The Research and Biology of Cancer I

Cancer is a broad group of diseases involving unregulated cell growth, in which cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. Cancer may also spread to different parts of the body through the lymphatic system or the bloodstream. "The Research and Biology of Cancer" discusses some recent advances in cancer research. There are totally two volumes: Volume I mainly discusses the roles of some important enzymes and proteins in cancers, whereas Volume II discusses different types of cancers, including head and neck cancer, oral cancer, kidney cancer, colon cancer, and thyroid cancer.

Chapter 1 discusses a detailed role for Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in cancer and as essential for appropriate DNA repair and maintenance of homeostasis. Chapter 2 describes the role of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and NO in tumorigenesis through regulation of angiogenesis, vascular permeability, cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Chapter 3 outlines the significant role macropinocytosis, a high-capacity variant of endocytosis, has in cancer biology. Chapter 4 reviews the anticancer role of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors. Emerging evidence shows that PDE5 inhibitors not only have direct anticancer activity but also can enhance the sensitivity of cancers to chemotherapy.

Chapter 5 summarizes the current knowledge on Manumycin A as a potential natural anticancer agent and provides an overview of research done on this compound in various experimental systems. Chapter 6 evaluates the functional roles of CD44 in stem cells and CSCs and describes the known differences in CD44 expression and their roles. Chapter 7 discusses role of HMGB1 in cancer. HMGB1 dysfunction is associated with each hallmark of cancer and contributes to cancer development and therapy. Chapter 8 presented a TNF-α mutant by gene engineering technology, which aims at increasing the specific anti-tumor activity and decreasing the toxicity of TNF-α. The novel protein RGD4C-rmhTNF maintains the well tolerance characteristics of rmhTNF-α and gains tumor-specific delivery ability. This strategy presents a great therapeutics potential and advantages for treating cancers.

Chapter 9 proposes an understanding of the biology of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and their related cell subpopulations. Chapter 10 proposes altered morphology as an essential feature of carcinogenic process. The role of the tissue microenvironment is emphasized as a driving force in the early stages of neoplastic disease. Chapter 11 reviews the role of mitochondria in cell stress response focusing on mitochondrial involvement in anti-apoptotic and pro-survival pathways. Emphasis is given on yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model organism to further elucidate molecular mechanisms of these processes. Chapter 12 highlights the roles of FKBP51 in apoptosis resistance and cancer progression. FKBP51 is a multifunctional protein highly conserved across the species, particularly expressed in developmental stages, both in mammals and inferior organisms.

Chapter 13 proposes a novel regulatory mechanism of ribosomal protein RPL26 to activate p53 by inhibiting HDM2. RPL26 modulates the HDM2-p53 interaction by forming a ternary complex among RPL26, HDM2 and p53, which stabilize p53 through inhibiting the ubiquitin ligase activity of HDM2. Chapter 14 discusses molecular imaging. Molecular imaging employing 18 F]FDG-PET/CT enables "in vivo" characterization of biological process in tumour at the molecular level beyond the capability of the conventional imaging methods. Chapter 15 proposes an application of high-throughput miRNAs technologies and computational analysis to characterize the regulatory network of cancer. Chapter 16 presents a model which incorporates cell cycle modeling into ionizing radiation induced tumor transformation frequency.