Vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C) has been implicated in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) processes and various human cancers, including skin cancer. Skin cancer is an aggressive human malignancy with increasing incidence worldwide; however, the underlying mechanisms involved in VEGF-C-induced skin cancer stemness and metastasis remain unclear. Here, we report that VEGF-C enhances skin cancer migration, invasion and stemness through Slug up-regulation. Oncomine database analysis indicated that the KRAS/MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinases) pathway and YAP1 (yes-associated protein 1) expression are positively correlated with metastatic skin cancer. We show that VEGF-C triggers the activation of KRAS/MAPK signaling to increase YAP1 and downstream Slug expression, which are suppressed by an anti-VEGFR3 (VEGF receptor 3) peptide, a specific peptide targeting VEGFR3. The VEGF-C-induced migration, invasion and stemness of skin cancer cells are also abrogated by the anti-VEGFR3 peptide. Based on these data, we reveal the role of the VEGF-C/VEGFR3-mediated KRAS/MAPK-YAP1/Slug pathway in skin cancer progression and propose that the VEGF-C/VEGFR3 axis is a promising target for the anti-VEGFR3 peptide.
Sodium titanium phosphate (NaTi2(PO4)3, NTP) with a sodium superionic
conductor structure is considered
as an efficient anode material for aqueous sodium-ion batteries because
of its moderate potential range and high structural stability. In
this study, a series of NTP nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using
a facile and cost-effective hydrothermal method without further calcination
to explore the influence of reaction time on their crystalline structures
and morphologies. The NTP NPs hydrothermally synthesized for 5 h were
subsequently subjected to a carbon-coating procedure, and the resulting
carbon-coated NTP NPs exhibited remarkable reversible capacities,
rate capabilities, and cycling performances. These features were attributable
to the nanotailoring of the NTP NPs, which reduced both the ionic
and electronic transporting paths, and continuous carbon layers coated
on the NTP surfaces to promote their electronic conductivities.
The process of fabricating photonic crystals comprised of alternately stacked high- and low-index dielectric materials on periodic substrates to form zigzag films is called the autocloning technique. In this study, we have fabricated TiO2/SiO2 two-dimensional polarization filters by using electron beam gun evaporation with ion-beam-assisted deposition. The shape of the zigzag structure is preserved, and the total thickness is 8 μm. The symmetric structural design can be utilized as an antireflection coating applied to reduce ripples and achieve a 200 nm working wavelength range.
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