FasL impacts Tgfb signaling in osteoblastic cells.

Fas ligand (FasL, CD178) belongs to classical apoptotic molecules, however, recent evidence expands the spectrum of FasL functions into non-apoptotic processes which also applies for the bone. Tgfb subfamily members (Tgfb1, Tgfb2, Tgfb3) represent major components in osteogenic pathways and extracellular matrix. Their possible association with FasL has not yet been investigated but can be postulated. To test such a hypothesis, FasL deficient (gld) calvaria-derived cells were examined with a focus on the expression of Tgfb receptor ligands. The qPCR analysis revealed significantly increased expression of Tgfb1, Tgfb2 and Tgfb3 in gld cells. To check the vice versa effect, the gld cells were stimulated by soluble FasL. As a consequence, a dramatic decrease in expression levels of all three ligands was observed. This phenomenon was also confirmed in IDG-SW3 (osteoblastic cells of endochondral origin). TFLink gateway identified Fosl2 as an exclusive candidate of FasL capable to impact expression of all three Tgfb ligands. However, Fosl2 siRNA did not cause any significant changes in expression of Tgfb ligands. Therefore, the upregulation of the three ligands is likely to occur separately. In this respect, we tested the only exclusive candidate transcription factor for Tgfb3, Prrx1. Additionally, an overlapping candidate for Tgfb1 and Tgfb2, Mef2c capable to modulate expression of sclerostin, was examined. Prrx1 as well as Mef2c were found upregulated in gld samples and their expression decreased after addition of FasL. The same effect of FasL treatment was observed in the IDG-SW3 model. Taken together, FasL deficiency causes an increase in the expression of Tgfb ligands and stimulation by FasL reduces Tgfb expression in osteoblastic cells. The candidates mediating the effect comprise Prrx1 for Tgfb3 and Mef2c for Tgfb1/2. These results indicate FasL as a novel cytokine interfering with Tgfb signaling and thus the complex osteogenic network. The emerging non-apoptotic functions of FasL in bone development and maintenance should also be considered in treatment strategies such as the anti-osteoporotic factor.

Expression dynamics of metalloproteinases during mandibular bone formation: association with Myb transcription factor.

As the dentition forms and becomes functional, the alveolar bone is remodelled. Metalloproteinases are known to contribute to this process, but new regulators are emerging and their contextualization is challenging. This applies to Myb, a transcription factor recently reported to be involved in bone development and regeneration. The regulatory effect of Myb on Mmps expression has mostly been investigated in tumorigenesis, where Myb impacted the expression of Mmp1, Mmp2, Mmp7, and Mmp9. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the regulatory influence of the Myb on Mmps gene expression, impacting osteogenesis and mandibular bone formation. For that purpose, knock-out mouse model was used. Gene expression of bone-related Mmps and the key osteoblastic transcription factors Runx2 and Sp7 was analysed in Myb knock-out mice mandibles at the survival limit. Out of the metalloproteinases under study, Mmp13 was significantly downregulated. The impact of Myb on the expression of Mmp13 was confirmed by the overexpression of Myb in calvarial-derived cells causing upregulation of Mmp13. Expression of Mmp13 in the context of other Mmps during mandibular/alveolar bone development was followed in vivo along with Myb, Sp7 and Runx2. The most significant changes were observed in the expression of Mmp9 and Mmp13. These MMPs and MYB were further localized in situ by immunohistochemistry and were identified in pre/osteoblastic cells as well as in pre/osteocytes. In conclusion, these results provide a comprehensive insight into the expression dynamics of bone related Mmps during mandibular/alveolar bone formation and point to Myb as another potential regulator of Mmp13.

Two types of high inductive electromagnetic stimulation and their different effects on endothelial cells.

Effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMF) on the activation of different tissue recovery processes have not yet been fully understood. The detailed quantification of LF EMF effects on the angiogenesis were analysed in our experiments by using cultured human and mouse endothelial cells. Two types of fields were used in the tests as follows: the LF EMF with rectangular pulses, 340-microsecond mode at a frequency of 72 Hz and peak intensity 4 mT, and the LF EMF with sinusoidal alternating waveform 5 000 Hz, amplitude-modulated by means of a special interference spectrum mode set to a frequency linear sweep from 1 to 100 Hz for 6 s and from 100 Hz to 1 Hz return also for 6 s, swing period of 12 second. Basic parameters of cultured cells measured after the LF EMF stimulus were viability and proliferation acceleration. Both types of endothelial cells (mouse and human ones) displayed significant changes in the proliferation after the application of the LF EMF under conditions of a rectangular pulse mode. Based on the results, another test of the stimulation on a more complex endothelial-fibroblast coculture model will be the future step of the investigation.

Transcription factor c-Myb inhibits breast cancer lung metastasis by suppression of tumor cell seeding.

Metastasis accounts for most of cancer-related deaths. Paracrine signaling between tumor cells and the stroma induces changes in the tumor microenvironment required for metastasis. Transcription factor c-Myb was associated with breast cancer (BC) progression but its role in metastasis remains unclear. Here we show that increased c-Myb expression in BC cells inhibits spontaneous lung metastasis through impaired tumor cell extravasation. On contrary, BC cells with increased lung metastatic capacity exhibited low c-Myb levels. We identified a specific inflammatory signature, including Ccl2 chemokine, that was expressed in lung metastatic cells but was suppressed in tumor cells with higher c-Myb levels. Tumor cell-derived Ccl2 expression facilitated lung metastasis and rescued trans-endothelial migration of c-Myb overexpressing cells. Clinical data show that the identified inflammatory signature, together with a MYB expression, predicts lung metastasis relapse in BC patients. These results demonstrate that the c-Myb-regulated transcriptional program in BCs results in a blunted inflammatory response and consequently suppresses lung metastasis.

Osteogenic Potential of the Transcription Factor c-MYB.

The transcription factor c-MYB is a well-known marker of undifferentiated cells such as haematopoietic cell precursors, but recently it has also been observed in differentiated cells that produce hard tissues. Our previous findings showed the presence of c-MYB in intramembranous bones and its involvement in the chondrogenic steps of endochondral ossification, where the up-regulation of early chondrogenic markers after c-myb overexpression was observed. Since we previously detected c-MYB in osteoblasts, we aimed to analyse the localisation of c-MYB during later stages of endochondral bone formation and address its function during bone matrix production. c-MYB-positive cells were found in the chondro-osseous junction zone in osteoblasts of trabecular bone as well as deeper in the zone of ossification in cells of spongy bone. To experimentally evaluate the osteogenic potential of c-MYB during endochondral bone formation, micromasses derived from embryonic mouse limb buds were established. Nuclear c-MYB protein expression was observed in long-term micromasses, especially in the areas around nodules. c-myb overexpression induced the expression of osteogenic-related genes such as Bmp2, Comp, Csf2 and Itgb1. Moreover, alizarin red staining and osteocalcin labelling promoted mineralised matrix production in c-myb-overexpressing cultures, whereas downregulation of c-myb by siRNA reduced mineralised matrix production. In conclusion, c-Myb plays a role in the osteogenesis of long bones by inducing osteogenic genes and causing the enhancement of mineral matrix production. This action of the transcription factor c-Myb might be of interest in the future for the establishment of novel approaches to tissue regeneration.

Role of c-Myb in chondrogenesis.

The Myb locus encodes the c-Myb transcription factor involved in controlling a broad variety of cellular processes. Recently, it has been shown that c-Myb may play a specific role in hard tissue formation; however, all of these results were gathered from an analysis of intramembranous ossification. To investigate a possible role of c-Myb in endochondral ossification, we carried out our study on the long bones of mouse limbs during embryonic development. Firstly, the c-myb expression pattern was analyzed by in situ hybridization during endochondral ossification of long bones. c-myb positive areas were found in proliferating as well as hypertrophic zones of the growth plate. At early embryonic stages, localized expression was also observed in the perichondrium and interdigital areas. The c-Myb protein was found in proliferating chondrocytes and in the perichondrium of the forelimb bones (E14.5-E17.5). Furthermore, protein was detected in pre-hypertrophic as well as hypertrophic chondrocytes. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches were used to test the effect of altered c-myb expression on chondrogenesis in micromass cultures established from forelimb buds of mouse embryos. A loss-of-function approach using c-myb specific siRNA decreased nodule formation, as well as downregulated the level of Sox9 expression, a major marker of chondrogenesis. Transient c-myb overexpression markedly increased the formation of cartilage nodules and the production of extracellular matrix as detected by intense staining with Alcian blue. Moreover, the expression of early chondrogenic genes such as Sox9, Col2a1 and activity of a Col2-LUC reporter were increased in the cells overexpressing c-myb while late chondrogenic markers such as Col10a1 and Mmp13 were not significantly changed or were downregulated. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrate that the c-Myb transcription factor is involved in the regulation and promotion of endochondral bone formation.

[The use of flow cytometry for analysis of the mitochondrial cell death]. / Vyuzití prutokové cytometrie pro analýzu mitochondriální bunecné smrti.

Apoptosis is type I programmed cell death, a process that is essential for development and tissue homeostasis. It is a prevalent form of cell death and it proceeds via two signaling pathways - external (receptor pathway) triggered by death receptors and intrinsic (mitochondrial) apoptotic pathway with major involvement of mitochondria. Mitochondria are important cellular organelles producing energy stored in molecules of adenosine triphosphate that are essential for cell survival. The mitochondrial cell death is characterized by permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane and dissipation of the transmembrane potential. Mitochondria are electronegative organelles and depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane is important for the release of proapoptotic signals. Aberrant control of the mitochondrial cell death might contribute to several diseases including cancer. Mitochondria are also a source of reactive oxygen species, Ca2+ ions and other proteins that affect processes important for the initiation and progression of tumors independently of apoptosis. Current studies focus on research of mitochondrial membrane potential and reactive oxygen species modulating various signaling pathways within the cell, their importance in carcinogenesis, and in treatment of oncological patients. Monitoring of the apoptotic markers, such as the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and the level of reactive oxygen species in samples of oncological patients has a predictive value for the output of treatment protocols.

[Methods for studying tumor cell migration and invasiveness]. / Metody studia bunecné migrace a invazivity nádorových bunek.

Migration and invasiveness are phenotypic characteristics of cells that contribute to physiological processes, such as wound healing or embryogenesis and they are involved in serious pathological processes, namely in tumor cell metastasis. Availability of methods for studying migration and invasiveness of the cells is important for understanding molecular basis of these processes. In the case of cancer, migration, invasiveness and metastatic potential of tumor cells are key factors that determine clinical prognosis of the patients. This communication provides an overview of in vitro and in vivo methods which are used to study cell migration, invasion and metastasis. In vitro meth-ods for studying cell migration include simple two dimensional assays (scratch -  wound assay and the assay based on the effect of hepatocyte growth factor) and methods based on chemotaxis (Dunns chamber, videomicroscopy of cells, the use of carriers with chemoattractants). Methods for studying both cell migration and invasiveness in vitro include more complex systems based on the principle of the Boyden chamber (transwell migration/ invasive test, analysis of cell migration and invasion in xCELLigence system, confocal microscopy based approaches) as well as analysis of cell migration in microchannels. Our overview of in vivo methods provides an introduction into model organisms and methods used in this field, with an emphasis on the study of cancer metastasis in mouse models. The methods described in this review are mainly involved in larger research projects aiming at developing new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in oncology.

[Techniques to study transendothelial migration in vitro]. / Moznosti studia transendoteliální migrace in vitro.

The most dangerous aspect of cancer is the metastatic spread to other parts of the body. Cancer cells frequently use circulation to spread to secondary locations. By entering the blood-stream (in a process called intravasation) and by crossing the vessel walls at the metastatic sites (extravasation) tumor cells disseminate to distal organs and eventually form life  threatening metastases. Crossing the vessel walls (transendothelial migration) is a vital step of metastatic cascade and the elucidation of mechanisms involved in transendothelial migration might inspire new strategies of targeted antimetastatic therapy. There are several methods to study transendothelial migration in living models (in vivo). Although they offer complex physiological microenvironment, they are expensive and technically demanding, therefore not widely used. As an alternative, sophisticated techniques to investigate transendothelial migration in vitro have been developed. They are generally more available and feasible, but there is still considerable variability in the difficulty of performance, the requirements for specialized devices, accuracy of in vivo simulation and relevance for oncological applications. The classification, various modifications, pros and cons of in vitro techniques for studying transendothelial migration are summarized in this review.

v-Myb suppresses phorbol ester- and modifies retinoic acid-induced differentiation of human promonocytic U937 cells.

The c-myb protooncogene as well as its transforming derivate, the v-myb oncogene code for transcription factors. They regulate transcription of specific target genes thus controlling proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis of hematopoietic cells. Up-regulation of the c-myb expression or rearrangement/amplification of the myb locus are often involved in leukemogenesis. Enforced myb expression blocks differentiation of various leukemic cell lines. Human promonocytes U937 can be induced to differentiate to monocyte/macrophage-like cells using phorbol esters or to granulocytes using retinoic acid. In order to investigate transforming capability of v-myb, we expressed the v-myb oncogene of avian myeloblastosis virus in U937 cells. We found that v-Myb efficiently suppressed formation of macrophages upon treatment with phorbol ester. Some features of granulocytic differentiation of retinoic acid-treated U937 cells were affected by the v-Myb protein as well. These results document that v-Myb is significantly involved in control of myeloid differentiation.