells sensitive to and with induced resistance to IFO. This was to assess whether the differentiated expression of these genes may affect resistance to the drug IFO used in OS treatment, and thus establish possible biomarkers of disease progression. Materials and methods: In this work, the treatment-sensitive OS U2OS lineage was used, and the same lineage was submitted to the process of induction of IFO resistance. These cells were evaluated by MTT, migration and proliferation assays and submitted to gene expression analysis. Key findings: The results demonstrate that after induction of resistance to IFO, resistant U2OS cells show a more aggressive tumor behavior, with greater capacity for cell migration, proliferation, and invasion compared to sensitive cells. Gene analysis indicates that resistance-induced cells have differentiated expression of the genes EPB41L3, GADD45A, IER3, OXCT1, UBE2L6, UBE2A ALPL, and EFNB2. Our results suggest new perspectives on possible resistance biomarkers, especially the genes EFNB2 and EPB41L3, given that these genes have rarely been studied their expression linked to osteosarcoma. They show how the resistance induction model can be useful for studies on tumor cell behavior.

Use of microRNAs in directing therapy and evaluating treatment response in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Survival and prognosis depend on tumor stage upon diagnosis, and in more than 50% of cases, the tumor has already invaded adjacent tissues or metastasis has occurred. Aiming to improve diagnosis, clinical prognosis and treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, several studies have investigated microRNAs as molecular markers of the disease due to their potential regulatory functions on tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. This review aimed to summarize the main topics related to the use of microRNAs in diagnosis, clinical prognosis and evaluating treatment response in colorectal cancer.

Use of microRNAs in directing therapy and evaluating treatment response in colorectal cancer / Utilização dos microRNAs no direcionamento da terapia e na avaliação da resposta ao tratamento do câncer colorretal

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide. Survival and prognosis depend on tumor stage upon diagnosis, and in more than 50% of cases, the tumor has already invaded adjacent tissues or metastasis has occurred. Aiming to improve diagnosis, clinical prognosis and treatment of patients with colorectal cancer, several studies have investigated microRNAs as molecular markers of the disease due to their potential regulatory functions on tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. This review aimed to summarize the main topics related to the use of microRNAs in diagnosis, clinical prognosis and evaluating treatment response in colorectal cancer.

O câncer colorretal é o terceiro tipo de câncer mais comum em todo o mundo. A sobrevivência e o prognóstico dependem do estágio do tumor no diagnóstico, momento em que, em mais de 50% dos casos, o tumor já invadiu tecidos adjacentes ou ocorreu metástase. Objetivando-se melhorar o diagnóstico, o prognóstico clínico e o tratamento de pacientes com câncer colorretal, vários estudos investigaram microRNAs como marcadores moleculares da doença, devido à sua função reguladora potencial sobre genes supressores de tumor e oncogenes. Esta revisão procura resumir os principais tópicos relacionados ao uso de microRNAs no diagnóstico, na determinação do prognóstico clínico e na avaliação de resposta ao tratamento do câncer colorretal.

Shedding some light over the floral metabolism by arum lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica) spathe de novo transcriptome assembly.

Zantedeschia aethiopica is an evergreen perennial plant cultivated worldwide and commonly used for ornamental and medicinal purposes including the treatment of bacterial infections. However, the current understanding of molecular and physiological mechanisms in this plant is limited, in comparison to other non-model plants. In order to improve understanding of the biology of this botanical species, RNA-Seq technology was used for transcriptome assembly and characterization. Following Z. aethiopica spathe tissue RNA extraction, high-throughput RNA sequencing was performed with the aim of obtaining both abundant and rare transcript data. Functional profiling based on KEGG Orthology (KO) analysis highlighted contigs that were involved predominantly in genetic information (37%) and metabolism (34%) processes. Predicted proteins involved in the plant circadian system, hormone signal transduction, secondary metabolism and basal immunity are described here. In silico screening of the transcriptome data set for antimicrobial peptide (AMP) -encoding sequences was also carried out and three lipid transfer proteins (LTP) were identified as potential AMPs involved in plant defense. Spathe predicted protein maps were drawn, and suggested that major plant efforts are expended in guaranteeing the maintenance of cell homeostasis, characterized by high investment in carbohydrate, amino acid and energy metabolism as well as in genetic information.

Increased expression of genes after periodontal treatment with photodynamic therapy.

BACKGROUND: The current study was devised with the objective of using a split-mouth, controlled clinical trial to compare conventional mechanical debridement (scaling and root planing) treatment (T1) with conventional mechanical treatment followed by photodynamic therapy (PDT) (T2) in patients with severe periodontitis. METHODS: Four PDT sessions were completed, and clinical parameters such as bleeding upon probing (BOP positive), plaque index (PI), probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were evaluated before and after the treatment series. In addition, gingival biopsies were collected at the start and finish of treatment, and were used for qPCR gene expression analysis of TNFA, IL1B, IL8, IL10, IL17, MMP13, FGF2, RANK, RANKL and OPG. RESULTS: The clinical results showed a significant improvement in BOP with treatment T2 (p=0.03). The molecular data showed an up-regulation of FGF2, RANK and OPG gene expression after T2. The expression levels of the other genes were not significantly different between T1 and T2. PDT increased the expression of RANK and OPG, which could indicate a reduction in osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, the use of PDT in conjunction with conventional treatment significantly increased the expression of FGF2, which has an important role in the periodontal repair process. CONCLUSIONS: PDT technology could be a means to improve conventional periodontitis treatment. Our results suggest that PDT acts in part by controlling bone resorption and increasing the expression of genes important for tissue repair.