To investigate the role of tyrosine 23 (Tyr23) phosphorylation of Annexin A2 (Anxa2) in regulating the proliferation and invasion of human breast cancer SK-BR-3 cells.A panel of lentivirus plasmids expressing Anxa2-wide type (Ana2-WT), Anxa2-Y23A, and Anxa2-Y23D was generated and infected with SK-BR-3 cells. The monoclonal strains were screened. The expression of Anxa2-WT, Anxa2-Y23A, and Anxa2-Y23D was determined by Western blot analysis. The ability of the cells to proliferate was detected through an MTT [3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] test. Boyden chamber assays were employed to examine migration and invasion abilities. The interaction between Anxa2 and Stat3 was analyzed by immunoprecipitation analyses. Nucleoprotein and cytosolic protein were extracted from SK-BR-3, Anxa2-WT, Anxa2-Y23A, and Anxa2-Y23D cells to analyze the expression and localization of Stat3 phosphorylation.The monoclonal strains constitutively expressing Anxa2-WT, Anxa2-Y23A, and Anxa2-Y23D were screened. Both Anxa2-WT and Anxa2-Y23D enhanced the proliferation, migration and invasion abilities of SK-BR-3 cells (P<0.05). Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that Anxa2 and Stat3 interacted with each other, and the expression of Stat3 phosphorylation in the nucleus was enhanced by Anxa2-Y23D.Tyr23 phosphorylation of Anxa2 promotes the proliferation and invasion of human breast cancer SK-BR-3 cells and the phosphorylation of Stat3 in the nucleus.

Adiponectin (APN), a novel hormone/cytokine derived from adipocyte tissue, is involved in various physiological functions. Genetics, nutrition, and adiposity are factors contributing to circulating plasma concentrations of APN. Clinical correlation studies have shown that lower levels of serum APN are associated with increased malignancy of various cancers, such as breast and colon cancers, suggesting that APN has a role in tumorigenesis. APN affects insulin resistance, thus further influencing cancer development. Tumor cells may express receptors for APN. Cellular signaling is the mechanism by which APN exerts its host-protective responses. These factors suggest that serum APN levels and downstream signaling targets of APN may serve as potential diagnostic markers for malignancies. Further research is necessary to clarify the exact role of APN in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The development of accessory breast tissue, which is found anywhere along the milk line, is attributed to the failure of milk line remnants to regress during embryogenesis. Primary tumors may arise from any ectopic breast tissue. Accessory breast cancer occurring concurrently with primary invasive breast cancer is extremely rare. Two such cases were reported in this article. One was a 43-year-old Chinese female who exhibited bilateral breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma, not otherwise specified, IDC-NOS) and an accessory breast carcinoma (IDC-NOS) incidentally identified in her left axilla. The ectopic breast tissue in her right axilla presented with adenosis. The patient was surgically treated, followed by postoperative docetaxel epirubicin (TE) chemotherapy. The second case was a 53-year-old Chinese female with bilateral breast cancer (apocrine carcinoma) accompanied by an accessory breast carcinoma (IDC-NOS) in her right axilla that was also incidentally identified. The patient was surgically treated after three doses of cyclophosphamide epirubicin docetaxel (CET) neoadjuvant chemotherapy, followed by adjuvant chemotherapy of the same regimen.

The incidence of cancer varies around the globe, especially between less-developed and developed regions. The aim of this study is to explore differences in cancer incidence between China and the USA.Data were obtained from the GLOBOCAN 2008 database. Estimated numbers of new cancer cases in the USA were obtained from the American Cancer Society, while the numbers of cases in China, including those in urban and rural areas, were obtained from 36 cancer registries (2003-2005). Cancer incidence for major sites between China and the USA were analyzed.In China, lung cancer was the predominant type of cancer detected in males; in females, breast cancer was the main type of cancer. Gastrointestinal cancers, such as those of the liver, stomach, and esophagus, were more commonly seen in China than in the USA. A significant difference in the incidence of melanoma of the skin was observed between China and the USA. During comparison of differences in the age-standardized rates by world population (ASRWs) of major cancer sites between the two countries, 4 sites in males (i.e., nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, and liver) and 6 sites in females (i.e., nasopharynx, esophagus, stomach, liver, gallbladder, and cervix uteri) showed higher cancer incidence rates in China than in the USA.Significant differences in cancer incidence sites were found between the two countries. Cancer may be prevented through public education and awareness. Programs to promote cancer prevention in China, especially those of the lung, breast, and gastrointestinal region, must also be implemented.

To explore the interaction of Anxa2 with P-Glycoprotein (P-gp) in the migration and invasion of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) human breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADR.A pair of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting P-gp was transfected into MCF-7/ADR cells, and monoclonal cell strains were screened. The expression of P-gp was detected by Western blot. Transwell chambers were used to observe the cell migration capacity and invasion ability. The interaction between P-gp and Anxa2 was examined by immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence confocal microscopy analyses.P-gp expression was significantly knocked down, and there were notable decreasing trends in the migration and invasion capability of MDR breast cancer cells (P<0.05). There was a close interaction between Anxa2 and P-gp.MCF-7/ADR is an MDR human breast cancer cell line with high migration and invasion abilities. The knockdown of P-gp notably impaired the migration and invasion abilities of the tumor cells. The interaction of Anxa2 with P-pg may play an important role in the enhanced invasiveness of MDR human breast cancer cells.

Pure mucinous breast carcinoma (PMBC) is an uncommon histological type of breast cancer characterized by a large amount of mucin production. MicroRNA (miRNA) is a large class of small noncoding RNA of about 22 nt involved in the regulation of various biological processes. This study aims to identify the miRNA expression profile in PMBC.MiRNA expression profiles in 11 PMBCs were analyzed by miRNA-microarray and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Thirty-one PMBCs and 27 invasive ductal carcinoma of no special types (IDC-NSTs) were assessed by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against ER, PR-progesterone receptor, HER2, Ki-67, Bcl-2, p53, PCNA, and CK5 and 6.We analyzed the miRNA expression in 11 PMBCs and corresponding normal tissues using miRNA-microarray and real-time PCR, and found that miR-143 and miR-224-5p were significantly downregulated in mucinous carcinoma tissue. Compared with IDC-NSTs, PMBC showed a significantly higher ER positive rate, lower HER-2 positive rate, and lower cell proliferation rates.To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate the miRNA expression profile of PMBC, and our findings may lead to further understanding of this type of breast cancer.

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) is a potential cure for patients with malignant lymphoma that is based on the graft-versus-lymphoma (GVL) effect. Myeloablative conditioning allo-SCT is associated with high mortality and morbidity, particularly in patients older than 45 years, heavily pretreated patients (prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or more than two lines of conventional chemotherapy) or patients affected by other comorbidities. Therefore, conventional allo-SCT is restricted to younger patients (<50 to 55 years) in good physical condition. Over the last decade, allo-SCT with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC-allo-SCT) has been increasingly used to treat patients with lymphoma. This treatment is associated with lower toxicity and substantial decrease in the incidence of transplant-related mortality, and has the potential to lead to long-term remissions. Therefore, patients who are not suitable to undergo conventional allo-SCT can benefit from the potentially curative GVL effects of allo-SCT. Although RIC-allo-SCT has improved the survival of lymphoma patients, high post-transplant relapse rates or disease progression mainly results in treatment failure. Thus, further improvement is clearly needed. The role and timing of RIC-allo-SCT in the treatment of lymphoma remains unclear. Therefore, more prospective studies should clarify the effectiveness of this method. In this article, we review the recent literature on RIC-allo-SCT as a treatment for major lymphoma subtypes. Areas that require further investigation in the context of clinical trials are also highlighted.

Background.

Black women with breast cancer (BC) in Nigeria have higher mortality rate compared with British women. This study investigated prognostic features of cell proliferation biomarker (Ki-67) in Nigerian breast cancer women. Materials and Methods. The protein expression of Ki-67 was investigated in series of 308 Nigerian women, prepared as a tissue microarray (TMA), using immunohistochemistry. Clinic-pathological parameters, biomarkers, and patient outcome of tumours expressing Ki-67 in Nigerian women were correlated with UK grade-matched series.

Results.

A significantly larger proportion of breast tumours from Nigerian women showed high Ki-67 expression. Those tumours were significantly correlated with negative expression of the steroid hormone receptors (ER and PgR), p21, p27, E-cadherin, BRCA-1, and Bcl-2 (all P < 0.001), but positively associated with EGFR (P = 0.003), p53, basal cytokeratins: CK56, CK14, triple negative, and basal phenotype using Nielsen's classification (all P < 0.001) compared to UK women. Multivariate analyses showed that race was also associated with BCSS independent of tumour size, lymph node status, and ER status.

Conclusion.

Ki-67 expression was observed to have contributed to the difference in the BCSS in Nigerian compared with British BC women. Therefore, targeting Ki-67 in the indigenous black women with BC might improve the patient outcome in the black women with BC.

Epithelial morphogenesis is a dynamic process that involves coordination of signaling and actin cytoskeletal rearrangements.We analyzed the contribution of the branched actin regulator WAVE2 in the development of 3-dimensional (3D) epithelial structures. WAVE2-knockdown (WAVE2-KD) cells formed large multi-lobular acini that continued to proliferate at an abnormally late stage compared to control acini. Immunostaining of the cell-cell junctions of WAVE2-KD acini revealed weak and heterogeneous E-cadherin staining despite little change in actin filament localization to the same junctions. Analysis of cadherin expression demonstrated a decrease in E-cadherin and an increase in N-cadherin protein and mRNA abundance in total cell lysates. In addition, WAVE2-KD cells exhibited an increase in the mRNA levels of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated transcription factor Twist1. KD of Twist1 expression in WAVE2-KD cells reversed the cadherin switching and completely rescued the aberrant 3D morphological phenotype. Activity of the WAVE2 complex binding partner Abl kinase was also increased in WAVE2-KD cells, as assessed by tyrosine phosphorylation of the Abl substrate CrkL. Inhibition of Abl with STI571 rescued the multi-lobular WAVE2-KD 3D phenotype whereas overexpression of Abl kinase phenocopied the WAVE2-KD phenotype.The WAVE2 complex regulates breast epithelial morphology by a complex mechanism involving repression of Twist1 expression and Abl kinase activity. These data reveal a critical role for WAVE2 complex in regulation of cellular signaling and epithelial morphogenesis.

A greater reduction in cancer risk associated with mushroom diet rich in fungus polysaccharides is generally accepted. Meanwhile, edible Pleurotus abalonus as a member of Abalone mushroom family is a popular nutritional supplement that purportedly prevents cancer occurrence. However, these anecdotal claims are supported by limited studies describing tumor-inhibitory responses to the promising polysaccharides, and the molecular mechanisms underlying these properties have not yet been elucidated.We here fractionated the crude polysaccharide preparation from the fruiting bodies of P. abalonus into three fractions, namely PAP-1, PAP-2 and PAP-3, and tested these fractions for antiproliferative activity in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells. The largest PAP-3, an acidic polysaccharide fraction with a molecular mass of 3.68×10(5) Da, was the most active in inhibiting MCF-7 cancer cells with an IC50 of 193 µg/mL. The changes in cell normal morphology were observed by DAPI staining and the PAP-3-induced apoptosis was confirmed by annexin V/propidium iodide staining. The apoptosis was involved in mitochondria-mediated pathway including the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm), the increase of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, caspase-9/3 activation, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) degradation, as well as intracellular ROS production. PAP-3 also induced up-regulation of p53, and cell cycle arrest at the S phase. The incubation of MCF-7 cells with antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) significantly attenuated the ROS generation and apoptosis caused by PAP-3, indicating that intracellular ROS plays a pivotal role in cell death.These findings suggest that the polysaccharides, especially acidic PAP-3, are very important nutritional ingredients responsible for, at least in part, the anticancer health benefits of P. abalonus via ROS-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. It is a major breakthrough bringing new insight of the potential use of the polysaccharides as health-care food or medicine to provide significant natural defense against human cancer.