Growth-related signaling regulates activation of telomerase in regenerating hepatocytes

A pan-cancer landscape of telomeric content shows that RAD21 and HGF alterations are associated with longer telomeres

Background

Cancer cells can proliferate indefinitely through telomere maintenance mechanisms. These mechanisms include telomerase-dependent elongation, mediated by TERT activation, and alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT), linked to loss of ATRX or DAXX.

Methods

We analyzed the telomeric content of 89,959 tumor samples within the Foundation Medicine dataset and investigated the genomic determinants of high telomeric content, linking them to clinical outcomes, when available.

Results

Telomeric content varied widely by disease type with leiomyosarcoma having the highest and Merkel cell carcinoma having the lowest telomeric content. In agreement with previous studies, telomeric content was significantly higher in samples with alterations in TERC, ATRX, and DAXX. We further identified that amplifications in two genes, RAD21 and HGF, were enriched in samples with high telomeric content, which was confirmed using the PCAWG/ICGC dataset. We identified the minimal amplified region associated with high telomeric content for RAD21 (8q23.1–8q24.12), which excludes MYC, and for HGF (7q21.11). Our results demonstrated that RAD21 and HGF exerted an additive telomere lengthening effect on samples with existing alterations in canonical genes previously associated with telomere elongation. Furthermore, patients with breast cancer who harbor RAD21 alterations had poor median overall survival and trended towards higher levels of Ki-67 staining.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of the role played by RAD21 (8q23.1–8q24.12) and HGF (7q21.11) in the lengthening of telomeres, supporting unlimited replication in tumors. These findings open avenues for work aimed at targeting this crucial pathway in tumorigenesis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13073-022-01029-7.

KLF4 downregulates hTERT expression and telomerase activity to inhibit lung carcinoma growth

Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a transcription factor that contributes to diverse cellular processes and serves as a tumor suppressor or oncogene in various cancers. Previously, we have reported on the tumor suppressive function of KLF4 in lung cancer; however, its precise regulatory mechanism remains elusive. In this study, we found that KLF4 negatively regulated hTERT expression and telomerase activity in lung cancer cell lines and a mouse model. In addition, the KLF4 and hTERT expression levels were significantly related to the clinicopathological features of lung cancer patients. Promoter reporter analyses revealed the decreased hTERT promoter activity in cells infected with Ad-KLF4, and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated that endogenous KLF4 directly bound to the promoter region of hTERT. Furthermore, the MAPK signaling pathway was revealed to be involved in the KLF4/hTERT modulation pathway. Forced expression of KLF4 profoundly attenuated lung cell proliferation and cancer formation in a murine model. Moreover, hTERT overexpression can partially rescue the KLF4-mediated suppressive effect in lung cancer cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that KLF4 suppresses lung cancer growth by inhibiting hTERT and MAPK signaling. Additionally, the KLF4/hTERT/MAPK pathway is a potential new therapeutic target for human lung cancer.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor Improves the Therapeutic Efficacy of Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells via RAD51

Human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hE-MSCs) have greater proliferative capacity than other human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), suggesting that they may have wider applications in regenerative cellular therapy. In this study, to uncover the anti-senescence mechanism in hE-MSCs, we compared hE-MSCs with adult bone marrow (hBM-MSCs) and found that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was more abundantly expressed in hE-MSCs than in hBM-MSCs and that it induced the transcription of RAD51 and facilitated its SUMOylation at K70. RAD51 induction/modification by HGF not only increased telomere length but also increased mtDNA replication, leading to increased ATP generation. Moreover, HGF-treated hBM-MSCs showed significantly better therapeutic efficacy than naive hBM-MSCs. Together, the data suggest that the RAD51-mediated effects of HGF prevent hMSC senescence by promoting telomere lengthening and inducing mtDNA replication and function, which opens the prospect of developing novel therapies for liver disease.

Modulation of telomerase activity in fish muscle by biological and environmental factors

Telomerase expression has long been linked to promotion of tumor growth and cell proliferation in mammals. Interestingly, telomerase activity (TA) has been detected in skeletal muscle for a variety of fish species. Despite this being a unique feature in fish, very few studies have investigated the potential role of TA in muscle. The present study was set to prove the concepts that muscle telomerase in fish is related to body growth, and more specifically, to muscle cell proliferation and apoptosis in vivo. Moreover, muscle TA can be influenced by biotic factors and modulated by environmental stress. Using three fish species, mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus), orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides), and marine medaka (Oryzias melastigma), the present work reports for the first time that fish muscle TA was sensitive to the environmental stresses of starvation, foodborne exposure to benzo[a]pyrene, and hypoxia. In marine medaka, muscle TA was coupled with fish growth during early life stages. Upon sexual maturation, muscle TA was confounded by sex (female>male). Muscle TA was significantly correlated with telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein expression (Pearson correlation r=0.892; p≤0.05), which was coupled with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) cell proliferation, but not associated with apoptosis (omBax/omBcl2 ratio) in muscle tissue. The results reported here have bridged the knowledge gap between the existence and function of telomerase in fish muscle. The underlying regulatory mechanisms of muscle TA in fish warrant further exploration for comparison with telomerase regulation in mammals.

Circadian desynchronization triggers premature cellular aging in a diurnal rodent

Chronic jet lag or shift work is deleterious to human metabolic health, in that such circadian desynchronization is associated with being overweight and the prevalence of altered glucose metabolism. Similar metabolic changes are observed with age, suggesting that chronic jet lag and accelerated cell aging are intimately related, but the association remains to be determined. We addressed whether jet lag induces metabolic and cell aging impairments in young grass rats (2-3 mo old), using control old grass rats (12-18 mo old) as an aging reference. Desynchronized young and control old subjects had impaired glucose tolerance (+60 and +280%) when compared with control young animals. Despite no significant variation in liver DNA damage, shorter telomeres were characterized, not only in old animal liver cells (-18%), but also at an intermediate level in desynchronized young rats (-9%). The same pattern was found for deacetylase sirtuin (SIRT)-1 (-57 and -29%), confirming that jet-lagged young rats have an intermediate aging profile. Our data indicate that an experimental circadian desynchronization in young animals is associated with a precocious aging profile based on 3 well-known markers, as well as a prediabetic phenotype. Such chronic jet lag-induced alterations observed in a diurnal species constitute proof of principle of the need to develop preventive treatments in jet-lagged persons and shift workers.

Telomere length is a novel predictive biomarker of sensitivity to anti-EGFR therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer

Background:

Telomeres are TTAGGG tandem repeats capping chromosomal ends and partially controlled by the telomerase enzyme. The EGFR pathway putatively regulates telomerase function, prompting an investigation of telomere length (TL) and its association with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Methods:

Colorectal cancer cell lines were treated with multiple drugs and sensitivity determined. Clinical information was gathered from 75 patients who had received anti-EGFR drugs. Telomere length was measured using a validated qRT–PCR technique.

Results:

In CRC cell lines, TL independently predicted cetuximab sensitivity. Cells with shorter TL had growth inhibition of 18.6±3.41% as compared with 41.39±8.58% in longer TL (P=0.02). These in vitro findings were validated clinically, in a robust multivariate model. Among patients with KRas WT tumours, those with longer TL had a superior median progression-free survival (PFS) of 24.9 weeks than those with shorter TL; median 11.1 weeks, HR 0.31; P=0.048.

Conclusion:

Telomere length could be a potential unique biomarker predictive of clinical benefit (PFS) of mCRC patients treated with anti-EGFR therapy. This is the novel demonstration of a complex hitherto undescribed interaction, placing anti-EGFR therapy, EGFR pathway, and the telomerase complex within a clinical context.

Strategies for immortalization of primary hepatocytes

The liver has the unique capacity to regenerate in response to a damaging event. Liver regeneration is hereby largely driven by hepatocyte proliferation, which in turn relies on cell cycling. The hepatocyte cell cycle is a complex process that is tightly regulated by several well-established mechanisms. In vitro, isolated hepatocytes do not longer retain this proliferative capacity. However, in vitro cell growth can be boosted by immortalization of hepatocytes. Well-defined immortalization genes can be artificially overexpressed in hepatocytes or the cells can be conditionally immortalized leading to controlled cell proliferation. This paper discusses the current immortalization techniques and provides a state-of-the-art overview of the actually available immortalized hepatocyte-derived cell lines and their applications.

The promoter of human telomerase reverse transcriptase is activated during liver regeneration and hepatocyte proliferation

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Telomerase activity has not been detected in healthy human liver biopsy samples, but it is up-regulated in most human liver tumors. It is not clear whether telomerase is activated in response to acute or chronic liver injury. Telomerase activity is closely associated with expression of its catalytic subunit, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). We analyzed the activity of the human TERT (hTERT) promoter during liver regeneration in vivo and hepatocyte proliferation in vitro.

METHODS

We used hTERTp-lacZ transgenic mice, which contain an 8.0-kilobase pair fragment of the hTERT gene promoter, to study the role of TERT in liver regeneration following partial hepatectomy. As an in vitro model, we used the HepaRG cell line as a new model system for human hepatocyte proliferation and differentiation.

RESULTS

Activity of the hTERT promoter increased significantly after partial hepatectomy; it was also induced in hepatocytes, based on immunohistologic analysis. Similar to the in vivo results, telomerase activity and hTERT expression were up-regulated in proliferating HepaRG cells and repressed in response to growth arrest and differentiation. Promoter mapping revealed that a proximal 0.3-kilobase pair fragment contains all elements necessary for regulation of hTERT in HepaRG cells. We identified E2F2 and E2F7 as transcription factors that control the differential expression of hTERT in proliferating hepatocytes, in vitro and in vivo.

CONCLUSIONS

hTERT is induced in hepatocytes during liver regeneration, indicating a functional role for telomerase in human liver.

Regulation of telomerase activity by apparently opposing elements

Telomeres, the ends of chromosomes, undergo frequent remodeling events that are important in cell development, proliferation and differentiation, and neoplastic immortalization. It is not known how the cellular environment influences telomere remodeling, stability, and lengthening or shortening. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein complex that maintains and lengthens telomeres in the majority of cancers. Recent studies indicate that a number of factors, including hormones, cytokines, ligands of nuclear receptor, vitamins and herbal extracts have significantly influence telomerase activity and, in some instances, the remodeling of telomeres. This review summarizes the advances in understanding of the positive and negative regulation by extracellular factors of telomerase activity in cancer, stem cells and other systems in mammals.

Human telomerase activity, telomerase and telomeric template expression in hepatic stem cells and in livers from fetal and postnatal donors

BACKGROUND

Although telomerase activity has been analyzed in various normal and malignant tissues, including liver, it is still unknown to what extent telomerase can be associated with specific maturational lineage stages.

METHODS

We assessed human telomerase activity, protein and gene expression for the telomerase reverse transcriptase, as well as expression of the telomeric template RNA hTER in hepatic stem cells and in various developmental stages of the liver from fetal to adult. In addition, the effect of growth factors on telomerase activity was analyzed in hepatic stem cells in vitro.

RESULTS

Telomerase was found to be highly active in fetal liver cells and was significantly higher than in hepatic stem cells, correlating with gene and protein expression levels. Activity in postnatal livers from all donor ages varied considerably and did not correlate with age or gene expression levels. The hter expression could be detected throughout the development. A short stimulation by growth factors of cultured hepatic stem cells did not increase telomerase activity.

CONCLUSION

Telomerase is considerably active in fetal liver and variably in postnatal livers. Although telomerase protein is present at varying levels in liver cells of all donor ages, gene expression is solely associated with fetal liver cells.

Telomerase activity in pig granulosa cells proliferating and differentiating in vitro

The aim of the work was to analyze the telomerase activity (TA) in two different populations of pig granulosa cells (GC) proliferating and differentiating in vitro: (a) in relatively undifferentiated granulosa cells isolated from small (1-2 mm) antral follicles and (b) in functionally advanced, differentiated cells obtained from large (5-7 mm) antral follicles. The proliferative potential in vitro of small follicle granulosa cells (SF-GC) was higher than that of large follicle granulosa cells (LF-GC). EGF stimulated significantly (p<0.01) proliferation in SF-GC as well as LF-GC. FSH did not have a stimulating effect on proliferation in both of the GC populations. Steroidogenesis was induced in both SF- and LF-GC in vitro. Significantly higher (p<0.01) levels of estradiol were measured in LF-GC cultures. In SF-GC, no significantly different effects of EGF and FSH on estradiol production were found. The production of progesterone in vitro was higher in LF-GC than in SF-GC and its production was specifically promoted by FSH in contrast to estradiol the synthesis of which in vitro was less dependent on culture conditions. Using the TRAP assay telomerase activity was detected in freshly isolated and in vitro cultured pig SF- and LF-GC. In EGF, but not FSH stimulated SF-GC, significantly enhanced (p<0.05) TA in comparison with the control was observed at an interval of 24 h of culture. After the 48 h in vitro, levels of TA in both EGF and FSH treated cells were comparable with control. In LF-GC, both EGF and FSH stimulated significantly (p<0.05) TA after the 24h of in vitro culture. At an interval of 48 h, no significant differences in the level of TA were observed between control, EGF and FSH stimulated LF-GC. Comparing the levels of TA in SF- and LF-GC, significantly higher levels of TA were found in control (p<0.05) and EGF (p<0.01) treated SF-GC after 24 h in vitro. On the other hand, absolutely, but not significantly, higher levels of TA were found in LF-GC versus SF-GC in all culture conditions after 48 h in vitro.

Regeneration in pig livers by compensatory hyperplasia induces high levels of telomerase activity

Background

Several highly proliferative human cells transiently activate telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein with reverse transcriptase activity, to counterbalance replication-associated telomere erosion and to increase stress resistance. Quiescent human hepatocytes exhibit very low or undetectable levels of telomerase activity. However, hepatocytes display a remarkable proliferative capability following liver injury. To investigate whether liver regeneration by compensatory hyperplasia is associated with telomerase activation, we measured telomerase activity in pig livers after 70 to 80% partial hepatectomy using a fully quantitative real-time telomeric repeat amplification protocol. In contrast to commonly studied inbred laboratory mouse strains, telomere length and telomerase activity in porcine tissues are comparable to humans.

Results

Following partial hepatectomy, histology revealed mitotic hepatocytes as marker for compensatory hyperplasia. As expected, there was no induction of inflammation. Telomerase activity increased significantly showing the highest levels (5-fold upregulation) in pigs treated with partial hepatectomy and hepatic decompression. Moreover, telomerase activity significantly correlated to the number of mitotic hepatocytes.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate telomerase activation in liver regeneration by compensatory hyperplasia in a large animal model with telomere biology comparable to humans. Telomerase activation may constitute a mechanism to protect proliferating liver cells against telomere shortening and oxidative stress.

Smoking is associated with increased telomerase activity in short-term cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells

Telomerase plays an important role in the maintenance of telomere ends in normal and tumor cells and ectopic expression can immortalize human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells. We assessed telomerase activation, growth properties and methylation status in the hTERT promoter in a panel of HBE cell cultures in relation to smoking and previous lung cancer history. HBE cells were obtained from a total of 26 subjects, six of whom were lifelong non-smokers, while 20 subjects had a smoking history, including seven who had lung carcinoma. Telomerase activity was determined using the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP). Maximum passage number and time to senescence were also determined through extended culturing. The distribution of the telomerase activity between ever-smokers and never-smokers was significantly different (P=0.03, F-test), and there was a strong correlation between telomerase activity and the number of pack-years smoked (P=0.0012, F-test for slope). A small difference in telomerase activity was observed according to lung cancer status (P=0.02, F-test). Telomerase activity was not correlated with maximum passage number after extended culturing or with time to senescence. None of the HBE cultures demonstrated methylation of the hTERT promoter. Our results indicate an association between tobacco carcinogen exposure and telomerase activity in normal bronchial epithelium, although a causative role of tobacco smoking in the (re)activation of telomerase can not be proven. An increase in telomerase activity in normal bronchial epithelium might extend the lifespan of cells at risk for malignant transformation, and thus contribute to lung carcinogenesis.

Activation of mouse natural killer T cells accelerates liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Activation of natural killer T cells with the synthetic ligand alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) induced hepatotoxicity through the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and Fas-ligand-mediated pathway in aged mice. The aim of this study was to elucidate how alpha-GalCer-activated natural killer T cells function in hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration in partially hepatectomized (PHx) mice.

METHODS

Mice were injected with alpha-GalCer at 36 hours after 70% PHx. Hepatocyte mitosis was evaluated by either mitotic figures or proliferating cell nuclear antigen staining. The role of TNF and Fas-ligand in hepatocyte mitosis also was assessed.

RESULTS

In PHx mice injected with alpha-GalCer, hepatocyte mitosis was greatly enhanced at 44 hours after surgery and the increase was more obvious in aged mice than in young mice. The expression of both TNF receptor 1 and Fas-ligand in liver natural killer T cells tended to increase after alpha-GalCer injection in PHx mice. Treatment of mice with anti-NK1.1 Ab 3 days before and just after hepatectomy greatly inhibited the effect of alpha-GalCer on hepatocyte mitosis and liver regeneration. Furthermore, pretreatment of PHx mice with either anti-TNF Ab or anti-FasL Ab 1 hour before alpha-GalCer injection mostly abrogated the increase in hepatocyte proliferation. alpha-GalCer injection did not accelerate hepatocyte proliferation in Fas-mutated lpr mice after PHx. CD1d-/- mice without alpha-GalCer injection showed decreased hepatocyte mitosis after PHx.

CONCLUSIONS

Activated natural killer T cells help hepatocyte proliferation and liver regeneration after PHx via the TNF and Fas/Fas-ligand-mediated pathway.

Neutralization of tumor necrosis factor abrogates hepatic failure induced by alpha-galactosylceramide without attenuating its antitumor effect in aged mice

BACKGROUND/AIMS

The functions of mouse liver NK1.1+ T (NKT) cells stimulated with alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) are enhanced age dependently, and the antitumor and anti-metastatic effect in the liver is dependent on IFN-gamma. However, hepatic injury is independent of IFN-gamma and Fas/Fas-ligand dependent. The aim of this study is to investigate how tumor necrosis factor is involved in the alpha-GalCer-mediated immune phenomena.

METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were intraperitoneally treated with anti-TNF antibody 1 h before alpha-GalCer injection, and Fas-ligand expression of NKT cells, the serum ALT levels and histopathological findings of the liver, kidney and lung and mortality after alpha-GalCer injection were evaluated. IFN-gamma production and antitumor immunity in the liver after the intravenous injection of EL-4 cells were also assessed.

RESULTS

Serum TNF levels after alpha-GalCer injection increased age dependently in mice. Anti-TNF Ab reduced Fas-ligand (Fas-L) expression of NKT cells while it completely inhibited organ injuries induced by alpha-GalCer and thereby reduced the mortality of old mice, whereas it did not affect the IFN-gamma production from NKT cells, the antitumor immunity in the liver nor the mouse survival after EL-4 injection.

CONCLUSIONS

NKT cells activated by alpha-galactosylceramide participated in either antitumor immunity or hepatic injury using IFN-gamma and TNF/Fas-L, respectively.

Controlled and reversible induction of differentiation and activation of adult human hepatocytes by a biphasic culture technique

AIM: Clinical application of human hepatocytes (HC) is hampered by the progressive loss of growth and differentiation in vitro. The object of the study was to evaluate the effect of a biphasic culture technique on expression and activation of growth factor receptors and differentiation of human adult HC.

METHODS: Isolated HC were sequentially cultured in a hormone enriched differentiation medium (DM) containing nicotinamide, insulin, transferrin, selenium, and dexame-thasone or activation medium (AM) containing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Expression, distribution and activation of the HC receptors (MET and EGFR) and the pattern of characteristic cytokeratin (CK) filaments were measured by fluorometry, confocal microscopy and Western blotting.

RESULTS: In the biphasic culture system, HC underwent repeated cycles of activation (characterized by expression and activation of growth factor receptors) and re-differentiation (illustrated by distribution of typical filaments CK-18 but low or absent expression of CK-19). In AM increased expression of MET and EGFR was associated with receptor translocation into the cytoplasm and induction of atypical CK-19. In DM low expression of MET and EGFR was localized on the cell membrane and CK-19 was reduced. Receptor phosphorylation required embedding of HC in collagen type I gel.

CONCLUSION: Control and reversible modulation of growth factor receptor activation of mature human HC can be accomplished in vitro, when defined signals from the extracellular matrix and sequential growth stimuli are provided. The biphasic technique helps overcome de-differentiation, which occurs during continuous stimulation by means of growth factors.

Retinoic acid suppresses telomerase activity in HSC-1 human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Activation of telomerase is crucial for the continued growth and progression of cancer cells. In a previous study, we showed that telomerase is frequently activated in skin tumours.

OBJECTIVE

Because retinoic acid (RA) plays an important role in the growth and differentiation of keratinocytes and as RA has some preventive and therapeutic effects on human skin cancers, we examined the effect of RA on the telomerase activity of HSC-1 human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells.

RESULTS

Treatment of HSC-1 cells with all-trans RA (ATRA) significantly suppressed their telomerase activity. The suppression of telomerase activity was obvious at day 4 and was maximal at day 5 after the start of treatment with RA. This suppression was reversible as removal of ATRA allowed the recovery of telomerase activity. The suppression of telomerase activity correlated with the decreased expression of mRNA of human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT), the rate-limiting determinant of enzyme activity. The production of c-myc and of Sp1 proteins, transcription factors regulating hTERT expression, was not suppressed in HSC-1 cells by ATRA, but phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 and of the serine/threonine kinase Akt was significantly suppressed. Phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, which regulates hTERT expression in HSC-1 cells, was not altered by ATRA.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate that RA is effective in inhibiting telomerase activity in HSC-1 cells. Suppression of ERK1/2 and Akt activation is presumed to be involved in the RA-induced suppression of hTERT.

Enhancement of the synthetic ligand-mediated function of liver NK1.1Ag+ T cells in mice by interleukin-12 pretreatment

We previously reported that mouse NK1.1 Ag+ T (NKT) cells activated by interleukin-12 (IL-12) act as anti-tumour/anti-metastatic effectors. However, IL-12 reportedly induces a rapid disappearance of liver NKT cells by activation-induced apoptosis. In the present study, however, we show that injection of IL-12 into mice merely down-regulates the NK1.1 expression of liver NKT cells and Vbeta8+ intermediate T-cell receptor cells and CD1d/alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer)-tetramer reactive cells in the liver remained and did not decrease. Furthermore, when IL-12-pretreated (24 hr before) mice were injected with alpha-GalCer, not only serum interferon-gamma but also serum IL-4 concentrations increased several-fold in comparison to the control alpha-GalCer-injected mice. However, IL-12 pretreatment markedly up-regulated serum ALT levels and Fas-ligand expression on NKT cells after alpha-GalCer injection in middle-aged mice only. Consistently, the liver mononuclear cells (MNC) from IL-12-pretreated mice stimulated with alpha-GalCer in vitro produced much greater amounts of interferon-gamma and IL-4, and also showed a more potent cytotoxicity against tumour targets than those from mice pretreated with phosphate-buffered saline. Liver MNC from middle-aged mice, but not from young mice pretreated with IL-12, also showed increased cytotoxicity following in vitro alpha-GalCer stimulation against cultured hepatocytes. Furthermore, IL-12 treatment of middle-aged mice enhanced tumour necrosis factor receptor 1 mRNA expression in liver Vbeta8+ T cells, and in vitro experiments also revealed that IL-12 pretreatment of liver MNC from middle-aged mice enhanced their tumour necrosis factor-alpha production after alpha-GalCer stimulation. Synthetic ligand-mediated functions of NKT cells, including IL-4 production, are thus enhanced by IL-12 pretreatment.

Impact of donor age and year of transplant on graft survival in liver transplant recipients with chronic hepatitis C

Studies suggest donor age and year of transplantation are associated with low graft survival in liver transplant recipients with hepatitis C. We sought to determine if advanced donor age and recent year of transplantation are associated with graft survival in hepatitis C recipients and to determine if the effect of donor age on graft survival is specific to hepatitis C. We analyzed the United Network for Organ Sharing liver transplant database from 1994 to 2002. Six thousand four hundred and four subjects transplanted for end-stage liver disease from chronic hepatitis C met our criteria. One-year graft survival in hepatitis C recipients with organs from donors <40 years old and >or=60 years old was 84% and 73%, p = 0.003, respectively. These rates in recipients with cholestatic liver disease and alcoholic liver disease were 85% and 82%, respectively, p = 0.11 and 82% and 78%, respectively, p = 0.14. Three-year graft survival in hepatitis C recipients transplanted from 1994 to 1995 and 1996 to 1999 was 67% and 69%, respectively, p = 0.10. Graft survival in hepatitis C recipients has not declined in recent years. Older donor age is associated with lower short-term graft survival in recipients with hepatitis C, but not in recipients with cholestatic or alcoholic liver disease.

Sphingosine-1-phosphate induces proliferation and morphological changes of neural progenitor cells

Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a lipid mediator that exerts multiple cellular functions through activation of G-protein-coupled receptors. Although the role of S1P on angiogenesis is well established, its role in neurogenesis is unknown. We examined the effects of S1P on G-protein activation in brain sections of rat embryo and on neural progenitor cells in culture. Intense S1P-stimulated [35S]GTPgammaS labeling was observed as early as E15 in the neuroepithelium and differentiating fields throughout the brain, suggesting that functional S1P receptors are expressed in brain areas with active neurogenesis. mRNA transcripts for several S1P receptor subtypes (S1P1, S1P2, S1P3 and S1P5) were expressed in neural progenitor cells prepared from embryonic rat hippocampus. S1P induced phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and proliferation of neural progenitor cells as determined by BrdU incorporation in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. These effects were prevented by the ERK signaling inhibitor U0126. S1P augmented telomerase activity in neural progenitor cells with similar potency as that of FGF-2. Furthermore, S1P induced cell-cell aggregation. This morphological change was transient and prevented by Y-27632, an inhibitor of Rho-associated kinase. These results suggest that S1P plays a pleiotropic role in neurogenesis via pathways involving S1P receptors, MAP kinases and Rho kinase.

Inhibition of the epidermal growth factor receptor suppresses telomerase activity in HSC-1 human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells

Activation of telomerase, which stabilizes the telomere length of chromosomes, is crucial for the continued growth or progression of cancer cells. In a previous study, we showed that telomerase is frequently activated in skin tumors. Because epidermal growth factor plays an important role during the tumorigenesis of epithelial tissue, we have now examined the role of epidermal growth factor signaling in regulating telomerase activity using HSC-1 human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cells. Treatment of HSC-1 cells with AG 1478, an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor, or with a neutralizing antibody to the epidermal growth factor receptor, significantly suppressed their telomerase activity, in association with inhibiting their growth. The suppression of telomerase activity was obvious at day 3 and was maximal at day 5 after treatment with AG 1478. The suppression of telomerase activity correlated with the decreased expression of human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) mRNA, the rate-limiting determinant of its enzyme activity. The expression of c-Myc and of Sp1 proteins, transcription factors for hTERT, were also suppressed by AG 1478 in HSC-1 cells, but the expression of Ets-2 protein, another transcription factor, was not affected. The expression of Mad-1, a competitor of c-Myc, was increased. Inhibition of ERK, Src, or Akt suppressed telomerase activity in HSC-1 cells, but to a lesser extent than did treatment with AG 1478. Serum starvation suppressed telomerase activity, but addition of epidermal growth factor or transforming growth factor alpha did not increase it, indicating the involvement of other epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in the activation of telomerase in HSC-1 cells. These data indicate that blockade of the epidermal growth factor receptor might be effective in inhibiting telomerase activity of squamous cell carcinomas, which would lead to the suppression of tumor growth.

Age-associated augmentation of the synthetic ligand- mediated function of mouse NK1.1 ag(+) T cells: their cytokine production and hepatotoxicity in vivo and in vitro

We recently reported that the direct antitumor effectors in the liver induced by alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) are NK cells that are activated by the IFN-gamma produced from NK1.1 Ag(+) T cells (NKT cells) specifically stimulated with alpha-GalCer, whereas NKT cells cause hepatocyte injury through the Fas-Fas ligand pathway. In the present study, we investigated how mouse age affects the alpha-GalCer-induced effect using young (6-wk-old), middle-aged (30-wk-old), and old (75-wk-old) mice. The serum IFN-gamma and IL-4 concentrations as well as alanine aminotransferase levels after the alpha-GalCer injection increased in an age-dependent manner. An alpha-GalCer injection also induced an age-dependent increase in the Fas ligand expression on liver NKT cells. Under the stimulus of alpha-GalCer in vitro, the liver mononuclear cells from old and middle-aged mice showed vigorous proliferation, remarkable antitumor cytotoxicity, and enhanced production of both IFN-gamma and IL-4 in comparison to those of young mice, all of which were mediated mainly by NK1.1(+) cells. Furthermore, liver mononuclear cells from old mice stimulated with alpha-GalCer showed a more potent Fas-Fas ligand-mediated cytotoxicity against primary cultured hepatocytes than did those from young mice. Most alpha-GalCer-injected old mice, but no young mice, died, while anti-IFN-gamma Ab pretreatment completely inhibited mouse mortality. However, alpha-GalCer-induced hepatic injury did not improve at all by anti-IFN-gamma Ab treatment, and the Fas-ligand expression of liver NKT cells did not change. Taken together, the synthetic ligand-mediated function of NKT cells is age-dependently up-regulated, and the produced IFN-gamma is responsible for alpha-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity and the mouse mortality, while hepatic injury was unexpectedly found to be independent of IFN-gamma.

Antisense epidermal growth factor receptor RNA transfection in human glioblastoma cells down-regulates telomerase activity and telomere length

Epidermal growth factor receptor is overexpressed and/or amplified in up to 50% of glioblastomas, suggesting an important role of this gene in glial tumorigenesis and progression. In the present study we demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor is involved in regulation of telomerase activity in glioblastoma. Antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor approach was used to inhibit epidermal growth factor receptor expression of glioblastoma U87MG cells. Telomerase activity in antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells decreased by up to 54 folds compared with control cells. Moreover, the telomere lengths of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells were shortened. In addition, the tumorigenicity of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor cells was significantly inhibited. Taken together, there were strong correlations between tumorigenicity and epidermal growth factor receptor expression levels, and between tumorigenicity and telomerase activity. These results provide evidence that epidermal growth factor receptor plays an important role in the regulation of telomerase activity of glioma cells. Our findings provide new insights into both the biological functions of epidermal growth factor receptor and the regulation of telomerase activity. The inhibition of telomerase activity triggered by antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor treatment may reflect yet another mechanism of antisense-epidermal growth factor receptor approach in tumour suppression.