S100A9 and EGFR gene signatures predict disease progression in muscle invasive bladder cancer patients after chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: In our previous gene expression profile analysis, IL1B, S100A8, S100A9, and EGFR were shown to be important mediators of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of these gene signatures to predict disease progression after chemotherapy in patients with locally recurrent or metastatic MIBC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with locally advanced MIBC who received chemotherapy were enrolled. The expression signatures of four genes were measured and carried out further functional analysis to confirm our findings. RESULTS: Two of the four genes, S100A9 and EGFR, were determined to significantly influence disease progression (P = 0.023, 0.045, respectively). Based on a receiver operating characteristic curve, a cut-off value for disease progression was determined. Patients with the good-prognostic signature group had a significantly longer time to progression and cancer-specific survival time than those with the poor-prognostic signature group (P < 0.001, 0.042, respectively). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, gene signature was the only factor that significantly influenced disease progression [hazard ratio: 4.726, confidence interval: 1.623-13.763, P = 0.004]. In immunohistochemical analysis, S100A9 and EGFR positivity were associated with disease progression after chemotherapy. Protein expression of S100A9/EGFR showed modest correlation with gene expression of S100A9/EGFR (r = 0.395, P = 0.014 and r = 0.453, P = 0.004). Our functional analysis provided the evidence demonstrating that expression of S100A9 and EGFR closely associated chemoresistance, and that inhibition of S100A9 and EGFR may sensitize bladder tumor cells to the cisplatin-based chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: The S100A9/EGFR level is a novel prognostic marker to predict the chemoresponsiveness of patients with locally recurrent or metastatic MIBC.

Application of membrane bioreactor system with full scale plant on livestock wastewater.

A full-scale plant of an MBR system treating livestock wastewater has shown impressive results. The Cheorwon County Environmental Authorities adopted the MBR process with UF membrane for retrofitting the old plant, which removes organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus at a high level. According to 6 months operation data, BOD and SS removal were about 99.9% and COD(Mn), TN and TP removal were 92.0%, 98.3% and 82.7%, respectively. It is considered that the temperature at the bioreactor has to be controlled to be below 40 degrees C so as to ensure sufficient nitrification. It appeared that the MBR system is competitive with other conventional technologies for treatment of livestock wastewater such as piggery waste.

Polypeptide chain initiation in E. coli: isolation of homogeneous initiation factor E2 and its relation to ribosomal proteins.

Previous work has shown that F(2), one of several ribosomal factors involved in polypeptide chain initiation, functions in the binding of formylmethionyl-transfer RNA (fMet approximately tRNA(f)) to a messenger RNA-ribosome complex. F(2) was isolated from 1.0 M ammonium chloride washes of E. coli Q13 ribosomes as a protein homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at both pH 4.5 and 7.8. Its molecular weight is approximately 80,000. Comparison of electrophoretic patterns of ribosomal proteins from NH(4)Cl-washed and unwashed ribosomes and F(2), at pH 4.5, shows that F(2) corresponds to the slowest-moving component of the proteins derived from unwashed ribosomes. This component is missing from the NH(4)Cl-washed ribosomes. The activity of F(2) is stimulated by two additional factors, initiation factor F(1) and a factor(s) present in a narrow ammonium sulfate fraction of the ribosomal NH(4)Cl wash. The nature of the latter is unknown.

Polypeptide chain initiation in E. coli: sulfhydryl groups and the function of initiation factor F2.

The activity of the chain initiation factor F(2) in promoting the messenger-dependent binding of formylmethionyl-transfer RNA (fMet approximately tRNA(f)) to purified E. coli ribosomes is inhibited by sulfhydryl-binding reagents, such as N-ethylmaleimide or p-hydroxymercuribenzoate, but prior incubation with guanosine triphosphate (GTP) or with ribosomes largely prevents this inhibition. The effect of GTP suggests that it forms a complex with F(2) whereby "active" sulfhydryl groups become sheltered. Experiments on the time course of the binding reaction, with and without preincubation of F(2) with GTP, and gel filtration experiments with (3)H-labeled GTP lend support to this suggestion.

Polypeptide chain initiation in E. coli: studies on the function of initiation factor F1.

The requirement of initiation factors F(1) (highly purified) and F(2) (electrophoretically homogeneous) for ribosomal binding of N-formylmethionyl transfer RNA (fMet approximately tRNA) at low Mg(2+) concentration (3.5 mM), with the trinucleoside diphosphate ApUpG as messenger, was studied under various experimental conditions with 30S + 50S ribosomes and with 30S subunits alone. The results were qualitatively the same in both cases but the amount of binding was two to three times higher when both 30S and 50S subunits were present. Although there was a virtually absolute requirement for F(2) in all cases, considerable binding occurred at 0 degrees in the absence of added F(1). F(1) addition stimulated binding up to twofold under these conditions. However, at 25 degrees , the temperature at which the reaction is usually carried out, there was very little binding with F(2) alone and addition of F(1) stimulated the reaction five- to sixfold. Contrary to current belief, the GTP analog 5'-guanylyldiphosphonate (GMP-PCP) cannot replace GTP in the binding reaction. In particular, there was but little stimulation of binding (about 1.5-fold) by addition of F(1) to F(2)-containing samples when GMP-PCP was used. In marked contrast, binding was stimulated up to sevenfold by addition of F(1) when GTP was substituted for the analog. Under these conditions, there was an ApUpG and F(1)-dependent hydrolysis of GTP. This is observable with 30S subunits alone and can hardly be related to the occurrence of translocation. The results may be interpreted to mean that a complex relatively stable at 0 degrees , but less stable at 25 degrees , is formed upon addition of F(2) alone. Conversion of the less stable to the more stable form of complex is made possible by addition of F(1). This is accompanied or mediated by cleavage of GTP.