Combined detection of plasma GATA5 and SFRP2 methylation is a valid noninvasive biomarker for colorectal cancer and adenomas

AIM: To investigate GATA5, SFRP2, and ITGA4 methylation in plasma DNA as noninvasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) or adenomas.

METHODS: There were 57 CRC patients, 30 adenomas patients, and 47 control patients enrolled in this study. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the promoter methylation status of GATA5, SFRP2, and ITGA4 genes in plasma DNA, and their association with clinical outcome in CRC. The predictive ability of GATA5, SFRP2, and ITGA4 methylation, individually or in combination, to detect CRC or adenomas was further analyzed.

RESULTS: Hypermethylated GATA5 was detected in plasma in 61.4% (35/57) of CRC cases, 43.33% (13/30) of adenoma cases, and 21.28% (10/47) of control cases. The hypermethylation of SFRP2 was detected in 54.39% (31/57), 40.00% (12/30), and 27.66% (13/47) in plasma samples from CRC, adenomas, and controls, respectively. ITGA4 methylation was detected in 36.84% (21/57) of plasma samples of CRC patients and in 30.00% (9/30) of plasma samples from patients with colorectal adenomas, and the specificity of this individual biomarker was 80.85% (9/47). Moreover, GATA5 methylation in the plasma was significantly correlated with larger tumor size (P = 0.019), differentiation status (P = 0.038), TNM stage (P = 0.008), and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.008). SFRP2 and ITGA4 methylation in plasma significantly correlated with differentiation status (SFRP2, P = 0.012; ITGA4, P = 0.007), TNM stage (SFRP2, P = 0.034; ITGA4, P = 0.021), and lymph node metastasis (SFRP2, P = 0.034; ITGA4, P = 0.021). From the perspective of predictive power and cost-performance, using GATA5 and SFRP2 together as methylation markers seemed the most favorable predictor for CRC (OR = 8.06; 95%CI: 2.54-25.5; P < 0.01) and adenomas (OR = 3.35; 95%CI: 1.29-8.71; P = 0.012).

CONCLUSION: A combination of GATA5 and SFRP2 methylation could be promising as a marker for the detection and diagnosis of CRC and adenomas.

The pathogenic relevance of the prognostic markers CD38 and CD49d in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The interactions of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells with the microenvironment in secondary lymphoid tissues and the bone marrow are known to promote CLL cell survival and proliferation. CD38 and CD49d are both independent prognostic risk parameters in CLL with important roles in shaping these interactions. Both are reported to influence CLL cell trafficking between blood and lymphoid organs as well as their survival and proliferation within the lymphoid organs, thereby impacting the pathophysiology of the disease. The expression of CD38 and CD49d is associated in the majority of cases, and they exist as part of macromolecular complexes. Here, we review the current evidence for the individual and associated contributions of these molecules to CLL pathophysiology.

Increased expression of α₂ (CD49b), α₄ (CD49d) and β₁ (CD29) integrin subunits on peripheral blood T lymphocytes in clinically stable mild-to-moderate persistent asthma

INTRODUCTION

Adhesive molecules, particularly selectins and integrins, are critical for the inflammatory cell trafficking from blood to the lungs. Among integrins, the most important for cell infiltration are those containing α₄ and β₂ subunits.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of α₁ and α₂ integrin subunits on peripheral blood T cells in asthmatic subjects, because previously we showed evidence that α₁β₁ and α₂β₁ integrins may be found on peripheral blood eosinophils in these subjects. In this study, we also analyzed the expression of α₄ and β₁ subunits as a positive reference.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression of α₁, α₂, α₄, and β₁ subunits was analyzed by flow cytometry on CD₄+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes obtained from the peripheral blood of 54 clinically stable, asymptomatic, mild-to-moderate persistent asthmatics and 40 healthy controls.

RESULTS

The α₁ subunit was not present on peripheral blood T cells in the majority of subjects in both study groups. Expression of α₂ was detectable on CD8+ cells in both groups and was increased on CD4+ in asthmatics. Both types of T cells showed higher expression of α₄ and β₁ in patients with asthma. Expression of α₄ was higher on CD8+ T cells both in asthmatics and controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Expression of α₄ and β₁ integrin subunits is increased on peripheral blood T cells in patients with asthma, which confirms the preactivation of blood lymphocytes even in stable and asymptomatic disease. The biological role of α₂ subunit on T cells remains to be elucidated.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for ischemic femoral head necrosis

BACKGROUND

Avascular necrosis of the femoral head (ANFH) is a highly mutilating disease. There is no effective way to treat femoral head ischemia. This study was designed to show the curative effects of peripheral blood stem cell transplantation to induce vascular regeneration and improve ischemic femoral head necrosis in rabbits.

METHODS

Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent ischemic femoral head necrosis in both hindlimbs using liquid-nitrogen refrigeration. One cohort of rats was intraperitoneally injected with granulocyte-specific colony-stimulating factor (250 microg/kg/d), and control animals received equivalent saline solution. The right side was used as the transplantation group and the left as the control. After separation of peripheral blood, a stem cell suspension was poured into the right femoral artery and saline solution into the left femoral artery.

RESULTS

At 4 weeks after peripheral stem cell transplantation, standing ability and activity of the the transplanted right hindlimb were remarkably improved, but there were no obvious changes in the control limbs. The experimental rabbits underwent arteriography of bilateral femoral heads, which indicated increased and thickened blood supply to the transplanted right hindlimb compared with the left control.

CONCLUSION

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation improved ischemic femoral head necrosis.

Alterations in biomarkers of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in active acromegaly

OBJECTIVES

In acromegalic patients, cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities contribute to enhance mortality. Available data on the lipoprotein profile of these patients are controversial. Our aim was to characterize the lipoprotein profile and emergent biomarkers of cardiovascular disease in active acromegalic patients in comparison with sex- and age-matched healthy controls.

PATIENTS

Eighteen patients with active acromegaly and 18 controls were studied.

MEASUREMENTS

Glucose levels, hormonal status, lipoprotein profile and C reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated by standardized methods. Cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2 )(Lp-PLA(2)) were measured by radiometric techniques, endothelin-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and leucocytes CD18, CD49d and CD54 by flow cytometry.

RESULTS

After adjusting for body mass index (BMI), acromegalic patients presented a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile, consisting of higher levels of triglycerides and apolipoprotein B and alterations in the ratios which estimate insulin resistance and atherogenic risk. CETP activity was significantly increased in acromegalic patients as compared to controls (168 +/- 17 vs. 141 +/- 30% per ml h, respectively; P < 0.05). Endothelin-1 levels evidenced an increase in the patients' group (0.9 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.2 ng/l, respectively; P < 0.01) and showed positive and significant correlations with GH, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 (r = 0.45, 0.42 and 0.44, respectively; P < 0.01 for all of them; with BMI as a fixed variable). Lymphocytes from acromegalic patients showed increased CD49d content (282 +/- 59 vs. 246 +/- 48 arbitrary units, respectively; P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, the alterations described seem to contribute to constituting a state of higher propensity for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which adds to the presence of specific cardiomyopathy.

[In vitro expansion of cord blood mononuclear cells supported by fetal bone marrow stromal cells and cytokines]

This study was aimed to explore the role of human fetal bone marrow stromal cells (FBMSC) in combination with exogenous cytokines in supporting the in vitro expansion of cord blood mononuclear cells and the expression of CXCR4(+) and CD49d(+) in CD34(+) cells. Mononuclear cells (MNC) separated from cord blood (CB) were cultured in a serum-free support culture system with FBMSC or exogenous cytokines or both of them. On day 0, 6, 10 and 14, total cells were counted, CD34(+), CD34(+)CXCR4(+) and CD34(+)CD49d(+) cells were quantitated by FACS, and hematopoietic progenitor cells were assessed by semisolid culture assay. The results showed that after culturing for 14 days, CD34(+) cells, CD34(+)CXCR4(+) cells, CD34(+) CD49d(+) cells and colony forming unit (CFU) were significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with other groups, expansion multiple of CD34(+), CD34(+)CXCR4(+), CD34(+)CD49d(+) cells and CFU were higher than that in FBMSC and cytokine group (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the culture system used in this study can not only support the expansion of CB MNCs but also increase the number of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells which has chemokine and adhesion capacity. This culture system may be a feasible way for in vitro culture of cord blood cells.

[Expression of adhesion molecules on CD34+ cells of BM and PB stem cell samples during high-dose chemotherapy combined with transplantation of autologous PB stem cells]

This study was aimed to investigate the expressions of adhesion molecules such as CD54, CD49d and CD62L by CD34(+) cells sampled from different stages of bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) before/after G-CSF mobilization and after transplantation through the direct labeling with three colour-immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, and to explore the differences in expression of adhesion molecules on CD34(+) cells from different origins and their clinical significance. Mononuclear cells collected from BM and PB before mobilization, after collection of stem cells and hematopoietic recostruction of BM at the end of transplantation were marked with CD54-FITC, CD49d-FITC and CD62L-FITC separately, as well as CD34-PE and CD45PerCE. 3-color fluorescene analysis was carried out by FACS. The expression differences of CD34(+) and adhesion molecules between BM and APBSC were compared. The results showed that expression differences of CD54, CD49d and cd62Lon CD34(+) cells belore mobilization, after collection and reconstraction of transplantation were not statiscally significant, the difference of CD54, CD49d and CD62L on CD34(+) between 1st and 2nd collections of hematopoietic stem cells also were not statiscally significant. In the collected APBSC, the expression level of CD34(+) CD49d(+) was significantly lower than those in BM before mobilization (P = 0.001). It is concluded that the method of chemotherapy combined with G-CSF mobilization can down-regulate CD49d expression in BM CD34(+) cells, thus can mobilize and move theirs into peripheral blood. After the reconstitution by transplantation, the expression of CD49d on CD34(+) cells tends to normal, the clinical significance needs to be elucidated by accumulation of much more cases.

Quantitative expression of the major homing integrins alphaL and alpha4 on human cord blood hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells

An increased traffic of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) between bone marrow and peripheral organs is a peculiar feature of the allergic inflammation. It has been recently reported that the sublingual form of specific immunotherapy (SLIT) is capable of reducing such an increased HPC traffic. The House Dust Mite major antigen Der p1 has been proved to up-regulate the expression of the ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 endothelial addressins, supporting the view of an inflammatory cell recruiting at the site of allergen extract administration. In the present work we have investigated, by flow-cytometric techniques, the expression of the two major integrins CD11a (LFA-1) and CD49d (VLA-4) that are the homing receptor cognate for ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on human cord blood CD34 hematopoietic progenitor and stem cells. Even if both the investigated molecules resulted detectable on CD34+ HPC surfaces, being the system redundant, the density of the cellular expression was significantly higher for CD49d (median value: 158) than CD11a (median value: 20.5), suggesting a preferential usage of the homing axis VLA-4/VCAM-1. Results consistency with outcomes of clinical trials that relate SLIT efficacy to allergen dosage is discussed.

Activation of A2A adenosine receptors inhibits expression of alpha 4/beta 1 integrin (very late antigen-4) on stimulated human neutrophils

The alpha 4/beta 1 integrin very late antigen-4 (CD49d/CD29) is up-regulated on circulating neutrophils of septic patients. Although no individual agent mimics this effect of sepsis, we now report that following priming of human neutrophils with lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), addition of formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) results in a "stimulated", sepsis-like, four- to fivefold rise in CD49d expression. TNF/fMLP stimulation also produced a similar increase in CD49d-mediated adhesion of neutrophils to a vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)-coated surface. Adenosine is a naturally occurring, anti-inflammatory mediator released from injured or inflamed tissues. We observed that stimulated neutrophil CD49d expression was decreased by activation of A(2A) adenosine receptors (A(2A)AR) with the selective agonist 4-[3-[6-amino-9-(5-ethylcarbamoyl-3,4-dihydroxy-tetrahydro-furan-2-yl)-9H-purin-2-yl]-prop-2-ynyl]-cyclohexanecarboxylicacid methyl ester (ATL146e; EC(50)=6.4 nM). ATL146e (100 nM) also reduced the fraction of stimulated neutrophils that adhered to VCAM-1 from 38 +/- 6% to 27 +/- 5%. Inhibition of CD49d expression was equally inhibited by ATL146e, added before or after TNF priming, and was reversed by incubation with the A(2A)AR-selective antagonist 4-[2-[7-amino-2-(2-furyl) (1, 2, 4)triazolo(2,3-a) (1, 3, 5)triazin-5-yl-amino]ethyl]-phenol (ZM241385; 100 nM). A suboptimal ATL146e concentration (1 nM) combined with the type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor rolipram (100 nM) synergistically decreased stimulated CD49d expression by >50%. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent kinase [protein kinase A (PKA)] inhibitor H-89 (10 microM) reversed the effect of ATL146e on stimulated CD49d expression. Other means of increasing cAMP in neutrophils also decreased stimulated CD49d expression. We conclude that adenosine binding to A(2A)AR counteracts stimulation of neutrophil CD49d integrin expression and neutrophil binding to VCAM-1 via a cAMP/PKA-mediated pathway.

[Serum concentration of soluble vascular-cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and expression of its receptor VLA-4 on the surface of peripheral blood and decidual lymphocytes of preeclamptic women]

INTRODUCTION

Vascular-cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) overexpression on the cells' surface is stimulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines, bacterial endotoxins, reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxides. In the serum also the soluble form of VCAM-1 (sVCAM-1) is present. The beta 1-integrin family molecule VLA-4 (CD49d) is natural ligand for VCAM-1. Increased concentrations of sVCAM-1 as well as overexpression of VLA-4 were observed during inflammatory reaction.

THE AIM

To study sVCAM-1 serum concentrations and CD49d+ subpopulations of peripheral blood and decidual lymphocytes of the 3rd trimester healthy and preeclamptic women.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study groups: n = 21 healthy pregnant women, n = 33 preeclamptic women (preeclampsia defined as blood pressure > 140/90 mmHg with proteinuria > 0.3 g/24 h). Clinical states of known pathogenesis which could possibly interfere with values of studied parameters were excluded. Exclusion criteria were also uterine contractions and premature rupture of amniotic membranes. Decidua was collected exclusively during elective caesarean sections. The sVCAM-1 concentration (ng/ml) was estimated using ELISA procedure, while percentage (%) of CD49d+ lymphocytes in the whole blood and homogenized decidual tissue, using flow cytometry. The results were presented as median value with 25% and 75% cut off values. Statistical analysis was performed with U-Mann-Whitney test (p < 0.05).

RESULTS

Preeclamptic women presented with increased sVCAM-1 serum concentrations (532.5 (400.0/605.0) ng/ml vs. 387.0 (320.0/416.5) ng/ml, p < 0.0005), increased (%) of CD49d+ peripheral blood (92.0 (88.0/96.0)% vs. 52.9 (47.5/55.8)%, p < 0.0000001) and CD49d+ decidual lymphocytes (88.0 (84.0/90.0)% vs. 80.5 (74.0/85.6)%, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Described change suggest that immunological mechanisms similar to inflammatory reaction could be involved in pathogenesis of preeclampsia in peripheral blood as well as locally inside maternal-fetal interface.

[Effect of platelet factor 4 on the adherence of cord blood CD34(+) cells]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effects of platelet factor 4 (PF4) on the adherence, and the expressions of adherent molecules CD(49d) and CXCR4 and the receptor of SDF-1 of fresh and expanded cord blood CD(34)(+) cells.

METHODS

CD(34)(+) cells were isolated from cord blood using MACS immune magnetic beads. The adherent ability was assayed by using crystal violet staining and the expression of adherent molecule CD(49d) and CXCR4 by FACS.

RESULTS

(1) PF4 could increase the adherent ability of the fresh cord blood CD(34)(+) cells, the effect being positively correlated with the dose of PF4. (2) SDF-1 at concentration of 100 ng/ml increased the adherent ability of the fresh cord blood CD(34)(+) cells. (3) The spontaneous and the SDF-1 induced adherent ability of the cord blood CD(34)(+) cells began to decrease after being cultured for 10 days without PF4, while in the presence of PF4 at 100 ng/ml, the ability of the cord blood CD(34)(+) cell adhering to the stroma layer still remained at higher level. At day 14, the adherent ability was (262.04 +/- 64.81)% and (64.35 +/- 8.29)% in PF4 group and control group, respectively, if it was defined as 100% at day 0. SDF-1 at concentration of 100 ng/ml induced adherent ability was (138.31 +/- 32.39)% and (67.66 +/- 12.44)% in PF4 group and control group, respectively. (4) The expression of CD(49d) and CXCR4 increased 13.02% and 17.33%, respectively, when incubated with PF4.

CONCLUSIONS

PF4 could increase the adherent ability and promote the expression of CD(49d) and CXCR4 of the cord blood CD(34)(+) cells, suggesting that PF4 promote the circulating stem cells homing to the marrow in the process of stem cells transplantation.

Innate immune responses following emergency vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease virus in pigs

Inactivated "emergency" foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) vaccine of high potency will induce early protection against the disease, implying a critical role for innate immune defences. At 3 and 6 days post-vaccination (dpv), there was no evidence of vaccine-induced specific anti-FMDV antibodies (Abs), nor enhanced uptake and destruction of opsonised virus by macrophages. Sera from vaccinates and control animals showed similar capacity to neutralise the virus, and were not different from the pre-vaccination sera. There were also no distinguishable changes in the distribution of the different peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) subpopulations. Nor was any vaccine-induced increase in production of acute phase proteins noted. In contrast, chemotaxis assays identified an increase in PBL migratory activity which was vaccine-related. Furthermore, sera from 3 days post-vaccination contained elevated chemotactic potential. These results demonstrate that enhanced chemotaxis of cells of the innate immune defences, could play an important role during the early protection induced by emergency FMDV vaccines.