Amphiphilic Polymer-Coated CdSe/ZnS Quantum Dots Induce Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Mouse Lung Epithelial Cells and Macrophages Researchers assessed the effects of tri-n-octylphosphine oxide, poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-tetradecene) coated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots on mouse lung epithelial cells and macrophages. [Nanotoxicology] Abstract Bronchial Epithelial Cells Induce Alternatively Activated Dendritic Cells Dependent on Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling Scientists recently demonstrated that tracheal epithelial cells continuously secrete soluble mediators that affect the reactivity of local innate immune cells. Using transcriptional profiling, they now observe that conditioning of dendritic cells by tracheal epithelial cells regulated 98 genes under homeostatic conditions. [J Immunol] Abstract S. pneumoniae ClpL Modulates Adherence to A549 Human Lung Cells through Rap1/Rac1 Activation Investigators show that caseinolytic protease L (ClpL) impairs pneumococcal adherence to A549 lung cells by inducing and activating Rap1 and Rac1, thus increasing phosphorylation of cofilin (inactive form). [Infect Immun] Abstract The Moraxella catarrhalis-Induced Pro-Inflammatory Immune Response Is Enhanced by the Activation of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Human Pulmonary Epithelial Cells The effects of inhibition and gene silencing of epidermal growth factor receptor on M. catarrhalis-dependent pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in human primary bronchial epithelial cells, as well as the pulmonary epithelial cell lines BEAS-2B and A549 were analyzed. [Biochem Biophys Res Commun] Full Article LUNG CANCER EZH2-Mediated Epigenetic Suppression of Long Noncoding RNA SPRY4-IT1 Promotes NSCLC Cell Proliferation and Metastasis by Affecting the Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition Researchers show that epigenetic silencing of long noncoding RNA SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) occurs in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells through direct transcriptional repression mediated by the Polycomb group protein enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). [Cell Death Dis] Full Article MicroRNA-34a Overcomes HGF-Mediated Gefitinib Resistance in EGFR Mutant Lung Cancer Cells Partly by Targeting MET Researchers found that the forced expression of miR-34a inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis partly by targeting MET in hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-induced gefitinib-resistant HCC827 and PC-9 cells. [Cancer Lett] Abstract Trim28 Contributes to EMT via Regulation of E-Cadherin and N-Cadherin in Lung Cancer Cell Lines Scientists found that tripartite motif containing 28 (Trim28) plays a role in TGF-β-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in non-small cell lung cancer cells. Silencing Trim28 with inhibitory RNAs alters the expression of numerous EMT markers, such as E-cadherin and N-cadherin, whereas overexpression of Trim28 has an opposite effect. [PLoS One] Full Article Overexpression of HP1γ Is Associated with Poor Prognosis in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell through Promoting Cell Survival Researchers found knockdown of heterochromatin protein 1γ (HP1γ) in A549 and NCI-H1975 cells induced apoptosis accompanied with suppressed cell proliferation and colony formation. [Tumor Biol] Abstract |