Analysis of ornithine decarboxylase messenger ribonucleic acid expression in colorectal carcinoma

Identification of the expression profile of apoptotic esophageal cancer cells by adenoviral-fragile histidine triad treatment

BACKGROUND

The fragile histidine triad (FHIT) functions as a tumor suppressor, and giving adenoviral-FHIT (Ad-FHIT) is thus expected to be clinically beneficial. Much attention has recently been focused on which genes are commonly regulated by Ad-FHIT, and which genes are dominant in Ad-FHIT-induced apoptotic cells.

METHODS

Ad-FHIT apoptosis-induced cells (H1299 and TE4) and non-apoptosis-induced cells (TE2) were used in the current experiments. The total RNA extracted from Ad-FHIT or control was labeled with Cy3-dCTP or Cy5-dCTP and hybridized with 19,192 genes on a chip. A microarray analysis for each gene was carried out with high reproducibility provided by seven independent experiments and duplicated oligos on a chip.

RESULTS

We listed the upregulated genes based on the TE4:TE2 expression ratio, such as c-Src, Jak-1, and sialyltransferase, which are expected to be target pathways as well as the downregulated genes, including CASP8 and CASP10, after Ad-FHIT treatment in esophageal cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

The current microarray analysis indicated that the apoptosis of esophageal cancer observed after giving Ad-FHIT was possibly induced by activation of the c-Src gene and inactivation of the CASP8 gene.

Comprehensive analysis of matrix metalloproteinase and tissue inhibitor expression in pancreatic cancer: increased expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 predicts poor survival

PURPOSE

To enable the design of improved inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, the expression profiles of a range of MMPs and tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs) were determined.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Nine MMPs (MMPs 1-3, 7-9, 11, 12, and 14) and three TIMPs (TIMPs 1-3) were examined in up to 75 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas and 10 normal pancreata by immunohistochemistry. Eighteen additional pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas and an additional eight normal pancreata were also analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and additionally for MMP-15.

RESULTS

There was increased expression by immunohistochemistry for MMPs 7, 8, 9, and 11 and TIMP-3 in pancreatic cancer compared with normal pancreas (P < 0.0001, 0.04, 0.0009, 0.005, and 0.0001, respectively). Real-time reverse transcription-PCR showed a significant increase in mRNA levels for MMP-11 in tumor tissue compared with normal pancreatic tissue (P = 0.0005) and also significantly reduced levels of MMP-15 (P = 0.0026). Univariate analysis revealed that survival was reduced by lymph node involvement (P = 0.0007) and increased expression of MMP-7 (P = 0.005) and (for the first time) MMP-11 (P = 0.02) but not reduced by tumor grade, tumor diameter, positive resection margins, adjuvant treatment, or expression of the remaining MMPs and TIMPs. On multivariate analysis, only MMP-7 predicted shortened survival (P < 0.05); however, increased MMP-11 expression was strongly associated with lymph node involvement (P = 0.0073).

CONCLUSIONS

We propose that the principle specificity for effective inhibitors of MMPs in pancreatic cancer should be for MMP-7 with secondary specificity against MMP-11. Moreover, these studies indicate that MMP-7 expression is a powerful independent prognostic indicator and potentially of considerable clinical value.

Complementation of defective colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor signaling and mitogenesis by Raf and v-Src

Ras-activated signal transduction pathways are implicated in the control of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis, but the molecular mechanisms mediating these diverse functions have yet to be fully elucidated. Conditionally active forms of Raf, v-Src, and MEK1 were used to identify changes in gene expression that participate in oncogenic transformation, as well as in normal growth control. Activation of Raf, v-Src, and MEK1 led to induced expression of c-Myc and cyclin D1. Induction of c-Myc mRNA by Raf was an immediate-early response, whereas the induction of cyclin D1 mRNA was delayed and inhibited by cycloheximide. Raf activation also resulted in the induction of an established c-Myc target gene, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC). ODC induction by Raf was mediated, in part, by tandem E-boxes contained in the first intron of the gene. Activation of the human colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1) receptor in NIH 3T3 cells leads to activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase pathway and induced expression of c-Fos, c-Myc, and cyclin D1, leading to a potent mitogenic response. By contrast, a mutated form of this receptor fails to activate the MAP kinases or induce c-Myc and cyclin D1 expression and fails to elicit a mitogenic response. The biological significance of c-Myc and cyclin D1 induction by Raf and v-Src was confirmed by the demonstration that both of these protein kinases complemented the signaling and mitogenic defects of cells expressing this mutated form of the human CSF-1 receptor. Furthermore, the induction of c-Myc and cyclin D1 by oncogenes and growth factors was inhibited by PD098059, a specific MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor. These data suggest that the Raf/MEK/MAP kinase pathway plays an important role in the regulation of c-Myc and cyclin D1 expression in NIH 3T3 cells. The ability of oncogenes such as Raf and v-Src to regulate the expression of these proteins reveals new lines of communication between cytosolic signal transducers and the cell cycle machinery.