[Cell Communication and Signaling] Researchers elucidated the involvement of extracellular vesicles (EV) in malignant melanoma progression and ascertained whether EV-mediated metastasis promotion persisted during single agent BRAF or MEK and combined BRAF/MEK inhibition.

[Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences] Scientists found that lowering intracellular cholesterol by knocking down DHCR24, the limiting synthetase, impaired tumor cell proliferation and migration and abrogated the ability to xenotransplant tumors.

[Cell Proliferation] In-depth analysis of the expression of key molecules in the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway revealed that melatonin up-regulated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in dermal papillae, whereas these effects were facilitated through mediating Wnt ligand expression levels in the hair follicle stem cells.

[Drug Delivery and Translational Research] The authors discuss current treatment strategies for skin cancer and their drawbacks. Topical drug delivery against skin cancer is also covered, along with the difficulties associated with it and the importance of transferosomes in avoiding these difficulties.

[University of Cincinnati] The Melanoma Research Alliance awarded an additional $60,000 to co-fund Dr. Yuhang Zhang's project with the Cincinnati Cancer Center as a Young Investigator Award, researching the roles and functions of fibroblast in melanoma stroma in promoting melanoma development by regulating the expression of a protein called beta-catenin.

[Molecular Cancer Therapeutics] The PKMYT1 inhibitor lunresertib with gemcitabine selectively and synergistically reduced the viability of endocrine therapies and palbociclib-resistant ER+ breast cancer cells without functional p53.

[Molecular Biology Reports] ELF3 overexpression in breast cancer cells caused reversal of TRAIL resistance as observed using cell viability assay and cleaved caspase-3 immunoblotting.

[Cell Death Discovery] Investigators reported that the loss of suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog (SMAD4) endowed PDAC cells the ability to drug resistance through upregulating histone lysine demethylase, lysine-specific demethylase 5B (KDM5B).

[Cell Death & Differentiation] Scientists reported that O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) regulated the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle in colorectal cancer cells. Depletion of OGT, the sole transferase of O-GlcNAc, significantly increased the TCA cycle metabolism in colorectal cancer cells.

[PLOS One] Investigators achieved the successful differentiation of nail stem-like cells from human-iPSCs via digit organoids by stepwise stimulation, tracing the molecular processes involved in limb development.

[Microsystems & Nanoengineering] Scientists presented a flexible silk fibroin-based triboelectric nanogenerator that featured an on-skin substrate and is characterized by excellent skin compliance and air/water permeability.

[Washington University] Washington University is thrilled to announce that Dr. Shiming Chen has been awarded a Seed grant from the Center of Regenerative Medicine for her groundbreaking project titled “hiPSC-induced retinal organoids modeling CRX-linked retinopathies.”