Pub Date : 2025-05-07DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101367
Amir Mohammad Malvandi , Laura Gerosa , Giuseppe Banfi , Giovanni Lombardi
Skeletal muscles (SKM) and bones form a morpho-functional unit, interconnected throughout life primarily through biomechanical coupling. This relationship serves as a key reciprocal stimulus, but they also interact via various hormones, such as sex steroids, growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH-IGF1) axis hormones, and adipokines like leptin and adiponectin. Additionally, myokines (released by muscles) and osteokines (released by bones) facilitate dense crosstalk, influencing each other's activity. Key myokines include interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-15, and myostatin, while osteocalcin (OC) and sclerostin are crucial bone-derived mediators affecting SKM cells. Moreover, miRNAs act as endocrine-like regulators, contributing to a complex network. This review covers the current understanding of bone-muscle crosstalk, which is essential for grasping the musculoskeletal apparatus's role in disease pathogenesis and may inform therapeutic development.
{"title":"The bone-muscle unit: from mechanical coupling to soluble factors-mediated signaling","authors":"Amir Mohammad Malvandi , Laura Gerosa , Giuseppe Banfi , Giovanni Lombardi","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101367","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101367","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Skeletal muscles (SKM) and bones form a morpho-functional unit, interconnected throughout life primarily through biomechanical coupling. This relationship serves as a key reciprocal stimulus, but they also interact via various hormones, such as sex steroids, growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH-IGF1) axis hormones, and adipokines like leptin and adiponectin. Additionally, myokines (released by muscles) and osteokines (released by bones) facilitate dense crosstalk, influencing each other's activity. Key myokines include interleukin (IL)-6, IL-7, IL-15, and myostatin, while osteocalcin (OC) and sclerostin are crucial bone-derived mediators affecting SKM cells. Moreover, miRNAs act as endocrine-like regulators, contributing to a complex network. This review covers the current understanding of bone-muscle crosstalk, which is essential for grasping the musculoskeletal apparatus's role in disease pathogenesis and may inform therapeutic development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101367"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912821","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-05-03DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101364
Michele Vendruscolo
Protein misfolding and aggregation drive some of the most prevalent and lethal disorders of our time, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, now affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The complexity of these diseases, which are often multifactorial and related to age and lifestyle, has made it challenging to identify the causes of the accumulation of aberrant protein deposits. An insight into the origins of these deposits comes from reports of a widespread presence of protein aggregates even under normal cellular conditions. This observation is best accounted for by the thermodynamic hypothesis of protein aggregation. According to this hypothesis, many proteins are expressed at levels close to their supersaturation limits, so that their native states are metastable against aggregation. Here we integrate the evidence behind this hypothesis and outline actionable therapeutic strategies that could halt protein aggregation at its source.
{"title":"The thermodynamic hypothesis of protein aggregation","authors":"Michele Vendruscolo","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protein misfolding and aggregation drive some of the most prevalent and lethal disorders of our time, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, now affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. The complexity of these diseases, which are often multifactorial and related to age and lifestyle, has made it challenging to identify the causes of the accumulation of aberrant protein deposits. An insight into the origins of these deposits comes from reports of a widespread presence of protein aggregates even under normal cellular conditions. This observation is best accounted for by the thermodynamic hypothesis of protein aggregation. According to this hypothesis, many proteins are expressed at levels close to their supersaturation limits, so that their native states are metastable against aggregation. Here we integrate the evidence behind this hypothesis and outline actionable therapeutic strategies that could halt protein aggregation at its source.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101364"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-29DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101365
Lei Yan , Zhuo Quan , Tiantian Sun , Jiajun Wang
Autophagy, a conserved cellular mechanism which detoxifies and degrades intracellular structures or biomolecules, has been identified as an important factor in the progression of human breast cancer and the development of treatment resistance. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), a broad family of RNA, have the ability to influence various processes, including autophagy, due to their diverse downstream targets. ncRNAs play an important role in suppressing or activating autophagy by targeting autophagy-triggering components such as the ULK1 complex, Beclin1, and ATGs. Recent research has uncovered the intricate regulatory networks that govern autophagy dynamics, with ncRNAs emerging as key participants in this network. miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs are the three subfamilies of ncRNAs that have the most well-known interactions with autophagy, particularly macroautophagy. The high prevalence of breast cancer necessitates research into finding new biological processes that can help in early detection as well as enhance the effectiveness of treatment. The positive/negative link between autophagy and ncRNAs can be exploited as a supplementary therapy to improve sensitivity to treatment in breast cancer. This review investigates the regulatory roles of ncRNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), in modifying autophagy pathways in human breast cancer progression and treatment. However, future studies and clinical practice are needed to determine the most relevant microRNAs as biomarkers and also to better understand their role in breast cancer progression or treatment through modifying autophagy.
{"title":"Autophagy signaling mediated by non-coding RNAs: Impact on breast cancer progression and treatment","authors":"Lei Yan , Zhuo Quan , Tiantian Sun , Jiajun Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101365","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101365","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Autophagy, a conserved cellular mechanism which detoxifies and degrades intracellular structures or biomolecules, has been identified as an important factor in the progression of human breast cancer and the development of treatment resistance. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), a broad family of RNA, have the ability to influence various processes, including autophagy, due to their diverse downstream targets. ncRNAs play an important role in suppressing or activating autophagy by targeting autophagy-triggering components such as the ULK1 complex, Beclin1, and ATGs. Recent research has uncovered the intricate regulatory networks that govern autophagy dynamics, with ncRNAs emerging as key participants in this network. miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs are the three subfamilies of ncRNAs that have the most well-known interactions with autophagy, particularly macroautophagy. The high prevalence of breast cancer necessitates research into finding new biological processes that can help in early detection as well as enhance the effectiveness of treatment. The positive/negative link between autophagy and ncRNAs can be exploited as a supplementary therapy to improve sensitivity to treatment in breast cancer. This review investigates the regulatory roles of ncRNAs, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), in modifying autophagy pathways in human breast cancer progression and treatment. However, future studies and clinical practice are needed to determine the most relevant microRNAs as biomarkers and also to better understand their role in breast cancer progression or treatment through modifying autophagy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101365"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143881590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-23DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101362
R. Gonzalo Parra , Elizabeth A. Komives , Peter G. Wolynes , Diego U. Ferreiro
Molecules provide the ultimate language in terms of which physiology and pathology must be understood. Myriads of proteins participate in elaborate networks of interactions and perform chemical activities coordinating the life of cells. To perform these often amazing tasks, proteins must move and we must think of them as dynamic ensembles of three dimensional structures formed first by folding the polypeptide chains so as to minimize the conflicts between the interactions of their constituent amino acids. It is apparent however that, even when completely folded, not all conflicting interactions have been resolved so the structure remains ‘locally frustrated’. Over the last decades it has become clearer that this local frustration is not just a random accident but plays an essential part of the inner workings of protein molecules. We will review here the physical origins of the frustration concept and review evidence that local frustration is important for protein physiology, protein-protein recognition, catalysis and allostery. Also, we highlight examples showing how alterations in the local frustration patterns can be linked to distinct pathologies. Finally we explore the extensions of the impact of frustration in higher order levels of organization of systems including gene regulatory networks and the neural networks of the brain.
{"title":"Frustration in physiology and molecular medicine","authors":"R. Gonzalo Parra , Elizabeth A. Komives , Peter G. Wolynes , Diego U. Ferreiro","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101362","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101362","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Molecules provide the ultimate language in terms of which physiology and pathology must be understood. Myriads of proteins participate in elaborate networks of interactions and perform chemical activities coordinating the life of cells. To perform these often amazing tasks, proteins must move and we must think of them as dynamic ensembles of three dimensional structures formed first by folding the polypeptide chains so as to minimize the conflicts between the interactions of their constituent amino acids. It is apparent however that, even when completely folded, not all conflicting interactions have been resolved so the structure remains ‘locally frustrated’. Over the last decades it has become clearer that this local frustration is not just a random accident but plays an essential part of the inner workings of protein molecules. We will review here the physical origins of the frustration concept and review evidence that local frustration is important for protein physiology, protein-protein recognition, catalysis and allostery. Also, we highlight examples showing how alterations in the local frustration patterns can be linked to distinct pathologies. Finally we explore the extensions of the impact of frustration in higher order levels of organization of systems including gene regulatory networks and the neural networks of the brain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101362"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143859206","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-04-07DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101360
Nicole Mizzi , Renald Blundell
Glycine receptors are considered as an integral part of higher brain function in mammals. The main function of glycine receptor is fast inhibitory transmission brought about by glycine neurotransmitter, its full agonist. This receptor is part of the glycinergic system which controls key physiological functions such as motor coordination, regulation of the rhythm of respiration and pain signalling. Glycine, a non-essential amino acid, causes hyperpolarisation within the glycine receptor, leading this ion channel to open and allow influx of chloride ion. The glycine receptor is found within the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. It has also been found within amacrine cells, as well as renal medulla and cortex. The glycine receptor is a pentameric ligand-gated channel, part of the Cys-loop superfamily. It is composed of large ECD, C terminus, transmembrane domain M1-M4, and a 4α:1β glycine receptor subunit stoichiometry. The glycine receptor can be found as either homomeric or heteromeric subtypes. Alpha subtypes are crucial for important physiological functions such as breathing control and nociceptive system processing while the beta subunit aids in glycine receptor clustering and synapse stabilisation with its interaction with gephyrin scaffold protein. When hyperpolarised, the receptor transitions between close, open, and desensitised states. Factors that affect the activity and function of glycine receptors are gephyrin, ivermectin, strychnine and picrotoxin while certain endogenous modulators include partial agonists, positive allosteric modulator, antagonists, and bidirectional modulator are used for pharmacological modulation. Further studies need to be carried out on how glycine receptors are also implicated in chronic pain and nociception, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases and hyperekplexia.
{"title":"Glycine receptors: Structure, function, and therapeutic implications","authors":"Nicole Mizzi , Renald Blundell","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Glycine receptors are considered as an integral part of higher brain function in mammals. The main function of glycine receptor is fast inhibitory transmission brought about by glycine neurotransmitter, its full agonist. This receptor is part of the glycinergic system which controls key physiological functions such as motor coordination, regulation of the rhythm of respiration and pain signalling. Glycine, a non-essential amino acid, causes hyperpolarisation within the glycine receptor, leading this ion channel to open and allow influx of chloride ion. The glycine receptor is found within the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system. It has also been found within amacrine cells, as well as renal medulla and cortex. The glycine receptor is a pentameric ligand-gated channel, part of the Cys-loop superfamily. It is composed of large ECD, C terminus, transmembrane domain M1-M4, and a 4α:1β glycine receptor subunit stoichiometry. The glycine receptor can be found as either homomeric or heteromeric subtypes. Alpha subtypes are crucial for important physiological functions such as breathing control and nociceptive system processing while the beta subunit aids in glycine receptor clustering and synapse stabilisation with its interaction with gephyrin scaffold protein. When hyperpolarised, the receptor transitions between close, open, and desensitised states. Factors that affect the activity and function of glycine receptors are gephyrin, ivermectin, strychnine and picrotoxin while certain endogenous modulators include partial agonists, positive allosteric modulator, antagonists, and bidirectional modulator are used for pharmacological modulation. Further studies need to be carried out on how glycine receptors are also implicated in chronic pain and nociception, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases and hyperekplexia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101360"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143785146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-28DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101361
Dahye Kim , Md Meraj Ansari , Mrinmoy Ghosh , Yunji Heo , Ki-Choon Choi , Young-Ok Son
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation, bone sclerosis, and chronic low-grade inflammation. Aging and injury play key roles in OA pathogenesis by triggering the release of proinflammatory factors from adipose tissue and other sources. Obesity and aging impair the function of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones, leading to ER stress, protein misfolding, and cellular apoptosis. Obesity also induces mitochondrial dysfunction in OA through oxidative stress and disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, exacerbating chondrocyte damage. These factors contribute to inflammation, matrix imbalance, and chondrocyte apoptosis. Adipocytes, the primary source of adipokines, release inflammatory mediators that affect joint cells. Several adipocytokines have a central role in the regulation of many aspects of inflammation. Adiponectin and leptin are the two most abundant adipocytokines that are strongly associated with OA progression. This literature review suggests that adipokines activate many signaling pathways to exert downstream effects and play significant roles in obesity-induced OA. Understanding this rapidly growing family of mainly adipocyte-derived mediators and obesity-mediated cellular dysfunction may be important in the development of new therapies for obesity-associated OA management.
{"title":"Implications of obesity-mediated cellular dysfunction and adipocytokine signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis","authors":"Dahye Kim , Md Meraj Ansari , Mrinmoy Ghosh , Yunji Heo , Ki-Choon Choi , Young-Ok Son","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation, bone sclerosis, and chronic low-grade inflammation. Aging and injury play key roles in OA pathogenesis by triggering the release of proinflammatory factors from adipose tissue and other sources. Obesity and aging impair the function of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperones, leading to ER stress, protein misfolding, and cellular apoptosis. Obesity also induces mitochondrial dysfunction in OA through oxidative stress and disrupts mitochondrial dynamics, exacerbating chondrocyte damage. These factors contribute to inflammation, matrix imbalance, and chondrocyte apoptosis. Adipocytes, the primary source of adipokines, release inflammatory mediators that affect joint cells. Several adipocytokines have a central role in the regulation of many aspects of inflammation. Adiponectin and leptin are the two most abundant adipocytokines that are strongly associated with OA progression. This literature review suggests that adipokines activate many signaling pathways to exert downstream effects and play significant roles in obesity-induced OA. Understanding this rapidly growing family of mainly adipocyte-derived mediators and obesity-mediated cellular dysfunction may be important in the development of new therapies for obesity-associated OA management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101361"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715626","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-14DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101347
Simon B. Gressens , Claire Rouzaud , Frederic Lamoth , Thierry Calandra , Fanny Lanternier , Olivier Lortholary
Invasive fungal diseases are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially among immunocompromised patients, and often prompt for rapid and aggressive treatment aiming cure. Due to the expanding magnitude of patients burdened by chronic immunosuppression and affected by fungal diseases, the diversity of clinical settings has risen. This often results in prolonged therapy (induction, consolidation and maintenance) associated with potentially severe side effects, and clinicians face the challenging decisions of when and how to stop anti-fungal therapy. Adequate duration of therapy is poorly defined, hampered by the lack of dedicated trials to the question, the heterogeneity of cases (type of fungal pathogen, localization of infection, underlying host conditions) and various confounding factors that may influence the clinical response (e.g. persistence vs recovery of immunosuppression, impact of surgery). In this review, we aim to evaluate the existing data underlying the guidelines and recommendations of treatment duration for the most frequent invasive fungal diseases (cryptococcal meningitis, Pneumocystis pneumonia, invasive aspergillosis, invasive candidiasis and mucormycosis), as well as specific localizations of deep-seated diseases (osteo-articular or central nervous system diseases and endocarditis) and emerging considerations and strategies.
{"title":"Duration of systemic antifungal therapy for patients with invasive fungal diseases: A reassessment","authors":"Simon B. Gressens , Claire Rouzaud , Frederic Lamoth , Thierry Calandra , Fanny Lanternier , Olivier Lortholary","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101347","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101347","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Invasive fungal diseases are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, especially among immunocompromised patients, and often prompt for rapid and aggressive treatment aiming cure. Due to the expanding magnitude of patients burdened by chronic immunosuppression and affected by fungal diseases, the diversity of clinical settings has risen. This often results in prolonged therapy (induction, consolidation and maintenance) associated with potentially severe side effects, and clinicians face the challenging decisions of when and how to stop anti-fungal therapy. Adequate duration of therapy is poorly defined, hampered by the lack of dedicated trials to the question, the heterogeneity of cases (type of fungal pathogen, localization of infection, underlying host conditions) and various confounding factors that may influence the clinical response (e.g. persistence vs recovery of immunosuppression, impact of surgery). In this review, we aim to evaluate the existing data underlying the guidelines and recommendations of treatment duration for the most frequent invasive fungal diseases (cryptococcal meningitis, <em>Pneumocystis</em> pneumonia, invasive aspergillosis, invasive candidiasis and mucormycosis), as well as specific localizations of deep-seated diseases (osteo-articular or central nervous system diseases and endocarditis) and emerging considerations and strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101347"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143628130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly occurring cancer among men worldwide. Although the clinical management of PCa has significantly improved, a number of limitations have been identified in both early diagnosis and therapeutic treatment. Because multiple studies show that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening frequently results in overdiagnosis and overtreatment, the use of PSA alone as a diagnostic marker for PCa screening has been controversial. For individuals with locally advanced or metastatic PCa, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard initially successful treatment; nonetheless, the majority of patients will eventually develop lethal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Alternative treatment options, including chemo-, immuno-,or radio-therapy, can only prolong the survival of CRPC patients for several months with the most developing resistance. Considering this background, there is an urgent need to discuss about selective prostate-specific biomarkers that can predict clinically relevant PCa diagnosis and to develop biomarker-driven treatments to counteract CRPC. This review addresses several PCa-specific biomarkers that will assist physicians in determining which patients are at risk of having high-grade PCa, focusing on the clinical relevance of these biomarker-based tests among PCa patients. Secondly, this review highlights the effective use of these markers as drug targets to develop precision medicine or targeted therapies to counteract CRPC. Altogether, translating this biomarker-based research into the clinic will pave the way for the effective execution of personalized therapies for the benefit of healthcare providers, the biopharmaceutical industry, and patients.
{"title":"Targeting and engineering biomarkers for prostate cancer therapy","authors":"Dhirodatta Senapati , Santosh Kumar Sahoo , Bhabani Shankar Nayak , Satyanarayan Senapati , Gopal C. Kundu , Subrat Kumar Bhattamisra","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly occurring cancer among men worldwide. Although the clinical management of PCa has significantly improved, a number of limitations have been identified in both early diagnosis and therapeutic treatment. Because multiple studies show that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening frequently results in overdiagnosis and overtreatment, the use of PSA alone as a diagnostic marker for PCa screening has been controversial. For individuals with locally advanced or metastatic PCa, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the standard initially successful treatment; nonetheless, the majority of patients will eventually develop lethal metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Alternative treatment options, including chemo-, immuno-,or radio-therapy, can only prolong the survival of CRPC patients for several months with the most developing resistance. Considering this background, there is an urgent need to discuss about selective prostate-specific biomarkers that can predict clinically relevant PCa diagnosis and to develop biomarker-driven treatments to counteract CRPC. This review addresses several PCa-specific biomarkers that will assist physicians in determining which patients are at risk of having high-grade PCa, focusing on the clinical relevance of these biomarker-based tests among PCa patients. Secondly, this review highlights the effective use of these markers as drug targets to develop precision medicine or targeted therapies to counteract CRPC. Altogether, translating this biomarker-based research into the clinic will pave the way for the effective execution of personalized therapies for the benefit of healthcare providers, the biopharmaceutical industry, and patients.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101359"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-03-03DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2025.101358
Dequan Liu , Lei Liu , Xiaoman Zhang , Xinming Zhao , Xiaorui Li , Xiangyu Che , Guangzhen Wu
Gray hair, widely regarded as a hallmark of aging. While gray hair is associated with aging, reversing this trait through gene targeting does not alter the fundamental biological processes of aging. Similarly, certain oncogenes (such as CXCR4, MMP-related genes, etc.) can serve as markers of tumor behavior, such as malignancy or prognosis, but targeting these genes alone may not lead to tumor regression. We pioneered the name of this class of genes as "phenotypic genes". Historically, cancer genetics research has focused on tumor driver genes, while genes influencing cancer phenotypes have been relatively overlooked. This review explores the critical distinction between driver genes and phenotypic genes in cancer, using the MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways as key examples. We also discuss current research techniques for identifying driver and phenotypic genes, such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), RNA interference (RNAi), CRISPR-Cas9, and other genomic screening methods, alongside the concept of synthetic lethality in driver genes. The development of these technologies will help develop personalized treatment strategies and precision medicine based on the characteristics of relevant genes. By addressing the gap in discussions on phenotypic genes, this review significantly contributes to clarifying the roles of driver and phenotypic genes, aiming at advancing the field of targeted cancer therapy.
{"title":"Decoding driver and phenotypic genes in cancer: Unveiling the essence behind the phenomenon","authors":"Dequan Liu , Lei Liu , Xiaoman Zhang , Xinming Zhao , Xiaorui Li , Xiangyu Che , Guangzhen Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101358","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.mam.2025.101358","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Gray hair, widely regarded as a hallmark of aging. While gray hair is associated with aging, reversing this trait through gene targeting does not alter the fundamental biological processes of aging. Similarly, certain oncogenes (such as CXCR4, MMP-related genes, etc.) can serve as markers of tumor behavior, such as malignancy or prognosis, but targeting these genes alone may not lead to tumor regression. We pioneered the name of this class of genes as \"phenotypic genes\". Historically, cancer genetics research has focused on tumor driver genes, while genes influencing cancer phenotypes have been relatively overlooked. This review explores the critical distinction between driver genes and phenotypic genes in cancer, using the MAPK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways as key examples. We also discuss current research techniques for identifying driver and phenotypic genes, such as whole-genome sequencing (WGS), RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), RNA interference (RNAi), CRISPR-Cas9, and other genomic screening methods, alongside the concept of synthetic lethality in driver genes. The development of these technologies will help develop personalized treatment strategies and precision medicine based on the characteristics of relevant genes. By addressing the gap in discussions on phenotypic genes, this review significantly contributes to clarifying the roles of driver and phenotypic genes, aiming at advancing the field of targeted cancer therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49798,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Aspects of Medicine","volume":"103 ","pages":"Article 101358"},"PeriodicalIF":8.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143548693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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