Sona Vodenkova

• PhD
• Research Associate at Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Experimental Medicine

Despite distant metastases being the critical factor affecting patients' survival, they remain poorly understood. Our study thus aimed to molecularly characterize colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLMs) and explore whether molecular profiles differ between Synchronous (SmCRC) and Metachronous (MmCRC) colorectal cancer. This characterization was...

The comet assay is a versatile method to detect nuclear DNA damage in individual eukaryotic cells, from yeast to human. The types of damage detected encompass DNA strand breaks and alkali-labile sites (e.g., apurinic/apyrimidinic sites), alkylated and oxidized nucleobases, DNA-DNA crosslinks, UV-induced cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers and some chemic...

In the present review we addressed the determination of DNA damage induced by small-molecule carcinogens, considered their persistence in DNA and mutagenicity in in vitro and in vivo systems over a period of 30 years. The review spans from the investigation of the role of DNA damage in the cascade of chemical carcinogenesis. In the nineties, this c...

Metastasis Associated Lung Adenocarcinoma Transcript 1 (MALAT1), originally described as a prognostic biomarker remarkably linked with metastasis potential in lung cancer, has been identified as contributing to many diseases, including colorectal cancer (CRC). This long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has come to the forefront of lncRNA research for its im...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression in a tissue-specific manner. However, little is known about the miRNA expression changes induced by the therapy in rectal cancer (RC) patients. We evaluated miRNA expression levels before and after therapy and identified specific miRNA signatures reflecting disease course and treatment responses of RC pat...

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has recently been used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for detecting tumor-specific mutations. cfDNA may also be used for monitoring disease progression and treatment response, but so far researchers focused on one or few genes only. A genomic profile may provide better information on patient prognosis compared to single spe...

DNA damage and unrepaired or insufficiently repaired DNA double-strand breaks as well as telomere shortening contribute to the formation of structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs). Non-specific CAs have been used in the monitoring of individuals exposed to potential carcinogenic chemicals and radiation. The frequency of CAs in peripheral blood lym...

Nonspecific structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs) can be found at around 1% of circulating lymphocytes from healthy individuals but the frequency may be higher after exposure to carcinogenic chemicals or radiation. The frequency of CAs has been measured in occupational monitoring and an increased frequency of CAs has also been associated with ca...

Disruption of telomere length (TL) homeostasis in peripheral blood lymphocytes has been previously assessed as a potential biomarker of breast cancer (BC) risk. The present study addressed the relationship between lymphocyte TL (LTL), prognosis and clinicopathological features in the BC patients since these associations are insufficiently explored...

This optimized protocol (including links to instruction videos) describes a comet-based in vitro DNA repair assay that is relatively simple, versatile, and inexpensive, enabling the detection of base and nucleotide excision repair activity. Protein extracts from samples are incubated with agarose-embedded substrate nucleoids (‘naked’ supercoiled DN...

The comet assay is a widely used test for the detection of DNA damage and repair activity. However, there are interlaboratory differences in reported levels of baseline and induced damage in the same experimental systems. These differences may be attributed to protocol differences, although it is difficult to identify the relevant conditions becaus...

Accumulation of non-specific structural chromo-somal aberrations (CAs) and telomere shortening contribute to genome instability, which constitutes as one of the hallmarks of cancer. CAs arise due to direct DNA damage or telomere shortening. CAs in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), which are considered to be markers of exposure, have been previous...

DNA repair, a complex biological process, ensures genomic integrity. Alterations in DNA repair, occurring in many cancers, contribute to the accumulation of mutations in the genome, resulting in genomic instability and cancer progression. DNA repair also plays a substantial role in response to chemotherapeutics: rapidly dividing colon cancer cells,...

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is an essential component of systemic chemotherapy for colorectal cancer (CRC) in the palliative and adjuvant settings. Over the past four decades, several modulation strategies including the implementation of 5-FU-based combination regimens and 5-FU pro-drugs have been developed and tested to increase the anti-tumor activity...

Non-specific structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs) observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy individuals can be either chromosome-type aberrations (CSAs) or chromatid-type aberrations (CTAs) depending on the stage of cell division they are induced in and mechanism of formation. It is important to study the genetic basis of chromosomal...

The first-line chemotherapy of colorectal cancer (CRC), besides surgery, comprises administration of 5-Fluorouracil (5FU). Apart from cytotoxic effect on cancer cells, 5FU may also cause adverse side effects. Ganoderma Lucidum (GLC) is a mushroom used in Traditional Eastern Medicine. We propose that natural compounds, particularly GLC extracts, may...

Development of lymphoid progenitors requires a coordinated regulation of gene expression, DNA replication, and gene rearrangement. Chromatin-remodeling activities directed by SWI/SNF2 superfamily complexes play important roles in these processes. In this study, we used a conditional knockout mouse model to investigate the role of Smarca5, a member...

The last decade witnessed an increase in the use of comet assay for DNA damage monitoring in cancer patients and controls. Apart from case-control studies, reports described the determination of DNA damage prior to (baseline value) and after chemo-/radiotherapy, the treatment resulted in significantly elevated DNA damage. However, studies on DNA da...

Colorectal carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving the accumulation of genetic alterations over time that ultimately leads to disease progression and metastasis. Binding of transcription factors to gene promoter regions alone cannot explain the complex regulation pattern of gene expression during this process. It is the chromatin structure...

DNA repair processes are involved in both the onset and treatment efficacy of colorectal cancer (CRC). A change of a single nucleotide causing an amino acid substitution in the corresponding protein may alter the efficiency of DNA repair, thus modifying the CRC susceptibility and clinical outcome. We performed a candidate gene approach in order to...

DNA repair processes are involved in both the onset and treatment efficacy of colorectal cancer (CRC). A change of a single nucleotide causing an amino acid substitution in the corresponding protein may alter the efficiency of DNA repair, thus modifying the CRC susceptibility and clinical outcome. We performed a candidate gene approach in order to...

The DNA-damaging agent 5-fluorouracil represents the most commonly used chemotherapeutic drug for colorectal cancer patients. DNA lesions associated with 5-fluorouracil therapy are primarily repaired by base excision repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR) pathways. Published evidence suggests that the individual DNA repair capacity (DRC) may affect...

Human malignancies are often hallmarked with genomic instability, which itself is also considered a causative event in malignant transformation. Genomic instability may manifest itself as genetic changes in the nucleotide sequence of DNA, or as structural or numerical changes of chromosomes. Unrepaired or insufficiently repaired DNA double-strand b...

Several studies have suggested a possible relationship between polymorphic variants of the taste receptors genes and the acceptance, liking and intake of food and beverages. In the last decade investigators have attempted to link the individual ability to taste 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and the sensations, such as astringency and bitterness, elic...

Disruption of genomic integrity due to deficient DNA repair capacity and telomere shortening constitute hallmarks of malignant diseases. Incomplete or deficient repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) is manifested by chromosomal aberrations (CAs) and their frequency reflects inter-individual differences of response to exposure to mutagenic compou...

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide with the highest incidence in Central Europe. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer related deaths mainly due to the late diagnosis and low efficacy of treatment. CRC diagnosed in early stage has a five-year survival rate about 90% which drops to near 12% once distant metastase...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer worldwide and the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in Europe. Since Countries of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary) have one of the highest rates both for incidence and mortality of CRC, CRC became a serious health, social and economic problem. CRC path...

Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer in the world and second most common cause of cancer related deaths in Europe. Countries of Central Europe (Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) have one of the highest rates both for incidence and mortality of CRC and this disease therefore possesses a serious health, social and ec...

Human cancers arise from cells unable to maintain genomic and chromosomal stability, mainly as a sequential consequence of altered DNA repair mechanisms (base and nucleotide excision, mismatch and double-strand breaks). Chromosomal aberrations (CAs) are a marker of cancer risk and many specific CAs represent causative events in malignant transforma...

Human cancers are often associated with numerical and structural chromosomal instability. Structural chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) arise as consequences of direct DNA damage or due to replication on a damaged DNA template. In both cases, DNA repair is critical and inter-individual differences in its capacity ar...

Epidemiological prospective studies have shown that increased chromosomal aberrations (CAs) in peripheral blood lymphocytes may predict cancer risk. Here, we report CAs in newly diagnosed 101 colorectal, 87 lung and 158 breast cancer patients and corresponding healthy controls. Strong differences in distributions of aberrant cells (ACs), CAs, chrom...