E-cadherin, β-catenin and Snail are important molecules involved in cellular adhesion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Loss of E-cadherin expression, nuclear relocation of β-catenin and high expression of Snail are connected to tumor progression, rapid cell growth and metastasis. The aim of our study was to analyze the immunohistochemical expression of β-catenin, E-cadherin and Snail, dep...

Woody encroachment in grasslands has become increasingly problematic globally. Grazing by domestic animals can facilitate woody encroachment by reducing competition from herbaceous plants and fire frequency. Herbivorous insects and parasitic plants can each exert forces that result in the natural biological control of encroaching woody plants through reducing seeding of their host woody plants....

This study aims to identify the landscape ecological determinants related to Oncomelania hupensis distribution, map the potential high risk of O. hupensis habitats at the microscale, and assess the effects of two environmental control strategies. Sampling was performed on 242 snail sites and 726 non-snail sites throughout Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, China. An integrated approach of landscap...

The aim of this study was to investigate the roles of the transcription factor Snail and adhesion factor epithelial-cadherin (E-cadherin) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and evaluate their correlation with tumor pathological grading, clinical stage, invasion and metastases. The expression of Snail and E-cadherin protein in 69 samples of CCRCC tissue, 58 samples of para-cancerous muco...

PURPOSE To investigate the transcriptional factors associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS Paraffin sections of CNV obtained from patients with AMD (n = 12) were stained for transcriptional factors related to EMT, i.e., Snail, Slug, SIP1, and Twist. As a control, postmortem secti...

The Slug transcription factor plays an important role in ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced skin carcinogenesis, particularly in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurring during tumor progression. In the present studies, we investigated the role of Slug in two-stage chemical skin carcinogenesis. Slug and the related transcription factor Snail were expressed at high levels in skin t...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is known to have a poor prognosis. The resistance to treatment and distant metastasis are important clinical problems in HNSCC. The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a key process in successful execution of many steps such as the invasion and metastasis for cancer cells. Snail is one of the master regulators that promote EMT in many types o...

A protocol was created for performing geographically randomized snail surveys for schistosomiasis research using the global positioning system (GPS). This protocol differs from traditional surveys in its ability to accurately map and measure the spatial distribution of snail habitat. The protocol was used to map irrigation ditches, the primary habitat for Oncomelania hupensis, in two residence ...

Experimental infections of Egyptian Radix natalensis with French miracidia of Fasciola hepatica were carried out to determine if this snail might act as an intermediate host in the life cycle of this digenean in Egypt. Single exposures of R. natalensis to miracidia (2/snail) and two successive exposures (a total of 4 miracidia/ snail) were performed using lymnaeids measuring 1 to 6 mm in height...

Inflammation is closely related to the progression of cancer as well as tumorigenesis. Here, we investigated the effect of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) on E-cadherin expression in SNU719 gastric cancer cells. E-cadherin expression decreased as the dose or exposure time of PGE(2) and IL-1β increased, whereas Snail expression increased with dose or time of PGE(2) and IL-...