Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
7.8
5.6
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Genetics and Epigenetics of Cancer Cells and Tumor Microenvironment
ijms-logo
Submit to IJMS Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Genetics and Epigenetics of Cancer Cells and Tumor Microenvironment

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2023) | Viewed by 3681

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Julia Kzhyshkowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Transfusion Medicine and Immunology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: macrophages differentiation; macrophage metabolism and epigenetics; molecular mechanisms of chronic inflammation in cancer, diabetes, vascular complications, and tissue regeneration; macrophage biomarkers; biomaterials for macrophage drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Our Special Issue is dedicated to the elucidation of the essential genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that control both cancer cell biology and immune components of tumour microenvironments, as well as circulating immune cells that are recruited to the tumor tissue or interact with the cancer cells during their metastatic spread. We invite submissions that are focused on the identification of emerging hubs, where genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in transformed cells and in cells of tumor microenvironments program their functions that are critical for tumor initiation, growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, and responsiveness to anti-cancer therapy. Our Special Issue aims to publish original and review articles on the germinal and somatic mutations, DNA methylation profiles, histone code alterations, and miRNAs that control the biology of transformed cells and various cells of tumor microenvironments and their circulating precursors. We invite submissions that deal with the pre-clinical ex vivo and in vivo models and analyses of patient cohorts. Of particular interest are genetic and epigenetic biomarkers that can be identified by minimally invasive technologies, facilitating their translation into clinical practices, especially if such genetic and epigenetic biomarkers can be applied for the personalisation of therapeutic schemas and for the stratification of cancer patients. We aim to highlight the critical pathways and molecules for therapeutic targeting to revert detrimental genetic and epigenetic programs in various cell types and restore homeostatic balance in tissue and organs.

Prof. Dr. Julia Kzhyshkowska
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer
  • macrophages
  • T-cells
  • endothelial cells
  • epigenetic
  • mutation
  • histone code
  • angiogenesis

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

16 pages, 3359 KiB  
Article
Epigenomic Profiling Advises Therapeutic Potential of Leukotriene Receptor Inhibitors for a Subset of Triple-Negative Breast Tumors
by Alexey I. Kalinkin, Vladimir O. Sigin, Ekaterina B. Kuznetsova, Ekaterina O. Ignatova, Ilya I. Vinogradov, Maxim I. Vinogradov, Igor Y. Vinogradov, Dmitry V. Zaletaev, Marina V. Nemtsova, Sergey I. Kutsev, Alexander S. Tanas and Vladimir V. Strelnikov
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(24), 17343; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242417343 - 11 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1092
Abstract
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive molecular subtype, with a poor survival rate compared to others subtypes. For a long time, chemotherapy was the only systemic treatment for TNBC, and the identification of actionable molecular targets might ultimately improve the prognosis [...] Read more.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive molecular subtype, with a poor survival rate compared to others subtypes. For a long time, chemotherapy was the only systemic treatment for TNBC, and the identification of actionable molecular targets might ultimately improve the prognosis for TNBC patients. We performed a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation at CpG islands on a collection of one hundred ten breast carcinoma samples and six normal breast tissue samples using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing with the XmaI restriction enzyme (XmaI-RRBS) and identified a subset of TNBC samples with significant hypomethylation at the LTB4R/LTB4R2 genes’ CpG islands, including CpG dinucleotides covered with cg12853742 and cg21886367 HumanMethylation 450K microarray probes. Abnormal DNA hypomethylation of this region in TNBC compared to normal samples was confirmed by bisulfite Sanger sequencing. Gene expression generally anticorrelates with promoter methylation, and thus, the promoter hypomethylation detected and confirmed in our study might be revealed as an indirect marker of high LTB4R/LTB4R2 expression using a simple methylation-sensitive PCR test. Analysis of RNA-seq expression and DNA methylation data from the TCGA dataset demonstrates that the expression of the LTB4R and LTB4R2 genes significantly negatively correlates with DNA methylation at both CpG sites cg12853742 (R = −0.4, p = 2.6 × 10−6; R = −0.21, p = 0.015) and cg21886367 (R = −0.45, p = 7.3 × 10−8; R = −0.24, p = 0.005), suggesting the upregulation of these genes in tumors with abnormal hypomethylation of their CpG island. Kaplan–Meier analysis using the TCGA-BRCA gene expression and clinical data revealed poorer overall survival for TNBC patients with an upregulated LTB4R. To this day, only the leukotriene inhibitor LY255283 has been tested on an MCF-7/DOX cell line, which is a luminal A breast cancer molecular subtype. Other studies compare the effects of Montelukast and Zafirlukast (inhibitors of the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor, which is different from LTB4R/LTB4R2) on the MDA-MB-231 (TNBC) cell line, with high methylation and low expression levels of LTB4R. In our study, we assess the therapeutic effects of various drugs (including leukotriene receptor inhibitors) with the DepMap gene effect and drug sensitivity data for TNBC cell lines with hypomethylated and upregulated LTB4R/LTB4R2 genes. LY255283, Minocycline, Silibinin, Piceatannol, Mitiglinide, 1-Azakenpaullone, Carbetocin, and Pim-1-inhibitor-2 can be considered as candidates for the additional treatment of TNBC patients with tumors demonstrating LTB4R/LTB4R2 hypomethylation/upregulation. Finally, our results suggest that the epigenetic status of leukotriene B4 receptors is a novel, potential, predictive, and prognostic biomarker for TNBC. These findings might improve individualized therapy for TNBC patients by introducing new therapeutic adjuncts as anticancer agents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Epigenetics of Cancer Cells and Tumor Microenvironment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

0 pages, 1744 KiB  
Review
Prostate Cancer: Genetics, Epigenetics and the Need for Immunological Biomarkers
by Guzel Rafikova, Irina Gilyazova, Kadriia Enikeeva, Valentin Pavlov and Julia Kzhyshkowska
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12797; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612797 - 14 Aug 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2258
Abstract
Epidemiological data highlight prostate cancer as a significant global health issue, with high incidence and substantial impact on patients’ quality of life. The prevalence of this disease is associated with various factors, including age, heredity, and race. Recent research in prostate cancer genetics [...] Read more.
Epidemiological data highlight prostate cancer as a significant global health issue, with high incidence and substantial impact on patients’ quality of life. The prevalence of this disease is associated with various factors, including age, heredity, and race. Recent research in prostate cancer genetics has identified several genetic variants that may be associated with an increased risk of developing the disease. However, despite the significance of these findings, genetic markers for prostate cancer are not currently utilized in clinical practice as reliable indicators of the disease. In addition to genetics, epigenetic alterations also play a crucial role in prostate cancer development. Aberrant DNA methylation, changes in chromatin structure, and microRNA (miRNA) expression are major epigenetic events that influence oncogenesis. Existing markers for prostate cancer, such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), have limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The cost of testing, follow-up procedures, and treatment for false-positive results and overdiagnosis contributes to the overall healthcare expenditure. Improving the effectiveness of prostate cancer diagnosis and prognosis requires either narrowing the risk group by identifying new genetic factors or enhancing the sensitivity and specificity of existing markers. Immunological biomarkers (both circulating and intra-tumoral), including markers of immune response and immune dysfunction, represent a potentially useful area of research for enhancing the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. Our review emphasizes the need for developing novel immunological biomarkers to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and management of prostate cancer. We highlight the most recent achievements in the identification of biomarkers provided by circulating monocytes and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). We highlight that monocyte-derived and TAM-derived biomarkers can enable to establish the missing links between genetic predisposition, hormonal metabolism and immune responses in prostate cancer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Genetics and Epigenetics of Cancer Cells and Tumor Microenvironment)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop