Fatal fulminant herpes simplex hepatitis following surgery in an adult.

We present a case of a healthy 72-year-old man with herpes simplex hepatitis (HSVH) development soon after ordinary surgery for biliary stones. A sudden onset of hepatitis associated with high fever and leukopenia emerged on postoperative day 5, followed by a rapid and lethal course (died on day 9), despite an acyclovir therapy on day 8. Postmortem liver biopsy revealed positive immunostaining for herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-1. The serum tests (available after the death) were negative for anti-HSV immunogloblulins, but positive for HSV DNA. A review of 15 cases of postsurgical HSVH along with 42 cases of non-surgical HSH showed that (1): A wide spectrum of surgical procedures was involved; and (2): High mortality (87%) associated with lower rates of ante-mortem diagnosis (20%) and acyclovir treatment (20%). Due to the difficulty in diagnosis and lethal nature, an early clinical suspension and prompt empirical anti-viral intervention are imperative for postsurgical hepatitis with undetermined etiology, characterized by fever and leucopenia.

BTG1 might be employed as a biomarker for carcinogenesis and a target for gene therapy in colorectal cancers.

Here, BTG1 overexpression inhibited proliferation, induced differentiation, autophagy, and apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells (p<0.05). BTG1 overexpression reduced mitochondrial membrane potential and caused senescence in HCT-116 transfectants (p<0.05). BTG1-induced G2 arrest might be related to Cyclin B1 and Cdc25B hypoexpression in HCT-15 transfectants, while G1 arrest in HCT-116 transfectants overexpressing p21 and p27. BTG1 overexpression decreased the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, XIAP, Akt1 or survivin and increased the expression of Bax or p53 in colorectal cancer cells. BTG1-induced autophagy was dependent on Beclin-1 expression. BTG1 overexpression might weaken ß-catenin pathway in colorectal cancer cells. The chemosensitivity of BTG1 transfectants to paclitaxel, cisplatin, MG132 or SAHA was positively correlated with its apoptotic induction. There was a lower expression level of BTG1 in cancer than matched non-neoplastic mucosa by RT-PCR (p<0.05), while versa for Western blot and immunohistochemical data (p<0.05). BTG1 overexpression significantly suppressed the growth of HCT-15 and HCT-116 via inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis and autophagy in nude mice. Up-regulated BTG1 expression plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis as a potential biomarker. BTG1 expression might reverse aggressive phenotypes, so it might be employed as a target of gene therapy for colorectal cancer.

The upregulated α-catulin expression was involved in head-neck squamous cell carcinogenesis by promoting proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition.

Rho signaling component, α-catulin, is a cytoskeletal linker protein and plays an important role in apoptotic and senescence resistance, cytoskeletal reorganization, mobility, invasion, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cancer cells. Here, we transfected α-catulin-expressing plasmid into head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell and examined the phenotypes and relevant molecules. α-catulin expression was detected on tissue microarray containing squamous epithelium, dysplasia, and cancer of head and neck by immunohistochemistry. It was found that α-catulin overexpression resulted in faster growth, migration and invasion, lower apoptosis, G2/M progression, and EMT than the mock and control (P < 0.05). α-catulin overexpression increased the expression of Cyclin E1, cdc2, survivin, Bcl-2, MMP-2, MMP-9, and N-cadherin but decreased the expression of Caspase-3 and E-cadherin by real-time PCR (P < 0.05). α-catulin expression was stronger in primary cancers than those in normal squamous epithelium and dysplasia (P < 0.05), but not correlated with aggressive behaviors or adverse prognosis of HNSCC patients (P > 0.05). Multivariate survival analysis showed that distant metastasis and TNM staging were independent prognostic factors for overall survival of the HNSCC patients (P < 0.05). These data indicated that upregulated expression of α-catulin protein might have impact on the tumorigenesis of HNSCC possibly by reducing apoptosis, enhancing proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion, and EMT. It might be regarded as a potential marker for head and neck carcinogenesis or a target of gene therapy for HNSCCs.

The clinicopathological significances and biological functions of parafibromin expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

Downregulated parafibromin expression is involved in the pathogenesis and progression of parathyroid, breast, gastric, colorectal, and lung cancers. To investigate the roles of parafibromin expression in tumorigenesis, progression, and prognostic evaluation of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs), we transfected parafibromin-expressing plasmid into HNSCC cell and examined the phenotypes and their relevant molecules. Parafibromin expression was detected on tissue microarray containing squamous epithelium, dysplasia, and carcinoma of head and neck by immunohistochemistry. Parafibromin overexpression was found to suppress growth, migration, and invasion, and induce apoptosis, S arrest, and mesenchymal to epithelial transition (EMT), compared with the mock and control (P < 0.05). Both overexpression of Cyclin E1, Bax, and E-cadherin and hypoexpression of c-myc, Bcl-xL, and slug were detected in B88 transfectants, in comparison to mock and control by real-time PCR. Parafibromin expression was weaker in primary cancers than those in normal squamous tissue and dysplasia (P < 0.05), but stronger than the metastatic cancers in lymph node (P < 0.05). Parafibromin expression was negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging, but positively with human papillomavirus (HPV) positivity (P < 0.05). The HNSCCs in tongue showed more parafibromin expression than those in larynx (P < 0.05). There was stronger parafibromin expression in moderately-than poorly-differentiated carcinomas (P < 0.05). The significantly positive correlation was observed between parafibromin expression and relapse-free survival rate by Kaplan-Meier curves (P < 0.05). Cox's proportional hazard model indicated that distant metastasis and parafibromin expression were independent prognostic factors for overall and relapse-free survival of HNSCC, respectively (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that downregulated expression of parafibromin protein plays an important role in the pathogenesis, differentiation, and metastasis of HNSCCs possibly by inducing apoptosis, suppressing proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration, invasion, and EMT. Parafibromin expression is an independent factor for relapse-free survival of HNSCCs.

The role of the REG4 gene and its encoding product in ovarian epithelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Although its biological function remains poorly understood, REG4 is reported to be a potent activator of the EGFR/Akt/AP-1 signaling pathway in colon cancer cells and closely linked with the inhibition of apoptosis. METHODS: SKOV3 cells were transfected with a REG4-expressing plasmid or treated with recombinant REG4. We then analyzed proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, invasion and metastasis or expression of related molecules. REG4 expression was examined in normal ovarian tissue, benign and borderline tumors, and cancers by immunohistochemistry or real-time PCR. RESULTS: REG4 overexpression and the recombinant protein inhibited cell apoptosis, enhanced G2/S progression, proliferation, migration and invasion. Furthermore, expression of Wnt5a, p70s6k, survivin and VEGF expression was increased, while Bax expression was decreased at both the mRNA and protein levels compared to control or mock cells (P<0.05). REG4 mRNA levels were higher in benign tumors and primary cancer compared to those in normal ovarian tissue (P<0.05) while, REG4 protein expression was higher in all three tumor types than that in normal ovarian tissue (P<0.05). Higher REG4 mRNA expression was observed in mucinous carcinomas than serous carcinomas (P<0.05), and in well- and moderately-differentiated carcinomas than poorly-differentiated carcinomas (P<0.05). Survival analysis revealed an inverse relationship between REG4 expression and cumulative or relapse-free survival rates of the patients with ovarian cancer as an independent factor (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that aberrant REG4 expression plays an essential role in early ovarian carcinogenesis and is closely linked to mucinous ovarian tumors, differentiation and adverse prognosis of ovarian cancer by modulating proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion.

BTG1 expression correlates with pathogenesis, aggressive behaviors and prognosis of gastric cancer: a potential target for gene therapy.

Here, we found that BTG1 overexpression inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, induced G2/M arrest, differentiation, senescence and apoptosis in BGC-823 and MKN28 cells (p < 0.05). BTG1 transfectants showed a higher mRNA expression of Cyclin D1 and Bax, but a lower mRNA expression of cdc2, p21, mTOR and MMP-9 than the control and mock (p < 0.05). After treated with cisplatin, MG132, paclitaxel and SAHA, both BTG1 transfectants showed lower mRNA viability and higher apoptosis than the control in both time- and dose-dependent manners (p < 0.05) with the hypoexpression of chemoresistance-related genes (slug, CD147, GRP78, GRP94, FBXW7 TOP1, TOP2 and GST-π). BTG1 expression was restored after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment in gastric cancer cells. BTG1 expression was statistically lower in gastric cancer than non-neoplastic mucosa and metastatic cancer in lymph node (p < 0.05). BTG1 expression was positively correlated with depth of invasion, lymphatic and venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM staging and worse prognosis (p < 0.05). The diffuse-type carcinoma showed less BTG1 expression than intestinal- and mixed-type ones (p < 0.05). BTG1 overexpression suppressed tumor growth and lung metastasis of gastric cancer cells by inhibiting proliferation, enhancing autophagy and apoptosis in xenograft models. It was suggested that down-regulated BTG1 expression might promote gastric carcinogenesis partially due to its promoter methylation. BTG1 overexpression might reverse the aggressive phenotypes and be employed as a potential target for gene therapy of gastric cancer.

Establishment of patient-derived cancer xenografts in immunodeficient NOG mice.

Viable and stable human cancer cell lines and animal models combined with adequate clinical information are essential for future advances in cancer research and patient care. Conventional in vitro cancer cell lines are commonly available; however, they lack detailed information on the patient from which they originate, including disease phenotype and drug sensitivity. Patient-derived xenografts (PDX) with clinical information (so-called 'cancer xenopatients') are a promising advance that may accelerate the development of anticancer therapies. We established 61 PDX lines from 116 surgically removed tumor tissues inoculated subcutaneously into NOG mice (53% success rate). PDX lines were established from various types of epithelial tumors and also from sarcomas, including gastrointestinal stromal tumors and Ewing/PNET sarcomas. The metastatic tumors yielded PDX lines more effectively (65%) than the primary tumors (27%, P<0.001). In our PDX models, morphological characteristics, gene expression profiles, and genetic alteration patterns were all well preserved. In eight cases (7%), the transplantable xenografts for several generations were composed of large monotonous nonepithelial cells of human origin, revealed to be Epstein-Barr virus infection-associated lympho-proliferative lesions. Despite this, PDX linked with clinical information offer many advantages for preclinical studies investigating new anticancer drugs. The fast and efficient establishment of individual PDX may also contribute to future personalized anticancer therapies.

Association of SIRT1 and tumor suppressor gene TAp63 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Expression of the protein deacetylase SIRT1 is associated with either poor or favorable prognosis in cancer patients, depending on the cancer type. In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), SIRT1 expression is associated with favorable prognosis. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the tumor-suppressive function of SIRT1 in HNSCC is unknown. SIRT1 promotes differentiation in epithelial cells; therefore, we investigated whether SIRT1 promotes differentiation in HNSCC cells by studying the correlations between the expression of SIRT1 and several genes implicated in stemness or differentiation in HNSCC-derived cell lines. Our results suggest that SIRT1 does not contribute to differentiation in HNSCC cells. RNA interference-mediated reduction of SIRT1 revealed that SIRT1 supports the expression of TAp63, which has been implicated in tumor suppression, in addition to epithelial differentiation. A positive correlation was observed between SIRT1 and TAp63 expression in HNSCC tissues, as determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded biopsy samples. Together, these results suggest that although SIRT1 does not regulate differentiation of HNSCC cells, it functions as a tumor suppressor in HNSCC by supporting the transcription of tumor-suppressive TAp63. This finding supports the notion that SIRT1-activating drugs could be useful for the treatment of HNSCC.

Lipid starvation and hypoxia synergistically activate ICAM1 and multiple genes in an Sp1-dependent manner to promote the growth of ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND: Elucidation of the molecular mechanisms by which cancer cells overcome hypoxia is potentially important for targeted therapy. Complexation of hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) with aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocators can enhance gene expression and initiate cellular responses to hypoxia. However, multiple molecular mechanisms may be required for cancer cells to adapt to diverse microenvironments. We previously demonstrated that a physical interaction between the ubiquitously expressed transcription factor Sp1 and HIF2 is a major cause of FVII gene activation in poor prognostic ovarian clear cell carcinoma (CCC) cells under hypoxia. Furthermore, it was found that FVII activation is synergistically enhanced when serum-starved cells are cultured under hypoxic conditions. In this study, we investigated whether HIFs and transcription factor Sp1 cooperate to activate multiple genes in CCC cells under conditions of serum starvation and hypoxia (SSH) and then contribute to malignant phenotypes. METHODS: To identify genes activated under hypoxic conditions in an Sp1-dependent manner, we first performed cDNA microarray analyses. We further investigated the molecular mechanisms of synergistic gene activations including the associated serum factors by various experiments such as real-time RT-PCR, western blotting and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The study was further extended to animal experiments to investigate how it contributes to CCC progression in vivo. RESULTS: ICAM1 is one such gene dramatically induced by SSH and is highly induced by SSH and its synergistic activation involves both the mTOR and autonomously activated TNFα-NFκB axes. We identified long chain fatty acids (LCFA) as a major class of lipids that is associated with albumin, a serum factor responsible for synergistic gene activation under SSH. Furthermore, we found that ICAM1 can be induced in vivo to promote tumor growth. CONCLUSION: Sp1 and HIFs collaborate to activate genes required for the adaptation of CCC cells to severe microenvironments, such as LCFA starvation and hypoxia. This study highlights the importance of transcriptional regulation under lipid starvation and hypoxia in the promotion of CCC tumor growth.

The roles of BTG3 expression in gastric cancer: a potential marker for carcinogenesis and a target molecule for gene therapy.

BTG (B-cell translocation gene) can inhibit cell proliferation, metastasis and angiogenesis, cell cycle progression, and induce differentiation in various cells. Here, we found that BTG3 overexpression inhibited proliferation, induced S/G2 arrest, differentiation, autophagy, apoptosis, suppressed migration and invasion in MKN28 and MGC803 cells (p < 0.05). BTG3 transfectants showed a higher mRNA expression of p27, Bax, 14-3-3, Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Beclin 1, NF-κB, IL-1, -2, -4, -10 and -17, but a lower mRNA expression of p21, MMP-9 and VEGF than the control and mock (p < 0.05). At protein level, BTG3 overexpression increased the expression of CDK4, AIF, LC-3B, Beclin 1 and p38 (p < 0.05), but decreased the expression of p21 and ß-catenin in both transfectants (p < 0.05). After treated with cisplatin, MG132, paclitaxel and SAHA, both BTG3 transfectants showed lower viability and higher apoptosis than the control in both time- and dose-dependent manners (p < 0.05). BTG3 expression was restored after 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine or MG132 treatment in gastric cancer cells. BTG3 expression was decreased in gastric cancer in comparison to the adjacent mucosa (p < 0.05), and positively correlated with venous invasion and dedifferentiation of cancer (p < 0.05). It was suggested that BTG3 expression might contribute to gastric carcinogenesis. BTG3 overexpression might reverse the aggressive phenotypes and be employed as a potential target for gene therapy of gastric cancer.

Beclin 1 expression is closely linked to colorectal carcinogenesis and distant metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

Beclin 1 participates in development, autophagy, differentiation, anti- apoptosis, neurodegeneration, tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The roles of Beclin 1 in colorectal carcinogenesis and its subsequent progression are still unclear. Here, the mRNA and protein expression of Beclin 1 were determined in colorectal carcinoma and matched mucosa by Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH) were performed on tissue microarryer with colorectal carcinoma, adenoma and mucosa. The expression of Beclin 1 mRNA and protein was found to be higher in colorectal carcinoma than matched mucosa by real-time PCR and Western blot (p < 0.05). According to the ISH data, Beclin 1 expression was lower in colorectal non-neoplastic mucosa (NNM) than adenoma and carcinoma (p < 0.05). Immunohistochemically, primary carcinoma showed stronger Beclin 1 expression than NNM and metastatic carcinoma in the liver (p < 0.05). Beclin 1 protein expression was negatively related to liver and distant metastasis (p < 0.05), but not correlated with age, sex, depth of invasion, lymphatic or venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging, differentiation or serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) concentration (p > 0.05). Survival analysis indicated that Beclin 1 expression was not linked to favorable prognosis of the patients with colorectal carcinoma (p > 0.05). Cox's model indicated that depth of invasion and distant metastasis were independent prognostic factors for colorectal carcinomas (p < 0.05). It was suggested that Beclin 1 expression is closely linked to colorectal carcinogenesis and distant metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

SIRT1 expression is associated with a poor prognosis, whereas DBC1 is associated with favorable outcomes in gastric cancer.

Clinical trials of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors as antitumor therapy have been conducted for gastric cancer. Expression of SIRT1, a class III HDAC, is related to poor prognosis in some malignancies. We investigated the correlation between SIRT1 expression and progression and prognosis of gastric cancers comparing with molecules linked to SIRT1 in order to better predict the efficacy of HDAC inhibitors in treating this disease. We evaluated SIRT1 expression by western blot in 51 cases and SIRT1, DBC1, acetylated H4K16 (H4K16Ac), acetylated H3K9 (H3K9Ac), and p53 by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 557 cases of gastric cancer. Western blotting showed that SIRT1 high expression related with statistics to advanced tumor progression, positive lymphatic invasion, positive venous invasion, and advanced stage but not to poor prognosis. IHC revealed that SIRT1 high expression correlated with worse clinico-pathological prognostic factors as same as in western blotting and related poor prognosis both by univariate and multivariate analyses. By the contrast, DBC1 and H4K16Ac were related to favorable prognostic factors and linked to favorable prognosis by univariate analysis but not by multivariate analysis. H3K16Ac correlated only favorable prognostic factors. Results of p53 were very similar to those of SIRT1. We found that SIRT1 high expression closely correlates with progression and prognosis in gastric cancer patients. And it was also indicated that SIRT1 acts as an oncogene by the results of DBC1, H4K16Ac, and H3K9Ac and might be a target molecule of HDAC inhibitor treatment for gastric cancer patients.

The role of RhoC in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of ovarian carcinoma cells.

BACKGROUND: RhoC is a small G protein/GTPase and involved in tumor mobility, invasion and metastasis. Previously, up-regulated RhoC expression is found to play an important role in ovarian carcinogenesis and subsequent progression by modulating proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion. METHODS: We transfected RhoC-expressing plasmid and RhoC siRNA into CAOV3 and OVCAR3 cells respectively. These cells and transfectants were exposed to vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 or their receptor inhibitors with the phenotypes and their related-molecules examined. RESULTS: TGF-ß1R or VEGFR inhibitor suppressed the proliferation, migration, invasion and lamellipodia formation, the expression of N-cadherin, α-SMA, snail and Notch1 mRNA or protein, and enhanced E-cadherin mRNA and protein expression in CAOV3 and its RhoC-overexpressing transfectants, whereas both growth factors had the opposite effects in OVCAR3 cells and their RhoC-hypoexpressing transfectants. Ectopic RhoC expression enhanced migration, invasion, lamellipodia formation and the alteration in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers of CAOV3 cells regardless of the treatment of VEGFR or TGF-ß1R inhibitor, whereas RhoC knockdown resulted in the converse in OVCAR3 cells even with the exposure to VEGF or TGF-ß1. CONCLUSION: RhoC expression might be involved in EMT of ovarian epithelial carcinoma cells, stimulated by TGF-ß1 and VEGF.

Α-tubulin nuclear overexpression is an indicator of poor prognosis in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In the present study, the newly established mouse monoclonal antibody, Y-49, binding to a specific epitope of α-tubulin, was used to examine immunohistochemical reactivity in 116 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The protein was detected at elevated levels in the nuclei of human proliferating cells by western blot analysis, flow cytometry and immunohistochemical analysis. The relatively weak binding in the cytoplasm was evident in almost all cases. The investigation of the correlation between immuno-histochemical positivity and clinicopathological variables revealed links with the MIB-1 proliferation index and poor survival. Nuclear positivity with Y-49 was more frequent in older-aged patients, those with nodal NHL and in those who harbored the diffuse large B-cell histological subtype, and was strongly associated with high MIB-1 labeling indices (LIs). Survival analysis by the Kaplan-Meier method revealed statistically significant differences between patients with high and low Y-49 LIs (p=0.0181), even in the group with advanced (stage III/IV) disease (p=0.0327). Multivariate analysis revealed that overexpression of α-tubulin is an independent prognostic factor in NHL with a relative risk of 2.786.

Anacardic acid enhances the proliferation of human ovarian cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Anacardic acid (AA) is a mixture of 2-hydroxy-6-alkylbenzoic acid homologs. Certain antitumor activities of AA have been reported in a variety of cancers. However, the function of AA in ovarian cancer, to date, has remained unknown. METHODS: Ovarian cancer cell lines were exposed to AA, after which cell proliferation, apoptosis, invasion and migration assays were performed. Phalloidin staining was used to observe lamellipodia formation. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blotting were used to assess the mRNA and protein expression levels of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and caspase 3. RESULTS: Our results showed that AA promotes ovarian cancer cell proliferation, inhibits late apoptosis, and induces cell migration and invasion, as well as lamellipodia formation. AA exposure significantly up-regulated PI3K and VEGF mRNA and protein expression, while, in contrast, it down-regulated caspase 3 mRNA and protein expression in comparison to untreated control cells. CONCLUSION: Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that AA may potentiate the proliferation, invasion, metastasis and lamellipodia formation in ovarian cancer cell lines via PI3K, VEGF and caspase 3 pathways.

Downregulated inhibitor of growth 3 (ING3) expression during colorectal carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: ING3 (inhibitor of growth protein 3) overexpression decreased S-phase cell population and colony-forming efficiency, and induced apoptosis at a p53-mediated manner. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of ING3 expression in colorectal carcinogenesis and subsequent progression. METHODS: ING3 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarray containing colorectal non-neoplastic mucosa (NNM), adenoma and adenocarcinoma. Colorectal carcinoma tissue and cell lines were studied for ING3 expression by Western blot or RT-PCR. RESULTS: ING3 mRNA was differentially expressed in Colo201, Colo205, DLD-1, HCT-15, HCT-116, HT-29, KM-12, SW480, SW620 and WiDr cells. Carcinomas showed significantly lower ING3 expression than matched NNM at mRNA level (P< 0.05), but not at protein level. Immunohistochemically, ING3 expression was significantly decreased from NNM, adenoma to adenocarcinoma (P< 0.05). ING3 expression was not correlated with age, sex, tumour size, depth of invasion, lymphatic or venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumour- node- metastasis staging or differentiation. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that ING3 protein expression was not associated the prognosis of the patients with colorectal carcinoma (P< 0.05). INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that downregulated ING3 expression might play an important role in colorectal adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence. Further studies are required to understand the mechanism.

Frequent ß-catenin gene mutations in atypical polypoid adenomyoma of the uterus.

Atypical polypoid adenomyoma (APA) is an uncommon polypoid lesion of the uterus. To clarify the mechanism of its histogenesis, we examined the functional role of ß-catenin, with reference to expression of p21(waf1), cyclin D1, cyclin E, CD10, and α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), as well as cell proliferation, in 7 lesions. In the epithelial components, expression of nuclear ß-catenin, p21(waf1), and cyclin D1 was increased in a stepwise fashion from normal tissue through complex atypical hyperplasia and adenomyoma to APA lesions, particularly in squamous morular areas, whereas cell proliferation, as well as cyclin E expression, was significantly decreased in the latter. Similar findings were evident in the stromal lesions, with the exception of a case of nuclear ß-catenin. In addition, coexpression of CD10 and α-SMA markers was observed in the stromal components in 3 APA cases, in line with the results of normal secretory endometrial and adenomyoma samples, suggesting that cells progress to myofibromatous cells in response to differentiation-promoting events. Finally, ß-catenin gene (CTNNB1) mutations were detected in all APA cases, the single nucleotide substitutions being in the epithelial but not the stromal components. These findings suggest that activation of ß-catenin signaling, probably secondary to the gene abnormalities, plays an important role in the formation of the complex epithelial architecture in APAs, leading to inhibition of cell proliferation through overexpression of p21(waf1). In contrast, changes in the stromal cell phenotype may occur through a shift from CD10 to α-SMA immunopositivity, independent of CTNNB1 status.

Gene expression profiling of lens tumors, liver and spleen in α-crystallin/SV40 T antigen transgenic mice treated with Juzen-taiho-to.

The autogenic lens tumors induced by the Simian vacuolating virus 40 (SV40) T antigen in α-crystallin/SV40 T antigen transgenic (TG) mice, provide a tool to screen anti-tumor reagents in vivo and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Juzen-taiho-to, a Chinese medicine composed of 10 herbs, was frequently used as an alternative medicine for cancer patients by clinicians and occasionally it was demonstrated to have beneficial effects on the prognosis and general condition of cancer patients. However, it was not scientifically verified. In the present study, the anti-tumor effects and underlying mechanisms of Juzen-taiho-to in the TG mice model was examined using cDNA microarray analysis and the results were confirmed by real-time PCR. The TG mice demonstrated a higher cumulative survival rate after treatment with the drug compared with the control group (P<0.05). Gene chip profiles demonstrated that cell functions involving the membrane, glycoprotein, cell membrane, signal and ionic channel for the lens tumor, the cell cycle, DNA replication, homeobox, mitosis and cell division for the spleen and the acetylation, mitochondrion, ribosomal protein, ribonucleoprotein for the liver, were altered by the administration of Juzen­taiho-to. The important canonical pathways were those of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), the cell cycle and the ribosome for the altered genes of the lens tumor, spleen and liver after drug administration, respectively. From real-time PCR, in the eyeball, epidermal growth factor receptor (Egfr), Rasgrf1 and heat shock protein 1B (Hspa1b) mRNAs were found to be significantly lower in treated lenses than in those not exposed to the drug, while Rps25 mRNA demonstrated the opposite association in the liver. It was suggested that Juzen-taiho-to may prolong the survival time of SV40 T antigen TG mice by improving their nutritional condition, inhibiting the MAPK pathway and strengthening the immune system without causing hepatic toxicity.

Aberrant SERCA3 expression during the colorectal adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence.

Sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) 3 is involved in calcium mobilization from the endoplasmic reticulum into the cytosol and is closely linked to metabolism, neuronal plasticity, gene transcription, cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, protein folding and carcinogenesis. In order to elucidate the role of SERCA3 in colorectal carcinogenesis and subsequent progression, its expression was examined using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization (ISH) on tissue microarrays containing colorectal carcinomas, adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa (NNM) and adenoma, and metastatic carcinoma in lymph node and liver. Colorectal carcinoma tissue and cell lines were assessed for SERCA3 expression by western blotting or RT-PCR, respectively. SERCA3 was distinctively expressed in Colo201, Colo205, DLD-1, HCT-15, HCT-116, HT-29, KM-12, SW480, SW620 and WiDr cells at both the mRNA and protein levels. SERCA3 mRNA expression was low in carcinoma when compared to that in matched NNM by quantitative PCR (P<0.05), while the converse was true by ISH. Lower expression of SERCA3 was immunohistochemically observed in colorectal carcinoma when compared to that in NNM and adenoma (P<0.05). In contrast, primary carcinoma showed high SERCA3 expression when compared to that in metastatic carcinoma in lymph node or liver by IHC (P<0.05). Immunohistochemically, SERCA3 expression was negatively related to lymphatic invasion, but not with age, gender, depth of invasion, venous invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, TNM stage, degree of differentiation or survival rate (P>0.05). There was a positive relationship between SERCA3 expression and serum CEA levels in the carcinoma patients (P<0.05). Cox's proportional hazards model indicated that depth of invasion and distant metastasis are independent prognostic factors for overall colorectal carcinomas (P<0.05). These findings suggest that aberrant SERCA3 expression is closely linked to the adenoma-adenocarcinoma sequence and progression of colorectal carcinomas.

Aberrant Beclin 1 expression is closely linked to carcinogenesis, differentiation, progression, and prognosis of ovarian epithelial carcinoma.

Beclin 1, an important autophagy-related protein in human cells, is involved in autophagy, differentiation, anti-apoptosis, and cancer suppression, which is increased during periods of cell stress and extinguished during cell cycle. Human ovarian tumors display allelic loss of Beclin 1 with high frequency. To clarify Beclin 1's role in ovarian carcinogenesis and subsequent progression, its expression was examined by immunostaining on tissue microarrays containing ovarian normal tissue, benign and borderline tumors, and carcinomas. Beclin 1 mRNA and protein expression was examined in ovarian normal tissue, benign and borderline tumors, carcinoma tissue, and cell lines by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or Western blot, respectively. The results demonstrated that the higher Beclin 1 mRNA was observed in ovarian benign tumor than normal ovary and ovarian carcinoma (P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the differentiation of ovarian carcinoma (P < 0.05). Beclin 1 protein expression was stronger in ovarian carcinoma than that in normal ovary and inversely related to the differentiation of ovarian carcinoma (P < 0.05) by Western blot. Immunohistochemically, Beclin 1 expression was statistically higher in ovarian borderline tumor and carcinoma than normal ovary and benign tumor (P < 0.05) and inversely linked to differentiation, lower ki-67 expression, and higher cumulative or relapse-free survival rate of ovarian carcinoma (P < 0.05). Cox proportional hazard model indicated that age and International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics staging (P < 0.05), but not pathological classification differentiation degree or Beclin 1 expression, were independent prognostic factors for overall and relapse-free ovarian carcinomas (P > 0.05). It was suggested that the aberrant Beclin 1 expression is closely linked to tumorigenesis and differentiation of ovarian carcinoma. Beclin 1 expression might be employed to indicate the worse prognosis of ovarian carcinomas, albeit not an independent factor.