In vitro analysis of ovarian cancer response to cisplatin, carboplatin, and paclitaxel identifies common pathways that are also associated with overall patient survival

Background:

Carboplatin and cisplatin, alone or in combination with paclitaxel, have similar efficacies against ovarian cancer (OVCA) yet exhibit different toxicity profiles. We characterised the common and unique cellular pathways that underlie OVCA response to these drugs and analyse whether they have a role in OVCA survival.

Methods:

Ovarian cancer cell lines (n=36) were treated with carboplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, or carboplatin–paclitaxel (CPTX). For each cell line, IC₅₀ levels were quantified and pre-treatment gene expression analyses were performed. Genes demonstrating expression/IC₅₀ correlations (measured by Pearson; P<0.01) were subjected to biological pathway analysis. An independent OVCA clinico-genomic data set (n=142) was evaluated for clinical features associated with represented pathways.

Results:

Cell line sensitivity to carboplatin, cisplatin, paclitaxel, and CPTX was associated with the expression of 77, 68, 64, and 25 biological pathways (P<0.01), respectively. We found three common pathways when drug combinations were compared. Expression of one pathway (‘Transcription/CREB pathway’) was associated with OVCA overall survival.

Conclusion:

The identification of the Transcription/CREB pathway (associated with OVCA cell line platinum sensitivity and overall survival) could improve patient stratification for treatment with current therapies and the rational selection of future OVCA therapy agents targeted to these pathways.

Tumor development is associated with decrease of TET gene expression and 5-methylcytosine hydroxylation

The TET (ten-eleven translocation) family of α-ketoglutarate (α-KG)-dependent dioxygenases catalyzes the sequential oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine, leading to eventual DNA demethylation. The TET2 gene is a bona fide tumor suppressor frequently mutated in leukemia, and TET enzyme activity is inhibited in IDH1/2-mutated tumors by the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate, an antagonist of α-KG, linking 5mC oxidation to cancer development. We report here that the levels of 5hmC are dramatically reduced in human breast, liver, lung, pancreatic and prostate cancers when compared with the matched surrounding normal tissues. Associated with the 5hmC decrease is the substantial reduction of the expression of all three TET genes, revealing a possible mechanism for the reduced 5hmC in cancer cells. The decrease of 5hmC was also observed during tumor development in different genetically engineered mouse models. Together, our results identify 5hmC as a biomarker whose decrease is broadly and tightly associated with tumor development.

A novel way of visualizing the ductal and aortic arches by real-time three-dimensional ultrasound with live xPlane imaging

OBJECTIVE

To describe a novel method of visualizing the ductal and aortic arches by real-time three-dimensional echocardiography with live xPlane imaging.

METHODS

Live xPlane imaging was used to display the ductal- and aortic-arch views in 107 women with singleton pregnancies, including seven cases with suspected congenital heart defects (CHDs). The three vessels and trachea (3VT) view was obtained in such an orientation that either the pulmonary artery or the aorta was parallel to the direction of the ultrasound beam. The xPlane reference line was then placed across the targeted vessel, which in a normal case would provide an image of the corresponding arch view as a dual-image display.

RESULTS

Once the 3VT view had been obtained, live xPlane imaging showed the aortic and ductal arches in all 100 normal cases. In seven cases with suspected CHD, the 3VT view was abnormal in five cases and normal in the other two. However, the ductal-arch view demonstrated by live xPlane imaging was abnormal in five cases of conotruncal anomalies and normal in two cases in which conotruncal anomalies were excluded. CHDs were confirmed at autopsy following termination of pregnancy in five cases and on postnatal echocardiography in one case. The heart was found postnatally to be normal in one case of suspected CHD; in this case live xPlane imaging showed that the observed abnormal 3VT view was caused by a tortuous course of the thoracic aorta associated with an abnormal diaphragm.

CONCLUSION

Live xPlane imaging is a novel and relatively simple method of visualizing the ductal- and aortic-arch views, and may potentially be a useful tool in the screening of fetal conotruncal and aortic-arch anomalies.

Preliminary experience of endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection for upper gastrointestinal submucosal tumors

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM

Although the majority of submucosal tumors (SMTs) are benign, some do have a malignant potential. Resection of SMTs would aid in establishing the diagnosis and may be curative. Our aim was to examine the feasibility and safety of a novel method for endoscopic resection of upper gastrointestinal SMTs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In 12 patients who presented with an upper gastrointestinal SMT of ≤40 mm located in the esophagus or cardia, a submucosal tunnel was endoscopically created starting approximately 5 cm proximal to the lesion. After careful submucosal dissection with carbon dioxide or air insufflation, the SMTs were completely removed, and the entrance of the tunnel closed using endoclips.

RESULTS

SMTs had a mean size of 19.5 mm (range 10-40 mm); eight were located in the esophagus and four in the cardia. SMT resection was successful in all patients with en bloc resection in 10 patients (83.3%) and resection in two pieces in the remaining two patients. The mean time required for the procedure was 48.3 minutes (range 30-60 minutes). Two patients had both pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema. All the complications resolved with conservative management.

CONCLUSIONS

In this pilot study, endoscopic submucosal tunnel dissection (ESTD) of esophageal and cardia SMTs was effective and appeared to be safe. Larger studies that also examine its application for gastric SMTs are warranted.

Regulation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis by acetylation of PKM and PEPCK

Glycolysis is a catabolic process of glucose hydrolysis needed for energy and biosynthetic intermediates, whereas gluconeogenesis is a glucose production process important for maintaining blood glucose levels during starvation. Although they share many enzymes, these two processes are not simply the reverse of each other and are instead reciprocally regulated. Two key enzymes that regulate irreversible steps in these two processes are pyruvate kinase (PK) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy kinase (PEPCK), which catalyze the last and first step of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis, respectively, and are both regulated by lysine acetylation. Acetylation at Lys305 of the PKM (muscle form of PK) decreases its activity and also targets it for chaperone-mediated autophagy and subsequent lysosome degradation. Acetylation of PEPCK, on the other hand, targets it for ubiquitylation by the HECT E3 ligase, UBR5/EDD1, and subsequent proteasomal degradation. These studies established a model in which acetylation regulates metabolic enzymes via different mechanisms and also revealed cross talk between acetylation and ubiquitination. Given that most metabolic enzymes are acetylated, we propose that acetylation is a major posttranslational modifier that regulates cellular metabolism.

Benefits associated with a broad selection of dosage strengths for recombinant factor VIII products

Factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates for haemophilia A patients are dosed according to body weight. This results in a continuous range of prescribed doses, which challenges pharmacies to find dosage strengths closest to the prescribed dose while utilizing the least number of vials. This study was conducted to determine whether a broader selection of FVIII dosage strengths results in improved dispensing accuracy and an increased number of single-vial users. This research retrospectively analyzed a US pharmacy database of prescriptions filled in 2008. Recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) therapies were classified by the range of dosage strengths offered in 2008: Group 1 had three dosage strengths; Group 2 had four dosage strengths; and Group 3 had six dosage strengths. A total of 76,584 dispensed doses of rFVIII for 1,244 patients were included in this analysis. Dispensing accuracy (calculated as both the absolute and relative difference between dispensed and prescribed dose) was significantly better for Group 3 (23.2 IU, 1.2%) than Groups 1 (33.5 IU, 1.6%) and 2 (50.2 IU, 2.4%) (both P < 0.01). In addition, the average number of unique actual rFVIII potencies dispensed per month was highly correlated (-0.977) with dispensing accuracy for each dosage strength group. Among Groups 1, 2 and 3, 23.0%, 44.9% and 73.4% of patients, respectively, had at least one single vial option dispensed (P < 0.0001). A broader selection of rFVIII dosage strengths and more actual rFVIII potencies were associated with improved dispensing accuracy and more single-vial users. This may translate into less waste, cost savings, increased convenience and improved adherence to physician-prescribed regimens.

Effects of acoustic stimuli on neuronal activity in the auditory cortex of the rat

Spontaneous activity of cortical neurons exhibits alternative fluctuations of membrane potential consisting of phased depolarization called "up-state" and persistent hyperpolarization called "down-state" during slow wave sleep and anesthesia. Here, we examined the effects of sound stimuli (noise bursts) on neuronal activity by intracellular recording in vivo from the rat auditory cortex (AC). Noise bursts increased the average time in the up-state by 0.81+/-0.65 s (range, 0.27-1.74 s) related to a 10 s recording duration. The rise times of the spontaneous up-events averaged 69.41+/-18.04 ms (range, 40.10-119.21 ms), while those of the sound-evoked up-events were significantly shorter (p<0.001) averaging only 22.54+/-8.81 ms (range, 9.31-45.74 ms). Sound stimulation did not influence ongoing spontaneous up-events. Our data suggest that a sound stimulus does not interfere with ongoing spontaneous neuronal activity in auditory cortex but can evoke new depolarizations in addition to the spontaneous ones.

3D visualization of subcellular structures of Schizosaccharomyces pombe by hard X-ray tomography

Cellular structures of the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, were examined by using hard X-ray tomography. Since cells are nearly transparent to hard X-rays, Zernike phase contrast and heavy metal staining were introduced to improve image contrast. Through using such methods, images taken at 8 keV displayed sufficient contrast for observing cellular structures. The cell wall, the intracellular organelles and the entire structural organization of the whole cells were visualized in three-dimensional at a resolution better than 100 nm. Comparison between phase contrast and absorption contrast was also made, indicating the obvious advantage of phase contrast for cellular imaging at this energy. Our results demonstrate that hard X-ray tomography with Zernike phase contrast is suitable for cellular imaging. Its unique abilities make it have potential to become a useful tool for revealing structural information from cells, especially thick eukaryotic cells.

Abstract P3-08-01: The Influence of the BAD Apoptosis Pathway on Breast Cancer Progression and Relapse-Free Survival after Adjuvant Treatment

Objective. The phosphorylation status of the BCL2 Antagonist of Cell Death (BAD) protein influences cell survival and apoptosis. BAD phosphorylation is determined by the relative activity of a series of kinases and phosphatases within the BAD pathway. We therefore sought to evaluate the influence that expression of the BAD apoptosis pathway has on breast cancer progression and on clinical outcome in a series of breast cancer patients.

Methods. We used Principal components analysis to derive a BAD-pathway gene expression signature with a corresponding “pathway score” representing overall gene expression levels for BAD pathway genes. The BAD-pathway signature score was evaluated in clinical-genomic breast cancer datasets obtained from a total of 502 patients, including intra-ductal hyperplasia (n=8), ductal carcinoma in-situ (n=30), and three separate data sets of invasive ductal carcinoma patient samples (n=23, n=286, n=155). The influence of the BAD-pathway signature score on breast cancer progression and relapse-free survival was evaluated by student's t-test and Kaplan Meier/log-rank test, respectively.

Results. We developed a 48-gene BAD-pathway signature, the expression score of which decreased with progression from intra-ductal hyperplasia through ductal carcinoma in-situ and invasive ductal carcinoma (p=0.0004). Furthermore, BAD-pathway signature score was associated with relapse free survival from breast cancer in two independent clinical-genomic datasets (n=286, p=0.01; n=155, p=0.02). Conclusions.BAD pathway gene expression is associated with breast cancer progression and disease-free survival. The pathway represents an appealing human cancer prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target. Figures available in online version.

Long non-coding RNA ANRIL is required for the PRC2 recruitment to and silencing of p15(INK4B) tumor suppressor gene

A 42 kb region on human chromosome 9p21 encodes for three distinct tumor suppressors, p16(INK4A), p14(ARF) and p15(INK4B), and is altered in an estimated 30-40% of human tumors. The expression of the INK4A-ARF-INK4B gene cluster is silenced by polycomb during normal cell growth and is activated by oncogenic insults and during aging. How the polycomb is recruited to repress this gene cluster is unclear. Here, we show that expression of oncogenic Ras, which stimulates the expression of p15(INK4B) and p16(INK4A), but not p14(ARF), inhibits the expression of ANRIL (antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus), a 3.8 kb-long non-coding RNA expressed in the opposite direction from INK4A-ARF-INK4B. We show that the p15(INK4B) locus is bound by SUZ12, a component of polycomb repression complex 2 (PRC2), and is H3K27-trimethylated. Notably, depletion of ANRIL disrupts the SUZ12 binding to the p15(INK4B) locus, increases the expression of p15(INK4B), but not p16(INK4A) or p14(ARF), and inhibits cellular proliferation. Finally, RNA immunoprecipitation demonstrates that ANRIL binds to SUZ12 in vivo. Collectively, these results suggest a model in which ANRIL binds to and recruits PRC2 to repress the expression of p15(INK4B) locus.

Up-regulated expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in human colon adenocarcinoma

Deregulated expression of Notch molecules is observed in many malignant tumors, however, the expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in colon adenocarcinoma is still unknown. This study is to investigate the expression of Notch1 and Jagged1 in human colon adenocarcinoma. Sixty-five human colon adenocarcinoma and 60 adjacent nontumor colon tissue sections were detected by immunohistochemistry. Ten paired fresh surgical human colon adenocarcinoma and adjacent nontumor colon samples were analyzed by Western blot and RT-PCR. Both Notch1 and Jagged1 were expressed in the cytoplasm of neoplastic cells of colon adenocarcinoma tissue. The protein and mRNA levels of both molecules were higher in colon adenocarcinoma than in adjacent nontumor tissue. Moreover, Notch1 was positively correlated with tumor stage. This investigation demonstrates that Notch1 and Jagged1 are up-regulated in human colon adenocarcinoma and suggests that Notch1/Jagged1 signaling might play a role in the development of colon adenocarcinoma.

Operational definitions improve reliability of the age-related white matter changes scale

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Although the age-related white matter changes (ARWMC) scale has been advocated to be applicable to both MRI and CT for assessing the severity of WMC, its inter-rater reliability on CT is only fair. We aimed to operationalize the ARWMC scale and investigate the effect of this operationalization on the reliability and validity on MRI and CT.

METHODS

Operational definitions of the ARWMC scale were derived from Erkinjuntti research criteria for subcortical vascular dementia and Scheltens scale. Using original and operationalized ARWMC scale, eight observers recorded the time for rating per MRI and per CT. We investigated the inter-rater and intrarater reliability as well as validity against volume using data from 97 stroke patients.

RESULTS

Inter-rater reliability of the operationalized scale on CT (0.874, 95% confidence interval [0.780-0.934]) was better than the original scale (0.569, 95% confidence interval [0.247-0.775]). Its intrarater reliability on CT (0.869) and reliability on MRI (inter-rater: 0.860; intrarater: 0.838) was comparable with the original scale (CT intrarater: 0.750 and on MRI inter-rater: 0.845; intrarater: 0.853). The time required to administer the operationalized scale (4'2″ for MRI and 1'18″ for CT) was similar to that of the original scale (3'56″ for MRI and 1'16″ for CT). The original scale and operationalized scale also significantly correlated with WMC volume (operationalized scale ρ = 0.613, P < 0.001, original scale ρ = 0.638, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Operational definitions improve the inter-rater reliability of ARWMC scale on CT, and it correlates with volumetric measurement.

Crystal growth, structure, and physical properties of Ln(Ag, Al, Si)₂ (Ln = Ce and Gd)

Single crystals of CeM₂ and GdM₂ (M = Ag, Al, and Si) were grown by the flux growth technique and characterized by means of single crystal x-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and heat capacity measurements. CeM₂ and GdM₂ crystallize in the tetragonal I4(1)/amd space group with the α-ThSi₂ structure type with lattice parameters a ~4.2 Å and c ~14.4 Å. Curie-Weiss behavior is observed for both analogues with CeM₂ ordering first ferromagnetically at 11 K with a second antiferromagnetic transition at 8.8 K while GdM₂ orders antiferromagnetically at 24 K. Heat capacity measurements on CeM₂ show two magnetic transitions at 10.8 and 8.8 K with an electronic specific heat coefficient, γ(0), of ~53 mJ K(-2) mol(-1). The entropy at the magnetic transition is less than the expected Rln2 for CeM₂, reinforcing the assertions of an enhanced mass state and Kondo behavior being observed in the resistivity.

Real-time three-dimensional ultrasound with Live xPlane imaging assists first-trimester acquisition of a true midsagittal section

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether real-time three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound with Live xPlane imaging, which enables the simultaneous display of two real-time high-quality image planes, can assist both operators certified by The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) and non-FMF-certified operators in acquiring a true midsagittal plane in the first trimester.

METHODS

Eight operators, four of them FMF certified (FMF group) and the other four not (non-FMF group), were asked to acquire a fetal image that they believed to represent the true midsagittal plane using real-time 3D ultrasound with Live xPlane imaging as guidance. Each operator was asked to obtain such an image five times from each of five patients. A total of 200 images from 40 patients were obtained and stored for subsequent analysis. All pregnancies were between 11 + 0 and 13 + 6 weeks of gestation. The angle between the falx cerebri and vertical axis (angle of deviation) was then measured by a single operator. A true midsagittal section was defined as an angle of deviation equal to 0 degrees. The angle of deviation and the time taken to acquire each image were compared between FMF and non-FMF groups.

RESULTS

The median angle of deviation for each operator ranged from 1.2 degrees to 3.4 degrees. There was no significant difference in this angle between those who were FMF certified and those who were not (2.0 degrees vs. 2.2 degrees, P = 0.463). The interquartile range of the angle of deviation was also similar between the FMF- and non-FMF-certified operators. Although the time taken for image acquisition was longer among the non-FMF-certified operators (median, 45.5 s vs. 32.0 s), this difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.107).

CONCLUSION

Live xPlane imaging can provide a tool to assist the acquisition of a true midsagittal plane and to determine how true a 'midsagittal' plane really is.

Quantification of non-specific binding of magnetic micro- and nanoparticles using cell tracking velocimetry: Implication for magnetic cell separation and detection

The maturation of magnetic cell separation technology places increasing demands on magnetic cell separation performance. While a number of factors can cause sub-optimal performance, one of the major challenges can be non-specific binding of magnetic nano- or microparticles to non-targeted cells. Depending on the type of separation, this non-specific binding can have a negative effect on the final purity, the recovery of the targeted cells, or both. In this work, we quantitatively demonstrate that non-specific binding of magnetic nanoparticles can impart a magnetization to cells such that these cells can be retained in a separation column and thus negatively impact the purity of the final product and the recovery of the desired cells. Through experimental data and theoretical arguments, we demonstrate that the number of MACS magnetic particles needed to impart a magnetization that is sufficient to cause non-targeted cells to be retained in the column to be on the order of 500-1,000 nanoparticles. This number of non-specifically bound particles was demonstrated experimentally with an instrument, cell tracking velocimeter, CTV, and it is demonstrated that the sensitivity of the CTV instrument for Fe atoms contained in magnetic nanoparticles on the order of 1 x 10(-15) g/mL of Fe.

OATP1B1 388A>G polymorphism and pharmacokinetics of pitavastatin in Chinese healthy volunteers

PURPOSE

To investigate the contribution of the most frequent single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of the organic anion transporting polypeptide 1B1 (OATP1B1) 388A>G to the pharmacokinetics of pitavastatin in Chinese healthy volunteers.

METHODS

Eighteen healthy volunteers participated in this study. Group 1 consisted of nine subjects who were of 388AA wild-type OATP1B1 genotype. Group 2 consisted of seven subjects with the 388GA genotype and two 388GG homozygotes. Two milligram of pitavastatin was administered orally to the volunteers. The plasma concentration of pitavastatin was measured for up to 48 h by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

RESULTS

The pharmacokinetic parameters of pitavastatin were significantly different between the two genotyped groups. The concentration (C(max)) value was higher in the 388GA + 388GG group than that in the 388AA group (39.22 +/- 8.45 vs. 22.90 +/- 4.03 ng/mL, P = 0.006). The area under the curve to the last measurable concentration (AUC(0-48)) and area under the curve extrapolated to infinity (AUC(0-infinity)) of pitavastatin were lower in the 388AA group than in the 388GA + 388GG group (100.42 +/- 21.19 vs. 182.19 +/- 86.46 ng h/mL, P = 0.024; 108.12 +/- 24.94 vs. 199.64 +/- 98.70 ng h/mL, P = 0.026) respectively. The oral clearance (Cl/F) was lower in the 388GA + 388GG group than that in the 388AA group (12.46 +/- 4.79 vs. 19.21 +/- 3.74/h, P = 0.012). The elimination of half-life (t(1/2)) and peak concentration times (T(max)) values showed no difference between these groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The OATP 388A>G polymorphism causes significant alterations in the pharmacokinetics of pitavastatin in healthy Chinese volunteers and this may well be clinically significant.

First Report of Tobacco curly shoot virus Infecting Pepper in China

In recent years, whitefly-transmitted begomovirues (family Geminiviridae) have caused severe leaf curl disease on tobacco and tomato in southern China, but have not been found on pepper. In August 2009, pepper plants (Capsicum frutescens) grown in the field in Panzhihua City of Sichuan Province (southwestern China), from where the occurrence of begomoviruses has not been reported previously, showed stunting, leaf yellowing, and mild curling symptoms. To identify possible begomoviruses, total DNA was extracted from three infected pepper plants (SC117, SC118, and SC119) with typical symptoms. Using degenerate primer pair PA/PB specific for members of the genus Begomovirus (2), a 500-bp DNA fragment covering parts of the intergenic region and V2 gene of the genome of begomoviruses was amplified from all samples. No amplification was observed from healthy plant extracts. The PCR product from SC118 was cloned and two clones were chosen to be sequenced. Alignment of the partial DNA sequences revealed that the cloned products from isolate SC118 were nearly identical (98.5%) and most closely related to Tobacco curly shoot virus isolate Y35 (TbCSV-[China:Yunnan 35:2001]; Accession No. AJ420318) (96.9 and 97.3% identity, respectively). Therefore, the entire genome of isolate SC118 was sequenced. Overlap primers TbCSV-F(5'-CCGCCGTCTCAACTTCGACAG-3') and TbCSV-R(5'-ATCTGCTGGTCGCTTCGACAT-3') were designed to amplify the full-length genome of SC118. The complete genome sequence of SC118 was determined to be 2,746 nucleotides (Accession No. GU001879) long, with two open reading frames (ORFs) in the virion-sense strand and four ORFs in the complementary-sense strand, typical of the Old World begomoviruses. A comparison with other reported sequences of begomoviruses shows that the genome of SC118 shares the highest nucleotide sequence identity (99.7%) with TbCSV-[China:Yunnan 35:2001]. When PCR was used to detect TbCSV from the other two isolates (SC117 and SC119) with TbCSV specific primer pair Y35F1 and Y35+10R (4), which amplified the fragment covering the whole C2 and C3 genes and the partial C1 and V1 genes of the genome of TbCSV, an amplicon of approximately 1.0 kb was obtained from all samples. To determine whether a satellite molecule was associated with the three virus isolates, a universal betasatellite abutting primer pair (beta01 and beta02) was used (1). No amplification product was detected. In previous studies, it was demonstrated that only 11 isolates were associated with betasatellites among 39 TbCSV-infected, field-collected samples (3), and betasatellites could be associated with noncognate begomoviruses (4). Therefore, the three isolates examined in this study are too few to come to a conclusion that betasatellites are not associated with TbCSV infection of pepper plants. A detailed search for the presence of betasatellites needs to be conducted to draw a definitive conclusion. The above results confirmed that samples SC117, SC118, and SC119 were infected by TbCSV. To our knowledge, this is the first report of TbCSV on pepper in China. References: (1) R. W. Briddon et al. Mol. Biotechnol. 20:317, 2002. (2) D. Deng et al. Ann. Appl. Biol. 125:327, 1994. (3) Z. Li et al. Phytopathology 95:902, 2005. (4) L. Qing et al. Phytopathology 99:716, 2009.

Structural and functional characterization of a winter malting barley

The development of winter malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties is emerging as a worldwide priority due to the numerous advantages of these varieties over spring types. However, the complexity of both malting quality and winter hardiness phenotypes makes simultaneous improvement a challenge. To obtain an understanding of the relationship between loci controlling winter hardiness and malt quality and to assess the potential for breeding winter malting barley varieties, we structurally and functionally characterized the six-row accession "88Ab536", a cold-tolerant line with superior malting quality characteristics that derives from the cross of NE76129/Morex//Morex. We used 4,596 SNPs to construct the haplotype structure of 88Ab536 on which malting quality and winter hardiness loci reported in the literature were aligned. The genomic regions determining malting quality and winter hardiness traits have been defined in this founder germplasm, which will assist breeders in targeting regions for marker-assisted selection. The Barley1 GeneChip array was used to functionally characterize 88Ab536 during malting. Its gene expression profile was similar to that of the archetypical malting variety Morex, which is consistent with their similar malting quality characteristics. The characterization of 88Ab536 has increased our understanding of the genetic relationships of malting quality and winter hardiness, and will provide a genetic foundation for further development of more cold-tolerant varieties that have malt quality characteristics that meet or exceed current benchmarks.

Somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5 mediate inhibition of egg yolk-induced gall bladder emptying in mice

BACKGROUND

Somatostatin inhibits gall bladder contraction. Impaired gall bladder emptying is associated with gall bladder stone formation. The incidence of cholecystolithiasis is high in patients treated with a somatostatin agonist octreotide, which predominantly interacts with somatostatin receptor subtype 2 (SSTR2). Therefore, it is believed that SSTR2 regulates gall bladder contraction; however, evidence has not been provided. Here, we evaluate the effects of SSTR1-SSTR5-selective agonists on egg yolk-induced gall bladder contraction in mice.

METHODS

Homozygous deletion of SSTR2 and SSTR5 was generated by cross-mating of SSTR2(-/-) with SSTR5(-/-) mice. Mice of different genotypes were injected with SSTR1-5-selective agonists or octreotide 15 min before induction of gall bladder emptying by egg yolk. One hour later, gall bladders were removed and weighed.

KEY RESULTS

Egg yolk-reduced gall bladder weights in all mice, irrespective of their genotype. Octreotide was the most potent inhibitor of gall bladder emptying in wild-type mice. In contrast, agonists with high selectivity for SSTR2 or SSTR5 inhibited gall bladder emptying by approximately 50-60%, whereas SSTR1-, SSTR3- and SSTR4-selective agonists failed to influence gall bladder contraction. In SSTR2(-/-) mice, octreotide and an SSTR5-selective agonist inhibited gall bladder emptying by approximately 50%, whereas SSTR2-selective agonists were inactive. Octreotide inhibited gall bladder emptying in SSTR5(-/-) mice by approximately 50%, without any effect in SSTR2(-/-)/SSTR5(-/-) mice.

CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES

Our study provides evidence for the role of SSTR2 and SSTR5 in regulating gall bladder emptying in mice.

Application of Fe2V4O13 as a new multi-metal heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of organic pollutants

Iron tetrapolyvanadate (Fe2V4O13) was prepared and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) measurement and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that Fe2V4O13 could effectively catalyse H2O2 to generate active OH; therefore, Fe2V4O13 was employed as a new two-metal heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. The decomposition of H2O2 and the degradation of Acid Orange II catalysed by Fe2V4O13 could be well described with a simple pseudo-first-order rate equation between the reaction temperatures of 15 degrees C and 30 degreesC. It was inferred from the reaction activation energy data that the generation of the hydroxyl radical was a control step in a series of reactions for the oxidation of Acid Orange II in the presence of H2O2 and Fe2V4O13. The catalytic activity of Fe2V4O13 towards degradation of Acid Orange II was not only much higher than that of alpha-Fe2O3, V2O5 and FeVO4 but also than that of their mixtures with an identical ratio of Fe and V, such as 2FeVO4 + V2O5 and Fe2O3 + 2V2O5. The high catalytic activity possibly involved a special two-way Fenton-like mechanism and the synergistic activation of Fe(III) and V(V) in Fe2V4O13 towards H2O2.

Expression and significance of beta-catenin, Glut-1 and PTEN in proliferative endometrium, endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia and endometrioid adenocarcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore the potentiality of beta-catenin, Glut-1 and PTEN proteins as markers for a diagnosis of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN).

DESIGN

Ten proliferative endometrium, 83 endometrial hyperplasia (59 benign hyperplasia, 24 EIN) and 24 endometrioid adenocarcinoma sections were immunostained for beta-catenin, Glut-1 and PTEN protein expression.

RESULTS

(1) Abnormal expression of beta-catenin was detected in 10% of benign hyperplasia, 50% of EIN and 67% of endometriold adenocarcinoma. (2) Overexpression of Glut-1 was present in 58% of EIN and 71% of endometrioid adenocarcinoma. (3) Complete loss of PTEN immunoreactivity was found in 20% of proliferative endometrium, 29% of benign hyperplasia, 38% of EIN and 63% of endometrioid adenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSIONS

The abnormal expression of beta-catenin and overexpression of Glut-1 may be useful markers in distinguishing benign hyperplasia from EIN, whereas lack of PTEN expression is not an appropriate marker for a diagnosis of EIN.

Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography using a matrix probe with live xPlane imaging of the interventricular septum

OBJECTIVE

To describe a technique to rapidly visualize the in-plane view of the fetal interventricular septum (IVS) to enable the identification of a ventricular septal defect (VSD).

METHODS

One hundred and fifty-one women were invited to participate after their routine fetal morphology scan, including four suspected to have congenital cardiac defects which were confirmed postnatally. A standard examination protocol using real-time three-dimensional (3D) echocardiography with live xPlane imaging was developed. The ability of this new technology to examine the ventricular septum was investigated.

RESULTS

The in-plane view of the fetal IVS was visualized successfully in 150 (99.3%) cases by real-time 3D echocardiography with live xPlane imaging, including 82 (54.3%) cases with the spine posterior and 68 (45.7%) cases with the spine anterior. The in-plane view of the IVS successfully visualized the VSDs in three fetuses with VSD and displayed the intact IVS in one fetus with transposition of the great arteries without VSD.

CONCLUSION

We describe live xPlane imaging, a simple method for the real-time assessment of the in-plane view of the IVS that has the potential to enhance the diagnostic accuracy of fetal cardiac examination.

Unbalanced translocation in an adult patient with premature ovarian failure and mental retardation detected by spectral karyotyping and array-comparative genomic hybridization

BACKGROUND

There are only three cases of unbalanced translocation (X;1) reported in childhood in the literature, while no such phenotypic information is available in adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To delineate the phenotype-genotype relationship of unbalanced translocation (X;1) in adulthood, we reported here a 20-year-old female with an unbalanced translocation (X;1) which was determined by spectral karyotyping, array-comparative genomic hybridization and subtelomeric fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).

RESULTS

The phenotype of partial trisomy 1 and partial monosomy X of the present case was much attenuated, including premature ovarian failure, mental retardation, class I obesity, mild dysmorphism and delayed secondary sexual characteristics. The breakpoints of the unbalanced translocation were accurately located at Xq28 and 1q32.1. The large amplification on Chromosome 1 q arm was found to involve 312 genes and the deletion on Chromosome X q arm also involved 141 genes. Overall, genes associated with physiological process (47 genes), cellular process (33), development (23), response to stimulus (1) and reproduction (1) were observed in the amplification on Chromosome 1 q arm. In addition, genes related to physiological process (23 genes), cellular process (13), development (6) and response to stimulus (2) were observed in the large deletion on chromosome X q arm. Late-replication studies revealed the existence of skewed X inactivation in the derivative X chromosome.

CONCLUSIONS

The phenotype of partial monosomy X and partial trisomy 1q is much attenuated in case of unbalanced translocation (X;1) in adulthood probably owing to skewed X inactivation in derivative X chromosome.

Imbalance between T helper type 17 and T regulatory cells in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis: the serum cytokine profile and peripheral cell population

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an organ-specific autoimmune liver disease characterized by progressive loss of intrahepatic small bile ducts. Cellular immune mechanisms involving T cell reaction are thought to be involved significantly in the pathogenesis of PBC. Recent studies have independently revealed enhanced T helper type 17 (Th17) response and weakened T regulatory cell (T(reg)) response in some autoimmune diseases, indicating a role of Th17/T(reg) imbalance in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. This prompted us to investigate whether the Th17/T(reg) balance was broken in the peripheral blood of patients with PBC and, if it was, what cytokine circumstances might contribute to this imbalance. The expression of 11 Th17/T(reg) differentiation-related genes and serum concentrations of the corresponding cytokines in 36 patients with PBC, 28 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 28 healthy controls were measured by real-time quantitative-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay respectively. Peripheral Th17 and T(reg) cells were analysed by flow cytometry. Th17-related cytokines were increased significantly in patients with PBC. Consistent with the cytokine profile, the Th17 cell population and retinoid-related orphan receptor gammat expression were increased markedly. In contrast, the T(reg) cell population and forkhead box P3 expression were decreased dramatically in the peripheral blood of patients with PBC. Our study revealed that the Th17/T(reg) imbalance, both cytokine profile and cell numbers, exists in patients with PBC, suggesting its potential role in the breakdown of immune self-tolerance in PBC. Interleukin-23, which characterized the imbalanced cytokine profile, may play an essential role in Th17-related human autoimmunity.

Effects of Alendronate on the Proliferation and Osteogenic Differentiation of MG-63 Cells

Previous studies of the direct actions of bisphosphonates on bone have mainly been limited to their effects on bone-resorbing osteoclasts and little is known about the direct effects of bisphosphonates on osteoblasts. Here we report the direct effects of alendronate on the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of the MG-63 osteoblast-like cell line. Cell proliferation was determined with the MTT (3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, osteogenic differentiation was evaluated with an alkaline phosphatase bioassay and by analysis of gene expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and the extent of calcium deposition was measured using Alizarin Red S staining. Alendronate significantly increased cell numbers over control values, with the greatest effect at 10−8 M. Alkaline phosphatase activity and gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2, type I collagen and osteocalcin were increased after alendronate treatment. Alendronate also stimulated calcium deposition. We conclude that alendronate, apart from inhibiting osteoclastic bone resorption, is also a promoter of osteoblast proliferation and maturation.

67-kDa laminin receptor in human bile duct carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIM

Abnormal interaction of epithelial cells with laminin component of basement membrane may account for altered biological behavior of cells, influencing proliferation, adhesion, and motility. In the current study, we investigated the role of 67-kDa laminin receptor (67LR), a high affinity receptor for laminin, in aggressiveness of bile duct carcinoma.

METHODS

Fifty-two paraffin-embedded specimens and 22 fresh tissues of patients with bile duct carcinoma were analyzed using immunohistologic and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques, respectively. Expression of 67LR on the bile duct carcinoma QBC939 cells was examined by flow cytometry. The effects of 67LR on the adhesive and invasive abilities of QBC939 cells were determined by adhesion and invasion assay in vitro.

RESULTS

Both at the mRNA and protein level, bile duct carcinoma cells expressed a higher level of 67LR than normal epithelial cells (p < 0.01). The expression of 67LR was correlated inversely with differentiation extent of tumor (p < 0.05). The 67LR level was significantly increased in patients with lymph node metastases than in patients without lymph node involvement (p < 0.01). Flow cytometry showed that 69.9 +/- 1.1% of QBC939 cells expressed 67LR. Expression of 67LR increased the adhesion and invasion of QBC939 cells. 60 and 120 min of incubation of 67LR antibodies, MLuC5, induced 46.3 +/- 2.2 and 61.3 +/- 2.1% inhibition of adhesion, respectively. The invasive ability of QBC939 cells to Matrigel was also reduced by 67LR antibodies, MLuC5.

CONCLUSIONS

Overexpressing 67LR on bile duct carcinoma was associated with invasion and metastasis of bile duct carcinoma. Blockage of 67LR suppressed adhesion and invasion of bile duct carcinoma.