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Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are critical targets for cancer therapy as they are involved in drug resistance to anticancer drugs, and metastasis, are maintained by angiocrine factors produced by particular niches that form within tumor tissue. Secreted frizzled-related protein 1 (Sfrp1) is an extracellular protein that modulates Wnt signaling. However, the cells that produce Sfrp1 in the tumor environment and its function remain unclear. We aimed to elucidate angiocrine factors related to CSC maintenance, focusing on Sfrp1. Although Sfrp1 is a Wnt pathway-related factor, its impact on tumor tissues remains unknown. We investigated the localization of Sfrp1 in tumors and found that it is expressed in some tumor vessels. Analysis of mice lacking Sfrp1 showed that tumor growth was suppressed in Sfrp1-deficient tumor tissues. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that CSCs were maintained in the early tumor growth phase in the Sfrp1 knockout (KO) mouse model of tumor-bearing cancer. However, tumor growth was inhibited in the late tumor growth phase because of the inability to maintain CSCs. Real-time PCR results from tumors of Sfrp1 KO mice showed that the expression of Wnt signaling target genes significantly decreased in the late stage of tumor growth. This suggests that Sfrp1, an angiocrine factor produced by the tumor vascular niche, is involved in Wnt signaling-mediated mechanisms in tumor tissues.
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Several reports indicate that apelin is often over-expressed in tumors, and therefore it has been suggested that the apelin-apelin receptor (APJ) system may induce tumor progression. In contrast, our previous research revealed high expression of the apelin-APJ system in tumor blood vessels, suggesting its involvement in the regulation of tumor vessel formation and normalization, resulting in the suppression of tumor growth by promoting the infiltration of T cells. Thus, the effect of the apelin-APJ system on tumors remains controversial. In this report, to clarify the effect of apelin in tumor cells, we analyzed the function of APJ in tumor cells using APJ knock out (KO) mice. In APJ-KO mice, Apelin overexpression in B16/BL6 (B16) melanoma cells induced greater tumor growth than controls. In an APJ-KO melanoma inoculation model, although angiogenesis is suppressed compared to wild type, no difference is evident in tumor growth. We found that APJ deficiency promoted vascular mimicry in tumors. In vitro, cultured APJ-KO B16 cells demonstrated a spindle-like shape. This phenotypic change was thought to be induced by epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) based on evidence that APJ-KO B16 cells show persistently high levels of the mesenchymal maker, Zeb1; however, we found that EMT did not correlate with the transforming growth factor-ß/smad signaling pathway in our model. We propose that apelin-APJ system in cancer cells induces tumor growth but negatively regulates EMT and tumor malignancy.
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Receptores de Apelina , Apelina , Melanoma , Animais , Camundongos , Apelina/genética , Receptores de Apelina/genética , Melanoma Maligno CutâneoRESUMO
The Apelin/APJ signalling pathway, involved in multiple physiological and pathological processes, has been attracting increasing interest recently. In our previous study, Apelin overexpression in colon26 tumor cells suppressed tumor growth by inducing vascular maturation. Here, we found that MC38 and LLC tumor growth were greater in the absence of Apelin than in wild-type (WT) mice, suggesting that Apelin acts as a tumor suppressor. Consistent with this, treating WT mice with [Pyr1]Apelin-13 inhibited tumor growth. In MC38 tumors, only endothelial cells (ECs) strongly express APJ, a cognate receptor for Apelin, indicating that EC-derived Apelin might regulate tumor formation in an autocrine manner. Comparing with WT mice, larger numbers of vessels with narrower diameters were observed in tumors of Apelin knockout mice and lack of Apelin enhanced tumor hypoxia. Investigating immune cells in the tumor revealed that [Pyr1]Apelin-13 infusion induced the accumulation of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells in central areas. Moreover, RNA-sequencing analysis showed that Apelin induces chemokine CCL8 expression in ECs. Thus, enhancing anti-tumor immunity might be one of the mechanisms by which Apelin is involved in tumor growth. Our result indicated that increased CCL8 expression might induce CD8 + T cells infiltration into tumor and tumor inhibition.
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Apelina/metabolismo , Quimiotaxia de Leucócito/genética , Células Endoteliais/metabolismo , Neoplasias/etiologia , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Animais , Apelina/genética , Receptores de Apelina/genética , Receptores de Apelina/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células , Quimiocina CCL8/biossíntese , Quimiotaxia de Leucócito/imunologia , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Humanos , Linfócitos do Interstício Tumoral/imunologia , Linfócitos do Interstício Tumoral/metabolismo , Linfócitos do Interstício Tumoral/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Neoplasias/patologia , Ligação Proteica , Transdução de Sinais , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/imunologia , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Subpopulações de Linfócitos T/patologia , Microambiente TumoralRESUMO
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in adult bone marrow (BM) are usually maintained in a state of quiescence. The cellular mechanism coordinating the balance between HSC quiescence and differentiation is not fully understood. Here, we report that galactose-binding lectin-3 (galectin-3; Gal-3) is upregulated by Tie2 or Mpl activation to maintain quiescence. Conditional overexpression of Gal-3 in mouse HSCs under the transcriptional control of Tie2 or Vav1 promoters (Gal-3 Tg) causes cell cycle retardation via induction of p21. Conversely, the cell cycle of long-term repopulating HSCs (LT-HSCs) in Gal-3-deficient (Gal-3-/-) mice is accelerated, resulting in their exhaustion. Mechanistically, Gal-3 regulates p21 transcription by forming a complex with Sp1, thus blocking cell cycle entry. These results demonstrate that Gal-3 is a negative regulator of cell-cycling in HSCs and plays a crucial role in adult hematopoiesis to prevent HSC exhaustion.
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Células-Tronco Adultas/fisiologia , Ciclo Celular/fisiologia , Galectina 3/metabolismo , Hematopoese/genética , Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/fisiologia , Animais , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Inibidor de Quinase Dependente de Ciclina p21/genética , Feminino , Galectina 3/genética , Camundongos , Camundongos Knockout , Modelos Animais , Receptor TIE-2/metabolismo , Receptores de Trombopoetina/metabolismo , Fator de Transcrição Sp1/metabolismo , Ativação Transcricional , Regulação para CimaRESUMO
Angiogenesis contributes to numerous pathological conditions. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis will offer new therapeutic opportunities. Several experimental in vivo models that better represent the pathological conditions have been generated for this purpose in mice, but it is difficult to translate results from mouse to human blood vessels. To understand human vascular biology and translate findings into human research, we need human blood vessel models to replicate human vascular physiology. Here, we show that human tumor tissue transplantation into a cranial window enables engraftment of human blood vessels in mice. An in vivo imaging technique using two-photon microscopy allows continuous observation of human blood vessels until at least 49 days after tumor transplantation. These human blood vessels make connections with mouse blood vessels as shown by the finding that lectin injected into the mouse tail vein reaches the human blood vessels. Finally, this model revealed that formation and/or maintenance of human blood vessels depends on VEGFR2 signaling. This approach represents a useful tool to study molecular mechanisms of human blood vessel formation and to test effects of drugs that target human blood vessels in vivo to show proof of concept in a preclinical model.
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Neoplasias do Colo/irrigação sanguínea , Neovascularização Patológica/patologia , Neoplasias Gástricas/irrigação sanguínea , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Animais , Apoptose , Proliferação de Células , Neoplasias do Colo/patologia , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos NOD , Camundongos SCID , Neoplasias Gástricas/patologia , Células Tumorais Cultivadas , Ensaios Antitumorais Modelo de XenoenxertoRESUMO
The balance between self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) maintains hematopoietic homeostasis, failure of which can lead to hematopoietic disorder. HSPC fate is controlled by signals from the bone marrow niche resulting in alteration of the stem cell transcription network. Regnase-1, a member of the CCCH zinc finger protein family possessing RNAse activity, mediates post-transcriptional regulatory activity through degradation of target mRNAs. The precise function of Regnase-1 has been explored in inflammation-related cytokine expression but its function in hematopoiesis has not been elucidated. Here, we show that Regnase-1 regulates self-renewal of HSPCs through modulating the stability of Gata2 and Tal1 mRNA. In addition, we found that dysfunction of Regnase-1 leads to the rapid onset of abnormal hematopoiesis. Thus, our data reveal that Regnase-1-mediated post-transcriptional regulation is required for HSPC maintenance and suggest that it represents a leukemia tumor suppressor.
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Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas/fisiologia , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Processamento Pós-Transcricional do RNA/fisiologia , Ribonucleases/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Animais , Medula Óssea/patologia , Diferenciação Celular/genética , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/genética , Autorrenovação Celular/genética , Conjuntos de Dados como Assunto , Fator de Transcrição GATA2/genética , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Técnicas de Silenciamento de Genes , Células HEK293 , Transplante de Células-Tronco Hematopoéticas , Humanos , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/mortalidade , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/patologia , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Prognóstico , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , RNA Interferente Pequeno/metabolismo , Ribonucleases/genética , Proteína 1 de Leucemia Linfocítica Aguda de Células T/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Quimeras de TransplanteRESUMO
Galectin-3 (Gal-3; gene LGALS3) is a member of the ß-galactose-binding lectin family. Previous studies showed that Gal-3 is expressed in several tissues across species and functions as a regulator of cell proliferation, apoptosis, adhesion, and migration, thus affecting many aspects of events, such as angiogenesis and tumorigenesis. Although several reports have suggested that the level of Gal-3 expression correlates positively with tumor progression, herein we show that highly metastatic mouse melanoma B16/BL6 cells express less Gal-3 than B16 cells with a lower metastatic potential. It was found that overexpression of Gal-3 in melanoma cells in fact suppresses metastasis. In contrast, knocking out Gal-3 expression in cancer cells promoted cell aggregation mediated through interactions with platelets and fibrinogen in vitro and increased the number of metastatic foci in vivo. Thus, reduced Gal-3 expression results in the up-regulation of ß3 integrin expression, and this contributes to metastatic potential. These findings indicate that changes of Gal-3 expression in cancer cells during tumor progression influence the characteristics of metastatic cells.
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Galectina 3/fisiologia , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Integrina beta3/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/prevenção & controle , Melanoma Experimental/prevenção & controle , Neovascularização Patológica/prevenção & controle , Animais , Apoptose , Adesão Celular , Proliferação de Células , Humanos , Integrina beta3/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/secundário , Melanoma Experimental/metabolismo , Melanoma Experimental/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Camundongos NusRESUMO
T cell-mediated cellular immunity and humoral immunity are equally important for the prevention of diseases. To assess activation of human and mouse cellular immunity, early activation markers of lymphocytes are often used in flow cytometry targeting expression of CD69 molecules. Response of humoral immunity against infection or vaccination has been well investigated in pigs, but that of cellular immunity has been largely neglected due to lack of direct evaluation tools. Thus, in pig research a proper assay of antibody reacted with porcine CD69 is still unavailable. In the present study, two anti-porcine CD69 mAb-producing mouse hybridomas, 01-14-22-51 (IgG2b-κ) and 01-22-44-102 (IgG2a-κ), both showing fine reactivity with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin-stimulated porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes in flow cytometry, were established. When porcine peripheral blood lymphocytes were activated with PMA and ionomycin and analyzed by flow cytometry, it was found that both mAbs generated in this study stained about 70% of lymphocytes. In contrast, after an identical procedure, only 5% and 13.5% of lymphocytes were stained with anti-interferon-γ mAb and anti-tumor necrosis factor-α mAb, respectively. These results indicate that evaluation of cellular immunity activation turns more sensitive after using our newly generated mAbs.
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Anticorpos Monoclonais , Antígenos CD/imunologia , Antígenos de Diferenciação de Linfócitos T/imunologia , Citometria de Fluxo/métodos , Imunidade Celular/imunologia , Lectinas Tipo C/imunologia , Linfócitos T/imunologia , Animais , Humanos , Ionomicina/imunologia , Camundongos , Suínos , Acetato de Tetradecanoilforbol/análogos & derivados , Acetato de Tetradecanoilforbol/imunologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome (NBCCS) is an autosomal dominant disorder mainly caused by heterozygous mutations of PTCH1. In addition to characteristic clinical features, detection of a mutation in causative genes is reliable for the diagnosis of NBCCS; however, no mutations have been identified in some patients using conventional methods. OBJECTIVE: To improve the method for the molecular diagnosis of NBCCS. METHODS: We performed targeted exome sequencing (TES) analysis using a multi-gene panel, including PTCH1, PTCH2, SUFU, and other sonic hedgehog signaling pathway-related genes, based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in 8 cases in whom possible causative mutations were not detected by previously performed conventional analysis and 2 recent cases of NBCCS. Subsequent analysis of gross deletion within or around PTCH1 detected by TES was performed using chromosomal microarray (CMA). RESULTS: Through TES analysis, specific single nucleotide variants or small indels of PTCH1 causing inferred amino acid changes were identified in 2 novel cases and 2 undiagnosed cases, whereas gross deletions within or around PTCH1, which are validated by CMA, were found in 3 undiagnosed cases. However, no mutations were detected even by TES in 3 cases. Among 3 cases with gross deletions of PTCH1, deletions containing the entire PTCH1 and additional neighboring genes were detected in 2 cases, one of which exhibited atypical clinical features, such as severe mental retardation, likely associated with genes located within the 4.3Mb deleted region, especially. CONCLUSION: TES-based simultaneous evaluation of sequences and copy number status in all targeted coding exons by NGS is likely to be more useful for the molecular diagnosis of NBCCS than conventional methods. CMA is recommended as a subsequent analysis for validation and detailed mapping of deleted regions, which may explain the atypical clinical features of NBCCS cases.
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Síndrome do Nevo Basocelular/genética , Biomarcadores Tumorais/genética , Cromossomos Humanos , Sequenciamento de Nucleotídeos em Larga Escala , Técnicas de Diagnóstico Molecular , Análise de Sequência com Séries de Oligonucleotídeos , Adolescente , Adulto , Síndrome do Nevo Basocelular/diagnóstico , Biologia Computacional , Variações do Número de Cópias de DNA , Análise Mutacional de DNA , Exoma , Feminino , Dosagem de Genes , Predisposição Genética para Doença , Humanos , Mutação INDEL , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fenótipo , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único , Valor Preditivo dos Testes , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: We describe a new method for simultaneous measurement of monoamine metabolites (3-O-methyldopa [3-OMD], 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol [MHPG], 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid [5-HIAA], and homovanillic acid [HVA]) and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) and its use on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from pediatric patients. METHODS: Monoamine metabolites and 5-MTHF were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. CSF samples were prospectively collected from children according to a standardized collection protocol in which the first 1-ml fraction was used for analysis. RESULTS: Monoamine metabolites and 5-MTHF were separated within 10min. They showed linearity from the limit of detection to 1024nmol/l. The limit of quantification of each metabolite was sufficiently low for the CSF sample assay. In 42 CSF samples after excluding cases with possibly altered neurotransmitter profiles, the concentrations of 3-OMD, MHPG, 5-HIAA, HVA, and 5-MTHF showed significant age dependence and their ranges were comparable with the reference values in the literature. The metabolite profiles of aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency, Segawa disease, and folate receptor α defect by this method were compatible with those in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: This method is a simple means of measuring CSF monoamine metabolites and 5-MTHF, and is especially useful for laboratories not equipped with electrochemical detectors.
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Di-Hidroxifenilalanina/análogos & derivados , Ácido Homovanílico/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Ácido Hidroxi-Indolacético/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Metoxi-Hidroxifenilglicol/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Tetra-Hidrofolatos/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Descarboxilases de Aminoácido-L-Aromático/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Descarboxilases de Aminoácido-L-Aromático/deficiência , Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Pressão/métodos , Di-Hidroxifenilalanina/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Distúrbios Distônicos/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Fluorescência , Receptor 1 de Folato/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Receptor 1 de Folato/deficiência , Receptor 1 de Folato/genética , Humanos , Limite de Detecção , Distrofias Neuroaxonais/líquido cefalorraquidiano , Valores de Referência , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Tirosina/análogos & derivadosRESUMO
We investigated the relationship between the scalp distribution of fast (40-150 Hz) oscillations (FOs) and epileptogenic lesions in West syndrome (WS) and related disorders. Subjects were 9 pediatric patients with surgically confirmed structural epileptogenic pathology (age at initial electroencephalogram [EEG] recording: mean 7.1 months, range 1-22 months). The diagnosis was WS in 7 patients, Ohtahara syndrome in 1, and a transitional state from Ohtahara syndrome to WS in the other. In the scalp EEG data of these patients, we conservatively detected FOs, and then examined the distribution of FOs. In five patients, the scalp distribution of FOs was consistent and concordant with the lateralization of cerebral pathology. In another patient, FOs were consistently dominant over the healthy cerebral hemisphere, and the EEG was relatively low in amplitude over the pathological atrophic hemisphere. In the remaining 3 patients, the dominance of FOs was inconsistent and, in 2 of these patients, the epileptogenic hemisphere was reduced in volume, which may result from atrophy or hypoplasia. The correspondence between the scalp distribution of FOs and the epileptogenic lesion should be studied, taking the type of lesion into account. The factors affecting scalp FOs remain to be elucidated.
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Objective: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem disorder characterized by the formation of hamartoma in multiple organ systems of the body. However, without a well-established cooperative system involving related departments, some organ lesions might be overlooked until symptoms appear or even until the disorder progresses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the current status of follow-ups in the TSC patients in the Department of Child Neurology at Okayama University Medical Hospital. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of 38 patients with TSC who visited our hospital at least twice between January 2005 and December 2014. Patients were between 3 years and 48 years of age at their latest visit. We divided the patients into a child group and an adult group, and investigated the patients' follow-up data while focusing on the various multiorgan systems. Results: The follow-ups were well conducted in the child group in terms of every organ. In the adult group, neuroimaging tests were unsatisfactorily performed. The kidney has not been examined in seven patients more than five years even though these patients all had kidney lesions. The lung was not been examined in 7 out of 14 female patients over 18 years of age who are most at risk for lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). In 12 out of 18 child patients, echocardiograms were performed every few years, while electrocardiograms to assess underlying conduction defects were rarely performed in either age group. Conclusions: In Europe, guidelines for the management of TSC have been well established. However, in our hospital, the multiorgan system follow-up is not satisfactorily performed especially in adult patients. We decided the establishment of a TSC board in our hospital for the management of this multiorgan disorder.
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Purpose. To evaluate the efficacy of setting a preferred retinal locus relocation target (PRT) and performing Macular Integrity Assessment (MAIA) biofeedback training in patients showing insufficient recovery of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) despite successful closure of an idiopathic macular hole (MH). Methods. Retrospective interventional case series. Nine eyes of 9 consecutive patients with the decimal BCVA of less than 0.6 at more than 3 months after successful MH surgery were included. A PRT was chosen based on MAIA microperimetry and the patients underwent MAIA biofeedback training. BCVA, reading speed, fixation stability, and 63% bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA) were evaluated before and after the training. Statistical analysis was carried out using paired Student's t-test. Results. PRT was chosen on the nasal side of the closed MH fovea in 8 patients. After the MAIA training, BCVA improved in all patients. The mean logMAR value of BCVA significantly improved from 0.33 to 0.12 (p = 0.007). Reading speed improved in all patients (p = 0.29), fixation stability improved in 5 patients (p = 0.70), and 63% BCEA improved in 7 patients (p = 0.21), although these improvements were not statistically significant. Conclusion. MAIA biofeedback training improved visual acuity in patients with insufficient recovery of BCVA after successful MH surgery.