Medulloblastoma is one of the most common pediatric brain malignancies. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying tumor cell fate determination is crucial to develop novel, effective and safe therapeutic strategies. With this aim, researchers from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborating institutions recently conducted a study integrating whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and bulk RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data from 189 human medulloblastoma samples.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, progressive respiratory disease in which the normal barrier between alveoli and capillaries is compromised, leading to persistent injury and inflammation of the lung epithelium.
Previous studies combining molecular techniques and genetic mouse models revealed the functional roles of several microRNAs and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in metabolic disorders. In particular, the lnc-megacluster (lncMGC), located on human chromosome 14q32.2 and hosting about 40 miRNAs, plays a role in diabetic kidney disease and pancreatic islet dysfunction. A team at the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope investigated the regulatory role of lncMGC in obesity and adipose dysfunction.
Previous work showed that histone ‘readers’, which bind to post-translational modifications on histones, may be upregulated in melanoma and thereby upregulate oncogenes. Given that the histone reader ATAD2 is known to be overexpressed in several types of cancer, researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham asked whether the same is true in melanoma.
During aging, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) undergo functional decline affecting their ability to regenerate the hematopoietic system and support lymphoid cell production. This functional decline contributes to some aging-related diseases. Moreover, aging is associated with biomechanical changes in HSCs, including alterations in nuclear envelope tension and nuclear mechanical integrity and mechanotransduction. However, it remains unclear whether aging of somatic stem cells can be prevented by targeting changes in nuclear mechanosignaling.
Renal fibrosis represents a key driver of the pathology of chronic kidney disease (CKD), marked by fibroblast activation, tubular damage and inflammation. Previous work found that cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) levels are markedly reduced in experimental models of renal fibrosis, but the reasons for this decline are not fully understood.
Researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University have identified WW domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 2 (WWP2) as a key player in the progression from acute kidney injury (AKI) chronic kidney disease (CKD).
While current treatments can prolong the life of many patients with the malignant bone cancer osteosarcoma, a substantial proportion have metastasis or recurrence. This highlights the need for more specific, targeted therapies against the disorder, yet the mechanism of pathogenesis is unclear and may be heterogeneous, so no drug targets have been definitively validated.
A recently published study, conducted by researchers from Jinan University and collaborating institutions, aimed to investigate the mechanisms of endometriosis-driven carcinogenesis.
