人类黑色素瘤相关抗原A9检测对早期宫颈癌的诊断价值

目的探讨早期宫颈癌患者癌变组织中人类黑色素瘤相关抗原A9(MAGE-A9)检测对疾病诊断的价值。方法选取2017年1月至2018年9月间武汉市江夏区中医院病理科的30例正常宫颈组织标本、30例宫颈上皮内瘤变组织标本和50例宫颈癌组织标本,检测各组织中MAGEA9表达情况,分析宫颈癌组织标本中MAGE-A9表达阳性和患者年龄、临床分期、病理分级、病理类型及淋巴结转移的关系。结果宫颈癌组织标本中MAGE-A9检测阳性率为80. 0%(40/50),高于正常宫颈组织的30. 0%(9/30例)和宫颈上皮内瘤变组织的36. 7%(11/30),差异均有统计学意义(均P <0. 05)。宫颈癌患者组织标本中临床分期ⅡA期、病理分级G3级和淋巴结转移的MAGE-A9阳性表达率高,差异均有统计学意义(均P <0. 05)。结论 MAGE-A9在早期宫颈癌患者组织中检测阳性率高,且与宫颈癌组织病理类型及转移情况有关。     

Glucose-regulated protein 78 mediates hormone-independent prostate cancer progression and metastasis through maspin and COX-2 expression

Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) plays an essential role in embryonic development and in the progression and therapeutic resistance of many cancers. However, little is known about the function of GRP78 in hormone-independent prostate cancer. Here, we found that the expression levels of GRP78 were higher in PC-3 cells than in DU-145 cells. When the expression of GRP78 was silenced using a GRP78-specific small interfering RNA in PC-3 cells, the growth rate and adhesive ability were reduced. Cell migration was dramatically decreased in GRP78-depleted cells. Dissection of the involved signal pathways revealed that maspin expression was upregulated after silencing GRP78 expression. The upregulation of maspin and downregulation of COX-2 may cause the decrease in cell proliferation and migration observed after silencing GRP78 expression. Silencing GRP78 expression may suppress the proliferation, adhesion, and migration of prostate cancer cells via maspin and COX-2 regulation.     

黑色素瘤相关抗原A基因在乳腺癌中的表达及其临床意义

目的: 探讨黑色素瘤相关抗原A家族(MAGE-As)在乳腺癌患者外周血及组织中的表达,并分析其与乳腺癌患者临床病理学指标及预后的关系。方法: 采用多重巢式PCR法检测106例乳腺癌患者和30例健康志愿者外周血中MAGE-As m RNA的表达水平,并利用限制性内切酶酶切法,鉴定该家族成员MAGE-A1、A2、A3、A4和A6的表达情况。采用免疫组织化学法检测了106例乳腺癌组织蜡块中MAGE-As蛋白的表达情况,同时分析外周血中MAGE-As mRNA表达与其相应肿瘤组织中MAGE-As蛋白的表达的相关性。结果: MAGE-As mRNA在乳腺癌患者外周血中阳性表达率为40.5%(43/106)。MAGE-A1、A2、A3、A4和A6的表达率分别为10.3%(11/106)、19.8%(21/106)、15.1%(16/106)、13.2%(14/106)和5.7%(6/106),MAGE-As表达率的顺序为A2>A3>A4>A1>A6。MAGE-As mRNA阳性表达与患者年龄、肿瘤大小、临床分期、淋巴结转移相关(P<0.05)。乳腺癌患者外周血中MAGE-As mRNA表达水平与其相应肿瘤组织中蛋白水平的表达呈正相关(r=0.368,P<0.01)。MAGE-As各亚型(MAGE-A1、A2、A3、A4和A6)阳性表达率与乳腺癌患者5年生存率相关(P<0.01);MAGE-As表达及淋巴结转移可作为乳腺癌患者5年生存率的独立预后影响因素(均P<0.01)。结论: MAGE-As可能作为检测乳腺癌患者外周血中循环肿瘤细胞的特异性生物标志物,其表达与乳腺癌患者预后相关。乳腺癌患者外周血中MAGE-As检测可作为监测乳腺癌预后的重要指标。     

Galectin-3表达与乳腺癌进展、转移关系的研究

目的研究galectin-3表达与乳腺癌进展及淋巴结转移的关系。方法应用组织芯片技术和免疫组织化学方法对117例浸润性乳腺癌和41例乳腺良性病变（乳腺纤维腺瘤及乳腺小叶增生）的galectin-3表达进行检测。结果Galectin-3在乳腺癌和乳腺良性病变中的阳性率分别为87．61％（99／113）和29．73％（11／37），乳腺癌组galectin-3表达率明显高于乳腺良性病变组（P〈0．001）。乳腺癌中galectin-3阳性表达与淋巴结转移（P〈0．005）、肿瘤低分化（P〈0．05）、ER阴性（P〈0．05）及c-erbB-2阳性表达（P〈0．05）有关，但与TNM分期、患者年龄及PR、E—cadherin表达的关系尚无统计学意义。结论乳腺癌中galectin-3表达可能促进肿瘤演进，并可能增加患者发生淋巴结转移的风险。     

CTC clusters in cancer progression and metastasis

Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the blood of cancer patients are regarded as potential metastatic seeds, and their detailed characterization holds great promises for more exact prognosis, better diagnosis and therapy of the metastatic cancer. Circulating tumor cell clusters represent different class of CTCs, with specific properties, including high metastatic potential. In this review, we present current opinions on differences between single CTCs and CTC clusters, their mode of dissemination, methods of detection and clinical importance in various types of cancer.     

Hepsin promotes prostate cancer progression and metastasis

The majority of cancer-related deaths are associated with metastasis; however, little is known about the mechanisms of this process. Hepsin is a cell surface serine protease that is markedly upregulated in human prostate cancer; however, the functional significance of this upregulation is unknown. We report here that hepsin overexpression in prostate epithelium in vivo causes disorganization of the basement membrane. Overexpression of hepsin in a mouse model of nonmetastasizing prostate cancer has no impact on cell proliferation, but causes disorganization of the basement membrane and promotes primary prostate cancer progression and metastasis to liver, lung, and bone. We provide in vivo evidence that upregulation of a cell surface serine protease in a primary tumor promotes cancer progression and metastasis.     

Involvement of galectin-3 expression in colorectal cancer progression and metastasis.

Galectin-3 is a beta-galactoside-specific lectin that binds to laminin sugar-sites and is involved in tumor malignancy. Galectin-3 expression in relation to primary tumor and liver metastasis of colorectal cancer was examined to determined its involvement in cancer progression and metastasis. Immunohistochemical staining of galectin-3 was performed on 117 primary lesions and 15 liver metastases of colorectal cancer using TIB166 monoclonal antibody. The expression of galectin-3 was evaluated by grading the intensity of the staining as either negative, weakly positive, or strongly positive. Normal mucosa of all patients were strongly positive for galectin-3, but the staining in these tissues was still significantly less than in the primary lesions of the cancer (31.6%). Galectin-3 expression in the primary lesions was significantly increased, correlating with the progression of clinical stage (p=0. 0224), liver metastasis (p<0.0001), venous invasion (p=0.0048), and lymph node metastasis (p=0.0289). Liver metastatic lesions also showed up-regulated levels of galectin-3 compared to the primary lesions (p=0.0030). The group showing strongly positive galectin-3 had a significantly poorer prognosis than the negative/weakly positive group in terms of disease-free survival (p=0.0224). The strong expression of galectin-3 in colorectal cancer correlates with cancer progression, liver metastasis, and poor prognosis for patients.     

Hyperthermia-induced shedding and masking of melanoma-associated antigen

Hyperthermia has been reported to induce a dose-dependent reduction in the expression of melanoma-associated surface antigens. The objective of the present work was to study the mechanisms for the reduction in the expression of the p250 antigen recognized by the monoclonal antibody 9.2.27. Measurements at 37°C showed that antibody binding induced a certain degree of modulation (internalization) of the melanoma-associated antigen. Masking of the antigen due to internalization and/or damage in situ, as well as shedding of the antigen, were measured after hyperthermia, and found to increase in a heat-dose-dependent manner, although for antigen masked this increase was not significant compared with control cells at 37°C. The sum of antigen shed and masked after hyperthermia correlated with the overall reduction in antigen expression measured independently. During hyperthermia, antigen was shed and masked in approximately equal amounts. After the treatment, hyperthermia-induced shedding continued as a function of time and caused a further reduction in antigen expression, but masking did not differ from 37°C controls.     

Hyperthermia-induced shedding and masking of melanoma-associated antigen

Hyperthermia has been reported to induce a dose-dependent reduction in the expression of melanoma-associated surface antigens. The objective of the present work was to study the mechanisms for the reduction in the expression of the p250 antigen recognized by the monoclonal antibody 9.2.27. Measurements at 37 degrees C showed that antibody binding induced a certain degree of modulation (internalization) of the melanoma-associated antigen. Masking of the antigen due to internalization and/or damage in situ, as well as shedding of the antigen, were measured after hyperthermia, and found to increase in a heat-dose-dependent manner, although for antigen masked this increase was not significant compared with control cells at 37 degrees C. The sum of antigen shed and masked after hyperthermia correlated with the overall reduction in antigen expression measured independently. During hyperthermia, antigen was shed and masked in approximately equal amounts. After the treatment, hyperthermia-induced shedding continued as a function of time and caused a further reduction in antigen expression, but masking did not differ from 37 degrees C controls.     

High expression of small GTPase Rab3D promotes cancer progression and metastasis

Rab GTPases control exocytic and endocytic membrane trafficking such as exosomes release. As a secretory small GTPase, Rab3D is a vital regulator for protein secretion. However, the role of Rab3D in cancer was never systematically studied. The aim of this study is to examine its function and mechanism in cancer, especially metastasis. We detected protein levels of Rab3D in nine cancer cell lines and twelve types of clinical cancer specimens. Subsequently, we established in vitro migration and in vivo orthotopic metastatic mouse models to study the role of Rab3D in tumor metastasis. Here, we reported that the expression levels of Rab3D were dysregulated in cancer cells and highly correlated with tumor malignancies in the clinical samples. Increased expressions of Rab3D led to tumor invasion in vitro and lung metastasis in vivo, whereas Rab3D knockdown suppressed the tumor cell motility. Mechanistic studies revealed that Rab3D activated intracellular the AKT/GSK3β signaling to induce the EMT process. In addition, it also regulated the extracellular secretion of Hsp90α to promote tumor cell migration and invasion. These results prove that Rab3D is a key molecule to regulate tumor metastasis, suggesting that blocking the Rab3D function can be a potential therapeutic approach for cancer metastasis.     

Notch signalling in cancer progression and bone metastasis

Classically known for its indispensible role in embryonic development, the Notch signalling pathway is gaining recognition for its regulation of adult tissue homoeostasis and aberrant activation in disease pathogenesis. The pathway has been implicated in cancer initiation and development, as well as early stages of cancer progression by regulating conserved cellular programs such as the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. We recently extended the role of Notch signalling to late stages of tumour progression by elucidating a stroma-dependent mechanism for the pathway in osteolytic bone metastasis. Of clinical significance, disrupting the Notch pathway and associated molecular mediators of Notch-dependent bone metastasis may provide novel therapeutic strategies to combat aggressive bone metastatic disease.     

Gene signatures of breast cancer progression and metastasis

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Patient outcome varies significantly, depending on prognostic features of patients and their tumors, including patient age, menopausal status, tumor size and histology, nodal status, and so on. Response to treatment also depends on a series of predictive factors, such as hormone receptor and HER2 status. Current treatment guidelines use these features to determine treatment. However, these guidelines are imperfect, and do not always predict response to treatment or survival. Evolving technologies are permitting increasingly large amounts of molecular data to be obtained from tumors, which may enable more personalized treatment decisions to be made. The challenge is to learn what information leads to improved prognostic accuracy and treatment outcome for individual patients.     

Suppression of human melanoma cell growth and metastasis by the melanoma-associated antigen CD63 (ME491)

CD63 has been identified in human melanoma cells by a number of different monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Studies with MAbs have shown that expression is most marked in naevi and early forms of cutaneous melanoma and reduced in vertical growth phase and metastatic lesions. To investigate further the role of CD63 in progression of melanoma, genomic CD63 was transfected into a CD63-negative human melanoma cell line using an episomal vector. The stable transfected melanoma cells had similar growth rates to control transfected melanoma cells in vitro but much lower growth rates when injected intradermally into athymic nude mice. The CD63-transfected cells also had a reduced number of metastases in the peritoneal cavity and subcutaneous sites when injected intravenously. MAb against CD63 did not influence the growth of CO63-transfected melanoma cells in vitro. Our results confirm previous studies using H-ros-transformed NIH3T3 fibroblasts and suggest that CD63 may have a role as a tumor suppressor gene in human melanoma that acts to limit invasion and progression of melanoma. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Steroid hormones stimulate human prostate cancer progression and metastasis

Tissue recombinants (TRs) composed of mouse urogenital mesenchyme (mUGM) plus an immortalized nontumorigenic human prostatic epithelial cell line (BPH-1) were grown under the kidney capsule of male athymic nude mice under different hormonal conditions. The objectives were to determine temporal plasma concentrations of testosterone (T) and estradiol-17beta (E2) that elicit progression of nontumorigenic human prostatic epithelial cells in vivo. Second, to determine whether mUGM+BPH-1 TRs in [T+E2]-treated hosts could progress to metastases. Control mouse hosts received no exogenous hormonal support, whereas treated mice received Silastic implants containing T and E2 for 1-4 months. Plasma from hormonally treated mice contained significantly higher (p < 0.01) concentrations of T at 1 month (11.7 vs. 0.9 ng/ml). Plasma levels of E2 in steroid implanted mice were significantly higher (p < 0.05) at 2 months (104.5 vs. 25.6 ng/l) and 4 months (122.8 vs. 19.2 pg/ml). Wet weights of mUGM+BPH-1 TRs from [T+E2]-implanted mice were significantly larger (p < 0.001) than those from untreated hosts. Untreated mUGM+BPH-1 TRs contained a well organized differentiated epithelium surrounded by smooth muscle stroma similar to developing prostate. In [T+E2]-implanted mice, mUGM+BPH-1 TRs formed carcinomas that contained a fibrous connective tissue stroma permeating the tumor; smooth muscle when present was associated with vasculature. Renal lymph nodes collected from [T+E2]-treated mice, but not untreated mice, contained metastatic carcinoma cells. Moreover, metastases could be observed at distant sites including lung and liver. Epithelial cells isolated from untreated mUGM+BPH-1 TRs exhibited benign histology and formed small nontumorigenic grafts when subsequently transplanted into athymic nude mice. In contrast, epithelial cells isolated from mUGM+BPH-1 tumors of [T+E2]-treated hosts formed large tumors that grew independent of stromal and hormonal support and developed lymph node metastases. We conclude that [T+E2]-treatment promotes prostatic cancer progression in mUGM+BPH-1 TRs. Use of mUGM in this system will allow future studies to utilize the power of mouse genetics to identify paracrine factors involved in human prostatic carcinogenesis.     

Dietary energy balance modulates ovarian cancer progression and metastasis

A high energy balance, or caloric excess, accounts as a tumor promoting factor, while a negative energy balance via caloric restriction, has been shown to delay cancer progression. The effect of energy balance on ovarian cancer progression was investigated in an isogeneic immunocompetent mouse model of epithelial ovarian cancer kept on a regimen of regular diet, high energy diet (HED) and calorie restricted diet (CRD), prior to inoculating the animals intraperitoneally with the mouse ovarian surface epithelial ID8 cancer cells. Tumor evaluation revealed that mice group on HED displayed the most extensive tumor formation with the highest tumor score at all organ sites (diaphragm, peritoneum, bowel, liver, kidney, spleen), accompanied with increased levels of insulin, leptin, insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), VEGF and interleukin 6 (IL-6). On the other hand, the mice group on CRD exhibited the least tumor burden associated with a significant reduction in levels of insulin, IGF-1, leptin, MCP-1, VEGF and IL-6. Immunohistochemistry analysis of tumors from HED mice showed higher activation of Akt and mTOR with decreased adenosine monophosphate activated kinase (AMPK) and SIRT1 activation, while tumors from the CRD group exhibited the reverse profile. In conclusion, ovarian cancer growth and metastasis occurred more aggressively under HED conditions and was significantly curtailed under CRD. The suggested mechanism involves modulated secretion of growth factors, cytokines and altered regulation of AMPK and SIRT1 that converges on mTOR inhibition. While the role of a high energy state in ovarian cancer has not been confirnmed in the literature, the current findings support investigating the potential impact of diet modulation as adjunct to other anticancer therapies and as possible individualized treatment strategy of epithelial ovarian cancer.