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Molecular Advances in Cancer and the Tumor Microenvironment
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Molecular Advances in Cancer and the Tumor Microenvironment

A special issue of Current Issues in Molecular Biology (ISSN 1467-3045). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 2737

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Joana Márquez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
Interests: cancer research; liver metastasis; tumor microenvironment; cancer-associated fibroblasts; cancer biomarkers; molecular oncology; tumor genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cellular genetic and epigenetic changes lead to altered cell proliferation, cell cycle dysregulation and metabolic defects, which allow for uncontrolled tumor growth. In this scenario, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is the primary site of crosstalk between the tumor cells and stromal and immune cells, extracellular matrix and cytokines, among other elements. Thus, to gain knowledge in the interactions that surrounded the TME, it is of utmost importance in order to decipher the cellular mechanism involved in cancer development to design new treatments which could better guide a precision medicine.

The TME is regulated by the gene expression alteration of cells, such as, histone modifications, miRNA regulation, altered DNA methylation, and other pathways which may occur through altered pre- or post-translational modifications. For this reason, researchers applying to this Special Issue could help to gain insight into this cancer progression mechanism.

In this Special Issue, we will focus on collecting advanced techniques using molecular biology and multi-omics to gain a comprehensive understanding of the tumor microenvironment and its role in cancer development. Through these approaches, we hope to discover new targets that effectively treat cancer and could improve patient prognosis.

Dr. Joana Márquez
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. Current Issues in Molecular Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). 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 cell metabolism
  • metastasis
  • cell cycle
  • targeted therapy
  • tumor microenvironment
  • epigenetic
  • cancer biomarkers, cancer-associated fibroblasts

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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27 pages, 10477 KiB  
Article
Prognostic Value of Histone Acetyl Transferase 1 (HAT-1) and Inflammatory Signatures in Pancreatic Cancer
by Miguel A. Ortega, Laura Jiménez-Álvarez, Oscar Fraile-Martinez, Cielo Garcia-Montero, Luis G. Guijarro, Leonel Pekarek, Silvestra Barrena-Blázquez, Ángel Asúnsolo, Laura López-González, María Del Val Toledo-Lobo, Melchor Álvarez-Mon, Miguel A. Saez, Alberto Gutiérrez-Calvo and Raúl Díaz-Pedrero
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(5), 3839-3865; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cimb46050239 (registering DOI) - 25 Apr 2024
Viewed by 169
Abstract
Pancreatic cancer is a type of gastrointestinal tumor with a growing incidence and mortality worldwide. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) constitutes 90% of cases, and late-stage diagnosis is common, leading to a 5-year survival rate of less than 10% in high-income countries. The use [...] Read more.
Pancreatic cancer is a type of gastrointestinal tumor with a growing incidence and mortality worldwide. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) constitutes 90% of cases, and late-stage diagnosis is common, leading to a 5-year survival rate of less than 10% in high-income countries. The use of biomarkers has different proven translational applications, facilitating early diagnosis, accurate prognosis and identification of potential therapeutic targets. Several studies have shown a correlation between the tissue expression levels of various molecules, measured through immunohistochemistry (IHC), and survival rates in PDAC. Following the hallmarks of cancer, epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming, together with immune evasion and tumor-promoted inflammation, plays a critical role in cancer initiation and development. In this study, we aim to explore via IHC and Kaplan–Meier analyses the prognostic value of various epigenetic-related markers (histones 3 and 4 (H3/H4), histone acetyl transferase 1 (HAT-1), Anti-Silencing Function 1 protein (ASF1), Nuclear Autoantigenic Sperm Protein (NASP), Retinol Binding Protein 7 (RBBP7), importin 4 (IPO4) and IPO5), metabolic regulators (Phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM)) and inflammatory mediators (allograft inflammatory factor 1 (AIF-1), interleukin 10 (IL-10), IL-12A and IL-18) in patients with PDAC. Also, through a correlation analysis, we have explored the possible interconnections in the expression levels of these molecules. Our results show that higher expression levels of these molecules are directly associated with poorer survival rates in PDAC patients, except in the case of IL-10, which shows an inverse association with mortality. HAT1 was the molecule more clearly associated with mortality, with a hazard risk of 21.74. The correlogram demonstrates an important correlation between almost all molecules studied (except in the case of IL-18), highlighting potential interactions between these molecules. Overall, our study demonstrates the relevance of including different markers from IHC techniques in order to identify unexplored molecules to develop more accurate prognosis methods and possible targeted therapies. Additionally, our correlation analysis reveals potential interactions among these markers, offering insights into PDAC’s pathogenesis and paving the way for targeted therapies tailored to individual patient profiles. Future studies should be conducted to confirm the prognostic value of these components in PDAC in a broader sample size, as well as to evaluate the possible biological networks connecting them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Advances in Cancer and the Tumor Microenvironment)
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Review

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26 pages, 781 KiB  
Review
The Role of Urothelial Cancer-Associated 1 in Gynecological Cancers
by Eleni Nousiopoulou, Kleio Vrettou, Christos Damaskos, Nikolaos Garmpis, Anna Garmpi, Panagiotis Tsikouras, Nikolaos Nikolettos, Konstantinos Nikolettos and Iason Psilopatis
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(3), 2772-2797; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cimb46030174 - 21 Mar 2024
Viewed by 840
Abstract
Gynecological cancers (GC) represent some of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in women worldwide. Long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory RNAs increasingly being recognized for their role in tumor progression and metastasis in various cancers. Urothelial cancer-associated 1 (UCA1) is a lncRNA, first found [...] Read more.
Gynecological cancers (GC) represent some of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in women worldwide. Long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are regulatory RNAs increasingly being recognized for their role in tumor progression and metastasis in various cancers. Urothelial cancer-associated 1 (UCA1) is a lncRNA, first found deregulated in bladder cancer, and many studies have exposed its oncogenic effects in more tumors since. However, the role of UCA1 in gynecological malignancies is still unclear. This review aims to analyze and define the role of UCA1 in GC, in order to identify its potential use as a diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic biomarker of GC. By employing the search terms “UCA1”, “breast cancer”, “endometrial cancer”, “ovarian cancer”, “cervical cancer”, “vaginal cancer”, and “vulvar cancer” in the PubMed database for the literature review, we identified a total of sixty-three relevant research articles published between 2014 and 2024. Although there were some opposing results, UCA1 was predominantly found to be upregulated in most of the breast, endometrial, ovarian, cervical, and vulvar cancer cells, tissue samples, and mouse xenograft models. UCA1 overexpression mainly accounts for enhanced tumor proliferation and increased drug resistance, while also being associated with some clinicopathological features, such as a high histological grade or poor prognosis. Nonetheless, no reviews were identified about the involvement of UCA1 in vaginal carcinogenesis. Therefore, further clinical trials are required to explore the role of UCA1 in these malignancies and, additionally, examine its possible application as a target for upcoming treatments, or as a novel biomarker for GC diagnosis and prognosis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Advances in Cancer and the Tumor Microenvironment)
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42 pages, 2796 KiB  
Review
Deciphering Glioblastoma: Fundamental and Novel Insights into the Biology and Therapeutic Strategies of Gliomas
by Razvan Onciul, Felix-Mircea Brehar, Corneliu Toader, Razvan-Adrian Covache-Busuioc, Luca-Andrei Glavan, Bogdan-Gabriel Bratu, Horia Petre Costin, David-Ioan Dumitrascu, Matei Serban and Alexandru Vlad Ciurea
Curr. Issues Mol. Biol. 2024, 46(3), 2402-2443; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/cimb46030153 - 13 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1280
Abstract
Gliomas constitute a diverse and complex array of tumors within the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by a wide range of prognostic outcomes and responses to therapeutic interventions. This literature review endeavors to conduct a thorough investigation of gliomas, with a particular emphasis [...] Read more.
Gliomas constitute a diverse and complex array of tumors within the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by a wide range of prognostic outcomes and responses to therapeutic interventions. This literature review endeavors to conduct a thorough investigation of gliomas, with a particular emphasis on glioblastoma (GBM), beginning with their classification and epidemiological characteristics, evaluating their relative importance within the CNS tumor spectrum. We examine the immunological context of gliomas, unveiling the intricate immune environment and its ramifications for disease progression and therapeutic strategies. Moreover, we accentuate critical developments in understanding tumor behavior, focusing on recent research breakthroughs in treatment responses and the elucidation of cellular signaling pathways. Analyzing the most novel transcriptomic studies, we investigate the variations in gene expression patterns in glioma cells, assessing the prognostic and therapeutic implications of these genetic alterations. Furthermore, the role of epigenetic modifications in the pathogenesis of gliomas is underscored, suggesting that such changes are fundamental to tumor evolution and possible therapeutic advancements. In the end, this comparative oncological analysis situates GBM within the wider context of neoplasms, delineating both distinct and shared characteristics with other types of tumors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Advances in Cancer and the Tumor Microenvironment)
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