SOD2: a new type of tumor-suppressor gene?

The activity of superoxide dismutases (SOD) 1 and 2 was analysed in correlation with mRNA and chromosome content in 6 SV40-transformed (TF) and in non-transformed (NF) human fibroblast cell lines. Total SOD activity was fairly constant, whereas the ratio SOD2/SOD1 was much lower in TF than in NF. The decrease in SOD2 activity was correlated with a low mRNA content, and with the presence of various chromosomal rearrangements leading to deletions of the long arm of chromosome 6 where the gene is mapped. In contrast, chromosome 21, carrying the gene for SOD1, was not found to be deficient and the SOD1 activity was high. This shows that in TF, the activity of SOD2 is largely determined by gene dosage. It has been proposed that SOD activity could be inversely correlated with cell proliferation, and that SOD2 activity, in particular, was related to cell differentiation. Thus, there is a cascade of events occurring in cell transformation, involving gene deregulation, chromosome (gene) deletion, low mRNA and protein content, low enzyme activity, and acquisition of growth advantage which makes the SOD2 gene a possible new type of tumor-suppressor gene.

Cytogenetic study of breast cancer: clinicopathologic significance of homogeneously staining regions in 84 patients

A cytogenetic study performed on 84 primary breast cancers was conducted to detect the presence of chromosomes with homogeneously staining regions (HSRs) which are assumed to correspond to gene amplification. Homogeneously staining regions were found in 60% of the cases. To assess the prognostic significance of HSRs, clinical and pathologic data were correlated with the cytogenetic findings. Median follow-up for the 84 patients was 40 months. Differences in overall survival and disease-free survival rates between patients with HSRs (50 cases) and patients without HSRs (34 cases) were not significant. Although an excess of HSRs was found in patients considered to have poor prognostic factors (eg, young age, high histologic grade, metastatic axillary nodes, loss of hormonal receptors), no statistically significant correlation between variables could be demonstrated. The high percentage of cases with HSRs strongly suggests that they have an important biologic role, but more cases should be studied with a longer follow-up to assess their significance.

Chromosomal, mitochondrial and metabolic alterations in SV40-transformed rabbit chondrocytes

Karyotype, mitochondrial ultrastructure and several enzymatic activities were studied in two clones, D22 and D27, from SV40-transformed rabbit chondrocytes. Similar chromosome alterations, with recurrent losses and gains were observed at the various passages. Mitochondria were rare, with increase in size and crest alterations. By comparison to non-transformed rabbit chondrocytes, activities of superoxide dismutase 1 and 2 (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase were increased, those of glutathione reductase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and glutathione-S-transferase fluctuated according to passages, thymidylate synthase decreased, thymidine kinase and hypoxanthine-phosphoribosyl-transferase increased and the ratio lactate dehydrogenase B/A increased. In most cases, these variations were correlated with the number of chromosomes carrying the genes encoding for corresponding enzymes. These results, compared to those obtained in SV40-transformed human fibroblasts, demonstrate that the two cell types behave differently for detoxication systems against oxygen radicals, in particular for SOD2 activity, and have opposite imbalances of chromosomes carrying the corresponding genes.

Cytogenetic study of five cases of lung adenosquamous carcinomas

The cytogenetic study of five cases of untreated adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung allows us to propose a number of characteristic anomalies. All tumor cells were hyperdiploid, with a mean chromosome number ranging from 59 to 83, and had many clonal chromosome rearrangements. The chromosomes the most frequently affected by these rearrangements were, by decreasing order, 1, 3, and 15; 7 and 8; and 17. No recurrent breakpoints were observed in euchromatic regions, most breaks (45/66) involving juxtacentromeric heterochromatin or immediately adjacent regions. Although chromosome 3 was frequently rearranged, no recurrent deletions of its short arm were observed.

Chromosomal rearrangements and speciation of sportive lemurs (Lepilemur species)

Theoretical configurations of meiotic chromosomes of potential hybrids between the different Lepilemur species were examined, and the classification of this genus was reviewed in the light of this information. Among the chromosomal rearrangements that occurred during the chromosomal evolution of the sportive lemurs, only those which would generate a pronounced reproductive barrier were considered in relation to the geographic distribution of this genus. The analysis showed that the pattern of geographic distribution is compatible with the inferred chronological occurrence of these chromosomal rearrangements in the phylogenetic tree of the genus Lepilemur.

Proliferative activity of breast cancers increases in the course of genetic evolution as defined by cytogenetic analysis

The prognostic value of proliferative activity and its relationship with steroid hormone receptors and histopathological grade have been demonstrated for breast cancers. However, nothing is known about the underlying mechanisms. In order to understand the chronology of the appearance of increased proliferative activities, we used a series of 760 consecutive breast cancers for which we had obtained S-phase fractions (SPFs) by DNA flow cytometry. When the absolute difference from a DNA index of 1.00 was compared to SPFs, a significant positive correlation was obtained (r = 0.39, p < 0.0001), indicating that the probability of observing a high SPF increases when tumors progressively deviate from diploidy. A highly significant correlation was observed for the hyperploid group when hypertetraploid tumors were excluded, as the SPFs increased progressively as the DNA indices decreased from 2.00 to 1.30. This observation suggested a relationship with the evolution of chromosomal abnormalities as determined by cytogenetic analysis. Indeed, in a subset of 52 cases for which sufficient metaphases were available, there was a highly significant correlation between the SPF values and the proportion of rearranged chromosomes in the tumor cells (r = 0.60, p < 0.0001). When SPFs were separated into low or high using the median value (4.5%), a correlation also existed with the genetic evolution, since they increased from diploidy to hypodiploidy and then, after endoreduplication, from tetraploidy towards triploidy, as determined by the chromosome counts. Our results substantiate the relationship between proliferative activity and steroid hormone receptors which follow the same model.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Spontaneous metastatic potential of rat hepatocarcinoma cells after cell fusion or DNA transfection

Eight LF x ICIG cell hybrid clones, isolated upon fusion of normal ICIG-7 human fibroblasts with tumorigenic, non-metastatic LF Cl.2A cells derived from a DAB-induced rat hepatocarcinoma, were studied. They were all highly tumorigenic and were capable of developing spontaneous lung metastases in syngeneic animals. All the hybrids were characterized by a rapid loss of human chromosomes. However, in long-term culture, they all revealed a persistence of human genetic information as assessed by Southern blotting. In hybrid lines in which human chromosomes were still visible, the most recurrent were numbers 7 and 9. Neither chromosome 7, previously reported to bear some of the genes controlling metastasis in human X mouse T-cell hybrids, nor chromosome 9 appeared to be correlated with the metastatic potential of LF X ICIG hybrids. The same conclusion applied (1) to a human 3.3-kb EcoRI DNA fragment which was amplified (approx. 10-fold) only in metastases induced by one out of 3 metastatic hybrids tested; (2) to the transcription level of c-Ha-ras and c-Ki-ras genes which was enhanced (approx. 4-fold) in metastatic and non-metastatic lines as well. Co-transfection of LF Cl.2A cells with pHSG 272 selectable marker DNA and genomic DNA from normal ICIG-7 human cells or from a hybrid-induced metastasis, reproducibly gave rise to geneticin-resistant transfectants capable of producing spontaneous lung metastases. Neither transfectants nor transfectant-induced metastases harbored detectable human DNA sequences but all harbored pHSG 272 DNA. These results again call for caution in gene transfer studies of the metastatic process.

Detection of small, single-copy genes on protein-G-banded chromosomes by electron microscopy

A method for the detection by electron microscopy of chromosome banding after in situ hybridization of small, nonradioactive DNA sequences is described. Typical high-resolution G-banding is produced by adding 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) during the last part of the S-phase and by applying a monoclonal antibody against the BrdU-substituted chromosome segments, followed by the addition of protein G, but no further treatment. A protocol for in situ hybridization of small, single-copy biotinylated DNA sequences and their detection by immunogold tagging on banded chromosomes is also described. This combined approach permits high-resolution mapping of small DNA sequences and should be useful in discriminating between neighboring DNA fragments.

A simple method for simultaneous R- or G-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization of small single-copy genes

A significant improvement in fluorescence in situ hybridization, enabling the detection of single-copy genes as small as 500 bp directly on banded chromosomes, is presented. The induction of chromosome banding, which does not require additional handling or any system of amplification, is obtained simply by using an alkaline (pH 11) p-phenylenediamine anti-fade solution. As the banding produced is related to the timing of 5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation, either R- or G-banding, constitutive heterochromatin staining, or chromosome asymmetry can be observed simultaneously with the fluorescent hybridized spots. Results of hybridization of small cDNA probes for the human genes for motilin, thymidylate synthetase, and lymphocyte activation-3 are provided as examples of the high-resolution mapping obtainable with this technique.

New gene assignments to rabbit chromosomes; implications for chromosome evolution

The genes for SOD1 and SOD2 (superoxide dismutases 1 and 2), RB1 (retinoblastoma), TYMS (thymidylate synthase), and TK1 (thymidine kinase) were mapped by in situ hybridization using biotinylated probes to rabbit chromosomes 6, 12, 8, 9, and 19, respectively. This confirms their proposed homoeologies with human chromosomes 21, 6, 13, 18, and 17, respectively, and provides additional information on the modification of these chromosomes during evolution.

Chromosomal localization of the ovine beta-casein gene by non-isotopic in situ hybridization and R-banding

The ovine beta-casein gene (CNS2) has been mapped to a specific chromosome band using nonradioactive in situ hybridization and simultaneous fluorescent R-banding. The probe pTZ-E4 was a fragment of the ovine beta-casein gene inserted in the plasmid pTZ18R and labeled with biotin-11-dUTP. It hybridized to band q32 of ovine chromosome 4. The discrepancy between this result and the previous localization of this gene on cattle chromosome 6 may be explained by the very great similarity of the banding patterns of ovine and bovine chromosomes 4 and 6.

Dihydrofolate reductase gene amplification-associated shift of differentiation in methotrexate-adapted HT-29 cells

Postconfluent cultures of HT-29 cells form a heterogeneous multilayer of which greater than 95% of the cells are undifferentiated. In contrast, when stably adapted to normally lethal concentrations of methotrexate (10(-6)-10(-5) M), they form a monolayer of gobletlike cells (Lesuffleur et al., 1990) which secrete large quantities of mucins and display a discrete brush border with the presence of villin, dipeptidylpeptidase-IV, and carcinoembryonic antigen. When adapted to even higher concentrations of methotrexate (10(-4) and 10(-3) M) there is a shift in the pattern of differentiation from gobletlike to dome-forming absorptive-like cells. These cells still display an apical brush border which expresses villin and dipeptidylpeptidase-IV, but no longer express significant levels of mucins and carcinoembryonic antigen. This shift of differentiation coincides with a sudden amplification of the gene coding for dihydrofolate reductase and an increased activity of the enzyme.

Adaptation to 5-fluorouracil of the heterogeneous human colon tumor cell line HT-29 results in the selection of cells committed to differentiation

The HT-29 cell line contains a small proportion of differentiated polarized, enterocytic and mucus-secreting cell types (less than 95%) which can be selected under various pressure conditions, e.g., glucose deprivation or methotrexate. The purpose of the present work was to investigate whether this also applies to 5-fluorouracil (FUra). Stepwise adaptation of exponentially growing cells to 1, 5, 10 and 20 microM FUra results, after a phase of high mortality, in the emergence of adapted sub-populations with stable growth rates and curves, and IC50 6, 18, 37, and 110 times higher than in untreated cells respectively. FUra-adapted cells are all differentiated, according to 2 phenotypes: (I) polarized dome-forming cells which express carcinoembryonic antigen at their apical surface and (2) goblet cells which secrete a mucus of colonic immunoreactivity. These phenotypes are present in the parental population and are different from those selected e.g., by glucose deprivation or methotrexate. This differentiation pattern is maintained when the cells are subcultured in drug-free medium. Resistance to FUra is acquired through gene amplification as substantiated by a 4- to 6-fold increase of thymidylate synthase gene copies in cells stably adapted to the drug. Whether the same mechanism or others are responsible for the first steps of resistance to FUra remains to be elucidated. Altogether, these results support the hypothesis that some of the cells which are present in the parental line and are committed to differentiation possess advantages which allow them to immediately resist and secondarily adapt to FUra. Comparison of the differentiation characteristics of FUra-adapted cells with those from cells selected under other pressure conditions suggests that resistance and adaptation to either type of pressure may depend on the differentiated phenotype to which the cells are committed.

Breast cancer genetic evolution: I. Data from cytogenetics and DNA content

A general scheme of chromosome alterations occurring during tumor progression is proposed from the cytogenetic study of 113 breast carcinomas. For 76 of these tumors, chromosome numbers and rate of chromosome rearrangements were correlated with DNA content studied by flow cytometry. A series of 536 cases was used as control for flow cytometry. The following evolution can be proposed: 1. occurrence of unbalanced rearrangements decreasing chromosome number and DNA content; 2. correlatively to the rate of chromosome rearrangements, formation of endoreduplications leading to hyperploid sidelines; 3. persistence of the near diploid cells and decrease of chromosome number to about 35 and of DNA index to .85; 4. more frequently, elimination of the near diploid cells and complete passage to hyperploidy; 5. further losses of chromosomes in the hyperploid tumors, whose karyotypes can decrease to about 55 chromosomes and a DNA index of 1.35; 6. eventually, occurrence of a second endoreduplication, leading to an apparent near tetraploidy. The rate of rearranged chromosomes may reach 80% in both near diploid tumors with 35-40 and hyperploid tumors with 55-65 chromosomes which can be regarded as those with the highest degree of tumor progression. It is shown that the increase of chromosome number and DNA index above diploidy is very limited, and that all tumors with more than 50 chromosomes and 1.35 DNA content passed through endoreduplication. This results in many possible losses of heterozygosity in these cases.

Prolonged G2 phase of breast cancer cells and chromosome damage

5-bromodeoxyuridine incorporation was studied in metaphase chromosomes from 24 breast tumour specimens, including 23 adenocarcinomas. In these 23 cases, a slow cell cycle was observed, with a long (8 h) G2 phase. This slowing of the cell cycle, which was poorly related to the degree of polyploidy, was significantly related to the number of chromosome anomalies: the cell cycle was particularly slow when many rearranged chromosome were observed. These in vitro findings during the first cell cycle cannot easily be transposed to the in vivo situation. By analogy with Fanconi anaemia, in which both chromosome lesions and a long G2 phase are detected, a DNA repair defect and/or high DNA mutagenesis might exist in breast cancer cells.

Detection of translocations of 10p by non-radioactive in situ hybridization of VIM gene in SV40-transformed human cell lines

SV40-transformed human fibroblasts exhibit characteristic chromosome imbalances, fairly well correlated with the activity of enzymes encoded by genes located on chromosome segments either in deficiency or in excess. However, a major discrepancy existed for the expression of vimentin gene (VIM), which was high, even though the map location of the gene (10p) was missing in many cell lines. An in situ hybridization technique using a biotinylated probe for the human VIM was applied to detect eventual cryptic translocations, as chromosome 10p is difficult to identify. In two cell lines (WI 98 and HEL1 HBLT) in which a loss of copy number of 10p was assumed after karyotyping, a signal for VIM was detected in unidentified short arms of derivative chromosomes. This exemplifies that in situ hybridization is a powerful complement to classical cytogenetics to detect rearrangements in highly rearranged karyotypes from transformed or cancerous cells. These results also strengthen the interpretation of the correlation between karyotypic and metabolic imbalances in transformed cells.

Relationships between UMPK and PGD activities and deletions of chromosome 1p in colorectal cancers

A deletion involving a large segment of the short arm of chromosome 1(1p-) occurs in about 50% of colorectal cancers. It was previously noticed that, in these tumors, many deletions affect genes encoding for enzymes of the de novo pathway of nucleotide synthesis. The gene for uridine monophosphate kinase (UMPK), mapped on 1p32, is generally involved in del(1p). The activity of the corresponding enzyme was measured and compared to that of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), encoded by a gene also mapped on chromosome 1p and frequently deleted, but involved in another metabolism. It was found that a clear relationship exists between activity and the number of chromosome 1p for PGD but not for UMPK, both on primary tumors (PTs) and on tumors grafted into nude mice (GTs). By comparison to corresponding normal mucosae, the activity of PGD was high in PTs and GTs, but this increase was reduced in case of del(1p). The activity of UMPK being increased in PTs but not in GTs, it is assumed that the increase in PTs is due to non-cancerous cells, which are missing in GTs. The fact that no gene dosage effect exists, although the tendency for del(1p) coexists with the relative decrease of UMPK activity in cancerous by comparison to non-cancerous cells, suggests that either mutation or disregulation of UMPK gene occurred early.

Cytogenetic study of Hapalemur aureus

The karyotype of Hapalemur aureus was compared with those of other Hapalemur species, allowing us to determine the phylogenetic position of this species on the evolutionary tree of the Lemuridae.

Variations of chromosome radiation sensitivity in fetal and adult mice during gestation

Mice were exposed to 2 Gy of gamma-rays at various days of pregnancy, and just before and after gestation. Chromosomes were analyzed 4 h after irradiation in spontaneously dividing hematopoietic cells from liver for fetuses and bone marrow for mothers. On average, there was significantly less chromosome damage in fetuses than in mothers. A very strong increase of chromosome breakage was observed in mothers at days 16-19 of gestation. This increase parallels that of gestation hormones, suggesting a direct relationship. The differences between fetuses and mothers in relation to gestation age result from the increase in the rate of chromatid and chromosome breaks but not of chromatid exchanges, which remained stable. This suggests that a DNA repair step involved in joining broken extremities is the cause. More experiments are needed to understand the origin of these variations of radiation sensitivity and the possible extrapolation of these observations to other species.

Chromosome aberration dosimetry: addition of thymidine, an interesting mean to increase the number of dividing cells

Addition of thymidine to culture medium commonly used by laboratories performing medical cytogenetics followed by a release of the block by 2-deoxycitidine increases greatly the mitotic index and the proportion of metaphases suitable for chromosome analysis. The benefit is, however, less evident when the method is applied to culture medium used in laboratories specialized in chromosome aberration dosimetry.

High catabolism of BrdU may explain unusual sister chromatid differentiation and replication banding patterns in cancer cells

Two T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines, PEER and CCRF-CEM, were studied by various chromosome banding techniques, including 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation methods. Although of very similar origin, these two cell lines behave quite differently. In particular, CEM cell line exhibited an abnormal replication banding pattern (RBP) and poor sister chromatid differentiation (SCD). Study of their thymidylate synthase and thymidine kinase activities indicated that CEM had a more active salvage pathway for thymidylate synthesis than did PEER cell line, which may suggest an efficient BrdU incorporation and its fast decrease in culture medium, resulting in the observed peculiarities. However, this was contradictory to the fact that CEM need a higher dose of BrdU than do PEER cells to induce SCD and RBP. Finally, the radioactivity from 3H-thymidine decreased in the culture medium much faster for PEER cell line than for CEM cell line, and about 50% of the remaining radioactivity was due to 3H-thymidine for CEM cell line. Thus, the abnormal SCD and RBP are explained by an active catabolism of thymidine and BrdU in CEM cell line.

C-myb proto-oncogene: evidence for intermolecular recombination of coding sequences

We have characterized a novel chicken c-myb exon whose sequences are specifically expressed in thymic cells. In situ hybridization experiments indicate that this thymus-specific coding exon is localized on a small chromosome, distinct from the large acrocentric chromosome 3 on which we recently mapped the bulk of 15 exons, common to the c-myb mRNA species expressed in hematopoietic cells of both B and T lineages. These observations indicate that intermolecular recombination is required for the tissue-specific expression of the c-myb proto-oncogene. We also show that these thymus-specific sequences are conserved in human DNA and lie on chromosome 17q25, whereas the human c-myb locus is localized on chromosome 6q22-23. Sequencing data obtained from genomic DNA and PCR analyses performed with c-myb mRNA species expressed in chicken thymic cells strongly suggest that a repeated decameric sequence plays a key role in the recombination process.

Activity of thymidylate synthetase, thymidine kinase and galactokinase in primary and xenografted human colorectal cancers in relation to their chromosomal patterns

The relationship between chromosome anomalies and metabolic modifications in human colorectal cancers grafted into nude mice was studied. Two distinct chromosomal patterns have been demonstrated i.e., monosomic type (MT) characterized by multiple chromosome losses or deletions always involving chromosome 18, and trisomic type (TT) characterized by progressive gains of chromosomes. Grafted tumors conserve original karyotypes observed on corresponding primary tumors. Most changes involve the loss of chromosomes carrying genes encoding for enzymes of the de novo pathways and the gain of chromosomes carrying genes encoding for enzymes of the salvage pathways of nucleotide synthesis. In MT tumors the long arm (q) of chromosome 17 is frequently duplicated in association with a deletion of the short arm, forming an isochromosome 17q. The activities of 3 enzymes, thymidylate synthetase (TS) mapped on chromosome 18, thymidine kinase (TK) and galactokinase (GalK), both mapped on chromosome 17q, were studied. TS is a de novo enzyme and TK and GalK are salvage enzymes. A clear correlation could be demonstrated between tumor types and enzyme activities: MT tumors had lower TS and higher TK and GalK activities than TT tumors. These differences were too large to result from a gene dosage effect only. These data suggest that serial studies on grafted colorectal cancers give a better representation of metabolic disturbances than studies on fresh tumor samples, usually contaminated by non-cancerous cells.

GST pi gene is frequently coamplified with INT2 and HSTF1 proto-oncogenes in human breast cancers

The glutathione S-transferase gene (GST pi) is located on the same chromosome band (11q13) as proto-oncogenes INT2 and HSTF1 which are frequently amplified in breast cancer. Using the Southern blot technique, we looked for the amplification of the GST pi gene in 17 fresh tumors from human mammary carcinoma. The tumors were preselected because either they had an amplification of the INT2 proto-oncogene detected by dot blot, or their karyotypes exhibited or did not exhibit homogeneously staining regions, a cytogenetic character indicating amplification. Coamplification of GST pi, HSTF1 and INT2 was observed in five tumors, and coamplification of GST pi and HSTF1 without amplification of INT2 in another tumor. We also observed coamplification of GST pi, INT2, HSTF1 in the mammary carcinoma cell line MDA/MB134, whereas GST pi alone was amplified in the mammary epithelial cell line HBL100. These results indicate that INT2, HSTF1 and GST pi belong to the same large amplicon. Since GST pi is involved in intracellular detoxication and since chemotherapeutic drugs are among its substrates, it will be of interest to study GST pi gene expression as well as the response to chemotherapy in patients presenting this amplicon.

Recurrent homogeneously staining regions in 8p1 in breast cancer and lack of amplification of POLB, LHRH, and PLAT genes

In a cytogenetic study of 125 primary and untreated breast cancers, 107 were selected for the quality of their metaphases permitting detection of amplifications:homogeneously staining regions (HSRs), abnormally banded region (ABRs), and double minutes (dmins). HSRs and ABRs were detected in 62 cases (58%), but no cases of dmins were observed. The localizations of HSRs and ABRs were not random because they were observed in the 8p1 position in 14 cases. The possible amplifications of five sequences, MOS (8q1), LHRH (8p21.1), POLB (8p11.2), PLAT (8p12), and D8Z2 (8c) were investigated in three tumors with HSR on the short arm of chromosome 8. Because these sequences were not amplified, two interpretations can be proposed: 1) there is a frequent amplification of a sequence from the 8p1 region, located between the investigated sequences; and 2) the amplifications do not occur in 8p1, but HSRs or ABRs of undetermined origin have a strong tendency to be translocated onto 8p. Because cases with HSR(8p) have less complex karyotypes than with HSRs in other locations, the first interpretation is the most likely: HSRs may be formed in 8p and further translocated on other chromosomes in the course of tumor progression.