41 research outputs found
Oxidative stress-induced apoptosis of bile duct cells in primary biliary cirrhosis
No full textThere has been a relative paucity of effort at defining effector mechanisms of biliary damage in PBC. We hypothesize that biliary cells are destroyed secondary to the immunologic relationships of inflammation and biliary epithelial apoptosis and, in particular, that biliary damage is a result of reduced levels of glutathione-S-transferase (GST), the production of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and its association with eosinophil peroxidase (EPO). To address this issue, we examined the expression of EPO and GST in PBC and control livers and demonstrated an increase of EPO within the portal areas of PBC. We also demonstrated that macrophages have evidence of phagocytosed EPO. Furthermore, we studied the influence of HOCl on apoptosis in cultured human biliary epithelial cells (BEC) as well as the associated activity of Bcl-2, Bax, p-JNK, JNK, p53, Fas and caspase-3. HOC1-induced apoptosis in BEC in a dose-dependent fashion increased the activity of caspase-3 and the expression of p53 and p-JNK. Pretreatment with l-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine, a glutathione (GSH) inhibitor, potentiated the sensitivity of BEC to HOCl-induced apoptosis. We conclude that intracellular GSH reduction leads directly to BEC apoptosis. Modulation of these events will be critical to reduce immune-mediated destruction
Prognostic utility of HOXB13:IL17BR and Molecular Grade Index in early-stage breast cancer patients from the Stockholm trial
No full textBackground: A dichotomous index combining two gene expression assays, HOXB13:IL17BR (H:I) and molecular grade index (MGI), was developed to assess risk of recurrence in breast cancer patients. The study objective was to demonstrate the prognostic utility of the combined index in early-stage breast cancer. Methods: In a blinded retrospective analysis of 588 ER-positive tamoxifen-treated and untreated breast cancer patients from the randomized prospective Stockholm trial, H:I and MGI were measured using real-time RT-PCR. Association with patient outcome was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression. A continuous risk index was developed using Cox modeling. Results: The dichotomous H:I+MGI was significantly associated with distant recurrence and breast cancer death. The >50% of tamoxifen-treated patients categorized as low-risk had <3% 10-year distant recurrence risk. A continuous risk model (Breast Cancer Index (BCI)) was developed with the tamoxifen-treated group and the prognostic performance tested in the untreated group was 53% of patients categorized as low-risk with an 8.3% 10-year distant recurrence risk. Conclusion: Retrospective analysis of this randomized, prospective trial cohort validated the prognostic utility of H:I+MGI and was used to develop and test a continuous risk model that enables prediction of distant recurrence risk at the patient level.Original Publication:Piiha-Lotta Jerevall, Xiai-Jun Ma, Hongying Li, Ranelle Salunga, Nicole C. Kesty, Mark G. Erlander, Dennis Sgroi, Birgitta Holmlund, Lambert Skoog, Tommy Fornander, Bo Nordenskjöld and Olle Stål, Prognostic utility of HOXB13:IL17BR and Molecular Grade Index in early-stage breast cancer patients from the Stockholm trial, 2011, British Journal of Cancer, (104), 11, 1762-1769.http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2011.145Copyright: Nature Publishing Grouphttp://npg.nature.com
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Data-driven treatment selection for seamless phase II/III trials incorporating early-outcome data
No full textSeamless phase II/III clinical trials are conducted in two stages with treatment selection at the first stage. In the first stage, patients are randomized to a control or one of k > 1 experimental treatments. At the end of this stage, interim data are analysed, and a decision is made concerning which experimental treatment should continue to the second stage. If the primary endpoint is observable only after some period of follow-up, at the interim analysis data may be available on some early outcome on a larger number of patients than those for whom the primary endpoint is available. These early endpoint data can thus be used for treatment selection. For two previously proposed approaches, the power has been shown to be greater for one or other method depending on the true treatment effects and correlations. We propose a new approach that builds on the previously proposed approaches and uses data available at the interim analysis to estimate these parameters and then, on the basis of these estimates, chooses the treatment selection method with the highest probability of correctly selecting the most effective treatment. This method is shown to perform well compared with the two previously described methods for a wide range of true parameter values. In most cases, the performance of the new method is either similar to or, in some cases, better than either of the two previously proposed methods. © 2014 The Authors. Pharmaceutical Statistics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd
TACC3-ch-TOG track the growing tips of microtubules independently of clathrin and Aurora-A phosphorylation
No full textThe interaction between TACC3 (transforming acidic coiled coil protein 3) and the microtubule polymerase ch-TOG (colonic, hepatic tumor overexpressed gene) is evolutionarily conserved. Loading of TACC3–ch-TOG onto spindle microtubules requires the phosphorylation of TACC3 by Aurora-A kinase and the subsequent interaction of TACC3 with clathrin to form a microtubule binding surface. Whether there is a pool of TACC3–ch-TOG that is independent of clathrin in human cells, and what is the function of this pool, are open questions. Here, we report that TACC3 is recruited to the plus-ends of microtubules by its association with ch-TOG and that this pool is independent of phosphorylation and binding to clathrin. The plus-end binding of TACC3–ch-TOG persists in interphase and we propose that one cellular function of TACC3–ch-TOG is to modulate cell migration. We also describe the distinct subcellular pools of TACC3, ch-TOG and clathrin. TACC3 is often described as a centrosomal protein, but we show that there is no significant population of TACC3 at centrosomes. The delineation of distinct protein pools reveals a simplified view of how these proteins are organized and controlled by post-translational modification
Comparison of risk stratification of ER-positive, node-negative breast cancer patients by Oncotype DX versus molecular grade index and HOXB13/IL17BR ratio
No full textValidation of Prognostic Utility of HOXB13:IL17BR and Molecular Grade Index in Early Stage Breast Cancer.
No full textAbstract
Background. HOXB13:IL17BR (H:I) is a two gene expression index, which has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive lymph node-negative (N0) breast cancer. A molecular grade index (MGI) measures the expression of five proliferation-related genes. An algorithm based on dichotomized H:I and MGI stratifying patients into three risk groups has been shown to be superior to either alone in predicting risk of distant metastasis in ER+/N0 patients. Further validation in larger cohorts is needed to establish its clinical performance. A continuous predictor combining H:I and MGI is desirable for making individualized risk assessment in the clinical setting.Methods. During 1976 through 1990 the Stockholm Breast Cancer Group conducted a randomized clinical trial comparing adjuvant tamoxifen with control in 1780 postmenopausal women considered to be at low risk of recurrence (N0 and tumor size &lt; 3 cm). We measured H:I and MGI using a real time PCR assay in 769 patients from this trial based on sample availability. Correlation of gene expression indices with distant metastasis and death due to breast cancer was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression. Modeling was also used to develop a continuous risk index as a function of both H:I and MGI.Results. Using pre-specified cutoff points and combination algorithm, H:I, MGI and their combination each was significantly associated with both distant metastasis-free survival and breast cancer-specific survival (Table 1). Furthermore, we used the ER+ tamoxifen-treated subset (n=314) to develop a continuous risk model (Breast Cancer Index or BCI) combining both H:I and MGI. The prognostic utility of BCI was then successfully validated in the untreated subset in this trial and three additional previously published cohorts. BCI consistently identified ∼50% patients with a very low 10-year recurrence risk (&lt; 5%).Discussion. This large retrospective analysis of a randomized clinical trial cohort validated the prognostic utility of H:I, MGI, and their combination. With the continuous risk model, this RT-PCR-based assay allows prediction of risk of recurrence at the individual level, which may help tailor personalized treatment strategy.Table 1. Univariate Cox regression analysis of H:I, MGI, and H:I+MGI Distant Metastasis Breast Cancer Death Tam (n=398)No Tam (n=371)Tam (n=398)No Tam (n=371) Hazard Ratio (95%)Hazard Ratio (95%)Hazard Ratio (95%)Hazard Ratio (95%)H:Ihigh vs low1.93 (1.07-3.47) _ p=2.80E-022.50 (1.54-4.07) p=2.26E-042.40 (1.28-4.52) p=6.49E-032.23 (1.35-3.69) p=1.74E-03MGIhigh vs low4.62 (2.29-9.32) _ p=1.86E-051.93 (1.19-3.12) p=7.71E-035.25 (2.43-11.34) p=2.48E-052.67 (1.56-4.58) p=3.50E-04H:I+MGIinter. vs low3.86 (1.71-8.69) _ p=1.24E-031.32 (0.69-2.50) p=4.00E-013.99 (1.63-2.82) p=2.46E-032.08 (1.07-4.03) p=3.06E-02 high vs low5.29 (2.51-11.18) p=1.26E-052.42 (1.44-4.06) p=8.00E-046.34 (2.82-14.24) p=7.77E-063.14 (1.77-5.57) p=9.67E-05
Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 77.</jats:p
Genetic diversity of principal neurons in the hippocampus
No full textThe extent to which individual neurons are interconnected in a selective manner within brain circuits is an unsolved problem in neuroscience. Two opposite views posit dedicated labeled lines of specifically interconnected neurons, versus tabula rasa models of randomly interconnected networks. Even in dense mammalian cortical circuits, apparently equivalent neurons can be organized into preferentially interconnected microcircuits. However, it has remained unclear whether microcircuits might reflect genetically defined subpopulations of selectively interconnected neurons, as opposed to self-organizing random networks. Here we show that the principal neurons of the major hippocampal subdivisions consist of genetically distinct subpopulations that interconnect selectively across subdivisions. In two Thy1 mouse lines, transgene expression in each subdivision visualizes matched principal neuron subpopulations that exhibit unique patterns of gene expression, and share neurogenesis windows, and temporal schedules of synaptogenesis. Marker genes shared among the matched subpopulations map near olfactory receptor gene clusters, a property which we find preferentially associated with neuronal subtype markers. Matched subpopulations exhibit selective connectivity at mossy fiber-to-pyramidal neuron synapses in CA3. Our results provide genetic, developmental and anatomical evidence for the existence of selectively interconnected principal neuron subpopulations in a cortical structure. The results further suggest that unique and co-ordinate schedules of neurogenesis and circuit assembly may underlie the establishment of specific microcircuits in the brain
Predictive value of the Theros Breast Cancer Index (TBCI) for distant recurrence and overall survival (OS) in comparison to Adjuvant! Online and clinicopathologic characteristics in women with lymph node (LN)-negative, ER-positive breast cancer (BCa).
No full textCorrelative studies of the Breast Cancer Index (HOXB13/IL17BR) and ER, PR, AR, AR/ER ratio and Ki67 for prediction of extended endocrine therapy benefit: a Trans-aTTom study
No full textBACKGROUND: Multiple clinical trials demonstrate consistent but modest benefit of adjuvant extended endocrine therapy (EET) in HR + breast cancer patients. Predictive biomarkers to identify patients that benefit from EET are critical to balance modest reductions in risk against potential side effects of EET. This study compares the performance of the Breast Cancer Index, BCI (HOXB13/IL17BR, H/I), with expression of estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), and androgen receptors (AR), and Ki67, for prediction of EET benefit. METHODS: Node-positive (N+) patients from the Trans-aTTom study with available tissue specimen and BCI results (N = 789) were included. Expression of ER, PR, AR, and Ki67 was assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry. BCI (H/I) gene expression analysis was conducted by quantitative RT-PCR. Statistical significance of the treatment by biomarker interaction was evaluated by likelihood ratio tests based on multivariate Cox proportional models, adjusting for age, tumor size, grade, and HER2 status. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate correlations between BCI (H/I) versus ER, PR, AR, Ki67 and AR/ER ratio. RESULTS: EET benefit, measured by the difference in risk of recurrence between patients treated with tamoxifen for 10 versus 5 years, is significantly associated with increasing values of BCI (H/I) (interaction P = 0.01). In contrast, expression of ER (P = 0.83), PR (P = 0.66), AR (P = 0.78), Ki67 (P = 0.87) and AR/ER ratio (P = 0.84) exhibited no significant relationship with EET benefit. BCI (H/I) showed a very weak negative correlation with ER (r = − 0.18), PR (r = − 0.25), and AR (r = − 0.14) expression, but no correlation with either Ki67 (r = 0.04) or AR/ER ratio (r = 0.02). CONCLUSION: These findings are consistent with the growing body of evidence that BCI (H/I) is significantly predictive of response to EET and outcome. Results from this direct comparison demonstrate that expression of ER, PR, AR, Ki67 or AR/ER ratio are not predictive of benefit from EET. BCI (H/I) is the only clinically validated biomarker that predicts EET benefit. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13058-022-01589-x
