Challenges of in situ hybridization in miRNA analysis of triple-negative breast cancer morphological diversity.

miRNA expression in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) has mainly been studied from a methodological viewpoint. However, it has not been considered that miRNA expression profile may be associated with a specific morphological entity inside every tumor. The verification of this hypothesis on a set of 25 TNBCs was the subject of our previous work, where we confirmed specific expression of the studied miRNAs in 82 samples of different morphologies including inflammatory infiltrate, spindle cell, clear cell, and metastases after RNA extraction and purification as well as microchip and biostatistical analysis. In the current work, we demonstrate a low suitability of in situ hybridization method for miRNA detection compared to RT-qPCR, and in detail discuss the biological role of 8 miRNAs with the most significant changes of expression.

Complex Alterations of Fatty Acid Metabolism and Phospholipidome Uncovered in Isolated Colon Cancer Epithelial Cells.

The development of colon cancer, one of the most common malignancies, is accompanied with numerous lipid alterations. However, analyses of whole tumor samples may not always provide an accurate description of specific changes occurring directly in tumor epithelial cells. Here, we analyzed in detail the phospholipid (PL), lysophospholipid (lysoPL), and fatty acid (FA) profiles of purified EpCAM+ cells, isolated from tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues of colon cancer patients. We found that a number of FAs increased significantly in isolated tumor cells, which also included a number of long polyunsaturated FAs. Higher levels of FAs were associated with increased expression of FA synthesis genes, as well as with altered expression of enzymes involved in FA elongation and desaturation, including particularly fatty acid synthase, stearoyl-CoA desaturase, fatty acid desaturase 2 and ELOVL5 fatty acid elongase 5 We identified significant changes in ratios of specific lysoPLs and corresponding PLs. A number of lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine species, containing long-chain and very-long chain FAs, often with high numbers of double bonds, were significantly upregulated in tumor cells. Increased de novo synthesis of very long-chain FAs, or, altered uptake or incorporation of these FAs into specific lysoPLs in tumor cells, may thus contribute to reprogramming of cellular phospholipidome and membrane alterations observed in colon cancer.

Frequency of chromosome 17 polysomy in relation to CEP17 copy number in a large breast cancer cohort.

Eligibility to anti-HER2 therapy for breast tumors strictly depends on demonstrating HER2 overexpression (by immunohistochemistry) or HER2 gene amplification by in situ hybridization (ISH), usually defined by the ratio of HER2 gene to chromosome 17 centromere (CEP17) copies. However, the CEP17 copy number increase (CNI) has been proven responsible for misleading HER2 FISH results and recent small cohort studies suggest that chromosome 17 polysomy is actually very rare. Here we investigated by FISH the frequency of true chromosome 17 polysomy in a consecutive cohort of 5,477 invasive breast cancer patients. We evaluated and selected the LSI 17p11.2 probe for chromosome 17 enumeration on a training cohort of 67 breast cancer samples (CEP17 ≥ 2.5). LSI 17p11.2 was used in the 297/5,477 patients from the validation cohort displaying CEP17 CNI (CEP17 ≥ 3.0). Using HER2/17p11.2 scoring criteria, 37.3%/1.5% patients initially classified as equivocal/non-amplified were reclassified as amplified. For a more accurate assessment of chromosome 17 and ploidy in the samples, we tested six markers located on chromosome 17 and centromeric regions of chromosome 8 (CEP8) and 11 (CEP11) in 67 patients with CEP17 and LSI 17p11.2 CNI. True polysomy (hyperdiploidy) according to these markers was found in 0.48% of cases (24/5,020). CEP8 and CEP11 CNI (≥3.0) was more frequent in the hyperdiploid than CEP17 non-polysomic group (55.6% vs. 6.1% and 25% vs. 2.3%, respectively). Our results suggest that chromosome 17 polysomy is a rare event found in <1% breast cancer cases and that polysomy of other chromosomes frequently occurs with chromosome 17 polysomy.

BCL2 is an independent predictor of outcome in basal-like triple-negative breast cancers treated with adjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Neither targeted therapies nor predictors for chemotherapy sensitivity are available for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Our study included 187 patients with TNBC, 164 of whom were treated with anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Eleven molecular biomarkers were analyzed. BCL2, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), MYC, TOP2A, and Ki-67 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The status of the EGFR, MYC, and TOP2A genes and chromosomes 7, 8, and 17 was assessed using fluorescence in situ hybridization. High BCL2 expression predicted poor relapse-free survival (RFS) in patients treated with anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.035), poor breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) (p = 0.048), and a trend to poor overall survival (OS) (p = 0.085). High levels of BCL2 expression predicted poor OS in basal-like (BL) TNBC patients treated with adjuvant anthracycline-based regimens (log-rank p = 0.033, hazard ratio (HR) 3.04, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.04-8.91) and a trend to poor RFS (log-rank p = 0.079) and poor BCSS (log-rank p = 0.056). Multivariate analysis showed that BCL2 status, tumor size, and nodal status all had independent predictive significance for RFS (p = 0.005, p = 0.091, p = 0.003, respectively; likelihood ratio test for the whole model, p = 0.003), BCSS (p = 0.012, p = 0.077, p = 0.01, respectively; likelihood ratio test for the whole model, p = 0.016), and OS (p = 0.008, p = 0.004, p = 0.004, respectively; likelihood ratio test for the whole model, p = 0.0006). Similarly, multivariate analysis for BL TNBC showed BCL2, tumor size, and nodal status all had independent predictive significance for RFS (likelihood ratio test for the whole model, p = 0.00125), BCSS (p = 0.00035), and OS (p = 0.00063). High EGFR expression was associated with poor BCSS (p = 0.039) in patients treated with anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients who underwent anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy and exhibited CMYC amplification had a trend to worse BCSS (p = 0.066). In conclusion, high BCL2 expression is a significant independent predictor of poor outcome in TNBC patients treated with anthracycline-based adjuvant chemotherapy, and this is the first study showing the BCL2 prediction in BL TNBC. BCL2 expression analysis could facilitate decision making on adjuvant treatment in TNBC patients.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) of the lung in an adult woman.

Primary primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) are extremely rare in the lung and especially in adult women. We describe a case of PNET of the lung with aggressive behavior in 31-year-old woman. Diagnosis was based on histopathological and immunohistochemical studies, and confirmed by molecular genetic analysis of chromosome rearrangements in the EWSR1 gene region. Clinical follow-up, post-mortem findings, and differential diagnosis are also discussed.

Global DNA methylation and increased DNMT3A expression in multiple myeloma patients.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to compare the expression profile of selected DNA methyltransferases and global DNA methylation status in patients with different phases of multiple myeloma (MM) . For the analysis, different cellular populations including unsorted myeloma cells and a set of plasma cells purified by relevant antibodies were used. Consequently, laboratory data were compared to patients' clinical data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For the analysis, unsorted bone marrow cell population of 44 MM patients (30 newly diagnosed, 9 relapsed and 5 patients in remission) and a set of 8 patients' samples of sorted plasma cells were used. We used commercially available RNA isolated from BM of 3 healthy individuals as control samples. Expression analysis of three DNA methyltransferases - DNMT1, DNMT3A, and DNMT3B was performed by quantitative RT-PCR and the patient global DNA methylation profiles were detected by colorimetric assay. RESULTS: Unchanged DNMT1 expression was detected in the selected cohort of patients. Normalized DNMT3A gene expression was globally higher in comparison with controls in unsorted and sorted cell populations. Low (0.08-1.81%) global DNA methylation status in unsorted samples of multiple myeloma patients did not correlate either with expression profiles of monitored DNA methyltransferases or with the stages of MM based on Durie-Salmon and International Staging System. CONCLUSION: This is the first comparative study between DNA methyltransferases expression profiles and global DNA methylation status in different phases of multiple myeloma patients. No significant correlation between the level of global methylation and the clinical stage of the unsorted cell population of patients with multiple myeloma was registered. Overexpression of the DNMT3A gene occurred in both sorted and unsorted cell populations of patients with multiple myeloma. This fact highlights the DNMT3A as a potential marker of multiple myeloma tumor progression. Moreover, we demonstrated comparable results in the expression of DNA methyltransferases in both sorted and unsorted cell populations. This is a promising result from the methodical point of view because when compared to samples of unsorted multiple myeloma cells, samples of sorted cells bring reduction of the number of possible analyses performed.

Microbiota Diversity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Gut and Mouth Cavity Microbiota Diversity in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients.

Lung malignancies have a substantial impact on cancer incidence and mortality worldwide. Even though many factors involved in the development of the disease are known, many questions remain unanswered. Previous studies suggest that the intestinal microbiota may have a role in developing malignant diseases. According to some findings, the microbiota has proven to be a key modulator of carcinogenic processes and the immune response against cancer cells, potentially influencing the effectiveness of immunotherapy. In our study, we characterized culturable microorganisms associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that can be recovered from rectal swabs and mouthwash. In addition, we also explored differences in the culturable microbiota with two main types of NSCLC - adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). With 141 patients included in the study (86 ADC and 55 SCC cases), a significant difference was observed between the two types in seven bacterial species (Collinsella, Corynebacterium, Klebsiella, Lactobacillus, Neisseria, Rothia, and Streptococcus), including the site of origin. The relationship between microbial dysbiosis and lung cancer is poorly understood; future research could shed light on the links between gut microbiota and lung cancer development.

Gorlin-Goltz syndrome with familial manifestation.

AIMS: The detection of odontogenic keratocysts (OKC) in the oral cavity is one of the main criteria for the clinical manifestation of Gorlin-Goltz syndrome (Nevoid Basal Cell Carcinoma Syndrome - NBCCS). From a clinical point of view, we distinguish between "syndromic" and "sporadic" OKC. Syndromic cysts, often multifocal, may be an accidental finding on X-ray examination. They can manifest gradually depending on the development of permanent dentition. Sporadic cysts are rather solitary lesions with clinical manifestation in adulthood. METHODS: Mutations in the PTCH1 gene are thought to be the cause of the clinical manifestation of NBCCS. These abnormalities can be transmitted from one generation to another and lead to a familial occurrence of the disease. In 35-50% of cases, these are a newly arising mutations. It is necessary to take into account the typical manifestations which in the next generation begin at a younger age and the disease usually has a more serious course. RESULTS: We found a familial manifestation of NBCCS in two pairs of patients (mother and daughter and two siblings). Odontogenic keratocysts and cutaneous basal cell carcinomas were diagnosed and genetic testing revealed mutations in the PTCH 1 gene in all four individuals. CONCLUSIONS: With regard to the possibility of familial occurrence of NBCCS, it is necessary to pay increased attention to family history and, if necessary, to ensure clinical and genetic examination of parents and other family members. Patients of childbearing potential with evidence of NBCCS should be informed of the increased likelihood of the disease in the offspring.

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition and microRNA expression are associated with spindle and apocrine cell morphology in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are a morphologically and genetically heterogeneous group of breast cancers with uncertain prediction of biological behavior and response to therapy. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a dynamic process characterized by loss of typical epithelial phenotype and acquisition of mesenchymal characteristics. Aberrant activation of EMT can aggravate the prognosis of patients with cancer, however, the mechanisms of EMT and role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in EMT activation is still unclear. The aim of our study was to analyze miRNA expression within areas of TNBCs with cellular morphology that may be related to the EMT process and discuss possible associations. Out of all 3953 re-examined breast cancers, 460 breast cancers were diagnosed as TNBC (11.64%). With regard to complete tumor morphology preservation, the tissue samples obtained from core-cut biopsies and influenced by previous neoadjuvant therapy were excluded. We assembled a set of selected 25 cases to determine miRNA expression levels in relation to present focal spindle cell and apocrine cell morphology within individual TNBCs. We used descriptive (histological typing and morphology), morphometric, molecular (microdissection of tumor and non-tumor morphologies, RNA isolation and purification, microchip analysis) and bioinformatic analysis (including pathway analysis). The results were verified by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) on an extended set of 70 TNBCs. The majority of TNBCs were represented by high-grade invasive carcinomas of no special type (NST) with medullary features characterized by well-circumscribed tumors with central necrosis or fibrosis and frequent tendency to spindle-cell and/or apocrine cell transformation. Apocrine and spindle cell transformation showed a specific miRNA expression profile in comparison to other tumor parts, in situ carcinoma or non-tumor structures, particularly down-regulated expression of hsa-miRNA-143-3p and hsa-miRNA-205-5p and up-regulated expression of hsa-miR-22-3p, hsa-miRNA-185-5p, and hsa-miR-4443. Apocrine cell tumor morphology further revealed decreased expression of hsa-miR-145-5p and increased expression of additional 14 miRNAs (e.g. hsa-miR-182-5p, hsa-miR-3135b and hsa-miR-4417). Pathway analysis for target genes of these miRNAs revealed several shared biological processes (i.e. Wnt signaling, ErbB signaling, MAPK signaling, endocytosis and axon guidance), which may in part contribute to the EMT and tumor progression. We provide the first miRNA expression profiling of specific tissue morphologies in TNBC. Our results demonstrate a specific miRNA expression profile of apocrine and spindle cell morphology which can exhibit a certain similarity with the EMT process and may also be relevant for prognosis and therapy resistance of TNBC.

The Percentage of Free PSA and Urinary Markers Distinguish Prostate Cancer from Benign Hyperplasia and Contribute to a More Accurate Indication for Prostate Biopsy.

The main advantage of urinary biomarkers is their noninvasive character and the ability to detect multifocal prostate cancer (CaP). We have previously implemented a quadruplex assay of urinary markers into clinical practice (PCA3, AMACR, TRPM8 and MSMB with KLK3 normalization). In this study, we aimed to validate it in a larger cohort with serum PSA 2.5-10 ng/mL and test other selected transcripts and clinical parameters, including the percentage of free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) (% free PSA) and inflammation. In the main cohort of 299 men, we tested the quadruplex transcripts. In a subset of 146 men, we analyzed additional transcripts (CD45, EPCAM, EZH2, Ki67, PA2G4, PSGR, RHOA and TBP). After a prostate massage, the urine was collected, RNA isolated from a cell sediment and qRT-PCR performed. Ct values of KLK3 (i.e., PSA) were strongly correlated with Ct values of other genes which play a role in CaP (i.e., PCA3, AMACR, TRPM8, MSMB and PSGR). AMACR, PCA3, TRPM8 and EZH2 mRNA expression, as well as % free PSA, were significantly different for BPH and CaP. The best combined model (% free PSA plus PCA3 and AMACR) achieved an AUC of 0.728 in the main cohort. In the subset of patients, the best AUC 0.753 was achieved for the combination of PCA3, % free PSA, EPCAM and PSGR. PCA3 mRNA was increased in patients with inflammation, however, this did not affect the stratification of patients indicated for prostate biopsy. In conclusion, the percentage of free PSA and urinary markers contribute to a more accurate indication for prostate biopsy.

Molecular mechanisms of plant steroids and study of their interaction with nuclear receptors in prostate cancer cells.

Plant hormone brassinosteroids (BRs) have multiple important functions in plants. They have also been found to exhibit anti-tumor, anti-angiogenic and anti-proliferative activity. The experimental part of this article describes the effects of BR biosynthetic precursors on prostate cancer cells. The experiments were performed with LNCaP and DU-145 prostate cancer cell lines. These were cultivated and treated with tested BRs in different concentrations and time intervals. The tested compounds were found to affect cell viability, nuclear receptor expression, cell cycle and apoptosis in the tumor cells. IC50 concentrations were determined based on MTT test and the two most active compounds (cathasterone and 6-oxocampestanol) were used in the next experiments. Cathasterone was the most effective of all tested compounds and effectively inhibited integrity of cell spheres. It was found that both BRs had no significant effect on the cell cycle in LNCaP at IC50 concentration, while in DU-145 a significant block in G0/G1 phase after the BR treatment was observed. The effect of BRs on the nuclear steroid receptors was manifested by changes in their expression and localization. BRs demonstrated their significant effect on prostate cancer cells and the compounds have potential used in anticancer drug research and cancer treatment.

CDKN1A Gene Expression in Two Multiple Myeloma Cell Lines With Different P53 Functionality.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Multiple myeloma is a highly heterogeneous disease of clonal plasma cells. Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors are promising anticancer drugs but their precise mechanisms of actions are not well understood. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cell-cycle regulation and pro-apoptotic effects of two histone deacetylase inhibitors, suberohydroxamic acid (SAHA) and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SBHA), were analyzed in multiple myeloma cell lines RPMI8226 and U266 with differing TP53 status using gene-expression analysis. RESULTS: Enhanced expression of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A/p21WAF/CIP1) detected in the TP53-deleted U266 cell line after SAHA treatment indicates the P53-independent mode of transcriptional activation of CDKN1A gene. In contrast, CDKN1A gene expression was significantly increased by both SBHA and SAHA treatment of TP53-mutated RPMI8226 cells. CONCLUSION: SAHA appears to be a potentially effective pro-apoptotic and anticancer drug with universal application in the treatment of heterogeneous populations of multiple myeloma cells.

Prognostic value of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and their association with PD-L1 expression and DNA repair protein RAD51 in patients with resected non-small cell lung carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: DNA repair proteins have emerged as potential predictors for immunotherapy response alongside PD-L1 expression, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and tumor mutational burden. We analyzed expression of PD-L1, TILs count and expression of the homologous recombination (HR) protein RAD51, as potential prognostic factors in patients with resected non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Discovery set included 96 NSCLC patients from the University Hospital Olomouc (Czech Republic) and a replication set included 1109 NSCLC patients from University Hospital Zurich (Switzerland). Tissue microarrays (TMAs) were stained using the automated staining platform Ventana Benchmark Ultra with antibodies against RAD51,CD3, CD8, CD68 and PD-L1. RESULTS: Loss of nuclear RAD51 protein was associated with high TILs (r=-0.25, p = 0.01) and PD-L1 status (10.6 vs. 2.4 %, p = 0.012) in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemo-/radiotherapy (CT/RT). In silico analysis from the TCGA data set showed a negative relationship between RAD51 mRNA expression and CD45 (r = ‒0.422, p < 0.0001), CD68 (r = ‒0.326, p < 0.001), CD3 (r = ‒0.266, p < 0.001) and CD8 (r = ‒0.102, p < 0.001). RAD51 low/PD-L1 high patients were clustered as separate entity in the replication set and in TCGA dataset. High TILs status was significantly associated with improved OS in the replication set (unadjusted HR = 0.57, 95 % CI 0.42-0.76, p < 0.001). Similar results have been seen for CD3, CD8 and CD68. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, RAD51 nuclear loss is weakly associated with increased TILs and high PD-L1 at the time of surgery in curatively resected NSCLC and after prior exposure to neoadjuvant chemo- or radiotherapy. Both high TILs and RAD51 nuclear loss were confirmed as independent prognostic factors in curatively resected NSCLC.

Phospholipid profiling enables to discriminate tumor- and non-tumor-derived human colon epithelial cells: Phospholipidome similarities and differences in colon cancer cell lines and in patient-derived cell samples.

Identification of changes of phospholipid (PL) composition occurring during colorectal cancer (CRC) development may help us to better understand their roles in CRC cells. Here, we used LC-MS/MS-based PL profiling of cell lines derived from normal colon mucosa, or isolated at distinct stages of CRC development, in order to study alterations of PL species potentially linked with cell transformation. We found that a detailed evaluation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylserine (PS) classes allowed us to cluster the studied epithelial cell lines according to their origin: i) cells originally derived from normal colon tissue (NCM460, FHC); ii) cell lines derived from colon adenoma or less advanced differentiating adenocarcinoma cells (AA/C1, HT-29); or, iii) cells obtained by in vitro transformation of adenoma cells and advanced colon adenocarcinoma cells (HCT-116, AA/C1/SB10, SW480, SW620). Although we tentatively identified several PS and PI species contributing to cell line clustering, full PI and PS profiles appeared to be a key to the successful cell line discrimination. In parallel, we compared PL composition of primary epithelial (EpCAM-positive) cells, isolated from tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues of colon cancer patients, with PL profiles of cell lines derived from normal colon mucosa (NCM460) and from colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116, SW480) cells, respectively. In general, higher total levels of all PL classes were observed in tumor cells. The overall PL profiles of the cell lines, when compared with the respective patient-derived cells, exhibited similarities. Nevertheless, there were also some notable differences in levels of individual PL species. This indicated that epithelial cell lines, derived either from normal colon tissue or from CRC cells, could be employed as models for functional lipidomic analyses of colon cells, albeit with some caution. The biological significance of the observed PL deregulation, or their potential links with specific CRC stages, deserve further investigation.

Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes/Plasmocytes in Chemotherapeutically Non-Influenced Triple-Negative Breast Cancers - Correlation with Morphological and Clinico-Pathological Parameters.

BACKGROUND: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are considered a morphologically heterogeneous group of breast carcinomas characterized by the absence or low protein expression of hormone receptors and HER2/neu/ERBB2 with a specific biological behavior and therapeutic response. This study aimed to evaluate correlations of the density of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes/plasmocytes (TILs) in the tumor parenchyma, stroma, and invasive margins with tumor morphology, the proliferation rate, Bcl-2 expression, and selected clinical and pathological parameters in early breast cancer patients prior to mastectomy who had not received initial chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of 3,544 breast cancer patients investigated in our department between 2007 and 2017 were re-examined. In total, 413 (11.65%) patients were diagnosed with TNBC. Only 61 cases did not undergo neoadjuvant therapy prior to mastectomy. Correlations between the density of TILs and tumor morphology, Bcl-2 expression, proliferative activity measured by Ki-67, patient age at diagnosis, tumor grade, and metastases were investigated. RESULTS: The samples were predominantly relatively well-localized invasive carcinomas of no special type with medullary features (80.32%) that measured on average 13.4mm (range 5-20mm, median 15mm) and exhibited central necrosis or fibrosis, a tendency to undergo spindle cell and/or apocrine-like differentiation, and intensive infiltration of TILs. There were significant positive correlations between TILs and premenopausal status (p=0.003), Ki-67 expression (p=0.015), and tumor grade (p=0.002), a marginal positive correlation between TILs and tumor size (p=0.065), and a significant negative correlation between TILs and Bcl-2 expression (p=0.035). In younger patients (< 50 years) with tumor size less than or equal to 20 mm (pT1a-pT1c) we recorded a lower number of women with metastatic lymph node involvement (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: The density and location of TILs in non-therapeutically influenced TNBCs, evaluated in the context of morphological changes and other clinicopathological parameters, may have prognostic significance and assist effective therapy planning.

The stem cell marker CD133 (Prominin-1) is expressed in various human glandular epithelia.

Human prominin-1 (CD133) is expressed by various stem and progenitor cells originating from diverse sources. In addition to stem cells, its mouse ortholog is expressed in a broad range of adult epithelial cells, where it is selectively concentrated in their apical domain. The lack of detection of prominin-1 in adult human epithelia might be explained, at least in part, by the specificity of the widely used AC133 antibody, which recognizes an epitope that seems dependent on glycosylation. Here we decided to re-examine its expression in adult human tissues, particularly in glandular epithelia, using a novel monoclonal antibody (80B258) generated against the human prominin-1 polypeptide. In examined tissues, we observed 80B258 immunoreactivity at the apical or apicolateral membranes of polarized cells. For instance, we found expression in secretory serous and mucous cells as well as intercalated ducts of the large salivary and lacrimal glands. In sweat glands including the gland of Moll, 80B258 immunoreactivity was found in the secretory (eccrine and apocrine glands) and duct (eccrine glands) portion. In the liver, 80B258 immunoreactivity was identified in the canals of Hering, bile ductules, and small interlobular bile ducts. In the uterus, we detected 80B258 immunoreactivity in endometrial and cervical glands. Together these data show that the overall expression of human prominin-1 is beyond the rare primitive cells, and it seems to be a general marker of apical or apicolateral membrane of glandular epithelia. This manuscript contains online supplemental material at http://www.jhc.org. Please visit this article online to view these materials.

Prognostic value of Bmi-1 oncoprotein expression in NSCLC patients: a tissue microarray study.

PURPOSE: Bmi-1 is a Polycomb group member which participates in many physiological processes as well as in a wide spectrum of cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate Bmi-1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in respect to clinicopathological features and therapeutic outcomes. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining for Bmi-1 was performed on tissue microarrays (TMAs) constructed from 179 formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded NSCLC samples (106 squamous, 58 adeno-, and 15 large cell carcinomas). Data were subject to statistical analysis by SPSS. RESULTS: Overall evaluation of all tumor cases showed that 20 (11.43%) were negative, 37 (21.14%) showed weak, 65 (37.14%) moderate and 57 (32.57%) strong nuclear positivity for Bmi-1. Statistical analysis of our data revealed that the expression of Bmi-1 was significantly higher in stage III (P = 10(-6)) and stage IV (P = 10(-5)) tumors compared to stages I and II tumors. The administration of adjuvant chemotherapy significantly increased DFS at stage I and II patients who did not express Bmi-1 when compared to their Bmi-1 positive counterparts (P = 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that Bmi-1 is significantly associated with progression of NSCLC and might serve as a prognostic marker of adverse disease outcome.

Anticancer and antiproliferative activity of natural brassinosteroids.

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroid plant hormones that are essential for many plant growth and developmental processes, including cell expansion, vascular differentiation and stress responses. Up to now the inhibitory effects of BRs on cell division of mammalian cells are unknown. To determine basic anticancer structure-activity relationships of natural BRs on human cells, several normal and cancer cell lines have been used. Several of the tested BRs were found to have high cytotoxic activity. Therefore, in our next series of experiments, we tested the effects of the most promising and readily available BR analogues with interesting anticancer properties, 28-homocastasterone (1) and 24-epibrassinolide (2), on the viability, proliferation, and cycling of hormone-sensitive/insensitive (MCF-7/MDA-MB-468) breast and (LNCaP/DU-145) prostate cancer cell lines to determine whether the discovered cytotoxic activity of BRs could be, at least partially, related to brassinosteroid-nuclear receptor interactions. Both BRs inhibited cell growth in a dose-dependent manner in the cancer cell lines. Flow cytometry analysis showed that BR treatment arrested MCF-7, MDA-MB-468 and LNCaP cells in G(1) phase of the cell cycle and induced apoptosis in MDA-MB-468, LNCaP, and slightly in the DU-145 cells. Our results provide the first evidence that natural BRs can inhibit the growth, at micromolar concentrations, of several human cancer cell lines without affecting the growth of normal cells. Therefore, these plant hormones are promising leads for potential anticancer drugs.

Expression of intermediate filament nestin in blood vessels of neural and non-neural tissues.

Our previous findings performed in rat tissues demonstrated that intermediate filament nestin is expressed in endothelial cells of newly formed blood vessels of developing organs and neural transplants. The aim of the present study was to identify other cellular markers expressed in nestin-positive (nestin+) blood vessels. To reach this goal we performed double immunofluorescent study to co-localize nestin with endothelium-specific markers (CD31, CD34 II, vimentin) or markers of perivascular cells (GFAP, SMA) in paraffin-embedded sections of normal human brain tissue, low- and high-grade gliomas, postinfarcted heart and samples of non-neural tumours. Our findings documented that all the samples examined contained blood vessels with different ratio of nestin+ endothelial cells. Double immunostaining provided unambiguous evidence that endothelial cells expressed nestin and allowed them to distinguish from other nestin+ elements (perivascular astrocytic endfeet, undifferentiated tumour cells, smooth muscle cells and pericytes). Nestin+ endothelium was not confined only to newly formed capillaries but was also observed in blood vessels of larger calibres, frequently in arterioles and venules. We conclude that nestin represents a reliable vascular marker that is expressed in endothelial cells. Elevation of nestin expression likely corresponds to reorganization of intermediate filament network in the cytoskeleton of endothelial cells in the course of their maturation or adaptation to changes in growing tissues.

The novel brassinosteroid analog BR4848 inhibits angiogenesis in human endothelial cells and induces apoptosis in human cancer cells in vitro.

We report the synthesis and detailed biological study of the synthetic brassinosteroid analog 2α,3α-dihydroxy-6-oxo-5α-androstan-17ß-yl N-(tert-butoxycarbonyl)-D,L-valinate (BR4848). The panel of cancer cell lines was used for characterization of its antiproliferative activity, yet had no adverse effects in normal human fibroblasts. In HeLa cells, BR4848-induced apoptosis was accompanied by increase of apoptotic subG1 cells, PARP-1 and caspase-7 fragmentation, downregulation of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, an increase in caspase activity and G2/M phase cell cycle arrest. Antiproliferative properties of BR4848 were exhibited by inhibition of phosphorylation of Akt, Erk1/2 and FAK. Furthermore, the developed analog exhibited in vitro antiangiogenic activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). BR4848-induced apoptosis accompanied with G2/M arrest was detected in endothelial cells. BR4848 also inhibited adhesion, tube formation and migration of endothelial cells by inhibition of FAK, Erk 1/2, CDK5, VEGFR2, TNFα-stimulated production of IL-6, angiopoietin-2 and Jagged1. Finally, BR4848 did not modulate the activity nor nuclear translocation of any of the steroid receptors (ERα, ERß, AR, MR and PR) included in reporter cell-based assays, which excludes the genomic activity of steroid receptors as a contributing factor to the observed biological activities of BR4848.