Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer related deaths in the western world and smoking significantly increases the risk of developing lung cancer. Smoking enhances lung cancer initiation and progression. The effects of cigarette smoke on lung cancer are mediated by the presence of highly mutagenic substances, including nicotine, leading to mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. ...

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a cancer of the lining of the lungs, heart, and intestine and is known to respond poorly to chemotherapy. Here we show that malignant mesothelial cells have an elevated Notch signaling pathway compared with normal human mesothelial cells. We studied the role of Notch in MM under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, the latter condition best recapitulating the MM micro...

PURPOSE Wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which accounts for most AMD-related vision loss, is characterized by choroidal neovascularization (CNV). The underlying mechanism of CNV is poorly understood, but evidence indicates pathologic recruitment of normal angiogenic signaling pathways such as the VEGF pathway. Recent evidence suggests that the VEGF pathway regulates angiogenesis in c...

The aberrant activation of Notch-1 signaling pathway has been proven to be associated with the development and progression of cancers. However, the specific roles and the underlying mechanisms of Notch-1 signaling pathway on the malignant behaviors of breast cancer are poorly understood. In this study, using multiple cellular and molecular approaches, we demonstrated that activation of Notch-1 ...

The Notch (N) pathway defines an evolutionarily conserved cell signaling mechanism that governs cell fate choices through local cell interactions. The ankyrin repeat region of the Notch receptor is essential for signaling and has been implicated in the interactions between Notch and two intracellular elements of the pathway: Deltex (Dx) and Suppressor of Hairless (Su(H)). Here we examine direct...

background and objectives: silymarin is a unique flavonoid complex with documented hepatoprotective properties. silybum  marianum hairy root culture as a source for producing silymarin has been an important strategy for study the cell signaling pathway. in the present investigation trichoderma strains- silybum marianum hairy root cultures interactions have been studied. methods: the effects of ...

Cell-cell interactions mediated by the Notch signaling pathway occur throughout C. elegans embryogenesis. These interactions have major roles in specifying cell fates and in tissue morphogenesis. The network of Notch interactions is linked in part through the Notch-regulated expression of components of the pathway, allowing one interaction to pattern subsequent ones. The Notch signal transducti...

Notch signaling is evolutionarily conserved and operates in many cell types and at various stages during development. Notch signaling must therefore be able to generate appropriate signaling outputs in a variety of cellular contexts. This need for versatility in Notch signaling is in apparent contrast to the simple molecular design of the core pathway. Here, we review recent studies in nematode...

Notch signaling is known to play important roles during retinal development. Recently, Notch signaling has been shown to be active in proliferating Müller glia in acutely damaged chick retina (Hayes et al., 2007). However, the roles of Notch in mature, undamaged retina remain unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine the role of the Notch-signaling pathway in the postnatal retin...

Notch signaling is an evolutionarily ancient, highly conserved pathway important for deciding cell fate, cellular development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Notch signaling is also critical in mammalian cardiogenesis, as mutations in this signaling pathway are linked to human congenital heart disease. Furthermore, Notch signaling ...