Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Knockdown of FAM83A to Verify Its Role in Cervical Cancer Cell Growth and Cisplatin Sensitivity
04:20

Knockdown of FAM83A to Verify Its Role in Cervical Cancer Cell Growth and Cisplatin Sensitivity

Published on: February 9, 2024

Downregulation of calcineurin activity in cervical carcinoma

S Padma1, A Pavani Sowjanya, Usha Rani Poli

  • 1Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Nacharam, Hyderabad, A,P, India. gayatri@cdfd.org.in.

Cancer Cell International
|April 2, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Calcineurin (CaN) activity is significantly reduced in cervical cancer patients with high-risk HPV infection. This finding suggests that altered calcineurin pathways may contribute to the development of cervical neoplasia.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Calcineurin (CaN), a serine-threonine phosphatase (PP2B), is vital in calcium-calmodulin signaling.
  • While implicated in diseases like cardiac hypertrophy and Alzheimer's, CaN's role in neoplasia is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate calcineurin activity in cervical cancer.
  • To explore the relationship between calcineurin activity, HPV infection, and cervical neoplasia.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed calcineurin activity in serum and biopsy samples from cervical cancer patients and controls.
  • Analyzed calcineurin activity in cervical scrapes from patients with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL).
  • Evaluated the DNA-binding affinity of the transcription factor NFAT (Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells).

Main Results:

  • Significantly reduced calcineurin activity was observed in cervical cancer patients compared to controls.
  • Calcineurin activity remained unchanged in LSIL cases.
  • Downregulation of calcineurin in squamous cell carcinomas did not affect NFAT DNA-binding affinity.
  • All cervical squamous cell carcinoma samples were positive for high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) types.

Conclusions:

  • Calcineurin activity is downregulated in cervical squamous cell carcinoma associated with high-risk HPV.
  • Perturbations in calcineurin-mediated pathways may play a role in cervical neoplasia development.

More Related Videos

Molecular Modulation by Lentivirus-Delivered Specific shRNAs in Endoplasmic Reticulum Stressed Neurons10:50

Molecular Modulation by Lentivirus-Delivered Specific shRNAs in Endoplasmic Reticulum Stressed Neurons

Published on: April 24, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs01:15

Receptor Downregulation in MVBs

Multivesicular bodies (MVBs) are mature endosomes that sort ubiquitinated proteins and then fuse with lysosomes to degrade the sorted proteins. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) form a complex that can be internalized through endocytosis, sorted into an MVB, and later degraded.
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that  lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR  stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive  EGFR activation may...
Inhibition of CDK Activity02:34

Inhibition of CDK Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
Inhibition of Cdk Activity02:34

Inhibition of Cdk Activity

The orderly progression of the cell cycle depends on the activation of Cdk protein by binding to its cyclin partner. However, the cell cycle must be restricted when undergoing abnormal changes. Most cancers correlate to the deregulated cell cycle, and since Cdks are a central component of the cell cycle, Cdk inhibitors are extensively studied to develop anticancer agents. For instance, cyclin D associates with several Cdks, such as Cdk 4/6, to form an active complex. The cyclin D-Cdk4/6 complex...
Synthesis and Functions of Calcitonin00:51

Synthesis and Functions of Calcitonin

Calcitonin, a vital polypeptide hormone, regulates calcium levels within body fluids. It is released by the parafollicular cells, also known as C cells, situated in the follicular epithelium of the thyroid gland. Calcitonin responds to fluctuations in blood calcium levels and the influence of gastrointestinal hormones like gastrin and cholecystokinin.
The exact mechanisms by which calcitonin operates in calcium homeostasis remain elusive, but its significance is evident in several vital...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway02:26

NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway

The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
The Retinoblastoma Gene01:20

The Retinoblastoma Gene

Tumor suppressor genes are normal genes that can slow down cell division, repair DNA mistakes, or program the cells for apoptosis in case of irreparable damage. Hence, they play an essential role in preventing the proliferation of damaged cells.
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...