The Effect of p53 Status on Radio-Sensitivity of Quiescent Tumor Cell Population Irradiated With γ-Rays at Various Dose Rates

Regulation of p53 and Cancer Signaling by Heat Shock Protein 40/J-Domain Protein Family Members

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are molecular chaperones that assist diverse cellular activities including protein folding, intracellular transportation, assembly or disassembly of protein complexes, and stabilization or degradation of misfolded or aggregated proteins. HSP40, also known as J-domain proteins (JDPs), is the largest family with over fifty members and contains highly conserved J domains responsible for binding to HSP70 and stimulation of the ATPase activity as a co-chaperone. Tumor suppressor p53 (p53), the most frequently mutated gene in human cancers, is one of the proteins that functionally interact with HSP40/JDPs. The majority of p53 mutations are missense mutations, resulting in acquirement of unexpected oncogenic activities, referred to as gain of function (GOF), in addition to loss of the tumor suppressive function. Moreover, stability and levels of wild-type p53 (wtp53) and mutant p53 (mutp53) are crucial for their tumor suppressive and oncogenic activities, respectively. However, the regulatory mechanisms of wtp53 and mutp53 are not fully understood. Accumulating reports demonstrate regulation of wtp53 and mutp53 levels and/or activities by HSP40/JDPs. Here, we summarize updated knowledge related to the link of HSP40/JDPs with p53 and cancer signaling to improve our understanding of the regulation of tumor suppressive wtp53 and oncogenic mutp53 GOF activities.

Method of Measuring High-LET Particles Dose

In boron neutron capture therapy, the total absorbed dose is the sum of four dose components with different relative biological effectiveness (RBE): boron dose, "nitrogen" dose, fast neutron dose and γ-ray dose. We present a new approach for measuring the first three doses. In this work, we provide the details of this method of dose measurement and results when this proposed method is employed.

An attempt to improve the therapeutic effect of boron neutron capture therapy using commonly employed 10B-carriers based on analytical studies on the correlation among quiescent tumor cell characteristics, tumor heterogeneity and cancer stemness

Based on our previously published reports concerning the response of quiescent (Q) tumor cell populations to boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), the heterogeneous microdistribution of 10B in tumors, which is influenced by the tumor microenvironment and the characteristics of the 10B delivery carriers, has been shown to limit the therapeutic effect of BNCT on local tumors. It was also clarified that the characteristics of 10B-carriers for BNCT and the type of combined treatment in BNCT can also affect the potential for distant lung metastases from treated local tumors. We reviewed the findings concerning the response of Q tumor cell populations to BNCT, mainly focusing on reports we have published so far, and we identified the mode of BNCT that currently offers the best therapeutic gain from the viewpoint of both controlling local tumor and suppressing the potential for distant lung metastasis. In addition, based on the finding that oxygenated Q tumor cells showed a large capacity to recover from DNA damage after cancer therapy, the interrelationship among the characteristics in Q tumor cell populations, tumor heterogeneity and cancer stemness was also discussed.

Boron neutron capture therapy: Current status and future perspectives

The development of new accelerators has given a new impetus to the development of new drugs and treatment technologies using boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT). We analyzed the current status and future directions of BNCT for cancer treatment, as well as the main issues related to its introduction. This review highlights the principles of BNCT and the key milestones in its development: new boron delivery drugs and different types of charged particle accelerators are described; several important aspects of BNCT implementation are discussed. BCNT could be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and it is evaluated in light of the outlined issues. For the speedy implementation of BCNT in medical practice, it is necessary to develop more selective boron delivery agents and to generate an epithermal neutron beam with definite characteristics. Pharmacological companies and research laboratories should have access to accelerators for large-scale screening of new, more specific boron delivery agents.