Intestinal Cell News Volume 2.36 | Sep 30 2016

TOP STORY

Epigenomic Profiling of Primary Gastric Adenocarcinoma Reveals Super-Enhancer Heterogeneity

Researchers applied micro-scale chromatin profiling to survey the distal enhancer landscape of primary gastric adenocarcinoma (GC), a leading cause of global cancer mortality. Integrating 110 epigenomic profiles from primary GCs, normal gastric tissues and cell lines, they highlighted 36,973 predicted enhancers and 3,759 predicted super-enhancers respectively. [Nat Commun] Full Article

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

INTESTINAL CANCERS & DISEASES

Cell-Specific Activation of the Nrf2 Antioxidant Pathway Increases Mucosal Inflammation in Acute but Not in Chronic Colitis

Researchers investigated the impact of the Nrf2 orchestrated antioxidant response in both acute and chronic intestinal inflammation. Their findings showed that a well balanced redox homeostasis is equally important in epithelial cells as well as myeloid cells during induction of colitis. [J Crohns Colitis] Abstract

Mesenchymal Stem Cells Stimulate Intestinal Stem Cells to Repair Radiation-Induced Intestinal Injury

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have previously been shown to improve intestinal epithelial repair in a mouse model of radiation injury, and, therefore, it was hypothesized that this protective effect is related to Lgr5⁺ intestinal stem cells. The authors found that following exposure to radiation, transplantation of MSCs improved the survival of mice, ameliorated intestinal injury and increased the number of regenerating crypts. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

Campylobacter concisus Pathotypes Induce Distinct Global Responses in Intestinal Epithelial Cells

Researchers assessed the intestinal epithelial responses to two C. concisus strains with different virulence characteristics in Caco-2 cells using RNAseq, and validated a subset of the response using qPCR arrays. C. concisus strains induced distinct response patterns from intestinal epithelial cells, with the toxigenic strain inducing a significantly more amplified response. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Polarization of Macrophages in the Tumor Microenvironment Is Influenced by EGFR Signaling within Colon Cancer Cells

Results suggest that inhibition of EGFR signaling in colon cancer cells modulates cytokine secretion (e.g. IGF-1) and prevents M1-to-M2 macrophage polarization, thereby inhibiting cancer cell growth. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Impact of HuR Inhibition by the Small Molecule Ms-444 on Colorectal Cancer Cell Tumorigenesis

Researchers examined the therapeutic potential of targeting HuR using MS-444, a small molecule HuR inhibitor. Treatment of colorectal cancer cells with MS-444 resulted in growth inhibition and increased apoptotic gene expression, while similar treatment doses in non-transformed intestinal cells had no appreciable effects. [Oncotarget] Full Article

Oxymatrine Synergistically Enhances Antitumor Activity of Oxaliplatin in Colon Carcinoma through PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway

The authors explored the efficiency of combination therapy with oxymatrine (OMT) and oxaliplatin (OXA) and identified the in vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity on colon cancer lines (HT29 and SW480) and mice model. Cells were treated with OMT and/or OXA and subjected to cell viability, colony formation, apoptosis, cell cycle, western blotting, xenograft tumorigenicity assay and immunohistochemistry [Apoptosis] Abstract

The Different Effects of Probiotics Treatment on Salmonella-Induced Interleukin-8 Response in Intestinal Epithelia Cells via PI3K/Akt and NOD2 Expression

The exact effect of probiotics on epithelial IL-8 response to Salmonella infection is not well understood. The authors investigated the action of probiotics on Salmonella-infected Caco-2 cells and its novel mechanisms. Two probiotic strains were examined for Salmonella-induced IL-8 responses and regulating proteins using Caco-2 cell cultures. [Benef Microbes] Abstract

Novel Synthetic Oxazines Target NF-κB in Colon Cancer In Vitro and Inflammatory Bowel Disease In Vivo

Researchers evaluated the anticancer activity of 1,2-oxazines derivatives against colorectal cancer cell lines and identified 2-((2-acetyl-6,6-dimethyl-4-phenyl-5,6-dihydro-2H-1,2-oxazin-3-yl)methyl)isoindoline-1,3-dione as the lead anticancer agent among the tested compounds. [PLoS One] Full Article

INTESTINAL STEM CELL & ORGANOID RESEARCH

A Novel Model of P-Glycoprotein Inhibitor Screening Using Human Small Intestinal Organoids

To develop an in vitro model that preferably mimics the physiological microenvironment of human intestine, the authors employed the three-dimensionally cultured organoids from human normal small intestinal epithelium. [Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol] Abstract

Human Mini-Guts: New Insights into Intestinal Physiology and Host-Pathogen Interactions

This review describes studies characterizing human mini-guts as a physiological model to investigate intestinal transport and host-pathogen interactions. [Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol] Abstract

Organoids: Modeling Development and the Stem Cell Niche in a Dish

The authors discuss how organoid cultures of the intestine and other tissues have been established and how they are utilized as an in vitro model system for stem cell research and developmental biology. [Dev Cell] Full Article

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the intestinal cell research field.

Synergy Pharmaceuticals Announces New Plecanatide Data Presentations at Upcoming Scientific Meeting and Provides Update on IBS-C Program

Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced that the company will present new data on plecanatide, an investigational compound for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). [Press release from Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc. discussing research to be presented at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) Annual Scientific Meeting, Las Vegas] Press Release

FDA Approves Stelara^® (Ustekinumab) for Treatment of Adults with Moderately to Severely Active Crohn’s Disease

Janssen Biotech, Inc. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved STELARA^® for the treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in adults who have failed or were intolerant to treatment with immunomodulators or corticosteroids but never failed treatment with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker, or who failed or were intolerant to treatment with one or more TNF blockers. [Janssen Biotech, Inc.] Press Release

FDA Approves Amgen’s AMJEVITA™ (Adalimumab-Atto) for Treatment of Seven Inflammatory Diseases

Amgen announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved AMJEVITA™ across all eligible indications of the reference product, Humira^®. [Amgen] Press Release

Biologists Plan Scoring System for Antibodies

Biomedical experts plan to create a scoring system that will help researchers choose reliable antibodies for their experiments. The only problems: figuring out how such a ranking would work — and getting manufacturers to adopt the standard. [Nature News] Editorial

UK Bioethicists Eye Designer Babies and CRISPR Cows

From designer babies to engineered mosquitoes, advances in genome-editing technologies such as CRISPR–Cas9 have raised the possibility of tremendous scientific advances — and serious ethical concerns. [Nature News] Editorial

Science Spending Boosted in French Budget

France’s government has proposed an unusually generous boost to research and higher education in its 2017 draft budget. “This is the largest increase for 15 years,” Thierry Mandon, France’s research and higher-education minister, told reporters at a press conference. [Nature News] Editorial

Open-Access Journal eLife to Start Charging Fees

The open-access journal eLife is dropping one of its most distinctive features: free publishing. From 2017, it will charge a fee of $2,500 for all accepted papers. [Nature News] Editorial

Can Cuban Science Go Global?

Tensions between Cuba and the United States are easing. But researchers still struggle to join the scientific world. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW Global Forum on Transplantation Research and Technologies
November 28-30, 2016
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

NEW The 2^nd Int’l Conference on Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ICGEH 2016)
December 1-3, 2016
Sanya, China

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW PhD Scholarship – Intestine Modelling for Drug Delivery Studies (Technical University of Denmark)

Chair in Medical Biology – Head of the Department of Biology (Masaryk University)

PhD Fellowship – General and Advanced Interventional Gastroenterologists (Temple University)

Research Associate – Stem Cell Biology of the Intestine/Single-Cell and Computational Group (University of Cambridge)

Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Cancer Epidemiology (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow or PhD Student – Gastrointestinal Cancers (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Senior Scientist – Human Microbiome (Nestle Institute of Health Sciences)

Assistant or Associate Member – Stem CellGene Therapy (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center)

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