A nude mouse Wilms' tumor line (KCMC-WT-1) derived from an aniridia patient with monoalleleic partial deletion of chromosome 11p

SOCS1 is an inducible host factor during HIV-1 infection and regulates the intracellular trafficking and stability of HIV-1 Gag

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) utilizes the macromolecular machinery of the infected host cell to produce progeny virus. The discovery of cellular factors that participate in HIV-1 replication pathways has provided further insight into the molecular basis of virus-host cell interactions. Here, we report that the suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS1) is an inducible host factor during HIV-1 infection and regulates the late stages of the HIV-1 replication pathway. SOCS1 can directly bind to the matrix and nucleocapsid regions of the HIV-1 p55 Gag polyprotein and enhance its stability and trafficking, resulting in the efficient production of HIV-1 particles via an IFN signaling-independent mechanism. The depletion of SOCS1 by siRNA reduces both the targeted trafficking and assembly of HIV-1 Gag, resulting in its accumulation as perinuclear solid aggregates that are eventually subjected to lysosomal degradation. These results together indicate that SOCS1 is a crucial host factor that regulates the intracellular dynamism of HIV-1 Gag and could therefore be a potential new therapeutic target for AIDS and its related disorders.

Responsiveness of chemotherapy based on the histological type and Wilms' tumor suppressor gene mutation in bilateral Wilms' tumor

To clarify a characteristic of bilateral Wilms' tumor (WT), we examined the clinical and histological features, chemotherapy response and mutations in Wilms' tumor suppressor gene (WT1) in five patients. Deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted from peripheral lymphocytes and tumor samples, and direct DNA sequencing was performed to detect WT1 mutations. Paraffin sections were stained with H&E for histological review and immunostained with anti-WT1, anti-Ki-67, anti-S-100 protein and antimyogenin antibodies. In contrast to the single case of epithelial-type WT, the other four cases were fetal rhabdomyomatous nephroblastoma (FRN) or contained a premature skeletal muscle component and appeared to be resistant to chemotherapy because there was no reduction in tumor volume. However, after chemotherapy, most of the tumor components changed into mature striated muscle cells, most of which immunostained almost completely negative for Ki-67. All four cases had the same point mutation of WT1. From our results, the histological findings correlated with WT1 mutations in bilateral WT. The tumor volume of FRN did not decrease in response to chemotherapy. It is possible to predict the chemotherapy response by examining bilateral WT for WT1 mutations and the histological characteristics of tumors.