Teacher Evidence Matrix : an evaluation using multiple lines of evidence

Welcome to the Teacher evidence matrix. This matrix is designed for highly qualified discipline experts to evaluate their teaching in a systematic manner. The primary purpose of the Teacher evidence matrix is to provide a tool that an academic staff member at university can annually review their teaching. The annual review will result in you being ready for performance, planning and review; promotion; awards; or employment application. This tool is designed for individual use and will lead to an action plan for implementation.

Ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT) is expressed in prostate cancer tissues and cell lines and expression is differentially regulated in vitro by ghrelin

Background Ghrelin is a 28 amino acid peptide hormone that is expressed in the stomach and a range of peripheral tissues, where it frequently acts as an autocrine/paracrine growth factor. Ghrelin is modified by a unique acylation required for it to activate its cognate receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), which mediates many of the actions of ghrelin. Recently, the enzyme responsible for adding the fatty acid residue (octanoyl/acyl group) to the third amino acid of ghrelin, GOAT (ghrelin O-acyltransferase), was identified. Methods We used cell culture, quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and immunohistochemistry to demonstrate the expression of GOAT in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues from patients. Real-time RT-PCR was used to demonstrate the expression of prohormone convertase (PC)1/3, PC2 and furin in prostate cancer cell lines. Prostate-derived cell lines were treated with ghrelin and desacyl ghrelin and the effect on GOAT expression was measured using quantitative RT-PCR. Results We have demonstrated that GOAT mRNA and protein are expressed in the normal prostate and human prostate cancer tissue samples. The RWPE-1 and RWPE-2 normal prostate-derived cell lines and the LNCaP, DU145, and PC3 prostate cancer cell lines express GOAT and at least one other enzyme that is necessary to produce mature, acylated ghrelin from proghrelin (PC1/3, PC2 or furin). Finally, ghrelin, but not desacyl ghrelin (unacylated ghrelin), can directly regulate the expression of GOAT in the RWPE-1 normal prostate derived cell line and the PC3 prostate cancer cell line. Ghrelin treatment (100nM) for 6 hours significantly decreased GOAT mRNA expression two-fold (P < 0.05) in the PC3 prostate cancer cell line, however, ghrelin did not regulate GOAT expression in the DU145 and LNCaP prostate cancer cell lines. Conclusions This study demonstrates that GOAT is expressed in prostate cancer specimens and cell lines. Ghrelin regulates GOAT expression, however, this is likely to be cell-type specific. The expression of GOAT in prostate cancer supports the hypothesis that the ghrelin axis has autocrine/paracrine roles. We propose that the RWPE-1 prostate cell line and the PC3 prostate cancer cell line may be useful for investigating GOAT regulation and function.

Blurred lines : reconsidering the concept of ‘diversion’ in youth justice systems in Australia

This article revisits ‘diversion’ in the context of youth justice in Australia. Although ‘diversion’ is omnipresent in youth justice, it is rarely subject to critical examination. This article raises four interrelated questions: what young people are to be ‘diverted’ from and to; whether young people are to be ‘diverted’ from the criminal justice system or from offending; whether young people are to be ‘diverted’ from criminal justice processes or outcomes; and whether ‘diversion’ should be considered distinct from crime prevention and early intervention. The article concludes that the confusion about youth ‘diversion’ may foster individualised interventions in young people’s lives.

Identification of a long non-coding RNA gene, GHSROS (growth hormone secretagogue receptor opposite strand), which stimulates cell migration in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines

The molecular mechanisms involved in non‑small cell lung cancer tumourigenesis are largely unknown; however, recent studies have suggested that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are likely to play a role. In this study, we used public databases to identify an mRNA-like, candidate long non-coding RNA, GHSROS (GHSR opposite strand), transcribed from the antisense strand of the ghrelin receptor gene, growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). Quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed higher expression of GHSROS in lung cancer tissue compared to adjacent, non-tumour lung tissue. In common with many long non-coding RNAs, GHSROS is 5' capped and 3' polyadenylated (mRNA-like), lacks an extensive open reading frame and harbours a transposable element. Engineered overexpression of GHSROS stimulated cell migration in the A549 and NCI-H1299 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines, but suppressed cell migration in the Beas-2B normal lung-derived bronchoepithelial cell line. This suggests that GHSROS function may be dependent on the oncogenic context. The identification of GHSROS, which is expressed in lung cancer and stimulates cell migration in lung cancer cell lines, contributes to the growing number of non-coding RNAs that play a role in the regulation of tumourigenesis and metastatic cancer progression.

Differentiation state and invasiveness of human breast cancer cell lines

Eighteen breast cancer cell lines were examined for expression of markers of epithelial and fibroblastic differentiation: E-cadherin, desmoplakins, ZO- 1, vimentin, keratin and β1 and β4 integrins. The cell lines were distributed along a spectrum of differentiation from epithelial to fibroblastic phenotypes. The most well-differentiated, epithelioid cell lines contained proteins characteristic of desmosomal, adherens and tight junctions, were adherent to one another on plastic and in the basement membrane matrix Matrigel and were keratin-positive and vimentin-negative. These cell lines were all weakly invasive in an in vitro chemoinvasion assay. The most poorly-differentiated, fibroblastic cell lines were E-cadherin-, desmoplakin- and ZO-1-negative and formed branching structures in Matrigel. They were vimentin-positive, contained only low levels of keratins and were highly invasive in the in vitro chemoinvasion assay. Of all of the markers analyzed, vimentin expression correlated best with in vitro invasive ability and fibroblastic differentiation. In a cell line with unstable expression of vimentin, T47D(CO), the cells that were invasive were of the fibroblastic type. The differentiation markers described here may be useful for analysis of clinical specimens and could potentially provide a more precise measure of differentiation grade yielding more power for predicting prognosis.

Chemotaxis and chemokinesis of human prostate tumor cell lines in response to human prostate stromal cell secretory proteins containing a nerve growth factor-like protein

The migration of three human prostate tumor epithelial cell lines (TSU-pr1, PC-3, DU-145) in response to secreted protein from a human prostate stromal cell line was investigated by using the modified blind-well Boyden chamber assay. Migrated cells were quantified by spectrophotometrically measuring the concentration of crystal violet stain extracted from their nuclei. Cell number was correlated linearly with the concentration of extracted crystal violet stain. All three tumor cell lines showed intrinsic migratory ability in the absence of chemoattractants, such that approximately 1-7% of plated cells migrated across the filter of the Boyden chambers during a 5-h incubation period. Prostate tumor cell migration was significantly enhanced (3-13-fold) in response to stromal cell secretory protein in a dose-dependent manner, whereas bovine serum albumin had no effect on stimulating tumor cell migration. Immunoprecipitation of the stromal cell secreted protein with a nerve growth factor antibody partially and significantly reduced its stimulatory activity for tumor cell migration. A Zigmond-Hirsch matrix assay of tumor cell migration in response to various concentration gradients of stromal cell secreted protein demonstrated both chemotaxis and chemokinesis by all three cell lines. These results are consistent with the stromal cell secretory protein stimulation of chemokinetic tumor cell migration through the capsule of the prostate. Outside of the prostate gland metastasis of tumor cells may occur by chemotaxis to preferential sites containing chemoattractants similar to or related to maintenance factors that can substitute for components of stromal cell secretory protein.

SPARC/osteonectin induces matrix metalloproteinase 2 activation in human breast cancer cell lines

Activation of the matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) has been shown to play a major role in the proteolysis of extracellular matrix (ECM) associated with tumor invasion. Although the precise mechanism of this activation remains elusive, levels of the membrane type 1-MMP (MT1-MMP) at the cell surface and of the tissue inhibitor of MMP-2 (TIMP-2) appear to be two important determinants. Induction of MMP-2 activation in cells cultivated on collagen type I gels indicated that the ECM is important in the regulation of this process. In this study, we show that SPARC/osteonectin, a small ECM- associated matricellular glycoprotein, can induce MMP-2 activation in two invasive breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and BT549) but not in a noninvasive counterpart (MCF7), which lacks MT1-MMP. Using a set of peptides from different regions of SPARC, we found that peptide 1.1 (corresponding to the NH2-terminal region of the protein) contained the activity that induced NIMP-2 activation. Despite the requirement for MT1-MMP, seen in MCF-7 cells transfected with MT1-MMP, the activation of MMP-2 by SPARC peptide 1.1 was not associated with increased steady-state levels of MT1-MMP mRNA or protein in either MT1-MMP-transfected MCF-7 cells or constitutively expressing MDA- MB-231 and BT549 cells. We did, however, detect decreased levels of TIMP-2 protein in the media of cells incubated with peptide 1.1 or recombinant SPARC; thus, the induction of MMP-2 activation by SPARC might be due in part to a diminution of TIMP-2 protein. We conclude that SPARC, and specifically its NH2-terminal domain, regulates the activation of MMP-2 at the cell surface and is therefore likely to contribute to the proteolytic pathways associated with tumor invasion.

Loss of epithelial markers and acquisition of vimentin expression in adriamycin- and vinblastine-resistant human breast cancer cell lines

We have previously observed that breast cancer cell lines could exhibit either epithelial or fibroblastic phenotypes as reflected by their morphologies and intermediate filament protein expression (C. L. Sommers, D. Walker-Jones, S. E. Heckford, P. Worland, E. Valverius, R. Clark, M. Stampfer, and E. P. Gelmann, Cancer Res., 49: 4258-4263, 1989). Fibroblastoid, vimentin-expressing breast cancer cell lines are more invasive in vitro and in vivo (E. W. Thompson, S. Paik, N. Brunner, C. L. Sommers, G. Zugmaier, R. Clarke, T. B. Shima, J. Torri, S. Donahue, M. E. Lippman, G. R. Martin, and R. B. Dickson, J. Cell. Physiol., 150: 534-544, 1992). We hypothesized that a breast cancer cell with an epithelial phenotype could undergo a transition to a fibroblastic phenotype, possibly resulting in more invasive capacity. We now show that two Adriamycin-resistant MCF-7 cell lines and a vinblastine-resistant ZR-75-B cell line have undergone such a transition. Adriamycin-resistant MCF-7 cells express vimentin, have diminished keratin 19 expression, have lost cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin expression, and have reduced formation of desmosomes and tight junctions as determined by reduced immunodetection of their components desmoplakins I and II and zonula occludens (ZO)-1. Other MCF-7 cell lines selected for resistance to vinblastine and to Adriamycin and verapamil did not have these characteristics, indicating that drug selection does not invariably cause these phenotypic changes. In addition, to determine if vimentin expression in MCF-7 cells alone could manifest a fibroblastic phenotype, we transfected the full-length human vimentin complementary DNA into MCF-7 cells. Although vimentin expression was achieved in MCF-7 cells, it did not affect the phenotype of the cells in terms of the distribution of keratins, desmoplakins I and II, ZO-1, or uvomorulin or in terms of in vitro invasiveness. We conclude that vimentin expression is a marker for a fibroblastic and invasive phenotype in breast cancer cells but does not by itself give rise to this phenotype.

On display : Ravensthorpe Wildflower Show and the assembly of place

Each September since 1983 in the rural Shire of Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, volunteers collect samples of up to 700 wildfl ower species which are then displayed in the Ravensthorpe Senior Citizens Centre from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm daily over a two-week period. This chapter offers an ethnographic interpretation of this enduring annual event focusing on the 25th show held in 2007. The study contributes to understanding the complex and nuanced role of local wildflower shows in shaping and supporting rural senses of place and of community. Importantly, this particular type of festival, and more specifically this local instance, foregrounds a less-remarked aspect of festivals, namely the (re)production and celebration of place-specific knowledge through validations of, and interconnections between, scientific flower classification and emotive experience. This feature, encapsulated in Laurel Lamperd’s poem above, invites consideration of the ways in which local place knowledge and the simultaneous (re)production of ‘place’ are constituted by a complex layering of rational, objective ways of knowing and those which emphasize emotions, aesthetics and memories. This rural wildflower show not only mobilises both the rational and the emotional in ‘making sense of the world’ for local residents and for tourists, but also offers insights into the production of place as constituted in and through relations between humans and non-human life forms (Cloke & Jones, 2001; Conradson, 2005; see also Chapter 6).

Assessing the property market impact of stigma removal : high voltage overhead transmission lines removal in Wellington, NZ

This thesis advances the understanding of the impact of stigma on property values. A case study in Wellington, New Zealand, enabled hedonic modelling and an empirical analysis to determine the impact of the stigma from the high voltage transmission line structure and how long the stigma remained after removal. The results reveal a substantial difference between the discount applied to individual properties while the structure is in place, as compared to the overall increase in neighbourhood value once the structure, which created the stigma, is removed.

Epithelial mesenchymal transition traits in human breast cancer cell lines

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) has long been associated with breast cancer cell invasiveness and evidence of EMT processes in clinical samples is growing rapidly. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of increasingly larger numbers of human breast cancer (HBC) cell lines have confirmed the existence of a subgroup of cell lines (termed Basal B/Mesenchymal) with enhanced invasive properties and a predominantly mesenchymal gene expression signature, distinct from subgroups with predominantly luminal (termed Luminal) or mixed basal/luminal (termed Basal A) features (Neve et al Cancer Cell 2006). Studies providing molecular and cellular analyses of EMT features in these cell lines are summarised, and the expression levels of EMT-associated factors in these cell lines are analysed. Recent clinical studies supporting the presence of EMT-like changes in vivo are summarised. Human breast cancer cell lines with mesenchymal properties continue to hold out the promise of directing us towards key mechanisms at play in the metastatic dissemination of breast cancer.

Expression of c-ets-1 mRNA is associated with an invasive, EMT-derived phenotype in breast carcinoma cell lines

We have previously observed in vitro that some stromal proteinases (MMP- 2, MT1-MMP) were expressed or activated by invasive carcinoma cell lines exhibiting mesenchymal features, presumably acquired through an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). To examine the potential contribution of c- ets-1 to this phenotype, we have compared here the expression of c-ets-1 with invasiveness in vitro and expression of vimentin, E-cadherin, uPA, MMP-1 and MMP-3 in a panel of human breast cancer cell lines. Our results clearly demonstrate an association between c-ets-1 expression and the invasive, EMT- derived phenotype, which is typified by the expression of vimentin and the lack of E-cadherin. While absent from the two non-invasive, vimentin-negative cell lines, c-ets-1 was abundantly expressed in all the four vimentin- positive lines. However, we could not find a clear quantitative or qualitative relationship between the expression of c-ets-1 and the three proteinases known to he regulated by c-ets-1, except that when they were expressed, it was only in the invasive c-ets-1-positive lines. UPA mRNAs were found in three of the four vimentin-positive lines, MMP-1 in two of the four, and MMP-3 could not be detected in any of the cell lines. Intriguingly, MDA- MB-435 cells, which exhibit the highest metastatic potential of these cell lines in nude mice, expressed vimentin and c-ets-1, but lacked expression of these three proteinases, at least under the culture conditions employed. Taken together, our results show that c-ets-1 expression is associated with an invasive, EMT-derived phenotype in breast cancer cells, although it is apparently not sufficient to ensure the expression of uPA, MMP-1 or MMP-3, in the vimentin-positive cells. Such proteases regulation is undoubtedly qualified by the cellular context. This study therefore advances our understanding of the molecular regulation of invasiveness in EMT-associated carcinoma progression, and suggests that c-ets-1 may contribute to the invasive phenotype in carcinoma cells.

LCC15-MB cells are MDA-MB-435 : a review of misidentified breast and prostate cell lines

Current stocks of the LCC15-MB cell line, which we originally isolated from a human breast-bone metastasis, were found to be genetically matched to the MDA-MB-435 cell line from the Lombardi Cancer Center (MDA-MB-435-LCC) using comparative genomic hybridisation, DNA microsatellite analysis and chromosomal number. LCC15-MB stocks used for our previously published studies as well as the earliest available LCC15-MB cells also showed identity to MDA-MB-435-LCC cells. The original karyotype reported for LCC15-MB cells was considerably different to that of MDA-MB-435 cells, indicating that the original LCC15-MB cells were lost to contamination by MDA-MB-435-LCC cells. Chromosome number is the simplest test to distinguish original LCC 15-MB cells (n ∼ 75) from MDA-MB-435 (n ∼ 52). Collectively, our results prove that LCC15-MB cells currently available are MDA-MB-435 cells and we suggest their re-designation as MDA-MB-435-LCC15 cells. We also review the known misclassification of breast and prostate cancer cell lines to date and have initiated a register maintained at http://www.svi.edu.au/cell_lines_registry.doc.

Cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin expression in human breast cancer cell lines : relationship to morphology and invasive capacities

Loss of cell-cell adhesion in carcinoma cells may be an important step in the acquisition of an invasive, metastatic phenotype. We have examined the expression of the epithelial-specific cell adhesion molecule uvomorulin (E-cadherin, cell-CAM 120/80, L-CAM) in human breast cancer cell lines. We find that fibroblastoid, highly invasive, vimentin-expressing breast cancer cell lines do not express uvomorulin. Of the more epithelial-appearing, less invasive, keratin-expressing breast cancer cell lines, some express uvomorulin, and some do not. We examined the morphologies of the cell lines in the reconstituted basement membrane matrix Matrigel and measured the ability of the cells to traverse a Matrigel-coated filter as in vitro models for detachment of carcinoma cells from neighboring cells and invasion through basement membrane into surrounding tissue. Colonies of uvomorulin-positive cells have a characteristic fused appearance in Matrigel, whereas uvomorulin-negative cells appear detached. Cells which are uvomorulin negative and vimentin positive have a stellate morphology in Matrigel. We show that uvomorulin is responsible for the fused colony morphology in Matrigel since treatment of uvomorulin-positive MCF-7 cells with an antibody to uvomorulin caused the cells to detach from one another but did not induce invasiveness in these cells, as measured by their ability to cross a Matrigel-coated polycarbonate filter in a modified Boyden chamber assay. Two uvomorulin-negative, vimentin-negative cell lines are also not highly invasive as measured by this assay. We suggest that loss of uvomorulin-mediated cell-cell adhesion may be one of many changes involved in the progression of a carcinoma cell to an invasive phenotype.

Hyperbranched polymer-gold nanoparticle assemblies : role of polymer architecture in hybrid assembly formation and SERS activity

Plasmonic gold nano-assemblies that self-assemble with the aid of linking molecules or polymers have the potential to yield controlled hierarchies of morphologies and consequently result in materials with tailored optical (e.g. localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR)) and spectroscopic properties (e.g. surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)). Molecular linkers that are structurally well-defined are promising for forming hybrid nano-assemblies which are stable in aqueous solution and are increasingly finding application in nanomedicine. Despite much ongoing research in this field, the precise role of molecular linkers in governing the morphology and properties of the hybrid nano-assemblies remains unclear. Previously we have demonstrated that branched linkers, such as hyperbranched polymers, with specific anchoring end groups can be successfully employed to form assemblies of gold NPs demonstrating near-infrared SPRs and intense SERS scattering. We herein introduce a tailored polymer as a versatile molecular linker, capable of manipulating nano-assembly morphologies and hot-spot density. In addition, this report explores the role of the polymeric linker architecture, specifically the degree of branching of the tailored polymer in determining the formation, morphology and properties of the hybrid nano-assemblies. The degree of branching of the linker polymer, in addition to the concentration and number of anchoring groups, is observed to strongly influence the self-assembly process. The assembly morphology shifts primarily from 1D-like chains to 2D plates and finally to 3D-like globular structures, with increase in degree of branching. Insights have been gained into how the morphology influences the SERS performance of these nano-assemblies with respect to hot-spot density. These findings supplement the understanding of the morphology determining nano-assembly formation and pave the way for the possible application of these nano-assemblies as SERS bio-sensors for medical diagnostics.