Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Familial Clustering Of Habitual Constipation: A Prospective Study In Children From West Virginia, Yoram Elitsur, Jenna Dolan

Yoram Elitsur

Objective: To investigate familial clustering of habitual constipation in pediatric patients who attended our medical facilities. Patients and Methods: Children with the diagnosis of functional, habitual constipation or patients without constipation and their respective family members were prospectively recruited to our study. Constipation was established in all participants using a standard questionnaire (Rome criteria). Results: A total of 112 children and their families participated in the study, of which 37 were probands families (test) and 75 children and their respective family members constituted the control group. A total of 310 family members completed the questionnaire. No significant differences were found …

Fluticasone And Food Allergen Elimination Reverse Sub-Epithelial Fibrosis In Children With Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Samer Abu-Sultaneh, Paul Durst, Virginia Maynard, Yoram Elitsur

Yoram Elitsur

Background Symptoms of vomiting and dysphagia in children with eosinophilic esophagitis may be related to the development of mucosal fibrosis. Aim Our aims were to (1) investigate esophageal fibrosis in children with EoE compared to patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and normal individuals, and (2) to assess the degree of mucosal fibrosis in patients with EoE before and after medical treatment. Methods A retrospective analysis of esophageal biopsies from patients with EoE, GERD, and normal mucosa was performed. Demographic data, clinical information, eosinophil number, and sub-epithelial fibrosis was compared among the groups. A similar comparison was performed in EoE patients, …

Association Of Ubqln1 Mutation With Brown-Vialetto-Van Laere Syndrome But Not Typical Als, Paloma Gonzalez-Perez, Yubing Lu, Ru-Ju Chian, Peter Sapp, Rudolph Tanzi, Lars Bertram, Diane Mckenna-Yasek, Fen-Biao Gao, Robert Brown

Dr Robert Brown

Genetic variants in UBQLN1 gene have been linked to neurodegeneration and mutations in UBQLN2 have recently been identified as a rare cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). OBJECTIVE: To test if genetic variants in UBQLN1 are involved in ALS. METHODS: 102 and 94 unrelated patients with familial and sporadic forms of ALS were screened for UBQLN1 gene mutations. Single nucleotide variants were further screened in a larger set of sporadic ALS (SALS) patients and unrelated control subjects using high-throughput Taqman genotyping; variants were further assessed for novelty using the 1000Genomes and NHLBI databases. In vitro studies tested the effect of …

Loss-Of-Function Variants In Endothelial Lipase Are A Cause Of Elevated Hdl Cholesterol In Humans, Andrew Edmondson, Robert Brown, Sekar Kathiresan, L. Cupples, Serkalem Demissie, Alisa Manning, Majken Jensen, Eric Rimm, Jian Wang, Amrith Rodrigues, Vaneeta Bamba, Sumeet Khetarpal, Megan Wolfe, Stephanie Derohannessian, Mingyao Li, Muredach Reilly, Jens Aberle, David Evans, Robert Hegele, Daniel Rader

Dr Robert Brown

Elevated plasma concentrations of HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) are associated with protection from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Animal models indicate that decreased expression of endothelial lipase (LIPG) is inversely associated with HDL-C levels, and genome-wide association studies have identified LIPG variants as being associated with HDL-C levels in humans. We hypothesized that loss-of-function mutations in LIPG may result in elevated HDL-C and therefore performed deep resequencing of LIPG exons in cases with elevated HDL-C levels and controls with decreased HDL-C levels. We identified a significant excess of nonsynonymous LIPG variants unique to cases with elevated HDL-C. In vitro lipase activity assays demonstrated …

Gene And Stem Cell Therapies For Treating Epilepsy., Janice Naegele, Xu Maisano

Janice R Naegele

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Post-Mastectomy Radiation Therapy On Male Breast Cancer Patients--A Case Series, Edward Yu, Hiromichi Suzuki, Jawaid Younus, Tarek Elfiki, Larry Stitt, Gary Yau, Olga Vujovic, Francisco Perera, Michael Lock, Patricia Tai

Michael Lock

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of radiation management on male breast cancer (MBC) at London Regional Cancer Program (LRCP).

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Men with a diagnosis of breast cancer referred to LRCP were reviewed. The seventh American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system was used. Patients treated with and without post-mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) were analyzed. Disease-free survival (DFS) was defined as time duration from diagnosis to first recurrence. Overall survival (OS) was defined as time duration from pathologic diagnosis to death or last follow-up with any death defined as an event. Survival estimates were obtained using Kaplan-Meier methodology.

RESULTS: …

Prediction Of Radiation Pneumonitis By Dose-Volume Histogram Parameters In Lung Cancer--A Systematic Review, George Rodrigues, Michael Lock, David D'Souza, Edward Yu, Jake Van Dyk

Michael Lock

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: To perform a systematic review of the predictive ability of various dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters (V(dose), mean lung dose (MLD), and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP)) in the incidence of radiation pneumonitis (RP) caused by external-beam radiation therapy.

METHODS AND MATERIALS: Studies assessing the relationship between CT-based DVH reduction parameters and RP rate in radically treated lung cancer were eligible for the review. Synonyms for RP, lung cancer, DVH and its associated parameters (NTCP, V(20), V(30), MLD) were combined in a search strategy involving electronic databases, secondary reference searching, and consultation with experts. Individual or group data …

Technology Assessment Of Automated Atlas Based Segmentation In Prostate Bed Contouring, Jeremiah Hwee, Alexander Louie, Stewart Gaede, Glenn Bauman, David D'Souza, Tracy Sexton, Michael Lock, Belal Ahmad, George Rodrigues

Michael Lock

BACKGROUND: Prostate bed (PB) contouring is time consuming and associated with inter-observer variability. We evaluated an automated atlas-based segmentation (AABS) engine in its potential to reduce contouring time and inter-observer variability.

METHODS: An atlas builder (AB) manually contoured the prostate bed, rectum, left femoral head (LFH), right femoral head (RFH), bladder, and penile bulb of 75 post-prostatectomy cases to create an atlas according to the recent RTOG guidelines. 5 other Radiation Oncologists (RO) and the AABS contoured 5 new cases. A STAPLE contour for each of the 5 patients was generated. All contours were anonymized and sent back to the …

Dendritic Cells In Hepatitis C Infection: Can They (Help) Win The Battle, Angela Dolganiuc, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a public health problem; it establishes a chronic course in ~85% of infected patients and increases their risk for developing liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and significant extrahepatic manifestations. The mechanisms of HCV persistence remain elusive and are largely related to inefficient clearance of the virus by the host immune system. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most efficient inducers of immune responses; they are capable of triggering productive immunity and maintaining the state of tolerance to self- and non-self antigens. During the past decade, multiple research groups have focused on DCs, in hopes of …

Inflammasomes In Liver Diseases, Gyongyi Szabo, Timea Csak

Gyongyi Szabo

Inflammation is a common element in the pathogenesis of most chronic liver diseases that lead to fibrosis and cirrhosis. Inflammation is characterized by activation of innate immune cells and production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and TNFalpha. Inflammasomes are intracellular multiprotein complexes expressed in both parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells of the liver that in response to cellular danger signals activate caspase-1, and release IL-1beta and IL-18. The importance of inflammasome activation in various forms of liver diseases in relation to liver damage, steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis is discussed in this review. Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hypoxia And Hypoxia Inducible Factors: Diverse Roles In Liver Diseases, Bharath Nath, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Hypoxia has been shown to have a role in the pathogenesis of several forms of liver disease. The hypoxia inducible factors (HIFs) are a family of evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulators that affect a homeostatic response to low oxygen tension and have been identified as key mediators of angiogenesis, inflammation, and metabolism. In this review we summarize the evidence for a role of HIFs across a range of hepatic pathophysiology. We describe regulation of the HIFs and review investigations that demonstrate a role for HIFs in the development of liver fibrosis, activation of innate immune pathways, hepatocellular carcinoma, as well as …

Mitochondrial Antiviral Signaling Protein Defect Links Impaired Antiviral Response And Liver Injury In Steatohepatitis In Mice, Timea Csak, Angela Dolganiuc, Karen Kodys, Bharath Nath, Jan Petrasek, Shashi Bala, Dora Lippai, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a pathogenic feature of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). NASH complicates hepatotropic viral disease. The mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS) is the adapter of helicase receptors involved in sensing double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). We hypothesized that impaired MAVS function may contribute to insufficient antiviral response and liver damage in steatohepatitis. We identified reduced MAVS protein levels and increased MAVS association with the proteasome subunit alpha type 7 (PSMA7) in livers from mice given a methionine-choline-deficient (MCD) diet. Decreased association of MAVS with mitochondria and increased cytosolic cytochrome c indicated mitochondrial damage in steatohepatitis. In vivo administration of the synthetic dsRNA …

The Presence Of P47phox In Liver Parenchymal Cells Is A Key Mediator In The Pathogenesis Of Alcoholic Liver Steatosis, Ivan Levin, Jan Petrasek, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species contribute to steatosis and inflammation in alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Here, we evaluated the selective contribution of p47phox, a critical subunit of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH) oxidase complex, in liver parenchymal cells and in bone marrow (BM)-derived cells. METHODS: Female C57Bl/6 wild type [WT], total body p47phox-deficient knockout [KO] or p47phox chimera mice generated by BM transplantation of p47phox-KO-BM into irradiated WT mice (WT/p47phox-KO-BM mice) received 5% Lieber-DeCarli alcohol or control (pair feeding) diet for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Alcohol-induced liver steatosis as measured by Oil Red O staining and serum triglyceride up-regulation were prevented …

Ethanol Facilitates Hcv Replication Via Upregulation Of Gw182 And Hsp90 In Human Hepatoma Cells, Terence Bukong, Wei Hou, Karen Kodys, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Alcohol use and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection synergize to cause liver damage and microRNA-122 (miR-122) appears to play a key role in this process. Argonaute 2 (Ago2), a key component of the RNA-induced silencing complex, has been shown to be important in modulating miR-122 function during HCV infection. However, GW182, a critical component of processing bodies (GW-bodies) that is recruited by Ago2 to target mRNA has not been assessed in HCV infection. To characterize the role of GW182 in the pathogenesis of HCV infection, we determined its transcription and protein expression in an HCV J6/JFH1 culture system. Here we …

An Essential Role For Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 In Alcoholic Liver Injury: Regulation Of Proinflammatory Cytokines And Hepatic Steatosis In Mice, Pranoti Mandrekar, Aditya Ambade, Arlene Lim, Gyongyi Szabo, Donna Catalano

Gyongyi Szabo

The importance of chemokines in alcoholic liver injury has been implicated. The role of the chemokine, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), elevated in patients with alcoholic liver disease is not yet understood. Here, we evaluated the pathophysiological significance of MCP-1 and its receptor, chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2 (CCR2), in alcoholic liver injury. The Leiber-DeCarli diet containing alcohol or isocaloric control diets were fed to wild-type (WT) and MCP-1-deficient knockout (KO) mice for 6 weeks. In vivo and in vitro assays were performed to study the role of MCP-1 in alcoholic liver injury. MCP-1 was increased in Kupffer cells (KCs) as …

Microrna Silencing And The Development Of Novel Therapies For Liver Disease, Gyongyi Szabo, Peter Sarnow, Shashi Bala

Gyongyi Szabo

In recent years microRNAs have emerged as crucial small non-coding RNA molecules with diverse roles in various diseases including diseases of the liver. In this review, we highlight the latest advances in the field of microRNA biology and their potential as emerging therapeutic targets in liver disease. Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction In Hepatic Inflammation Is Associated With Less Fibrosis Progression And Fewer Clinical Outcomes In Advanced Hepatitis C, Chihiro Morishima, Mitchell Shiffman, Jules Dienstag, Karen Lindsay, Gyongyi Szabo, Gregory Everson, Anna Lok, Adrian Di Bisceglie, Marc Ghany, Deepa Naishadham, Timothy Morgan, Elizabeth Wright

Gyongyi Szabo

OBJECTIVES:During the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-term Treatment against Cirrhosis Trial, 3.5 years of maintenance peginterferon-alfa-2a therapy did not affect liver fibrosis progression or clinical outcomes among 1,050 previous interferon nonresponders with advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. We investigated whether reduced hepatic inflammation was associated with clinical benefit in 834 patients with a baseline and follow-up biopsy 1.5 years after randomization to peginterferon or observation. METHODS:Relationships between change in hepatic inflammation (Ishak hepatic activity index, (HAI)) and serum alanine aminotransferase level, fibrosis progression and clinical outcomes after randomization, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA decline before and after randomization were evaluated. Histological …

Cd81/Cd9 Tetraspanins Aid Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells In Recognition Of Hcv-Infected Cells And Induction Of Ifnalpha, Shuye Zhang, Karen Kodys, Gregory Babcock, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Recognition of hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected hepatocyes and interferon (IFN) induction are critical in antiviral immune response. We hypothesized that cell-cell contact between plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and HCV-infected cells was required for IFNalpha induction via involvement of cell surface molecules. Co-culture of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) with genotype 1a full length HCV genomic replicon cells (FL) or genotype 2a JFH-1 virus infected hepatoma cells (JFH-1), not with uninfected hepatoma cells (Huh7.5), induced IFNalpha production. Depletion of pDCs from PBMCs attenuated IFNalpha release and purified pDCs produced high levels of IFNalpha after co-culture with FL replicons or JFH-1 …

Hepatocyte-Specific Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha Is A Determinant Of Lipid Accumulation And Liver Injury In Alcohol-Induced Steatosis In Mice, Bharath Nath, Ivan Levin, Timea Csak, Jan Petrasek, Christian Mueller, Karen Kodys, Donna Catalano, Pranoti Mandrekar, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Chronic alcohol causes hepatic steatosis and liver hypoxia. Hypoxia-regulated hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha, (HIF-1alpha) may regulate liporegulatory genes, but the relationship of HIF-1 to steatosis remains unknown. We investigated HIF-1alpha in alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation. Alcohol administration resulted in steatosis, increased liver triglyceride levels, and increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, suggesting liver injury in wild-type (WT) mice. There was increased hepatic HIF-1alpha messenger RNA (mRNA), protein, and DNA-binding activity in alcohol-fed mice compared with controls. Mice engineered with hepatocyte-specific HIF-1 activation (HIF1dPA) had increased HIF-1alpha mRNA, protein, and DNA-binding activity, and alcohol feeding in HIF1dPA mice increased hepatomegaly and hepatic …

Induction Of Bcl-3 By Acute Binge Alcohol Results In Toll-Like Receptor 4/Lps Tolerance, Shashi Bala, Alexander Tang, Donna Catalano, Jan Petrasek, Odette Taha, Karen Kodys, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

Acute alcohol binge results in immunosuppression and impaired production of proinflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha production is induced by LPS, a TLR4 ligand, and is tightly regulated at various levels of the signaling cascade, including the NF-kappaB transcription factor. Here, we hypothesized that acute alcohol induces TLR4/LPS tolerance via Bcl-3, a nuclear protein and member of the NF-kappaB family. We found that acute alcohol pretreatment resulted in the same attenuating effect as LPS pretreatment on TLR4-induced TNF-alpha production in human monocytes and murine RAW 264.7 macrophages. Acute alcohol-induced Bcl-3 expression and IP studies revealed increased association of Bcl-3 with NF-kappaB …

Novel Developmental Biology-Based Protocol Of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation To Morphologically Sound And Functional Yet Immature Hepatocytes, Terence Bukong, Tracie Lo, Gyongyi Szabo, Angela Dolganiuc

Gyongyi Szabo

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver diseases are common in the United States and often require liver transplantation; however, donated organs are limited and thus alternative sources for liver cells are in high demand. Embryonic stem cells (ESC) can provide a continuous and readily available source of liver cells. ESC differentiation to liver cells is yet to be fully understood and comprehensive differentiation protocols are yet to be defined. Here, we aimed to achieve human (h)ESC differentiation into mature hepatocytes using defined recombinant differentiation factors and metabolites. METHODS: Embryonic stem cell H1 line was sub-cultured on feeder layer. We induced hESCs into endodermal differentiation …

Circulating Micrornas In Exosomes Indicate Hepatocyte Injury And Inflammation In Alcoholic, Drug-Induced, And Inflammatory Liver Diseases, Shashi Bala, Jan Petrasek, Shiv Mundkur, Donna Catalano, Ivan Levin, Jeanine Ward, Hawau Alao, Karen Kodys, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

MicroRNAs are fine tuners of diverse biological responses and are expressed in various cell types of the liver. Here we hypothesized that circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) may serve as biomarkers of liver damage and inflammation. We studied miRNA-122, which is abundant in hepatocytes, and miR-155, -146a, and -125b, which regulate inflammation in immune cells in mouse models of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), drug (acetaminophen, APAP)-induced liver injury (DILI), and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 9+4 ligand-induced inflammatory cell-mediated liver damage. We found that serum/plasma miR-122 correlated with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increases in the liver damage caused by alcohol, APAP, and TLR9 (CpG)+4 (LPS) …

Fatty Acid And Endotoxin Activate Inflammasomes In Mouse Hepatocytes That Release Danger Signals To Stimulate Immune Cells, Timea Csak, Michal Ganz, Justin Pespisa, Karen Kodys, Angela Dolganiuc, Gyongyi Szabo

Gyongyi Szabo

The pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and inflammasome activation involves sequential hits. The inflammasome, which cleaves pro-interleukin-1beta (pro-IL-1beta) into secreted IL-1beta, is induced by endogenous and exogenous danger signals. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a toll-like receptor 4 ligand, plays a role in NASH and also activates the inflammasome. In this study, we hypothesized that the inflammasome is activated in NASH by multiple hits involving endogenous and exogenous danger signals. Using mouse models of methionine choline-deficient (MCD) diet-induced NASH and high-fat diet-induced NASH, we found up-regulation of the inflammasome [including NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3 (NALP3; cryopyrin), apoptosis-associated speck-like CARD-domain containing …

Hepatocyte-Specific Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1alpha Is A Determinant Of Lipid Accumulation And Liver Injury In Alcohol-Induced Steatosis In Mice, Bharath Nath, Ivan Levin, Timea Csak, Jan Petrasek, Christian Mueller, Karen Kodys, Donna Catalano, Pranoti Mandrekar, Gyongyi Szabo

Christian Mueller

Chronic alcohol causes hepatic steatosis and liver hypoxia. Hypoxia-regulated hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha, (HIF-1alpha) may regulate liporegulatory genes, but the relationship of HIF-1 to steatosis remains unknown. We investigated HIF-1alpha in alcohol-induced hepatic lipid accumulation. Alcohol administration resulted in steatosis, increased liver triglyceride levels, and increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, suggesting liver injury in wild-type (WT) mice. There was increased hepatic HIF-1alpha messenger RNA (mRNA), protein, and DNA-binding activity in alcohol-fed mice compared with controls. Mice engineered with hepatocyte-specific HIF-1 activation (HIF1dPA) had increased HIF-1alpha mRNA, protein, and DNA-binding activity, and alcohol feeding in HIF1dPA mice increased hepatomegaly and hepatic …

Mg624, An A7-Nachr Antagonist, Inhibits Angiogenesis Via The Egr-1/Fgf2 Pathway, Kathleen Brown, Jamie Lau, Aaron Dom, Theodore Witte, Haitao Luo, Clayton Crabtree, Yashoni Shah, Brandon Shiflett, Aileen Marcelo, Nancy Proper, W. Hardman, Richard Egleton, Yi Chen, Elsa Mangiarua, Piyali Dasgupta

Nancy A. Proper

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) demonstrates a strong etiological association with smoking. Although cigarette smoke is a mixture of about 4,000 compounds, nicotine is the addictive component of cigarette smoke. Several convergent studies have shown that nicotine promotes angiogenesis in lung cancers via the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) on endothelial cells. Therefore, we conjectured that α7-nAChR antagonists may attenuate nicotine-induced angiogenesis and be useful for the treatment of human SCLC. For the first time, our study explores the anti-angiogenic activity of MG624, a small-molecule α7-nAChR antagonist, in several experimental models of angiogenesis. We observed that MG624 potently suppressed the proliferation …

Mg624, An A7-Nachr Antagonist, Inhibits Angiogenesis Via The Egr-1/Fgf2 Pathway, Kathleen Brown, Jamie Lau, Aaron Dom, Theodore Witte, Haitao Luo, Clayton Crabtree, Yashoni Shah, Brandon Shiflett, Aileen Marcelo, Nancy Proper, W. Hardman, Richard Egleton, Yi Chen, Elsa Mangiarua, Piyali Dasgupta

Jamie K. Lau

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) demonstrates a strong etiological association with smoking. Although cigarette smoke is a mixture of about 4,000 compounds, nicotine is the addictive component of cigarette smoke. Several convergent studies have shown that nicotine promotes angiogenesis in lung cancers via the α7-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) on endothelial cells. Therefore, we conjectured that α7-nAChR antagonists may attenuate nicotine-induced angiogenesis and be useful for the treatment of human SCLC. For the first time, our study explores the anti-angiogenic activity of MG624, a small-molecule α7-nAChR antagonist, in several experimental models of angiogenesis. We observed that MG624 potently suppressed the proliferation …

Resveratrol Is Rapidly Metabolized In Athymic (Nu/Nu) Mice And Does Not Inhibit Human Melanoma Xenograft Tumor Growth, Richard Niles, Carla Cook, Gary Meadows, Ya-Min Fu, Jerry Mclaughlin, Gary Rankin

Carla R. Cook

Resveratrol has been shown to have anticarcinogenic activity. We previously found that resveratrol inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in 2 human melanoma cell lines. In this study we determined whether resveratrol would inhibit human melanoma xenograft growth. Athymic mice received control diets or diets containing 110 μmol/L or 263 μmol/L resveratrol, 2 wk prior to subcutaneous injection of the tumor cells. Tumor growth was measured during a 3-wk period. Metabolism of resveratrol was assayed by bolus gavage of 75 mg/kg resveratrol in tumor-bearing and nontumor-bearing mice. Pellets containing 10–100 mg resveratrol were implanted into the mice, next to newly palpated …

Consumption Of High Ω-3 Fatty Acid Diet Suppressed Prostate Tumorigenesis In C3(1) Tag Mice, Juliana Akinsete, Gabriela Ion, Theodore Witte, W. Hardman

Gabriela Ion

Prostate cancer incidence and mortality are high in the Western world and high ω-6/ω-3 PUFA in the Western diet may be a contributing factor. We investigated whether changing from a diet that approximates ω-6 fat content of the Western diet to a high ω-3 fat diet at adulthood might reduce prostate cancer risk. Female SV 129 mice that had consumed a high ω-6 diet containing corn oil for 2 weeks were bred with homozygous C3(1)Tag transgenic male mice. All male offspring were weaned to the corn oil diet (CO) until postpuberty when half of the male offspring were transferred to …

Silencing And Re-Expression Of Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta2 In Human Melanoma, Jun Fan, Linda Eastham, Melinda Varney, Adam Hall, Nicolas Adkins, Vincent Sollars, Philippe Georgel, Richard Niles

Linda L. Eastham

Many melanoma cells are resistant to the anti-proliferative effect of all trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Retinoic Acid Receptor-β2 (RAR-β2) mediates the ATRA growth inhibition. We found a correlation between the anti-proliferative activity of ATRA and expression of RAR-β2. There was not a strict correlation between DNA methylation of RAR-β gene and its expression. There was no difference in global and RARβ specific nucleosome repeat length (NRL) in melanoma and melanocytes or between control and ATRA treated cells. Pan-acetylation of H3 and H4 within the RAR-β gene promoter was higher in cells expressing RAR-β2. All trans retinoic acid treatment of …

Pparα/Γ Expression And Activity In Mouse And Human Melanocytes And Melanoma Cells, Linda Eastham, Caroline Mills, Richard Niles

Linda L. Eastham

Purpose. We examined the expression of PPARs and the effects of PPARα and PPARγ agonists on growth of mouse and human melanocytes and melanoma cells.

Methods. PPARα,β, and PPARγ mRNA qualitative expression in melan-a mouse melanocytes, B16 mouse melanoma, human melanocytes, and A375 and SK-mel28 human melanoma cells was determined by RT-PCR, while quantitative PPARα mRNA levels were determined by QuantiGene assay. PPARα and PPARγ protein was assessed by Western blotting. The effect of natural and synthetic PPAR ligands on cell growth was determined by either hemocytometer counting or crystal violet assay. PPAR transcriptional activity was determined by a PPRE-reporter …