Utilization of carbon catabolite repression for efficiently biotransformation of anthraquinone O-glucuronides by Streptomyces coeruleorubidus DM

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) is a highly conserved mechanism that regulates carbon source utilization in Streptomyces. CCR has a negative impact on secondary metabolite fermentation, both in industrial and research settings. In this study, CCR was observed in the daunorubicin (DNR)-producing strain Streptomyces coeruleorubidus DM, which was cultivated in high concentration of carbohydrates. Unexpectedly, DM exhibited a high ability for anthraquinone glucuronidation biotransformation under CCR conditions with a maximum bioconversion rate of 95% achieved at pH 6, 30°C for 24 h. The co-utilization of glucose and sucrose resulted in the highest biotransformation rate compared to other carbon source combinations. Three novel anthraquinone glucuronides were obtained, with purpurin-O-glucuronide showing significantly improved water solubility, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial bioactivity. Comparative transcript analysis revealed that glucose and sucrose utilization were significantly upregulated as DM cultivated under CCR condition, which strongly enhance the biosynthetic pathway of the precursors Uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid (UDPGA). Meanwhile, the carbon metabolic flux has significantly enhanced the fatty acid biosynthesis, the exhaust of acetyl coenzyme A may lead to the complete repression of the biosynthesis of DNR, Additionally, the efflux transporter genes were simultaneously downregulated, which may contribute to the anthraquinones intracellular glucuronidation. Overall, our findings demonstrate that utilizing CCR can be a valuable strategy for enhancing the biotransformation efficiency of anthraquinone O-glucuronides by DM. This approach has the potential to improve the bioavailability and therapeutic potential of these compounds, opening up new possibilities for their pharmaceutical applications.

Demonstrating Agreement between Radio and Fluorescence Measurements of the Depth of Maximum of Extensive Air Showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory

We show, for the first time, radio measurements of the depth of shower maximum (X_{max}) of air showers induced by cosmic rays that are compared to measurements of the established fluorescence method at the same location. Using measurements at the Pierre Auger Observatory we show full compatibility between our radio and the previously published fluorescence dataset, and between a subset of air showers observed simultaneously with both radio and fluorescence techniques, a measurement setup unique to the Pierre Auger Observatory. Furthermore, we show radio X_{max} resolution as a function of energy and demonstrate the ability to make competitive high-resolution X_{max} measurements with even a sparse radio array. With this, we show that the radio technique is capable of cosmic-ray mass composition studies, both at Auger and at other experiments.

Photothermal-responsive Prussian blue nanocages loaded with thrombin for tumor starvation therapy and photothermal therapy

The goal of inhibiting tumor growth can be achieved by cutting off the supply of nutrients in the blood vessels of a tumor site, but finding ways to effectively, accurately and safely deliver drugs that can induce vascular embolism remains a challenge. Phase change materials (PCM) can undergo solid-liquid transformation at the phase change temperature. This study reports on a near-infrared ray (NIR)-responsive nano-drug delivery platform based on Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles. The PCM (lauric acid) can encapsulate thrombin (Thr) in the Prussian blue nanocage (PB Cage), and effectively avoid the pre-leakage of Thr during blood circulation. When the (Thr/PCM)@PB Cage is accumulated at the tumor site and irradiated with NIR, the thermal effect induced by the PB Cage causes the PCM to undergo a solid-liquid state transition, rapidly releasing the encapsulated Thr and inducing coagulation in the tumor blood vessels. Based on the safe delivery and precisely controlled release of Thr, the proliferation of tumor cells can be inhibited without damaging other tissues and organs. In addition, PB Cage-induced photothermal therapy can also ablate tumor cells. Thr-induced "starvation therapy" based on PB Cage loading provides a good reference for precise controlled-release drug delivery systems.

[Pathological features of early gastric cancer and its background mucosa after eradication of Helicobacter pylori and their implications for biopsy diagnosis]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological changes of early gastric cancer, especially its background mucosa, after the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and to investigate the causes of underdiagnosis in preoperative biopsy pathology. Methods: Ninety cases of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication and 120 cases of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens without H. pylori eradication and their corresponding biopsy specimens were collected from Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University during 2016-2021. The clinicopathological data of the patients were analyzed, and the histopathological characteristics and immunophenotypic results compared. Results: Compared with the early gastric cancer without H. pylori eradication history, the histopathological type of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication was differentiated adenocarcinoma, with staggered distribution of cancerous and non-cancerous epithelium in the tumor area. The morphologic characteristics of gastric mucosa in the background of early gastric cancer after H. pylori eradication, were distinctive, including widening of the opening of enterosylated glandular ducts, serrated change of luminal margin, eosinophilic and microvesicular cytoplasm of enterosylated epithelium. Low-grade atypia existed in gastric cancer epithelial cells after sterilization, which might lead to underdiagnosis or missed diagnosis in biopsy pathology. Conclusions: Early gastric cancer and its background mucosa after H. pylori eradication have unique morphological characteristics, which can be used as a clue for pathological diagnosis, improve the accuracy of biopsy pathology and reduce the underdiagnosis.

Crosstalk between traditional Chinese medicine-derived polysaccharides and the gut microbiota: A new perspective to understand traditional Chinese medicine

Polysaccharide is a kind of macromolecule polymer composed of monosaccharides connected by glycosidic bonds. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), composed of various bioactive ingredients, is usually rich in polysaccharides. In recent years, extensive research on TCM polysaccharides has demonstrated their pharmacological effects. Polysaccharides can hardly be catabolized by enzymes encoded by the human genome but can be degraded to absorbable metabolites by bacteria inhabiting the colon. Hence, the gut microbiota plays a vital role in degrading TCM polysaccharides into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) which exert physiological functions locally and systemically. Besides, TCM polysaccharides can also modulate the composition and activities of the gut microbiota by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria and inhibiting the colonization of pathogenic bacteria, ultimately restoring gut homeostasis and improving human health. In this review, we discuss the extraction and pharmacological effects of TCM polysaccharides, various functions of the gut microbiota, and the interactions between TCM polysaccharides and the gut microbiota, illuminating the mechanisms of TCM polysaccharides modulating host physiology via the gut microbiota. To firmly establish the clinical efficacy of TCM polysaccharides, further high-quality studies especially clinical trials are needed. Generally, discussion on the interplay between TCM polysaccharides and the gut microbiota is expected to elucidate their application prospects and inspire new thoughts in the development of TCM.

Gender differences in spontaneous coronary artery dissection: a nationwide analysis

Background

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a very rare cause of acute coronary syndromes in young otherwise healthy patients with a striking predilection for the female gender. Unfortunately, SCAD can result in significant morbidities and mortality. The pathological mechanism has not been fully clarified yet but hormonal changes might represent a sufficiently convincing explanation for some patients with SCAD. We hypothesized that gender difference in mortality in SCAD patients.

Methods

Data for this retrospective cohort study were extracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample for 2014 using the 9th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 414.12 (spontaneous coronary artery dissection). Demographics, in-hospital mortality, conventional risk factors (diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, alcohol and tobacco abuse), acute critical illnesses like sepsis, septic shock, stroke, acute respiratory insufficiency, acute renal failure, and chronic conditions (anxiety, depression, malignancy and metastatic diseases) were studied. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression modeling were performed to determine predictors associated with the development of inpatient mortality in SCAD patients. All analyses were conducted using R 3.4.0 and STATA/MP 14.2. All p-values were two-sided, and statistical significance was determined at the level of p<0.05.

Result

A total of 270 SCAD patients were identified. Of those SCAD patients, no fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) or pregnancy were identified. Patients were predominantly women (71%) and the mean age was 53 years. Overall in-hospital mortality was 5.6%, with 6.6% in male and 5.3% in female. Ethnicity, gender, stroke, acute renal failure, anxiety and depression did not predict mortality, length of stay, annual income, total hospital charge (all p>0.05). Multivariate analysis revealed no gender difference in SCAD patients and no independent predictors of mortality were identified.

Conclusions

This large nationwide study reveals that SCAD may be underdiagnosed but underutilization of work up such as FMD. SCAD is thought to be hormone related likely associated with female gender. Our results showed that no gender difference in mortality. Further large prospective studies are needed to determine gender difference in mortality and other predictors in mortality.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Breast cancer patients have lower in-hospital mortality after acute coronary syndrome, a 5 year nationwide analysis

Background

Breast cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share common risk factors, and breast cancer therapies are well known to cause cardiotoxicity. Prior studies highlighted the higher burden coronary artery disease and the importance to further assess its consequences on breast cancer patients.

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the revascularization rate and in-hospital short-term outcomes of breast cancer patients following acute coronary syndrome (ACS) compared to the general female population.

Methods

We reviewed the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2010 to 2014 to identify female patients with principal diagnosis of ACS (ST-elevation and non ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and unstable angina). Two subgroups were identified, women with a history of breast cancer and women without, and were propensity matched.

Multivariate regression analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of breast cancer on primary outcome (in-hospital mortality) and secondary outcomes: occurrence of shock, acute kidney injury (AKI), mechanical ventilation (MV), and length of stay (LOS). We also compared the rate of cardiac procedures. Statistical significance of odd ratios (OR) is defined with p-value<0.05 and reported 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results

We identified a total of 245,563 female patients with primary diagnosis of ACS, among them 10,625 (4.3%) had a history of breast cancer. The comorbidity of breast cancer was associated with statistically significant lower rates of mortality (OR 0.83, CI 0.74–0.94), shock (OR 0.87, CI 0.77–0.99), AKI (OR 0.90, CI 0.82–0.98), MV (OR 0.81, CI 0.71–0.92) and relative 5.4% decrease in LOS (CI: −7.8%, −3.0%). The cardiac procedural rates were similar for left heart catheterization (OR 0.96, CI 0.90–1.02), for percutaneous coronary intervention (OR 0.95, CI 0.89–1.02) and for CABG (OR 0.88, CI 0.78–1.00) compared to control group.

Conclusion

Breast cancer patients received a comparable catheterization and revascularization procedure rate and exhibited a statistically significant lower morbidity and mortality rates during hospitalization after an ACS event compared to the general female population.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: None

Correlation of serum vitamin A, D, and E with recurrent respiratory infection in children

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation of serum vitamin A, D, and E levels with a recurrent respiratory infection (RRI) in children.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The medical records of 422 children with RRI (a study group) in Cangzhou Central Hospital from January 2015 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed (the study group was divided into an active group and a stable group). Further 100 healthy children who underwent physical examination at the same time were enrolled as a control group. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine vitamin A, D, and E levels, so as to analyze their differences between the groups.

RESULTS

Vitamin A, D, and E in the active and stable groups were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.001); in the active group they were significantly lower than those in the stable group (p < 0.001). According to partial correlation analysis, in children with active RRI, vitamin A was respectively positively correlated with vitamin D (r=0.945, p < 0.001), and vitamin E (r=0.988, p < 0.001). Moreover, vitamin E was positively correlated with vitamin D (r=0.959, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The deficiency of vitamin A, D, and E is positively correlated with the disease activity of children with RRI. Therefore, the supplement of vitamin A, D, and E through dietary adjustment is beneficial to the rehabilitation of the children.

Abstract P2-02-10: Circulating level of GP88/Progranulin is associated with clinical outcome and overall survival in stage 4 breast cancer patients

Monitoring of disease status in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients is a necessary step for an optimal management of patients during and post-therapy. Imaging technologies are the methods of choice in the standard of care to monitor therapy response and disease status in MBC patients. These methods are expensive, time-consuming and have limited sensitivity for real time monitoring. Measurements of circulating tumor markers CA15-3, CA125 and CEA have contributed, albeit with limitation, minimally invasive methods for MBC disease management. It is our hypothesis that measuring biomarkers involved in tumor biological processes may provide better evaluation of the disease state and thus aid real-time clinical management of MBC patients. Thus, addition of such new circulating disease biomarkers may improve the management of MBC patients. The 88kDa glycoprotein Progranulin (GP88/PGRN) fit these criteria. GP88/PGRN is expressed in tumor tissue and not in normal mammary tissue counterpart and secreted in the circulation of BC patients. Biological studies have established GP88/PGRN as a critical driver of BC cell proliferation, survival, invasiveness and drug resistance. Clinical studies have demonstrated that high tumor GP88/PGRN expression was prognostic for recurrence and that breast cancer patients had a statistically elevated GP88/PGRN serum level compared to healthy individuals. In the present study, we examined whether GP88/PGRN serum levels were elevated in MBC patients and whether GP88/PGRN circulating levels were correlated with patient clinical outcome and overall survival.

Under an IRB approved protocol at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, 101 stage 4 BC patients undergoing standard of care therapy and meeting the inclusion criteria were consented and enrolled. MBC patients' demographics, clinical and disease characteristics and therapies were collected as part of the study. Blood samples were collected from each patient at specific times at follow-up visits during and post-therapy. The prepared serum was stored at -80C until tested for GP88 using a GP88 enzyme linked immunoassay developed in our laboratory.

Statistical analysis using Kaplan-Meier functions established whether there was a correlation between GP88/PGRN serum level and overall survival in MBC patients. MBC patients with distinct survival characteristics (P=0.0002) could be stratified based on their circulating GP88/PGRN levels. Analysis of this association was carried out in MBC patients based on their age, race, tumor characteristics, receptor status and metastatic burden (number and sites of metastasis) and will be reported. We conclude that circulating levels of GP88/PGRN in MBC patients are correlated with overall survival and that monitoring circulating GP88/PGRN levels would provide additional information and valuable insight into real-time MBC disease status.

This work was supported by grant R43 CA 210817-01A1 to GS.

Citation Format: Serrero G, Hawkins D, Hicks D, Rosenblatt P, Tait N, Yue B, Tkaczuk K. Circulating level of GP88/Progranulin is associated with clinical outcome and overall survival in stage 4 breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-02-10.

[A retrospective study of 54 cases with chronic otitis media prepared for staging tympanoplasty]

Objective:To analyze the clinical effect of 54 cases with chronic otitis media prepared for staging tympanoplasty and 19 cases finished staging ossicular reconstruction surgery, evaluate the advantages of different surgery technique.Method:Fifty-four cases with chronic otitis media were planned for staging tympanoplasty surgery and had been received the first stage surgery. Silicagel plates were placed in the tympanic cavity in order to prevent adhesions. Among them, 19 cases had received the second stage ossicular reconstruction, including 10 cases with TORPs and 9 cases with PORPs. The average air bone gaps (ABG) were measured at four frequencies: 500, 1 000, 2 000 and 4 000 Hz.Result:Among the 54 cases, 45 cases had swollen mucosa in the tympanic cavity and eustachian tube, 18 cases had tympanic fibrous adhesions, and 12 cases had fixed or sclerotic stapes. The preoperative ABG of the 54 cases were (38.26±7.88)dB. As for the 19 cases finished the second stage surgery, their preoperative ABG in the first stage were (39.21±7.05)dB, the preoperative ABG in the second stage were (38.82±11.43)dB, and the postoperative ABG after the second stage were (21.77±11.92)dB. The hearing function after staging tympanoplasty was significantly improved compared with the preoperative hearing in the first and the second stage operation (P< 0.01). In addition, the second stage surgery of three cases was postponed because of a good postoperative hearing with (10.42±10.63)dB ABG after the first stage surgery. Up to now, none of the 54 cases suffered from facial palsy, infection and other complications after surgery.Conclusion:Staging tympanoplasty is an important technique to improving hearing and reducing the complications, especially for the cases with chronic otitis media unsuitable for one stage reconstruction of ossicular chain.

Abstract P1-03-06: Improvement in risk predictive value of Nottingham prognostic index by determining GP88 tumor tissue expression for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients

Background: The Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI), which includes nodal status, tumor size and histological grade was established to provide predictive value information on post-surgery survival for primary breast cancer patients. Attempts to improve NPI's performance have included addition of other biomarker expression and morphological features such as vascular invasion. In the present study, we investigated whether expression of the autocrine growth and survival factor GP88 (progranulin), known to be overexpressed in breast cancer, whereas it is negative in normal mammary tissue, would improve NPI's predictive value.

Methods: We examined the tumor tissue GP88 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in formalin fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections from 508 cases of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) with known clinical outcomes (disease-free and overall survivals) and with known NPI. GP88 IHC tumor tissue expression was determined using an anti-GP88 antibody (clone 6B3) developed in our laboratory. GP88 expression was scored (0, 1+, 2+, 3+) by two board certified pathologists and classified into two IHC score groups of GP88 &lt; 3+ (0, 1+, 2+) and GP88 = 3+. The correlation between GP88 scoring, NPI and disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) outcomes was then examined by Kaplan Meier analysis, Cox proportional Hazard (CPH) ratio and Pearson's C2 test.

Results: Kaplan-Meier survival graphs categorized by NPI scores (&lt; 3.4, 3.4-5.4, and &gt;5.4) and by GP88 expression (&lt; 3+ and 3+) showed that for each NPI subgroup, patients with GP88 IHC score of 3+ had a worse disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) than patients within the same NPI subgroup with tumors that had GP88 IHC score &lt; 3+. When adjusted for NPI, high GP88 score was highly significantly associated with recurrence with a hazard ratio of 3.30 (95% CI 2.12 to 5.14).

Conclusions: The data suggest that measuring GP88 tumor tissue expression by IHC at time of diagnosis for breast cancer patients with primary ER+ IDC could provide recurrence prediction and survival information complementary to that provided by the determination of NPI alone and thus may be useful for risk management of patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

Citation Format: Serrero G, Hawkins DM, Bejarano PA, Ioffe O, Tkaczuk KR, Elliott RE, Head JF, Phillips J, Godwin AK, Weaver J, Hicks D, Yue B. Improvement in risk predictive value of Nottingham prognostic index by determining GP88 tumor tissue expression for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-03-06.

Abstract P1-02-12: Determination of a serum progranulin (GP88/PGRN) level associated with overall survival in metastatic breast cancer patients

Imaging technologies are the methods of choice in the standard of care (SOC) to monitor therapy response in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. However, such methods are expensive and have limited sensitivity to detect disease response in a timely manner. Measurement of the circulating tumor markers such as CA15-3, CA27.29 and CEA has provided additional minimally invasive methods in disease management of MBC patients. While useful, they have limitations in providing clinicians with a reliable insight into real-time disease monitoring. Understanding of real-time biological processes may provide better biomarkers of the disease state and thus aid real-time clinical management of MBC patients by identifying circulating disease associated biomarkers. Thus, addition of such new circulating biomarkers may improve the management of MBC patients. We have characterized a target biomarker that would fit these criteria, the 88kDa glycoprotein Progranulin (GP88). GP88 is expressed in tumor tissue and not in normal mammary tissue counterpart and is secreted in the circulation of BC patients. Biological studies have established GP88 as one of the critical drivers for breast cancer cell proliferation, survival, invasiveness and drug resistance. Clinical studies have demonstrated that elevated GP88 tumor levels were prognostic for recurrence and that breast cancer patients had a statistically elevated GP88 serum level than healthy individuals. Using tissue and serum tests to detect and quantify GP88 could provide an new strategies for identifying patients at high risk of recurrence and monitoring disease progression in BC patients undergoing therapy. In the present study, we examined whether GP88 serum levels were elevated in MBC patients and whether GP88 serum levels were correlated to patient overall survival.

Under an IRB approved protocol, 92 MBC patients that met the inclusion criteria and were undergoing therapy at the UMGCCC Breast Clinic were consented and enrolled. Clinical and disease characteristics along with serum CA15-3 values were collected as part of the study. Serum samples were collected from each patient during therapy and subsequently the patients were monitored. The serum was stored at -80C until tested for GP88 using a GP88 enzyme linked immunoassay developed in our laboratory.

Statistical analysis using Kaplan-Meier functions established whether there was a correlation between GP88 serum level and overall survival in MBC patients. By analyzing the KM plots at different GP88 cut points, we identified two populations with distinct survival characteristics. When examined more thoroughly the difference in overall survival of patients with &lt;60ng/ml and &gt;60ng/ml was statistically significant (P=0.0002). Correlation analysis of serum GP88 and CA15-3 were performed and will be presented.

We conclude that circulating levels of GP88 in MBC patients are correlated with overall survival. It would appear that patients that can be managed to have a GP88 below 60ng/ml will survive longer. Thus measuring circulating GP88 levels would provide additional information to that available in today's SOC for monitoring. This valuable insight into real-time disease status will assist clinicians in patient management.

Citation Format: Serrero G, Hawkins DM, Yue B, Hicks D, Tait N, Tkaczuk KR. Determination of a serum progranulin (GP88/PGRN) level associated with overall survival in metastatic breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-02-12.

Holocord spinal epidural abscess: Case report and literature review

Holocord spinal epidural abscess (SEA) is a rare condition. To our knowledge, five cases of SEA have been reported so far, and no consensus has been made on the treatment yet. In this article, we report a case of holocord SEA and review literature to further understanding of SEA. The advent of antibiotic treatment and the recognition of surgical debridement have been important in searching for alternatives to recovery, so the patient was treated surgically together with systemic antibiotics. The patient remained neurologically stable and continued to be clinically in good condition without any low back pain after 1 year. Surgical drainage, together with systemic antibiotics, is the main treatment choice for extensive SEAs. Although treatment should be considered that highlights the importance of examining the factors related to the health and condition of the patients and the anatomy and extent of the abscess, early surgical treatment associated with prolonged antibiotic treatment is necessary.

FERMT1 mediates epithelial-mesenchymal transition to promote colon cancer metastasis via modulation of β-catenin transcriptional activity

We previously demonstrated that fermitin family member 1 (FERMT1) was significantly overexpressed in colon cancer (CC) and associated with poor metastasis-free survival. This study aimed to investigate the precise role of FERMT1 in CC metastasis and the mechanism by which FERMT1 is involved in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Correlations between FERMT1 and EMT markers (E-cadherin, Slug, N-cadherin and β-catenin) were examined via immunohistochemistry in a cohort of CC tissues and adjacent normal colon mucosae. A series of in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to elucidate the function of FERMT1 in CC metastasis and underlying mechanisms. The upregulated expression of FERMT1 in CC tissues correlated positively with that of Slug, N-cadherin and β-catenin, but correlated inversely with E-cadherin expression. Altered FERMT1 expression led to marked changes in the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT markers of CC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Investigations of underlying mechanisms found that FERMT1 interacted directly with β-catenin and activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by decreasing the phosphorylation level of β-catenin, enhancing β-catenin nuclear translocation and increasing the transcriptional activity of β-catenin/TCF/LEF. Activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by CHIR99021 reversed the effect of FERMT1 knockdown, whereas inhibition of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway by XAV939 impaired the effect of FERMT1 overexpression on EMT and cell motility. In conclusion, findings of this study suggest that FERMT1 activates the β-catenin transcriptional activity to promote EMT in CC metastasis.

Abstract OT3-03-03: A prospective study of glycoprotein 88 (GP-88) blood test in healthy women undergoing screening for breast cancer (BC) with mammography (MM)

Background: Population based BC screening with XRAY mammography (MM) has been widely accepted as standard of care for women aged 40+ with average risk of developing BC. Sensitivity and specificity of MM is dependent on breast tissue density and up to ∼20% of BC are undetected by MM. The development of a dependable, low cost blood-based BC screening test to increase the sensitivity and specificity of currently existing BC screening methods is needed.

Rationale: GP88 is expressed & secreted by BC cells & is not expressed by normal mammary epithelial cells, 2 retrospective randomized multi-site trials (a training study & a validation study of 300 cases each) demonstrated that elevated GP88 expression in estrogen positive (ER+) invasive BC was statistically correlated with a 4-fold increase in the risk of 5-yr BC recurrence. GP88 was an independent predictor of BC recurrence in multivariate analysis of other factors such as PR expression, tumor size, grade, lymph node status & stage. The quantitative GP88 EIA was developed to determine the amount of GP88 in biological fluids. The blood based EIA assay is highly specific for GP88 & both sensitive & linear over a wide dynamic range, i.e. detection of GP88 concentrations from 0.1 to 20ng/ml. A baseline GP-88 level of28.4 ± 5 ng/ml was established by us for healthy volunteers (HV). In BC pts a statistically significant increase of serum GP88 was observed in early stage pts (40.7 ± 16 ng/ml; p=0.007). Stratification of BC pts according to their clinical outcomes shows that pts having no evidence of disease (NED) have serum GP88 levels within the range of HV. These data suggest that pts with breast tumors express & secrete high levels of GP88.

Objectives: 1. To determine prospectively GP-88 blood levels in HV at average risk of developing BC screened by MM & in women with recently biopsy-confirmed BC. 2. To establish the statistical distribution of GP88 serum levels in subjects by baseline BIRAD classification (1-6). 3. To determine if the initial GP88 level is predictive of change in BIRADS classification from baseline to 12-mos follow-up. 4. To determine if baseline GP88 level is predictive of the appearance of BC at 12 mos follow-up in HV who were cancer-free at study entry.

Inclusion Criteria: Female, aged &gt;=40 yrs old, presenting for screening or diagnostic MM or diagnostic workup and/or biopsy due to abnormal MM &lt;= to 12 wks before study entry.

Study procedures: Serum levels of GP88 in subjects with average BC risk factors will be measured prospectively at baseline; 3-6 mos & 6-12 mos & correlated with BIRADS reading of the screening MM, BIRADS 1-6; GP88 serum level will be correlated with pathologic results of breast biopsies performed on subjects with suspicious BIRADS (4 & 5) MM & final pathologically confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer as BIRADS 6.

Study Progress: The study is ongoing; currently we have 308 subjects enrolled, the total number of subjects will be up to 725 & screened up to 1400. Study is UM IRB approved & is conducted at the University od Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) and UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center (BWMC). Funding is provided by Maryland Industry Partnership Grant (MIPS)& Avon Grant No. 02-2013-018.

Citation Format: Tkaczuk KHR, Campassi C, Kesmodel S, Bellavance E, Rosenblatt P, Nichols E, Feigenberg SJ, Coughlin P, Drogula C, Urban B, Galandak J, Dromi S, Kuo L, Yue B, Hicks D, Serrero G. A prospective study of glycoprotein 88 (GP-88) blood test in healthy women undergoing screening for breast cancer (BC) with mammography (MM). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT3-03-03.

Abstract P3-05-12: Combination of anti-progranulin (GP88/PGRN) antibody and letrozole inhibits tumor formation of letrozole resistant breast cancer cell lines

The 88 kDa glycoprotein GP88 (Progranulin, PCDGF, acrogranin) is the largest member of the granulin/epithelin family of growth modulators identified as a driver of tumorigenesis. GP88 (PGRN) was also shown to be overexpressed in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC)whereas it was negative in benign tumors and normal mammry epithelial tissue, thereby establishing GP88 as a therapeutic and diagnostic target in breast cancer (BC). Our laboratory has developed validated tools to measure GP88 in tumor biopsies and biological fluids as well as blocking its action. WE showed that GP88 was secreted and detected in the serum of BC patients at an increased level when compared to healthy subjects. Pathological studies with 530 cases of ER+ IDC with clinical outcomes showed that GP88 tumor expression was an independent prognostic indicator of recurrence in early stage BC patients. Training study followed by an independent validation study demonstrated that high GP88 tissue expression (GP88 3+) was associated with a 4-fold increase in risk of recurrence at 5 years. A neutralizing anti-GP88 antibody AG1 was expressed in a high yield CHO cell line was developed. The present study examined the effect of AG1 in letrozole resistant cell line AGLetR developed by long term selection in letrozole supplemented medium. This cell line showed decreased letrozole responsiveness in vivo and therefore constituted an excellent model for investigating letrozole resistance in vitro as well as in vivo. Here we report the results of studies investigating the effect of various doses of AG1 on LetR tumor development in combination with letrozole for AGLetR. We show that treatment with AG1 (10 mg/kg i.p.) in combination with letrozole was efficient to maintain long term responsiveness and inhibit tumor growth. Letrozole alone (5mg/kg) was unable to inhibit tumor growth and showed a doubling of tumor volume. Interestingly, long term combination treatment lead to tumor regression and inhibited tumor growth.

These data suggest that inhibiting GP88 could provide a novel and alternative therapeutic strategy for patients with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy, being tamoxifen or letrozole.

This works is supported by 2R44CA124179, HHSN 261201200060C, and HHSN2612014400C from NCI.

Citation Format: Serrero G, Dong J, Yue B, Hicks D, Hayashi J. Combination of anti-progranulin (GP88/PGRN) antibody and letrozole inhibits tumor formation of letrozole resistant breast cancer cell lines. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-05-12.

Side-to-side variation in normal femoral morphology: 3D CT analysis of 122 femurs

BACKGROUND

The contralateral femur is often used as reference for reconstruction in unilateral hip joint pathology. The objective of this study was to quantify the side-to-side variation in proximal femur. We hypothesized that significant side-to-side differences exist between left and right femur with implications for preoperative planning and leg length discrepancy following hip arthroplasty.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT-based 3D femoral models were reconstructed for 122 paired femurs in 61 young healthy subjects (46.9±6.8 years) with no history of hip pathology. Side-to-side differences of several femoral morphologic parameters, including femoral head diameter, femoral anteversion, horizontal offset and femoral head center location, were compared and correlated with demographic factors using multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

Significant side-to-side differences (P<0.01) were found in femoral anteversion (4.3±3.8°; range: 0.2° to 17.3°), horizontal offset (2.5±2.1mm; range: 0.1 to 10.3mm), and femoral head center location (7.1±3.8mm; range: 0.5 to 19.4mm). The difference in femoral anteversion was strongly correlated with the difference in neck diameter (R(2)=0.79), whereas the difference in horizontal femoral offset was highly correlated with the head diameter difference (R(2)=0.72). Femoral head center difference was correlated with the femoral anteversion, horizontal offset and neck-shaft-angle difference (R(2)=0.82).

DISCUSSION

Relying on the anatomic landmarks of the contralateral femur during hip arthroplasty may not necessarily result in restoration of native anatomy and leg-length. Knowledge of the baseline side-to-side asymmetry could provide a range of error that would be tolerable following hip reconstruction.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

TYPE OF STUDY

Retrospective observational study.

Delayed healing of lower limb fractures with bisphosphonate therapy

INTRODUCTION

Bisphosphonate therapy (BT) is used commonly in the management of osteoporosis. A systematic review was conducted investigating delayed union of lower limb, long bone fractures in patients on BT. We specifically assessed whether BT increases the risk of delayed union or non-union in lower limb, long bone fractures.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Embase™ on 4 November 2014. Articles that investigated lower limb fractures, history of BT and fracture union were included in the review.

RESULTS

A total of 9,809 papers were retrieved and 14 were deemed suitable for this review. The mean time to union in patients on BT was 8.5 months. A longer time to union was reported in a study investigating BT users versus controls (6.5 vs 4.8 months respectively). The mean rate of delayed or non-union for BT associated atypical fractures was 20% per fracture. Specifically in one study, delayed union was more common in the cohort with more than three years of BT (67%) than in the group with less than three years of BT (26%). Surgical fixation was associated with improved outcomes compared with non-operative management.

CONCLUSIONS

BT has been described to be associated with multiple adverse outcomes related to atypical fractures. Current evidence recommends operative management for this patient group. Further investigation is required to evaluate the exact effects of BT on lower limb fractures, in particular typical femoral fractures.

Comparison of 1-day vs 2-day dosing of high-dose melphalan followed by autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation in patients with multiple myeloma

High-dose melphalan at 200 mg/m(2) can be administered in 1 day or over 2 consecutive days before autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for multiple myeloma (MM). Limited data exist on the comparison of the two dosing schedules. A retrospective study of 278 consecutive MM patients receiving high-dose melphalan from January 2010 to December 2012 was conducted. Objectives were to compare the length of hospitalization, toxicity profile, response rates, PFS and OS. One hundred and eighty five patients received 2-day dosing and 93 received 1-day dosing. The two end points of the 95% confidence interval (CI) for the difference did not exceed the preselected margin, therefore the length of hospitalization was considered equivalent. No significant differences were found for response rates, PFS and OS.  The toxicity profile was similar with the exception of more frequent ⩾grade 3 oral mucositis in the 2-day group (13.5% vs 5.4%; odds ratio 3.07 (95% CI:1.11-8.48); P=0.03). High-dose melphalan, given either in 1 day or over 2 days, produced comparable treatment outcomes except for increased grade 3/4 mucositis in the 2-day regimen. One-day dosing could shorten the hospital stay by 1 day and may allow better resource utilization.

Comparative outcomes for three-dimensional conformal versus intensity-modulated radiation therapy for esophageal cancer

Emerging data suggests a benefit for using intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for the management of esophageal cancer. We retrospectively reviewed patients treated at our institution who received definitive or preoperative chemoradiation with either IMRT or 3D conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) between October 2000 and January 2012. Kaplan Meier analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model were used to evaluate survival outcomes. We evaluated a total of 232 patients (138 IMRT, 94 3DCRT) who received a median dose of 50.4 Gy (range, 44-64.8) to gross disease. Median follow up for all patients, IMRT patients alone, and 3DCRT patients alone was 18.5 (range, 2.5-124.2), 16.5 (range, 3-59), and 25.9 months (range, 2.5-124.2), respectively. We observed no significant difference based on radiation technique (3DCRT vs. IMRT) with respect to median overall survival (OS) (median 29 vs. 32 months; P = 0.74) or median relapse free survival (median 20 vs. 25 months; P = 0.66). On multivariable analysis (MVA), surgical resection resulted in improved OS (HR 0.444; P < 0.0001). Superior OS was also associated on MVA with stage I/II disease (HR 0.523; P = 0.010) and tumor length ≤5 cm (HR 0.567; P = 0.006). IMRT was also associated on univariate analysis with a significant decrease in acute weight loss (mean 6% + 4.3% vs 9% + 7.4%, P = 0.012) and on MVA with a decrease in objective grade ≥3 toxicity, defined as any hospitalization, feeding tube, or >20% weight loss (OR 0.51; P = 0.050). Our data suggest that while IMRT-based chemoradiation for esophageal cancer does not impact survival there was significantly less toxicity. In the IMRT group there was significant decrease in weight loss and grade ≥3 toxicity compared to 3DCRT.

Knockdown of neuropilin-1 suppresses invasion, angiogenesis, and increases the chemosensitivity to doxorubicin in osteosarcoma cells - an in vitro study

OBJECTIVES

Neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) is a novel co-receptor for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). NRP-1 expression in osteosarcoma tissues was significantly higher, and high NRP-1 expression was more frequently occurred in osteosarcoma tissues with advanced clinical stage, positive distant metastasis and poor response to chemotherapy. We tested a hypothesis that the NRP-1 gene plays a role in the invasiveness, angiogenesis and chemoresistance of human OS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

To determine the role of NRP-1 in OS, NRP-1 was stably transfected into the human OS cell line MG-63 to increase the NPR-1 level, and NRP-1 siRNA was stably transfected into the human OS cell line SaOS-2 to knockdown of NRP-1. The effect of NRP-1 on invasion and angiogenesis was assessed by Matrigel invasion assay and in vitro angiogenesis assay. Chemosensitivity to doxorubicin was assessed by MTT assay in the MG-63 and SaOS-2 cells following NRP-1 overexpression or siRNA-induced downregulation of NRP-1.

RESULTS

The NRP-1 transfected MG-63 cells showed a markedly higher level of invasion in Matrigel invasion assay. The capillary-like structure formation of endothelial cells was also increased by coculture with the NRP-1 transfected MG-63 cells. On the contrary, the NRP-1 siRNA transfected SaOS-2 cells showed a markedly lower level of invasion in Matrigel invasion assay. The capillary-like structure formation of endothelial cells was also repressed by coculture with the NRP-1 siRNA transfected SaOS-2 cells. NRP-1 overexpression in MG-63 cells increased survival of cells after exposure to doxorubicin. In contrast, downregulation of NRP-1 expression in SaOS-2 cells markedly increased chemosensitivity after exposure to doxorubicin.

CONCLUSIONS

We suggest that NRP-1 could be used as a biomarker for OS progression and a novel therapeutic or chemopreventive target for human OS treatment.

ERK5 silencing inhibits invasion of human osteosarcoma cell via modulating the Slug/MMP-9 pathway

OBJECTIVE

ERK5 is over expressed in a many of human cancers and this overexpression has been associated with metastasis and invasion. Furthermore, ERK5 silencing inhibits aggressive phenotypes of cancer cells. However, mechanisms by which ERK5 regulates tumour progression or metastasis have not been elucidated. In this study, using human osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS as a model, we explored the involvement of ERK5 silencing on invasiveness of U2OS cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

ERK5 siRNA targeting ERK5 was stably transfected into the human osteosarcoma cell lines U2OS. ERK5 knocked-down U2OS cells was then transfected with Slug cDNA or MMP-9 cDNA plasmid to re-express Slug or MMP-9. Cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Cell invasion and metastasis was detected by Matrigel invasion and wound healing assay. An orthotopic nude mouse model of U2OS was applied for in vivo lung metastasis experiments. ERK5, Slug, MMP-9 and E-cadherin were analyzed by real-time PCR, and Western blotting.

RESULTS

ERK5 silencing by siRNA in U2OS cells decreased Slug and MMP-9 expression. Compared with the vector-transfected cells, ERK5 knocked-down cells showed reduced migration and invasion in vitro, as well as decreased metastatic potential in experimental metastasis. Re-expression of Slug or MMP-9 in ERK5 knocked-down cells restored the invasive phenotypes. We also discovered that Re-expression of Slug in ERK5 knocked-down cells restored the MMP-9 expression, and re-expression of MMP-9 in ERK5 knocked-down cells did not affect Slug and ERK5 expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that ERK5 knockdown inhibits aggressive behaviour of human U2OS cells through modulating Slug signaling and MMP-9 expression.

Abstract P5-09-05: Progranulin (GP88) expression and letrozole resistance in breast cancer

The 88 kDa glycoprotein GP88 (Progranulin, PCDGF, acrogranin) is the largest member of the granulin/epithelin family of growth modulators. GP88 was originally characterized in our laboratory through a biological screen to identify drivers of tumorigenesis. Published studies have established that GP88 represents an ideal therapeutic and diagnostic target in breast cancer (BC) leading to the development of validated tools to measure GP88 in tumor biopsies and biological fluids as well as blocking its action. It was shown that: 1) GP88 expression increases with tumorigenesis; 2) in ER+ breast cancer cells, GP88 stimulates proliferation and its overexpression confers estrogen independence and resistance to several anti-estrogens and aromatase inhibitor; 3) inhibition of GP88 expression by antisense transfection inhibited proliferation in vitro and in vivo; 4) In Her-2 overexpressing breast tumors, GP88 stimulated Her-2 phosphorylation and conferred trastuzumab resistance; 5) GP88 is expressed in 80% invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and 60% of ductal carcinoma whereas it is negative in lobular carcinoma, benign lesions and normal mammary tissues; 6) GP88 is secreted and can be detected in the serum of BC patients at an increased level when compared to healthy subjects; 7) Pathological studies with 530 cases of ER+ IDC with clinical outcomes showed that GP88 tumor expression was an independent prognostic indicator of recurrence in early stage BC patients. Training study followed by an independent validation study demonstrated that high GP88 tissue expression (GP88 3+) was associated with a 4-fold increase in risk of recurrence at 5 years.

Since GP88 displays not only diagnostic but also therapeutic potentials, we developed a neutralizing anti-GP88 antibody AG1 that inhibited GP88 biological effect (proliferation and migration) in a dose-dependent fashion in vitro. AG1 was expressed in a high yield CHO cell line and formulated. We have shown that in tamoxifen resistant cells, treatment with AG1 would inhibit tumor growth and restore tamoxifen sensitivity. The present study examined the effect of AG1 in letrozole resistant cells. We have developed from a letrozole sensitive cell ER+ BC cell line, a letrozole-resistant cell line by long term selection in letrozole-supplemented medium. This cell line (LetR) shows also decreased letrozole responsiveness in vivo and therefore constitutes an excellent model for investigating letrozole resistance in vivo as well as in vivo. Here we investigated the effect of various doses of AG1 on LetR tumor development alone or in combination with letrozole. Treatment with AG1 (10 mg/kg i.p.) in combination with letrozole was efficient to maintain long term responsiveness to letrozole and inhibited tumor growth. In addition to the mouse xenografts study, an IRB approved clinical study examines changes in GP88 circulating levels in patients with resistance to aromatase inhibitors. Preliminary data will be presented.

In conclusion, inhibiting GP88 could provide a novel and alternative therapeutic strategy for patients with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy, being tamoxifen or letrozole.

This work is supported by 2R44CA124179 and HHSN 261201200060C from NCI and 02- 2013-018 from the Avon Foundation for Women.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P5-09-05.

Abstract P2-10-40: Correlation between expression of the prognostic marker Progranulin (GP88) with Oncotype Dx Recurrence Score in estrogen receptor positive breast tumors

Background: GP88 (Progranulin, acrogranin) is an 88kDa glycoprotein overexpressed in breast tumors and involved in their proliferation and survival. Biological studies have shown that GP88 in ER+ breast cancer cells was associated with estrogen independence and resistance to anti-estrogen therapies and aromatase inhibitors. In addition, GP88 stimulated migration, invasion and angiogenesis, hallmarks of metastasis. Pathological studies have demonstrated that GP88 was preferentially expressed in invasive ductal carcinoma while lobular carcinoma was mostly negative. No expression was found in normal mammary tissue. Two retrospective studies totaling 530 cases of ER+ formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) established that high GP88 expression was associated with a 4-fold increase in risk of recurrence and 2.5-fold increase in death when compared to low GP88 scores. Multivariate analysis showed that GP88 remains a predictor of recurrence even when adjusted for prognostic factors such as tumor size, grade, stage, lymph node status and age. High level of GP88 was also found to be elevated in the serum of breast cancer patients when compared to healthy individuals. Since GP88 tumor tissue expression appears as a prognostic factor for ER+ breast cancer, we proposed to investigate whether GP88 tumor tissue expression would correlated to Oncotype Dx® Recurrence Score which is now for early stage ER+ node negative breast cancer patients.

Methods: Eight five cases from women ages 37–77 with ER+ invasive mammary carcinoma from three different institutions and with an available Oncotype Dx recurrence score were selected with approval from each site's IRB. GP88 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the anti-human GP88 6B3 monoclonal antibody (A&G) on a Ventana automated staining platform. For all cases examined, GP88 IHC scores (0, 1+, 2+, 3+) were compared to routine clinicopathologic factors (tumor size, grade, and stage), PR, HER2/neu and Ki67 expression (by image analysis) and to their Oncotype DX® recurrence score (Genomic Health). The associations of GP88 with the parameters described above were assessed by t test or ANOVA.

Results: The GP88 tissue expression correlated with Oncotype Dx Recurrence score (p &lt; 0.03) as well as with Ki-67 index (p &lt; 0.004). Age, HER2/neu and PR status did not correlate with GP88 expression. Details of these finding will be presented here.

Conclusion: This study shows that GP88, an important tumor aggressiveness indicator, significantly correlates with Oncotype DX score and confirms that GP88 correlates with other tumor clinicopathologic parameters and prognostic markers. Further studies are underway to determine whether GP88 in combination with routine markers, particularly Ki67, could be used instead of Oncotype DX Assay to predict outcome and provide information for the management of ER+ breast cancer patients.

This study is supported by grant 02–2010-010 from the Avon Foundation for Women.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-10-40.

P2-12-32: Association between Progranulin (GP88) Expression and Recurrence Risk for Breast Cancer Patients with Estrogen Receptor Positive Invasive Ductal Carcinoma

Purpose: GP88 (progranulin) is a critical player of breast tumorigenesis for estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. Pathological studies showed that GP88 was expressed in invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), but not in normal mammary tissue, benign lesions or lobular carcinoma. The present study examines GP88 prognostic significance in association with recurrence risk for patients with ER+ IDC.

Patients and Methods: Two retrospective multi-site clinical studies examined GP88 expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis in paraffin-embedded tumor tissues in correlation with patients’ survival outcomes. The training study established a GP88 cut-off value associated with decreased disease-free (DFS) and overall (OS) survivals. The validation study verified the GP88 cut-off value and compared GP88 prognostic information with other prognostic factors in multivariate analysis.

Results: GP88 expression is associated with a statistically significant increase in recurrence risk for ER+ IDC patients. The training study established that GP88 3+ score by IHC analysis was associated with decreased DFS (p=0.0004) and OS (p=0.0036). The independent validation study verified that GP88 3+ score for the high risk group and demonstrated that GP88 3+ score was associated with a 5.9-fold higher hazard of disease recurrence and a 2.5-fold higher mortality hazard compared to patients with tumor GP88&lt;3+. GP88 remained an independent risk predictor after considering age, nodal status, tumor size, tumor grade, progesterone receptor expression, treatment and disease stage.

Conclusion: Our training and validation studies demonstrate that the survival factor GP88 is a prognostic biomarker, predictive of recurrence risk and increased mortality for ER+ IDC patients, independent from other prognostic factors. These results provide support for measuring GP88 tissue expression for newly diagnosed early stage breast cancer patients.

This work was supported by grants R43CA124179, and U01CA113916 from the National Cancer Institute, grants 07-2007-064 and 02-2010-010 from the Avon Foundation for Women.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-12-32.

Isolation and characterization of twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci in the buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii)

Twelve polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated from an AC-enriched genomic library of Buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii). The allele number of these loci ranged from three to 13 (average 7.75 per locus) in tested individuals. Polymorphism information content ranged from 0.532 to 0.882 with an average of 0.721. Average observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.559 (range from 0.240 to 0.792) and 0.772 (range from 0.621 to 0.910), respectively. These microsatellite markers will be useful for the assessment of genetic diversity, relatedness identification of family and analysis of population structure in wild buff-throated partridge.

GP88 Serum Level Is Increased in Breast Cancer Patients with Disease Progression

GP88 (progranulin) is an 88-kDa glycoprotein autocrine growth factor that plays a critical role in breast tumorigenesis. GP88 is expressed in human BC tumors in a positive correlation with their tumorigenicity. In estrogen receptor positive (ER+) cells, GP88 expression is low and is stimulated by estradiol whereas in ER negative (ER-) cells, it is constitutively overexpressed. In ER+ cells, increased GP88 expression was found to be associated with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy. In Her-2 overexpressing breast tumors, increased GP88 expression was associated with Herceptin resistance. Inhibition of GP88 expression in human breast adenocarcinoma cells resulted in a drastic reduction of tumor incidence and tumor growth in nude mice. Immunohistochemical studies carried out with 206 paraffin-embedded human breast biopsies have shown that GP88 is expressed in invasive ductal carcinomas in correlation with expression of markers of poor prognosis whereas normal tissues and benign breast lesions were negative. Importantly, high GP88 expression in tissue biopsies was accompanied by decreased disease-free and overall survival. Since GP88 contains a signal peptide for secretion, we have shown that GP88 can be found in serum. An IRB approve blood sampling study of 189 patients (Race: Caucasian- 91, African American-92, Asian-6; median age- 51 with a range from 26 to 81) established at the University of Maryland demonstrated that GP88 was measurable in serum and that GP88 serum level was statistically elevated in breast cancer patients when compared to healthy individuals. Median level of GP88 was 40.7 ng/ml (range 6.4-80) in early stage (stage 1 –3) BC pts (p- value = 0.007) and 45.3 ng/ml (range 9.8 to 158.4) in stage 4 metastatic BC patients (p-value= 0.0007). Statistically significant increase in circulating GP88 level was found in early stages as well as in metastatic disease when compared to healthy individuals.Since we have shown that GP88 tissue expression was associated with increased disease recurrence, the present study was focused on examining whether GP88 serum level was also increased in disease progression and could be used to monitor disease recurrence. Our data show that patients with disease recurrence or progression presented a 5 to 10 fold increase in their GP88 serum levels.This study identifies GP88 as a measurable biomarker for recurrence or disease progression not only at the tissue but also at the serum level.This study is supported by grants from MIPS, the Avon Foundation and from the National Cancer Institute.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 6040.

Cellular deposits on intraocular lenses

We examined cellular deposits on 14 intraocular lenses (IOL) that were removed after implantation for a variety of clinical reasons. Five of the lenses were cultured to evaluate the growth potential of preexisting cells on the IOLs. The most common cells found were iris pigment epithelial cells. The thickest membranes were probably formed by iris stromal cells. Other cellular deposits included macrophages, multinucleated foreign body giant cells, lens epithelial cells, squamous epithelial ingrowth, red blood cells, uveal melanocytes, and vitreous strands. Cells around the IOL had only limited growth in tissue culture. We propose that a continuous influx of inflammatory cells in conjunction with a disruption of the blood-aqueous barrier may be an important pathogenetic mechanism for the production of thick secondary membranes around an IOL.

Association of serum levels of the growth factor GP88 with disease progression in breast cancer patients

e22021

Background: The autocrine growth factor GP88 is an important player in breast cancer. GP88 is expressed in human BC tumors in correlation with their tumorigenicity. Increased GP88 expression was associated with anti-estrogen therapy resistance in ER+ cells and Herceptin resistance in Her-2 overexpressing breast tumors. Inhibition of GP88 expression inhibited tumor incidence and growth in nude mice. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that GP88 is expressed in invasive ductal carcinomas (IDC) and that high GP88 expression correlated with increased recurrence and mortality. Since GP88 is found in serum, we hypothesized that GP88 was elevated in the sera of breast cancer patients compared to healthy individuals and that GP88 serum level increases with disease progression. Methods: An IRB approved prospective study was established at the University of Maryland Breast Clinic to determine the serum level of GP88 in breast cancer patients (BC pts). Approximately 5 ml of blood was drawn every three months. GP88 serum concentration was determined in triplicate by human GP88 enzyme immunoassay. 190 BC pts were accrued. Sera from healthy volunteers (HV) were obtained to establish GP88 baseline. BC patient characteristics: Caucasian- 91, African American-92, Asian-6; median age, 51 (range 29- 86), stage I - 48, II - 52, III - 26, IV - 63. Results: Median serum GP88 level was 28.7 ng/ml (range 16.6–38.2) in HV, 40.7 ng/ml (range 6.4–100) in early stage (stage 1 -3) BC pts (p- value = 0.007) and 45.3 ng/ml (range 9.8 to 158.4) in stage 4 BC patients (p- value= 0.0007). Statistically significant increase in serum GP88 level was found in early stages as well as in metastatic disease when compared to HV. In addition, patients that were initially diagnosed with early stage disease but recurred showed a 5 to 10 fold increase in their GP88 serum levels. Conclusions: GP88 serum level is significantly higher in the sera of BC than HV subjects. Moreover, GP88 serum level increased in association with disease recurrence and progression. This study identifies GP88 as a measurable biomarker for disease progression not only at the tissue but also at the serum level. These results are also interesting since GP88 is also a therapeutic target of malignant progression of breast carcinoma.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Elevated serum levels of the growth factor GP88 are found in breast cancer patients when compared to healthy individuals

Abstract #2006

Background: GP88 is an autocrine growth factor that plays a critical role in breast tumorigenesis. GP88 is expressed in human BC tumors in a positive correlation with their tumorigenicity. Increased GP88 expression is associated with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy in ER + cells and with herceptin resistance in Her-2 overexpressing breast tumors. Inhibition of GP88 expression in human breast adenocarcinoma inhibited tumor incidence and growth in nude mice. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that GP88 was expressed in invasive ductal carcinomas in correlation with the expression of poor prognosis markers whereas normal tissues and benign lesions were negative. High GP88 expression in tumor biopsies was accompanied by decreased disease-free survival. Since GP88 can be secreted, we have hypothesized that GP88 could be secreted in the circulation and found in serum. We examined whether GP88 could be found in the circulation and whether GP88 could be elevated in the sera of breast cancer patients when compared to healthy individuals.&#x2028; Methods: An IRB approved blood sampling study was conducted at the University of Maryland Breast Clinic to determine the serum level of GP88 in healthy volunteers (HV) and breast cancer patients (BC pts). Serum GP88 concentration was determined in triplicate by quantitative enzyme immunoassay. 189 BC pts were accrued. In addition, sera from 18 HV were obtained to establish a GP88 baseline in healthy volunteers. BC patient characteristics: Race: Caucasian- 91, African American-92, Asian-6; median age, 51 (range 29-86), stage I – 48, II - 52, III – 26, IV - 63.&#x2028; Results: Circulating GP88 was measurable in the serum. Median level of GP88 was 28.7 ng/ml (range 16.6-38.2) in HV; 40.7 ng/ml (range 6.4-100) in early stage (stage 1 –3) BC pts (p- value = 0.007) and 45.3 ng/ml (range 9.8 to 158.4) in stage 4 metastatic BC patients (p-value= 0.0007). Statistically significant increase in circulating GP88 level was found in early stages as well as in metastatic disease. Correlation studies with BC prognostic factors such as stage, tumor size, lymph node involvement, tumor grade and presence of ER and HER-2 will be presented.&#x2028; Conclusion: GP88 can be detected in the sera of HV and BC pts. Comparison between the two groups of subjects indicates that GP88 level is significantly higher in the sera of BC pts. These studies are important as they identify as a measurable circulating biomarker GP88 that is also a therapeutic target of malignant transformation or malignant progression of breast carcinoma (BC). Future studies will examine whether there is any correlation between the serum level of GP88 and therapeutic response to systemic therapy in breast cancer patients.&#x2028; This study was supported by grant from MIPS, the Avon Foundation and 1R43 CA 124179-01A1 from the National Institutes of Health.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 2006.

Tissue expression of the growth factor GP88 is a predictor of recurrence in patients with estrogen receptor positive breast tumors

Abstract #1088

Background&#x2028; Our laboratory is working on the characterization of novel breast cancer targets that have therapeutic an/or diagnostic applications. We have previously identified the growth factor GP88 as a significant player of breast tumorigenesis. GP88 is expressed in human breast cancer cells in a positive correlation with tumorigenesis. In estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells, GP88 mediates estrogen proliferation effect and its increase is associated with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy. Inhibition of GP88 expression in human breast adenocarcinoma lead to inhibition of tumor incidence and tumor growth in nude mice. Pathological studies showed that ductal carcinoma expressed GP88 whereas benign lesions and normal mammary tissue were negative. Based on this evidence, the present study was carried out to investigate whether high GP88 expression in estrogen receptor positive invasive ductal carcinoma is associated with increased recurrence and decreased overall survival.&#x2028; Methods&#x2028; Under an IRB approved study, 239 archival formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded estrogen receptor positive invasive ductal carcinoma with a minimum of 4 years follow-up were obtained from three United States tumor banks The clinical data included patients demographics such as age and race, tumor characteristics including tumor size, tumor grade, nodal status, disease stage and receptor status, time and type of first recurrence, time and status of last follow-up. GP88 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using Oncostain 88TM IHC kit on five-micrometer sections. GP88 expression was scored as: &lt;10% of cells staining – negative, &gt;10% of cells staining – positive with positive staining graded from weak/focal (1+) to moderate/focal or diffuse (2+) to strong/diffuse (3+). The statistical analysis of GP88 expression in all cases was carried out. The Oncostain 88TM test performance was evaluated for its ability to predict disease-free (DFS) and/or overall survivals (OS) using Kaplan Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazards models for quantification of risk.&#x2028; Results&#x2028; The data show that ER+ cases with high GP88 expression (3+) had a hazard ratio for OS of 2.29 (95% CI, 1.38-3.78; p&lt; 0.0013) and a HR for DFS of 2.88 (95% CI 1.59-5.24; p&lt;0.0005). GP88 3+ remained highly significant for OS and DFS even when the data were adjusted for covariates such as nodal status, disease stage, tumor grade, tumor size, supporting the findings that GP88 brings independent information on the recurrence risk and overall survival of ER+ invasive ductal carcinoma.&#x2028; Conclusion&#x2028; This study demonstrates for the first time that high GP88 expression (3+) is a predictor of higher recurrence and increased mortality in ER+ IDC. These data provide a novel biomarker tissue assay (Oncostain 88TM) with prognostic significance in breast cancer.&#x2028; This study was supported by grant 1R43 CA 124179-01A1 from the National Institutes of Health.

Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(2 Suppl):Abstract nr 1088.

Genetic diversity of captive forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) inferred from the mitochondrial DNA control region

Forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) were once distributed widely in China. However, wild populations have declined dramatically because of poaching and habitat loss. Captive breeding populations have been established for several decades, but the genetic backgrounds of most captive populations were unclear and the population sizes increased very slowly. To provide useful information for conservation and management of this species, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of forest musk deer by analysing a 582-bp fragment of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR) in three captive breeding populations in Sichuan Province, China. Ninety-four variable sites and 27 haplotypes were observed in 109 individuals, and the nucleotide and haplotype diversities were relatively high compared with those of other endangered mammals. Of the three investigated populations, the Maerkang population had the highest nucleotide diversity (pi=0.0568), haplotype diversity (h=0.836) and average intra-population genetic distance (0.062). The analysis of molecular variance demonstrated that most variation occurred within samples and that there was significant differentiation of the three populations. Estimates of gene flow indicated that there were few genetic exchanges among the three populations. Building pedigree records and increasing gene flow between populations will be helpful for conserving these populations and this species.

Identifying quantitative trait loci for resistance to Sclerotinia head rot in two USDA sunflower germplasms

Sclerotinia head rot is a major disease of sunflower in the world, and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping could facilitate understanding of the genetic basis of head rot resistance and breeding in sunflower. One hundred twenty-three F2:3 and F2:4 families from a cross between HA 441 and RHA 439 were studied. The mapping population was evaluated for disease resistance in three field experiments in a randomized complete block design with two replicates. Disease incidence (DI) and disease severity (DS) were assessed. A genetic map with 180 target region amplification polymorphism, 32 simple sequence repeats, 11 insertion-deletion, and 2 morphological markers was constructed. Nine DI and seven DS QTL were identified with each QTL explaining 8.4 to 34.5% of phenotypic variance, suggesting the polygenic basis of the resistance to head rot. Five of these QTL were identified in more than one experiment, and each QTL explained more than 12.9% of phenotypic variance. These QTL could be useful in sunflower breeding. Although a positive correlation existed between the two disease indices, most of the respective QTL were located in different chromosomal regions, suggesting a different genetic basis for the two indices.

Treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head with hBMP-2-gene-modified tissue-engineered bone in goats

The efficacy of β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) loaded with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2)-gene-modified bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was evaluated for the repair of experimentally-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head in goats.

Bilateral early-stage osteonecrosis was induced in adult goats three weeks after ligation of the lateral and medial circumflex arteries and delivery of liquid nitrogen into the femoral head. After core decompression, porous β-TCP loaded with BMP-2 gene- or β-galactosidase (gal)-gene-transduced BMSCs was implanted into the left and right femoral heads, respectively. At 16 weeks after implantation, there was collapse of the femoral head in the untreated group but not in the BMP-2 or β-gal groups. The femoral heads in the BMP-2 group had a normal density and surface, while those in the β-gal group presented with a low density and an irregular surface. Histologically, new bone and fibrous tissue were formed in the macropores of the β-TCP. Sixteen weeks after implantation, lamellar bone had formed in the BMP-2 group, but there were some empty cavities and residual fibrous tissue in the β-gal group. The new bone volume in the BMP-2 group was significantly higher than that in the β-gal group. The maximum compressive strength and Young’s modulus of the repaired tissue in the BMP-2 group were similar to those of normal bone and significantly higher than those in the β-gal group.

Our findings indicate that porous β-TCP loaded with BMP-2-gene-transduced BMSCs are capable of repairing early-stage, experimentally-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head and of restoring its mechanical function.

BMP2 gene therapy on the repair of bone defects of aged rats

Age-related decline in the number of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their reduced capability to differentiate osteogenically, along with diminished availability of growth factors, may be major factors accounting for reduced bone formation in the aging mammalian body. In the first part of the study, we compared the number of MSCs in bone marrow (BM) and the content of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) in cortical bone tissue in juvenile, adult, and aged (1, 9, and 24 months, respectively) male rats. To assay the influence of aging on osteogenic differentiation ability, MSCs from the three age groups were transduced with the BMP2 gene. Following gene transduction, the production of BMP2 in culture media, expression of osteogenic proteins (e.g., alkaline phosphatase, type Ialpha1 collagen, osteopontin, and bone sialoprotein), as well as ectopic bone formation in athymic mice were compared. Results showed that the number of MSCs in BM as well as the content of BMP2 in cortical bone tissue decreased with age, but no significant differences between the three age groups were found with regard to production of BMP2 or capability of BMP2 gene-modified MSCs to differentiate osteogenically. The second part of the study applied BMP2 gene-modified autologous MSCs/beta-tricalcium phosphate for repair of bone defects in aged rats with positive results. Our data indicate that the osteogenic potential of MSCs of aged rats can be restored following BMP2 gene transduction and that this technique may be a useful approach in the future planning of gene therapy for age-related osteoporotic fractures.