Distribution pattern of matrix metalloproteinases 1, 2, 3, and 9, tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 2, and α2-macroglobulin in cases of generalized AA- and AL amyloidosis

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) degrade basement membranes and connective tissue and play an essential role in the homeostasis of the extracellular matrix which is disrupted by the deposition of amyloid. This immunohistochemical study investigated the distribution pattern of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-1, -2, -3, and -9) and their inhibitors [alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M), tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP)-1, and TIMP-2] in human AA- and AL amyloid deposits. Specimens of liver, kidney, and spleen from 22 autopsy cases were investigated. Nine patients had suffered from generalized AA amyloidosis, eight from generalized AL amyloidosis, and five from rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis with no histological evidence of amyloid. In all amyloidotic and non-amyloidotic patients, each protease and protease inhibitor was detected in almost every organ investigated. In the amyloidotic cases, there was no indication that a specific protease or protease inhibitor was absent or expressed, but a difference was observed in their spatial distribution patterns. The most noticeable difference was found in immunostaining of amyloid. Only MMP-1, -2, and -3, and alpha 2-M were present in AA amyloid deposits, and only TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were found in deposits of AL amyloid. This is the first study to show that MMP-1, -2, and -3 are present in AA amyloid deposits. They may be involved in tissue remodeling or in proteolysis of the precursor and fibril proteins.     

Presence,activities, and molecular forms of cathepsin G,elastase,α 1-antitrypsin,andα 1-antichymotrypsin in bronchiectasis

The presence, activities, and molecular forms of the serine proteinases, elastase, and cathepsin G, and their endogenous inhibitors, ₁-antitrypsin and ₁-antichymotrypsin, were investigated in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of bronchiectasis patients divided into mild, moderate, and severe disease subgroups and compared to BAL fluid from healthy controls. Immunochemical characterization and quantitation were performed by Western immunoblot. The activities of elastase and cathepsin G were recorded spectrophotometrically using synthetic substrates. The results showed a significant difference in elastase and cathepsin G activities in BAL fluid of the three subgroups, revealing the following data—mild subgroup, 0.21±0.09 mU/g and 57.35±20.9 U/g; moderate subgroup, 1.87±1.12 mU/g and 89.24±31.4 U/g; and severe subgroup, 2.64±1.63 mU/g and 139.18±58.3 U/g, respectively—compared to those of the healthy control group, 0.09±0.03 mU/g and 50.96±16.5 U/g. Evidently, the protective shield of plasma-derived antiproteinases was sufficient in healthy subjects and, also, in mild cases of bronchiectasis, but not in cases of severe and moderate forms of bronchiectasis, in which free and catalytically active elastase and cathepsin G were detected. The serine proteinases inhibitors (serpins), ₁-antitrypsin and ₁-antichymotrypsin, have evidently been oxidized and/or proteolytically cleaved in the cases of moderate and severe bronchiectasis. The results indicate that insufficient endogenous downregulation of catalytically active elastase and cathepsin G in BALF leads to tissue injury, resulting in alterative and deformative processes in the bronchiectasis lung.Abbreviations used BAL bronchoalveolar lavage - BALF bronchoalveolar lavage fluid - BE bronchiectasis - ₁-AT ₁-antitrypsin - ₁-ACT ₁-antichymotrypsin - ECM extracellular matrix - CT computerized tomography - PMN polymorphonuclear leukocyte - NCM nitrocellulose membrane - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfatepolyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - TBS Tris-buffered saline     

Assessment of caspofungin susceptibility of Candida glabrata by the Etest®, CLSI,and EUCAST methods,and detection of FKS1 and FKS2 mutations

Candida glabrata has emerged as a major pathogen in invasive candidiasis in recent years. Currently, guidelines for invasive candidiasis treatment recommend fluconazole or an echinocandin as the first-line therapy. Nevertheless, the resistance of Candida glabrata to echinocandin is an emerging problem and has been partly associated with mutations in the FKS1 and FKS2 genes. The Etest® is an appropriate method for determining antifungal susceptibility in emergency routine diagnosis. In this work, we evaluated the reliability of the Etest® in comparison with the two reference broth microdilution methods, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) and European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST), to assess the caspofungin resistance of 193 isolates of Candida glabrata. The interpretation of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values was also discussed according to different breakpoints. Moreover, FKS1 and FKS2 mutations were investigated for isolates with high MICs. Our results showed that the MIC₅₀ value was similar to the MIC₉₀ value for each method. The Etest® method showed the lowest MIC values, whereas EUCAST presented the highest. Categorical agreement between the Etest® and CLSI methods was 100 % and 36 % using the breakpoints proposed by Arendrup et al. (Antimicrob Agents Chemother 56(7):3965–3968, 2012) and Pfaller et al. (Int J Antimicrob Agents 38(1):65–69, 2011), respectively. Two isolates showed high MIC values with the three methods and both presented FKS2 mutations. A novel FKS2 mutation was also reported for one isolate. Future epidemiological studies should also evaluate the reliability of the Etest® to detect echinocandin resistance, as it remains a routine method.     

Expression of COX-2, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-4 in epithelium of serrated adenoma,adenoma and hyperplastic polyp

Introduction

Colon polyps and inflammatory process play the key role in neoplasia of colorectal cancer. In recent years there have been many publications on the malignancy of hyperplastic polyp (HP) which according to the WHO classification is a non-neoplastic polyp. The aim of this study is to determine the expression of inflammatory proteins COX-2, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-4 in the epithelium of colorectal polyps.

Material and methods

In the study, 144 colorectal polyps were analyzed. The groups of HP, classical (A) and serrated adenomas (SA) and normal mucosa (control) according to histopathological studies were selected. Immunohistochemical examinations Rusing antibodies against COX-2, IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-4 were performed. The expression of analyzed protein was evaluated using modified Remmele-Stegner scale (0-16).

Results

Statistical analysis revealed higher expression of TNF-α (16 ±3.87 vs. 1 ±5.06), IL-1β (12 ±4 vs 8 ±2.72), COX-2 (9 ±2.54 vs. 8 ±3.14) and IL-4 (12 ±3.45 vs. 4 ±3.35) in SA polyps compared to the control (p < 0.001). The HP had an increased level of expression of TNF-α (12 ±3.72 vs. 1 ±5.06, p < 0.005), COX-2 (8.5 ±1.97 vs. 8 ±3.14, p < 0.012) and IL-4 (12 ±3.46 vs. 4 ±3.35, p < 0.001). Significantly higher expression of IL-4 (12 ±2.32 vs. 4 ±3.35, p < 0.001) and IL-1β (16 ±4.32 vs. 8 ±2.72, p < 0.044) in A compared to the control were observed.

Conclusions

Expression of inflammatory factors differed between polyps. Inflammation accompanied the serrated structures which occur in polyps. The inflammatory process affects the development of colorectal polyps. The HP may predispose to malignancy.     

TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM promotes expression of type I collagen and MMP-1, migration of human skin fibroblasts, and wound healing in vitro and in vivo

Conditioned medium from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) stimulates both collagen synthesis and migration of dermal fibroblasts. However, it is still unknown whether conditioned media from tumor growth factor (TGF)-β1-treated ADSCs (TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM) induces increased expression of type I collagen, matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), and migration as well as cell cycle regulatory proteins in fibroblasts, compared to non-treated ADSCs-CM. Our data showed that TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM promoted effectively the proliferation and migration of human skin fibroblasts, compared to non-treated ADSCs-CM. In addition the expression of MMP-1 were markedly increased by treatment of TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM in fibroblasts, compared to non-treated ADSCs-CM. Expression of type I collagen protein were slightly increased by treatment of TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM in fibroblasts. The expression of cell cycle regulators of G1/S phase transition were not markedly altered by treatment of TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM. Finally, artificial wounds were made using a 4-mm punch biopsy in hairless mice and TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM were injected into the wound area. The injection of TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM promoted the wound healing process in hairless mice. Taken together, our data indicated that TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM induced up-regulation of type I collagen and MMP-1, promoted the migration of skin fibroblasts, and thereby promoted the wound healing process in vivo. Our data indicate that TGF-β1-treated ADSCs-CM will be a component for a wound healing accelerating agent.     

Evaluation of a DNA microarray (Check-MDR CT102) for rapid detection of TEM, SHV, and CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamases and of KPC, OXA-48, VIM, IMP, and NDM-1 carbapenemases

The Check-MDR CT102 microarray, aimed at identifying bacteria producing extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) (SHV, TEM, and CTX-M) and carbapenemase (KPC, OXA-48, VIM, IMP, and NDM-1), was evaluated on a total of 144 Gram-negative strains expressing various β-lactamases. The sensitivity and specificity were 100% for most tested genes, suggesting that this assay allows accurate identification of common ESBL and carbapenemase producers from bacterial cultures.     

Roles of SLX1–SLX4, MUS81–EME1, and GEN1 in avoiding genome instability and mitotic catastrophe

The resolution of recombination intermediates containing Holliday junctions (HJs) is critical for genome maintenance and proper chromosome segregation. Three pathways for HJ processing exist in human cells and involve the following enzymes/complexes: BLM–TopoIIIα–RMI1–RMI2 (BTR complex), SLX1–SLX4–MUS81–EME1 (SLX–MUS complex), and GEN1. Cycling cells preferentially use the BTR complex for the removal of double HJs in S phase, with SLX–MUS and GEN1 acting at temporally distinct phases of the cell cycle. Cells lacking SLX–MUS and GEN1 exhibit chromosome missegregation, micronucleus formation, and elevated levels of 53BP1-positive G1 nuclear bodies, suggesting that defects in chromosome segregation lead to the transmission of extensive DNA damage to daughter cells. In addition, however, we found that the effects of SLX4, MUS81, and GEN1 depletion extend beyond mitosis, since genome instability is observed throughout all phases of the cell cycle. This is exemplified in the form of impaired replication fork movement and S-phase progression, endogenous checkpoint activation, chromosome segmentation, and multinucleation. In contrast to SLX4, SLX1, the nuclease subunit of the SLX1–SLX4 structure-selective nuclease, plays no role in the replication-related phenotypes associated with SLX4/MUS81 and GEN1 depletion. These observations demonstrate that the SLX1–SLX4 nuclease and the SLX4 scaffold play divergent roles in the maintenance of genome integrity in human cells.     

TLR stimulation of human neutrophils lead to increased release of MCP-1, MIP-1α, IL-1β, IL-8 and TNF during tuberculosis

Neutrophils inform and shape immune responses. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play an essential part in the perception of microbes and shape the complex host responses that occur during infection. The TLRs present on neutrophils play an indispensable role in neutrophil mediated pathogen recognition and elimination. This study was done to identify the role of significant TLRs in immune responses leading to differences in cytokine/chemokine release following stimulation. We evaluated the concentrations of various significant cytokines (IL-1β, TNF, MIP-1α, MCP-1 and IL-8) secreted by neutrophils from healthy donors and pulmonary tuberculosis patients following TLR ligand stimulation. TLR stimulation increased the release of such cytokines in both the groups. Thus it is noted that TLR stimulation of neutrophils definitely lead to increased cytokine response. Also, the release of all the studied cytokines are found to be greatly increased in patient neutrophils, affirming that neutrophils undergo secretory level modifications during tuberculosis infection.     

Effect of CD86 blockage on the expressions of TGF-β1, MMP-9, TIMP-3 and PAI-1 proteins and outcome of pregnancy in murine abortion-prone model

In the present study, the effect of blockage of the costimulatory signal CD86 at time of implantation on the expressions of TGF-β1, MMP-9, TIMP-3 and PAI-1 proteins at the maternal-fetal interface and the outcome of pregnancy in murine abortion-prone model was investigated, in which the CBA/J x DBA/2 matings were used as the abortion-prone model and the CBA/J×BALB/c matings used as the normal pregnant model. The study was performed in following three groups: 2 groups of the abortion-prone model, which were experimental group and control experimental group, and 1 group of normal pregnant model, and each group had 10 pregnant CBA/J mice exclusively. Female pregnant CBA/J mice in the experimental group received an intraperitoneal (i. p.) injection of 100μg of antimouse CD86 mAb in 200μl of PBS at day 4.5 of gestation, and the irrelevant-isotope matched rat IgG2b was administrated in the control experimental group with the same dosage and at same time. For the normal pregnant group, no treatment was given. The pregnant CBA/J mice were killed on day 13.5 of gestation. Then, the embryo resorption rate was calculated and the expressions of TGF-β1, MMP-9, TIMP3 and PAI-1 were detected by using immunohistochemical methods. It was demonstrated that the embryo resorption rate in the experimental group was significantly reduced in comparison with that in the control experimental group (x2=7.441,P = 0.006), but there was no significant difference with that in normal pregnant group (x2=0.016, P = 0.898) . The expressions of TGF-β1 and PAI-1 in the experimental group were significantly increased in comparison with that in the control experimental group (P=0.010,P=0.003, respectively), with no significant difference from that in the normal pregnant group (P = 0.500) . However, the expression of MMP-9 in the experimental group was significantly reduced in comparison with that in the control experimental group (P = 0.012) with no significant difference from that in the normal pregnant group (P = 0.500) . The expression of TIMP-3 in the experimental group showed no significant difference both with the control experimental group (P = 0. 328) and the normal pregnant group (P = 0.500) . It is concluded that the blockage of the costimulatory molecule CD86 at early stage of gestation can render TGF-β1, MMP-9, TIMP-3 and PAI-1 proteins to express their immuno-tolerant effects through their characteristic pathways and induce the reduction of the embryo resorption rate in the natural abortion-prone model of mice to the level of normal pregnancy.     

Characterization of RAGE,HMGB1, and S100β in Inflammation-Induced Preterm Birth and Fetal Tissue Injury

Immune activation represents an adaptive reaction triggered by both noxious exogenous (microbes) and endogenous [high mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), S100 calcium binding proteins] inducers of inflammation. Cell stress or necrosis lead the release of HMGB1 and S100 proteins in the extracellular compartment where they act as damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (or alarmins) by engaging the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE). Although the biology of RAGE is dictated by the accumulation of damage-associated molecular pattern molecules at sites of tissue injury, the role of RAGE in mediating antenatal fetal injury remains unknown. First, we studied the relationships at birth between the intensity of human fetal inflammation and sRAGE (an endogenous RAGE antagonist), HMGB1, and S100β protein. We found significantly lower sRAGE in human fetuses that mounted robust inflammatory responses. HMGB1 levels correlated significantly with levels of interleukin-6 and S100β in fetal circulation. We then evaluated the levels and areas of tissue expression of RAGE, HMGB1, and S100β in specific organs of mouse fetuses on E16. Using an animal model of endotoxin-induced fetal damage and preterm birth, we determined that inflammation induces a significant change in expression of RAGE and HMGB1, but not S100β, at sites of tissue damage. Our findings indicate that RAGE and HMGB1 may be important mediators of cellular injury in fetuses delivered in the setting of inflammation-induced preterm birth.Conventional wisdom holds that the primary causes of the high neonatal morbidity and mortality attendant preterm birth are complications of immature organ systems.^1,2,3,4 However, a growing body of investigation suggests that the poor outcome observed in many preterm children is not entirely dependent on their gestational age at birth.^2,5,6 After correcting for gestational age, several risk factors remain significantly associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy, such as intra-amniotic infection, histological chorioamnionitis, prolonged rupture of the membranes, and hypoxemic fetal growth restriction.^7,8,9 Therefore, particularities of the fetal innate immune response to infection appear to cause pathology unique to the premature fetus. This includes a heightened inflammatory and oxidative stress state that acts synergistically with microbial insult to induce cell damage and multisystem organ failure.^7,10,11,12The host’s response to microbial pathogens involves a series of carefully orchestrated mechanisms that include the newly described damage-associated molecular pattern molecules (DAMPs).^13,14 DAMPs, also known as “alarmins,”¹⁵ are a pleiotropic group of intracellular proteins that include among others the high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1 or amphoterin) and S100β proteins.^13,16 When released into the extracellular compartment in excess as a result of cell activation or injury, DAMPs become “danger signals” that specifically activate the receptor of advanced glycation end-products (RAGE).^14,17 RAGE is a transmembrane receptor,¹⁸ a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily, and functions as a chief receptor for products of nonenzymatic glycoxidation (advanced glycation end-products, AGEs), HMGB1, and S100β proteins.¹⁴ In adult humans and animals, RAGE has been shown to be expressed on the cellular surface of cortical neurons and numerous endothelial, smooth muscle, inflammatory, and vascular cells positioned in vital organs such as the brain, lung, heart, liver, and bowel.^19,20,21,22 Binding of DAMPs to the RAGE extracellular domain results in sustained activation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and recruitment of inflammatory cells (CD68- and Cd11c-positive mononuclear phagocyte), which in turn amplify the process of tissue damage.¹⁴ That RAGE and HMGB1 play a fundamental role in inflammation and oxidative stress-induced tissue injury is demonstrated by experiments in animal models where administration of quercetin (flavonoid with potent antioxidant properties and HMGB1 inhibitor)²³ or soluble RAGE (sRAGE, an extracellular truncated form of RAGE that acts as a decoy receptor) or antibodies or peptides targeted against RAGE or HMGB1 attenuate the lethal effects of endotoxin, acetaminophen and ischemia-reperfusion.^{24,25,26,27,28,29,30}Recently, we demonstrated that the S100A12-RAGE axis is actively engaged in modulating the intensity of the human intra-amniotic inflammatory response to infection.^31,32 We attributed a key role to the presence and activity of amniotic fluid (AF) sRAGE.³¹ In this study we sought to evaluate the role of RAGE, HMGB1, and S100β proteins as mediators of fetal organ injury in the context of infection and/or inflammation. Specifically, we have begun by assessing whether the intensity of the human maternal and fetal inflammation impacts on the fetal systemic levels of sRAGE (as marker of the RAGE system activation),³³ HMGB1, or S100β levels at birth. Given that sRAGE acts as a decoy for RAGE we anticipated that in the setting of a robust fetal inflammatory response the circulatory levels of sRAGE are low. We thought that this may be related to inhibition or dysfunction of the mechanisms responsible for synthesis of this decoy receptor in the setting of overwhelming cytokemia. Alternatively, low levels of total sRAGE may be related to successful removal/detoxification of AGEs known to be generated in high amounts in the context of increased metabolic and oxidative stress, such as that associated with fetal prematurity and infection.^34,35 To elucidate whether RAGE, HMGB1, and S100β are participants in the mechanisms underlying infection/inflammation induced fetal cell/organ damage, we turned to an animal model of preterm birth induced by maternal administration of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS).³⁵ First, we evaluated the level of RAGE, HMGB1, and S100β tissue expression and regional distribution in specific organs of mouse fetuses at developmental stage E16. Furthermore, we aimed to determine whether altered expression of RAGE, HMGB1, or S100β co-exists with tissue inflammation and cellular damage in vital organs such as fetal brain and liver.     

The influence of the HLA-DRB, HLA-DQB and polymorphic positions of the HLA-DRβ1 and HLA-DQβ1 molecules on risk of Iranian type 1 diabetes mellitus patients

Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1D) is an autoimmune and multifactorial disease. HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 loci have the strongest association with T1D. This study aimed at investigating (i) susceptibility or protection of alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of HLA-DRB1 and DQB1 loci; and (ii) highly polymorphic amino acid residues of HLA-DRβ1 and DQβ1 in 105 Iranian T1D patients and 100 controls. The results indicated that DRB1*04:01, 03:01, DQB1*03:02, 02:01 alleles, DRB1*03:01/04:01, 03:01/13:03, DQB1*02:01/03:02 genotypes, DRB1*04:01-DQB1*03:02, DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01, DRB1*07:01-DQB1*03:03 haplotypes had positive association with T1D. In contrast, HLA-DRB1*15:01, 13:01, DQB1*03:01, 06:01 alleles, DRB1*11:01/15:01, DQB1*03:01/06:01, 03:01/05:01 genotypes and DRB1*15:01-DQB1*06:01, DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:01 haplotypes had negative association with T1D. Analysis of amino acid sequence of HLA-DRβ1 and DQβ1 revealed that DRβ1(Lys71+) and DQβ1(Asp57-) were significantly more frequent in patients than in controls and had a positive effect in the development of T1D. Haplotype analysis demonstrated that HLA-DRB1(Lys71+) allele provided major susceptibility for T1D, and DQβ1(Asp57-) had an additive effect. We designed an allele-specific primer to develop an easy, quick and cost-benefit method to detect the DRβ1(Lys71+) . This method can identify all 114 DRB1 alleles encoding DRβ1(Lys71+) by three PCR reactions. The PcPPV and PcNPV were also calculated to determine the impact of HLA genotype testing at amino acid positions. It showed that the DRβ1(Lys71+/+) genotype carrier had 1% absolute risk of developing T1D.     

Prognostic role of integrin β1, E-cadherin, and rac1 expression in small cell lung cancer

Integrin β(1) mediates cellular adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and is correlated with highly invasive and metastatic behavior in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). E-cadherin (ECAD) is a calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion receptor that restricts invasion of cells and reduces metastasis. Rac1 is involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton, adhesion, migration, invasion, and tumor metastasis. The aim of this study was to examine integrin β(1) , ECAD and rac1 expression in SCLC and to analyze the prognostic value of these markers in patients with SCLC. We analyzed integrin β(1) , ECAD, and rac1 expression in 112 SCLC tissues by immunohistochemical staining. Correlative analyses between integrin β(1) , ECAD, and rac1 expression and cliniopathological factors were performed. A total of 65 patients had extensive disease (ED) (58%), and 47 had limited disease (LD) (42%). The median follow-up duration was 61 months (range: 14-117 months), and the median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 6.1 months (range: 4.8-7.4 months) and 9.7 months (range: 8.1-11.3 months), respectively. The expression of integrin β(1) , ECAD, and rac1 protein was observed in 64, 73, and 99 of SCLC tissues, respectively. The correlative analyses between integrin β(1) , ECAD, or rac1 expression and various clinical parameters did not show any statistical significance. However, the ECAD expression was associated with OS in the entire cohort. In contrast, the expression of integrin β(1) and rac1 was not associated with PFS or OS. In a subgroup analysis, patients with less than two metastasis had significantly longer OS (p = 0.047) if their tumors expressed integrin β(1) compared to those without integrin β(1) expression. In addition, OS was longer for patients with ECAD positive tumors compared to those whose tumors did not express ECAD in males (p = 0.032) and patients who never smoked (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that LD (p = 0.004), overall response rate (p = 0.003), and expression of ECAD (p = 0.015) were the independent good prognostic factors for OS. LD (p = 0.024), overall response rate (p < 0.001), and less than two metastasis (p = 0.003) were prognostic factors for longer PFS. These results suggest that ECAD expression may be useful as a prognostic indicator in patients with SCLC.     

Association of CD98, integrin β1, integrin β3 and Fak with the progression and liver metastases of colorectal cancer

CD98-mediated β1 and β3 integrins activation can induce Fak phosphorylation which eventually promotes cell survival, proliferation, and migration. We evaluated the expression of CD98, integrin β1, integrin β3 and Fak in 45 cases of matched colorectal cancer (CRC) and liver metastases as well as 35 cases of CRC without liver metastases.     

The expression patterns and correlations of chibby, β-catenin, and DNA methyltransferase-1 and their clinicopathological significance in lung cancers

Xu H‐T, Li Q‐C, Dai S‐D, Xie X‐M, Liu D, Wang E‐H. The expression patterns and correlations of chibby, β‐catenin, and DNA methyltransferase‐1 and their clinicopathological significance in lung cancers. APMIS 2011; 119: 750–8. Chibby is an inhibitor of the Wnt pathway. The expression and correlation of chibby in lung cancers is unclear. We considered that the expression pattern of chibby might be related to the expression of β‐catenin and DNA methyltransferase‐1 (DNMT1). We examined the expressions of chibby, β‐catenin, and DNMT1 in 85 lung cancer tissues and corresponding normal lung tissues using immunohistochemistry. The nuclear expression rate of chibby was reduced in lung cancers (p < 0.001). Increased expression of DNMT1 was correlated with the differentiation (p = 0.034) and TNM stage (p = 0.048). The cytoplasmic expression of β‐catenin was correlated with poor differentiation of lung cancers (p = 0.016). The cytoplasmic and membrane expression of chibby was positively correlated with the cytoplasmic (p = 0.025) and membrane (p = 0.029) expressions of β‐catenin. The membrane expression of chibby was negatively correlated with the expression of DNMT1 (p = 0.006). Moreover, the expression of DNMT1 was correlated with the cytoplasmic expression of β‐catenin (p < 0.001). The nuclear expression of chibby is reduced in lung cancers. Chibby may colocalize with β‐catenin. β‐Catenin and DNMT1 may be concurrently expressed and thereby promote the development of lung cancers.     

Molecular Diagnosis of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency��Identification of IL2RG, JAK3, IL7R, DCLRE1C, RAG1, and RAG2 Mutations in a Cohort of Chinese and Southeast Asian Children

Severe combined immunodeficiencies (SCID) are a group of rare inherited disorders with profound defects in T cell and B cell immunity. From 2005 to 2010, our unit performed testing for IL2RG, JAK3, IL7R, RAG1, RAG2, DCLRE1C, LIG4, AK2, and ZAP70 mutations in 42 Chinese and Southeast Asian infants with SCID adopting a candidate gene approach, based on patient's gender, immune phenotype, and inheritance pattern. Mutations were identified in 26 patients, including IL2RG (n?=?19), IL7R (n?=?2), JAK3 (n?=?2), RAG1 (n?=?1), RAG2 (n?=?1), and DCLRE1C (n?=?1). Among 12 patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, eight patients survived. Complications and morbidities during transplant period were significant, especially disseminated bacillus Calmette-Guérin disease which was often difficult to control. This is the first cohort study on SCID in the Chinese and Southeast Asian population, based on a multi-centered collaborative research network. The foremost issue is service provision for early detection, diagnosis, management, and definitive treatment for patients with SCID. National management guidelines for SCID should be established, and research into an efficient platform for genetic diagnosis is needed.