Cancer

CD4+ T-helper cells (Th) are the white blood lymphocytes expressing surface glycoprotein antigen CD4. These T-helper cells play an important role in the adaptive immune system by releasing T cell cytokines that help other immune cells to suppress or regulate immune responses. CD4+ T-helper lymphocytes can be divided into two types (Th1 and Th2) based on their cytokine secretion. Th1 cells are involved in cell-mediated immune response to intracellular pathogens and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions.

Nogo is a neurite outgrowth inhibitor protein that plays an important role during central nervous system (CNS) development as well as in endoplasmic reticulum signaling regulation. Studies using Nogo antibodies have revealed Nogo proteins regulate precursor migration, neurite growth and branching in the developing CNS. In addition, Nogo serves as a negative regulator of neuronal growth in the adult CNS, causing wiring stabilization but greatly limiting any regeneration abilities (Schwab, 2010).

Is has been established that the regulatory transcription factor FOXP3 (a member of the forkhead/winged-helix family of transcription factors) is imperative to immune system homeostasis through CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell function.  Distinctively, FOXP3 binds to specific regions of DNA to modulate the activity of genes that are involved in regulating the immune system.  Interruption of FOXP3 activity leads to autoimmune disorder, due to Treg cells not having their full ability to act as an immune system balancer.

Inositol-requiring protein 1/IRE1 alpha (also called Endoplasmic Reticulum to Nucleus Signaling 1/ERN1; predicted mol wt 110 kDa) is a serine-threonine protein kinase/endoribonuclease which plays a highly critical role in unfolded protein response/UPR signaling, a mechanism by which eukaryotic cells sense and deal with ER stress. The latter triggers growth arrest and apoptosis in cells with misfolded proteins.

Adenoviruses comprise a family of medium sized, non-enveloped viruses that were originally isolated from human adenoids (Rowe et al., 1953). These viruses contain a double stranded DNA genome within an icosahedral nucleocapsid capable of penetrating an endosome without the need for envelope fusion.

Wingless-Type 5A (Wnt-5a) is a member of the WNT family of secreted signaling proteins that regulate many important developmental processes including cell proliferation, migration, differentiation, fate determination and embryonic patterning. WNT signal proteins affect the cell via three known WNT signal transduction pathways. The canonical WNT signaling pathway regulates gene transcription, the non-canonical planar cell polarity pathway regulates cytoskeletal formation, and the non-canonical Wnt/calcium pathway regulates cellular calcium levels.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a natural process by which epithelial cells lose their polarity and intercellular adhesion, and gain the migratory invasive properties of mesenchymal stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types. EMT is critical to many developmental processes including embryo development and wound healing. However, EMT is also a fundamental step in the initiation of metastasis during cancer progression.

RelA (also known as p65) is an NF-kB family member and a subunit of the NF-kB transcription factor complex.  The mammalian NF-kB family has five members (NF-kB1, NF-kB2, RelA (p65), RelB, and c-Rel), each of which contains an N-terminal Rel homology domain. Active NF-kB protein complexes are dimeric (hetero- or homo-), and are made up of two family members. NF-kB signaling is activated in response to many different types of stimuli and modulates transcription of numerous downstream targets.

MMP2 is a 72 kDa enzymatic protein and it belongs to matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a heterogenous family of zinc/calcium-dependent TIMPs (tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases) regulated matrix-degrading endopeptidases which are classified into collagenases (MMP-1, -8, -13, -18), gelatinases (MMP-2, -9), stromelysins (MMP-3, -7, -10, -11), elastase (MMP-12), and membrane-type matrix metalloproteinases (MT-MMP-1 through -5) (1). MMP2 involves in extracellular matrix metabolism and cleaves type IV collagen along with degrading the already denatured collagens.

Caspase-3 is one of the most important players in apoptosis signaling. It is synthesized as an inactive 32 kDa pro-enzyme and upon direct activation by Caspase-8, -9 or -10, it gets processed into its active forms, the p17-20 and p10-12 subunits. The latter are responsible for the cleavage of PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase), actin and SREBP, which are associated with apoptosis [1].