BACKGROUND β,β-Carotene 15,15'-monooxygenase (BCMO1) converts β-carotene to retinaldehyde. Increased β-carotene consumption is linked to antitumor effects. Retinoic acid reduces the invasiveness in cancer, through inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). In our studies of a mouse model that develops intestinal tumors after low dietary folate, we found reduced BCMO1 expression in normal p...

Here we showed that pAMPKα and PTEN were down-regulated and p-mTOR, p-S6, p-4EBP1, MMP7, and DCN1 were up-regulated in human gastric cancer tissue samples as compared to that in the noncancerous tissues. Metformin inhibited tumor growth in mice. Also it enhanced cisplatin- or rapamycin-induced reduction of tumor growth as compared with treatment of either drug alone. In addition to activation o...

Regenerative medicine strategies for restoring articular cartilage face significant challenges to recreate the complex and dynamic biochemical and biomechanical functions of native tissues. As an approach to recapitulate the complexity of the extracellular matrix, collagen-mimetic proteins offer a modular template to incorporate bioactive and biodegradable moieties into a single construct. We m...

The chromatin remodeler complex SWI/SNF plays an important role in physiological and pathological processes. Brahma related gene 1(BRG1), a catalytic subunit of the SWI/SNF complex, is known to be mutated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its role in HCC remains unclear. Here, we investigate the role of BRG1 on cell growth and invasiveness as well as its effect on the expression of pu...

BackgroundRNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are closely related to tumors, but little is known about the mechanism of RBPs in tumorigenesis and progression gastric cancer (GC). As genes do not usually act alone pathway deregulation, gene pair combinations more likely become stable accurate biomarkers. The purpose our research establish a novel signature based on RBP pairs predict prognosis patients.M...

The mucosal-dominant variant of pemphigus vulgaris (MPV) is an autoimmune disease characterized by oral mucosal blistering and circulating pathogenic IgG antibodies against desmoglein 3 (Dsg3), resulting in life-threatening bullae erosion formation. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as promising players the diagnosis prognosis several pathological states. For first time, we identified a...

We aimed to find clinically relevant gene activities ruled by the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) proteins in an ER(-) breast cancer population via network approach. STAT3 is negatively associated with both lymph nodal category and stage. MYC is a component of STAT3 network. MYC and STAT3 may co-regulate gene expressions for Warburg effect, stem cell like phenotype, c...

Periodontitis is a microbial-induced, chronic inflammatory disease that affects tissue and bone anchoring the teeth, and can ultimately lead to tooth loss. In addition, periodontitis may contribute to systemic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and inflammatory bowel diseases. The pathogenesis of periodontitis is complex and involves bacterial p...

Integrin alpha1beta1 is a collagen receptor abundantly expressed on microvascular endothelial cells. As well as being the only collagen receptor able to activate the Ras/Shc/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway promoting fibroblast cell proliferation, it also acts to inhibit collagen and metalloproteinase (MMP) synthesis. We have observed that in integrin alpha1-null mice synthesis of MMP7 ...

Epidemiological studies suggest sex-specific trends in the prevalence and mortality of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) that are distinct for each disease. While the expression of numerous immune and extracellular matrix (ECM) genes in the lung have been well characterized in these diseases, associations elucidating their sex-specific expressi...