The potential role of G2- but not of G0-radiosensitivity for predisposition of prostate cancer

A 4-Gene Signature of CDKN1, FDXR, SESN1 and PCNA Radiation Biomarkers for Prediction of Patient Radiosensitivity

The quest for the discovery and validation of radiosensitivity biomarkers is ongoing and while conventional bioassays are well established as biomarkers, molecular advances have unveiled new emerging biomarkers. Herein, we present the validation of a new 4-gene signature panel of CDKN1, FDXR, SESN1 and PCNA previously reported to be radiation-responsive genes, using the conventional G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity assay. Radiation-induced G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity at 0.05 Gy and 0.5 Gy IR is presented for a healthy control (n = 45) and a prostate cancer (n = 14) donor cohort. For the prostate cancer cohort, data from two sampling time points (baseline and Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)) is provided, and a significant difference (p > 0.001) between 0.05 Gy and 0.5 Gy was evident for all donor cohorts. Selected donor samples from each cohort also exposed to 0.05 Gy and 0.5 Gy IR were analysed for relative gene expression of the 4-gene signature. In the healthy donor cohort, there was a significant difference in gene expression between IR dose for CDKN1, FXDR and SESN1 but not PCNA and no significant difference found between all prostate cancer donors, unless they were classified as radiation-induced G2 chromosomal radiosensitive. Interestingly, ADT had an effect on radiation response for some donors highlighting intra-individual heterogeneity of prostate cancer donors.

Comparing Lymphocyte Radiosensitivity of Prostate Cancer Patients with Healthy Donors Using Micronuclei and Chemical Premature Chromosome Condensation Tests

Background:

Cytogenetic tests are usually used for diagnosing predisposed individuals to cancer by determining their lymphocyte radiosensitivity.

Objective:

To determine the potential role of radiosensitivity in predisposition of prostate cancer by comparing lymphocyte radiosensitivity of prostate cancer patients with healthy donors.

Materials and Methods:

In this experimental study, the blood samples of 10 prostate cancer patients and 10 healthy donors were irradiated to 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 6 Gy ionizing radiation produced by a 6MV Linac. One sample of each group receiving no radiation was regarded as the background. The micronuclei (MN) and chemical premature chromosome condensation (PCC) cytogenetic tests were performed on all samples and the numbers of MN and PCC rings were scored. Dose-response curves were plotted for both healthy and cancerous groups with two tests.

Results:

There was a significant difference between the numbers of MN within each group due to different levels of radiation doses. There was also a significant difference between the two groups in all identical doses, with the exception of 6 Gy. The chemical PCC test indicated a significant difference between the scored PCC rings in each group at doses higher than 0.25 Gy. However, no differences were noted between the healthy donors and prostate cancer patients receiving the same level of doses.

Conclusion:

MN test can be considered as a reliable indicator of predisposition of prostate cancer. On the other hand, the chemical PCC test could not differentiate between healthy donors and prostate cancer patients at the dose range examined in this study.

The therapeutic effect of PEI-Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 nanoparticles/pEgr1-HSV-TK/GCV associated with radiation and magnet-induced heating on hepatoma

Comprehensive therapy based on the integration of hyperthermia, radiation, gene therapy and chemotherapy is a promising area of study in cancer treatment. Using PEI-Mn(0.5)Zn(0.5)Fe(2)O(4) nanoparticles (PEI-MZF-NPs) as a gene transfer vector, the authors transfected self-prepared pEgr1-HSV-TK into HepG2 cells and measured the expression of the exogenous gene HSV-TK by RT-PCR. The results showed that HSV-TK was successfully transfected into HepG2 cells and the expression levels of HSV-TK remained stable. Besides, PEI-MZF-NPs were used as magnetic media for thermotherapy to treat hepatoma by magnet-induced heating, combined with radiation-gene therapy. Both in vitro and in vivo results suggest that this combined treatment with gene, radiation and heating has a better therapeutic effect than any of them alone. The apoptotic rate and necrotic rate of the combined treatment group was 51.84% and 15.45%, respectively. In contrast, it was only 20.55% and 6.80% in the radiation-gene group, 7.49% and 3.62% in the radiation-alone group, 15.23% and 7.90% in the heating-alone group, and only 3.52% and 2.16% in the blank control group. The inhibition rate of cell proliferation (88.5%) of the combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of the radiation-gene group (59.5%), radiation-alone group (37.6%) and heating-alone group (60.6%). The tumor volume and mass inhibition rate of the combined treatment group was 94.45% and 93.38%, respectively, significantly higher than 41.28% and 33.58% of the radiation-alone group, 60.76% and 52.18% of the radiation-gene group, 79.91% and 77.40% of the heating-alone group. It is therefore concluded that this combined application of heating, radiation and gene therapy has a good synergistic and complementary effect and PEI-MZF-NPs can act as a novel non-viral gene vector and magnetic induction medium, which offers a viable approach for the treatment of cancer.

HealthTwiSt: the Berlin Twin Registry for health research

The Berlin Twin Registry has its focus on health research. It is operated as a private company, making twin studies available to academic institutions as well as commercial partners in the area of biotechnology and nutrition. Recruitment is based on invitation in the context of mass media coverage of scientific results. Phenotyping in the unselected twin subjects is directed toward intermediate phenotypes that can bear on common diseases. These phenotypes include proteomic approaches and gene expression. Some results are briefly described to give an impression of the range of research topics and related opportunities for retrospective and prospective collaborative research.

Effect of epothilone B on cell cycle, metabolic activity, and apoptosis induction on human epithelial cancer cells-under special attention of combined treatment with ionizing radiation

In recent studies, epothilone B was shown to have a cytotoxic and radiosensitizing effect on cells. The aim of our investigation was to explain this impact by examining the mode of action of epothilone B on FaDu and A549 tumor cells. Flow cytometry was used for cell cycle distribution and for the evaluation of apoptosis. Metabolic activity was studied by proliferation assay. Influence on nuclei morphology was investigated by DNA-staining. We showed that epothilone B-induced G2/M accumulation is the main rationale for drug-induced radiosensitivity. The cytotoxic effect resulted in apoptotic cell death, decreased metabolic activity, and formation of multinucleated cells.

Intra-individual variation in G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity

Intra-individual variation in G(2) chromosomal radiosensitivity was examined by repeatedly taking blood samples from two individuals. Two healthy female volunteers provided a total of 44 blood samples, Donor 1 gave 28 samples in four time periods between 2001 and 2006 and Donor 2 gave 16 samples in two of the same time periods. Lymphocytes were cultured for 72 h prior to irradiation with 0.5 Gy, 300 kV X-rays. Colcemid was added 30 min post-irradiation. Cultures were harvested 90 min post-irradiation and analysed for chromatid gaps and breaks. Donor 1 exhibited significant intra-individual variation in G(2) chromosomal radiosensitivity for two of the four time periods. Variation was not significant for Period 1 (13 samples, P = 0.111) and Period 2 (six samples, P = 0.311) but was significant for Period 3 (two samples, P = 0.030) and Period 4 (seven samples, P = 0.005). Significant intra-individual variation was observed for both time periods involving Donor 2, these being Period 2 (nine samples, P = 0.002) and Period 4 (seven samples, P < 0.001). The combined data from all time periods exhibited a significant intra-individual variation for Donor 1 (P < 0.001) and Donor 2 (P < 0.001). These findings led to the conclusion that too much reliance should not be placed on the result from a single sample when assessing individual radiosensitivity status.

In vivo versus in vitro individual radiosensitivity analysed in healthy donors and in prostate cancer patients with and without severe side effects after radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

A high cellular radiosensitivity may be connected with a risk for development of severe side effects after radiotherapy and indicate cancer susceptibility. Hence, a fast and robust in vitro test is desirable to identify radiosensitive individuals.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 25 prostate cancer patients with severe side effects (S) and 25 patients without severe side effects (0) after radiotherapy as well as 23 male healthy age-matched donors. Blood samples were exposed to 0.5 Gy or 1 Gy of γ-rays. The initial level of double-strand breaks (dsb) and repair kinetics measured by phosphorylation of histone H2A (γ-H2AX-assay), apoptosis (Annexin V-assay) and the induction of chromatid aberrations after irradiation in the G2-phase of the cell cycle (G2-assay) were analysed.

RESULTS

A significant higher chromatid aberration yield was found in lymphocytes from prostate cancer patients when compared to healthy donors. We found no significant differences between patients S and patients 0.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no obvious correlation between clinical and cellular radiosensitivity in lymphocytes of prostate cancer patients when all chosen in vitro assays are considered. Although 25% of the patients showed both severe side effects and increased radiation-induced chromosomal sensitivity, predictive value of G2-assay is doubtful.

Radiation dose detection by imaging response in biological targets

Imaging was one of the earliest techniques to quantify radiation dose. While films and active fluorescent detectors are still commonly used in physical dosimetry, biological imaging is emerging as a new method to visualize and quantify radiation dose in biological targets. Methods for biological imaging are normally based on molecular fluorescent probes, labeling chromatin-conjugated molecules or specific repair proteins. Examples are chromatin-binding coumarin compounds, which become fluorescent under irradiation, or the H2AX histone, which is rapidly phosphorylated at sites of DNA double-strand breaks and can be visualized by immunostaining. Many other DNA repair proteins can be expressed with fluorescent targets, such as green fluorescent protein, thus becoming visible for dose estimation in vivo. The possibility to visualize radiation damage in living biological targets is particularly important for repair kinetic studies, for estimating individual radiation response, and for remote control of living samples exposed to radiation, for instance in robotic space missions. In vivo dose monitoring in particle therapy exploits the production of positron emitters by nuclear interaction of the incident beam in the patient's body. Positron emission tomography (PET) can then be used to visualize and quantify the particle dose in the patient, and it can in principle also be used for radiotherapy with high-energy X rays. Alternatively, prompt γ rays or scattered secondary particles are under study for in vivo dosimetry of ion beams in therapy.