Anti-myostatin antibody increases muscle mass and strength and improves insulin sensitivity in old mice.

Sarcopenia, or skeletal muscle atrophy, is a debilitating comorbidity of many physiological and pathophysiological processes, including normal aging. There are no approved therapies for sarcopenia, but the antihypertrophic myokine myostatin is a potential therapeutic target. Here, we show that treatment of young and old mice with an anti-myostatin antibody (ATA 842) for 4 wk increased muscle mass and muscle strength in both groups. Furthermore, ATA 842 treatment also increased insulin-stimulated whole body glucose metabolism in old mice, which could be attributed to increased insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake as measured by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Taken together, these studies provide support for pharmacological inhibition of myostatin as a potential therapeutic approach for age-related sarcopenia and metabolic disease.

Serial expression analysis of breast tumors during neoadjuvant chemotherapy reveals changes in cell cycle and immune pathways associated with recurrence and response.

INTRODUCTION: The molecular biology involving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response is poorly understood. To elucidate the impact of NAC on the breast cancer transcriptome and its association with clinical outcome, we analyzed gene expression data derived from serial tumor samples of patients with breast cancer who received NAC in the I-SPY 1 TRIAL. METHODS: Expression data were collected before treatment (T1), 24-96 hours after initiation of chemotherapy (T2) and at surgery (TS). Expression levels between T1 and T2 (T1 vs. T2; n = 36) and between T1 and TS (T1 vs. TS; n = 39) were compared. Subtype was assigned using the PAM50 gene signature. Differences in early gene expression changes (T2 - T1) between responders and nonresponders, as defined by residual cancer burden, were evaluated. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify genes in residual tumors associated with recurrence-free survival (RFS). Pathway analysis was performed with Ingenuity software. RESULTS: When we compared expression profiles at T1 vs. T2 and at T1 vs. TS, we detected significantly altered expression of 150 and 59 transcripts, respectively. We observed notable downregulation of proliferation and immune-related genes at T2. Lower concordance in subtype assignment was observed between T1 and TS (62 %) than between T1 and T2 (75 %). Analysis of early gene expression changes (T2 - T1) revealed that decreased expression of cell cycle inhibitors was associated with poor response. Increased interferon signaling (TS - T1) and high expression of cell proliferation genes in residual tumors (TS) were associated with reduced RFS. CONCLUSIONS: Serial gene expression analysis revealed candidate immune and proliferation pathways associated with response and recurrence. Larger studies incorporating the approach described here are warranted to identify predictive and prognostic biomarkers in the NAC setting for specific targeted therapies. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00033397 . Registered 9 Apr 2002.

Expression profiling of circulating tumor cells in metastatic breast cancer.

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are prognostic in all stages of breast cancer. However, since they are extremely rare, little is known about the molecular nature of these cells. We report a novel strategy for the isolation and expression profiling of pure populations of CTCs derived from peripheral blood. We developed a method to isolate CTCs based on immunomagnetic capture followed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (IE/FACS). After assay validation using the BT474 cell line spiked into blood samples in vitro, RNA from CTCs isolated from the blood of five metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients was linearly amplified and subjected to gene expression profiling via cDNA microarrays. We isolated a range of 9-993 captured CTCs from five MBC patients' blood and profiled their RNA in comparison to a diverse panel of primary breast tumors (n = 55). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering revealed that CTC profiles clustered with more aggressive subtypes of primary breast tumors and were readily distinguishable from peripheral blood (PB) and normal epithelium. Differential expression analysis revealed CTCs to have downregulated apoptosis, and they were distinguishable from PB by the relative absence of immune-related signals. As expected, CTCs from MBC had significantly higher risk of recurrence scores than primary tumors (p = 0.0073). This study demonstrates that it is feasible to isolate CTCs from PB with high purity through IE/FACS and profile them via gene expression analysis. Our approach may inform the discovery of therapeutic predictors and be useful for real-time identification of emerging resistance mechanisms in MBC patients.

Abiraterone and increased survival in metastatic prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Biosynthesis of extragonadal androgen may contribute to the progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer. We evaluated whether abiraterone acetate, an inhibitor of androgen biosynthesis, prolongs overall survival among patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have received chemotherapy. METHODS: We randomly assigned, in a 2:1 ratio, 1195 patients who had previously received docetaxel to receive 5 mg of prednisone twice daily with either 1000 mg of abiraterone acetate (797 patients) or placebo (398 patients). The primary end point was overall survival. The secondary end points included time to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) progression (elevation in the PSA level according to prespecified criteria), progression-free survival according to radiologic findings based on prespecified criteria, and the PSA response rate. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 12.8 months, overall survival was longer in the abiraterone acetate-prednisone group than in the placebo-prednisone group (14.8 months vs. 10.9 months; hazard ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.54 to 0.77; P<0.001). Data were unblinded at the interim analysis, since these results exceeded the preplanned criteria for study termination. All secondary end points, including time to PSA progression (10.2 vs. 6.6 months; P<0.001), progression-free survival (5.6 months vs. 3.6 months; P<0.001), and PSA response rate (29% vs. 6%, P<0.001), favored the treatment group. Mineralocorticoid-related adverse events, including fluid retention, hypertension, and hypokalemia, were more frequently reported in the abiraterone acetate-prednisone group than in the placebo-prednisone group. CONCLUSIONS: The inhibition of androgen biosynthesis by abiraterone acetate prolonged overall survival among patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who previously received chemotherapy. (Funded by Cougar Biotechnology; COU-AA-301 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00638690.).

Physical activity and prostate gene expression in men with low-risk prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: Vigorous physical activity after diagnosis of localized prostate cancer may reduce the risk of disease progression and prostate cancer-specific mortality. The molecular mechanisms by which physical activity may exert protective effects in the prostate remain unknown. METHODS: We examined the associations between self-reported physical activity and gene expression patterns in morphologically normal prostate tissue of 71 men with low-risk prostate cancer on active surveillance. Differential gene expression, gene set, and pathway analyses were conducted comparing dichotomous groups defined by type, intensity, and amount of physical activity reported. RESULTS: Cell cycling and DNA repair pathways were up-regulated in men who participated in ≥ 3 h/week vigorous activity compared with men who did not. In addition, canonical pathways involved in cell signaling and metabolism, the cellular effects of sildenafil (Viagra), and the Nrf2-mediated oxidative stress response were modulated in men who reported ≥ 3 h/week of vigorous activity. Differential expression analysis at the individual gene level revealed modest differences between men who performed vigorous activity for ≥ 3 h/week and those who did not. There were no differences in prostate gene expression in comparisons with exercise groupings that did not consider both duration and intensity of activity. CONCLUSIONS: Prostate gene expression and pathway analyses revealed sets of transcripts that may be modulated in normal prostate tissue by participating in ≥ 3 h/week of vigorous activity after diagnosis of low-risk prostate cancer. These findings suggest potential biological mechanisms by which vigorous activity may reduce risk of prostate cancer progression and warrant further study and validation.

Lymph Node-Targeted Vaccine Boosting of TCR T-cell Therapy Enhances Antitumor Function and Eradicates Solid Tumors.

T-cell receptor (TCR)-modified T-cell therapies have shown promise against solid tumors, but overall therapeutic benefits have been modest due in part to suboptimal T-cell persistence and activation in vivo, alongside potential tumor antigen escape. In this study, we demonstrate an approach to enhance the in vivo persistence and function of TCR T cells through combination with Amphiphile (AMP) vaccination including cognate TCR T peptides. AMP modification improves lymph node targeting of conjugated tumor immunogens and adjuvants, thereby coordinating a robust T cell-activating endogenous immune response. AMP vaccine combination with TCR T-cell therapy led to complete eradication and durable responses against established murine solid tumors refractory to TCR T-cell monotherapy. Enhanced antitumor efficacy was correlated with simultaneous in vivo invigoration of adoptively transferred TCR T cells and in situ expansion of the endogenous antitumor T-cell repertoire. Long-term protection against tumor recurrence in AMP-vaccinated mice was associated with antigen spreading to additional tumor-associated antigens not targeted by vaccination. AMP vaccination further correlated with pro-inflammatory lymph node transcriptional reprogramming and increased antigen presenting-cell maturation, resulting in TCR T-cell expansion and functional enhancement in lymph nodes and solid tumor parenchyma without lymphodepletion. In vitro evaluation of AMP peptides with matched human TCR T cells targeting NY-ESO-1, mutant KRAS, and HPV16 E7 illustrated the clinical potential of AMP vaccination to enhance human TCR T-cell proliferation, activation, and antitumor activity. Taken together, these studies provide rationale and evidence to support clinical evaluation of combining AMP vaccination with TCR T-cell therapies to augment antitumor activity.

Lymph-node-targeted, mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine in pancreatic and colorectal cancer: the phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial.

Pancreatic and colorectal cancers are often KRAS mutated and are incurable when tumor DNA or protein persists or recurs after curative intent therapy. Cancer vaccine ELI-002 2P enhances lymph node delivery and immune response using amphiphile (Amph) modification of G12D and G12R mutant KRAS (mKRAS) peptides (Amph-Peptides-2P) together with CpG oligonucleotide adjuvant (Amph-CpG-7909). We treated 25 patients (20 pancreatic and five colorectal) who were positive for minimal residual mKRAS disease (ctDNA and/or serum tumor antigen) after locoregional treatment in a phase 1 study of fixed-dose Amph-Peptides-2P and ascending-dose Amph-CpG-7909; study enrollment is complete with patient follow-up ongoing. Primary endpoints included safety and recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). The secondary endpoint was tumor biomarker response (longitudinal ctDNA or tumor antigen), with exploratory endpoints including immunogenicity and relapse-free survival (RFS). No dose-limiting toxicities were observed, and the RP2D was 10.0 mg of Amph-CpG-7909. Direct ex vivo mKRAS-specific T cell responses were observed in 21 of 25 patients (84%; 59% both CD4+ and CD8+); tumor biomarker responses were observed in 21 of 25 patients (84%); biomarker clearance was observed in six of 25 patients (24%; three pancreatic and three colorectal); and the median RFS was 16.33 months. Efficacy correlated with T cell responses above or below the median fold increase over baseline (12.75-fold): median tumor biomarker reduction was -76.0% versus -10.2% (P < 0.0014), and the median RFS was not reached versus 4.01 months (hazard ratio = 0.14; P = 0.0167). ELI-002 2P was safe and induced considerable T cell responses in patients with immunotherapy-recalcitrant KRAS-mutated tumors. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04853017 .

A conditional feedback loop regulates Ras activity through EphA2.

The EphA2 receptor tyrosine kinase is frequently overexpressed in many cancers, including 40% of breast cancers. Here, we show that EphA2 is a direct transcriptional target of the Ras-Raf-MAPK pathway and that ligand-stimulated EphA2 attenuates the growth factor-induced activation of Ras. Thus, a negative feedback loop is created that regulates Ras activity. Interestingly, the expression of EphA2 and ephrin-A1 is mutually exclusive in a panel of 28 breast cancer cell lines. We show that the MAPK pathway inhibits ephrin-A1 expression, and the ligand expression inhibits EphA2 levels contributing to the receptor-ligand reciprocal expression pattern in these cell lines. Our results suggest that an escape from the negative effects of this interaction may be important in the development of cancer.

Abiraterone acetate for treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: final overall survival analysis of the COU-AA-301 randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study.

BACKGROUND: Abiraterone acetate improved overall survival in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer at a preplanned interim analysis of the COU-AA-301 double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 study. Here, we present the final analysis of the study before crossover from placebo to abiraterone acetate (after 775 of the prespecified 797 death events). METHODS: Between May 8, 2008, and July 28, 2009, this study enrolled 1195 patients at 147 sites in 13 countries. Patients were eligible if they had metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer progressing after docetaxel. Patients were stratified according to baseline Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, worst pain over the past 24 h on the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, number of previous chemotherapy regimens, and type of progression. Patients were randomly assigned (ratio 2:1) to receive either abiraterone acetate (1000 mg, once daily and orally) plus prednisone (5 mg, orally twice daily) or placebo plus prednisone with a permuted block method via an interactive web response system. The primary endpoint was overall survival, analysed in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00091442. FINDINGS: Of the 1195 eligible patients, 797 were randomly assigned to receive abiraterone acetate plus prednisone (abiraterone group) and 398 to receive placebo plus prednisone (placebo group). At median follow-up of 20·2 months (IQR 18·4-22·1), median overall survival for the abiraterone group was longer than in the placebo group (15·8 months [95% CI 14·8-17·0] vs 11·2 months [10·4-13·1]; hazard ratio [HR] 0·74, 95% CI 0·64-0·86; p<0·0001). Median time to PSA progression (8·5 months, 95% CI 8·3-11·1, in the abiraterone group vs 6·6 months, 5·6-8·3, in the placebo group; HR 0·63, 0·52-0·78; p<0·0001), median radiologic progression-free survival (5·6 months, 5·6-6·5, vs 3·6 months, 2·9-5·5; HR 0·66, 0·58-0·76; p<0·0001), and proportion of patients who had a PSA response (235 [29·5%] of 797 patients vs 22 [5·5%] of 398; p<0·0001) were all improved in the abiraterone group compared with the placebo group. The most common grade 3-4 adverse events were fatigue (72 [9%] of 791 patients in the abiraterone group vs 41 [10%] of 394 in the placebo group), anaemia (62 [8%] vs 32 [8%]), back pain (56 [7%] vs 40 [10%]), and bone pain (51 [6%] vs 31 [8%]). INTERPRETATION: This final analysis confirms that abiraterone acetate significantly prolongs overall survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have progressed after docetaxel treatment. No new safety signals were identified with increased follow-up.

Effect of abiraterone acetate and prednisone compared with placebo and prednisone on pain control and skeletal-related events in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: exploratory analysis of data from the COU-AA-301 randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Bone metastases are a major cause of morbidity in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Abiraterone acetate potently disrupts intracrine androgen receptor signalling pathways implicated in the progression of the disease, including bone metastases. We assessed data for pain control and skeletal-related events prospectively collected as part of the randomised, phase 3 COU-AA-301 trial of abiraterone acetate plus prednisone versus placebo plus prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer after docetaxel chemotherapy. METHODS: The COU-AA-301 trial enrolled patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer in whom one or two lines of chemotherapy (one docetaxel based) had been unsuccessful and who had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance statuses of 2 or less. Pain intensity and interference of pain with daily activities were assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form questionnaire at baseline, day 15 of cycle 1, and day 1 of each treatment cycle thereafter until discontinuation. We assessed, with prospectively defined response criteria that incorporated analgesic use, clinically meaningful changes in pain intensity and interference with daily living. We measured time to first occurrence of skeletal-related events, which we defined as pathological fracture, spinal cord compression, palliative radiation to bone, or bone surgery, and regularly assessed them throughout the study. Pain palliation was assessed in patients who had clinically significant baseline pain, whereas all other analyses were done in the overall intention-to-treat population. COU-AA-301 is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00638690. FINDINGS: Median follow-up was 20·2 months (IQR 18·4-22·1). In patients with clinically significant pain at baseline, abiraterone acetate and prednisone resulted in significantly more palliation (157 of 349 [45·0%] patients vs 47 of 163 [28·8%]; p=0·0005) and faster palliation (median time to palliation 5·6 months [95% CI 3·7-9·2] vs 13·7 months [5·4-not estimable]; p=0·0018) of pain intensity than did prednisone only. Palliation of pain interference (134 of 223 [60·1%] vs 38 of 100 [38·0%], p=0·0002; median time to palliation of pain interference 1·0 months [95% CI 0·9-1·9] vs 3·7 months [2·7-not estimable], p=0·0004) and median duration of palliation of pain intensity (4·2 months [95% CI 3·0-4·9] vs 2·1 months [1·4-3·7]; p=0·0056) were significantly better with abiraterone acetate and prednisone than with prednisone only. In the overall population, median time to occurrence of first skeletal-related event was significantly longer with abiraterone acetate and prednisone than with prednisone only (25·0 months [95% CI 25·0-not estimable] vs 20·3 months [16·9-not estimable]; p=0·0001). INTERPRETATION: In patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer previously treated with docetaxel, abiraterone acetate and prednisone offer significant benefits compared with prednisone alone in terms of pain relief, delayed pain progression, and prevention of skeletal-related events. FUNDING: Janssen Research & Development and Janssen Global Services.

Lymph node targeted multi-epitope subunit vaccine promotes effective immunity to EBV in HLA-expressing mice.

The recent emergence of a causal link between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis has generated considerable interest in the development of an effective vaccine against EBV. Here we describe a vaccine formulation based on a lymph node targeting Amphiphile vaccine adjuvant, Amphiphile-CpG, admixed with EBV gp350 glycoprotein and an engineered EBV polyepitope protein that includes 20 CD8+ T cell epitopes from EBV latent and lytic antigens. Potent gp350-specific IgG responses are induced in mice with titers >100,000 in Amphiphile-CpG vaccinated mice. Immunization including Amphiphile-CpG also induces high frequencies of polyfunctional gp350-specific CD4+ T cells and EBV-specific CD8+ T cells that are 2-fold greater than soluble CpG and are maintained for >7 months post immunization. This combination of broad humoral and cellular immunity against multiple viral determinants is likely to provide better protection against primary infection and control of latently infected B cells leading to protection against the development of EBV-associated diseases.

Amphiphile-CpG vaccination induces potent lymph node activation and COVID-19 immunity in mice and non-human primates.

Despite the success of currently authorized vaccines for the reduction of severe COVID-19 disease risk, rapidly emerging viral variants continue to drive pandemic waves of infection, resulting in numerous global public health challenges. Progress will depend on future advances in prophylactic vaccine activity, including advancement of candidates capable of generating more potent induction of cross-reactive T cells and durable cross-reactive antibody responses. Here we evaluated an Amphiphile (AMP) adjuvant, AMP-CpG, admixed with SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor binding domain (RBD) immunogen, as a lymph node-targeted protein subunit vaccine (ELI-005) in mice and non-human primates (NHPs). AMP-mediated targeting of CpG DNA to draining lymph nodes resulted in comprehensive local immune activation characterized by extensive transcriptional reprogramming, inflammatory proteomic milieu, and activation of innate immune cells as key orchestrators of antigen-directed adaptive immunity. Prime-boost immunization with AMP-CpG in mice induced potent and durable T cell responses in multiple anatomical sites critical for prophylactic efficacy and prevention of severe disease. Long-lived memory responses were rapidly expanded upon re-exposure to antigen. In parallel, RBD-specific antibodies were long-lived, and exhibited cross-reactive recognition of variant RBD. AMP-CpG-adjuvanted prime-boost immunization in NHPs was safe and well tolerated, while promoting multi-cytokine-producing circulating T cell responses cross-reactive across variants of concern (VOC). Expansion of RBD-specific germinal center (GC) B cells in lymph nodes correlated to rapid seroconversion with variant-specific neutralizing antibody responses exceeding those measured in convalescent human plasma. These results demonstrate the promise of lymph-node adjuvant-targeting to coordinate innate immunity and generate robust adaptive responses critical for vaccine efficacy.

Nutritional supplements, COX-2 and IGF-1 expression in men on active surveillance for prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional factors are associated with reduced risk of prostate cancer progression, yet mechanisms remain unclear. We examined the effects of lycopene and fish oil supplements versus placebo on the normal prostate microenvironment, among men pursuing active surveillance for low-burden prostate cancer. We hypothesized that lycopene or fish oil supplements would down-regulate insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) gene expression, respectively, reflecting putative proliferation (IGF-1) and inflammatory (COX-2) pathways relevant to carcinogenesis. METHODS: We conducted a 3-month randomized, double-blinded, clinical trial comparing prostate tissue gene expression profiles (assessed by qRT-PCR) among men with favorable-risk prostate cancer receiving either 30 mg/day lycopene, 3 g/day fish oil (including 1,098 mg eicosapentaenoic and 549 mg docosahexaenoic fatty acids) or placebo. RESULTS: Among 69 men (22 assigned to lycopene, 21 to fish, and 26 to placebo), there was no difference in the change from baseline to the 3 months in IGF-1 expression level between the placebo and lycopene arms (p = 0.93) nor in COX-2 expression between the placebo and fish arms (p = 0.99). CONCLUSION: Compared to placebo, 3-month intervention with lycopene or fish oil did not significantly change IGF-1 and COX-2 gene expression in the normal prostate microenvironment in men with low-burden prostate cancer. Further analysis of global gene expression profiles may shed light on the bioactivity and relevance of these nutrients in prostate cancer.

Changes in prostate gene expression in men undergoing an intensive nutrition and lifestyle intervention.

Epidemiological and prospective studies indicate that comprehensive lifestyle changes may modify the progression of prostate cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms by which improvements in diet and lifestyle might affect the prostate microenvironment are poorly understood. We conducted a pilot study to examine changes in prostate gene expression in a unique population of men with low-risk prostate cancer who declined immediate surgery, hormonal therapy, or radiation and participated in an intensive nutrition and lifestyle intervention while undergoing careful surveillance for tumor progression. Consistent with previous studies, significant improvements in weight, abdominal obesity, blood pressure, and lipid profile were observed (all P < 0.05), and surveillance of low-risk patients was safe. Gene expression profiles were obtained from 30 participants, pairing RNA samples from control prostate needle biopsy taken before intervention to RNA from the same patient's 3-month postintervention biopsy. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to validate array observations for selected transcripts. Two-class paired analysis of global gene expression using significance analysis of microarrays detected 48 up-regulated and 453 down-regulated transcripts after the intervention. Pathway analysis identified significant modulation of biological processes that have critical roles in tumorigenesis, including protein metabolism and modification, intracellular protein traffic, and protein phosphorylation (all P < 0.05). Intensive nutrition and lifestyle changes may modulate gene expression in the prostate. Understanding the prostate molecular response to comprehensive lifestyle changes may strengthen efforts to develop effective prevention and treatment. Larger clinical trials are warranted to confirm the results of this pilot study.

A lymph node-targeted Amphiphile vaccine induces potent cellular and humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

The profound consequences of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) mandate urgent development of effective vaccines. Here, we evaluated an Amphiphile (AMP) vaccine adjuvant, AMP-CpG, composed of diacyl lipid-modified CpG, admixed with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike-2 receptor binding domain protein as a candidate vaccine (ELI-005) in mice. AMP modification efficiently delivers CpG to lymph nodes, where innate and adaptive immune responses are generated. Compared to alum, immunization with AMP-CpG induced >25-fold higher antigen-specific T cells that produced multiple T helper 1 (TH1) cytokines and trafficked into lung parenchyma. Antibody responses favored TH1 isotypes (IgG2c and IgG3) and potently neutralized Spike-2-ACE2 receptor binding, with titers 265-fold higher than natural convalescent patient COVID-19 responses; T cell and antibody responses were maintained despite 10-fold dose reduction in Spike antigen. Both cellular and humoral immune responses were preserved in aged mice. These advantages merit clinical translation to SARS-CoV-2 and other protein subunit vaccines.

Metabolic, pathologic, and genetic analysis of prostate tissues: quantitative evaluation of histopathologic and mRNA integrity after HR-MAS spectroscopy.

The impact of high-resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) spectroscopy on the histopathologic and mRNA integrity of human prostate tissues was evaluated. Forty prostate tissues were harvested at transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) guided biopsy (n = 20) or radical prostatectomy surgery (n = 20), snap-frozen on dry ice, and stored at -80°C until use. Twenty-one samples (n = 11 biopsy, n = 10 surgical) underwent HR-MAS spectroscopy prior to histopathologic and cDNA microarray analysis, while 19 control samples (n = 9 biopsy, n = 10 surgical) underwent only histopathologic and microarray analysis. Frozen tissues were sectioned at 14-µm intervals and placed on individual histopathology slides. Every 8th slide was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and used to target areas of predominantly epithelial tissue on the remaining slides for mRNA integrity and cDNA microarray analysis. Histopathologic integrity was graded from 1 (best) to 5 (worst) by two 'blinded' pathologists. Histopathologic integrity scores were not significantly different for post-surgical tissues (HR-MAS vs controls); however, one pathologist's scores were significantly lower for biopsy tissues following HR-MAS while the other pathologist's scores were not. mRNA integrity assays were performed using an Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer and the electrophoretic traces were scored with an RNA integrity number (RIN) from 1 (degraded) to 10 (intact). RIN scores were not significantly different for surgical tissues, but were significantly lower for biopsy tissues following HR-MAS spectroscopy. The isolated mRNA then underwent two rounds of amplification, conversion to cDNA, coupling to Cy3 and Cy5 dyes, microarray hybridization, imaging, and analysis. Significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) identified no significantly over- or under-expressed genes, including 14 housekeeping genes, between HR-MAS and control samples of surgical and biopsy tissues (5% false discovery rate). This study demonstrates that histopathologic and genetic microarray analysis can be successfully performed on prostate surgical and biopsy tissues following HR-MAS analysis; however, biopsy tissues are more fragile than surgical tissues.

A comparison of RNA amplification techniques at sub-nanogram input concentration.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling of small numbers of cells requires high-fidelity amplification of sub-nanogram amounts of RNA. Several methods for RNA amplification are available; however, there has been little consideration of the accuracy of these methods when working with very low-input quantities of RNA as is often required with rare clinical samples. Starting with 250 picograms-3.3 nanograms of total RNA, we compared two linear amplification methods 1) modified T7 and 2) Arcturus RiboAmp HS and a logarithmic amplification, 3) Balanced PCR. Microarray data from each amplification method were validated against quantitative real-time PCR (QPCR) for 37 genes. RESULTS: For high intensity spots, mean Pearson correlations were quite acceptable for both total RNA and low-input quantities amplified with each of the 3 methods. Microarray filtering and data processing has an important effect on the correlation coefficient results generated by each method. Arrays derived from total RNA had higher Pearson's correlations than did arrays derived from amplified RNA when considering the entire unprocessed dataset, however, when considering a gene set of high signal intensity, the amplified arrays had superior correlation coefficients than did the total RNA arrays. CONCLUSION: Gene expression arrays can be obtained with sub-nanogram input of total RNA. High intensity spots showed better correlation on array-array analysis than did unfiltered data, however, QPCR validated the accuracy of gene expression array profiling from low-input quantities of RNA with all 3 amplification techniques. RNA amplification and expression analysis at the sub-nanogram input level is both feasible and accurate if data processing is used to focus attention to high intensity genes for microarrays or if QPCR is used as a gold standard for validation.

First-in-Human Phase I Study of the Activin A Inhibitor, STM 434, in Patients with Granulosa Cell Ovarian Cancer and Other Advanced Solid Tumors.

PURPOSE: STM 434 is a soluble receptor ligand trap targeting activin A, a protein in the TGFß family that plays important roles in growth, differentiation, and cancer cachexia. This study evaluated the safety, antitumor activity, and metabolic effects of STM 434 in a first-in-human, multicenter, phase I clinical trial (NCT02262455). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors were enrolled in 8 dose cohorts ranging from 0.25 mg/kg every 4 weeks to 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks via a 3 + 3 dose-escalation design. The primary endpoint was maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Secondary endpoints included safety, pharmacokinetics, and response. As activin A is implicated in metabolism and muscle function, changes in key metabolic parameters, including lean body mass and 6-minute walk test, were serially measured. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were treated on study. The most common treatment-related adverse events were fatigue (41%) and mucocutaneous bleeding complications including epistaxis (34%) and gingival bleeding (22%), likely related to off-target inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein 9 (BMP9). STM 434 treatment resulted in the expected follicle-stimulating hormone level decreases in most patients and in metabolic parameter changes, including an increase in total lean body mass and 6-minute walk test distance. No responses were observed in the 30 evaluable patients, but the stable disease rate in patients with granulosa cell ovarian cancer was 10 of 12 (80%). CONCLUSIONS: Although no direct antitumor efficacy was documented, potentially clinically meaningful dose-related metabolic effects, including treatment of cancer cachexia, were observed that support further exploration of activin A inhibitors that limit BMP9 blockade.See related commentary by Bonilla and Oza, p. 5432.

Expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor in local and metastatic prostate cancer.

PURPOSE: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 receptor is currently being targeted in clinical trials in prostate cancer. Despite this targeting, there are conflicting data on the presence of this receptor in human tumor samples, largely because of differences in technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the presence of IGF-1 receptor in frozen normal prostate and prostate cancer specimens. Clinical and pathologic parameters were correlated with IGF-1 receptor intensity and frequency of staining. Only 2-3+ staining on a scale of 0-3 was considered positive in this evaluation. RESULTS: IGF-1 receptor was expressed in normal prostate epithelium in 6 of 6 patients without cancer and in morphologically normal epithelium adjacent to tumor cells in 21 of 22 patients with cancer studied. IGF-1 receptor was present in the prostate tumor epithelium of 28 of 28 primary tumors, 3 of 5 locally recurrent androgen-independent tumors, and in 4 of 5 metastatic lymph nodes. Stromal staining patterns were positive in 2 of 28 specimens near benign epithelium compared to 19 of 30 specimens of stroma surrounding tumor epithelium (P < 0.0001, Fisher exact test). Stroma adjacent to Gleason grade >or=7 tumors showed higher intensity staining than that adjacent to lower grade tumors (P < 0.001). Expression of the closely related insulin receptor did not show expression in either normal or cancer epithelium, or in adjacent stroma. CONCLUSIONS: This study using frozen tissue shows widespread IGF-1 receptor expression in normal prostate, prostate cancers, and metastases. These data support investigations into IGF-1 receptor as a therapeutic target in prostate cancer.

Pharmacological inhibition of myostatin improves skeletal muscle mass and function in a mouse model of stroke.

In stroke patients, loss of skeletal muscle mass leads to prolonged weakness and less efficient rehabilitation. We previously showed that expression of myostatin, a master negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass, was strongly increased in skeletal muscle in a mouse model of stroke. We therefore tested the hypothesis that myostatin inhibition would improve recovery of skeletal muscle mass and function after cerebral ischemia. Cerebral ischemia (45 minutes) was induced by intraluminal right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Swiss male mice were randomly assigned to Sham-operated mice (n = 10), MCAO mice receiving the vehicle (n = 15) and MCAO mice receiving an anti-myostatin PINTA745 (n = 12; subcutaneous injection of 7.5 mg.kg-1 PINTA745 immediately after surgery, 3, 7 and 10 days after MCAO). PINTA745 reduced body weight loss and improved body weight recovery after cerebral ischemia, as well as muscle strength and motor function. PINTA745 also increased muscle weight recovery 15 days after cerebral ischemia. Mechanistically, the better recovery of skeletal muscle mass in PINTA745-MCAO mice involved an increased expression of genes encoding myofibrillar proteins. Therefore, an anti-myostatin strategy can improve skeletal muscle recovery after cerebral ischemia and may thus represent an interesting strategy to combat skeletal muscle loss and weakness in stroke patients.