Mammary tumor latency is increased in mice lacking the inducible nitric oxide synthase

Nitric oxide (NO) and its metabolites are implicated in carcinogenesis and metastasis. Both stimulatory and inhibitory effects of NO have been reported in relation to breast cancer and its role in the development of malignancies and metastasis remains uncertain. We have used the polyomavirus middle T antigen (PyV-mT) targeted to the mouse mammary gland and bred into an inducible NO synthase (iNOS)-deficient C57Bl/6 strain to examine a role for nitric oxide in modulating tumors that develop in the complex environment of the whole animal. The development of hyperplasias was delayed to the extent that the earliest palpable tumors arose 2-4 weeks later in PyV-mT/iNOS(-/-) mice compared with PyV-mT/iNOS(+/+) mice, identifying a role for iNOS in early events in mammary tumor formation. Tumors that did develop in PyV-mT/iNOS(-/-) mice were characteristically well differentiated and had a cribriform pattern. Other tumors were myoepithelial adenocarcinomas with uniform nuclear size. In contrast, mice capable of iNOS activity typically developed solid nodular adenocarcinomas with a high mitotic index and pleomorphic nuclei. No significant effect of iNOS deficiency was found on vascular density in hyperplasias or tumors by examining CD31-positive vessels. The infiltration of lesions by macrophages, cells capable of significant NO production, remained unchanged in PyV-mT/iNOS(-/-) mice. Metastatic potential was retained by PyV-mT-transformed epithelium in the absence of iNOS, indicating that NO production by iNOS is not essential for this process. These results indicate a role for iNOS in tumorigenesis, particularly in the regulation of early events.     

Expression of Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase, p53 and Bcl-2 in Gastric Precancerous and Cancerous Lesions： Correlation with Clinical Features

OBJECTIVE To explore the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), p53 and bcl -2 in gastric precancerous and cancerous lesions and to examine the expression of these proteins in relation to clinical features. METHODS The expressions of iNOS, p53 and bcl-2 proteins in gastric precancerous and cancerous lesions and their correlations with the clinical features were determined using immunohistochemical assays (Power VisionTM two -step method) on 84 gastric carcinomas and 54 gastric atypical hyperplastic tissues. Apoptotic cells were evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase- mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL). RESULTS Expression of iNOS, p53 and bcl-2 was significantly higher in gastric carcinoma (GC) tissues than in gastric atypical hyperplastic tissues. Among the 84 carcinomas, the expression of p53 was observed in 50 (59.52%), bcl-2 in 43 (51.19%), and iNOS in 65 (77.58%). Overex-pression of iNOS and bcl-2 in gastric carcinoma was related to tumor size and iNOS was related to the presence of lymph node metastasis (P< 0.05). The expression of proteins did not correlate with age, sex, stage of disease, or differentiation. Expression of iNOS in gastric carcinoma tissues was positively correlated with bcl-2 expression (X2=8.926, P=0.003), and also with p53 expression (X2= 5.2430, P= 0.022). The mean apoptotic indexes (Al) were 1.29%±0.50 in low-grade atypical hyperplasia (LG), 0.96%±0.36 in high-grade atypical hyperplasia (HG) and 0.70%±0.43 in GC, with the difference being significant between LG, HG and GC (P< 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between iNOS expression and the Al in GC (t=3.0815, P=0.0028). CONCLUSION iNOS was expressed in the majority of gastric carcinoma tissues and correlated with cellular apoptosis associated with p53 and bcl -2 expression. iNOS overexpression is closely associated with p53 and bcl-2 accumulation status. iNOS may play a synergistic role in the pathogenesis of GC.     

iNOS/COX-2与恶性肿瘤

诱导型一氧化氮合酶(iNOS)和环氧合酶2(COX-2)均与肿瘤发生、生长、转移及预后有关.在许多恶性肿瘤组织中,两者的表达一致上调,呈正相关,二者的联合表达与肿瘤的生物学行为密切相关.本文综述了iNOS/COX-2与恶性肿瘤的关系,并提出以iNOS/COX-2 为靶点的恶性肿瘤治疗和研究的思路.     

iNOS/COX-2与恶性肿瘤

诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）和环氧合酶2（COX-2）均与肿瘤发生、生长、转移及预后有关。在许多恶性肿瘤组织中,两者的表达一致上调,呈正相关,二者的联合表达与肿瘤的生物学行为密切相关。本文综述了iNOS/COX-2与恶性肿瘤的关系,并提出以iNOS/COX-2为靶点的恶性肿瘤治疗和研究的思路。     

Clinical significance of the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in non-small cell lung cancer

Objective： To study the expressive characteristics of iNOS to the prognosis NSCLC patients. Methods： The expression in non-small cell lung carcinoma （NSCLC） and it＇s affection of iNOS was detected in 50 NSCLC tissues by Immunohistochemistry technology. Results： There was positive expression in NSCLC （positive rate 38.00%）. The expression of iNOS had a correlation with lymph node metastasis （P〈0.05）. There was no significant difference between positive expression of iNOS and lung cancer histological types, TNM stages, T stages （P〉0.05）. But the data suggested that there was a direct correlation between expression of iNOS and clinical prognosis （P〈0.05）. Conclusion： Positive expression of iNOS was observed in NSCLC, which correlated with postoperative survival time and lymph node metastasis. Although iNOS level had no significant relation with T stage, we find the positive rate in T2 stage was much higher than that in TI stage. The result suggested that positive expression of iNOS was related to bad clinical prognosis because of promoting tumor growth and metastasis.     

Cytochrome-c mediated a bystander response dependent on inducible nitric oxide synthase in irradiated hepatoma cells

Background:

Radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) has important implication in tumour radiotherapy, but the bystander signals are still not well known.

Methods:

The role of cytochrome-c (cyt-c) and free radicals in RIBE on human hepatoma cells HepG2 was investigated by detecting the formation of bystander micronuclei (MN) and the generation of endogenous cyt-c, inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS), NO, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules.

Results:

When HepG2 cells were cocultured with an equal number of irradiated HepG2 cells, the yield of MN in the nonirradiated bystander cells was increased in a manner depended on radiation dose and cell coculture time, but it was diminished when the cells were treated with cyclosporin A (CsA), an inhibitor of cyt-c release. Meanwhile the CsA treatment inhibited radiation-induced NO but not ROS. Both of the depressed bystander effect and NO generation in the CsA-treated cells were reversed when 5 μ cyt-c was added in the cell coculture medium. But these exogenous cyt-c-mediated overproductions of NO and bystander MN were abolished when the cells were pretreated with s-methylisothiourea sulphate, an iNOS inhibitor.

Conclusion:

Radiation-induced cyt-c has a profound role in regulating bystander response through an iNOS-triggered NO signal but not ROS in HepG2 cells.     

Inducible nitric oxide synthase, nitrotyrosine and p53 mutations in the molecular pathogenesis of Barrett's esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma

Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated as a potential causative factor for endogenous p53 mutations in gastrointestinal malignancy. To investigate the role of NO in esophageal adenocarcinoma (EADC), we studied patterns of p53 mutations, expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the tissue accumulation of nitrotyrosine (NTS), a stable reaction product of NO and a marker for cellular protein damage, in human premalignant and malignant esophageal epithelia. Tissues were obtained from patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-induced esophagitis (n = 76), Barrett's esophagus (BE; n = 119) and primary EADC (n = 54). DNA sequencing was used to characterize p53 mutations, RT-PCR to study iNOS mRNA expression, and immunohistochemistry to study NTS. Relative to self-matched normal epithelia, a progressive increase in iNOS mRNA expression was seen in GERD (30%; 23/76), BE (48%; 57/119), and EADC (63%; 34/54) tissues (P < 0.001). Among patients with EADC, elevated levels of NTS immunoreactivity were more frequent in tumors with p53 mutations (11/21; 52%) compared with tumors with wild-type p53 (9/33; 27%; P = 0.063), and specifically in tumors with p53 mutations at CpG dinucleotides (10/12; 83%) compared with non-CpG p53 mutations (1/9; 11%; P = 0.008). The increasing frequency of iNOS (mRNA) overexpression in GERD, BE and EADC supports the hypothesis that an active inflammatory process, most likely a consequence of GERD, underlies molecular progression to EADC. The highly significant association between NTS, reflecting chronic NO-induced cellular protein damage, and endogenous p53 mutations at CpG dinucleotides, provides further evidence for a molecular link between chronic inflammation and esophageal malignancy.     

Effects of genetic background on tumorigenesis in p53-deficient mice

Mice with disrupted germline p53 alleles have been engineered by us and others and have been shown to have enhanced susceptibility to spontaneous tumors of various types. We monitored a large number of p53-deficient mice(p53+/? and p53?/?) and their wild-type littermates(p53+/+) of two different genetic backgrounds(129/5v and mixed C57BL/6 × 129/5v) up to 2 yr of age.p53+/? and p53?/? 129/Sv mice show accelerated tumorigenesis rates compared with their p53-deficient counterparts of mixed C57BL/6 × 129/Sv genetic background. The tumor spectra of the two strains of mice are similar except that almost half of 129/Sv p53?/? males develop malignant teratomas, whereas these tumors are rarely observed in C57BL/6 × 129/Sv mice and never in 129/Sv p53+/? males. In the study reported here, we further characterized the lymphomas that arose in the p53-nullizygous mice and found that over three-quarters of the lymphomas were of thymic origin and contained primarily immature(CD4+/CD8+) T-cells, whereas the remainder originated in the spleen and peripheral lymph nodes and were of B-cell type. The high incidence of early-onset lymphomas in the nullizygous mice makes these animals a good lymphoma model, whereas the heterozygous mice may be a useful model for Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a human inherited cancer predisposition.© 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc     

Apoptosis of bladder transitional cell carcinoma T24 cells induced by adenovirus-mediated inducible nitric oxide synthase gene transfection

Objectives：To investigate the effects of adenovirus-mediated inducible nitric oxide synthase gene transfection on bladder transitional cell carcinoma T24 cells,and to provide novel insights and approaches to clinical therapies against bladder transitional cell carcinoma.Methods：Firstly,construct recombinant adenovirus vector pAd-iNOS of iNOS,followed by transfection of pAd-iNOS into HECK293 packaging cells.Thirdly,harvest recombinant adenovirus rAd-iNOS after amplification and purification procedures.Finally,transfect the recombinant adenovirus rAd-iNOS into human bladder carcinoma T24 cells and examine the effect of rAd-iNOS transfection on apoptosis of T24 and possible mechanism.Results：As shown by this study,the recombinant adenovirus rAd-iNOS was constructed successfully.The virus titer was 5.8×108 PFU/mL and recombinant was verified by PCR analysis.Transfection of adenovirus rAd-iNOS into T24 cells could induce secretion of high NO concentration,P53 protein expression upregulation,as well as promotion ofT24 cell apoptosis.Conclusions：The transfection of human bladder carcinoma T24 cells from recombinant adenovirus rAdiNOS was confirmed to induce intracellular iNOS over-expression,high production of NO,up-regulation of intracellular P53 expression and promotion of cell apoptosis.     

诱导型一氧化氮合酶与Bcl-2在鼻咽癌中的表达及意义

目的 探讨鼻咽癌组织中诱导型一氧化氮合酶（iNOS）与滤泡型B细胞淋巴瘤／白血病-2（Bcl-2）的表达情况及其意义。方法 采用免疫组织化学法检测50例鼻咽癌石蜡标本和15例慢性炎症的鼻咽黏膜标本中iNOS和Bcl-2蛋白表达情况。结果 慢性炎症的鼻咽黏膜中iNOS无表达,Bcl-2有表达,但局限于上皮的基底细胞层。在鼻咽癌组织中,iNOS阳性表达者细胞浆和胞核内出现棕黄色细颗粒,且胞核染色比胞浆更强;Bcl-2阳性表达者细胞浆或核膜上出现棕黄色细颗粒。鼻咽癌组织iNOS的阳性表达率为74.0％（37／50）,Bcl-2为82.0％（41／50）,与慢性炎症的鼻咽黏膜比较,差异均有统计学意义（P＜0.05）。在鼻咽癌组织中,iNOS与Bcl-2蛋白表达强度呈正相关（r=0.945,P＜0.05）;iNOS的表达与T分期及有无淋巴结转移有关,与年龄和性别无关;Bcl 2的表达与临床病理特征无关。结论 iNOS与Bcl 2的表达与鼻咽癌的发生、发展相关,进一步研究两者的关系对探索鼻咽癌新的治疗手段有重要意义。     

Mutant p53 accumulates in cycling and proliferating cells in the normal tissues of p53 R172H mutant mice

The tumour suppressor p53 is regulated primarily at the protein level. In normal tissues its levels are maintained at a very low level by the action of specific E3 ligases and the ubiquitin proteosome pathway. The mutant p53 protein contributes to transformation, metastasis and drug resistance. High levels of mutant p53 can be found in tumours and the accumulation of mutant p53 has previously been reported in pathologically normal cells in human skin. We show for the first time that similarly elevated levels of mutant p53 can be detected in apparently normal cells in a mutant p53 knock-in mouse model. In fact, in the small intestine, mutant p53 spontaneously accumulates in a manner dependent on gene dosage and cell type. Mutant p53 protein is regulated similarly to wild type p53, which can accumulate rapidly after induction by ionising radiation or Mdm2 inhibitors, however, the clearance of mutant p53 protein is much slower than wild type p53. The accumulation of the protein in the murine small intestine is limited to the cycling, crypt base columnar cells and proliferative zone and is lost as the cells differentiate and exit the cell cycle. Loss of Mdm2 results in even higher levels of p53 expression but p53 is still restricted to proliferating cells in the small intestine. Therefore, the small intestine of these p53 mutant mice is an experimental system in which we can dissect the molecular pathways leading to p53 accumulation, which has important implications for cancer prevention and therapy.     

Atorvastatin inhibits pancreatic carcinogenesis and increases survival in LSL‐KrasG12D‐LSL‐Trp53R172H‐Pdx1‐Cre mice

There are several studies supporting the role of HMG‐CoA reductase inhibitors such as atorvastatin against carcinogenesis, in which inhibiting the generation of prenyl intermediates involved in protein prenylation plays the crucial role. Mutation of Kras gene is the most common genetic alteration in pancreatic cancer and the Ras protein requires prenylation for its membrane localization and activity. In the present study, the effectiveness of atorvastatin against pancreatic carcinogenesis and its effect on protein prenylation were determined using the LSL‐Kras^G12D‐LSL‐Trp53^R172H‐Pdx1‐Cre mouse model (called Pan^kras/p53 mice). Five‐week‐old Pan^kras/p53 mice were fed either an AIN93M diet or a diet supplemented with 100 ppm atorvastatin. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis with Log‐Rank test revealed a significant increase in survival in mice fed 100 ppm atorvastatin (171.9 ± 6.2 d) compared to the control mice (144.9 ± 8.4 d, P < 0.05). Histologic and immunohistochemical analysis showed that atorvastatin treatment resulted in a significant reduction in tumor volume and Ki‐67‐labeled cell proliferation. Mechanistic studies on primary pancreatic tumors and the cultured murine pancreatic carcinoma cells revealed that atorvastatin inhibited prenylation in several key proteins, including Kras protein and its activities, and similar effect was observed in pancreatic carcinoma cells treated with farnesyltransferase inhibitor R115777. Microarray assay on the global gene expression profile demonstrated that a total of 132 genes were significantly modulated by atorvastatin; and Waf1p21, cyp51A1, and soluble epoxide hydrolase were crucial atorvastatin‐targeted genes which involve in inflammation and carcinogenesis. This study indicates that atorvastatin has the potential to serve as a chemopreventive agent against pancreatic carcinogenesis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in healthy pleura and in malignant mesothelioma

In this study we investigated the immunohistochemical expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in a set of normal pleural mesothelial tissues, malignant mesotheliomas, mesothelioma cell lines and metastatic pleural adenocarcinomas. Furthermore, the expression of mRNA was assessed in four malignant mesothelioma cell lines in culture. Apoptosis and vascular density in malignant mesotheliomas was assessed by the TUNEL method and by immunohistochemistry with an antibody against FVIII-related antigen. Immunohistochemically mesothelial cells in non-neoplastic healthy pleural tissues were mostly negative for iNOS. Positivity for iNOS was observed in 28/38 (74%) and 24/25 (96%) of malignant mesotheliomas and metastatic pleural adenocarcinomas, respectively. Epithelial and mixed mesotheliomas expressed more often strong iNOS immunoreactivity compared to the sarcomatoid subtype (P = 0.023). Moreover, metastatic adenocarcinomas expressed more often iNOS positivity than mesotheliomas (P = 0.021). Experiments with the cell lines confirmed that malignant mesothelioma cells are capable of synthesizing iNOS. No significant association was found between iNOS expression and apoptosis or vascular density in malignant mesotheliomas. The higher expression of iNOS in the epithelial subtype of mesothelioma and pleural metastatic adenocarcinoma might be due to an increased sensitivity of these cell types to cytokine-mediated iNOS upregulation. The strong expression of iNOS suggests a putative role for NO in the growth and progression of these tumours.     

miR-138-5p induces aggressive traits by targeting Trp53 expression in murine melanoma cells,and correlates with poor prognosis of melanoma patients

Deregulation of miRNAs contributes to the development of distinct cancer types, including melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer characterized by high metastatic potential and poor prognosis. The expression of a set of 580 miRNAs was investigated in a model of murine melanoma progression, comprising non-metastatic (4C11-) and metastatic melanoma (4C11+) cells. A significant increase in miR-138-5p expression was found in the metastatic 4C11+ melanoma cells compared to 4C11-, which prompted us to investigate its role in melanoma aggressiveness. Functional assays, including anoikis resistance, colony formation, collective migration, serum-deprived growth capacity, as well as in vivo tumor growth and experimental metastasis were performed in 4C11- cells stably overexpressing miR-138-5p. miR-138-5p induced an aggressive phenotype in mouse melanoma cell lines leading to increased proliferation, migration and cell viability under stress conditions. Moreover, by overexpressing miR-138-5p, low-growing and non-metastatic 4C11- cells became highly proliferative and metastatic in vivo, similar to the metastatic 4C11+ cells. Luciferase reporter analysis identified the tumor suppressor Trp53 as a direct target of miR-138-5p. Using data sets from independent melanoma cohorts, miR-138-5p and P53 expression were also found deregulated in human melanoma samples, with their levels negatively and positively correlated with prognosis, respectively. Our data shows that the overexpression of miR-138-5p contributes to melanoma metastasis through the direct suppression of Trp53.     

Increased risk of gastric cancer in Japanese subjects is associated with microsatellite polymorphisms in the heme oxygenase-1 and the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene promoters

Microsatellite polymorphism in the promoter region of the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene was analyzed jointly with that of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene among Japanese subjects (control and gastric cancer patients). A higher promoter activity genotype of the HO-1 gene was associated with increased risk for gastric cancer in women. Gastric cancer risk was notably increased in subjects carrying a higher promoter activity genotype for both HO-1 and iNOS compared to those with a lower promoter activity genotype for both genes. Our data suggest that genetic polymorphisms of HO-1 and iNOS modulate individual susceptibility to gastric cancer risk.     

Cisplatin alters nitric oxide synthase levels in human ovarian cancer cells: involvement in p53 regulation and cisplatin resistance

The present study determines if (1) basal protein levels of nitric oxide (NO) synthases (eNOS, iNOS, and nNOS) are different in cisplatin-sensitive (OV2008) and counterpart cisplatin-resistant (C13(*)) human ovarian cancer cells, (2) cisplatin alters NOS levels, (3) NO donor causes apoptosis and p53 upregulation, (4) NO donor sensitizes C13(*) cells to cisplatin via p53 upregulation (determined by p53 siRNA gene-knockdown), and (5) inhibition of endogenous NOS alters cisplatin-induced apoptosis. Basal iNOS levels were higher in OV2008 cells than in C13(*) cells. Cisplatin upregulated iNOS, but dramatically reduced eNOS and nNOS, in OV2008 cells only. Failure of cisplatin to upregulate iNOS and downregulate eNOS/nNOS in cisplatin-resistant C13(*) cells may be an aetiological factor in the development of resistance. The NO donor S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) increased p53 protein levels and induced apoptosis in both cell types, and enhanced cisplatin-induced apoptosis in C13(*) cells in a p53-dependent manner (i.e., enhancement blocked by p53 siRNA). Specific iNOS inhibitor 1400W partially blocked cisplatin-induced apoptosis in OV2008 cells. In cisplatin-resistant C13(*) cells, blocking all NOSs with N(G)-amino-L-arginine dramatically changed these cells from cisplatin-resistant to cisplatin-sensitive, greatly potentiating cisplatin-induced apoptosis. The data suggest important roles for the three NOSs in regulating chemoresistance to cisplatin in ovarian cancer cells.     

诱导型一氧化氮合酶在反应性及肿瘤性星形胶质细胞中的表达

目的:探讨诱导型一氧化氮合酶(iNOS)、突变型p53及VEGF在反应性及肿瘤性星形胶质细胞中的表达及其在星形胶质细胞瘤发生发展、血管形成中的作用。方法:应用组织芯片及免疫组织化学技术检测12例正常脑组织、49例星形细胞反应性增生、49例低级别(I-II级)及50例高级别(III-IV级)星形胶质细胞瘤中iNOS、突变型p53、VEGF表达情况。结果:在正常脑组织中三者均为阴性表达;从星形细胞反应性增生组到高级别星形细胞瘤组,三者的阳性表达率均呈升高趋势,分别为:iNOS:28.89%(13/45),57.75%(27/47),81.63%(40/49);p53:23.81%(10/42),53.66%(22/41),79.55%(35/44);VEGF:22.73%(10/44),44.19%(19/43),69.77%(30/43),并且三者在星形细胞反应性增生组及低级别星形胶质细胞瘤组中的表达差异显著(P<0.05);各实验组中iNOS与p53表达水平一致性较好,具有明显的相关性(P<0.05);而iNOS与VEGF在低级别及高级别星形胶质细胞瘤组中表达水平具有较好的一致性及明显的相关性(P<0.05),在反应性增生组表达无相关性(P>0.05)。结论:iNOS、突变型p53及VEGF的过表达是胶质瘤发生的早期分子生物学事件,三者相互作用共同促进星形胶质细胞瘤的发生发展及血管的形成;单一或联合检测可能有助于星形细胞反应性增生及低级别星形细胞瘤的鉴别诊断。