Rucaparib in patients presenting a metastatic breast cancer with homologous recombination deficiency, without germline BRCA1/2 mutation.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer may present genomic alterations leading to homologous recombination deficiency (HRD). PARP inhibitors have proven their efficacy in patients with HER2-negative (HER2-) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) harbouring germline (g) BRCA1/2 mutations in 3 phases III trials. The single-arm phase II RUBY trial included 42 patients, 40 of whom received at least one dose of rucaparib. RUBY study assessed the efficacy of rucaparib in HER2-mBC with either high genomic loss of heterozygosity (LOH) score or non-germline BRCA1/2 mutation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The primary objective was the clinical benefit rate (CBR), and the study was powered to see 20% CBR using a 2-stage Simon design. RESULTS: The primary-end point was not reached with a CBR of 13.5%. Two LOH-high patients, without somatic BRCA1/2 mutation, presented a complete and durable response (12 and 28.5 months). Whole-genome analysis was performed on 24 samples, including 5 patients who presented a clinical benefit from rucaparib. HRDetect tended to be associated with response to rucaparib, without reaching statistical significance (median HRDetect responders versus non-responders: 0.465 versus 0.040; p = 0.2135). Finally, 220 of 711 patients with mBC screened for LOH upstream from RUBY presented a high LOH score associated with a higher likelihood of death (hazard ratio = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.11-1.75; p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that a small subset of patients with high LOH scores without germline BRCA1/2 mutation could derive benefit from PARP inhibitors. However, the RUBY study underlines the need to develop additional biomarkers to identify selectively potential responders.

The anti-bacterial iron-restriction defence mechanisms of egg white; the potential role of three lipocalin-like proteins in resistance against Salmonella.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) is the most frequently-detected Salmonella in foodborne outbreaks in the European Union. Among such outbreaks, egg and egg products were identified as the most common vehicles of infection. Possibly, the major antibacterial property of egg white is iron restriction, which results from the presence of the iron-binding protein, ovotransferrin. To circumvent iron restriction, SE synthesise catecholate siderophores (i.e. enterobactin and salmochelin) that can chelate iron from host iron-binding proteins. Here, we highlight the role of lipocalin-like proteins found in egg white that could enhance egg-white iron restriction through sequestration of certain siderophores, including enterobactin. Indeed, it is now apparent that the egg-white lipocalin, Ex-FABP, can inhibit bacterial growth via its siderophore-binding capacity in vitro. However, it remains unclear whether Ex-FABP performs such a function in egg white or during bird infection. Regarding the two other lipocalins of egg white (Cal-γ and α-1-glycoprotein), there is currently no evidence to indicate that they sequester siderophores.

Ultraslow myosin molecular motors of placental contractile stem villi in humans.

Human placental stem villi (PSV) present contractile properties. In vitro mechanics were investigated in 40 human PSV. Contraction of PSV was induced by both KCl exposure (n = 20) and electrical tetanic stimulation (n = 20). Isotonic contractions were registered at several load levels ranging from zero-load up to isometric load. The tension-velocity relationship was found to be hyperbolic. This made it possible to apply the A. Huxley formalism for determining the rate constants for myosin cross-bridge (CB) attachment and detachment, CB single force, catalytic constant, myosin content, and maximum myosin ATPase activity. These molecular characteristics of myosin CBs did not differ under either KCl exposure or tetanus. A comparative approach was established from studies previously published in the literature and driven by mean of a similar method. As compared to that described in mammalian striated muscles, we showed that in human PSV, myosin CB rate constants for attachment and detachment were about 103 times lower whereas myosin ATPase activity was 105 times lower. Up to now, CB kinetics of contractile cells arranged along the long axis of the placental sheath appeared to be the slowest ever observed in any mammalian contractile tissue.