Gene expression signature discriminates sporadic from post-radiotherapy-induced thyroid tumors.

Both external and internal exposure to ionizing radiation are strong risk factors for the development of thyroid tumors. Until now, the diagnosis of radiation-induced thyroid tumors has been deduced from a network of arguments taken together with the individual history of radiation exposure. Neither the histological features nor the genetic alterations observed in these tumors have been shown to be specific fingerprints of an exposure to radiation. The aim of our work is to define ionizing radiation-related molecular specificities in a series of secondary thyroid tumors developed in the radiation field of patients treated by radiotherapy. To identify molecular markers that could represent a radiation-induction signature, we compared 25K microarray transcriptome profiles of a learning set of 28 thyroid tumors, which comprised 14 follicular thyroid adenomas (FTA) and 14 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), either sporadic or consecutive to external radiotherapy in childhood. We identified a signature composed of 322 genes which discriminates radiation-induced tumors (FTA and PTC) from their sporadic counterparts. The robustness of this signature was further confirmed by blind case-by-case classification of an independent set of 29 tumors (16 FTA and 13 PTC). After the histology code break by the clinicians, 26/29 tumors were well classified regarding tumor etiology, 1 was undetermined, and 2 were misclassified. Our results help shed light on radiation-induced thyroid carcinogenesis, since specific molecular pathways are deregulated in radiation-induced tumors.

Inactivation by oxidation and recruitment into stress granules of hOGG1 but not APE1 in human cells exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of cadmium.

The induction of mutations in mammalian cells exposed to cadmium has been associated with the oxidative stress triggered by the metal. There is increasing evidence that the mutagenic potential of Cd is not restricted to the induction of DNA lesions. Cd has been shown to inactivate several DNA repair enzymes. Here we show that exposure of human cells to sub-lethal concentrations of Cd leads to a time- and concentration-dependent decrease in hOGG1 activity, the major DNA glycosylase activity responsible for the initiation of the base excision repair (BER) of 8-oxoguanine, an abundant and mutagenic form of oxidized guanine. Although there is a slight effect on the level of hOGG1 transcripts, we show that the inhibition of the 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase activity is mainly associated with an oxidation of the hOGG1 protein and its disappearance from the soluble fraction of total cell extracts. Confocal microscopy analyses show that in cells exposed to Cd hOGG1-GFP is recruited to discrete structures in the cytoplasm. These structures were identified as stress granules. Removal of Cd from the medium allows the recovery of the DNA glycosylase activity and the presence of hOGG1 in a soluble form. In contrast to hOGG1, we show here that exposure to Cd does not affect the activity of the second enzyme of the pathway, the major AP endonuclease APE1.

Are adenosquamous lung carcinomas a simple mix of adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas, or more complex at the molecular level?

Adenocarcinomas (AC), squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and adenosquamous carcinomas (ASC) are three histological subtypes of non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). ASC are morphologically mixed tumours that contain the two cell components AC and SCC. To understand if they are a "simple" mix of AC and SCC or if they present molecular specificities, as compared with the molecular characterization of both components, we performed a comparative transcriptome analysis on a series of nine ASC, five AC and five SCC induced in rats by radon exposure. We found that 72, 40 and 39 genes were differentially expressed when comparing AC_SCC, ASC_SCC and AC_ASC, respectively. Moreover, when classifying the three histological subtypes, using genes that discriminated AC and SCC, we observed that all ASC were classified as intermediate between the AC and SCC, some being closer to AC, others to SCC. These results indicated that, regarding gene expression, ASC could be considered as a mix of AC and SCC, both in various proportions. However, they also exhibit molecular specificities since we found specific genes discriminating ASC_SCC and AC_ASC. In conclusion, the ASC mixed lung tumours are more complex than simple mixes of AC and SCC components. Neuroendocrine differentiation and ERK proliferation pathways seemed preferentially deregulated in ASC compared to AC and SCC respectively, pathways that are worthy of being explored because they could partially explain the high clinical aggressiveness of ASC.

Death receptor pathways mediate targeted and non-targeted effects of ionizing radiations in breast cancer cells.

Delayed cell death by mitotic catastrophe is a frequent mode of solid tumor cell death after gamma-irradiation, a widely used treatment of cancer. Whereas the mechanisms that underlie the early gamma-irradiation-induced cell death are well documented, those that drive the delayed cell death are largely unknown. Here we show that the Fas, tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha death receptor pathways mediate the delayed cell death observed after gamma-irradiation of breast cancer cells. Early after irradiation, we observe the increased expression of Fas, TRAIL-R and TNF-R that first sensitizes cells to apoptosis. Later, the increased expression of FasL, TRAIL and TNF-alpha permit the apoptosis engagement linked to mitotic catastrophe. Treatments with TNF-alpha, TRAIL or anti-Fas antibody, early after radiation exposure, induce apoptosis, whereas the neutralization of the three death receptors pathways impairs the delayed cell death. We also show for the first time that irradiated breast cancer cells excrete soluble forms of the three ligands that can induce the death of sensitive bystander cells. Overall, these results define the molecular basis of the delayed cell death of irradiated cancer cells and identify the death receptors pathways as crucial actors in apoptosis induced by targeted as well as non-targeted effects of ionizing radiation.

Molecular analysis of the Ink4a/Rb1-Arf/Tp53 pathways in radon-induced rat lung tumors.

Inhalation of radon is closely associated with an increased risk of lung cancers. While the involvement of Ink4a in lung tumor development has been widely described, the tumor suppressor gene has not been studied in radon-induced lung tumors. In this study, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis of the Cdkn2a locus, common to the Ink4a and Arf genes, was performed on 33 radon-induced rat lung tumors and showed a DNA loss in 50% of cases. The analysis of p16(Ink4a) protein expression by immunohistochemistry revealed that 50% of the tumors were negative for this protein. Looking for the origin of this lack of expression, we observed a low frequency of homozygous deletion (6%), a lack of mutation, an absence of correlation between promoter methylation and Ink4a mRNA expression and no correlation between LOH and protein expression. However, a tendency for an inverse correlation between p16(Ink4a) and pRb protein expression was observed. The expressions of p19Arf, Mmd2 and Mdm4 were not deregulated and only 14% of the tumors were mutated for Tp53. These results indicated that Ink4a/Cdk4/Rb1 pathway deregulation, more than Arf/Mdm2/Tp53 pathway, has a major role in the development of these tumors through p16(Ink4a) deregulation. However, all known mechanisms of inactivation of the pathway do not play a recurrent role in these tumors and the actual origin of the lack of p16(Ink4a) protein expression remains to be established.

Transcriptional response of wild-type and ataxia telangiectasia lymphoblasts following exposure to equitoxic doses of ionizing radiation.

Experiments were designed to compare the transcriptional response to ionizing radiation (IR) of wild-type (WT) and ataxia telangiectasia (AT) cells. mRNA levels were assessed 2, 4 and 24 h after exposure to equitoxic doses using cDNA microarrays. Data reveal distinct patterns of gene expression between AT and WT cells since IR-responsive genes were mostly cell-type specific, this group representing 87 and 94% of the responding genes in WT and AT cells, respectively. In both cell lines, transcriptional alterations of genes associated with proliferation correlated with the observed cell cycle and growth data. Deregulated genes involved in apoptosis suggest that wild-type cells were more prone to cell death by apoptosis than AT cells. Furthermore, genes associated with the response to oxidative stress were particularly deregulated in wild-type cells whereas alterations of genes related to unexpected pathways including RNA processing, protein synthesis and lipid metabolism were specifically found in irradiated AT cells. These data suggest that under radiation conditions leading to a similar survival of WT and AT cells, the mechanisms triggered after radiation were mainly dependent on ATM status and thus on the intrinsic radiosensitivity.

Gene expression profiling of differentiated thyroid neoplasms: diagnostic and clinical implications.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to identify novel genes that can be targeted as diagnostic and clinical markers of differentiated thyroid tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Gene expression analysis using microarray platform was performed on 6 pathologically normal thyroid samples and 12 primary follicular and papillary thyroid neoplasms. Microarrays containing probes for 5,760 human full-length cDNAs were used for hybridization with total RNA from normal and tumor thyroid samples labeled with Cy3-dUTP and Cy5-dUTP, respectively. Scanned array images were recorded, and data analysis was performed. Selected sets of differentially expressed genes were analyzed using quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR for verification. RESULTS: We identified 155 genes that differentiate histologically normal thyroid tissues from benign and malignant thyroid neoplasms. Of these 75 genes were differentiated between follicular neoplasms (adenoma and carcinoma) and the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma. Purely follicular neoplasms (adenomas and carcinomas) shared many genetic profiles, and only 43 genes were distinctly different between these tumors. Hierarchical cluster analysis also differentiated conventional papillary carcinoma from its follicular variant and follicular tumors. The differentially expressed genes were composed of members of cell differentiation, adhesion, immune response, and proliferation associated pathways. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR analysis of selected genes corroborated the microarray expression results. CONCLUSIONS: Our study show the following: (1) differences in gene expression between tumor and nontumor bearing normal thyroid tissue can be identified, (2) a set of genes differentiate follicular neoplasm from follicular variant of papillary carcinoma, (3) follicular adenoma and carcinoma share many of the differentiated genes, and (4) gene expression differences identify conventional papillary carcinoma from the follicular variant.

Progesterone prevents radiation-induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells.

Sex steroid hormones play an essential role in the control of homeostasis in the mammary gland. Although the involvement of progesterone in cellular proliferation and differentiation is well established, its exact role in the control of cell death still remains unclear. As dysregulation of the apoptotic process plays an important role in the pathogenesis of breast cancer, we investigated the regulation of apoptosis by progesterone in various breast cancer cell lines. Our results show that progesterone treatment protects against radiation-induced apoptosis. This prevention appears to be mediated by the progesterone receptor and is unrelated to p53 status. There is also no correlation with the intrinsic hormonal effect on cell proliferation, as the presence of cells in a particular phase of the cell cycle. Surprisingly, progesterone partly allows bypassing of the irradiation-induced growth arrest in G(2)/M in PgR+ cells, leading to an increase in cell proliferation after irradiation. One consequence of this effect is a higher rate of chromosome damage in these proliferating progesterone-treated cells compared to what is observed in untreated irradiated cells. We propose that progesterone, by inhibiting apoptosis and promoting the proliferation of cells with DNA damage, potentially facilitates the emergence of genetic mutations that may play a role in malignant transformation.

In vitro aging of rat lung cells. Downregulation of telomerase activity and continuous decrease of telomere length are not incompatible with malignant transformation.

Most normal mammalian somatic cells cultivated in vitro enter replicative senescence after a finite number of divisions, as a consequence of the progressive shortening of telomeres during proliferation that reflects one aspect of organism/cellular aging. The situation appears more complex in rodent cells due to physiological telomerase expression in most somatic normal tissues, great telomere length, and the difficulties of finding suitable in vitro culture conditions. To study in vitro aging of rat lung epithelial cells, we have developed primary culture conditions adapted to rat fresh lung explants and have studied for 1 year (50 passages) the changes in cellular proliferation and mortality, genetic instability, telomerase activity, telomere length, and tumorigenic potential. We have observed an absence of senescence and/or crisis, a transient genetic instability, the persistence of a differentiated Clara cell phenotype, a steady decrease in telomerase activity followed by a low residual activity together with a continuous decrease in telomere length, a constant rate of proliferation, and the acquisition of tumorigenic potential. The bypass of the growth arrest and the acquisition of long-term growth properties could be explained by the loss of p16(INK4a) expression, the ARF/p53 pathway not being altered. In conclusion, these results clearly indicate that, in rat lung epithelial cells, in vitro transformation and acquisition of tumorigenic properties can occur even if the telomere length is still decreasing and telomerase activity remains downregulated.