Zebrafish imaging reveals TP53 mutation switching oncogene-induced senescence from suppressor to driver in primary tumorigenesis.

Most tumours are thought to arise through oncogenic cell generation followed by additional mutations. How a new oncogenic cell primes tumorigenesis by acquiring additional mutations remains unclear. We show that an additional TP53 mutation stimulates primary tumorigenesis by switching oncogene-induced senescence from a tumour suppressor to a driver. Zebrafish imaging reveals that a newly emerged oncogenic cell with the RasG12V mutation becomes senescent and is eliminated from the epithelia, which is prevented by adding a TP53 gain-of-function mutation (TP53R175H) into RasG12V cells. Surviving RasG12V-TP53R175H double-mutant cells senesce and secrete senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP)-related inflammatory molecules that convert neighbouring normal cells into SASP factor-secreting senescent cells, generating a heterogeneous tumour-like cell mass. We identify oncogenic cell behaviours that may control the initial human tumorigenesis step. Ras and TP53 mutations and cellular senescence are frequently detected in human tumours; similar switching may occur during the initial step of human tumorigenesis.

Successful hemispherotomy for a patient with intractable epilepsy secondary to bilateral congenital brain malformation with lateralized pyramidal tract of diffusion tensor image tractography.

PURPOSE: To perform an epilepsy surgery on a patient with drug resistant epilepsy secondary to bilateral brain malformation. The patient was a 2-year 9-month-old boy who had congenital bilateral multiple abnormalities. He developed a complex partial seizure at 9 months old. Based on the presurgical evaluations, he underwent a right hemispherotomy. RESULTS: Brain MRI revealed congenital bilateral polymicrogyria, right schizencephaly, and corpus callosum agenesis. The abnormality was noted to be more severe in the right hemisphere. Diffusion tensor image tractography clearly detected a left pyramidal tract. On the contrary, the right hemisphere did not show a clear pyramidal tract. An interictal EEG showed epileptiform discharges over both hemispheres with right frontotemporal area dominancy. The long-term video-EEG recorded his habitual seizures arising from the right frontal area. Right hemispherotomy led to freedom from seizures and a reduced need for anti-epilepsy drugs. CONCLUSIONS: We report a patient with bilateral MRI and EEG abnormalities with clear DTI laterality who achieved seizure freedom with epilepsy surgery.

Expression levels of human P-glycoprotein in in vitro cell lines: correlation between mRNA and protein levels for P-glycoprotein expressed in cells.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between mRNA and protein levels for P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expressed in various cell lines to validate the estimation of P-gp activity from its mRNA levels. P-gp expression levels in various cell monolayers, normal, P-gp-induced, P-gp-highly induced, (multidrug resistance, MDR) MDR1-knockdown (A2-2) and MDR1-knockdown (B2-2) Caco-2 cells and MDCKII/MDR1 cells, were quantified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and western blot analysis. Both mRNA and protein levels of P-gp were lowest in the MDR1-knockdown (B2-2) Caco-2 cells, followed by the MDR1-knockdown (A2-2) Caco-2, normal Caco-2, P-gp-induced Caco-2 and P-gp-highly induced Caco-2 cells, and highest in the MDCKII/MDR1 cells. Except for the MDCKII/MDR1 cells, the protein levels of P-gp in all Caco-2 cell lines showed a linear correlation with its mRNA levels; however, although the MDR1 mRNA level in MDCKII/MDR1 cells was much higher than in the P-gp-highly induced Caco-2 cells, the protein levels were almost the same in both cells. From these findings, it was suggested that P-gp activity in MDCKII/MDR1 cells could not be estimated from its mRNA levels.

Karyopherin-mediated nuclear import of the homing endonuclease VMA1-derived endonuclease is required for self-propagation of the coding region.

VMA1-derived endonuclease (VDE), a site-specific endonuclease in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, enters the nucleus to generate a double-strand break in the VDE-negative allelic locus, mediating the self-propagating gene conversion called homing. Although VDE is excluded from the nucleus in mitotic cells, it relocalizes at premeiosis, becoming localized in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm in meiosis. The nuclear localization of VDE is induced by inactivation of TOR kinases, which constitute central regulators of cell differentiation in S. cerevisiae, and by nutrient depletion. A functional genomic approach revealed that at least two karyopherins, Srp1p and Kap142p, are required for the nuclear localization pattern. Genetic and physical interactions between Srp1p and VDE imply direct involvement of karyopherin-mediated nuclear transport in this process. Inactivation of TOR signaling or acquisition of an extra nuclear localization signal in the VDE coding region leads to artificial nuclear localization of VDE and thereby induces homing even during mitosis. These results serve as evidence that VDE utilizes the host systems of nutrient signal transduction and nucleocytoplasmic transport to ensure the propagation of its coding region.

Homing at an extragenic locus mediated by VDE (PI-SceI) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

PI-SceI (VDE), a homing endonuclease with protein splicing activity, is a genomic parasite in the VMA1 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In a heterozygous diploid of the VDE-less VMA1 allele and a VDE-containing VMA1 allele, VDE specifically cleaves its recognition sequence (VRS) in the VDE-less VMA1 allele at meiosis, followed by 'homing', i.e. a conversion to a VDE-containing allele. We found that upon VDE expression, homing of a marker gene at an extragenic locus occurs only when a 45 bp element containing the VRS is inserted at its allelic site, while mutants of VDE with no endonuclease activity lack authentic extragenic homing activity. Thus, both the VRS and VDE are required for homing. Insertion of the VRS in a homozygous diploid significantly lowered the spore germination ability, indicating that a template for gene repair at its allelic locus is essential for efficient homing and survival of yeast cells.