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Itamar R G Ruiz

Publications and source records attributed to Itamar R G Ruiz.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Nucleolar organizer region staining patterns in paraffin-embedded tissue cells from human skin cancers.

BACKGROUND: Increased number of nucleoli (nucleolar organizer regions, NORs) with abnormal shapes and sizes, including small dots, has been used as prognostic tools to evaluate tumor proliferation levels and troublesome borderline lesions. In this study, NOR patterns of skin cancers were performed in the search of a valuable prognostic method to complement other histological procedures. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded tumor tissue was obtained from basal and squamous cell carcinomas, cutaneous malignant melanoma, premalignant lesions, and Skmel-28 human melanoma cells. Slices were dewaxed and AgNOR stained. The patterns were scored and submitted for statistical analyses. RESULTS: All types of cancer cells showed variable numbers of abnormally shaped nucleoli and dot-like structures. Only tumor cells presented four or more nucleoli, with or without dots, while 85% of the normal cells had one single NOR without dots. Most data were statistically significant when compared to normal cells. As a whole, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma tumor cells had less NOR alterations than basal cell carcinoma (BCC) tumor types. CONCLUSIONS: Changes in the number and shape of nucleoli present in malignant cells could be attributed to increased levels on rDNA transcription on cancer cells, besides abnormal remodeling of chromatin, which could disrupt proper nucleoli association. Increased genetic alterations on malignant basal cells could contribute to impair invasive and migration abilities of BCC tumors.

Basal Cell Carcinoma↗
PubMed2004

Repetitive DNA alterations in human skin cancers.

Repetitive sequences constitute landmarks for genome regulation, evolution, and chromatin architecture. Patterns of specific and non-specific repetitive sequences change in many types and stages of tumor cells, characterized by band loss, gain, and (de) increased staining of pre-existing bands. In this work, repetitive DNA was studied in search of genome instability of skin cancers: basal and squamous cell carcinomas (BCC and SCC), malignant melanoma (MM), melanocytic nevus (MN), and actinic keratosis (AK) lesions. DNAs were extracted from blood and tumor samples from 21 BCC, 7 SCC, 11 MM and 7 lesions. Banding patterns were obtained by random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and specific D9S50 and D9S52 microsatellites (9p21). D9S50 patterns revealed microsatellite instability (MSI) and/or loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in 36% BCC, 25% SCC, and 57% MM tumors. D9S52 microsatellite showed 28.5%; 42.8%; and 71.4% altered tumors, respectively. No microsatellite alterations were found in MN and AK. On the other hand, genomic rearrangements detected by RAPD were present in 100% tumors. In BCC, the mean number of tumor DNA alterations showed predominant gain of bands. On the contrary, MM samples presented loss, or decreased intensity signal of RAPD bands. Genome alterations in skin cancers would result from chromosomal rearrangements, aneuploidy and/or polysomies. The low-cost and quick RAPD technique may reveal unknown genes or DNA sequences associated with tumor development and progression, and may be easily implemented in clinical diagnosis.

DNA, Neoplasm↗
PubMed2004

The 18S rRNA from Odontophrynus americanus 2n and 4n (Amphibia, Anura) reveals unusual extra sequences in the variable region V2.

The nucleotide sequence of the rDNA 18S region isolated from diploid and tetraploid species of the amphibian Odontophrynus americanus was determined and used to predict the secondary structure of the corresponding 18S rRNA molecules. Comparison of the primary and secondary structures for the 2n and 4n species confirmed that these species are very closely related. Only three nucleotide substitutions were observed, accounting for 99% identity between the 18S sequences, whereas several changes were detected by comparison with the Xenopus laevis 18S sequence (96% identity). Most changes were located in highly variable regions of the molecule. A noticeable feature of the Odontophrynus 18S rRNA was the presence of unusual extra sequences in the V2 region, between helices 9 and 11. These extra sequences do not fit the model for secondary structure predicted for vertebrate 18S rRNA.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Inhibition of melanoma cells tumorigenicity by the snake venom toxin jararhagin.

Skmel-28 human melanoma cells were treated with jararhagin (Jara), a metalloproteinase disintegrin isolated from Bothrops jararaca snake venom, and Jari (Jara with the catalytic domain inactivated). Following treatments, monolayer cells lost cytoplasmic expansions acquiring round shapes, detached and formed cell clusters in suspension. Cytotoxicity effect of Jari was dramatically increased at concentrations higher than 0.4 microM, whereas cell adhesion responses did not differ significantly between similar concentrations of Jara and Jari. Treated cells were significantly inhibited to adhere to non-coated wells, as to ECM proteins-coated plates. Migration and invasion were also significantly inhibited in vitro. A decreased proliferation rate was observed in toxin-treated cells. Immunofluorescence staining showed a wide distribution of Jari across the cells. Jara treated cells (67.5%) steady bound anti-jara antibodies after 90 min, while Jari treated cells steady bound only after 6h (57.3%), as determined by FACS. Skmel-28 melanoma cells tumorigenicity was evaluated 180 days after s.c. injections in AIRmin mice. A statistically significant decrease in the ability of Jara and Jari treated cells to promote lung metastasis was observed. These results point to the potential use of this toxin as a tool for applied researches in the clinical field.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Molecular evolution of ribosomal intergenic spacers in Odontophrynus americanus 2n and 4n (Amphibia: Anura).

Ribosomal intergenic spacers (IGSs) of Odontophrynus americanus 2n and 4n were cloned, restriction mapped, and partially sequenced. Three distinct regions, namely alpha, beta, and delta, were identified in the IGSs. The alpha and beta regions flanked the 28S and 18S rRNA genes, respectively, conserving an identical restriction pattern at each ploidy level. The delta region, located between alpha and beta, was highly variable in size and restriction pattern, enclosing different BamHI subrepeats (B-SR), 87- to 530-bp-long. Sequence analysis showed that B-SRs were composed mainly of different arrangements of similar blocks of sequences. Another family of repetitive sequences was found in the delta region, clustered inside large BamHI fragments. These subrepeats are 189-bp-long and, although very similar in diploid and tetraploid IGSs, show a pattern of concerted evolution. A hypothetical functional role for the 189-bp repeats is discussed in view of their predicted secondary structure and presence of potential E2 binding sites inside diploid subrepeats. Although the same structural elements were present both in diploid and tetraploid IGSs, the higher level of repeatability of tetraploid IGSs suggests that common ancestor sequences have undergone several rounds of amplification after O. americanus polyploidy.

Animals↗