Tumor neoangiogenesis detection by confocal laser endomicroscopy and anti-CD105 antibody:Pilot study

AIM: To evaluate neoangiogenesis in patients with colon cancer by two fluorescently labeled antibodies on fresh biopsy samples imaged with confocal laser endomicroscopy(CLE).METHODS: CLE is an imaging technique for gastrointestinal endoscopy providing in vivo microscopy at subcellular resolution.An important question in validating tumor angiogenesis is what proportion of the tumor vascular network is represented by preexisting parent tissue vessels and newly formed vessels.CD105(endoglin) represents a proliferation-associated endothelial cell adhesion molecule.In contrast to panendothelial markers,such as CD31,CD105 is preferentially expressed in activated endothelial cells that participate in neovascularization.Thus,we evaluated CD105 and CD31 expression from samples of ten patients with primary rectal adenocarcinoma,using a dedicated endomicroscopy system.A imaging software was used to obtain the Z projection of the confocal serial images from each biopsy sample previously combined into stacks.Vascular density and vessel diameters were measured within two 50 μm x 475 μm rectangular regions of interest centered in the middle of each image in the horizontal and vertical direction.The results were averaged over all the patients and were expressed as the mean ± SE.RESULTS: The use of an anti-CD105 antibody was found to be suitable for the detection of blood vessels in colon cancer.Whereas anti-CD31 antibodies stained blood vessels in both normal and pathologic colon equally,CD105 expression was observed primarily in malignant lesions,with little or no expression in the vessels of the normal mucosa(244.21 ± 130.7 vessels/mm3 in only four patients).The average diameter of antiCD105 stained vessels was 10.97 ± 0.6 μm in tumor tissue,and the vessel density was 2787.40 ± 134.8 vessels/mm3.When using the anti-CD31 antibody,the average diameter of vessels in the normal colon tissue was 7.67 ± 0.5 μm and the vessel density was 3191.60 ± 387.8 vessels/mm3,while in the tumors we obtained an average diameter of 10.88 ± 0.8 μm and a vessel density of 4707.30 ± 448.85 vessels/mm3.Thus,there were more vessels stained with CD31 than CD105(P < 0.05).The average vessel diameter was similar for both CD31 and CD105 staining.A qualitative comparison between CLE vs immunohistochemistry lead to similar results.CONCLUSION: Specific imaging and quantification of tumor microvessels are feasible in human rectal cancer using CLE examination and CD105 immunostaining of fresh tissue samples.

Role of stromal cell-derived factor 1α pathway in bone metastatic prostate cancer

Metastatic prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death in men. The primary site of metastasis from prostate cancers is the bone. During the last decade, multiple studies have pointed to the role of the stromal cell-derived factor 1 alpha （SDF 1 a）/CXCR4 axis in the metastatic spread of the disease, but the mechanisms that underlie this effect are still incompletely understood. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of the role of the SDF 1a/CXCR4 pathway in bone metastatic prostate cancer. We also discuss the therapeutic potential of disrupting the interaction between prostate tumor cells and bone environment with focus on the SDF1a pathway.

Cholangiocarcinoma, gone without the Wnt?

Cholangiocarcinoma(CCA) is a relatively rare malignancy of the intra- or extra-hepatic bile ducts that is classified according to its anatomical localization as intrahepatic, perihilar or distal. Overall, CCA has a dismal prognosis due to typical presentation at an advanced irresectable stage, lack of effective non-surgical treatments, and a high rate of disease recurrence. CCA frequently arises on a background of chronic liver inflammation and cholestasis. Chronic inflammation is accompanied by enhanced cell turnover with generation of additional inflammatory stimuli, and a microenvironment rich in pro-inflammatory mediators and proliferative factors that enable accumulation of mutations, transformation and expansion of mutated cells. A recent study by Boulter et al implicates the Wnt signaling cascade in cholangiocarcinogenesis. Wnt ligands Wnt7 B and Wnt10 A were found to be highly overexpressed in human CCA tissue. Wnt7 B protein was present throughout the tumor stroma, and often co-localized with a subset of CD68+ macrophages. To address in a direct manner whether Wnt signaling is engaged in development of CCA, Boulter et al explored the Wnt signaling pathway in an experimental model that recapitulates the multi-stage progression of human CCA.Wnt ligands found to be elevated in human CCA were also upregulated during the course of CCA development following thioacetamide treatment. Wnt10 a increased during the(pre-cancerous) regenerative phase, while Wnt7 b induction paralleled tumor growth. Along with upregulation of target genes, the findings demonstrate that the canonical Wnt pathway is progressively activated during cholangio-carcinogenesis. Macrophage depletion,eliminating a major source of Wnt7 b, prevented activation of the canonical Wnt cascade, and resulted in reduced number and volume of tumors in this model. Moreover,specific inhibitors of the canonical Wnt pathway(ICG-001 and C-59) caused reduction of tumor area and number,in xenograft and thioacetamide models of CCA. The aggregated findings show that experimental, and presumably human CCA, is a Wnt-driven tumor. Modulation of Wnt signaling, alone or in combination with surgicalor chemotherapy approaches, holds promise in the management of this fatal malignancy.

The update of prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Since initially described in 1967, prostatic ductal adenocarcinoma （PDA） has engendered a series of controversies on its origin, histological features, and biological behavior. Owing to the improvement of molecular biological technique, there are some updated findings on the characteristics of PDA. In the current review, we will mainly analyze its origin, clinical manifestations, morphological features, differential diagnosis, immunophenotype and molecular genetics, with the purpose of enhancing recognition of this tumor and making a correct diagnosis and treatment choice.

Impaired functions of neural stem cells by abnormal nitric oxide-mediated signaling in an in vitro model of Niemann-Pick type C disease

Nitric oxide （NO） has been implicated in the promotion of neurodegeneration. However, little is known about the relationship between NO and the self-renewal or differentiation capacity of neural stem cells （NSCs） in neurodegenerative disease. In this study, we investigated the effect of NO on self-renewal of NSCs in an animal model for Niemann-Pick type C （NPC） disease. We found that NO production was significantly increased in NSCs from NPCl-deficient mice （NPCI^-/-）, which showed reduced NSC self-renewal. The number of nestin-positive cells and the size of neurospheres were both significantly decreased. The expression of NO synthase （NOS） was increased in neurospheres derived from the brain of NPC1^-/- mice in comparison to wild-type neurospheres. NO-mediated activation of glycogen synthase ki- nase-3β （GSK3β） and caspase-3 was also observed in NSCs from NPC1^-/- mice. The self-renewal ability of NSCs from NPC1^-/- mice was restored by an NOS inhibitor, L-NAME, which resulted in the inhibition of GSK3β and caspase-3. In addition, the differentiation ability of NSCs was partially restored and the number of Fluoro-Jade C-positive degenerating neurons was reduced. These data suggest that overproduction of NO in NPC disease impaired the self-renewal of NSCs. Control of NO production may be key for the treatment of NPC disease.

Image cytometric DNA analysis of mucosal biopsies in patients with primary achalasia

AIM： To determine DNA aneuploidy in mucosal biopsies of achalasia patients for subsequent rapid diagnosis. METHODS： Biopsies from the middle third of the esophagus were obtained in 15 patients with achalasia. Immunohistochemical staining was carried out with monoclonal antibodies MIB-1 for Ki67 and PAb 1801 for p53, in addition to the conventional histologic examination for dysplasia. Nuclei of fresh biopsy material were enzymatically and mechanically isolated, and the DNA content was determined with image cytometry after Feulgen staining. DNA grading of malignancy was assessed according to Boecking to determine the variability of DNA values noted around the normal diploid peak. Further indices measured included the aneuploid rate, and the 5c-, 7c- and 9c-exceeding rate. RESULTS： The histological examination did not demonstrate dysplasia; while MIB-1 （basal） showed a positive reaction in 8/15 achalasia specimens, p53 was negative in all specimens. Image cytometric DNA analysis detected aneuploidy in 4/15 （26.7%） specimens. Samples from 15 patients with squamous cell carcinoma as well as specimens obtained exclusively 2 cm proximal to the tumor served as reference tests. All carcinomas （15/15） as well as 9 of the peritumoral samples （9/15） were aneuploid. The comparison of biopsies from achalasia patients with peritumoral and carcinoma specimens revealed statistically significant differences regarding the aneuploid rate （diploid： P 〈 0.0001; tetraploid： P = 0.001）, grading of malignancy according to Boecking （P 〈 0.0001） and the 5c- （P 〈 0.0001）, 7c-（P 〈 0.0001）, and 9c- （P = 0.0001） exceeding rate with progredient DNA alterations in the respective order. CONCLUSION： The finding that DNA aneuploidy was identified by image cytometry in esophageal specimens of patients with achalasia, which may be due to specific chromosomal alterations presenting as precancerous lesions in 27% of patients, leads us to conclude that image cytometry represents a valuable screening tool.

C19MC miRNA-520G induces SP100 antiviral gene transcription and inhibits melanin production in skin cutaneous melanoma

SP100 is an antiviral protein that restricts the productive stage of human papillomavirus(HPV)and multiple other viruses,and viruses in turn block sUMO-1-mediated stabilization of SP100 and promotes its degradation(Table S1).Interferon(IFN)signaling could still produce more SP100 through transcription to counteract viruses.1 Viruses also disable the transcriptional up-regulation of SP100 to achieve persistent infection in hosts.

Kindlin-2 expression in adult tissues correlates with their embryonic origins

Kindlin-2 functions in the maintenance of homeostasis and in human diseases.This study investigated the interrelationship between Kindlin-2 expression in tissues and the corresponding germ layers from which these tissues originated.Kindlin-2 expression was examined in normal adult human organs and human cancer tissues by immunohistochemical analyses.Analysis of Kindlin-2 mRNA levels in adult human organs in the Oncomine dataset revealed Kindlin-2 is highly expressed in mesoderm-derived organs.However,Kindlin-2 was negative or weakly expressed in endoderm/ectoderm-derived organs.Interestingly,the abnormal expression of Kindlin-2 was observed in a variety of human cancers.In agreement with its expression profile in humans,Kindlin-2 was also highly expressed in mesoderm-derived organs in mouse embryos with the exception of strong Kindlin-2 expression in ectoderm-derived spinal cord and ganglia,tissues that are highly mobile during embryonic development.Importantly,we demonstrated the expression level of Kindlin-2 in adult organs correlated with their embryonic dermal origins and deregulation of Kindlin-2 in tissues is associated with tumor progression.This finding will help us understand the dual role of Kindlin-2 in the regulation of tumor progression and embryonic development.

Kindler syndrome protein Kindlin-1 is mainly expressed in adult tissues originating from ectoderm/endoderm

Mutations of integrin-interacting protein Kindlin-1 cause Kindler syndrome and deregulation of Kindlin-1 is implicated in human cancers. The Kindlin-1-related diseases are confined in limited tissue types. However, Kindlin-1 tissue distribution and the dogma that governs Kindlin-1 expression in normal human body are elusive. This study examined Kindlin-1 expression in normal human adult organs, human and mouse embryonic organs by immunohistochemical analyses. We identified a general principle that the level of Kindlin-1 expression in tissues is tightly correlated with the corresponding germ layers from which these tissues originate. We compared the expression of Kindlin-1 with Kindlin-2 and found that Kindlin-1 is highly expressed in epithelial tissues derived from ectoderm and endoderm, whereas Kindlin-2 is mainly expressed in mesoderm-derived tissues. Likewise, Kindlin-1 was also found highly expressed in endoderm/ectoderm-derived tissues in human and mouse embryos. Our findings indicate that Kindlin-1 may play an importance role in the development of endoderm/ectoderm related tissues.