Proteomic profile of keratins in cancer of the gingivo buccal complex: consolidating insights for clinical applications

Investigating Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma in vitro and in vivo: Novel 3D Tools and Animal Models

Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma (cSCC) represents the second most common type of skin cancer, which incidence is continuously increasing worldwide. Given its high frequency, cSCC represents a major public health problem. Therefore, to provide the best patients’ care, it is necessary having a detailed understanding of the molecular processes underlying cSCC development, progression, and invasion. Extensive efforts have been made in developing new models allowing to study the molecular pathogenesis of solid tumors, including cSCC tumors. Traditionally, in vitro studies were performed with cells grown in a two-dimensional context, which, however, does not represent the complexity of tumor in vivo. In the recent years, new in vitro models have been developed aiming to mimic the three-dimensionality (3D) of the tumor, allowing the evaluation of tumor cell-cell and tumor-microenvironment interaction in an in vivo-like setting. These models include spheroids, organotypic cultures, skin reconstructs and organoids. Although 3D models demonstrate high potential to enhance the overall knowledge in cancer research, they lack systemic components which may be solved only by using animal models. Zebrafish is emerging as an alternative xenotransplant model in cancer research, offering a high-throughput approach for drug screening and real-time in vivo imaging to study cell invasion. Moreover, several categories of mouse models were developed for pre-clinical purpose, including xeno- and syngeneic transplantation models, autochthonous models of chemically or UV-induced skin squamous carcinogenesis, and genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cSCC. These models have been instrumental in examining the molecular mechanisms of cSCC and drug response in an in vivo setting. The present review proposes an overview of in vitro, particularly 3D, and in vivo models and their application in cutaneous SCC research.

A systematic review of proteomic biomarkers in oral squamous cell cancer

BACKGROUND

Head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) is the most common cancer associated with chewing tobacco, in the world. As this is divided in to sites and subsites, it does not make it to top 10 cancers. The most common subsite is the oral cancer. At the time of diagnosis, more than 50% of patients with oral squamous cell cancers (OSCC) had advanced disease, indicating the lack of availability of early detection and risk assessment biomarkers. The new protein biomarker development and discovery will aid in early diagnosis and treatment which lead to targeted treatment and ultimately a good prognosis.

METHODS

This systematic review was performed as per PRISMA guidelines. All relevant studies assessing characteristics of oral cancer and proteomics were considered for analysis. Only human studies published in English were included, and abstracts, incomplete articles, and cell line or animal studies were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 308 articles were found, of which 112 were found to be relevant after exclusion. The present review focuses on techniques of cancer proteomics and discovery of biomarkers using these techniques. The signature of protein expression may be used to predict drug response and clinical course of disease and could be used to individualize therapy with such knowledge.

CONCLUSIONS

Prospective use of these markers in the clinical setting will enable early detection, prediction of response to treatment, improvement in treatment selection, and early detection of tumor recurrence for disease monitoring. However, most of these markers for OSCC are yet to be validated.

The development and clinical applications of proteomics: an Indian perspective

INTRODUCTION

Proteomic research has been extensively used to identify potential biomarkers or targets for various diseases. Advances in mass spectrometry along with data analytics have led proteomics to become a powerful tool for exploring the critical molecular players associated with diseases, thereby, playing a significant role in the development of proteomic applications for the clinic.

AREAS COVERED

This review presents recent advances in the development and clinical applications of proteomics in India toward understanding various diseases including cancer, metabolic diseases, and reproductive diseases. Keywords combined with 'clinical proteomics in India' 'proteomic research in India' and 'mass spectrometry' were used to search PubMed.

EXPERT OPINION

The past decade has seen a significant increase in research in clinical proteomics in India. This approach has resulted in the development of proteomics-based marker technologies for disease management in the country. The majority of these investigations are still in the discovery phase and efforts have to be made to address the intended clinical use so that the identified potential biomarkers reach the clinic. To move toward this necessity, there is a pressing need to establish some key infrastructure requirements and meaningful collaborations between the clinicians and scientists which will enable more effective solutions to address health issues specific to India.

Proteomics in India: the clinical aspect

Proteomics has emerged as a highly promising bioanalytical technique in various aspects of applied biological research. In Indian academia, proteomics research has grown remarkably over the last decade. It is being extensively used for both basic as well as translation research in the areas of infectious and immune disorders, reproductive disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, eye disorders, human cancers and hematological disorders. Recently, some seminal works on clinical proteomics have been reported from several laboratories across India. This review aims to shed light on the increasing use of proteomics in India in a variety of biological conditions. It also highlights that India has the expertise and infrastructure needed for pursuing proteomics research in the country and to participate in global initiatives. Research in clinical proteomics is gradually picking up pace in India and its future seems very bright.

Clinical effects of miR-101 on prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma and carcinogenic mechanism of anti-miR-101

The aim of this study was to verify whether anti-miR-101 participates in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a small-molecule antitumor agent, and to explore the effect on phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN). Patients who received consecutive hepatectomies were followed-up, and miR-101 expressions in their tumor and paracancerous tissues were detected. Correlation between miR-101 expression and clinical pathological factors and prognosis was studied. High‑throughput sequencing was used to detect the genetic and microRNA (miRNA) levels of tumor tissues. Expression of anti-miR-101 in different HCC cell lines was determined, and those of desired genes and proteins were detected by qRT-PCR and western blotting to obtain the target gene. miR-101 was significantly upregulated in HCC patients compared with that in paracancerous tissues. High miR-101 expression, vascular invasion, tumor size ≥7 cm and late pathological stage were the risk factors of recurrence-free survival rate. High miR-101 expression was the independent prognostic factor of total and recurrence-free survival rates. CXCL12, IL6R, FOXO3 and PTEN were screened as desired genes, and only PTEN was expressed significantly differently in three cell lines. miR-101 could bind 3'-UTR of WT-PTEN with reduced fluorescent intensity, suggesting that PTEN was the target gene. SMMC-7721, HepG2 and Huh7 were eligible cell lines for miR-101 studies. miR-101 was an applicable molecular marker of HCC. Anti-miR-101 regulated the transcription of PTEN and may promote cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis by regulating downstream genes with PTEN. The regulatory effects of anti-miR-101 on PTEN provide valuable evidence for finding novel miRNA drugs.