Abstract: Metastatic neuroblastoma (NB) remains a clinical challenge for pediatric oncologists. Overall survival rates stay less than 40% despite intensive multimodal therapy, with the toll of toxicity being related to high-dose chemotherapy. These rates have shown minor improvements over the last years, and the development of newer therapeutic strategies is necessary. Oncolytic viruses bear the promise of killing cancer cells with low toxicities to healthy tissues. Acting through mechanisms different from chemo- and radiotherapies, a growing arsenal of genetically engineered viruses is being tested in preclinical models of human cancers. Viral infection and selective replication inside tumor cells are achieved by modification of the virus genome in order to target specific molecules or signal transduction pathways of cancer. Cell death may also activate antitumor immune responses to further amplify the beneficial effects. Clinical trials in humans have been conducted and initial results have been reported, giving the first glance of information on safety and efficacy in patients. In this review we will summarize information about how oncolytic virotherapy is being evaluated against NB in preclinical models and recent reports on the use of this new therapy in sporadic cases of children with refractory NB. ... Read more

Abstract: Because most medicines have not been encountered by individuals of our species prior to treatment, it follows that treatment could uncover a previously silent genetic predisposition or could interact with a known genetic variation(s) to produce an unintended outcome. Pharmacogenetics encompasses the discovery, testing, and application of genetic variation as applied to therapeutic treatment and outcome. Two broad divisions of pharmacogenetics are recognized: pharmacokinetics, which describes genetic variations that affect drug metabolism, and pharmacodynamics which describes similar processes that have effects on drug targets, including downstream signaling pathways. The genetic mechanisms that underlie an altered drug response recapitulates most known sources of genomic variation. The most commonly encountered is sequence variation. This includes changes in the primary nucleotide sequence of coding, regulatory, and splice regions of a gene, the product of which affects, or is affected by, a drug. Less common forms of variability in the structure and function of the genome have also been found to underlie an individualized response to medicines. Among these are sequence variation in microRNA (miRNA) binding sites, which affects the ability of miRNA to regulate translation; pharmacoepigenetics, which examines heritable chromatin modifications; and copy number variation. Among the 158 currently registered pharmacogenetic clinical trials, the most frequent conditions or disease processes being studied are cancer, psychiatric disorders, and coagulation/thrombosis. From this observation, it is postulated that pharmacogenetics has its greatest potential for optimizing the use of drugs with a high rate of failure or adverse outcomes. ... Read more

Abstract: This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the publications that reported the initial human genome sequence. In the historic press conference that announced this landmark accomplishment, it was proclaimed that the genome sequence would "revolutionize the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases." However, subsequent work over the past decade has revealed that "complex diseases" are much more intricate than originally thought. Even with the advent of several new powerful technologies, our understanding of the underlying genetic etiologies of most complex and non-Mendelian diseases is far from complete. These results have raised the possibility that the DNA sequence, i.e., genetic information, may not be the only relevant source of information in order to understand the molecular basis of disease. In this review, we assemble evidence that information encoded beyond the DNA sequence, i.e., epigenetic information, may hold the key to a better understanding of various pathological conditions. Unlike the genetic information encoded within the DNA sequence, epigenetic information can be stored in multiple dimensions, such as in the form of DNA modifications, RNA, or protein. Ideas presented here support the view that to better understand the molecular etiology of diseases, we need to gain a better understanding of both the genetic and epigenetic components of biological information. We hence believe that the fast development of genome-wide technologies will facilitate a better understanding of both genetic and epigenetic dimensions of disease. ... Read more

Abstract: Aging is one of the most challenging and unresolved problems in biology owing to its highly complex nature. Public interest in aging has increased not only because all of us can expect to live to a ripe old age but also because we wish to avoid those age-related changes that lead to physical invalidity or other diseases (cancer, depression) and may ultimately cause social isolation. Aging is a process of genetic and epigenetic interactions at all biological levels, where epigenetics has an important function in determining the phenotypic differences that arise. Epigenetics also plays a key role in the development of diseases associated with aging and explains the relationship between an individual's genetic background, the environment, aging, and disease. DNA plasticity is mediated in part by the epigenetic changes that lead the role of a cell, and can be passed on to future generations. Epigenetics establishes the idea that our health can be affected not only by the interplay of our genes and environment but also by the inherited effects of our ancestors' genes and environment. ... Read more

Abstract: Sarcomas are malignant solid tumors of mesenchymal origin which consist of 10-15% of all pediatric malignancies and associated with significantly high mortality rates despite current therapies. Oncogenic fusion genes, resulting from non-random chromosomal translocations, characterize a subset of sarcomas including rhabdomyosarcoma, the Ewing's sarcoma family of tumors, and synovial sarcoma. As investigators gain further insight into the role that fusion genes play in the development and progression of sarcomas, we are slowly uncovering novel molecules and pathways that are proving to be essential for the growth and maintenance of sarcomas and other malignancies. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been implicated in a diversity of human diseases including cancer. Only recently, has miR deregulation been shown to be an important component of sarcomagenesis. This review summarizes the recent discoveries tying miR deregulation to sarcoma biology and will discuss the potential and feasibility of miRs as novel therapeutic adjuncts to current therapies. The methodological approaches utilized in the study of miR biology and development of miR-based treatment regimens can serve as a paradigm for future investigations in other translocation-associated solid tumors. ... Read more

Abstract: Over the last decade, a growing number of non-coding transcripts have been found to have roles in gene regulation and RNA processing. The most well known small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are the microRNAs (miRNAs), but the network of long and short non-coding transcripts is complex and is likely to contain as yet unidentified classes of molecules that form transcriptional regulatory networks. miRNAs and some other ncRNAs have been found to be involved in human tumorigenesis, revealing a new layer in the molecular architecture of cancer. Gene expression studies have shown that hundreds of miRNAs are deregulated in cancer cells, and functional studies have clarified that miRNAs are involved in all the molecular and biologic processes that drive tumorigenesis. Here, we summarize the recent advances in understanding miRNAs' and other ncRNAs' involvement in cancer and illustrate how this knowledge may be useful in medical practice. New diagnostic classifiers based on miRNAs will soon be available for medical practitioners, and even more importantly, miRNAs may become novel anti-cancer therapies. ... Read more

Abstract: Glaucoma is a group of heterogeneous optic neuropathy and is the second leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. The two most common clinical types of glaucoma include primary open-angle (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG). PACG is characterized by the closure of angles between iris and trabecular meshwork (iridocorneal angles) mainly because of anatomic abnormalities. The condition is more prevalent in Chinese, Asian Indians, and Eskimos. Because of an unusually high incidence of PACG among siblings of affected patients, it was suggested that genetic factors were involved in its pathology and the action of a large number of grouped or independently inherited genes along with environmental factors result in anatomical abnormalities of PACG. In PACG, the genetic basis is not well understood. Genome-wide association studies have identified several candidate genes in relation to PACG in several different populations. However, they are not reproduced from population to population or the results are controversial. This may indicate that the involvement of genetic abnormality in the pathogenesis of PACG is complex. The availability of spontaneously occurring large animal models such as dogs may provide an opportunity to identify genes responsible for the pathophysiology of PACG in the future. This article summarizes the current status of genetic investigations on PACG which is the most common cause of blindness worldwide. ... Read more

Abstract: Complex diseases are caused by perturbations of biological networks. Genetic analysis approaches focused on individual genetic determinants are unlikely to characterize the network architecture of complex diseases comprehensively. Network medicine, which applies systems biology and network science to complex molecular networks underlying human disease, focuses on identifying the interacting genes and proteins which lead to disease pathogenesis. The long biological path between a genetic risk variant and development of a complex disease involves a range of biochemical intermediates, including coding and non-coding RNA, proteins, and metabolites. Transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and other -omics technologies have the potential to provide insights into complex disease pathogenesis, especially if they are applied within a network biology framework. Most previous efforts to relate genetics to -omics data have focused on a single -omics platform; the next generation of complex disease genetics studies will require integration of multiple types of -omics data sets in a network context. Network medicine may also provide insight into complex disease heterogeneity, serve as the basis for new disease classifications that reflect underlying disease pathogenesis, and guide rational therapeutic and preventive strategies. ... Read more

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore epigenetic changes and functions of SOX17 in human lung cancer. Five lung cancer cell lines and 88 primary lung cancer samples were examined in this study. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP), semi-quantitative reverse-transcription PCR, immunohistochemistry, luciferase reporter assays, colony-formation assays, and western blotting were used to analyze methylation changes and functions of SOX17 in lung cancer. SOX17 methylation was found in 60.2% of primary human lung cancer samples, and promoter region methylation of SOX17 silenced its expression. SOX17 methylation was associated with female patients and lung cancer differentiation. Colony-formation assays revealed that SOX17 suppressed lung cancer cell proliferation. Re-expression of SOX17 inhibited Wnt signaling in H23 lung cancer cell line. SOX17 acts as a Wnt signaling inhibitor. ... Read more

Abstract: Aging is a progressive degenerative process tightly integrated with inflammation. Cause and effect are not clear. A number of theories have been developed that attempt to define the role of chronic inflammation in aging: redox stress, mitochondrial damage, immunosenescence, endocrinosenescence, epigenetic modifications, and age-related diseases. However, no single theory explains all aspects of aging; instead, it is likely that multiple processes contribute and that all are intertwined with inflammatory responses. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients undergo a premature aging phenomenon which may provide clues to better elucidate the nature of inflammation in aging. Environmental and lifestyle effectors of inflammation may also contribute to modulation of both inflammation and age-related dysfunction. ... Read more