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New Biological and Immunological Approaches to Cancer Therapy
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New Biological and Immunological Approaches to Cancer Therapy

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 January 2025) | Viewed by 6341

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andrea Nicolini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Internal Medicine, Santa Chiara Hospital, University of Pisa, Via Roma 67, 56126 Pisa, Italy
Interests: breast and gastrointestinal cancer
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

In the last two decades, most research in cancer focused on the comprehension of the genetic and molecular biology mechanisms accounting for and joining with its evolution. Cancer cell spread to distant organs and the common occurrence of resistance to therapy are key cancer features responsible for the high lethality of the disease. A better understanding of the main mechanisms underpinning these procedures fosters our expectation for a substantial improvement of cancer patients’ prognosis. At the same time, many researches have without any doubt proven the relevant role that cellular immunity plays in cancer progression and diffusion in addition to that it plays in cancer origin. Particularly, in more recent years, much research has highlighted the immune suppressive microenvironment favoring tumor growth. Following this, novel immunotherapeutic strategies given alone or combined with hormone therapy or chemotherapy have been proposed and successfully evaluated in clinical trials. The principal aim of this Special Issue is to favor original research and new ideas that can expand the knowledge on these subjects.

Prof. Dr. Andrea Nicolini
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Keywords

  • cancer
  • cancer molecular biology
  • cancer immunology
  • cancer immunotherapy
  • new cancer therapies

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 4166 KiB  
Article
Electrophysiological Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Envelope Protein in U251 Human Glioblastoma Cells: Possible Implications in Gliomagenesis?
by Lorenzo Monarca, Francesco Ragonese, Andrea Biagini, Paola Sabbatini, Matteo Pacini, Alessandro Zucchi, Roberta Spaccapelo, Paola Ferrari, Andrea Nicolini and Bernard Fioretti
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(12), 6669; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25126669 - 18 Jun 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1637
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the acute respiratory disease which, so far, has led to over 7 million deaths. There are several symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections which include neurological and psychiatric disorders, at least in the case of [...] Read more.
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the acute respiratory disease which, so far, has led to over 7 million deaths. There are several symptoms associated with SARS-CoV-2 infections which include neurological and psychiatric disorders, at least in the case of pre-Omicron variants. SARS-CoV-2 infection can also promote the onset of glioblastoma in patients without prior malignancies. In this study, we focused on the Envelope protein codified by the virus genome, which acts as viroporin and that is reported to be central for virus propagation. In particular, we characterized the electrophysiological profile of E-protein transfected U251 and HEK293 cells through the patch-clamp technique and FURA-2 measurements. Specifically, we observed an increase in the voltage-dependent (Kv) and calcium-dependent (KCa) potassium currents in HEK293 and U251 cell lines, respectively. Interestingly, in both cellular models, we observed a depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential in accordance with an alteration of U251 cell growth. We, therefore, investigated the transcriptional effect of E protein on the signaling pathways and found several gene alterations associated with apoptosis, cytokines and WNT pathways. The electrophysiological and transcriptional changes observed after E protein expression could explain the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on gliomagenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Biological and Immunological Approaches to Cancer Therapy)
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15 pages, 2135 KiB  
Article
A New Opportunity for “Old” Molecules: Targeting PARP1 Activity through a Non-Enzymatic Mechanism
by Pablo Iglesias, Marcos Seoane, Irene Golán-Cancela, Máximo Fraga, Victor M. Arce and Jose A. Costoya
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(10), 8849; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24108849 - 16 May 2023
Viewed by 1981
Abstract
In recent years, new therapies have been developed based on molecules that target molecular mechanisms involved in both the initiation and maintenance of the oncogenic process. Among these molecules are the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors. PARP1 has emerged as a target with [...] Read more.
In recent years, new therapies have been developed based on molecules that target molecular mechanisms involved in both the initiation and maintenance of the oncogenic process. Among these molecules are the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibitors. PARP1 has emerged as a target with great therapeutic potential for some tumor types, drawing attention to this enzyme and resulting in many small molecule inhibitors of its enzymatic activity. Therefore, many PARP inhibitors are currently in clinical trials for the treatment of homologous recombination (HR)-deficient tumors, BRCA-related cancers, taking advantage of synthetic lethality. In addition, several novel cellular functions unrelated to its role in DNA repair have been described, including post-translational modification of transcription factors, or acting through protein–protein interactions as a co-activator or co-repressor of transcription. Previously, we reported that this enzyme may play a key role as a transcriptional co-activator of an important component of cell cycle regulation, the transcription factor E2F1. Here, we show that PARP inhibitors, which interfere with its activity in cell cycle regulation, perform this without affecting its enzymatic function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Biological and Immunological Approaches to Cancer Therapy)
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Review

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18 pages, 2099 KiB  
Review
T Cell Receptor Chain Centricity: The Phenomenon and Potential Applications in Cancer Immunotherapy
by Anastasiia A. Kalinina, Ludmila M. Khromykh and Dmitry B. Kazansky
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(20), 15211; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms242015211 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2041
Abstract
T cells are crucial players in adaptive anti-cancer immunity. The gene modification of T cells with tumor antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) was a milestone in personalized cancer immunotherapy. TCR is a heterodimer (either α/β or γ/δ) able to recognize a peptide antigen [...] Read more.
T cells are crucial players in adaptive anti-cancer immunity. The gene modification of T cells with tumor antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) was a milestone in personalized cancer immunotherapy. TCR is a heterodimer (either α/β or γ/δ) able to recognize a peptide antigen in a complex with self-MHC molecules. Although traditional concepts assume that an α- and β-chain contribute equally to antigen recognition, mounting data reveal that certain receptors possess chain centricity, i.e., one hemi-chain TCR dominates antigen recognition and dictates its specificity. Chain-centric TCRs are currently poorly understood in terms of their origin and the functional T cell subsets that express them. In addition, the ratio of α- and β-chain-centric TCRs, as well as the exact proportion of chain-centric TCRs in the native repertoire, is generally still unknown today. In this review, we provide a retrospective analysis of studies that evidence chain-centric TCRs, propose patterns of their generation, and discuss the potential applications of such receptors in T cell gene modification for adoptive cancer immunotherapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Biological and Immunological Approaches to Cancer Therapy)
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