How heterogeneity drives tumour growth: a computational study

Signaling pathways and microRNAs, the orchestrators of NANOG activity during cancer induction

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a small part of cancer cells inside the tumor that have similar characteristics to normal stem cells. CSCs stimulate tumor initiation and progression in a variety of cancers. Several transcription factors such as NANOG, SOX2, and OCT4 maintain the characteristics of CSCs and their upregulation is seen in many malignancies resulting in increased metastasis, invasion, and recurrence. Among these factors, NANOG plays an important role in regulating the self-renewal and pluripotency of CSCs and the clinical significance of NANOG has been suggested as a marker of CSCs in many cancers. The up and down-regulation of NANOG is associated with several important signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT, Wnt/β-catenin, Notch, TGF-β, Hedgehog, and several microRNAs (miRNAs). In this review, we will investigate the function of NANOG in CSCs and the molecular mechanism of its regulation by signaling pathways and miRNAs. We will also investigate targeting NANOG with different techniques, which is a promising treatment strategy for cancer treatment.

Patterns in soft and biological matters

The issue is devoted to theoretical, computer and experimental studies of internal heterogeneous patterns, their morphology and evolution in various soft physical systems-organic and inorganic materials (e.g. alloys, polymers, cell cultures, biological tissues as well as metastable and composite materials). The importance of these studies is determined by the significant role of internal structures on the macroscopic properties and behaviour of natural and manufactured tissues and materials. Modern methods of computer modelling, statistical physics, heat and mass transfer, statistical hydrodynamics, nonlinear dynamics and experimental methods are presented and discussed. Non-equilibrium patterns which appear during macroscopic transport and hydrodynamic flow, chemical reactions, external physical fields (magnetic, electrical, thermal and hydrodynamic) and the impact of external noise on pattern evolution are the foci of this issue. Special attention is paid to pattern formation in biological systems (such as drug transport, hydrodynamic patterns in blood and pattern dynamics in protein and insulin crystals) and to the development of a scientific background for progressive methods of cancer and insult therapy (magnetic hyperthermia for cancer therapy; magnetically induced drug delivery in thrombosed blood vessels). The present issue includes works on pattern growth and their evolution in systems with complex internal structures, including stochastic dynamics, and the influence of internal structures on the external static, dynamic magnetic and mechanical properties of these systems. This article is part of the theme issue 'Patterns in soft and biological matters'.