Roles of metalloproteases in metastatic niche

Metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a cluster of at least 23 enzymes belonging to the more wide family of endopeptidases called Metzincins, whose structure is characterized by the presence of a zinc ion at the catalytic site. Although the general view of MMPs as physiologic scissors involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and tissue remodeling is still valid, additional functions have recently emerged, including the ability to cleave non ECM molecules such as growth factors, cytokines and chemokines from their membrane-anchored proforms. These functions are utilized by tumor cells and are fundamental in the determination of tumor progression and invasion. The effect of MMPs activity in cancer progression has been traditionally associated with the acquisition by tumor cells of an invasive phenotype, an indispensable requisite for the metastatic spreading of cancer cells. In addition to the traditional view, a new role for MMPs in creating a favourable microenvironment has been proposed, so that MMPs are not only involved in cell invasion, but also in signaling pathways that control cell growth, inflammation, or angiogenesis. Finally, recent evidence suggest a role of MMPs in the so called "pre-metastatic niche" that is the hypothesis of an early distant modification of the premetastatic site by primary cancer cells. This new hypothesis is changing our traditional view about MMPs and provides important insights into the effective time window for the therapeutic use of MMP inhibitors. In this review we provide the main available data about the ability of MMPs in creating a suitable microenvironment for tumor growth in metastatic sites and we indicate the implication of these data on the potential use of MMP inhibitors in the metastatic therapy.

Bone-targeted doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles as a tool for the treatment of skeletal metastases

Bone metastases contribute to morbidity in patients with common cancers, and conventional therapy provides only palliation and can induce systemic side effects. The development of nanostructured delivery systems that combine carriers with bone-targeting molecules can potentially overcome the drawbacks presented by conventional approaches. We have recently developed biodegradable, biocompatible nanoparticles (NP) made of a conjugate between poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolic) acid and alendronate, suitable for systemic administration, and directly targeting the site of tumor-induced osteolysis. Here, we loaded NP with doxorubicin (DXR), and analyzed the in vitro and in vivo activity of the drug encapsulated in the carrier system. After confirming the intracellular uptake of DXR-loaded NP, we evaluated the anti-tumor effects in a panel of human cell lines, representative for primary or metastatic bone tumors, and in an orthotopic mouse model of breast cancer bone metastases. In vitro, both free DXR and DXR-loaded NP, (58-580 ng/mL) determined a significant dose-dependent growth inhibition of all cell lines. Similarly, both DXR-loaded NP and free DXR reduced the incidence of metastases in mice. Unloaded NP were ineffective, although both DXR-loaded and unloaded NP significantly reduced the osteoclast number at the tumor site (P = 0.014, P = 0.040, respectively), possibly as a consequence of alendronate activity. In summary, NP may act effectively as a delivery system of anticancer drugs to the bone, and deserve further evaluation for the treatment of bone tumors.

Contrast-dependence of surround suppression in Macaque V1: experimental testing of a recurrent network model

Neuronal responses in primary visual cortex (V1) to optimally oriented high-contrast stimuli in the receptive field (RF) center are suppressed by stimuli in the RF surround, but can be facilitated when the RF center is stimulated at low contrast. The neural circuits and mechanisms for surround modulation are still unknown. We previously proposed that topdown feedback connections mediate suppression from the "far" surround, while "near' surround suppression is mediated primarily by horizontal connections. We implemented this idea in a recurrent network model of V1. A model assumption needed to account for the contrast-dependent sign of surround modulation is a response asymmetry between excitation and inhibition; accordingly, inhibition, but not excitation, is silent for weak visual inputs to the RF center, and surround stimulation can evoke facilitation. A prediction stemming from this same assumption is that surround suppression is weaker for low than for high contrast stimuli in the RF center. Previous studies are inconsistent with this prediction. Using single unit recordings in macaque V1, we confirm this model's prediction. Model simulations demonstrate that our results can be reconciled with those from previous studies. We also performed a systematic comparison of the experimentally measured surround suppression strength with predictions of the model operated in different parameter regimes. We find that the original model, with strong horizontal and no feedback excitation of local inhibitory neurons, can only partially account quantitatively for the experimentally measured suppression. Strong direct feedback excitation of V1 inhibitory neurons is necessary to account for the experimentally measured surround suppression strength.

Comparison of spatial summation properties of neurons in macaque V1 and V2

In visual cortex, responses to stimulation of the receptive field (RF) are modulated by simultaneous stimulation of the RF surround. The mechanisms for surround modulation remain unidentified. We previously proposed that in the primary visual cortex (V1), near surround modulation is mediated by geniculocortical and horizontal connections and far surround modulation by interareal feedback connections. To understand spatial integration in the secondary visual cortex (V2) and its underlying circuitry, we have characterized spatial summation in different V2 layers and stripe compartments and compared it to that in V1. We used grating stimuli in circular and annular apertures of different sizes to estimate the extent and sensitivity of RF and surround components in V1 and V2. V2 RFs and surrounds were twice as large as those in V1. As in V1, V2 RFs doubled in size when measured at low contrast. In both V1 and V2, surrounds were about fivefold the size of the RF and the far surround could exceed 12.5° in radius, averaging 5.5° in V1 and 9.2° in V2. The strength of surround suppression was similar in both areas. Thus although differing in spatial scale, the interactions among RF components are similar in V1 and V2, suggesting similar underlying mechanisms. As in V1, the extent of V2 horizontal connections matches that of the RF center, but is much smaller than the largest far surrounds, which likely derive from interareal feedback. In V2, we found no laminar or stripe differences in size and magnitude of surround suppression, suggesting conservation across stripes of the basic circuit for surround modulation.

Anatomical evidence for classical and extra-classical receptive field completion across the discontinuous horizontal meridian representation of primate area V2

In primates, a split of the horizontal meridian (HM) representation at the V2 rostral border divides this area into dorsal (V2d) and ventral (V2v) halves (representing lower and upper visual quadrants, respectively), causing retinotopically neighboring loci across the HM to be distant within V2. How is perceptual continuity maintained across this discontinuous HM representation? Injections of neuroanatomical tracers in marmoset V2d demonstrated that cells near the V2d rostral border can maintain retinotopic continuity within their classical and extra-classical receptive field (RF), by making both local and long-range intra- and interareal connections with ventral cortex representing the upper visual quadrant. V2d neurons located <0.9-1.3 mm from the V2d rostral border, whose RFs presumably do not cross the HM, make nonretinotopic horizontal connections with V2v neurons in the supra- and infragranular layers. V2d neurons located <0.6-0.9 mm from the border, whose RFs presumably cross the HM, in addition make retinotopic local connections with V2v neurons in layer 4. V2d neurons also make interareal connections with upper visual field regions of extrastriate cortex, but not of MT or MTc outside the foveal representation. Labeled connections in ventral cortex appear to represent the "missing" portion of the connectional fields in V2d across the HM. We conclude that connections between dorsal and ventral cortex can create visual field continuity within a second-order discontinuous visual topography.

Targeting vascular cell migration as a strategy for blocking angiogenesis: the central role of focal adhesion protein tyrosine kinase family

The formation of capillary-like structures during angiogenesis requires a series of well-orchestrated cellular events allowing endothelial cells and pericytes to migrate into the perivascular space. The proper activation of the migratory machinery in these cells is fine controlled by the presence of angiogenic challenges and by the interactions with extracellular matrix. The two members of the focal adhesion protein tyrosine kinases (FA-PTKs), FAK and PYK2, play a central role in modulating endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells migration confirming the well consolidated observations in other migrating cell types. However accumulating data reveal that FAK and PYK2 are involved in several cell processes including cell proliferation and survival. FAK, once localized to focal adhesions, is thought to be one of the principal effectors in linking signals initiated by integrins and growth factor receptors to cytoskeleton, thus controlling migration. Although more obscure, and differently regulated, the function of PYK2 seems to be similar to that of FAK, but restricted to few cell types, including vasculature forming cells. FAK and PYK2 exert a primary role as adaptor proteins able to recruit, with high turnover, several proteins which in turn, through their docking domains and tyrosine kinase activity, determine both the turnover in focal adhesion assembly and the specificity of downstream signaling. The characterization of functional interactions of FA-PTKs may provide new potential therapeutic targets in order to control vascular pathological processes including angiogenesis.

Response facilitation from the "suppressive" receptive field surround of macaque V1 neurons

In primary visual cortex (V1), neuronal responses to optimally oriented stimuli in the receptive field (RF) center are usually suppressed by iso-oriented stimuli in the RF surround. The mechanisms and pathways giving rise to surround modulation, a possible neural correlate of perceptual figure-ground segregation, are not yet identified. We previously proposed that highly divergent and fast-conducting top-down feedback connections are the substrate for fast modulation arising from the more distant regions of the surround. We have recently implemented this idea into a recurrent network model (Schwabe et al. 2006). The purpose of this study was to test a crucial prediction of this feedback model, namely that the suppressive "far" surround of V1 neurons can be facilitatory under conditions that weakly activate neurons in the RF center. Using single-unit recordings in macaque V1, we found iso-orientation far-surround facilitation when the RF center was driven by a low-contrast stimulus and the far surround by a small annular stimulus. Suppression occurred when the center stimulus contrast or the size of the surround stimulus was increased. This suggests that center-surround interactions result from excitatory and inhibitory mechanisms of similar spatial extent, and that changes in the balance of local excitation and inhibition, induced by surround stimulation, determine whether facilitation or suppression occurs. In layer 4C, the main target of geniculocortical afferents, lacking long-range intra-cortical connections, far-surround facilitation was rare and large surround fields were absent. This strongly suggests that feedforward connections do not contribute to far-surround modulation and that the latter is generated by intra-cortical mechanisms, likely involving top-down feedback.

Contribution of feedforward thalamic afferents and corticogeniculate feedback to the spatial summation area of macaque V1 and LGN

Neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) respond best to oriented gratings of optimal size within their receptive field (RF) and are suppressed by larger gratings involving the nonclassical RF surround. A V1 neuron's optimal stimulus size is larger at lower stimulus contrast. A central question in visual neuroscience is what circuits generate the size tuning of V1 cells. We recently demonstrated that V1 horizontal connections integrate signals within a region of the RF center corresponding to the V1 neuron's optimal stimulus size at low contrast; extrastriate feedback connections to V1, instead, are longer range and can integrate signals from the most distant regions of the V1 cell's RF surround. Here, we have determined the contribution of geniculocortical feedforward and corticogeniculate feedback connections to the size-tuning of macaque V1 and lateral geniculate (LGN) neurons, respectively. Specifically, we have quantitatively compared the visuotopic extent of geniculate feedforward afferents to V1 with the size of the RF center and surround of neurons in the V1 input layers and the visuotopic extent of V1 feedback connections to the LGN with the RF size of cells in V1 layer 6, where these connections originate. We find geniculate feedforward connections to provide visuotopic information to V1 that is spatially coextensive with the V1 neuron's optimal stimulus size measured with high-contrast gratings. V1 feedback connections restrict their influence to an LGN region visuotopically coextensive with the size of the minimum response field (or classical RF) of V1 layer 6 cells and commensurate with the LGN region from which they receive feedforward connections.

The role of feedback in shaping the extra-classical receptive field of cortical neurons: a recurrent network model

The responses of neurons in sensory cortices are affected by the spatial context within which stimuli are embedded. In the primary visual cortex (V1), orientation-selective responses to stimuli in the receptive field (RF) center are suppressed by similarly oriented stimuli in the RF surround. Surround suppression, a likely neural correlate of perceptual figure-ground segregation, is traditionally thought to be generated within V1 by long-range horizontal connections. Recently however, it has been shown that these connections are too short and too slow to mediate fast suppression from distant regions of the RF surround. We use an anatomically and physiologically constrained recurrent network model of macaque V1 to show how interareal feedback connections, which are faster and longer-range than horizontal connections, can generate "far" surround suppression. We provide a novel solution to the puzzle of how surround suppression can arise from excitatory feedback axons contacting predominantly excitatory neurons in V1. The basic mechanism involves divergent feedback connections from the far surround targeting pyramidal neurons sending monosynaptic horizontal connections to excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the RF center. One of several predictions of our model is that the "suppressive far surround" is not always suppressive, but can facilitate the response of the RF center, depending on the amount of excitatory drive to the local inhibitors. Our model provides a general mechanism of how top-down feedback signals directly contribute to generating cortical neuron responses to simple sensory stimuli.

Reduction of glutamate levels in HIV-infected subjects treated with acetylcarnitine

The excitotoxic amino acid glutamate, which is elevated in blood and cerebrospinal fluid from subjects with AIDS dementia complex, is crucially implicated in the neurotoxicity of HIV infection. We describe a subject with AIDS dementia complex who showed a significant motor and cognitive improvement after a course of intravenous acetylcarnitine therapy. The clinical improvement was paralleled by a significant reduction of glutamate concentrations in both blood and cerebrospinal fluid. A prospective pilot study confirmed that acetylcarnitine administration resulted indeed to reduce the blood levels of glutamate in AIDS patients treated with acetylcarnitine therapy in order to prevent the neurotoxicity of nucleoside analogs. Even though the mechanisms responsible for the reduction of glutamate concentrations remain to be established, we suggest that acetylcarnitine should be added to the list of drugs under investigation for the treatment of AIDS dementia complex. The anti-apoptotic activity of carnitines and their safety profile further support this view.

Contribution of feedforward, lateral and feedback connections to the classical receptive field center and extra-classical receptive field surround of primate V1 neurons

A central question in visual neuroscience is what circuits generate the responses of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1). V1 neurons respond best to oriented stimuli of optimal size within their receptive field (RF) center. This size tuning is contrast dependent, i.e. a neuron's optimal stimulus size measured at high contrast (the high-contrast summation RF, or hsRF) is smaller than when measured using low-contrast stimuli (the low-contrast summation RF, or lsRF). Responses to stimuli in the RF center are usually suppressed by iso-oriented stimuli in the extra-classical RF surround. Iso-orientation surround suppression is fast and long range, extending well beyond the size of V1 cells' lsRF. Geniculocortical feedforward (FF), V1 lateral and extrastriate feedback (FB) connections to V1 could all contribute to generating the RF center and surround of V1 neurons. Studies on the spatio-temporal properties and functional organization of these connections can help disclose their specific contributions to the responses of V1 cells. These studies, reviewed in this chapter, have shown that FF afferents to V1 integrate signals within the hsRF of V1 cells; V1 lateral connections are commensurate with the size of the lsRF and may, thus, underlie contrast-dependent changes in spatial summation, and modulatory effects arising from the surround region closer to the RF center (the "near" surround). The spatial and temporal properties of lateral connections cannot account for the dimensions and onset latency of modulation arising from more distant regions of the surround (the "far" surround). Inter-areal FB connections to V1, instead, are commensurate with the full spatial range of center and surround responses, and show fast conduction velocity consistent with the short onset latency of modulation arising from the "far" surround. We review data showing that a subset of FB connections terminate in a patchy fashion in V1, and show modular and orientation specificity, consistent with their proposed role in orientation-specific center-surround interactions. We propose specific mechanisms by which each connection type contributes to the RF center and surround of V1 neurons, and implement these hypotheses into a recurrent network model. We show physiological data in support of the model's predictions, revealing that modulation from the "far" surround is not always suppressive, but can be facilitatory under specific stimulus conditions.

Molecular aspects of gefitinib antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in PTEN-positive and PTEN-negative prostate cancer cell lines

To date, no effective therapeutic treatment allows abrogation of the progression of prostate cancer (PCa) to more invasive forms. One of the major targets for the therapy in PCa can be epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which signals via the phosphoinositide 3'-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, among others. Despite multiple reports of overexpression in PCa, the reliance on activated EGFR and its downstream signalling to the PI3K and/or MAPK/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways has not been fully elucidated. We reported that the EGFR-selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (ZD1839; Iressa) is able to induce growth inhibition, G(1) arrest and apoptosis in PCa cells and that its effectiveness is associated primarily with phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN) expression (and thus Akt activity). In fact PTEN-negative PCa cells are slowly sensitive to gefitinib treatment, because this molecule is unable to downregulate PI3K/Akt activity. PI3K inhibition, by LY294002 or after PTEN transfection, restores EGFR-stimulated Akt signalling and sensitizes the cells to pro-apoptotic action of gefitinib. The MAPK pathway seems to be involved primarily on cell-growth modulation because dual blockade of EGFR and ERK1/2 phosphorylation potentiates growth inhibition (both not cell apoptosis) in PTEN-positive PCa cells and reduced EGF-mediated growth in PTEN-negative cells. Thus the effectiveness of gefitinib requires growth factor receptor-stimulated PI3K/Akt and MAPK signalling to be intact and functional. The loss of the PTEN activity leads to uncoupling of this signalling pathway, determining a partial gefitinib resistance. Moreover, gefitinib sensitivity may be maintained in these cells through its inhibitory potential in MAPK/ERK pathway activity, modulating proliferative EGFR-triggered events. Therefore, our data suggest that the inhibition of EGFR signalling can result in a significant growth reduction and in increased apoptosis in EGFR-overexpressing PCa cells with different modalities, which are regulated by PTEN status, and this may have relevance in the clinical setting of PCa.

Effects of blocking urokinase receptor signaling by antisense oligonucleotides in a mouse model of experimental prostate cancer bone metastases

An important factor implicated in tumor cell predisposition for invasion and metastasis is the malignancy-related upregulation of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). uPAR signals by activating different tyrosine kinases in different cells. We examined the effects of inhibiting uPAR signaling by inhibition of uPAR expression with antisense oligonucleotides (aODNs) in PC3 human prostate cancer cells and evaluated aODN effect in a mouse model of prostate cancer bone metastasis. Following uPAR aODN treatment, PC3 cells exhibited a strong decrease in uPAR expression, evaluated by flow cytometry and by polymerase chain reaction, and of FAK/JNK/Jun phosphorylation. The synthesis of cyclins A, B, D1 and D3 was inhibited, as shown by Western blotting, flow cytometry and polymerase chain reaction, and PC3 cells accumulated in the G2 phase of the cell cycle. PC3 cells' adhesion was unaffected, while proliferation and invasion of Matrigel were impaired. A total of 60 mice were subjected to intracardiac injection of PC3 cells and were randomly assigned to three groups: aODN (treated with 0.5 mg intraperitoneum/mouse/day), dODN (treated with the same amounts of a degenerated ODN) and control (injected with a saline solution). At 28 days after heart injection, mice were subjected to a digital scan of total body radiography, which revealed 80% reduction in mice affected by bone metastasis. The use of uPAR aODNs produced a substantial prophylactic effect against prostate cancer bone metastasis, which has to be ascribed to downregulation of uPAR expression.

The Role of 5αR Inhibitors in the Early Growth of Pca Cells

Aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of Finasteride (MK906), a selective 5α reductase type 2(5αR2) inhibitor, and of MK386, a selective 5α reductase type 1 (5αR1), on the cellular proliferation of primary cell cultures derived from patients with prostatic diseases.

Methods

We evaluated the effects of Finasteride and MK386 in 30 primary cultures obtained from prostatic carcinoma (PCa), 6 from high grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and 10 from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Results

Primary cultures require testosterone (T) for optimal growth and both 5αR inhibitors decreased cell proliferation of primary cultures of PCa cells. IC50 values of Finasteride were lower when compared to those of MK386. In particular, Finasteride was more active in cultures derived from Gleason 2–6 PCa, compared to those derived from Gleason 7–10 PCa. On the contrary, we observed higher effectiveness of MK386 in Gleason 7–10 PCa derived cultures compared to those derived from Gleason 2–6 PCa tissues. The growth of PCa primary cultures was down-modulated by MK386 through a direct inhibition of the epithelial 5αR1, whereas the anti-proliferative activity of Finasteride seems to be mediated by stromal cells present in the primary cultures.

Conclusions

We found biological evidence for an important role of 5αR inhibitors in the early growth of PCa cells and for the necessity of combining anti-hormonal treatment for a sustained inhibition of PCa through the inhibition of stromal cell function even in advanced and androgen-resistant tumor progression phases.

New Metastatic Models in Vivo of Prostate Cancer

Experimental prostate cancer bone metastases are difficult to form in vivo, and some typical clinical patterns remain irreproducible. In our work we describe new metastatic models in vivo using different experimental approaches.

Methods

We injected prostate cancer cells in the left cardiac ventricle or in the medullar cavity of tibia of male nude mice.

Results

Mice were monitored by x-ray analysis and 70% of them revealed osteolytic lesions 40 days after heart injection. By scintigraphy and alu-PCR we were able to identify early a higher number of metastatic loci than by x-ray.

Conclusions

Heart and intratibial injection of prostate cancer cells in nude mice may represent a good experimental model to investigate the pathophysiology of bone and bone marrow metastases in vivo.

Gefitinib is Able to Sustain Metastatic Progression

The expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a distinctive marker in the biologic progression of prostatic carcinoma (PCa). Gefitinib (‘Iressa’) is an orally active EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and in clinical trials has shown important antitumor activity in tumors expressing EGFR. Our aim was to demonstrate that Gefitinib was also effective in inhibiting the cellular capabilities leading to metastasis formation.

Methods

The inhibitory effect of Gefitinib on the invasive phenotype of PCa cells was tested in vivo by injecting PC3 cells subcutaneously (Xenograft) or into the left ventricle of nude mice and by daily administration of various doses of Gefitinib.

Results

The tumoral growth of xenograft was significantly inhibited by 150mg/kg Gefitinib with a reduction of 40% in tumor weight. Moreover mice receiving tumoral cells intracardially showed a significant reduction in bone metastases when treated with Gefitinib.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that EGF is able to sustain not only cellular growth, but also metastatic progression. For this reason the use of Gefitinib as a therapeutic agent may also be indicated in the control of tumor spreading in EGF responsive tumor cells.

Reaching beyond the classical receptive field of V1 neurons: horizontal or feedback axons?

It is commonly assumed that the orientation-selective surround field of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1) is due to interactions provided solely by intrinsic long-range horizontal connections. We review evidence for and against this proposition and conclude that horizontal connections are too slow and cover too little visual field to subserve all the functions of suppressive surrounds of V1 neurons in the macaque monkey. We show that the extent of visual space covered by horizontal connections corresponds to the region of low contrast summation of the receptive field center mechanism. This region encompasses the classically defined receptive field center and the proximal surround. Beyond this region, feedback connections are the most likely substrate for surround suppression. We present evidence that inactivation of higher order areas leads to a major decrease in the strength of the suppressive surround of neurons in lower order areas, supporting the hypothesis that feedback connections play a major role in center-surround interactions.

Anatomical substrates for functional columns in macaque monkey primary visual cortex

In this review we re-examine the concept of a cortical column in macaque primary visual cortex, and consider to what extent a functionally defined column reflects any sort of anatomical entity that subdivides cortical territory. Functional studies have shown that columns relating to different response properties are mapped in cortex at different spatial scales. We suggest that these properties first emerge in mid-layer 4C through a combination of thalamic afferent inputs and local intracortical circuitry, and are then transferred to other layers in a columnar fashion, via interlaminar relays, where additional processing occurs. However, several properties are not strictly columnar since they do not appear in all cortical layers. In contrast to the functional column, an anatomically based cortical column is defined most clearly in terms of the reciprocal connections it makes, both via intra-areal lateral connections and inter-areal feedback/feedforward pathways. The column boundaries are reinforced by interplay between lateral inhibition spreading beyond the column boundary and disinhibition within the column. The anatomical column acts as a functionally tuned unit and point of information collation from laterally offset regions and feedback pathways. Thalamic inputs provide the high-contrast receptive field sizes of the column's neurons, intra-areal lateral connections provide their low contrast summation field sizes, and feedback pathways provide surround modulation of receptive fields responses.

Circuits for local and global signal integration in primary visual cortex

Contrast-dependent changes in spatial summation and contextual modulation of primary visual cortex (V1) neuron responses to stimulation of their receptive field reveal long-distance integration of visual signals within V1, well beyond the classical receptive field (cRF) of single neurons. To identify the cortical circuits mediating these long-distance computations, we have used a combination of anatomical and physiological recording methods to determine the spatial scale and retinotopic logic of intra-areal V1 horizontal connections and inter-areal feedback connections to V1. We have then compared the spatial scales of these connectional systems to the spatial dimensions of the cRF, spatial summation field (SF), and modulatory surround field of macaque V1 neurons. We find that monosynaptic horizontal connections within area V1 are of an appropriate spatial scale to mediate interactions within the SF of V1 neurons and to underlie contrast-dependent changes in SF size. Contrary to common beliefs, these connections cannot fully account for the dimensions of the surround field. The spatial scale of feedback circuits from extrastriate cortex to V1 is, instead, commensurate with the full spatial range of center-surround interactions. Thus these connections could represent an anatomical substrate for contextual modulation and global-to-local integration of visual signals. Feedback projections connect corresponding and equal-sized regions of the visual field in striate and extrastriate cortices and cover anisotropic parts of visual space, unlike V1 horizontal connections that are isotropic in the macaque. V1 isotropic connectivity demonstrates that anisotropic horizontal connections are not necessary to generate orientation selectivity. Anisotropic feedback connections may play a role in contour completion.

Anatomical origins of the classical receptive field and modulatory surround field of single neurons in macaque visual cortical area V1

From the analyses of our own and others' anatomical and physiological data for the macaque visual system, we arrive at a conclusion that three pathways can provide the V1 neuron with access to information from the visual field and affect its response. First, direct thalamic input can determine the size of the initial activating RF at high contrast. Second, lateral connections can enlarge the RF at low contrast by pooling information from larger regions of cortex that are otherwise ineffective when high contrast thalamic input is driving the cortical neuron. Thirdly, feedback from extrastriate cortex (possibly together with overlap or interdigitation of coactive lateral connectional fields within V1) can provide a large and stimulus specific surround modulatory field. The stimulus specificity of the interactions between the center and surround fields, may be due to the orderly, matching structure and different scales of intra-areal and feedback projection excitatory pathways. The observed activity changes of single recorded excitatory neurons could be a result of the relative weight of excitation on the excitatory neurons themselves and on local inhibitory interneurons that synapse on them. Inhibitory basket neurons, driven by the local excitatory neurons, could govern local interactions between cortical patches of different tuning properties, resulting in more distant changes in excitatory input in the laterally connected intra-areal neuronal pools.

Compulsory averaging of crowded orientation signals in human vision

A shape can be more difficult to identify when other shapes are near it. For example, when several grating patches are viewed parafoveally, observers are unable to report the orientation of the central patch. This phenomenon, known as 'crowding,' has historically been confused with lateral masking, in which one stimulus attenuates signals generated by another stimulus. Here we show that despite their inability to report the orientation of an individual patch, observers can reliably estimate the average orientation, demonstrating that the local orientation signals are combined rather than lost. Our results imply that crowding is distinct from ordinary masking, and is perhaps related to texture perception. Under crowded conditions, the orientation signals in primary visual cortex are pooled before they reach consciousness.

Vesicle-associated urokinase plasminogen activator promotes invasion in prostate cancer cell lines

The ability of a cell to modify the extracellular matrix is important in several pathophysiological alterations including tumorigenesis. Cell transformation is accompanied by changes in the surrounding stroma as a result of the action of specific proteases such as the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA), which has been associated with invasive potential in many tumor types. In this study, we analyzed the release of vesicle-associated uPA by the aggressive prostatic carcinoma cell line PC3 and the implications of this release for the invasive behaviour of prostatic tumor cells. Zymography and Western blot analysis revealed the presence of vesicle-associated uPA in the high-molecular weight form. Vesicles adhered to and degraded both collagen IV and reconstituted basal membrane (Matrigel), and plasminogen enhanced the degradation in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of membrane vesicles shed by PC3 cells to cultures of the poorly invasive prostate cancer cell line LnCaP enhanced the adhesive and invasive capabilities of the latter, suggesting a mechanism involving substrate recognition and degradation. Together, these findings indicate that membrane vesicles can promote tumor invasion and point to the important role of vesicle-associated uPA in the extracellular compartment.

Culture conditions modulate cell phenotype and cause selection of subpopulations in PC3 prostate cancer cell line

PC3 cell line contains different cell variants. A first variant grows as spherical multicellular aggregates and shows anchorage-independent growth. A second variant grows as single small rounds and shows anchorage-dependent growth without cell spreading. A third variant, representing the most abundant population, grows as adherent cells. These populations differ in alpha 2 beta 1 and alpha 3 beta 1 integrin expression with low levels in the suspended (S) cells, intermediate in partially adherent (R) cells and high in adherent cells (A). TPA, which up-regulates the expression of beta 1 integrins, increases invasiveness of cells. In addition, PC3 variants differ in MMP9 and uPA secretion and activity. High levels of TIMP1 and PAI1 present in S variant reduce MMP9 and uPA activities, respectively. In conclusion, PC3 cell line shows variants with strong phenotypic heterogeneity reflecting also the in vitro culture condition. Our observations may explain some of the contradictions in the literature. Therefore, the data obtained with this line should be evaluated more carefully, considering morphological and functional characteristics of the possible variants in the cell population. However, this heterogeneity may represent a good model in the study of tumor progression.

Induction of visual orientation modules in auditory cortex

Modules of neurons sharing a common property are a basic organizational feature of mammalian sensory cortex. Primary visual cortex (V1) is characterized by orientation modules--groups of cells that share a preferred stimulus orientation--which are organized into a highly ordered orientation map. Here we show that in ferrets in which retinal projections are routed into the auditory pathway, visually responsive neurons in 'rewired' primary auditory cortex are also organized into orientation modules. The orientation tuning of neurons within these modules is comparable to the tuning of cells in V1 but the orientation map is less orderly. Horizontal connections in rewired cortex are more patchy and periodic than connections in normal auditory cortex, but less so than connections in V1. These data show that afferent activity has a profound influence on diverse components of cortical circuitry, including thalamocortical and local intracortical connections, which are involved in the generation of orientation tuning, and long-range horizontal connections, which are important in creating an orientation map.

Osteoblast-derived TGF-beta1 modulates matrix degrading protease expression and activity in prostate cancer cells

Tumor progression and metastasis may result in part from the selection of cell clones competent for survival, invasion and growth at secondary sites and characterized by loss of growth inhibitory responses, acquisition of increased adhesiveness and enhanced motility and protease expression. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is produced by osteoblasts (OB) in a latent form and is activated by proteases in a cell-dependent manner. We show here that OB conditioned medium (OB CM) modulates Matrigel invasion of a bone metastatic prostate cancer cell line (PC3) and that this effect is blocked by antibody against TGF-beta1 and by uPA/plasmin inhibitors, suggesting that TGF-beta1 can modulate OB-mediated cell recruitment and that PC3 cells can activate TGF-beta1. TGF-beta1 induces uPA and PAI-1 secretion and promotes binding of uPA at the external plasma membrane with increased membrane-associated plasmin activity. Matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) is induced both in the medium and in the membrane associated form. Moreover, the balance between proteolytic activity and inhibition is crucial in the metastatic event. Indeed, the increment of PAI-1 could have an important regulatory role on the extracellular proteolysis and might explain the decrease of net PA and gelatinolytic activities measured in the medium. In addition, PAI-1 plays a regulative role localizing matrix degradation in some specific sites, such as areas of cell-to-cell or cell-to-ECM contacts. In conclusion, TGF-beta1 enhances PC3 Matrigel invasion by a uPA/plasmin-dependent mechanism, also involving the MMP-9, and thus may play a central role in malignant prostate tumor progression as a result of stimulating bone matrix invasion.

Rewiring cortex: the role of patterned activity in development and plasticity of neocortical circuits

Visually driven activity is not required for the establishment of ocular dominance columns, orientation columns, and long-range horizontal connections in visual cortex, although spontaneous activity appears to be necessary. The role of activity may be instructive or simply permissive; evidence for an instructive role requires inquiry into the role of the pattern of activity in shaping cortical circuits. The few experiments that have probed the role of patterned activity include the effects of artificial strabismus, artificial stimulation of the optic nerve, and rewiring visual projections from the retina to the auditory thalamus and cortex. These experiments demonstrate that patterned activity is vital for the maintenance of thalamocortical, local intracortical, and long-range horizontal connections in cortex.

Osteoblasts modulate secretion of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in human prostate cancer cells promoting migration and matrigel invasion

Prostate carcinoma (PRCA) cells metastasize to the skeleton with high frequency. Bone stores growth regulatory factors, which are released in active form during bone remodeling. We propose that bone cell-derived growth factors may induce the development of PRCA bone metastasis by recruiting tumor cells and increasing their proliferation in the bone microenvironment. Serum-free conditioned medium harvested from osteoblast cultures (OB CM) stimulated the in vitro chemotaxis of PRCA cells and invasion of a reconstituted basement membrane (Matrigel), suggesting enhanced invasive activity. Preosteoblastic cell CMs were less effective than CMs obtained from mature OB. CMs harvested from differentiated osteoblast cultures capable of matrix mineralization were more active compared to CMs from proliferating osteoblasts. OB CMs stimulated secretion of urokinase (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9). Inhibition of these matrix-degrading proteases by neutralizing antibodies and/or by inhibitors of their catalytic activity reduced Matrigel invasion. Secretion of uPA and activation of MMP-9 were most prominent by differentiated OB CMs with respect to poorly differentiated cells in vitro. These results are in agreement with several in vivo studies and indicate that factors produced during osteogenesis by bone cells stimulate PRCA cell chemotaxis and matrix proteases expression, thus representing potential targets for alternative therapies deterring the progression of PRCA metastasis to bone.

Osteoblast conditioned media contain TGF-beta1 and modulate the migration of prostate tumor cells and their interactions with extracellular matrix components

Prostate cancers (PRCAs) frequently metastasize to bone. We show here that this process is facilitated by osteoblast-mediated tumor cell recruitment. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is produced by osteoblasts in a latent form and is activated by proteases in a cell-dependent manner. This cytokine exhibits pleiotropic effects on cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions and may influence tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Our purpose was to identify the potential molecular mechanisms involved in osteoblast-mediated cell recruitment and to characterize the effect of TGF-beta1 on adhesion, motility and invasiveness of a human prostate cancer cell line with high bone metastatic potential (PC3 cell line) in vitro. Conditioned media from osteoblast cultures (OB CM) enhanced PC3 cell chemotaxis and invasion of reconstituted basement membrane. These effects were blocked by a neutralizing TGF-beta1 polyclonal antibody but not by elution of the OB CM in agarose-heparin columns, suggesting that TGF-beta1, but not EGF-like proteins, contribute to PC3 cell recruitment. In addition, TGF-beta1 directly induced chemotaxis and invasion of PC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The TGF-beta1-mediated invasion and motility were accompanied by increased PC3 cell adhesion, spreading and alpha2beta1 and alpha3beta1 integrin expression. These events are involved in the cell adhesion to several components of basement membrane and ECM and in the selective invasion of metastatic tumor cells. Our results suggest that TGF-beta1 can influence cellular recognition of ECM components by prostatic cancer cells and can modulate cell adhesion and invasion leading to increased invasive potential. Given the widespread tissue distribution of TGF-beta1, and the high levels present in the bone, this cytokine may be an important autocrine-paracrine modulator of the bone invasive phenotype in vivo.

Brainstem inputs to the ferret medial geniculate nucleus and the effect of early deafferentation on novel retinal projections to the auditory thalamus

Following specific neonatal brain lesions in rodents and ferrets, retinal axons have been induced to innervate the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN). Previous studies have suggested that reduction of normal retinal targets along with deafferentation of the MGN are two concurrent factors required for the induction of novel retino-MGN projections. We have examined, in ferrets, the relative influence of these two factors on the extent of the novel retinal projection. We first characterized the inputs to the normal MGN, and the most effective combination of neonatal lesions to deafferent this nucleus, by injecting retrograde tracers into the MGN of normal and neonatally operated adult ferrets, respectively. In a second group of experiments, newborn ferrets received different combinations of lesions of normal retinal targets and MGN afferents. The resulting extent of retino-MGN projections was estimated for each case at adulthood, by using intraocular injections of anterograde tracers. We found that the extent of retino-MGN projections correlates well with the extent of MGN deafferentation, but not with extent of removal of normal retinal targets. Indeed, the presence of at least some normal retinal targets seems necessary for the formation of retino-MGN connections. The diameters of retino-MGN axons suggest that more than one type of retinal ganglion cells innervate the MGN under a lesion paradigm that spares the visual cortex and lateral geniculate nucleus. We also found that, after extensive deafferentation of MGN, other axonal systems in addition to retinal axons project ectopically to the MGN. These data are consistent with the idea that ectopic retino-MGN projections develop by sprouting of axon collaterals in response to signals arising from the deafferented nucleus, and that these axons compete with other sets of axons for terminal space in the MGN.

The growth arrest and downregulation of c-myc transcription induced by ceramide are related events dependent on p21 induction, Rb underphosphorylation and E2F sequestering

Ceramide is an intracellular lipid mediator generated through the sphingomyelin cycle in response to several extracellular signals. Ceramide has been shown to induce growth inhibition, c-myc downmodulation and apoptosis. In this paper we examined the mechanism by which ceramide induces growth suppression and the role of the G1-CDK/pRb/E2F pathway in this process. The addition of exogenous, cell-permeable C2-ceramide to the Hs 27 human diploid fibroblast cell line resulted in a dose-dependent induction of the p21WAF1/CIP1/Sdi1 kinase inhibitor with reduction of cyclin-D1 associated kinase activity. Furthermore, significant dephosphorylation of pRb was observed, with increased association of pRb and the E2F transcription factor into a transcriptionally inactive complex. Ceramide was also capable of inhibiting the transcriptional activity of a CAT reporter vector driven by E2F binding sites containing c-myc promoter transfected into Hs 27 cells. The requirement of the pRb protein for ceramide-induced c-myc downregulation was supported by the failure of ceramide to inhibit promoter activity in HeLa cells, in which pRb function is abrogated by the presence of the E7 Papilloma virus oncoprotein, and in pRb-deleted SAOS2 AT cells. Ceramide-induced downregulation of the c-myc promoter was restored in SAOS2 #1 cells in which a functional Rb gene was reintroduced. Our studies demonstrate that pRb dephosphorylation, induced by ceramide, is at least partly necessary for c-myc downregulation, and therefore the CDK-Rb-E2F pathway appears to be a target for the ceramide-induced modulation of cell cycle regulated gene transcription.

Experimentally induced retinal projections to the ferret auditory thalamus: development of clustered eye-specific patterns in a novel target

We have examined the relative role of afferents and targets in pattern formation using a novel preparation, in which retinal projections in ferrets are induced to innervate the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN). We find that retinal projections to the MGN are arranged in scattered clusters. Clusters arising from the ipsilateral eye are frequently adjacent to, but spatially segregated from, clusters arising from the contralateral eye. Both clustering and eye-specific segregation in the MGN arise as a refinement of initially diffuse and overlapped projections. The shape, size, and orientation of retinal terminal clusters in the MGN closely match those of relay cell dendrites arrayed within fibrodendritic laminae in the MGN. We conclude that specific aspects of a projection system are regulated by afferents and others by targets. Clustering of retinal projections within the MGN and eye-specific segregation involve progressive remodeling of retinal axon arbors, over a time period that closely parallels pattern formation by retinal afferents within their normal target, the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN). Thus, afferent-driven mechanisms are implicated in these events. However, the termination zones are aligned within the normal cellular organization of the MGN, which does not differentiate into eye-specific cell layers similar to the LGN. Thus, target-driven mechanisms are implicated in lamina formation and cellular differentiation.

A role for nitric oxide in the development of the ferret retinogeniculate projection

The ferret retinogeniculate projection segregates into eye-specific layers during the first postnatal week and into ON/OFF sublaminae, which receive inputs from either on-center or off-center retinal ganglion cells, during the third and fourth postnatal weeks. The restriction of retinogeniculate axon arbors into eye-specific layers appears to depend on action potential activity () but does not require activation of NMDA receptors (). The formation of ON/OFF sublaminae is also activity-dependent and is disrupted by in vivo blockade of NMDA receptors (). To investigate a possible mechanism whereby blockade of postsynaptic NMDA receptors in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) results in changes in the size and position of presynaptic axon arbors, we tested the role of the diffusible messenger nitric oxide (NO) in the development of the retinogeniculate pathway. We found previously that NO synthase (NOS) is transiently expressed in LGN cells during the refinement of retinogeniculate projections (). In this study, treatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NoArg), an arginine analog that inhibits NOS, during the third and fourth postnatal weeks resulted in an overall pattern of sublamination that was significantly reduced compared with normal and control animals. Single retinogeniculate axon arbors were located in the middle of eye-specific layers rather than toward the inner or outer half as in normal or control animals. The effect of NOS inhibition was not a consequence of the hypertensive effect of L-NoArg. In contrast to the effect of L-NoArg on the formation of ON/OFF sublaminae, treatment with L-NoArg during the first postnatal week did not disrupt the formation of eye-specific layers. Biochemical assays indicated significant inhibition of NOS during both treatment periods. These data suggest that NO acts together with NMDA receptors in activity-dependent refinement of connections during a specific phase of retinogeniculate development.

Anterograde axonal tracing with the subunit B of cholera toxin: a highly sensitive immunohistochemical protocol for revealing fine axonal morphology in adult and neonatal brains

We report an improved immunohistochemical protocol for revealing anterograde axonal transport of the subunit B of cholera toxin (CTB) which stains axons and terminals in great detail, so that single axons can be followed over long distances and their arbors reconstructed in their entirety. Our modifications enhance the quality of staining mainly by increasing the penetration of the primary antibody in the tissue. The protocol can be modified to allow combination in alternate sections with tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) histochemical staining of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP). Using the protocol, we tested the performance of CTB as an anterograde tracer under two experimental paradigms which render other anterograde tracers less sensitive or unreliable: (1) labeling the entire retinofugal projection to the brain after injections into the vitreal chamber of the eye, and (2) labeling developing projections in the cortex and thalamus of early postnatal mammals. Qualitative comparisons were made with other tracers (Phaseolus vulgaris leucoagglutinin, dextran rhodamine, biotinylated dextran, free WGA, or WGA-HRP) that were used to label these same projections. From these observations it is clear that CTB, visualized with our protocol, provides more sensitive anterograde labeling of retinofugal projections as well as of axonal connections in the neonatal forebrain.

Layer-specific programs of development in neocortical projection neurons

How are long-range axonal projections from the cerebral cortex orchestrated during development? By using both passively and actively transported axonal tracers in fetal and postnatal ferrets, we have analyzed the development of projections from the cortex to a number of thalamic nuclei. We report that the projections of a cortical area to its corresponding thalamic nuclei follow highly cell-specific programs of development. Axons from cells in the deepest layers of the cerebral cortex (layer 6 and superficial subplate neurons) appear to grow very slowly and be delayed for several weeks in the cerebral white matter, reaching the thalamus over a protracted period. Neurons of layer 5, on the other hand, develop their projections much faster; despite being born after the neurons of deeper layers, layer 5 neurons are the first to extend their axons out of the cortical hemisphere and innervate the thalamus. Layer 5 projections are massive in the first postnatal weeks but may become partly eliminated later in development, being overtaken in number by layer 6 cells that constitute the major corticothalamic projection by adulthood. Layer 5 projections are area-specific from the outset and arise as collateral branches of axons directed to the brainstem and spinal cord. Our findings show that the early development of corticofugal connections is determined not by the sequence of cortical neurogenesis but by developmental programs specific for each type of projection neuron. In addition, they demonstrate that in most thalamic nuclei, layer 5 neurons (and not subplate or layer 6 neurons) establish the first descending projections from the cerebral cortex.

Segregation and overlap of callosal and association neurons in frontal and parietal cortices of primates: a spectral and coherency analysis

The spatial relations between selected classes of association and callosal neurons were studied in the frontal and parietal lobes of the macaque monkey using retrogradely transported fluorescent dyes. Fast blue and nuclear yellow were injected in the left frontal (areas 4 and 6) and right posterior parietal (area 5) cortices, respectively. These injections led to the retrograde labeling, in the right frontal cortex, of callosal neurons projecting homotopically and association neurons projecting to ipsilateral area 5; in the left superior parietal lobule, of callosal neurons projecting to contralateral area 5 and association neurons projecting to the ipsilateral frontal lobe. In both frontal and parietal cortices, callosal and association neurons were located in layers III and V-VI; a few neurons were also found in layer II. The contribution of layers V-VI to the callosum was significantly higher in areas 4 and 6 than in area 5. Only a small number of neurons (less than 1%) were double labeled. Spectral analyses were used to characterize the spatial periodicities of the distributions of callosal and association neurons. In areas 4, 6, and 5, both association and callosal spectra were dominated by a strong elevation in the range of low spatial frequencies, corresponding to periodicities in cell density with a peak-to-peak distance of about 8 mm. This indicated an arrangement of these corticocortical cells in the form of bands. The latter displayed various shapes and orientations and were composed of more discrete assemblies of cell clusters of about 400-1000 microns width. Their presence was revealed in the power spectra by a small elevation in the range of high spatial frequencies. The coherency analysis assessed the degree of linear relationships for each spatial frequency, and therefore the degree of similarity, between callosal and association cell distributions, together with their phase relations. Little coherency was found in areas 4 and 6 between bands of callosal and association neurons, which suggests that the 2 cell populations are differently and independently distributed in the tangential domain, with no simple phase relations. The overall mean coherency was higher in area 5 than in the frontal cortex: callosal and association bands were more similar in shape, with more extensive zones of overlap. These data indicate that callosal and association neurons share common principles of spatial organization despite the great regional variability of their interrelations in the tangential cortical domain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)