Oncology Commons^™

Expression And Function Of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1 Alpha In Human Melanoma Under Non-Hypoxic Conditions, Caroline N. Mills, Sandeep S. Joshi, Richard M. Niles

Biochemistry and Microbiology

Background

Hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1α) protein is rapidly degraded under normoxic conditions. When oxygen tensions fall HIF-1α protein stabilizes and transactivates genes involved in adaptation to hypoxic conditions. We have examined the normoxic expression of HIF-1α RNA and protein in normal human melanocytes and a series of human melanoma cell lines isolated from radial growth phase (RGP), vertical growth phase (VGP) and metastatic (MET) melanomas.

Results

HIF-1α mRNA and protein was increased in RGP vs melanocytes, VGP vs RGP and MET vs VGP melanoma cell lines. We also detected expression of a HIF-1α mRNA splice variant that lacks part …

Ppar Agonists Down-Regulate The Expression Of Atp10c Mrna During Adipogenesis, A Peretich, Maria Cekanova Ms, Rndr, Phd, S Hurst, Sj Baek, Madhu Dahr

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology

No abstract provided.

Ppar Agonists Down-Regulate The Expression Of Atp10c Mrna During Adipogenesis, A Peretich, Maria Cekanova Ms, Rndr, Phd, S Hurst, Sj Baek, Madhu Dahr

Maria Cekanova MS, RNDr, PhD

No abstract provided.

Decarboxylation Of L-Dopa And 5-Hydroxytryptophan In Dispersed Rat Pancreas Acinar Cells, E. Yu, L. Stern, A. Tenenhouse

Edward Yu

Amino acid decarboxylation activity in dispersed rat pancreas acinar cells and fractions derived by differential centrifugation of homogenate of these cells was studied. The rate of decarboxylation was measured by determining the rate of production of the [3H]-amine from [3H]-amino acid or the rate of production of 14CO2 from the [14C]-carboxy-labelled amino acid. Only the hydroxylated amino acids L-dopa and 5-hydroxytryptophan are decarboxylated by intact dispersed pancreas acinar cells or cell homogenates at all pH values and amino acid concentrations tested. The decarboxylase activity is located exclusively in the cell cytosol. Each substrate competitively inhibits the decarboxylation of the other …

Wnt Pathway Reprogramming During Human Embryonal Carcinoma Differentiation And Potential For Therapeutic Targeting, Grace E. Snow, Allison C. Kasper, Alexander M. Busch, Elisabeth Schwarz, Katherine E. Ewings, Thomas Bee, Michael J. Spinella, Ethan Dmitrovsky, Sarah J. Freemantle

Dartmouth Scholarship

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are classified as seminonas or non-seminomas of which a major subset is embryonal carcinoma (EC) that can differentiate into diverse tissues. The pluripotent nature of human ECs resembles that of embryonic stem (ES) cells. Many Wnt signalling species are regulated during differentiation of TGCT-derived EC cells. This study comprehensively investigated expression profiles of Wnt signalling components regulated during induced differentiation of EC cells and explored the role of key components in maintaining pluripotency.

Pdest Fg12-Cmv Dsred Vector, Jarod Wolffis, Sheri L. Holmen

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Melanoma is the most rapidly increasing malignancy among young people in the United States. If detected early, the disease is easily treated; however, once the disease has metastasized it is largely refractory to conventional therapies and is associated with a high mortality rate. The development of human cancer from a pre-malignant primary tumor to a metastatic lesion that develops at secondary sites is thought to be a multi-step process, requiring many genetic and epigenetic events that provide a growth advantage to cells. It is still unclear which of the many genetic changes in human cancers are required for metastasis. Therefore, …

Expression Of An Alternate Splice Form Of Bmi-1 In Multiple Myeloma, Adam Austin, Kristine Veys, Debbie Wong, James Tung

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

The concept of “tumor stem cells” has garnered much attention in the last few years. Tumor stem cells are believed to exist among a heterogeneous group of cells that constitute a tumor. These tumor stem cells often express genes that are important for stem cell function, cell division, and maintenance of pluripotent state in stem cells. Stem cell or stem cell maintenance genes such as SALL 4 and Bmi-1 are often seen in these cancer cells and contribute to self-renewing divisions and cancer cell survival. In particular, high expression of Bmi-1 (B lymphoma mouse Moloney leukemia virus insertion region), a …

30-Month Post-Breast Cancer Treatment Lymphoedema, Jane M. Armer, Bob R. Stewart, Robin Shook

Robin Shook

Background—Quantification of lymphoedema (LE) has been problematic, and the reported incidence of LE varies greatly among women treated with surgery and radiation for breast cancer. Aims—This study aims to describe LE occurrence over time among breast cancer survivors using four diagnostic criteria based on three measurement techniques. Methods—Limb volume and symptom assessment data were followed after surgery every three months for 12 months, then every six months for 30 months. Limb volume changes (LVC) were measured by circumferences and by perometry, and by symptom experience via interview. Standard survival analysis methods identified when the criteria indicating LE were met. Results—Trends …

Y27632, A Rho-Activated Kinase Inhibitor, Normalizes Dysregulation In Alpha1-Adrenergic Receptor-Induced Contraction Of Lyon Hypertensive Rat Artery Smooth Muscle., Maria Regina Freitas, Masumi Eto, Jason A Kirkbride, Christa Schott, Jean Sassard, Jean-Claude Stoclet

Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Faculty Papers

RhoA-activated kinase (ROK) is involved in the disorders of smooth muscle contraction found in hypertension model animals and patients. We examined whether the alpha1-adrenergic receptor agonist-induced ROK signal is perturbed in resistance small mesentery artery (SMA) of Lyon genetically hypertensive (LH) rats, using a ROK antagonist, Y27632. Smooth muscle strips of SMA and aorta were isolated from LH and Lyon normotensive (LN) rats. After Ca(2+)-depletion and pre-treatment with phenylephrine (PE), smooth muscle contraction was induced by serial additions of CaCl(2). In LH SMA Ca(2+) permeated cells to a lesser extent as compared with LN SMA, while CaCl(2)-induced contraction of LH …

The Role Of Nf-Κb In Pparα-Mediated Hepatocarcinogenesis, Howard P. Glauert, Karen Calfee-Mason, Yixin Li, Vani Nilakantan, Michelle L. Twaroski, Job Tharappel, Brett T. Spear

Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

In this review, the role of NF-kappaB in the induction of hepatocarcinogenesis by peroxisome proliferators is examined. The administration of peroxisome proliferators for more than a three-day period leads to the activation of NF-kappaB in the livers of rats and mice. On the other hand, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-alpha (PPARalpha) activation in non-hepatic tissues can lead to the inhibition of NF-kappaB activation. Several lines of evidence support the hypothesis that the activation of NF-kappaB by peroxisome proliferators in the liver is mediated by oxidative stress. The role of NF-kappaB in peroxisome proliferator-induced hepatocarcinogenesis has been examined using NF-kappaB knockout models. …

Loss Of Ski Expression In Testicular Cancer Leads To An Enhanced Invasive Phenotype Through Both Bmp-Dependent And Bmp-Independent Pathways, Amy N. Nash

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The proto-oncogene SKI is a transcription factor and a co-repressor of the TGFβ superfamily, including TGF

β and BMP. However, additional data suggests that SKI may function as a tumor suppressor in some cell types. The TGFβ superfamily has been implicated in cancer progression and germ cell migration. Testicular cancer afflicts men during their peak reproductive years and is the most common cancer among men of this age group. Cisplatin-based chemotherapy is the standard treatment for testicular cancer. This treatment can lead to undesirable side effects, including infertility. We have shown that SKI expression is decreased in testicular germ cell …

A New Pulsed Electric Field Therapy For Melanoma Disrupts The Tumor's Blood Supply And Causes Complete Remission Without Recurrence, Richard Nuccitelli, Xinhua Chen, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Wallace H. Baldwin, Saleh Sheikh, Jennifer L. Pomicter, Wei Ren, Chris Osgood, R. James Swanson, Juergen F. Kolb, Stephen J. Beebe, Karl H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

We have discovered a new, ultrafast therapy for treating skin cancer that is extremely effective with a total electric field exposure time of only 180 mu sec. The application of 300 high-voltage (40 kV/cm), ultrashort (300 nsec) electrical pulses to murine melanomas in vivo triggers both necrosis and apoptosis, resulting in complete tumor remission within an average of 47 days in the 17 animals treated. None of these melanomas recurred during a 4-month period after the initial melanoma had disappeared. These pulses generate small, long-lasting, rectifying nanopores in the plasma membrane of exposed cells, resulting in increased membrane permeability to …

Oncogenesis And Cancer Stem Cells: Current Opinions And Future Directions., Xiaoyu Cheng, Helen O'Neill

Helen O'Neill

There is increasing evidence to show that only a subset of cancer cells drives the growth and progression of a tumour. These cells share similar properties with normal stem cells and are termed 'cancer stem cells'. Cancer stem cells have been identified in acute myeloid leukaemia and in some solid tumours by their distinct expression of cell surface antigens. Their long-term, self-renewing capacity is thought to be a determining factor in the maintenance and regrowth of the tumour. Studies on haematopoietic cancers show that important signalling pathways and genes for normal haematopoiesis, such as Wnt, NF-kappaB, Notch, hedgehog (Hh) and …