Cell Fusion Connects Oncogenesis with Tumor Evolution

Ubiquitin Connects with Planar Cell Polarity

Planar cell polarity (PCP) regulates the orientation of cells in epithelia and of mesenchymal cells during gastrulation. In this issue, Narimatsu et al. (2009) report that the Smurf E3 ubiquitin ligases are required for localized protein degradation of a core PCP factor to generate cellular asymmetry.

Optimizing Dendritic Cell Preparation for Fusion with Melanoma Cells

Background: Fusion of dendritic cells (DCs) with melanoma cells could reinforce the antigenicity of tumors as a strategy for the treatment of malignant melanoma. However, the insufficient quantity of DCs and the low fusion efficiency limits the development of such approach. Objective: To define the dosage of the stimulating factors as well as the induction condition for the optimal DCs prepara...

Splenogonadal Fusion Operated as a Malignant Tumor

Splenogonadal fusion is a rare congenital malformation whereby the splenic tissue is found attached or surrounded by the testis, and presents in both continuous and discontinuous forms. Splenogonadal fusion may be misinterpreted as a primary malignant testicular or an adenomatoid tumor. Knowledge about the existence of such an entity is essential in order to preserve the testis during surgical ...

Ancient oncogenesis, infection and human evolution

The recent discovery that malignant neoplastic lesions date back nearly 2 million years ago not only highlights the antiquity of cancer in the human lineage, but also provides remarkable insight into ancestral hominin disease pathology. Using these Early Pleistocene examples as a point of departure, we emphasize the prominent role of viral and bacterial pathogens in oncogenesis and evaluate the...

Preface: Tumor-Stromal Crosstalk In Oncogenesis