P5-01-18: Identification of Pax6 as a Human Breast Cancer-Testis Antigen

Background

Cancer-testis antigens (CTAs) are specifically expressed in the normal testis and various types of cancer cells, but not or expressed with very low level in the other normal tissues. CTAs are considered to be promising targets for immunotherapy. Little is known on CTAs which specifically expressed in breast cancer. Studies show that the transcriptional activation by CpG island hypomethylation is believed to be an important mechanism of their increased expression.

Objective: To find CTAs which specifically expressed in breast cancer; prove the increase of its expression in human breast cancer, and explore the possibility for it to be developed as target for the immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy of breast cancer.

Methods and results Genomic DNAs were isolated from testis tissue, breast cancer and normal breast tissues respectively. To perform CpG island microarray assays, genomic DNAs were prepared from 15 paired breast cancer biopsies and their normal controls. After obtaining sequence information for those clones from the CpG island database, they were then used to search for surrounding genes in the gene banks. We found several testis specific genes, such as, Pax6, NDRG3 and Synaptojanin 2. Since the last two genes had been extended investigated, they were not the subjects of this study. The Pax6 Gene Was Activated in Established and Primary Breast Cancer Cell Lines. First, we examined Pax6 gene expression levels in a breast cancer cell line panel that included Hs578T, MDA-231, MDA-436, MDA-468, T47D, MCF7 and MCF7/Adr, by performing RT-PCR where b-actin served as control. In addition, the RNAs obtained from normal breast and testis tissues were used as negative and positive controls.We found that Pax6 was re-expressed in MDA-436, MDA-468, T47D, and MCF7/Adr. To further test the Pax6 gene's behavior in primary breast cancer cells, we isolated breast cancer epithelial cells from the effusions of 8 patients (E4, E5, K151, K259, K473, K573, K596 and K605). cRNAs were prepared from those cells and the normal human breast cell line (NHBEC) for RT-PCR assays, where cRNAs of paired MCF7 cells and b-actin served as controls. Results showed that Pax6 was expressed in K259, K573, K596 and K605 cells to various degrees. Pax6 Was Expressed in a Majority of Breast Cancer Biopsies. To test if Pax6 was also expressed in breast cancer tissues, IHC assays were carried out using 19 patients’ biopsies where human testes served as positive controls. We found that the Pax6 protein existed mainly in the cytoplasm of breast cancer cells, but was not detectable in normal breast tissue sections.

Conclusion CpG islands of pax6 promoter region were hypomethylated in human breast cancer. The mRNA level of Pax6 in human breast cancer was significantly increased contrast to normal breast tissue, contrast to all other analyzed normal tissues, suggesting Pax6 is a CTA for breast cancer and might be applied as molecular target in immunotherapy against human breast cancer.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-01-18.

Simulations of thermophoretic nanoswimmers

We consider a nanodimer in solution with asymmetric thermal properties that shows self-propelled motion. One monomer of the nanodimer can be heated to a fixed temperature producing a radially symmetric temperature gradient. The thermophoretic properties of the second monomer produce then a propulsion against or toward the heated particle, such that the nanodimer becomes a puller or pusher nanoswimmer. We combine our simulation measurements with a theoretical analysis that satisfactorily characterizes the self-propelled velocity with the temperature gradient, and the thermophoretic properties of the bead.

Search for supersymmetry at the LHC in events with jets and missing transverse energy

A search for events with jets and missing transverse energy is performed in a data sample of pp collisions collected at √s=7 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The analyzed data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 1.14 fb(-1). In this search, a kinematic variable α(T) is used as the main discriminator between events with genuine and misreconstructed missing transverse energy. No excess of events over the standard model expectation is found. Exclusion limits in the parameter space of the constrained minimal supersymmetric extension of the standard model are set. In this model, squark masses below 1.1 TeV are excluded at 95% C.L. Gluino masses below 1.1 TeV are also ruled out at 95% C.L. for values of the universal scalar mass parameter below 500 GeV.

Search for new physics with a monojet and missing transverse energy in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

A study of events with missing transverse energy and an energetic jet is performed using pp collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV. The data were collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 36 pb(-1). An excess of these events over standard model contributions is a signature of new physics such as large extra dimensions and unparticles. The number of observed events is in good agreement with the prediction of the standard model, and significant extension of the current limits on parameters of new physics benchmark models is achieved.

Search for B(s)(0) → μ+ μ- and B(0) → μ+ μ- decays in pp collisions at sqrt[s] = 7 TeV

A search for the rare decays B(s)(0) → μ+ μ- and B(0) → μ+ μ- is performed in pp collisions at sqrt[s] = 7 TeV, with a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.14 fb(-1), collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. In both cases, the number of events observed after all selection requirements is consistent with expectations from background and standard-model signal predictions. The resulting upper limits on the branching fractions are B(B(s)(0) → μ+ μ-) < 1.9 × 10(-8) and B(B(0) → μ+ μ-)<4.6 × 10(-9), at 95% confidence level.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists versus insulin in inadequately controlled patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis of clinical trials

To compare the effect and safety of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) with insulin therapy on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients inadequately controlled with metformin and/or sulfonylurea. A systematic literature search on MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted using specific search terms 'GLP-1 insulin type 2 diabetes clinical trials' and eight eligible studies were retrieved. Data on mean change in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1C), weight loss, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), incidence of hypoglycaemia and gastrointestinal adverse events were extracted from each study and pooled in meta-analysis. Data on postprandial plasma glucose (PPG) and adverse events were also described or tabulated. Data from eight RCTs enrolling 2782 patients were pooled using a random-effects model. The mean net change [95% confidence interval (CIs)] for HbA1c, weight loss and FPG for patients treated with GLP-1 RA as compared with insulin was -0.14% (-2 mmol/mol) [95% CI; (-0.27, -0.02)%; p = 0.03]; -4.40 kg [95% CI; (-5.23, -3.56) kg; p < 0.01] and 1.18 mmol/l [95% CI; (0.43, 1.93) mmol/l; p < 0.01], respectively, with negative values favouring GLP-1 and positive values favouring insulin. The GLP-1 group was associated with a greater reduction in PPG than the insulin group. Overall, hypoglycaemia was reported less in the GLP-1 group [Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio (M-H OR) 0.45 (0.27, 0.76); p < 0.01], while there was no significant difference in occurrence of severe hypoglycaemia [M-H OR 0.65 (0.29,1.45); p = 0.29]. A significantly higher number of gastrointestinal adverse events were reported with GLP-1 group [M-H OR 15.00 (5.44,41.35) p < 0.01]. GLP-1 RA are promising new agents compared with insulin. Further prospective clinical trials are expected to fully evaluate the long-term effectiveness and safety of these therapies within the T2DM treatment paradigm.

ηπ+ π- resonant structure around 1.8 GeV/c(2) and η(1405) in J/ψ → ωηπ+ π-

We present results of a study of the decay J/ψ → ωηπ+ π- using a sample of (225.2 ± 2.8) × 10(6) J/ψ events collected by the BESIII detector, and report the observation of a new process J/ψ → ωX(1870) with a statistical significance of 7.2σ, in which X(1870) decays to a(0)(±)(980)π±. Fitting to ηπ+ π- mass spectrum yields a mass M = 1877.3 ± 6.3(stat)(-7.4)(+3.4)(syst) MeV/c(2), a width Γ = 57 ± 12(stat)(-4)(+19)(syst) MeV/c(2), and a product branching fraction B(J/ψ → ωX) × B(X→a(0)(±)(980)π±) × B(a(0) (±)(980) → ηπ±) = [1.50 ± 0.26(stat)(-0.36)(+0.72) (syst)] × 10(-4). Signals for J/ψ → ωf(1)(1285) and J/ψ → ω η(1405) are also clearly observed and measured.

Increased Plasma Levels of Nesfatin-1 in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Nesfatin-1, which is derived from nucleobindin2 (NUCB2), has been recently identified as a novel satiety regulator. However, its pathophysiological role in humans remains unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate plasma nesfatin-1 levels and the association between plasma nesfatin-1 levels and various metabolic parameters in humans.

74 subjects with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (nT2DM), 73 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and 73 subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) were enrolled in this study. Plasma nesfatin-1 levels were measured by a commercially available enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay.

Plasma nesfatin-1 levels were elevated in subjects with both nT2DM and IGT compared to controls (1.91±0.79 and 1.80±0.80 vs. 1.41±0.58 μ g/L, P<0.05 or P<0.01 ). Simple regression analysis showed that in subjects with IGT and nT2DM, plasma nesfatin-1 correlated positively with body mass index (BMI), hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2 h blood glucose after a glucose load (2hPBG), fasting plasma insulin (FINS) and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that plasma nesfatin-1 was significantly associated with IGT and nT2DM, even after controlling for differences in BMI.

Plasma nesfatin-1 concentrations were found to be elevated in subjects with both IGT and nT2DM and to be related with several clinical parameters known to be associated with insulin resistance.

Thalidomide attenuates graft arteriosclerosis of aortic transplant in a rat model

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of thalidomide on graft arteriosclerosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Male Lewis rats received abdominal aorta grafts from male Brown-Norway rats. The animals were divided into 4 groups: no treatment controls, a low-dose group that received thalidomide (50 mg/kg per day), a middle dose group that received thalidomide (100 mg/kg per day), and a high-dose group that received thalidomide (200 mg/kg per day) by daily intragastric administration. Rats were humanely killed at 60 days after surgery. The grafted aortas were analyzed by histology, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot analysis. The serum was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS

The neointimal thickness of the thalidomide treated aortas was significantly thinner compared with that of no treatment aortas (P < .05). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor, and intracellular adhesian molecule (ICAM-1) protein expression in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < .05). Moreover, thalidomide significantly inhibited the production of VEGF and ICAM-1 in serum (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

Our data suggested that thalidomide can attenuate graft arteriosclerosis so as to protect aortic grafts.

Measurement of the inclusive jet cross section in pp collisions at √s = 7 TeV

The inclusive jet cross section is measured in pp collisions with a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider using the CMS experiment. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 34 pb(-1). The measurement is made for jet transverse momenta in the range 18-1100 GeV and for absolute values of rapidity less than 3. The measured cross section extends to the highest values of jet p(T) ever observed and, within the experimental and theoretical uncertainties, is generally in agreement with next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions.

Isolation and characterization of tetranucleotide repeat polymorphic microsatellite loci in Larus saundersi (Aves, Laridae)

Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated, using tetranucleotide repeat oligonucleotide probes from an enriched DNA library of the globally "vulnerable" Saunders's gull (Larus saundersi), collected from the Yancheng coastal wetland, one of the three remaining breeding sites in China. Six breast muscle tissues and 16 blood samples from 22 gulls and eight eggshell membrane tissues were collected for this analysis. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 15, with a mean of 8.9. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.58 to 0.89 and 0.58 to 0.9, with means of 0.77 and 0.81, respectively. No significant linkage disequilibrium and no divergence from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were detected among these loci. Based on Micro-Checker tests, no null alleles are present at any of the loci. The microsatellite loci described here will be valuable for exploring population genetic structure and for other relevant genetic studies of Saunders's gull.

Reliability analysis of the resting state can sensitively and specifically identify the presence of Parkinson disease

Parkinson disease (PD) is characterized by a number of motor and behavioral abnormalities that could be considered deficits of a "no task" or "resting" state, including resting motor findings and defects in emerging from a resting state (e.g., resting tremor, elevated resting tone, abulia, akinesia, apathy). PET imaging, and recently, the MRI technique of continuous arterial spin labeling (CASL) have shown evidence of changes in metabolic patterns in individuals with PD. The purpose of this study was to learn if the presence of PD could be "predicted" based on resting fluctuations of the BOLD signal. Participants were 15 healthy controls, 14 subjects with PD, and 1 subject who presented as a control but later developed PD. The amplitude of the low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was used as an index of brain activity level in the resting state. Participants with PD using this index showed a reliable decrease in activity in a number of regions, including the supplementary motor cortex, the mesial prefrontal cortex, the right middle frontal gyrus, and the left cerebellum (lobule VII/VIII) as well as increased activity in the right cerebellum (lobule IV/V). Using a cross validation approach we term "Reliability Mapping of Regional Differences" (RMRD) to analyze our sample, we were able to reliably distinguish participants with PD from controls with 92% sensitivity and 87% specificity. Our "pre-diagnostic" subject segregated in our analysis with the PD group. These results suggest that resting fMRI should be considered for development as a biomarker and analytical tool for evaluation of PD.

Search for three-jet resonances in pp collisions at square root(s)=7 TeV

A search for three-jet hadronic resonance production in pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV has been conducted by the CMS Collaboration at the LHC, using a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35  pb(-1). Events with high jet multiplicity and a large scalar sum of jet transverse momenta are analyzed using a signature-based approach. The number of expected standard model background events is found to be in good agreement with the observed events. Limits on the cross section times branching ratio are set in a model of gluino pair production with an R-parity-violating decay to three quarks, and the data rule out such particles within the mass range of 200 to 280  GeV/c2.

Observation of χ(c1) decays into vector meson pairs φφ, ωω, and ωφ

Using (106±4)×10⁻⁶ ψ(3686) events accumulated with the BESIII detector at the BEPCII e⁺e⁻ collider, we present the first measurement of decays of χ(c1) to vector meson pairs φφ, ωω, and ωφ. The branching fractions are measured to be (4.4±0.3±0.5)×10⁻⁴, (6.0±0.3±0.7)×10⁻⁴, and (2.2±0.6±0.2)×10⁻⁵, for χ(c1)→φφ, ωω, and ωφ, respectively, which indicates that the hadron helicity selection rule is significantly violated in χ(cJ) decays. In addition, the measurement of χ(cJ)→ωφ provides the first indication of the rate of doubly OZI-suppressed χ(cJ) decay. Finally, we present improved measurements for the branching fractions of χ(c0) and χ(c2) to vector meson pairs.

Measurement of the t-channel single top quark production cross section in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Electroweak production of the top quark is measured for the first time in pp collisions at √=7  TeV, using a data set collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 36  pb⁻¹. With an event selection optimized for t-channel production, two complementary analyses are performed. The first one exploits the special angular properties of the signal, together with background estimates from the data. The second approach uses a multivariate analysis technique to probe the compatibility with signal topology expected from electroweak top-quark production. The combined measurement of the cross section is 83.6±29.8(stat+syst)±3.3(lumi)  pb, consistent with the standard model expectation.