Expression of SPANX proteins in normal prostatic tissue and in prostate cancer

Hypomethylated SPANXA1/A2 promotes the metastasis of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

The aberrant expression of SPANXA1/A2 (sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X-chromosome, family members A1/A2) has been observed in multi types of cancers. However, the roles of SPANXA1/A2 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain largely unknown. The expression of SPANXA1/A2 was evaluated via analyzing UCSC XENA and GEO databases. To dissect the underlying cause of silencing SPANXA1/A2-mediated suppression, cell migration and invasion were detected in SPANXA1/A2 manipulated cell lines. Western blot was performed to evaluate EMT-related factors. The methylation microarray data of SPANXA1/A2 in HNSCC from the UCSC XENA database were used to identify whether aberrant overexpressed SPANXA1/A2 is induced by aberrant DNA methylation. SPANXA1/A2 was highly expressed in tumor tissues and associated with poor survival of patients with HNSCC. Knockdown of SPANXA1/A2 inhibited migration and invasion abilities in both Cal-27 and SCC-9 cells through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) suppression. The SPANXA1/A2 expression negatively related to its DNA methylation level. SPANXA1/A2 DNA hypomethylation was associated with metastatic stage and poor survival of patients with HNSCC. A dose-dependent increase of SPANXA1/A2 mRNA was observed in both cal-27 and SCC-9 cells after treatment with 5-AZA-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA-CdR). We demonstrated that knockdown of SPANXA1/A2 obviously inhibited tumor cell migration and invasion through EMT suppression. DNA hypomethylation might be responsible for the aberrant SPANXA1/A2 overexpressing. SPANXA1/A2 may be used as a diagnosed and independent prognosis indicator of HNSCC, and knockdown of SPANXA1/A2 may present a new gene-based therapy for HNSCC.

Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 Protein Expression in Normal Pancreas and Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic cancer is a most frequent cancer in Europe, and the majority of cases of cancer of the pancreas are diagnosed above the age of 65. Radical surgery is the first curative treatment of pancreatic cancer, and alternative or combined therapeutic options, in particular, consist of adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy, with or without radiotherapy. Many factors, including diet and genetics, have been implicated in the development of cancer of the pancreas. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) protein is required for translocation of the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria to the nucleus. It is involved in programmed cell death processes. Different PARP-1 gene expression proteins have been observed in various tumors such as lung, ovarian, endometrial, skin, and glioblastoma. We evaluated the expression of PARP-1 protein in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and normal pancreas tissues by immunohistochemistry. Protein PARP-1 in the nucleus was found in all samples (normal pancreas and pancreatic adenocarcinoma tissues). No cytoplasmic staining was observed in any sample. PARP-1-positive cells resulted higher in the normal pancreas compared with the pancreas with adenocarcinoma. PARP-1 overexpression in prostate cancer tissue compared with normal prostate suggests a greater activity of PARP-1 in these tumors. These findings suggest that PARP-1 expression in prostate cancer is an attempt to trigger apoptosis in this type of tumor, similarl to that reported in other cancers. This finding suggests that PARP-1-mediated cell death pathways are inhibited in this cancer.

Can cytomegalovirus infection affect male reproductive function? Results of a retrospective single-centre analysis

Our objective was to investigate whether the chronic cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can affect semen parameters in men with couple infertility and to assess the impact of male CMV infection on the reproductive outcomes of CMV-seronegative women suffering from tubal factor. Group 1 included CMV IgG-seropositive men, Group 2 CMV IgG-seronegative patients. Seminal parameters, two-pronuclear (2PN) fertilization rate (FR), 1-2-3PN FR, cleavage rate (CR), miscarriage rate (MR), pregnancy rate (PR) and live birth rate (LBR) were collected. Two hundred and twenty-two men were included: 115 (51.8%) in Group 1 and 107 (48.2%) in Group 2. There was reported a low trend towards higher sperm concentration/ml, total sperm count and viability in CMV IgG-seronegative males, compared to CMV IgG-seropositive (p > .05). Semen volume, pH, motility and normal sperm morphology were similar among groups. Considering the subgroup of men, partners of CMV IgG-seronegative females, 65 couples (29.2%) were selected. Median 2PN FR was 67%, total FR 83%, CR 100%, PR/cycle 26.2%, MR 10.8%, LBR/cycle 15.4%. No significant differences were found regarding the reproductive outcomes between CMV IgG-seropositive men and those seronegative. CMV did not seem to play a key role in male reproductive function, as well as in influencing sperm fertility potential in the assisted reproductive outcomes.

Iodine promotes thyroid cancer development via SPANXA1 through the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of iodine on the development of thyroid cancer cells and to detect the underlying mechanisms. It was observed that proliferation was promoted and apoptosis was inhibited in cells treated with iodine at a specific concentration. This treatment group was then selected for further analysis, to investigate how iodine affects the development of thyroid cancer cells. It was reported that sperm protein associated with the nucleus, X-linked, family member A1 (SPANXA1) expression in iodine-treated cells was significantly upregulated. Furthermore, downregulation of SPANXA1 inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted cell apoptosis. These results suggested that SPANXA1 played an important role in iodine-treated thyroid cancer cells. Novel associations between SPANXA1 and thyroid cancer were described in the current study. In addition, SPANXA1 gene silencing resulted in the downregulation of PI3K and phosphorylated (p)AKT expression in iodine-treated thyroid cancer cells, whereas iodine treatment alone resulted in upregulated PI3K and p-AKT expression. Inhibiting PI3K further suppressed cell proliferation and contributed to apoptosis, even in the presence of SPANXA1 at high levels. As a consequence, PI3K/AKT may be one of the key signalling pathways by which iodine promotes thyroid cancer development in association with SPANXA1. In addition, our results further suggested that patients with thyroid cancer may need to avoid high-iodine intake.

Immunoexpression of SPANX-C in metastatic uveal melanoma

Uveal melanoma is a rare disease but it is the most common primary intraocular malignant tumor in adults with poor late prognosis. About 50% of patients will develop liver metastasis far from the enucleation within 10-15 years. Our study examined SPANX-C expression levels in primary uveal melanoma both with and without metastasis to assess if they can be used to predict metastasis. This study included a total of 55 patients, 28 males and 27 females, with uveal melanoma. A significantly high expression of SPANX-C was seen in 19/23 (82.6%) patients with metastasis, and only in 11/32 (38.5%) patients without metastasis. In conclusion, we found that SPANX-C expression could play a role in tumor progression of uveal melanoma.

SPANXA suppresses EMT by inhibiting c-JUN/SNAI2 signaling in lung adenocarcinoma

SPANXA (Sperm Protein Associated with the Nucleus on the X-chromosome, family members A1/A2) acts as a cancer-testis antigen expressed in normal testes, but dysregulated in various tumors. We found that SPANXA is highly expressed in low-invasive CL1-0 cells compared with isogenous high-invasive CL1-5 cells. SPANXA was preferably expressed in tumor tissues and associated with the prolonged survival of lung adenocarcinomas. SPANXA suppressed the invasion and metastasis of lung cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. By the expression microarray and pathway analysis, we found that the SPANXA-altered genes were enriched in the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway. SPANXA reduced SNAI2 expression resulted in up-regulating E-cadherin. c-JUN acts as the positive-regulator of EMT. Silencing SPANXA increased c-JUN mRNA expression and blockage of c-JUN led to SNAI2 down-regulation. Our results clearly characterized SPANXA as an EMT inhibitor by suppressing c-JUN-SNAI2 axis in lung adenocarcinoma.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 protein expression in normal and neoplastic prostatic tissue

A genetic background has been implicated in the development of prostate cancer. Protein microarrays have enabled the identification of proteins, some of which associated with apoptosis, that may play a role in the development of such a tumor. Inhibition of apoptosis is a co-factor that contributes to the onset and progression of prostate cancer, though the molecular mechanisms are not entirely understood. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) gene is required for translocation of the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) from the mitochondria to the nucleus. Hence, it is involved in programmed cell death. Different PARP-1 gene expression has been observed in various tumors such as glioblastoma, lung, ovarian, endometrial, and skin cancers. We evaluated the expression of PARP-1 protein in prostatic cancer and normal prostate tissues by immunohistochemistry in 40 men with prostate cancer and in 37 normal men. Positive nuclear PARP-1 staining was found in all samples (normal prostate and prostate cancer tissues). No cytoplasmic staining was observed in any sample. PARP-1-positive cells resulted significantly higher in patients with prostate carcinoma compared with controls (P<0.001). PARP-1 over-expression in prostate cancer tissue compared with normal prostate suggests a greater activity of PARP-1 in these tumors. These findings suggest that PARP-1 expression in prostate cancer is an attempt to trigger apoptosis in this type of tumor similarly to what reported in other cancers.

On the future contents of a small journal of histochemistry

In the last three years, more than 70,000 scientific articles have been published in peer reviewed journals on the application of histochemistry in the biomedical field: most of them did not appear in strictly histochemical journals, but in others dealing with cell and molecular biology, medicine or biotechnology. This proves that histochemistry is still an active and innovative discipline with relevance in basic and applied biological research, but also demonstrates that especially the small histochemical journals should likely reconsider their scopes and strategies to preserve their authorship. A review of the last three years volumes of the European Journal of Histochemistry, taken as an example of a long-time established small journal, confirmed that the published articles were widely heterogeneous in their topics and experimental models, as in this journal's tradition. This strongly suggests that a journal of histochemistry should keep its role as a forum open to an audience as broad as possible, publishing papers on cell and tissue biology in a wide variety of models. This will improve knowledge of the basic mechanisms of development and differentiation, while helping to increase the number of potential authors since scientists who generally do not use histochemistry in their research will find hints for the applications of histochemical techniques to novel still unexplored subjects.

PARP-1 protein expression in glioblastoma multiforme

One of the most common type of primary brain tumors in adults is the glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (World Health Organization grade IV astrocytoma). It is the most common malignant and aggressive form of glioma and it is among the most lethal ones. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) gene, located to 1q42, plays an important role for the efficient maintenance of genome integrity. PARP-1 protein is required for the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) translocation from the mitochondria to the nucleus. PARP-1 is proteolytically cleaved at the onset of apoptosis by caspase-3. Microarray analysis of PARP-1 gene expression in more than 8,000 samples revealed that PARP-1 is more highly expressed in several types of cancer compared with the equivalent normal tissues. Overall, the most differences in PARP-1 gene expression have been observed in breast, ovarian, endometrial, lung, and skin cancers, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We evaluated the expression of PARP-1 protein in normal brain tissues and primary GBM by immunohistochemistry. Positive nuclear PARP-1 staining was found in all samples with GBM, but not in normal neurons from controls (n=4) and GBM patients (n=27). No cytoplasmic staining was observed in any sample. In conclusion, PARP-1 gene is expressed in GBM. This finding may be envisioned as an attempt to trigger apoptosis in this tumor, as well as in many other malignancies. The presence of the protein exclusively at the nucleus further support the function played by this gene in genome integrity maintenance and apoptosis. Finally, PARP-1 staining may be used as GBM cell marker.

Identifying pathological biomarkers: histochemistry still ranks high in the omics era

In recent years, omic analyses have been proposed as possible approaches to diagnosis, in particular for tumours, as they should be able to provide quantitative tools to detect and measure abnormalities in gene and protein expression, through the evaluation of transcription and translation products in the abnormal vs normal tissues. Unfortunately, this approach proved to be much less powerful than expected, due to both intrinsic technical limits and the nature itself of the pathological tissues to be investigated, the heterogeneity deriving from polyclonality and tissue phenotype variability between patients being a major limiting factor in the search for unique omic biomarkers. Especially in the last few years, the application of refined techniques for investigating gene expression in situ has greatly increased the diagnostic/prognostic potential of histochemistry, while the progress in light microscopy technology and in the methods for imaging molecules in vivo have provided valuable tools for elucidating the molecular events and the basic mechanisms leading to a pathological condition. Histochemical techniques thus remain irreplaceable in pathologist's armamentarium, and it may be expected that even in the future histochemistry will keep a leading position among the methodological approaches for clinical pathology.

Histochemistry through the years, browsing a long-established journal: novelties in traditional subjects

Histochemical journals represent a traditional forum where methodological and technological improvements can be presented and validated in view of their applications to investigate not only cytology and histology in normal and diseased conditions but to test as well hypotheses on more basic issues for life sciences, such as comparative and evolutionary biology. The earliest scientific journals on histochemistry began their publication in the first half of the ‘50s of the last century, and their readership did not probably change over the years; rather, the authors’ interests may have progressively been changing as well as the main topics of their articles. This hypothesis is discussed, based on the subjects of the article published in the first and last ten years in the European Journal of Histochemistry, as an example of old journal which started publication in 1954, being since then the official organ of the Italian Society of Histochemistry. This survey confirmed that histochemistry has provided and still offers unique opportunities for studying the structure, chemical composition and function of cells and tissues in a wide variety of living organisms, especially when the topological distribution of specific molecular components has diagnostic or predictive significance, as it occurs in human and veterinary biology and pathology. Some subjects (e.g. histochemistry applied to muscle cells or to mineralized tissues) have recently become rather popular, whereas a wider application of the histochemical approach may be envisaged for plant cells and tissues.