Overexpression of angiopoietin-1 reduces doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes

Doxorubicin （Dox） is a major anticancer chemotherapeutic agent. However, it causes cardiomyopathy due to the side effect of cardiomyocyte apoptosis. We have previously reported that angiopoietin-1 significantly reduced myocardial infarction after ischemic injury and protected cardiomyocytes from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. It is hypothesized that angiopoietin-1 may protect cardiomyocytes from Dox-induced apoptosis. Cardiomyocytes H9C2 were transfected with adenovirus expressing angiopoietin-1 （Ad5-Ang-1） 24 h before the cells were chal- lenged with Dox at a concentration of 2 ~tmol/L. Ad5-GFP served as the vector control. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis was evaluated using Annexin V-FITC staining and caspase-3 and caspase-8 activity was determined by Western blotting. The results showed that Dox treatment significantly induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis as evidenced by the greater number of Annexin V-FITC stained cells and increases in caspase-3 and caspase-8 activity. In contrast, overexpression of angiopoietin-1 significantly prevented Dox-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. To elucidate the mechanisms by which angiopoietin-1 protected cells from Dox-induced apoptosis, we analyzed both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways. We observed that angiopoietin-1 prevented Dox-induced activation of both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic signaling pathways. Specifically, angiopoietin-1 prevented DOX-induced in- creases in FasL and Bax levels and cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-8 levels in H9C2 cells. In addition, overexpres- sion of angiopoietin-1 also activated the pro-survival phosphoinositide-3 kinase （PI3K）/Akt signaling pathway and decreased Dox-induced nuclear factor-kappaB （NF-~：B） activation. Our data suggest that promoting the expression of angiopoietin-1 could be a potential approach for reducing Dox-induced cardiomyocyte cytoxicity.

CaMKⅡ高表达通过EMT促进肺腺癌侵袭转移

目的:探究钙/钙调蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶Ⅱ(calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinaseⅡ,CaMKⅡ)在肺腺癌组织中的表达及其促进肺腺癌的侵袭、转移。方法:通过免疫组织化学染色(immunohistochemistry,IHC)分析肺腺癌患者的石蜡组织标本CaMKⅡ表达与临床病理参数关系,同时对肺腺癌组织与其配对淋巴结转移病灶中的CaMKⅡ表达情况进行比较分析,收集2011年1月至2011年12月于天津医科大学肿瘤医院行手术治疗的113例肺腺癌患者及21例配对的原发病灶及淋巴结转移病灶的石蜡组织标本。将肺腺癌细胞系H1299及Calu3进行慢病毒转染,实验组转染高表达CaMKⅡ病毒,对照组转染阴性对照病毒,通过Transwell实验和划痕实验检测肺腺癌细胞侵袭、转移能力,通过Western blot检测CaMKⅡ表达水平与上皮间充质转化(pithelial-mesenchymal transition,EMT)相关指标和表皮生长因子受体(epidermal growth factor receptor,EGFR)通路激活间的关系。结果:CaMKⅡ高表达与肺腺癌TNM分期和淋巴结转移呈正相关,肺腺癌淋巴结转移病灶中的癌组织CaMKⅡ表达明显高于其原发病灶(P<0.05)。细胞实验表明,CaMKⅡ高表达的肺腺癌细胞,其穿膜细胞数目明显增多,伤口愈合能力增强;EGFR通路激活后p-CaMKⅡ水平增加,且CaMKⅡ促进了EMT相关蛋白及转录因子的表达。结论:CaMKⅡ参与EGFR信号传导,促进EMT过程,增加肺腺癌的侵袭转移能力。

A nomogram-based immune-serum scoring system predicts overall survival in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Objective:The immunoscore,which is used to quantify immune infiltrates,has greater relative prognostic value than tumor,node,and metastasis(TNM)stage and might serve as a new system for classification of colorectal cancer.However,a comparable immunoscore for predicting lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD)prognosis is currently lacking.Methods:We analyzed the expression of 18 immune features by immunohistochemistry in 171 specimens.The relationship of immune marker expression and clinicopathologic factors to the overall survival(OS)was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method.A nomogram was developed by using the optimal features selected by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)regression in the training cohort(n=111)and evaluated in the validation cohort(n=60).Results:The indicators integrated in the nomogram were TNM stage,neuron-specific enolase,carcino-embryonic antigen,CD8 center of tumor(CT),CD8 invasive margin(IM),Fox P3 CT,and CD45 ROCT.The calibration curve showed prominent agreement between the observed 2-and 5-year OS and that predicted by the nomogram.To simplify the nomogram,we developed a new immune-serum scoring system(I-SSS)based on the points awarded for each factor in the nomogram.Our I-SSS was able to stratify same-stage patients into different risk subgroups.The combination of I-SSS and TNM stage had better prognostic value than the TNM stage alone.Conclusions:Our new I-SSS can accurately and individually predict LUAD prognosis and may be used to supplement prognostication based on the TNM stage.