Denise Young | PubMed Health

PubMed2004

Method for assessment of functional affinity of antibodies for live bacteria.

A rapid and convenient method for assessment of functional affinity of antibodies against live bacteria is described. When a combination of immunomagnetic separation (IMS) with bioluminescent or fluorescent genetic labelling of the cells was employed, the method showed good correlation with plate count. However, the use of reporter bacteria allowed results to be obtained within 1 h compared with days using conventional methods. Due to its lower detection limit, the bioluminescent assay performed better than the fluorescent assay. Antibody affinities for Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enteritidis were examined at different environmental conditions such as pH 3-7, temperature 4-25 degrees C, and sodium chloride concentrations 0-5% and compared with sensitivities of ELISA.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed2002

Maspin expression profile in human prostate cancer (CaP) and in vitro induction of Maspin expression by androgen ablation.

PURPOSE: Expression of tumor suppressor gene, MASPIN, is associated with inhibition of tumor cell invasion and metastasis. Loss of or decreased expression of Maspin is found frequently in breast and prostate cancer cells. The objective of this study is to investigate Maspin expression in prostate tumor specimens and explore the mechanisms of hormonal regulation of Maspin expression in prostate tumors. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Immunohistochemical staining of Maspin expression was performed on surgical whole-mounted prostate specimens. The expression of Maspin was scored on individual tumors. Correlation of Maspin expression with clinicopathological features was analyzed for statistical significance. Androgen ablation-induced Maspin expression was analyzed by Maspin promoter luciferase reporter assay and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR analysis of endogenous Maspin expression in LNCaP cells in vitro and in animal model. RESULTS: Comprehensive evaluation of Maspin expression profile in multiple tumor foci from whole mounted prostate specimens of prostate cancer patients revealed absence of Maspin expression in a significant fraction (63%). However, Maspin expression is significantly higher in tumor specimens (92%) of patients treated with neoadjuvant androgen ablation therapy before radical prostatectomy. LNCaP cells cultured in androgen-depleted medium show induction of Maspin promoter activity in a promoter luciferase reporter assay. In addition, Maspin expression is increased after castration in LNCaP prostate cancer cells derived tumors in nude mice. CONCLUSIONS: Maspin expression is frequently absent in primary prostate cancers. Up-regulation of MASPIN in response to androgen ablation strongly suggests a physiological role of Maspin in growth inhibition and/or apoptosis of prostate cancer cells during androgen ablation.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

p63 expression profile in normal and malignant prostate epithelial cells.

p63 expression was evaluated in a tissue microarray of prostate tissues including benign glands, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and prostatic carcinoma. Immunostaining with anti-p63 antibody was restricted to basal cell nuclei. Detectable p63 was found in immortalized and early passage cell cultures, but not in senescent cultures or metastatic tumor-derived cell lines. The selective presence of p63 in basal cells of the prostate suggests that p63 can be used as a marker of basal cells and in vitro typing cell cultures of prostate cancer (CaP). The basal cell association underscores its critical functions in the biology of basal cells.

Aged↗