Biomedical subjects

Cornelia Hauser-Kronberger

Publications and source records attributed to Cornelia Hauser-Kronberger.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Decrease of mitochondrial DNA content and energy metabolism in renal cell carcinoma.

To elucidate the relationship between tumor genesis and the mitochondrial energy metabolism in renal neoplasms, we studied three individual enzyme activities of the oxidative phosphorylation, two components of the Krebs cycle and the mitochondrial DNA content of renal carcinomas including 29 conventional, five papillary, two unclassified carcinomas with sarcomatoid features and one collecting duct carcinoma. A significant reduction of all mitochondrial enzyme activities including complex V, as well as of the mitochondrial DNA content was detected in 34 of 37 renal carcinoma tissues as compared with control kidney. Mitochondrial enzyme activities and mitochondrial DNA levels were not statistically different between the conventional, papillary and unclassified sarcomatoid type of renal carcinoma and did not correlate with tumour grade, metastasis, ploidy and proliferative activity as determined by Ki-67 staining. Taken together, our data indicate that a co-ordinated down-regulation of all components necessary for mitochondrial energy metabolism occurs in most renal carcinomas as an early event in carcinoma formation, which does not change with progression of the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Galanin and galanin receptors in human gliomas.

Galanin-like immunoreactivity (GAL-LI) and specific GAL binding sites have been shown to be widely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS) and in CNS tumors. GAL and its receptors have also been shown to be present in glial cells, but to date it is still unknown whether human gliomas produce GAL and express GAL receptors. In this study 20 brain tumors consisting of 15 glioblastomas, 4 meningiomas and 1 gliosarcoma were investigated for the presence of GAL-LI and GAL receptors. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a dense network of GAL-LI positive cellular processes and cell bodies in 18 of the 20 tumors. In contrast, in vitro (125)I-labeled GAL receptor autoradiography showed substantial GAL binding in only 6 glioblastoma tissues. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis detected mRNA of all three known galanin receptors in the tumor tissues, with most tumors expressing multiple receptor subtypes. Pharmacological analysis of tumor membrane homogenates with GAL and the specific GAL receptor GalR2 agonist, AR-M1896, revealed that the GAL receptor GalR1 is most likely the receptor responsible for the observed GAL binding in the glioblastomas. No correlation could be found between GAL-LI, the level of GAL binding and proliferative activity as determined by immunostaining with the cell proliferation marker Ki-67.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

125I-labeled galanin binding sites in congenital innervation defects of the distal colon.

Neuropeptides have turned out to be promising new parameters, in addition to the routinely performed histochemical diagnosis, of Hirschsprung's disease (HD). Studies of the peptidergic innervation of the affected intestinal segment of patients with HD have demonstrated a marked reduction in the density of several neuropeptide-containing nerve fibers. The frequency of nerve fibers storing the neuropeptide galanin (GAL) was found to be unchanged or slightly reduced in HD, but nothing is known about the occurrence of GAL receptors. In this study, in vitro receptor autoradiography using (125)I-labeled GAL and GAL immunofluorescence have been performed on frozen tissue sections from colon biopsies of 10 patients diagnosed with HD, 8 patients with intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND B) and 20 patients with chronic obstruction but normal innervation. Binding sites were mainly detected in the mucosal and muscular layer, in acetylcholinesterase-positive nerve fiber bundles and ganglia within the submucosal layer and in close association to blood vessels. An increased population of GAL receptor positive, parasympathetic nerve fibers was seen in the aganglionic segment of HD as compared to controls and IND B. In contrast, GAL immunostaining which was unchanged in HD revealed a significant lack of GAL-positive structures in IND B colon biopsies. Colocalization of GAL and GAL binding sites was only observed in thick nerve fibers in the submucosa. The presence of GAL binding sites in different cellular structures suggests an involvement of GAL in various physiological functions of the gastrointestinal tract.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Chromogenic in situ hybridization: a novel approach to a practical and sensitive method for the detection of HER2 oncogene in archival human breast carcinoma.

The high incidence of HER2 overexpression on the cell surface of breast cancer cells and the recognized prognostic and potentially predictive value of HER2 render this cell surface receptor a novel and important therapeutic target. Although immunohistochemistry (IHC; HercepTest) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH; PathVysion and INFORM)-both approved by the Food and Drug Administration-have emerged as the most viable assays for evaluation of HER2 status in routine clinical practice, there is still no consensus on which is the best method for assessing HER2 status. Therefore, our specific objective was to establish a chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) assay for the detection of HER2 amplification on a cohort of 173 archival invasive breast carcinomas. Results were compared with HercepTest, which is the most frequently used method for detecting HER2 alteration. Additionally, HER2 gene copy number was investigated using differential PCR (dPCR) as a testing system. HER2 overexpression was found by IHC in 24.3%; HER2 amplification was found by CISH in 19.1% and by dPCR in 9.2% of the tumors. The overall concordance rate was 95.9% between CISH and IHC and 85.0% between dPCR and IHC. Kappa statistics revealed an excellent agreement between IHC and CISH (kappa = 0.878), but only a moderate agreement was found between IHC and dPCR (kappa = 0.482). Discrepant cases between CISH and HercepTest and all IHC-positive cases (+2 and +3), a total of 42 cases, were analyzed with the FISH PathVysion (Vysis) assay. Among 25 HercepTest-positive cases (score +3), 2 showed no gene amplification by FISH or CISH. Four of 13 tumors with weak HER2 overexpression (score +2) were negative with both FISH and CISH. Concordance between CISH and FISH was 100% for the 38 cases analyzed. The current study showed that CISH represents a practical and simple assay for evaluating HER2 gene amplification in archival material, offering a promising alternative to IHC or FISH for the routine diagnostic setting.

Breast Neoplasms↗