Filling the Blank Space: Branched 4-Nonylphenol Isomers Are Responsible for Robust Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR) Activation by Nonylphenol.

4-Nonylphenol (4-NP), a para-substituted phenolic compound with a straight or branched carbon chain, is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant and food contaminant. 4-NP, particularly the branched form, has been identified as an endocrine disruptor (ED) with potent activities on estrogen receptors. Constitutive Androstane Receptor (CAR) is another crucial nuclear receptor that regulates hepatic lipid, glucose, and steroid metabolism and is involved in the ED mechanism of action. An NP mixture has been described as an extremely potent activator of both human and rodent CAR. However, detailed mechanistic aspects of CAR activation by 4-NP are enigmatic, and it is not known if 4-NP can directly interact with the CAR ligand binding domain (LBD). Here, we examined interactions of individual branched (22NP, 33NP, and 353NP) and linear 4-NPs with CAR variants using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, cellular experiments with various CAR expression constructs, recombinant CAR LBD in a TR-FRET assay, or a differentiated HepaRG hepatocyte cellular model. Our results demonstrate that branched 4-NPs display more stable poses to activate both wild-type CAR1 and CAR3 variant LBDs in MD simulations. Consistently, branched 4-NPs activated CAR3 and CAR1 LBD more efficiently than linear 4-NP. Furthermore, in HepaRG cells, we observed that all 4-NPs upregulated CYP2B6 mRNA, a relevant hallmark for CAR activation. This is the first study to provide detailed insights into the direct interaction between individual 4-NPs and human CAR-LBD, as well as its dominant variant CAR3. The work could contribute to the safer use of individual 4-NPs in many areas of industry.

Metabolism-Disrupting Chemicals Affecting the Liver: Screening, Testing, and Molecular Pathway Identification.

The liver is the central metabolic organ of the body. The plethora of anabolic and catabolic pathways in the liver is tightly regulated by physiological signaling but may become imbalanced as a consequence of malnutrition or exposure to certain chemicals, so-called metabolic endocrine disrupters, or metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs). Among different metabolism-related diseases, obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) constitute a growing health problem, which has been associated with a western lifestyle combining excessive caloric intake and reduced physical activity. In the past years, awareness of chemical exposure as an underlying cause of metabolic endocrine effects has continuously increased. Within this review, we have collected and summarized evidence that certain environmental MDCs are capable of contributing to metabolic diseases such as liver steatosis and cholestasis by different molecular mechanisms, thereby contributing to the metabolic syndrome. Despite the high relevance of metabolism-related diseases, standardized mechanistic assays for the identification and characterization of MDCs are missing. Therefore, the current state of candidate test systems to identify MDCs is presented, and their possible implementation into a testing strategy for MDCs is discussed.

EGF and BMPs Govern Differentiation and Patterning in Human Gastric Glands.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The homeostasis of the gastrointestinal epithelium relies on cell regeneration and differentiation into distinct lineages organized inside glands and crypts. Regeneration depends on Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activation, but to understand homeostasis and its dysregulation in disease, we need to identify the signaling microenvironment governing cell differentiation. By using gastric glands as a model, we have identified the signals inducing differentiation of surface mucus-, zymogen-, and gastric acid-producing cells. METHODS: We generated mucosoid cultures from the human stomach and exposed them to different growth factors to obtain cells with features of differentiated foveolar, chief, and parietal cells. We localized the source of the growth factors in the tissue of origin. RESULTS: We show that epidermal growth factor is the major fate determinant distinguishing the surface and inner part of human gastric glands. In combination with bone morphogenetic factor/Noggin signals, epidermal growth factor controls the differentiation of foveolar cells vs parietal or chief cells. We also show that epidermal growth factor is likely to underlie alteration of the gastric mucosa in the precancerous condition atrophic gastritis. CONCLUSIONS: Use of our recently established mucosoid cultures in combination with analysis of the tissue of origin provided a robust strategy to understand differentiation and patterning of human tissue and allowed us to draw a new, detailed map of the signaling microenvironment in the human gastric glands.

Adverse outcome pathway-based analysis of liver steatosis in vitro using human liver cell lines.

Here, we present an in vitro test battery to analyze chemicals for their potential to induce liver triglyceride accumulation, a hallmark of liver steatosis. We describe steps for using HepG2 and HepaRG human hepatoma cells in conjunction with a combination of several in vitro assays covering the different molecular initiating events and key events of the respective adverse outcome pathway. This protocol is suitable for assessing single substance effects as well as mixtures allowing their classification as steatotic or non-steatotic. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Luckert et al. (2018),1 Lichtenstein et al. (2020),2 and Knebel et al. (2019).3.

DNA methylation in human gastric epithelial cells defines regional identity without restricting lineage plasticity.

BACKGROUND: Epigenetic modifications in mammalian DNA are commonly manifested by DNA methylation. In the stomach, altered DNA methylation patterns have been observed following chronic Helicobacter pylori infections and in gastric cancer. In the context of epigenetic regulation, the regional nature of the stomach has been rarely considered in detail. RESULTS: Here, we establish gastric mucosa derived primary cell cultures as a reliable source of native human epithelium. We describe the DNA methylation landscape across the phenotypically different regions of the healthy human stomach, i.e., antrum, corpus, fundus together with the corresponding transcriptomes. We show that stable regional DNA methylation differences translate to a limited extent into regulation of the transcriptomic phenotype, indicating a largely permissive epigenetic regulation. We identify a small number of transcription factors with novel region-specific activity and likely epigenetic impact in the stomach, including GATA4, IRX5, IRX2, PDX1 and CDX2. Detailed analysis of the Wnt pathway reveals differential regulation along the craniocaudal axis, which involves non-canonical Wnt signaling in determining cell fate in the proximal stomach. By extending our analysis to pre-neoplastic lesions and gastric cancers, we conclude that epigenetic dysregulation characterizes intestinal metaplasia as a founding basis for functional changes in gastric cancer. We present insights into the dynamics of DNA methylation across anatomical regions of the healthy stomach and patterns of its change in disease. Finally, our study provides a well-defined resource of regional stomach transcription and epigenetics.

Comparing TIMP-1 and Hsp70 in Blood and Saliva as Potential Prognostic Markers in HNSCC.

(1) Background: Currently, there is no clinically used liquid biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients. One reason could be the limited shedding of tumor material in early disease stages. Molecular diagnostics assessing both blood and especially saliva could potentially improve the accuracy of biomarkers. In this prospective study, two markers, tissue inhibitor of metalloprotease-1 (TIMP-1) and heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), were analyzed in HNSCC patients. The purpose of the study was to evaluate differences between saliva and serum as sample material. Further, their prognostic and predictive value and usefulness for early detection was assessed. (2) Methods: A total of 73 HNSCC patients were prospectively monitored by collecting blood and saliva before, during, and after therapy, as well as in the follow-up period between 2018 and 2021. In total, 212 serum and 194 saliva samples were collected. A control group consisting of 40 subjects (15 patients with local infections in the head and neck area and 25 without infections) were examined as well. The collected samples were evaluated for the two proteins by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). (3) RESULTS: The TIMP-1 concentration correlated significantly in blood and saliva, whereas the Hsp70 concentration did not. Saliva TIMP-1 was significantly higher in tumor patients compared to the control group (p = 0.013). High pretreatment TIMP-1 saliva levels were associated with significantly poorer disease-free survival (DFS) (p = 0.02). A high saliva TIMP-1/Hsp70 ratio was significantly associated with poorer DFS (HR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.04-1.88; p = 0.026) and a high TIMP-1 serum concentration was significantly associated with poorer PFS (HR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2, 2.8; p = 0.003) and poorer overall survival (OS) (HR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.4, 5.9; p = 0.003) in the Cox proportional hazards model. The saliva TIMP-1 to Hsp70 ratio was significantly higher at the time of recurrence (p = 0.015). Conclusion: TIMP-1 in serum is a promising prognostic marker for HNSCC. Saliva TIMP-1 and the saliva TIMP-1 to Hsp70 ratio provides additional information on the disease-free survival.

Chronic Chlamydia infection in human organoids increases stemness and promotes age-dependent CpG methylation.

Chronic infections of the fallopian tubes with Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) cause scarring and can lead to infertility. Here we use human fallopian tube organoids and genital Ctr serovars D, K and E for long-term in vitro analysis. The epithelial monolayer responds with active expulsion of the bacteria into the lumen and with compensatory cellular proliferation-demonstrating a role of epithelial homeostasis in the defense against this pathogen. In addition, Ctr infection activates LIF signaling, which we find to be an essential regulator of stemness in the organoids. Infected organoids exhibit a less differentiated phenotype with higher stemness potential, as confirmed by increased organoid forming efficiency. Moreover, Ctr increases hypermethylation of DNA, which is an indicator of accelerated molecular aging. Thus, the chronic organoid infection model suggests that Ctr has a long-term impact on the epithelium. These heritable changes might be a contributing factor in the development of tubal pathologies, including the initiation of high grade serous ovarian cancer.

Primary tumor-associated expression of CXCR4 predicts formation of local and systemic recurrency in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Despite modern treatment regimens, overall survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) is less than 50% due to local and systemic disease recurrency. The current study aims to identify molecular markers in primary tumor specimens that predict the risk for local and systemic recurrency at the time of initial diagnosis. METHODS: The study included clinic-pathological data of 1,057 HNSCC. MMP2/9, TIMP1/2, CXCR4, and CXCL12 immunohistochemistry was done in 150 randomly selected specimens. For statistics, we employed Chi square, Fisher exact, and Student's t-test. Overall survival (OS) was calculated by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test. Prognostic variables were subsequently evaluated by Cox regression for forward selection. RESULTS: CXCR4 positive specimens demonstrated a significant increased risk for tumor recurrency associated death (rT: HR 10.07; p=0.001 / rN: HR 5.04; p=0.013 / rM: HR 2.49; p=0.029) when compared with their unaltered counterparts. Expression of MMP9, TIMP2, CXCR4, and CXCL12 was significantly increased in distant metastasized patients (p<0.0001) and showed significant cross-correlation. In addition, CXCR4 positivity was associated with an increased risk to die due to enhanced T or N status (T1/2 vs. T3/4: HR 5.78; p=0.017; N0 vs. N+: HR 5.18; p=0.033). CONCLUSION: CXCR4 positivity in tumor samples at initial diagnosis were associated with reduced overall survival, in particular with respect to increasing T/N status, local and systemic recurrency.

Potential impact of human papilloma virus on survival of basaloid squamous carcinoma of the head and neck.

OBJECTIVES: Basaloid-squamous-carcinomas (BSCC) have been considered as aggressive variants of common squamous-cell-carcinomas (HNSCC). Recent studies demonstrated a different clinical course depending on the tumour site. The aim of the study is to analyze the histopathologic/clinical features of BSCC/HNSCC resolved by the HPV-status. METHODS: We analysed the histopathologic/clinical features of BSCC (n=59) and HNSCC (n=981), subdivided due to the HPV status. Differences were analysed using Chi square, Fisher exact, and student's t-test. Survival rates were calculated by Kaplan-Meier and log-rank test. Prognostic variables were subsequently evaluated by Cox regression. RESULTS: Our cohort was congruent with the literature regarding sex, age, metastases, and a predilection in the oropharynx. HNSCC/BSCC did not show a different disease-specific-survival. After UICC matching, univariate analysis revealed a better survival of UICC stage IVa BSCC compared to HNSCC (69% vs. 42%, p=0.022) that was associated with a better response to radio-chemotherapy (p = 0.009). These results referred to the high prevalence of HPV+ (86%) oropharyngeal BSCC. Subgroup analysis demonstrated a better survival of HPV+ oropharyngeal BSCC than HPV- BSCC (p=0.017). CONCLUSION: The clinical outcome in BSCC depends on the tumour site and HPV-status. Prospective studies have to evaluate the beneficial application of postoperative radio-chemotherapy in HPV+ BSCC.