Cloning and characterization of human cyclin D3, a cDNA closely related in sequence to the PRAD1/cyclin D1 proto-oncogene

Cyclins regulate cell cycle progression by complexing with and activating cdc2 or related kinases. PRAD1/cyclin D1 is a recently discovered putative oncogene in several types of human tumors and may regulate G1-S phase progression. We have cloned a related human cDNA, called cyclin D3, from a placental cDNA library by cross-hybridization with PRAD1. In synchronized HeLa cells, the mRNA levels of PRAD1 and cyclin D3 were regulated reciprocally through the cell cycle: cyclin D3 mRNA levels peaked in S phase, where PRAD1 mRNA was lowest in S. In normal human mammary epithelial (70N) cells synchronized by growth factor deprivation and subsequent growth factor stimulation, PRAD1 expression peaked in G1 and declined before S phase, while cyclin D3 expression rose later in G1 and remained elevated in S. Therefore, the close relationship (53.1% identity) between PRAD1 and cyclin D3 does not necessarily imply redundant functions of these candidate G1 cyclins; they may have distinct roles in progression from G1 through S phase.

Characterization of chromosome 11 translocation breakpoints at the bcl-1 and PRAD1 loci in centrocytic lymphoma

The chromosome 11q13 bcl-1 locus is rearranged in the majority of centrocytic lymphomas, a CD5-positive B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma, as a result of reciprocal translocation with the 14q32 immunoglobulin heavy chain genes. Although several 11q13 bcl-1 breakpoint sites have been characterized, a postulated bcl-1 oncogene was not identified. Recently, however, a gene encoding cyclin D1, designated PRAD1, was proposed as a candidate bcl-1 oncogene; accumulated evidence now indicates this gene is bcl-1. To further characterize 11q13 breakpoints in B-cell neoplasms, we analyzed 26 centrocytic lymphomas and 68 other B-cell cancers by Southern blot using a panel of breakpoint probes spanning 110 kilobases of the bcl-1 and PRAD1 loci. Nineteen centrocytic cases (73%) showed rearrangement, 15 at bcl-1 breakpoint sites and 5 at PRAD1 sites. One case was rearranged at both bcl-1 and PRAD1 loci. All but the latter case showed comigration of rearranged bcl-1 or PRAD1 bands and immunoglobulin heavy chain joining gene bands, consistent with the t(11;14). bcl-1 rearrangement was present in only one of 68 noncentrocytic B-cell neoplasms; none showed PRAD1 rearrangement. Thus, bcl-1 and PRAD1 rearrangement is strongly associated with centrocytic lymphoma, providing a useful molecular marker for classifying this subtype of lymphoma and suggesting an important role for PRAD1 cyclin D1 in the pathogenesis of this neoplasm.

Regulation of retinoblastoma protein functions by ectopic expression of human cyclins

The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene (RB) product, the retinoblastoma protein (pRb), functions as a regulator of cell proliferation. Introduction of the RB gene into SAOS-2 osteosarcoma cells, which lack functional pRb, prevents cell cycle progression. Such growth-suppressive functions can be modulated by phosphorylation of pRb, which occurs via cell cycle-regulated kinases. We show that constitutively expressed cyclins A and E can overcome pRb-mediated suppression of proliferation. pRb becomes hyperphosphorylated in cells overexpressing these cyclins, and this phosphorylation is essential for cyclin A- and cyclin E-mediated rescue of pRb-blocked cells. This suggests that G1 and S phase cyclins can act as regulators of pRb function in the cell cycle by promoting pRb phosphorylation.

The Riyadh Intensive Care Program applied to a mortality analysis of a teaching hospital intensive care unit

A computerised system of prediction of death using the Riyadh Intensive Care Program was applied retrospectively over a 17-month period to data collected prospectively on 1155 patients admitted to our intensive care unit. Variables which enable organ failure scores to be generated were recorded daily to make these predictions. Consultant medical opinion predicted that outcome was hopeless in 55% (115/209) of the patients who died. The predictive power of the computer demonstrated a sensitivity of 14.8% and a specificity of 99.8%. It is possible that the occurrence of three false predictions of death in the latter part of the series may have been related to a change in our antibiotic policy. We would be unhappy to recommend the general use of a computerised program for prediction of death without careful explanation of its significance and dangers.

Treatment of diarrhoea in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum

Diarrhoea and weight loss are found in more than 50% of patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In some patients the symptoms can be very severe, leading to death even in the absence of opportunistic infections. In 30% of these patients, enteric pathogens cannot be identified, and approximately only half of the identifiable aetiologic agents of diarrhoea in patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were treatable with antibiotics. Immunoglobulins from bovine colostrum (Lactobin, Biotest, Dreieich, FRG) contain high titers of antibodies against a wide range of bacterial, viral and protozoal pathogens as well as against various bacterial toxins. Lactobin (LIG) is quite resistant to 24-h incubation with gastric juice. In a multi-center pilot study 37 immunodeficiency patients with chronic diarrhoea [29 HIV-infected patients, 2 patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), one unidentified immunodeficiency, five patients with graft versus host disease (GvHD) following bone marrow transplantation] were treated with oral LIG (10 g/day for 10 days). Good therapeutic effects were observed. Out of 31 treatment periods in 29 HIV-infected patients 21 gave good results leading to transient (10 days) or long-lasting (more than 4 weeks) normalisation of the stool frequency. The mean daily stool frequency decreased from 7.4 to 2.2 at the end of the treatment. Eight HIV-infected patients showed no response. The diarrhoea recurred in 12 patients within 4 weeks (32.4%), while 19 patients were free of diarrhoea for at least 4 weeks (51.3%). In 5 patients intestinal cryptosporidiosis disappeared following oral LIG treatment. LIG treatment was also beneficial in 4 out of 5 GvHD patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Assignment of the human cyclin D3 gene (CCND3) to chromosome 6p----q13

The PRAD1/cyclin D1 gene (CCND1), a member of the D-type cyclin gene family, has been implicated as a protooncogene in parathyroid, lymphoid, and mammary tumors. We cloned and mapped another member of this family, the human cyclin D3 gene (CCND3), to chromosome 6p----q13 using human x rodent hybrids. This assignment raises the hypothesis that cyclin D3 may be involved in the pathogenesis of human neoplasms with abnormalities of chromosome 6.

The effect of systemic adjuvant chemotherapy on local breast recurrence in node positive breast cancer patients treated by lumpectomy without radiation

A randomised trial has previously been repeated in which 437 women with node positive breast cancer received either a 12-week chemohormonal regimen consisting of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil, vincristine, prednisone, adriamycin and tamoxifen or 36 weeks of CMFVP. The present analysis concerns the local recurrence rates for the 122 lumpectomy patients who did not receive breast irradiation. The cumulative rate of local breast recurrence was greater in the 12-week than the 36-week group, P = 0.02. Similarly, in the lumpectomy patients, the cumulative rate of distant recurrence was greater in the 12-week than the 36-week group, P = 0.04. In conclusion, our results suggest that adjuvant chemotherapy impacts on local breast recurrence in a similar manner to other sites in Stage II breast cancer patients treated by lumpectomy without radiation. Despite the use of a conventional 36-week adjuvant chemotherapy regimen, the local breast recurrence rate was substantial.

Hypercalcemia with low-normal serum intact PTH: a novel presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism

The diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism has rested on the finding of hypercalcemia coupled with an elevated serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) level. Over 300 consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism have had elevated or high-normal serum PTH levels using a specific immunoradiometric assay. Here we present a patient who proved to have surgically documented primary hyperparathyroidism in whom PTH levels were completely normal in all assays used. In the immunoradiometric assay, his normal result was unprecedentedly low (17 to 28 pg/mL; normal, 10 to 60 pg/mL) for this condition, and in a range consistent with non-PTH-dependent hypercalcemia or familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia. This rare biochemical presentation of primary hyperparathyroidism should be considered in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcemia.

PRAD1, a candidate BCL1 oncogene: mapping and expression in centrocytic lymphoma

Rearrangement of the BCL1 (B-cell lymphoma 1) region on chromosome 11q13 appears to be highly characteristic of centrocytic lymphoma and also is found infrequently in other B-cell neoplasms. Rearrangement is thought to deregulate a nearby protooncogene, but transcribed sequences in the immediate vicinity of BCL1 breakpoints had not been identified. PRAD1, previously designated D11S287E, was identified on 11q13 as a chromosomal breakpoint region rearranged with the parathyroid hormone gene in a subset of parathyroid adenomas; this highly conserved putative oncogene, which encodes a novel cyclin, has been linked to BCL1 and implicated also in subsets of breast and squamous cell neoplasms with 11q13 amplification. We report pulsed-field gel electrophoresis data showing BCL1 and PRAD1 to be no more than 130 kilobases apart. PRAD1 mRNA is abundantly expressed in seven of seven centrocytic lymphomas (Kiel classification), in contrast to 13 closely related but noncentrocytic lymphomas. Three of the seven centrocytic lymphomas had detectable BCL1 DNA rearrangement. Also, two unusual cases of CLL with BCL1 rearrangement overexpressed PRAD1, in contrast to five CLL controls. Thus, PRAD1 is an excellent candidate "BCL1 oncogene." Its overexpression may be a key consequence of rearrangement of the BCL1 vicinity in B-cell neoplasms and a unifying pathogenetic feature in centrocytic lymphoma.

Toxic megacolon associated with anticancer chemotherapy

The majority of gastrointestinal side effects associated with anticancer chemotherapy are relatively mild and self-limiting and can be managed empirically. However, severe side effects, such as necrotizing enterocolitis and ischemic colitis, sometimes do occur after chemotherapy. The authors present a case of toxic megacolon associated with anticancer chemotherapy. This is a relatively uncommon but potentially lethal complication of ulcerative colitis.

A novel cyclin encoded by a bcl1-linked candidate oncogene

We have previously identified a candidate oncogene (PRAD1 or D11S287E) on chromosome 11q13 which is clonally rearranged with the parathyroid hormone locus in a subset of benign parathyroid tumours. We now report that a cloned human placental PRAD1 complementary DNA encodes a protein of 295 amino acids with sequence similarities to the cyclins. Cyclins can form a complex with and activate p34cdc2 protein kinase, thereby regulating progress through the cell cycle. PRAD 1 messenger RNA levels vary dramatically across the cell cycle in HeLa cells. Addition of the PRAD1 protein to interphase clam embryo lysates containing inactive p34cdc2 kinase and lacking endogenous cyclins allows it to be isolated using beads bearing p13suc1, a yeast protein that binds cdc2 and related kinases with high affinity and coprecipitates kinase-associated proteins. Addition of PRAD1 also induces phosphorylation of histone H1, a preferred substrate of cdc2. These data suggest that PRAD1 encodes a novel cyclin whose overexpression may play an important part in the development of various tumours with abnormalities in 11q13.

Rearrangement and overexpression of D11S287E, a candidate oncogene on chromosome 11q13 in benign parathyroid tumors

We report the detailed molecular characterization of a human parathyroid adenoma with a clonal parathyroid hormone gene rearrangement. This rearrangement is similar to one we characterized recently in an independent adenoma. In these two, plus a third partially characterized adenoma, one allele of the PTH gene, on 11p15, is rearranged with DNA from the D11S287 region on 11q13. This region contains a transcribed sequence, D11S287E, distinct from known 11q13 oncogenes, that is expressed in all parathyroid tissues examined, but is overexpressed dramatically in all three tumours with PTH gene-D11S287 rearrangements. These findings suggest that overexpression of D11S287E, perhaps driven by the misplaced PTH gene's regulatory elements, contributed to the development of these benign tumors. D11S287E is a new candidate oncogene with potential importance in parathyroid adenomas and perhaps other tumors with 11q13 abnormalities.

D11S287, a putative oncogene on chromosome 11q13, is amplified and expressed in squamous cell and mammary carcinomas and linked to BCL-1

Approximately 15 to 20% of primary breast cancers and an even higher proportion of squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck show amplification of DNA markers on band q13 of human chromosome 11. However, known genes within the amplified region, such as the FGF-related oncogenes INT-2 and HST-1, are very rarely expressed in these tumors. Here we show that another candidate oncogene, designated D11S287, implicated in the pathogenesis of parathyroid adenomas, is also amplified in breast cancers. Significantly, it is consistently coamplified with INT-2 and HST-1 in 36 out of 202 primary tumors, including one case in which the amplified unit did not encompass the translocation breakpoint marker BCL-1. This implies that D11S287 is on the same side of the breakpoint as INT-2, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis indicates that D11S287 is less than 250 kb from the BCL-1 marker. Since D11S287 RNA was present at elevated levels in a group of tumors and cell lines in which the 11q13 region is amplified, it may be the key oncogene on this amplified unit, and could also be activated by BCL-1 translocations.

Laser in situ monitoring of combustion processes

Several examples of laser in situ monitoring of combustion processes are presented. Using a frequency modulated (13)CO(2) waveguide laser, in situ concentrations of NH(3) down to 1 ppm were measured at temperatures up to 600 degrees C in waste incinerators and power or chemical plants. Following ignition of CH(3)OH-O(2) mixtures by a TEA CO(2) laser, gas temperature profiles were measured using rapid scanning tunable diode laser spectroscopy of CO molecules. In laminar CH(4)-air counterflow diffusion flames at atmospheric pressure absolute concentrations, temperatures, and collisional lifetimes of OH radicals were determined by 2-D and picosecond LIF and absorption spectroscopy. Two-dimensional LIF and Mie scattering were used to observe fuel injection and combustion in a diesel engine.

Mutation of the signal peptide-encoding region of the preproparathyroid hormone gene in familial isolated hypoparathyroidism

Preproparathyroid hormone (preproPTH) gene mutation has been proposed as a cause of familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (FIH). We cloned the preproPTH alleles of a patient with autosomal dominant FIH and sequenced the coding regions, 5' flanking regions, and splice junctions. The putatively abnormal (based on previous linkage studies) allele differed from the other allele's normal sequence at only one nucleotide. This T to C point mutation changes the codon for position 18 of the 31 amino acid prepro sequence from cysteine to arginine, disrupting the hydrophobic core of the signal sequence. Because the hydrophobic core is required by secreted proteins for efficient translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum, the mutant protein is likely to be inefficiently processed. Indeed, in vitro studies demonstrated dramatically impaired processing of the mutant preproPTH to proPTH. In summary, we observed a point mutation in the signal peptide-encoding region of a preproPTH gene in one FIH kindred and demonstrated a functional defect caused by the mutation. Mutation of the signal sequence constitutes a novel pathophysiologic mechanism in man, and further study may yield important insights both into this form of hormone deficiency and into the role of signal sequences in human physiology.

Flame front imaging in an internal-combustion engine simulator by laser-induced fluorescence of acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde has been used as a fluorescent dopant for two-dimensional imaging of the flame front in an internalcombustion-engine simulator. The molecule was excited with a XeCl-laser-light sheet at 308 nm, and broadband fluorescence centered at 400 nm was detected. In this way, the flame front could be marked by mapping regions of unburned gas. Also, the intake process into the engine could be followed.

Genetic abnormalities in sporadic parathyroid adenomas

We analyzed genomic DNA from 43 sporadic benign parathyroid adenomas for rearrangements of the PTH gene, and for point mutations of the H-ras (codons 12, 13, and 61), N-ras (codons 12, 13, and 61), and K-ras (codons 12 and 13) genes. One of 43 parathyroid adenomas showed a chromosome 11 rearrangement involving both the PTH gene on the short arm of chromosome 11 (at band p15) and a locus on the long arm (11q13). This rearrangement was indistinguishable from one that was previously described in a parathyroid adenoma by Arnold et al., indicating that this may be an important contributor to tumorigenesis in a small subset of patients with parathyroid adenoma. H-ras, K-ras, and N-ras oncogene activation by point mutation at codons 12, 13, or 61, known to occur in many tumors, could not be detected in any parathyroid adenoma.

Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary tumors are monoclonal in origin

Clinically nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas are benign neoplasms comprising approximately 25-30% of pituitary tumors. Little is known about the pathogenesis of pituitary neoplasia. Clonal analysis allows one to make the important distinction between a polyclonal proliferation in response to a stimulatory factor versus a monoclonal expansion of a genetically aberrant cell. We investigated the clonal origin of pituitary tumors using X-linked restriction fragment length polymorphisms at the phosphoglycerate kinase and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl-transferase genes. Restriction enzymes were used to distinguish maternal and paternal X-chromosomes, and combined with a methylation-sensitive restriction enzyme to analyze allelic X-inactivation patterns in six pituitary adenomas. All six tumors showed a monoclonal pattern of X-inactivation. These data indicate that nonfunctioning pituitary adenomas are unicellular in origin, a result consistent with the hypothesis that this tumor type is due to somatic mutation.

A randomized trial comparing 12 weeks versus 36 weeks of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage II breast cancer

A randomized trial has been performed in which women with axillary node-positive breast cancer were allocated to either a short intensive 12-week chemohormonal treatment consisting of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, fluorouracil, vincristine, prednisone, Adriamycin (doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH), and tamoxifen (CMFVP plus AT) or 36 weeks of CMFVP. The median follow-up is 37 months. Of the 222 women randomized to the 12-week treatment, 113 (50.9%) have experienced either recurrence or death as compared with 90 patients (41.9%) in the 36-week treatment group. The corresponding 3-year relapse-free survivals are 55% and 64%, respectively, P = .003. Fifty-nine (26.6%) of the patients in the 12-week group have died compared with 46 (21.4%) of the 36-week group. The corresponding 3-year survival rates are 78% and 85%, respectively, P = .04. A Cox regression analysis showed an associated increased risk ratio for recurrence or death of 1.7, P = .003, and for death of 1.8, P = .017 in the 12-week treatment group compared with the 36-week group. Thus, this 12-week regimen of adjuvant chemohormonal therapy is inadequate treatment for women with axillary node-positive breast cancer; possible explanations for this inferiority are its shorter duration and/or a negative interaction of tamoxifen on the chemotherapy.