Abstract 885: Using immunomic approach to enhance tumor-associated autoantibody detection in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Many studies demonstrated that the immune system can recognize the antigenic changes in cancer cells, and further develop autoantibodies against these antigens which have been called tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). During transition from chronic liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), autoantibodies can appear which are not detected in the pre-malignant conditions. In order to explore the possibility and usefulness of using a mini-array of multiple TAAs as an approach in the diagnosis of HCC, a total of 14 TAAs, including IMP1, IMP2/p62, IMP3/Koc, p53, Survivin, p16, CAPERα, CIP2A/p90, RalA, NPM1, MDM2 and 14-3-3 ζ, c-Myc and CyclinB1, were selected for expression of full-length recombinant proteins. Antibodies against 14 TAAs in 30 sera from patients with chronic hepatitis, 30 sera from patients with liver cirrhosis and 76 sera from patients with HCC as well as sera from 16 HCC patients with serial bleeding samples were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Positive results were also confirmed by Western blotting. Antibody frequency to any individual TAA in HCC varied from 6.6% to 21.1%. With the successive addition of TAAs to the panel of TAAs, there was a stepwise increase of positive antibody reactions. According to the evaluation indexes for accuracy of screening test, the sensitivity and specificity in using a panel of 14 TAAs for immunodiagnosis of HCC was 69.7% and 83.0%, respectively. The interesting finding was that these anti-TAA autoantibodies could be detected at least one year before the diagnosis of HCC, suggesting that using a penal of 14 TAAs for enhancing autoantibody detection would be a valuable approach in the early diagnosis of HCC. The mini-array of 14 TAAs can identify 43.8% HCC patients who shows serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) negative. This study deals with the concept of “cancer immunomics” which allows a global analysis of the auto-antibodies against antigens in a neoplasm. It also determinates that malignant transition to HCC is associated with increased autoantibody responses to certain cellular proteins. In summary, the data from this study further support the hypothesis that a customized TAA array can constitute promising and powerful tool for enhancing the serological anti-TAA antibody detection of HCC, especially in patients with serum AFP negative.

Citation Format: Liping Dai, Mei Liu, Qing Zhu, Xinxin Liu, Yurong Chai, Pengfei Ren, Kaijuan Wang, Chunhua Song, Peng Wang, Mingan Wang, Eng M. Tan, Jianying Zhang. Using immunomic approach to enhance tumor-associated autoantibody detection in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 885. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-885

Overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may play a role in lung cancer carcinogenesis

HCC1/CAPERα is considered to be a novel human tumor-associated antigen, and the tumor-specific immunity of HCC1/CAPERα has been reported in several types of cancer. However, there was very limited evidence indicating its function in tumorigenesis. In the present study, to elucidate the roles and underlying molecular mechanism of HCC1/CAPERα in lung cancer, we examined the expression of HCC1/CAPERα in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line and NSCLC tissue microarray (TMA). Immunohistochemistry with TMA was performed to detect HCC1/CAPERα expression in NSCLC and adjacent lung tissues. NSCLC cell line constitutively transfected by pcDNA3.1-HCC1/CAPERα, and empty pcDNA3.1 vector were used. These cells were analyzed by Western blot, MTT, immunofluorescence, wound healing assay, and transwell assays. It was found that HCC1/CAPERα was mainly localized in the nucleus of the lung cancer cells and overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may promote lung cancer cells proliferation and increase cells migration. The frequency of HCC1/CAPERα expression in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent and normal tissues (P < 0.01). Our data suggest that overexpression of HCC1/CAPERα may increase the proliferation and migration of NSCLC cells, and HCC1/CAPERα could be a promising biomarker for lung cancer.

Autoantibody response to a novel tumor-associated antigen p90/CIP2A in breast cancer immunodiagnosis

There is an urgent need to identify relevant tumor markers showing high sensitivity and specificity for early immunodiagnosis of breast cancer. Autoantibodies directed against tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) have been shown to be relevant tumor markers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether autoantibodies to a tumor-associated antigen p90/CIP2A can be used as diagnostic markers in breast cancer. In this study, autoantibody responses to p90/CIP2A were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blotting, and indirect immunofluorescence assay in sera from patients with breast cancer and normal human individuals. The results have demonstrated that p90/CIP2A can induce a relatively higher frequency of autoantibody response in breast cancer (19.1%) compared to the sera of normal individuals (2.3%). The frequency of p90/CIP2A expression in breast cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (P < 0.01). Our preliminary results suggest that autoantibodies against p90/CIP2A may be a useful serum biomarker for early stage breast cancer screening and diagnosis.

A cancer-related protein 14-3-3ζ is a potential tumor-associated antigen in immunodiagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is the conventional biomarker currently used in clinical diagnosis of this malignancy. However, AFP is not reliable for early diagnosis, and especially the sensitivity and specificity of AFP in HCC diagnosis are not optimal. Early detection of HCC is an important issue because of the very poor prognosis and usually no more than 6 months survival after diagnosis. Therefore, there is a need for the development of more sensitive and specific methods that can supplement AFP in the early detection of this cancer. In this study, autoantibody responses to 14-3-3ζ in HCC were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), western blot, and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) with tissue array slides was also performed to analyze protein expression of 14-3-3ζ in HCC and control tissues. The prevalence of autoantibodies against 14-3-3ζ was 16.7% (28/168) in HCC, which was significantly higher than that in liver cirrhosis (LC), chronic hepatitis (CH), and normal human sera (NHS) (P < 0.01). The average titer of autoantibodies against 14-3-3ζ in HCC sera was higher compared to that in LC, CH, and NHS (P < 0.01). In the further study, anti-14-3-3ζ antibodies have been detected in the sera from several HCC patients with serial bleeding samples. A stronger reactive band with 14-3-3ζ in western blot can be seen in sera at 9 months before the clinical diagnosis of HCC. Our preliminary data indicate that anti-14-3-3ζ autoantibodies may be potential biomarkers for early-stage HCC screening and diagnosis.

Peroxiredoxin 1 is a tumor-associated antigen in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Peroxiredoxin 1 (Prdx1) is an antioxidant and plays an important role in H2O2-mediated cell signaling. We previously found that the expression level of Prdx1 was elevated in esophagus squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissue using a proteomics approach. Since overexpressed protein can induce an autoimmune response, to further examine whether serum from ESCC patients exhibits immunoreactivity against Prdx1, autoantibody responses to Prdx1 were evaluated by ELISA, western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence assay in sera from patients with ESCC and normal individuals. Immunohistochemical study with tissue array slides and western blot analysis with cancer cell lines were also performed to analyze the protein expression profiles of Prdx1 in ESCC tissues and cancer cell lines. The results demonstrated that the positive rate of autoantibody against Prdx1 in ESCC sera was 13.2% (9/68), whereas this rate was 0% (0/89) in normal individuals. Data also showed that expression of Prdx1 was significantly increased in ESCC tissues when compared to expression in paired adjacent normal tissues (P<0.05). The data indicate that Prdx1 may contribute to malignant transformation of the esophagus, and may be used as a biomarker in the immunodiagnosis of ESCC.

Gingivae contain neural-crest- and mesoderm-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Gingivae represent a unique soft tissue that serves as a biological barrier to cover the oral cavity side of the maxilla and mandible. Recently, the gingivae were identified as containing mesenchymal stem cells (GMSCs). However, it is unknown whether the GMSCs are derived from cranial neural crest cells (CNCC) or the mesoderm. In this study, we show that around 90% of GMSCs are derived from CNCC and 10% from the mesoderm. In comparison with mesoderm MSCs (M-GMSCs), CNCC-derived GMSCs (N-GMSCs) show an elevated capacity to differentiate into neural cells and chondrocytes and induce activated T-cell apoptosis in vitro. When transplanted into mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, N-GMSCs showed superior effects in ameliorating inflammatory-related disease phenotype in comparison with the M-GMSC treatment group. Mechanistically, the increased immunomodulatory effect of N-GMSCs is associated with up-regulated expression of FAS ligand (FASL), a transmembrane protein that plays an important role in MSC-based immunomodulation. In summary, our study indicates that the gingivae contain both neural-crest- and mesoderm-derived MSCs with distinctive stem cell properties.

Abstract 5381: p62/IMP2 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression

Autoantibodies to autologous cellular antigens in cancer patients have been considered as reporters identifying antigenic changes in cellular factors involved in the transformation process. We have made use of such autoantibodies from hepatocellular carcinoma patients to immunoscreen a cDNA expression library and have identified a cytoplasmic RNA-binding protein p62. Autoantibodies to p62 have been detected in up to 21% of a cohort of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. Further study has demonstrated that p62 is a member of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein family (IMPs), which is an isoform of IMP2. The three members of the IMP family (IMP1, 2 and 3) have been found to regulate translation of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) mRNA in a post-transcriptional manner. Since several studies have suggested that IMP1 and IMP3 play important roles in cancer progression, whether p62/IMP2 can also play a role in cancer formation remains to be investigated. In this study, we intend to interrogate the role of p62/IMP2 in HCC formation. We found that the expression of p62/IMP2 (57.5%) is significantly higher in HCC specimen than that in normal liver tissue (15.4%) by immunohistochemistry study. Furthermore, p62/IMP2 is detected to be overexpressed in several liver cancer cell lines. Depletion of p62/IMP2 via lentivirus-mediated knockdown in SNU449 liver cancer cell line decreased the cell proliferation. On the contrary, the ectopic overexpression of p62/IMP2 increased cell proliferation. Our data suggested that p62/IMP2 is overexpressed in liver cancer and is functionally correlated with cancer cell growth.

Citation Format: Ningjing Lei, Bo Peng, Yang Li, Yurong Chai, Jianying Zhang. p62/IMP2 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5381. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5381

Giant fibrous tumours of the pleura with mucus secretion

Solitary fibrous tumors of the pleura (SFTP) are rare. We report a case of giant SFTP treated by surgical resection. We found that many soft tumors were separated by fibrous cords and creamy white mucus in our case. Among them, one great mass measured 23 cm × 18 cm × 10 cm. These tumors weighed 3750 g. The patient had no postoperative complications and received a good prognosis.

Radiation-induced non-targeted response in vivo: role of the TGFβ-TGFBR1-COX-2 signalling pathway

Background:

Previous studies from our group and others have shown that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) has an essential role in radiation-induced non-targeted responses and genomic instability in vivo. However, the signalling pathways involved in such effects remain unclear.

Methods:

A 1 cm² area (1 cm × 1 cm) in the lower abdominal region of gpt delta transgenic mice was irradiated with 5 Gy of 300 keV X-rays. Nimesulide, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, was given to mice for five consecutive days before irradiation. Changes in transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and TGF-β receptor type-1 (TGFBR1) mediated signalling pathways, in the out of radiation field lung and liver tissues were examined.

Results:

While the plasma level of cytokines remained unchanged, the expression of TGF-β and its receptors was elevated in non-targeted lung tissues after partial body irradiation. In contrast to the predominant expression of TGF-β in stromal and alveolar cells, but not in bronchial epithelial cells, TGF-β receptors, especially TGFBR1 were significantly elevated in non-targeted bronchial epithelial cells, which is consistent with the induction of COX-2. The different expression levels of TGFBR1 between liver and lung resulted in a tissue specific induction of COX-2 in these two non-targeted tissues. Multiple TGF-β induced signalling pathways were activated in the non-targeted lung tissues.

Conclusion:

The TGFβ-TGFBR1-COX-2 Signalling Pathway has a critical role in radiation-induced non-targeted response in vivo.

Molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms of tongue myogenesis

The tongue exerts crucial functions in our daily life. However, we know very little about the regulatory mechanisms of mammalian tongue development. In this review, we summarize recent findings of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that control tissue-tissue interactions during tongue morphogenesis. Specifically, cranial neural crest cells (CNCC) lead the initiation of tongue bud formation and contribute to the interstitial connective tissue, which ultimately compartmentalizes tongue muscles and serves as their attachments. Occipital somite-derived cells migrate into the tongue primordium and give rise to muscle cells in the tongue. The intimate relationship between CNCC- and mesoderm-derived cells, as well as growth and transcription factors that have been shown to be crucial for tongue myogenesis, clearly indicate that tissue-tissue interactions play an important role in regulating tongue morphogenesis.

Cyclooxygenase-2 polymorphisms and the risk of gastric cancer in various degrees of relationship in the Chinese Han population

A number of studies have shown that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene polymorphisms were associated with gastric cancer. However, the results from different research groups have not been consistent. The present study aimed to investigate the association between polymorphisms of the cyclooxygenase-2 promoter region (-1195G>A, -765G>C) and gastric cancer patients with various degrees of relationship in the Chinese Han population. COX-2-1195G>A and COX-2-765G>C polymorphisms in 296 gastric cancer patients and 319 control family members were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. An increased risk of gastric cancer was observed in subjects with the COX-2-1195AA genotype (OR=2.03; 95% CI, 1.27-3.22), and the association strength decreased as the degree of relationship decreased. Stratification analysis revealed that the OR value of COX-2-1195AA genotype and A carriers exhibited synergy with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection (AA genotype: OR=2.96; 95% CI, 1.57-5.58; A carriers: OR=2.04; 95% CI, 1.18-3.52). No significant difference was found in each genotype of COX-2-765G>C between gastric cancer patients and control family members, as well as gastric cancer patients with various degrees of relationship. Our study demonstrated that the polymorphism of COX-2-1195AA genotype may be a risk factor for gastric cancer patients with various degrees of relationship among the Chinese Han population. H. pylori infection therefore may enhance the risk of gastric cancer in individuals with the COX-2-1195 AA genotype.

Tgf-beta-mediated FasL-Fas-Caspase pathway is crucial during palatogenesis

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, is one of the fates of the medial edge epithelium (MEE) during palatal fusion. Transforming growth factor β (Tgf-β) signaling (such as Tgf-β3) is required for the disappearance of the MEE, but the relationship between Tgf-β3 and apoptosis remains unclear. Here we show that the Fas ligand (FasL)-Fas-Caspase extrinsic apoptosis pathway functions during palatal fusion in wild-type mice, but is not detectable in mice lacking Tgf-β3 (Tgf-β3 (-/-) ) or Tgfβr2 in the MEE (K14-Cre;Tgfbr2 (fl/fl)). Inhibition of the FasL-Fas system results in persistence of the midline epithelial seam (MES) and inhibition of caspase activity during palatal organ culture. Moreover, ectopic FasL protein induces apoptosis in MES of K14-Cre;Tgfbr2 (fl/fl) mice. Thus, we conclude that the FasL-Fas-caspase extrinsic apoptosis pathway is regulated by the Tgf-β3 signaling cascade and is essential for palatal fusion during craniofacial development.

The mechanism of TGF-β signaling during palate development

Cleft palate, a malformation of the secondary palate development, is one of the most common human congenital birth defects. Palate formation is a complex process resulting in the separation of the oral and nasal cavities that involves multiple events, including palatal growth, elevation, and fusion. Recent findings show that transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling plays crucial roles in regulating palate development in both the palatal epithelium and mesenchyme. Here, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of TGF-β signaling during palate development.

Carbon ARC Generation of C60

Generation of C60 at a rate of more than 10 grams per day has been accomplished by operation of a carbon arc in an atmosphere of helium. Optimum yield of 15% was found to occur near 100–200 torr, but yields greater than 3% were found throughout the range between 50 and 760 torr. A model is proposed to explain the observed behavior based on competition between annealing of graphitic sheets to curve so that they minimize dangling bonds, and further rapid growth of these sheets in the gas phase to form giant fullerenes. In agreement with predictions of this model, laser vaporization of graphite targets was found to produce macroscopic quantities of C60 only when performed in an oven above 1000 C.

Uranium stabilization of c28: a tetravalent fullerene

Laser vaporization experiments with graphite in a supersonic cluster beam apparatus indicate that the smallest fullerene to form in substantial abundance is C(28). Although ab initio quantum chemical calculations predict that this cluster will favor a tetrahedral cage structure, it is electronically open shell. Further calculations reveal that C(28) in this structure should behave as a sort of hollow superatom with an effective valence of 4. This tetravalence should be exhibited toward chemical bonding both on the outside and on the inside of the cage. Thus, stable closed-shell derivatives of C(28) with large highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gaps should be attainable either by reacting at the four tetrahedral vertices on the outside of the C(28) cage to make, for example, C(28)H(4), or by trapping a tetravalent atom inside the cage to make endothedral fullerenes such as Ti@C(28). An example of this second, inside route to C(28) stabilization is reported here: the laser and carbon-arc production of U@C(28).

Vision-Related Quality of Life and Emotional Impact in Children with Strabismus: A Prospective Study

The potential impact of the surgical correction of strabismus on vision-related quality of life (VRQOL) and the symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with strabismus remain unclear. The present study included 60 children with strabismus: 30 with heterophoria and 30 with heterotropia. A healthy age-and gender-matched control group ( n = 60) was also recruited. The psychological instruments that were used were the short-form 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The results demonstrated that eight of the 12 NEI-VFQ-25 subscales were significantly impaired in children with strabismus compared with matched controls. Compared with pre-operative values, significant improvements were noted after surgery in the NEI-VFQ-25 summary score, and the anxiety and depression scores. This study demonstrated that the NEI-VFQ-25 instrument can be used in strabismus children and that surgical interventions can improve VRQOL, anxiety and depression in strabismus patients.