When Folkman first suggested a theory about the association between angiogenesis and tumor growth in 1971, the hypothesis of targeting angiogenesis to treat cancer was formed. Since then, various studies conducted across the world have additionally confirmed the theory of Folkman, and numerous efforts have been made to explore the possibilities of curing cancer by targeting angiogenesis. Among them, anti-angiogenic gene therapy has received attention due to its apparent advantages. Although specific problems remain prior to cancer being fully curable using anti-angiogenic gene therapy, several methods have been explored, and progress has been made in pre-clinical and clinical settings over previous decades. The present review aimed to provide up-to-date information concerning tumor angiogenesis and gene delivery systems in anti-angiogenic gene therapy, with a focus on recent developments in the study and application of the most commonly studied and newly identified anti-angiogenic candidates for anti-angiogenesis gene therapy, including interleukin-12, angiostatin, endostatin, tumstatin, anti-angiogenic metargidin peptide and endoglin silencing.

Although the conserved AAA ATPase and bromodomain factor, ATAD2, has been described as a transcriptional co-activator upregulated in many cancers, its function remains poorly understood. Here, using a combination of ChIP-seq, ChIP-proteomics, and RNA-seq experiments in embryonic stem cells where Atad2 is normally highly expressed, we found that Atad2 is an abundant nucleosome-bound protein present on active genes, associated with chromatin remodelling, DNA replication, and DNA repair factors. A structural analysis of its bromodomain and subsequent investigations demonstrate that histone acetylation guides ATAD2 to chromatin, resulting in an overall increase of chromatin accessibility and histone dynamics, which is required for the proper activity of the highly expressed gene fraction of the genome. While in exponentially growing cells Atad2 appears dispensable for cell growth, in differentiating ES cells Atad2 becomes critical in sustaining specific gene expression programmes, controlling proliferation and differentiation. Altogether, this work defines Atad2 as a facilitator of general chromatin-templated activities such as transcription.

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Camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs, VHHs, or Nanobodies®) are types of antibody fragments that are composed of the heavy-chain variable domain only. These VHHs possess unique structural and functional features, as they are small in size and exhibit thermal stability and high solubility. Compared to conventional antibodies, VHHs can be manufactured in microorganisms to significantly save on cost, labor, and time since VHHs lack the Fc domain with its N-linked oligosaccharide. Until now, VHHs have been expressed in several kinds of production systems, ranging from prokaryotic cells, yeasts, fungi, insect cells, and mammalian cell lines, to plants. In this review, we focus on the recent production of VHHs, introduce different platforms, and summarize the current state of this area and its future trends. Finally, the first potential VHH product, produced in Pichia pastoris, will probably be available on the market in 2018; thus, it is of great importance to give this antibody fragment timely attention. This is the first review concerning the production of VHHs in laboratory settings.