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Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton,... 2021Reliable methods of phenotype prediction from genomic data play an increasingly important role in many areas of plant and animal breeding. Thus, developing methods that...
Reliable methods of phenotype prediction from genomic data play an increasingly important role in many areas of plant and animal breeding. Thus, developing methods that enhance prediction accuracy is of major interest. Here, we provide three methods for this purpose: (1) Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (GBLUP) as a model just accounting for additive SNP effects; (2) Epistatic Random Regression BLUP (ERRBLUP) as a full epistatic model which incorporates all pairwise SNP interactions, and (3) selective Epistatic Random Regression BLUP (sERRBLUP) as an epistatic model which incorporates a subset of pairwise SNP interactions selected based on their absolute effect sizes or the effect variances, which is computed based on solutions from the ERRBLUP model. We compared the predictive ability obtained from GBLUP, ERRBLUP, and sERRBLUP with genotypes from a publicly available wheat dataset and respective simulated phenotypes. Results showed that sERRBLUP provides a substantial increase in prediction accuracy compared to the other methods when the optimal proportion of SNP interactions is kept in the model, especially when an optimal proportion of SNP interactions is selected based on the SNP interaction effect sizes. All methods described here are implemented in the R-package EpiGP, which is able to process large-scale genomic data in a computationally efficient way.
Topics: Datasets as Topic; Epistasis, Genetic; Genetic Association Studies; Genotype; Heterozygote; Models, Genetic; Models, Statistical; Phenotype; Plant Breeding; Plant Tumors; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Quantitative Trait Loci; Quantitative Trait, Heritable; Triticum
PubMed: 33733353
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0947-7_8 -
Vaccines Aug 2022Breast cancer treatment using plant-virus-based nanoparticles (PVNPs) has achieved considerable success in preclinical studies. PVNP-based breast cancer therapies... (Review)
Review
Breast cancer treatment using plant-virus-based nanoparticles (PVNPs) has achieved considerable success in preclinical studies. PVNP-based breast cancer therapies include non-targeted and targeted nanoplatforms for delivery of anticancer therapeutic chemo and immune agents and cancer vaccines for activation of local and systemic antitumor immunity. Interestingly, PVNP platforms combined with other tumor immunotherapeutic options and other modalities of oncotherapy can improve tumor efficacy treatment. These applications can be achieved by encapsulation of a wide range of active ingredients and conjugating ligands for targeting immune and tumor cells. This review presents the current breast cancer treatments based on PVNP platforms.
PubMed: 36146510
DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10091431 -
Archives of Pharmacal Research Nov 2021In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel antitumor strategy in addition to traditional surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It uniquely focuses on immune... (Review)
Review
In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a novel antitumor strategy in addition to traditional surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. It uniquely focuses on immune cells and immunomodulators in the tumor microenvironment and helps eliminate tumors at the root by rebuilding the immune system. Despite remarkable breakthroughs, cancer immunotherapy still faces many challenges: lack of predictable and prognostic biomarkers, adverse side effects, acquired treatment resistance, high costs, etc. Therefore, more efficacious and efficient, safer and cheaper antitumor immunomodulatory drugs have become an urgent requirement. For decades, plant-derived natural products obtained from land and sea have provided the most important source for the development of antitumor drugs. Currently, more attention is being paid to the discovery of potential cancer immunotherapy modulators from plant-derived natural products, such as polysaccharides, phenols, terpenoids, quinones and alkaloids. Some of these agents have outstanding advantages of multitargeting and low side effects and low cost compared to conventional immunotherapeutic agents. We intend to summarize the progress of comprehensive research on these plant-derived natural products and their derivatives and discuss their possible mechanisms in regulating the immune system and their efficacy as monotherapies or in combination with regular chemotherapeutic agents.
Topics: Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Humans; Immunologic Factors; Neoplasms; Plant Extracts; Tumor Microenvironment
PubMed: 34751930
DOI: 10.1007/s12272-021-01355-1 -
The New Phytologist Mar 2020At the colonization site of a foreign entity, plant cells alter their trajectory of growth and development. The resulting structure - a plant gall - accommodates various... (Review)
Review
At the colonization site of a foreign entity, plant cells alter their trajectory of growth and development. The resulting structure - a plant gall - accommodates various needs of the foreigner, which are phylogenetically diverse: viruses, bacteria, protozoa, oomycetes, true fungi, parasitic plants, and many types of animals, including rotifers, nematodes, insects, and mites. The plant species that make galls also are diverse. We assume gall production costs the plant. All is well if the foreigner provides a gift that makes up for the cost. Nitrogen-fixing nodule-inducing bacteria provide nutritional services. Gall wasps pollinate fig trees. Unfortunately for plants, most galls are made for foes, some of which are deeply studied pathogens and pests: Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Rhodococcus fascians, Xanthomonas citri, Pseudomonas savastanoi, Pantoea agglomerans, 'Candidatus' phytoplasma, rust fungi, Ustilago smuts, root knot and cyst nematodes, and gall midges. Galls are an understudied phenomenon in plant developmental biology. We propose gall inception for discovering unifying features of the galls that plants make for friends and foes, talk about molecules that plants and gall-inducers use to get what they want from each other, raise the question of whether plants colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi respond in a gall-like manner, and present a research agenda.
Topics: Animals; Emigrants and Immigrants; Host-Parasite Interactions; Humans; Plant Tumors; Pseudomonas; Rhodococcus; Xanthomonas
PubMed: 31774564
DOI: 10.1111/nph.16340 -
Frontiers in Oncology 2024The dry root of the soybean plant (Fisch) Bge. var. (Bge) Hsiao or (Fisch) Bge, Astragali Radix (AR) has a long medicinal history. polysaccharide (APS), the natural... (Review)
Review
The dry root of the soybean plant (Fisch) Bge. var. (Bge) Hsiao or (Fisch) Bge, Astragali Radix (AR) has a long medicinal history. polysaccharide (APS), the natural macromolecule that exhibits immune regulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and other pharmacological activities, is an important active ingredient extracted from AR. Recently, APS has been increasingly used in cancer therapy owing to its anti-tumor ability as it prevents the progression of prostate, liver, cervical, ovarian, and non-small-cell lung cancer by suppressing tumor cell growth and invasion and enhancing apoptosis. In addition, APS enhances the sensitivity of tumors to antineoplastic agents and improves the body's immunity. This macromolecule has prospects for broad application in tumor therapy through various pathways. In this article, we present the latest progress in the research on the anti-tumor effects of APS and its underlying mechanisms, aiming to provide novel theoretical support and reference for its use in cancer therapy.
PubMed: 38515577
DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1334915 -
Recent Patents on Anti-cancer Drug... 2020Arnica montana, containing helenalin as its principal active constituent, is the most widely used plant to treat various ailments. Recent studies indicate that Arnica... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Arnica montana, containing helenalin as its principal active constituent, is the most widely used plant to treat various ailments. Recent studies indicate that Arnica and helenalin provide significant health benefits, including anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, antioxidant, cholesterol-lowering, immunomodulatory, and most important, anti-cancer properties.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the present study is to overview the recent patents of Arnica and its principal constituent helenalin, including new methods of isolation, and their use in the prevention of cancer and other ailments.
METHODS
Current prose and patents emphasizing the anti-cancer potential of helenalin and Arnica, incorporated as anti-inflammary agents in anti-cancer preparations, have been identified and reviewed with particular emphasis on their scientific impact and novelty.
RESULTS
Helenalin has shown its anti-cancer potential to treat multiple types of tumors, both in vitro and in vivo. It has also portrayed synergistic effects when given in combination with other anti- cancer drugs or natural compounds. New purification/isolation techniques are also developing with novel helenalin formulations and its synthetic derivatives have been developed to increase its solubility and bioavailability.
CONCLUSION
The promising anti-cancer potential of helenalin in various preclinical studies may open new avenues for therapeutic interventions in different tumors. Thus clinical trials validating its tumor suppressing and chemopreventive activities, particularly in conjunction with standard therapies, are immediately required.
Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; Humans; Neoplasms; Patents as Topic; Sesquiterpenes, Guaiane
PubMed: 32614752
DOI: 10.2174/1574892815666200702142601 -
Bioactive Materials Dec 2022Due to the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy and inexorable side effects of small molecule antineoplastic agents, extensive efforts have been devoted to the...
Due to the unsatisfactory therapeutic efficacy and inexorable side effects of small molecule antineoplastic agents, extensive efforts have been devoted to the development of more potent macromolecular agents with high specificity. Gelonin is a plant-derived protein toxin that exhibits robust antitumor effect via inactivating ribosomes and inhibiting protein synthesis. Nonetheless, its poor internalization ability to tumor cells has compromised the therapeutic promise of gelonin. In this study, a tumor acidity-responsive intracellular protein delivery system ─ functional gelonin (Trx-pHLIP-Gelonin, TpG) composed of a thioredoxin (Trx) tag, a pH low insertion peptide (pHLIP) and gelonin, was designed and obtained by genetic recombination technique for the first time. TpG could effectively enter into tumor cells under weakly acidic conditions and markedly suppress tumor cell proliferation via triggering cell apoptosis and inhibiting protein synthesis. Most importantly, treatment by intravenous injection into subcutaneous SKOV3 solid tumors in a mouse model showed that TpG was much more effective than gelonin in curtailing tumor growth rates with negligible toxicity. Collectively, our present work suggests that the tumor acidity-targeted delivery manner endowed by pHLIP offers a new avenue for efficient delivery of other bioactive substances to acidic diseased tissues.
PubMed: 35387163
DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2022.02.001 -
International Journal of Ophthalmology 2022Retinoblastoma (RB) is a highly aggressive ocular tumor, and due to socioeconomic and medical constraints, many children receive treatment only in the metaphase and... (Review)
Review
Retinoblastoma (RB) is a highly aggressive ocular tumor, and due to socioeconomic and medical constraints, many children receive treatment only in the metaphase and advanced clinical stages, resulting in high rates of blindness and disability. Although several approaches exist in the treatment of RB, some children with the disease do not have satisfactory results because of various factors. Plant-derived natural products have shown definite therapeutic effects in the treatment of various tumors and are also widely used in the study of RB. We review plant-derived natural products used in the study of anti-RB to provide ideas for the clinical application of these drugs and the development of new therapeutic drugs.
PubMed: 36017045
DOI: 10.18240/ijo.2022.08.24 -
Oxidative Medicine and Cellular... 2022. 5-Fluorouracil is one of the most common chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of solid tumors. 5-Fluorouracil-associated cardiotoxicity is the second cause of...
. 5-Fluorouracil is one of the most common chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of solid tumors. 5-Fluorouracil-associated cardiotoxicity is the second cause of cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic drugs after anthracyclines. Colchicine is a strong anti-inflammatory drug used to prevent and treat acute gout and treat familial Mediterranean fever. And also, its protective effects on cardiovascular disease have been reported in various studies. The current study is aimed at appraising the effect of colchicine on 5-fluorouracil-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. . Twenty male Wistar rats were divided into four groups as follows: control, 5-fluorouracil, colchicine (5 mg/kg), and 5-fluorouracil+5 mg/kg colchicine. Cardiotoxicity was induced with an intraperitoneal injection of a single dose of 5-fluorouracil (100 mg/kg). The control group received normal saline, and the treatment groups received colchicine with an intraperitoneal injection for 14 days. . 5-Fluorouracil resulted in significant cardiotoxicity represented by an increase in cardiac enzymes, malondialdehyde levels, cyclooxygenase-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression, cardiac enzymes, and histopathological degenerations. 5-Fluorouracil treatment also decreased body weight, total antioxidant capacity and catalase values, blood cells, and hemoglobin levels. In addition, 5-fluorouracil disrupted electrocardiographic parameters, including increased elevation in the ST segment and increased QRS duration. Treatment with colchicine reduced oxidative stress, cardiac enzymes, histopathological degenerations, and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in cardiac tissue, improved electrocardiographic disorders, and enhanced the number of blood cells and total antioxidant capacity levels. Moreover, body weight loss was hampered after treatment with colchicine. Our results demonstrated that treatment with colchicine significantly improved cardiotoxicity induced by 5-fluorouracil in rats.
Topics: Animals; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antioxidants; Cardiotoxicity; Cardiovascular Diseases; Colchicine; Colchicum; Cyclooxygenase 2; Fluorouracil; Male; Myocardium; Oxidative Stress; Phytochemicals; Phytotherapy; Plant Extracts; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Signal Transduction; Treatment Outcome; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
PubMed: 35126817
DOI: 10.1155/2022/6194532 -
Advances in Genetics 2022Several species of the genus represent unique bacterial pathogens able to genetically transform plants, by transferring and integrating a segment of their own DNA... (Review)
Review
Several species of the genus represent unique bacterial pathogens able to genetically transform plants, by transferring and integrating a segment of their own DNA (T-DNA, transferred DNA) in their host genome. Whereas in nature this process results in uncontrolled growth of the infected plant cells (tumors), this capability of has been widely used as a crucial tool to generate transgenic plants, for research and biotechnology. The virulence of relies on a series of virulence genes, mostly encoded on a large plasmid (Ti-plasmid, tumor inducing plasmid), involved in the different steps of the DNA transfer to the host cell genome: activation of bacterial virulence, synthesis and export of the T-DNA and its associated proteins, intracellular trafficking of the T-DNA and effector proteins in the host cell, and integration of the T-DNA in the host genomic DNA. Multiple interactions between these bacterial encoded proteins and host factors occur during the infection process, which determine the outcome of the infection. Here, we review our current knowledge of the mechanisms by which bacterial and plant factors control virulence and host plant susceptibility.
Topics: Virulence; Agrobacterium tumefaciens; Plants, Genetically Modified; Plasmids; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 37283660
DOI: 10.1016/bs.adgen.2022.08.001