title: Gastric cancer pathogenesis.
abstract: Gastric cancer (GC) results from a multistep process that is influenced by Helicobacter pylori infection, genetic susceptibility of the host, as well as of other environmental factors. GC results from the accumulation of numerous genetic and epigenetic alterations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, leading to dysregulation of multiple signaling pathways, which disrupt the cell cycle and the balance between cell proliferation and cell death. For this special issue, we have selected to review last year's advances related to three main topics: the cell of origin that initiates malignant growth in GC, the mechanisms of direct genotoxicity induced by H. pylori infection, and the role of aberrantly expressed long noncoding RNAs in GC transformation. The understanding of the molecular basis of GC development is of utmost importance for the identification of novel targets for GC prevention and treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hilmar
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: i3S - Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health/Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), Porto, Portugal.|Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Rike
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zietlow
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.affiliation: i3S - Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health/Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), Porto, Portugal.|Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jose C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: i3S - Institute of Investigation and Innovation in Health/Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.|Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (Ipatimup), Porto, Portugal.|Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ceu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Figueiredo
mesh_terms: D063646:Carcinogenesis; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Helicobacter pylori; gastric cancer; genotoxicity; long noncoding RNAs; stem cells