Deletion of Gremlin1 increases cell proliferation and migration responses in mouse embryonic fibroblasts

Gremlin1 (Grem1) is an antagonist of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) that plays a critical role in embryonic and postnatal development. Grem1 has been implicated as both a promoter and an inhibitor of cell proliferation driven by BMP-4 and other mitogens in a diverse range of cell types. Recent data showed that Grem1 can trigger angiogenesis via vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR2) binding, highlighting that the precise modalities of Grem1 signalling require further elucidation.

Predictive markers for colorectal cancer:current status and future prospects

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although there is clear evidence of the benefit of chemotherapy in adjuvant and metastatic settings, its use continues to be suboptimal because of intrinsic or acquired drug resistance. 5-Fluorouracil continues to be the mainstay of CRC therapy, and combinations with newer chemotherapeutic agents such as irinotecan and oxaliplatin have resulted in improved response rates and survival. The role of other agents including cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, epidermal growth factor receptor, and farnsyl transferase inhibitors remains to be elucidated. Despite these improvements, many patients undergo chemotherapy without benefit. Increased understanding of the biology of CRC has led to the identification of prognostic markers that may help identify patients who will benefit from chemotherapy. Furthermore, studies have also begun to identify markers that predict whether a tumor will respond to a particular chemotherapy. The ultimate goal of this research is to prospectively identify patients who should receive chemotherapy and, thus, to tailor treatment to the molecular profile of the tumor and patient. Such an approach has the potential to dramatically improve response rates. This review highlights potentially important prognostic and predictive factors in CRC and discusses the potential for their use in the treatment of this disease.

Splicing of HDAC7 modulates the SRF-myocardin complex during stem-cell differentiation towards smooth muscle cells

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have a central role in the regulation of gene expression. Here we investigated whether HDAC7 has an impact on embryonic stem (ES) cell differentiation into smooth muscle cells (SMCs). ES cells were seeded on collagen-IV-coated flasks and cultured in the absence of leukemia inhibitory factor in differentiation medium to induce SMC differentiation. Western blots and double-immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that HDAC7 has a parallel expression pattern with SMC marker genes. In ex vivo culture of embryonic cells from SM22-LacZ transgenic mice, overexpression of HDAC7 significantly increased beta-galactosidase-positive cell numbers and enzyme activity, indicating its crucial role in SMC differentiation during embryonic development. We found that HDAC7 undergoes alternative splicing during ES cell differentiation. Platelet-derived growth factor enhanced ES cell differentiation into SMCs through upregulation of HDAC7 splicing. Further experiments revealed that HDAC7 splicing induced SMC differentiation through modulation of the SRF-myocardin complex. These findings suggest that HDAC7 splicing is important for SMC differentiation and vessel formation in embryonic development.

Therapeutic Effects of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Ex Vivo Human Lungs Injured with Live Bacteria

Rationale: Mesenchymal stem cells secrete paracrine factors that can regulate lung permeability and decrease inflammation, making it a potentially attractive therapy for acute lung injury. However, concerns exist whether mesenchymal stem cells' immunomodulatory properties may have detrimental effects if targeted toward infectious causes of lung injury. Objectives: Therefore, we tested the effect of mesenchymal stem cells on lung fluid balance, acute inflammation, and bacterial clearance. Methods: We developed an Escherichia coli pneumonia model in our ex vivo perfused human lung to test the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells on bacterial-induced acute lung injury. Measurements and Main Results: Clinical-grade human mesenchymal stem cells restored alveolar fluid clearance to a normal level, decreased inflammation, and were associated with increased bacterial killing and reduced bacteremia, in part through increased alveolar macrophage phagocytosis and secretion of antimicrobial factors. Keratinocyte growth factor, a soluble factor secreted by mesenchymal stem cells, duplicated most of the antimicrobial effects. In subsequent in vitro studies, we discovered that human monocytes expressed the keratinocyte growth factor receptor, and that keratinocyte growth factor decreased apoptosis of human monocytes through AKT phosphorylation, an effect that increased bacterial clearance. Inhibition of keratinocyte growth factor by a neutralizing antibody reduced the antimicrobial effects of mesenchymal stem cells in the ex vivo perfused human lung and monocytes grown in vitro injured with E. coli bacteria. Conclusions: In E. coli-injured human lungs, mesenchymal stem cells restored alveolar fluid clearance, reduced inflammation, and exerted antimicrobial activity, in part through keratinocyte growth factor secretion.

Targeting EGFR Induced Oxidative Stress by PARP1 Inhibition in Glioblastoma Therapy

Despite the critical role of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) in glioblastoma pathogenesis [1,2], EGFR targeted therapies have achieved limited clinical efficacy [3]. Here we propose an alternate therapeutic strategy based on the conceptual framework of non-oncogene addiction [4,5]. A directed RNAi screen revealed that glioblastoma cells overexpressing EGFRvIII [6], an oncogenic variant of EGFR, become hyper-dependent on a variety of DNA repair genes. Among these, there was an enrichment of Base Excision Repair (BER) genes required for the repair of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-induced DNA damage, including poly-ADP ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1). Subsequent studies revealed that EGFRvIII overexpression in glioblastoma cells caused increased levels of ROS, DNA strand break accumulation, and genome instability. In a panel of primary glioblastoma lines, sensitivity to PARP1 inhibition correlated with the levels of EGFR activation and oxidative stress. Gene expression analysis indicated that reduced expression of BER genes in glioblastomas with high EGFR expression correlated with improved patient survival. These observations suggest that oxidative stress secondary to EGFR hyperactivation necessitates increased cellular reliance on PARP1 mediated BER, and offer critical insights into clinical trial design.

The positive impact of cytological specimens for EGFR mutation testing in non-small cell lung cancer:a single South East Asian laboratory's analysis of 670 cases

To compare the rejection rates of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples obtained by differing sampling methods for testing by Sanger sequencing for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. To assess the association between unsatisfactory outcomes and the quantity of DNA extracted from cytological versus histological samples.

Dual-colour HER2/chromosome 17 chromogenic in situ hybridisation enables accurate assessment of HER2 genomic status in ovarian tumours

Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of gynaecological cancer-related morbidity and mortality. There has been increasing interest in the potential utility of anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (anti-HER2) agents in the treatment of this disease, with the attendant need to identify suitable predictive biomarkers of response to treatment.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase and the clinical features of psychosis

A functional polymorphism (Val-158-Met) at the Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) locus has been identified as a potential etiological factor in schizophrenia. Yet the association has not been convincingly replicated across independent samples. We hypothesized that phenotypic heterogeneity might be diluting the COMT effect. To clarify the putative association, we performed an exploratory analysis to test for association between COMT and five psychosis symptom scales. These were derived through factor analysis of the Operational Criteria Checklist for Psychiatric Illness. Our sample was the Irish Study of High Density Schizophrenia Families, a large collection consisting of 268 multiplex families. This sample has previously shown a small but significant effect of the COMT Val allele in conferring risk for schizophrenia. We tested for preferential transmission of COMT alleles from parent to affected offspring (n = 749) for each of the five factor-derived scales (negative symptoms, delusions, hallucinations, mania, and depression). Significant overtransmission of the Val allele was found for mania (P <0.05) and depression (P = 0.01) scales. Examination of odds ratios (ORs) revealed a heterogeneous effect of COMT, whereby it had no effect on Negative Symptoms, but largest impact on Depression (OR = 1.4). These results suggest a modest affective vulnerability conferred by this allele in psychosis, but will require replication.

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 gene expression in rat mesangial cells is regulated post-transcriptionally

Cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) is thought to be the rate-limiting enzyme in the arachidonic acid/eicosanoid cascade. The ability of various agonists to increase steady-state cPLA2 mRNA levels has previously been reported. The current study delineates the contributions of transcriptional and post-transcriptional processes to the regulation of cPLA2 gene expression in response to a variety of agonists in cultured rat glomerular mesangial cells. Epidermal growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor, serum and phorbol myristate acetate all increase the half-life of cPLA2 mRNA transcripts, indicating a role for post-transcriptional modulation of gene expression. The presence of three ATTTA motifs in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of the rat cPLA2 cDNA is ascertained. Heterologous expression of chimeric constructs with different 3'UTRs ligated into the 3' end of the luciferase coding region reveals that the presence of the cPLA2 3'UTR results in reduced luciferase activity compared with constructs without the cPLA2 3'UTR. Furthermore, the luciferase activity in the constructs with the cPLA2 3'UTR is increased in response to the same agonists which stabilize endogenous cPLA2 mRNA. A negligible effect of these agonists on transcriptional control of cPLA2 is evident using promoter-reporter constructs expressed in transient and stable transfectants. Taken together, these results indicate predominant post-transcriptional regulation of cPLA2 mRNA levels.

Reduced phospholipase A2 activity is not accompanied by reduced arachidonic acid release

Arachidonic acid release in cells highly over expressing cytosolic phospholipase A2 has been attributed to mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 on serine-505. To investigate the role of cytosolic phospholipase A2 in cellular physiology, we attempted to inhibit cytosolic phospholipase A2 in the intact cell employing an antisense RNA strategy. Swiss 3T3 cells were stably transfected with an antisense cytosolic phospholipase A2 expression vector. A clone of cells with reduced immunodetectable cytosolic phospholipase A2, compared to a vector transfected cell line, was identified by Western blotting and a corresponding decrease in phospholipase A2 activity was confirmed by enzymatic assay in cell free extracts. However, arachidonic acid release from intact cells in response to agonists was not different between antisense and control cell lines. Thus, arachidonic acid release in intact cells with decreased cytosolic phospholipase A2 activity is likely to be modulated by rate limiting factors that are extrinsic to cytosolic phospholipase A2.

Depression and mortality: Artifact of measurement and analysis?

Background: Previous research demonstrates various associations between depression, cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality, possibly as a result of the different methodologies used to measure depression and analyse relationships. This analysis investigated the association between depression, CVD incidence (CVDI) and mortality from CVD (MCVD), smoking related conditions (MSRC), and all causes (MALL), in a sample data set, where depression was measured using items from a validated questionnaire and using items derived from the factor analysis of a larger questionnaire, and analyses were conducted based on continuous data and grouped data.

Methods: Data from the PRIME Study (N=9798 men) on depression and 10-year CVD incidence and mortality were analysed using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: Using continuous data, both measures of depression resulted in the emergence of positive associations between depression and mortality (MCVD, MSRC, MALL). Using grouped data, however, associations between a validated measure of depression and MCVD, and between a measure of depression derived from factor analysis and all measures of mortality were lost.

Limitations: Low levels of depression, low numbers of individuals with high depression and low numbers of outcome events may limit these analyses, but levels are usual for the population studied.

Conclusions: These data demonstrate a possible association between depression and mortality but detecting this association is dependent on the measurement used and method of analysis. Different findings based on methodology present clear problems for the elucidation and determination of relationships. The differences here argue for the use of validated scales where possible and suggest against over-reduction via factor analysis and grouping.

Unspliced X-box-binding Protein 1 (XBP1) Protects Endothelial Cells from Oxidative Stress through Interaction with Histone Deacetylase 3

It is well-known that atherosclerosis occurs geographically at branch points where disturbed flow predisposes to the development of plaque via triggering of oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions. In this study, we found that disturbed flow activated anti-oxidative reactions via up-regulating heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in an X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1) and histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3)-dependent manner. Disturbed flow concomitantly up-regulated the unspliced XBP1 (XBP1u) and HDAC3 in a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) and PI3K/Akt dependent manner. The presence of XBP1 was essential for the up-regulation of HDAC3 protein. Over-expression of XBP1u and/or HDAC3 activated Akt1 phosphorylation, Nrf2 protein stabilization and nuclear translocation, and HO-1 expression. Knockdown of XBP1u decreased the basal level and disturbed flow-induced Akt1 phosphorylation, Nrf2 stabilization and HO-1 expression. Knockdown of HDAC3 ablated XBP1u-mediated effects. The mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) inhibitor, AZD2014, ablated XBP1u or HDAC3 or disturbed flow-mediated Akt1 phosphorylation, Nrf2 nuclear translocation and HO-1 expression. Neither actinomycin D nor cycloheximide affected disturbed flow-induced up-regulation of Nrf2 Protein. Knockdown of Nrf2 abolished XBP1u or HDAC3 or disturbed flow-induced HO-1 up-regulation. Co-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that XBP1u physically bound to HDAC3 and Akt1. The region of amino acids 201 to 323 of the HDAC3 protein was responsible for the binding to XBP1u. Double immunofluorescence staining revealed that the interactions between Akt1 and mTORC2, Akt1 and HDAC3, Akt1 and XBP1u, HDAC3 and XBP1u occurred in the cytosol. Thus, we demonstrate that XBP1u and HDAC3 exert a protective effect on disturbed flow-induced oxidative stress via up-regulation of mTORC2-dependent Akt1 phosphorylation and Nrf2-mediated HO-1 expression.

Small leucine rich proteoglycan family regulates multiple signalling pathways in neural development and maintenance

The small leucine-rich repeat proteoglycan (SLRPs) family of proteins currently consists of five classes, based on their structural composition and chromosomal location. As biologically active components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), SLRPs were known to bind to various collagens, having a role in regulating fibril assembly, organization and degradation. More recently, as a function of their diverse proteins cores and glycosaminoglycan side chains, SLRPs have been shown to be able to bind various cell surface receptors, growth factors, cytokines and other ECM components resulting in the ability to influence various cellular functions. Their involvement in several signaling pathways such as Wnt, transforming growth factor-β and epidermal growth factor receptor also highlights their role as matricellular proteins. SLRP family members are expressed during neural development and in adult neural tissues, including ocular tissues. This review focuses on describing SLRP family members involvement in neural development with a brief summary of their role in non-neural ocular tissues and in response to neural injury.

Analysis of wntless (WLS) expression in gastric, ovarian, and breast cancers reveals a strong association with HER2 overexpression

The oncogenic role of WNT is well characterized. Wntless (WLS) (also known as GPR177, or Evi), a key modulator of WNT protein secretion, was recently found to be highly overexpressed in malignant astrocytomas. We hypothesized that this molecule may be aberrantly expressed in other cancers known to possess aberrant WNT signaling such as ovarian, gastric, and breast cancers. Immunohistochemical analysis using a TMA platform revealed WLS overexpression in a subset of ovarian, gastric, and breast tumors; this overexpression was associated with poorer clinical outcomes in gastric cancer (P=0.025). In addition, a strong correlation was observed between WLS expression and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression. Indeed, 100% of HER2-positive intestinal gastric carcinomas, 100% of HER2-positive serous ovarian carcinomas, and 64% of HER2-positive breast carcinomas coexpressed WLS protein. Although HER2 protein expression or gene amplification is an established predictive biomarker for trastuzumab response in breast and gastric cancers, a significant proportion of HER2-positive tumors display resistance to trastuzumab, which may be in part explainable by a possible mechanistic link between WLS and HER2.

RAS testing of colorectal carcinoma—a guidance document from the Association of Clinical Pathologists Molecular Pathology and Diagnostics Group

Analysis of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) tissue for KRAS codon 12 or 13 mutations to guide use of anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy is now considered mandatory in the UK. The scope of this practice has been recently extended because of data indicating that NRAS mutations and additional KRAS mutations also predict for poor response to anti-EGFR therapy. The following document provides guidance on RAS (i.e., KRAS and NRAS) testing of CRC tissue in the setting of personalised medicine within the UK and particularly within the NHS. This guidance covers issues related to case selection, preanalytical aspects, analysis and interpretation of such RAS testing.