Expression of the ErbB Family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and Toll-like Receptor 4 on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells: A Preliminary Study

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its three related proteins are collectively known as an ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). It comprises of four distinct receptors: the EGFR (ErbB1/Her1), ErbB2 (neu/Her2), ErbB3 (Her3) and ErbB4 (Her4). It plays a critical function in the homeostasis of epithelial cells. It also drives cancer development. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is considered the sixth most common cancer. It has been reported that an overexpression of EGFR correlated with progression and poor prognosis in SCC of the tongue. Therefore, targeted inhibition of EGFR is a promising approach to suppress signal transduction pathways which control tumor cell growth, proliferation, and resistance to apoptosis. The role of bacteria in cancer, in particular initiation and progression, is well known. It has been reported that TLR4 activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC. The overall goal of the study is to elucidate how oral bacteria influence the clinical outcome of the EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC since the oral cavity harbors a diverse and complex microbial community. In this presentation, we reported an expression of ErbB family of RTKs and TLR 4 on OSCC cells

Expression of the ErbB Family of Receptor Tyrosine Kinases and Toll-like Receptor 4 on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells: A Preliminary Study

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its three related proteins are collectively known as an ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs). It comprises of four distinct receptors: the EGFR (ErbB1/Her1), ErbB2 (neu/Her2), ErbB3 (Her3) and ErbB4 (Her4). It plays a critical function in the homeostasis of epithelial cells. It also drives cancer development. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is considered the sixth most common cancer. It has been reported that an overexpression of EGFR correlated with progression and poor prognosis in SCC of the tongue. Therefore, targeted inhibition of EGFR is a promising approach to suppress signal transduction pathways which control tumor cell growth, proliferation, and resistance to apoptosis. The role of bacteria in cancer, in particular initiation and progression, is well known. It has been reported that TLR4 activation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC. The overall goal of the study is to elucidate how oral bacteria influence the clinical outcome of the EGFR-targeted therapy in OSCC since the oral cavity harbors a diverse and complex microbial community. In this presentation, we reported an expression of ErbB family of RTKs and TLR 4 on OSCC cells

Is the tradeoff between reproduction and locomotion plastic in response to oxidative stress and food limitation?

Tradeoffs between fitness-related traits (e.g., reproduction, growth, and self-maintenance) often occur wherein an animal invests into one trait at the expense of investment into another trait. Such two-trait tradeoffs may be fixed, or they may be plastic in response to the environment (e.g., a tradeoff only occurs when food becomes less available) or due to investment into a third trait. We investigated these dynamics in the sand field cricket (Gryllus firmus), which exhibits a wing polymorphism that mediates a flight-fecundity tradeoff (i.e., they allocate resources to both flight musculature and egg production). During early adulthood, flight-capable long-winged morphs invest in flight musculature in contrast to flightless short-winged morphs that invest more heavily into reproduction. We specifically tested whether food limitation and investment into antioxidant defenses (via administration of oxidative stress) exhibited independent, additive, and/or interactive effects on this flight-fecundity tradeoff. Results from our 2 x 2 factorial design in female G. firmus (n = 250) demonstrate that oxidative stress and food limitation shifted the flight-fecundity tradeoff in different directions: oxidative stress reduced investment into flight musculature (particularly in long-winged females) while food limitation reduced reproductive investment. Next, we will examine the effects of food availability and oxidative stress on immune function (specifically, the activity of the immune enzyme phenoloxidase). Together, our results will inform how resource (i.e., food) limitation influences how animals balance multiple fitness-related traits

Is the tradeoff between reproduction and locomotion plastic in response to oxidative stress and food limitation?

Tradeoffs between fitness-related traits (e.g., reproduction, growth, and self-maintenance) often occur wherein an animal invests into one trait at the expense of investment into another trait. Such two-trait tradeoffs may be fixed, or they may be plastic in response to the environment (e.g., a tradeoff only occurs when food becomes less available) or due to investment into a third trait. We investigated these dynamics in the sand field cricket (Gryllus firmus), which exhibits a wing polymorphism that mediates a flight-fecundity tradeoff (i.e., they allocate resources to both flight musculature and egg production). During early adulthood, flight-capable long-winged morphs invest in flight musculature in contrast to flightless short-winged morphs that invest more heavily into reproduction. We specifically tested whether food limitation and investment into antioxidant defenses (via administration of oxidative stress) exhibited independent, additive, and/or interactive effects on this flight-fecundity tradeoff. Results from our 2 x 2 factorial design in female G. firmus (n = 250) demonstrate that oxidative stress and food limitation shifted the flight-fecundity tradeoff in different directions: oxidative stress reduced investment into flight musculature (particularly in long-winged females) while food limitation reduced reproductive investment. Next, we will examine the effects of food availability and oxidative stress on immune function (specifically, the activity of the immune enzyme phenoloxidase). Together, our results will inform how resource (i.e., food) limitation influences how animals balance multiple fitness-related traits

Do Bacterial Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns Promote Oral Cancer Cell Invasiveness? Literature Review, Preliminary Data, and Proposal of the Experiments

The role of chronic inflammation for the cancer development was first described in 1863. Inflammation is also linked to invasion or metastasis of cancer. Inflammatory cytokines produced by local cells, in particular, tumor-associated macrophages, have long been known to increase metastasis. In addition, certain types of cancer cell secrete molecules promoting invasion and/or metastasis in response to bacterial virulence factors The oral cavity harbors a diverse and complex microbial community. The oral microbial flora contains approximately 700 species, and is composed of both commensal and pathogenic species. Bacteria accumulate on both the hard and soft tissues in a sessile biofilm. In this highly antigenic environment, oral mucosal tissue must maintain tolerance to commensal bacteria and to other molecules, such as food proteins in food. Under certain circumstances, however, the oral bacterial flora can induce an immune response resulting in inflammatory manifestations that can potentially trigger a development and progression of oral cancer. A striking association between periodontopathic pathogen and pancreatic cancer has been demonstrated, however, little is known about the relationship between effects of bacterial virulent factors on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression. The purpose of this proposed study is to examine how bacterial pathogen associated molecular patterns regulate the biological aspects of oral cancer cell

Do Bacterial Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns Promote Oral Cancer Cell Invasiveness? Literature Review, Preliminary Data, and Proposal of the Experiments

The role of chronic inflammation for the cancer development was first described in 1863. Inflammation is also linked to invasion or metastasis of cancer. Inflammatory cytokines produced by local cells, in particular, tumor-associated macrophages, have long been known to increase metastasis. In addition, certain types of cancer cell secrete molecules promoting invasion and/or metastasis in response to bacterial virulence factors The oral cavity harbors a diverse and complex microbial community. The oral microbial flora contains approximately 700 species, and is composed of both commensal and pathogenic species. Bacteria accumulate on both the hard and soft tissues in a sessile biofilm. In this highly antigenic environment, oral mucosal tissue must maintain tolerance to commensal bacteria and to other molecules, such as food proteins in food. Under certain circumstances, however, the oral bacterial flora can induce an immune response resulting in inflammatory manifestations that can potentially trigger a development and progression of oral cancer. A striking association between periodontopathic pathogen and pancreatic cancer has been demonstrated, however, little is known about the relationship between effects of bacterial virulent factors on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression. The purpose of this proposed study is to examine how bacterial pathogen associated molecular patterns regulate the biological aspects of oral cancer cell