Mesenchymal stromal cells induce inhibitory effects on hepatocellular carcinoma through various signaling pathways

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent type of malignant liver disease worldwide. Molecular changes in HCC collectively contribute to Wnt/β-catenin, as a tumor proliferative signaling pathway, toll-like receptors (TLRs), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), as well as the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), predominant signaling pathways linked to the release of tumor-promoting cytokines. It should also be noted that the Hippo signaling pathway plays an important role in organ size control, particularly in promoting tumorigenesis and HCC development. Nowadays, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs)-based therapies have been the subject of in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies for liver such as cirrhosis, liver failure, and HCC. At present, despite the importance of basic molecular pathways of malignancies, limited information has been obtained on this background. Therefore, it can be difcult to determine the true concept of interactions between MSCs and tumor cells. What is known, these cells could migrate toward tumor sites so apply efects via paracrine interaction on HCC cells. For example, one of the inhibitory efects of MSCs is the overexpression of dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) as an important antagonist of the Wnt signaling pathway. A growing body of research challenging the therapeutic roles of MSCs through the secretion of various trophic factors in HCC. This review illustrates the complex behavior of MSCs and precisely how their inhibitory signals interface with HCC tumor cells. Keywords: Mesenchymal stromal cells, Hepatocellular carcinoma, Wnt signaling, Toll like receptor, Nuclear factorkappa B, JNK pathwa

Coexistence of P190 BCR/ABL transcript and CALR 52-bp deletion in chronic myeloid leukemia blast crisis: a case report

We present a case of a 78-year-old woman presented with thrombocytosis and high blast count, who had a history of splenectomy. Her cytogenetic analysis revealed aberrant chromosomal rearrangements in different clonal populations harboring 46XX karyotype with t(9;22)(q34;q11). RT-PCR assay detected the e1a2 BCR-ABL translocation resulting from a rearrangement of the minor breakpoint cluster region (m-bcr) in the BCR gene. Subsequent evaluations of the disease showed calreticulin (CALR) 52-bp deletion as well as the absence of JAK2V617F heterozygous mutation in granulocyte population of peripheral blood using allele-specific PCR and bi-directional DNA sequencing. To our knowledge, this is the first case of a patient initially diagnosed as p190 BCR-ABL transcript positive CML in blastic crisis characterized with a 52-bp deletion in CALR gene

Aberrant DNA Methylation in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Cell Fate Control, Prognosis, and Therapeutic Response

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic stem cell malignancy characterized by the expression of the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene with different chimeric transcripts. Despite the crucial impact of constitutively active tyrosine kinase in CML pathogenesis, aberrant DNA methylation of certain genes plays an important role in disease progression and the development of drug resistance. This article reviews recent findings relevant to the effect of DNA methylation pattern of regulatory genes on various cellular activities such as cell proliferation and survival, as well as cell-signaling molecules in CML. These data might contribute to defining the role of aberrant DNA methylation in disease initiation and progression. However, further studies are needed on the validation of specific aberrant methylation markers regarding the prognosis and prediction of response among the CML patients