No abstract

Plants reputed to have cancer-inhibiting potential and putative active components derived from those plants have emerged as an exciting new field in cancer study. Some of these compounds have cancer-inhibiting potential in different clinical staging levels, especially metastasis. A few of them which stabilize cell-cell adhesions are controversial topics. This review article introduces some effective herbal compounds that target E-cadherin/β-catenin protein complex. In this article, at first, we briefly review the structure and function of E-cadherin and β-catenin proteins, Wnt signaling pathway, and its target genes. Then, effective compounds of the Teucrium persicum, Teucrium polium, Allium sativum (garlic), Glycine max (soy), and Brassica oleracea (broccoli) plants, which influence stability and cellular localization of E-cadherin/β-catenin complex, were studied. Based on literature review, there are some compounds in these plants, including genistein of soy, sulforaphane of broccoli, organosulfur compounds of garlic, and the total extract of Teucrium genus that change the expression of variety of Wnt target genes such as MMPs, E-cadherin, p21, p53, c-myc, and cyclin D1. So they may induce cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and/or inhibition of Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) and metastasis.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs regulated gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Many studies have investigated role of miRNAs in the biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and development. To evaluate role of miRNAs in proliferation and death of T cell, we performed miRNA profiling in activated CD4+ T cells after IL-2 induction and depletion. Proliferation rate of IL-2-induced cells was measured by MTT assay. Then quantitative RT-PCR arrays on 739 miRNAs revealed up- and down-regulation of 170 miRNAs in IL-2-induced CD4+ T cells relative to IL-2-depleted ones. In addition, in silico analysis predicted miRNA's potential targets in pathways such as JAK/STAT and PI3K pathways. JAK1 expression, a potential target of modulated miRNAs, was decreased in IL-2-depleted cells. This study suggests that clonal expansion is regulated by miRNAs in the absence or presence of IL-2 by targeting genes implicated in JAK/STAT and PI3K pathways.

No abstract

Obesity is a multifactorial disorder that is influenced by various factors such as behavior, diet, environment, metabolic and genetic. This disease is the result of an imbalance between energy absorption and expenditure. Mutations in genes that are responsible for appetite control and metabolism are considered as the genetic component of obesity. Adiponectin protein is one of the most effective adipokines in regulating the body's energy homeostasis and fat storage, which is expressed by the ADIPOQ gene and secreted from white adipose tissue. The concentration of this protein in the blood decreases in obesity. In this study, the relationship between rs266729 (-11,377 C>G) polymorphism in the ADIPOQ gene with the level of biochemical parameters such as total cholesterol and triglyceride and HDL and LDL in the blood of obese people in Borujen (a city in Iran) was investigated. This study was performed on 100 people who referred to the Tamin Ejtemaee clinic due to obesity problems in Borujen. In this study, the ARMS-PCR method was used to determine the genotype of individuals. Based on the results of this study, no significant relationship was found between biochemical parameters including total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL with rs266729 polymorphism genotypes in ADIPOQ gene in obese subjects. We concluded that rs266729 polymorphism cannot be useful as an index parameter for predispose genotype for imbalance in total cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL levels in a person.