Molecular Carcinogenesis 

About: Molecular Carcinogenesis is an academic journal published by Wiley. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Carcinogenesis & Cell growth. It has an ISSN identifier of 0899-1987. Over the lifetime, 3739 publications have been published receiving 125087 citations.

Molecular Mechanisms of Nrf2-Mediated Antioxidant Response

Abstract: Nrf2 is the key transcription factor regulating the antioxidant response. Nrf2 signaling is repressed by Keap1 at basal condition and induced by oxidative stress. Keap1 is recently identified as a Cullin 3-dependent substrate adaptor protein. A two-sites binding “hinge & latch” model vividly depicts how Keap1 can efficiently present Nrf2 as substrate for ubiquitination. Oxidative perturbation can impede Keap1-mediated Nrf2 ubiquitination but fail to disrupt Nrf2/Keap1 binding. Nrf2 per se is a redox-sensitive transcripon factor. A new Nrf2-mediated redox signaling model is proposed based on these new discoveries. Free floating Nrf2 protein functions as a redox-sensitive probe. Keap1 instead functions as a gate keeper to control the availability of Nrf2 probes and thus regulates the overall sensitivity of the redox signaling.

Microarrays and toxicology: the advent of toxicogenomics.

Abstract: The availability of genome-scale DNA sequence information and reagents has radically altered life-science research. This revolution has led to the development of a new scientific subdiscipline derived from a combination of the fields of toxicology and genomics. This subdiscipline, termed toxicogenomics, is concerned with the identification of potential human and environmental toxicants, and their putative mechanisms of action, through the use of genomics resources. One such resource is DNA microarrays or “chips,” which allow the monitoring of the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously. Here we propose a general method by which gene expression, as measured by cDNA microarrays, can be used as a highly sensitive and informative marker for toxicity. Our purpose is to acquaint the reader with the development and current state of microarray technology and to present our view of the usefulness of microarrays to the field of toxicology. Mol. Carcinog. 24:153‐ 159, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Circulating microRNAs, miR-21, miR-122, and miR-223, in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma or chronic hepatitis.

Abstract: Numerous studies have shown that aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is associated with the development and progression of various types of human cancer and serum miRNAs are potential biomarkers. This study examined whether some commonly deregulated miRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are presented in serum of patients with HCC and can serve as diagnostic markers. Serum miRNAs (miR-21, miR-122, and miR-223) were quantified by real-time quantitative RT-PCR in 101 patients with HCC and 89 healthy controls. In addition, 48 patients with chronic type B hepatitis were also analyzed for comparison. We found that the median levels of miR-21, miR-122, and miR-223 were significantly higher in patients with HCC than those in healthy controls (P = 7.48 × 10−13, P = 6.93 × 10−9, and P = 3.90 × 10−12, respectively). However, these elevated serum miRNAs were also detected in patients with chronic hepatitis (P = 2.05 × 10−12, P = 4.52 × 10−16, and P = 1.65 × 10−11, respectively). Moreover, serum miR-21 and miR-122 in patients with chronic hepatitis were higher than in patients with HCC (P = 3.99 × 10−4 and P = 4.97 × 10−8), although no such significant difference was found for miR-223. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggest that these serum miRNAs may be useful markers for discriminating patients with HCC or chronic hepatitis from healthy controls, but not patients with HCC from patients with chronic hepatitis. Our results indicate that serum miR-21, miR-122 and miR-223 are elevated in patients with HCC or chronic hepatitis and these miRNAs have strong potential to serve as novel biomarkers for liver injury but not specifically for HCC. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.