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Biomedical subjects

C Shuler

Publications and source records attributed to C Shuler.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Human developing enamel proteins exhibit a sex-linked dimorphism.

The amelogenin protein of developing dental enamel is generally accepted to mediate the regulation of the form and size of the hydroxyapatite crystallites during enamel biomineralization (1). A genetic disorder of enamel development (amelogenesis imperfecta) has been linked to the amelogenin gene AMEL(2-3), and loci regulating enamel thickness and tooth size have been mapped to the human sex chromosomes (4). In the human genome there are two AMEL loci with one copy of the gene on each of the sex chromosomes (AMELX and AMELY), whereas in the mouse only an AMELX locus is present (5). It is presently unknown if human AMELY is transcriptionally active. These observations prompted us to examine specimens of human developing enamel for sexual dimorphism at the protein level. We report here, for the first time, a diagnosis of differences in human enamel proteins which permits the distinction of specimens according to the sex of the individual.

Ameloblasts

Noncorrelative c-myc and ras oncogene expression in squamous cell carcinoma cells with tumorigenic potential.

The distribution of heterogeneous cell types within human tumors was examined, and the biological behavior of tumors and different tumor cell lines was evaluated following implantation into surrogate hosts. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the expression of oncogenes and localization of the squamous cell carcinoma cell surface-associated antigens. Increased levels of H-ras mRNA and p21 protein were present in six tumors, but enhanced c-myc mRNA expression was observed in just two tumors. The distribution of oncogene mRNA and SCC antigen-positive cells was not uniform throughout the tumor. Isolation of cells from the tumors was accomplished by cell culture, growth in soft agar, and growth in the nude mouse. One nontumorigenic immortalized cell line, SCC-83-01-82, isolated by passage through soft agar, was treated with 50 micrograms/ml of methyl methane sulfonate (MMS). These MMS-converted cells subsequently expressed a tumorigenic phenotype. In situ hybridization of the tumors that developed in nude mice revealed increased c-myc and H-ras mRNA expression. Serial passage of the MMS-converted tumors in vivo was accompanied by consistent enhanced c-myc expression. However, the levels of H-ras and keratin mRNA expression decreased with passage in vitro. Northern blot analysis of c-myc and H-ras mRNA levels from the original SCC cell line showed no change in expression following MMS treatment. The data suggest that SCC-83-01-82 is a premalignant cell line established from a mixed cell population in the tumor mass. It can be converted to a malignant phenotype by treatment with MMS, and the persistence of malignancy is under molecular control other than changes in the level of c-myc and ras gene expression.

Animals

HNF transfection with chondrosarcoma DNA results in the development of a sarcoma cell surface-associated epitope.

High molecular weight DNA, which was isolated from a chondrosarcoma cell line, was transfected into human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts and NIH/3T3 cells. Both types of transfected cells expressed anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and produced tumors in nude mice. The tumors which developed in nude mice following injection of transfected human fibroblasts grew to approximately 0.8 cm in diameter in four weeks. The tumors which developed from transfected NIH/3T3 cells grew to greater than 2.0 cm in diameter in 6 weeks. After growth in soft agar the transfected human fibroblasts expressed a cell surface sarcoma-associated epitope recognized by the monoclonal antibody 345.134S. In addition to the transfected human fibroblasts, the original human chondrosarcoma tumor, the chondrosarcoma cell line derived from the tumor, and the nude mouse tumor which developed from transfected human fibroblasts all exhibited positive reactivity with the monoclonal antibody 345.134S. Transfected NIH/3T3 cells that exhibited anchorage-independent growth and tumorigenicity did not exhibit detectable reactivity with the monoclonal antibody. These results suggest that the expression of the tumor-associated cell surface antigen appears to be an early event correlated with transformation of the transfected human cells but not directly related to the tumorigenic potential of the DNA. The transfected cells which expressed anchorage independent growth exhibited the sarcoma cell surface antigen prior to attaining the potential for tumorigenicity.

Animals

Nontumorigenic squamous cell carcinoma line converted to tumorigenicity with methyl methanesulfonate without activation of HRAS or MYC.

Plasticity of human tumor populations could account for the reason why many tumorigenic human cell lines lose this feature when grown in culture. Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) was used to convert premalignant squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line SCC-83-01-82 to a malignant phenotype. The MMS-treated SCC-83-01-82 cells (MMS-SCC-83-01-82) produced progressively growing tumors in 5 of 11 splenectomized BALB/c nude mice within 3-5 months. A cell line, designated SCC-83-01-82 CA, was established in vitro from one of the mouse tumors and was repassaged successively. This SCC-83-01-82 CA cell line was aggressively tumorigenic. A tumor greater than or equal to 2.0 cm in size was present within a month, as opposed to the 3-5 months required for the tumors produced by the MMS-SCC-83-01-82 cells. Examination of frozen cross sections by in situ hybridization revealed that focal areas of the tumor produced by the MMS-SCC-83-01-82 cells expressed MYC and HRAS mRNA. However, by the third passage in vivo, the levels of expression of the corresponding genes in the mouse tumors were undetectable. Blot-hybridization analysis of the RNA from the MMS-SCC-83-01-82 cells and the subsequently derived tumors and cells did not indicate any consistent overexpression of MYC, HRAS, or KRAS. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of both MYC and HRAS genes revealed neither rearrangement nor amplification of MYC nor point mutation in the 11th or 12th codon of HRAS. The data suggest that alterations in MYC and HRAS were not directly involved in either the initial transformation or MMS-induced tumorigenic conversion of the SCC-83-01-82 cell line. Persistence of tumorigenicity after reisolation of the MMS-converted premalignant SCC-83-01-82 cells did not disappear immediately following the treatment with MMS.

Animals

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: evidence for multicentricity.

The melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy (MNTI) is a rare neoplasm that is believed to be derived from cells of the neural crest. This case demonstrates a multicentric distribution of the MNTI. The possibility of a multicentric variant of benign MNTI is discussed with respect to both the present case and previously described reports. Suggestions for evaluation and surgical management are given.

Alveolar Process