Soumya Basu

By Sangeeta Ballav, Ankita Jaywant Deshmukh, Shafina Siddiqui, Jyotirmoi Aich and Soumya Basu

Cell culture is one of the most important and commonly used in vitro tools to comprehend various aspects of cells or tissues of a living body such as cell biology, tissue morphology, mechanism of diseases, cell signaling, drug action, cancer research and also finds its great importance in preclinical trials of various drugs. There are two major types of cell cultures that are most commonly used- two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional culture (3D). The former has been used since the 1900s, owing to its simplicity and low-cost maintenance as it forms a monolayer, while the latter being the advanced version and currently most worked upon. This chapter intends to provide the true meaning and significance to both cultures. It starts by making a clear distinction between the two and proceeds further to discuss their different applications in vitro. The significance of 2D culture is projected through different assays and therapeutic treatment to understand cell motility and treatment of diseases, whereas 3D culture includes different models and spheroid structures consisting of multiple layers of cells, and puts a light on its use in drug discovery and development. The chapter is concluded with a detailed account of the production of therapeutic proteins by the use of cells.

Part of the book: Cell Culture

By Deepak S. Chauhan, Priyanka Mudaliar, Soumya Basu, Jyotirmoi Aich and Manash K. Paul

Tumor cells, like most other cells, release exosomes called tumor-derived exosomes (TEX) and are vital for intercellular communication. TEX are membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs), containing unique cargo reminiscent of the parent tumor cells and possess immunomodulatory functions. TEX carries factors that directly promote immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment and indirectly attract immunosuppressive T-regulatory (Treg) cells. The tumor-secreted exosomes can transfer their cargo by multiple mechanisms like fusion, phagocytosis, and receptor-mediated endocytosis, activating the recipient cells. TEX directly engages and releases cytokines, inactivating natural killer (NK) cells and T-cells and activating apoptosis. Tumor-derived exosomes also release soluble factors to suppress dendritic cell (DC) maturation while activating the expansion of immune-suppressive cells like Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and Regulatory T (Treg) cells. Several studies have shown the relevance of TEX containing tumor-associated antigens (TAA) in reducing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy and adoptive cell therapy. Hence understanding the basic biology and mechanism of TEX-mediated immunosuppression is critical in discovering cancer biomarkers and finding better immunotherapy and cell therapy approaches. In this chapter, we have discussed TEX biogenesis, TEX’s structural and molecular features, TEX-mediated immunosuppression, and its relation to immunotherapy.

Part of the book: Extracellular Vesicles

By Shuchi Nagar, Saurabh Dey, Aishik Das and Soumya Basu

Flavonoids are secondary metabolites that perform a wide range of roles in plants. These include their involvement in plant growth, pigmentation, and UV protection, to a variety of defense and signaling activities. Flavonoids such as chalcones, flavones, flavanols, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanins are widely distributed in the plant kingdom. The metabolic routes of the flavonoids are exploited extensively using several biotech approaches to enhance the crop variety and incorporate varied nutritional benefits. Many flavonoids are key components of medicinal plants and possess nutritional significance. Specific mutations in flavonoid-related genes are typically responsible for the diversity in flavonoids, resulting in quantitative and qualitative variations in metabolic profiles. Thereby numerous attempts have been made to increase flavonoid content in agronomically important species. Flavonoids are also employed in the regulation of inflammation, in arthritis, and in cancer prevention strategies, due to their ubiquity in the human diet. Advances in the comprehension of flavonoid biosynthesis and modulation have prompted a surge in researches aiming at modifying the flavonoid pathway to improve nutritional value, plant defenses against infections and the feeding value of livestock. This chapter briefly discusses the varied role of flavonoids, their biosynthesis, and their distribution over the plant kingdom. Furthermore, it exclusively highlights the several biotech-based trending pieces of research based on introducing flavonoid biosynthesis in commercial crops.

Part of the book: Flavonoid Metabolism