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Biomedical subjects

J D Minna

Publications and source records attributed to J D Minna.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources

Construction of a 600-kilobase cosmid clone contig and generation of a transcriptional map surrounding the lung cancer tumor suppressor gene (TSG) locus on human chromosome 3p21.3: progress toward the isolation of a lung cancer TSG.

The critical region on human chromosome 3p21.3 harboring a putative lung cancer tumor suppressor gene (TSG) was previously defined by allelotyping and recently refined by overlapping homozygous deletions. We report the construction of a 700-kb (cosmid and one P1 phage) clone contig covering the deletion overlap and its flanks. The minimal set of 23 cosmids comprises 600 kb and is extended by one P1 phage to 700 kb to cover the distal breakpoint of the overlap. The clone contig was extensively characterized by restriction and expression mapping to produce high resolution physical and transcription maps of the cloned region. Potential transcribed fragments were detected by hybridization with PCR-amplified cDNA libraries, direct cDNA selection "zoo" blotting, cDNA screening, and identification of 24 CpG islands. Thus far, 15 new genes represented by partial or full-length cDNAs were isolated, characterized, and precisely positioned on the contig. Two previously cloned genes, namely GNAI-2 and GNAT-1, were also positioned. In addition, the telomeric breakpoint of the NCI H740 deletion and centromeric breakpoint of the overlapping GLC20 deletion were discovered and mapped to define precisely the candidate TSG region. This large cosmid clone contig and high resolution maps will prove crucial in the identification of the lung cancer TSG(s).

Chromosome Mapping↗

NCI series of cell lines: an historical perspective.

The NCI series of cell lines represent a unique collection of permanent human tumor cell lines established by one laboratory over a period of approximately 16 years. More than 300 cell lines were established, mainly from human lung cancers (both small cell and non-small cell types). In addition, smaller numbers of lines were established from rare and unusual tumors such as cutaneous T cell lymphomas, myelomas and adrenal cortical carcinoma. The T cell lines played a pivotal role in the isolation of human retroviruses including HTLV-1 and HIV. The establishment of such a large panel of lines was aided by the development of defined media for culturing specific cell types. The lines are well characterized, and full clinical data are available for most of them. Many of the lines have been deposited with the American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, MD, where they are readily available for a modest handling fee. The lines have been widely distributed to investigators, and have had a major impact on biomedical research.

Animals↗

NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Branch cell line data base.

The cell line data base described in this paper includes both clinical information about the patients from whom the cell lines were derived and information about the in vitro analyses performed of the cell lines. The cell line data base has evolved as a part of a systematic effort by a research group at the NCI since 1976 to generate human cell lines as biological tools to study cancer and other diseases. The cell lines were generated from clinical specimens obtained as part of a series of Institutional Review Board-approved clinical protocols. The preponderance of the data is on lung cancer cell lines, though a broad range of other cancers are represented. A bank of over 300 human cell lines including cancer cell and in some instances autologous B-lymphoblastoid cells from the NCI-VA and NCI-Navy Medical Oncology Branch are reposited at the American Type Culture Collection. The cell lines are available for the research community. The entire data base is available on the American Type Culture Collection Web Site (WWW:http:@www.atcc.org/).

Biological Specimen Banks↗

Correlation of in vitro drug sensitivity testing results with response to chemotherapy and survival: comparison of non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer.

Clinical protocols for small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were devised to prospectively select individualized chemotherapy based on in vitro drug sensitivity testing (DST) of cell lines derived from the patient's SCLC tumor cell lines or the patient's fresh NSCLC tumor. DST data derived from SCLC tumor cell lines were available for 33/115 (29%) patients. The DST-selected chemotherapy regimen was administered to 21 (18%) patients, or 64% of patients with DST. In SCLC< the DST-selected chemotherapy was administered either during weeks 13-24 following 12 weeks of etoposide/cisplatin, or at relapse after complete response to etoposide/cisplatin. Several parameters of in vitro drug sensitivity were significantly associated (two-sided P < 0.05) with clinical response to primary therapy and also with response to the DST-selected chemotherapy regimen, but were not associated with survival (P = 0.24). Five patients treated with their DST-selected chemotherapy attained a complete or partial response, compared to 5 of 68 who received an empiric regimen (P = 0.057). A total of 36/165 (22%) NSCLC patients had DST successfully completed. These results directed management for 21/96 (22%) patients who eventually received chemotherapy, or 58% of patients with DST. Response to chemotherapy for the patients treated prospectively with their DST-selected chemotherapy regimen (2/21; 9%) was not significantly different than the response rate for patients treated empirically with etoposide/cisplatin (10/69; 14%) in the absence of in vitro results to direct chemotherapy (P = 0.73). There was no difference in survival by treatment group for the NSCLC patients. The correlation between in vitro and clinical response was not significant for any individual drug or for all drugs considered together, illustrating the poor predictive value of in vitro testing with currently available chemotherapy in NSCLC.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Allele-specific loss in chromosome 9p loci in preneoplastic lesions accompanying non-small-cell lung cancers.

BACKGROUND: Carcinogenesis is a multistep process, which may begin as a consequence of chromosomal changes. Deletions in the short arm of chromosome 9 (9p) have been observed in lung carcinomas. In addition, morphologically recognizable preneoplastic lesions, frequently multiple in number, precede onset of invasive carcinomas. PURPOSE: We tested for deletions and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 9p loci in preneoplastic and neoplastic foci in lungs of patients with non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs). METHODS: Seven archival, paraffin-embedded, surgically resected NSCLC specimens were selected. They were predominantly from patients with adenocarcinomas and contained multiple preneoplastic lesions, including hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia, and carcinoma in situ (CIS). Fifty-three histologically identified preneoplastic and malignant lesions present in bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli were precisely microdissected from stained tissue sections with a micromanipulator. Stromal lymphocytes were used to determine constitutional heterozygosity. The specimens were analyzed for LOH using polymerase chain reaction-based assays for polymorphism in dinucleotide repeats (microsatellite markers) in interferon alfa (IFNA) and D9S171 loci on 9p. RESULTS: All seven cases were constitutionally heterozygous for one or both microsatellite markers. Five of seven cases had LOH at one or both 9p loci in the invasive primary cancers (doubly informative cases). Four of these five cases also revealed LOH in preneoplastic foci. In the doubly informative cases, LOH was detected in five (38%) of 13 foci of hyperplasia, four (80%) of five foci of dysplasia, and three (100%) of three CIS lesions. LOH was detected in preneoplastic lesions from all regions of the respiratory tract, including bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli, and involved five different cell types. The identical allele was lost from both the preneoplastic lesions and the corresponding tumors (12 of 12 lesions, 17 of 17 comparisons), a phenomenon we have referred to as "allele-specific mutation." Statistical analyses employing a cumulative binomial test demonstrated that the probabilities of such findings occurring by chance are 2.4 x 10(-4) and 7.6 x 10(-6), respectively. From comparisons with the previously published data on other chromosomal abnormalities in the same tissue specimens, it appears that LOH at 3p and 9p loci occurred early in the hyperplasia stage, but the ras gene point mutations were relatively late, at the CIS stage. CONCLUSIONS: LOH at 9p loci occurs at the earliest stage in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and involves all regions of the respiratory tract. LOH in NSCLC is not random but targets a specific allele in individuals. Studying preneoplastic lesions may help identify intermediate markers for risk assessment and chemoprevention.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene is somatically mutated in mesothelioma but not in lung cancer.

We have found 16 of 28 small cell lung cancers, 17 of 31 non-small cell lung cancers, 2 of 3 carcinoids, and 12 of 14 mesotheliomas that had chromosome 22 cytogenetic abnormalities. To determine whether the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene located on chromosome 22 participates in the oncogenesis of these malignancies, we studied DNAs from lung cancer cell lines and mesotheliomas using Southern blot analysis and the single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) technique for mutations covering 8 of the 16 known NF2 exons. We detected 7 mutations in 17 mesotheliomas (41%) within the coding region of NF2 but none in 75 lung cancer cell lines (38 small cell lung cancers, 34 non-small cell lung cancers, and 3 carcinoids). These mutations were found to be somatic when normal tissue was available for testing. Four mesothelioma cell lines had relatively large deletions (approximately 10-50 kilobases) in the NF2 gene detectable by Southern blot analysis. Two mesothelioma cell lines had nonsense mutations at codons 57 and 341, respectively. Another mesothelioma obtained as a specimen directly from a patient, had a 10-base pair microdeletion from nucleotide 1004 to nucleotide 1013 causing a frameshift mutation. These results suggest that the NF2 gene participates in the oncogenesis in a subset of mesotheliomas but not in lung cancers.

Base Sequence↗

Allele-specific chromosome 3p deletions occur at an early stage in the pathogenesis of lung carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Deletions in the short arm of chromosome 3 (3p) are present in most lung carcinomas. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of these chromosome 3p deletions in the pathogenesis of non-small cell lung carcinomas. DESIGN: Seven archival, paraffin-embedded, surgically resected lung cancer specimens were studied. Fifty precisely identified malignant and preneoplastic lesions present in bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli were microdissected from stained slides and analyzed for allele loss using polymerase chain reaction-based assays for dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms at three chromosome 3p loci (3p14, 3p21.3, and 3p25). SETTING: University-based medical center and affiliated hospitals. SUBJECTS: Samples were analyzed from seven patients who underwent surgical resection with curative intent for non-small cell lung cancer and whose specimens included extensive multifocal areas of preneoplastic lesions (hyperplasia, metaplasia, dysplasia, or noninvasive cancer). RESULTS: Lymphocytes from all seven cases were heterozygous (ie, informative) for all three microsatellites analyzed. Six (86%) of seven invasive cancers had loss of heterozygosity at one or more chromosome 3p sites. In the accompanying preneoplastic lesions, loss of heterozygosity was detected in none of two normal bronchioles, 13 (76%) of 17 hyperplasias, six (86%) of seven dysplasias, and four (100%) of four noninvasive cancers. Loss of heterozygosity was detected throughout the respiratory tract, in bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. In 18 (78%) of 23 preneoplastic lesions, the specific alleles lost were identical to those lost in the corresponding carcinomas. The probability of this happening by chance is 5.3 x 10(-3). CONCLUSIONS: Deletions in the short arm of chromosome 3 occur at the earliest stage (hyperplasia) in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and involve all regions of the respiratory tract. Allele loss is highly specific, but its mechanism remains unknown. Our findings may be of considerable biologic, prognostic, and clinical significance.

Aged↗

Possible role of endogenous morphine and codeine on growth regulation of lung tissue.

The literature indicates that morphine can inhibit the growth of both small cell and non small cell lung cancer cell lines and that nicotine can reverse this inhibition. In this report we present data showing that mammalian lung tissue contain the opiate alkaloids morphine and codeine and that these alkaloids are also to be found in normal lung cell lines. However, analysis of both small cell and non small cell lung cancer cells indicate that they do not contain these opiate alkaloids endogenously. If morphine exerts an inhibitory effect on proliferation of these cells it is interesting that the lung cancer cell lines lack the opiate alkaloids endogenously. Our studies also present data indicating that the circulating levels of morphine and codeine are elevated in smokers as compared to non smokers which we hypothesize to reflect the invocation of a compensatory mechanism.

Adult↗

Expression of transforming growth factor beta and transforming growth factor beta receptors on AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma.

Several humoral growth factors may contribute to the development and growth of AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS). They are either provided by chronically activated cells of the immune system or in an autocrine/paracrine manner by the neoplastic cells themselves. Transforming growth factor beta(TGF-beta) may directly enhance the growth of KS cells and tumor matrix formation. To mediate a signal both TGF-beta receptors type I and type II (TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II) have to be expressed. We investigated the expression of TGF-beta, TGF-beta receptors types I and II, and endoglin, a nonsignaling-type TbetaR-III, by means of immunohistochemistry on skin biopsies from patients with AIDS-related KS. We found that the TGF-beta ligand was expressed by KS cells in 9 of 11 samples. TbetaR-II was strongly expressed in 10 of 12 samples, but none of the investigated tumor samples stained for TbetaR-I. Endoglin was weakly expressed on all KS lesions and stained the endothelium of tumor-associated vessels in 92% of the samples. These findings show that most KS lesions have the ability to produce TGF-beta and that KS cells maintain a high expression of TbetaR-II in the absence of TbetaR-I, which may allow KS to escape growth inhibitory effects of endocrine or paracrine TGF-beta.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Identification of frequent novel genetic alterations in small cell lung carcinoma.

We have performed a comprehensive analysis of the DNA copy number changes that occur in 18 small cell lung carcinoma cell lines using comparative genomic hybridization (Kallioniemi et al., Science (Washington DC). 258: 818-821, 1992). DNA copy number abnormalities detected in this study include previously identified increases at 1p22-32 (L-myc), 2p24-25 (N-myc), and 8q24 (c-myc) and decreases at 17p13 (p53), 13q14 (RB), and 3p. In addition, novel DNA copy number increases were detected at 5p, 1q24, and Xq26, and novel decreases were found at 22q12.1-13.1, 10q26, and 16p11.2. Many of the most common DNA copy number changes revealed are at loci not previously recognized to be important in small cell lung cancer. In addition, a number of the DNA copy number changes, including increases at 1p22-32, 2p24-25, and 3q22-25 and a decrease on 18p, were found to occur preferentially in small cell lung carcinoma lines of the "variant" phenotype. This correlation suggests that genes may reside at these loci whose overexpression or inactivation contributes to the radiation resistance or aggressive growth phenotypes characteristic of this subtype of small cell lung carcinoma.

Carcinoma, Small Cell↗

Molecular analysis of the HuD gene encoding a paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis antigen in human lung cancer cell lines.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is known to express the HuD protein, the neuronal antigen homologous to Drosophila Elav and Sxl genes involved in neuronal and sex development. HuD is the target of an immune response including high titered antibodies causing paraneoplastic encephalomyelitis and sensory neuropathy. Because the p53 recessive oncogene is mutated and anti-p53 antibodies frequently occur in cancer patients, we wondered if the development of anti-HuD antibodies signaled the presence of HuD mutations in lung cancer. The HuD gene was mapped to chromosome region 1p using a human-mouse hybrid cell panel. We confirmed that 26 of 46 cancer (43 lung cancer and 3 mesothelioma) cell lines expressed HuD mRNA and that this expression, as well as protein expression by Western blot, correlated strongly with the SCLC neuroendocrine phenotype. Southern blot and single-strand conformation polymorphism analyses showed that HuD was not mutated in 78 lung cancers, including patients with the severe paraneoplastic syndrome. Northern blot analysis showed that lung cancer cell lines expressed two major mRNAs (4.3 and 4.0 kilobases) of HuD. We found the three previously described alternative spliced mRNA forms (HuDpro, HuD, and HuDmex). In addition, we also found HuD mRNA had an alternative splicing form in its 5'-coding region. This alternative splice introduced 87 base pairs of sequence and a termination codon resulting in a predicted small, truncated protein (11 amino acids) reminiscent of the male-specific truncated protein in the Sex-lethal (Sxl) gene of Drosophila. However, mRNAs encoding both full-length and truncated proteins were expressed in all SCLCs. These results show that the HuD gene is not mutated in lung cancer, including tumors from patients producing anti-HuD antibodies, but HuD expression is an independent marker or determinant of the neuroendocrine differentiation seen in SCLC.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

Integrated clinical and basic studies related to circumventing non-small cell lung cancer drug resistance.

Consideration of a range of clinical and basic studies conducted at the National Cancer Institute which explore the nature of the tumor biology of lung identify the limitations of using chemotherapy for the treatment of advanced lung cancer. No single mechanistic explanation for lung cancer's chemoresistance is apparent, although considerable information about the biology of lung cancer and some of its clinical consequences have been elucidated. In contrast to previous works from our group, this presentation will focus principally on studies of the nature of drug resistance with non-small cell cancer. An alternative combined modality strategy for lung cancer control is to focus on epithelial progression of lung cancer using local modalities while it is still confined to the bronchial epithelium. Particular high risk populations may be appropriate to determine if local tools such as photodynamic laser therapy can be effective in this application. To deal with the underlying biochemical perturbations resulting from critical exposure of the bronchial epithelium to carcinogens, rational biochemical intervention with 13 cis retinoic acid are being evaluated in several clinical trials. An evolution towards more effective lung cancer control may involve the combined modalities of laser ablation of accessible dysplastic epithelium and chronic administration of intervention agents, such as retinoids, to neutralize cancer promotion dynamics in the more remote areas of the lung epithelium.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Opioids induce while nicotine suppresses apoptosis in human lung cancer cells.

Previously, we have shown that opioids acting via specific receptors inhibit the growth of human lung cancer cells while nicotine, acting through nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, reverses this inhibition. Therefore, we studied the role of apoptosis in these processes. Treatment of human lung cancer cells with 0.1-1 microM morphine or methadone resulted in morphological changes and cleavage of DNA into nucleosome-sized fragments characteristic of apoptosis. Quantitation of DNA fragmentation showed that a dose-dependent increase occurred within 2 h of opioid treatment and was blocked by the antagonist naloxone. The apoptotic effect of opioids was suppressed by nicotine, while the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists, hexamethonium and decamethonium, reversed this suppression. In contrast, sphingosine, a protein kinase C inhibitor, caused significant DNA fragmentation which was not suppressed by nicotine. Unexpectedly, the combination of hexamethonium and opioids or hexamethonium and nicotine stimulated apoptosis. We found that nicotine, like phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, increased total protein kinase C (PKC) activity, while morphine and sphingosine decreased PKC activity, and nicotine reversed morphine inhibition of PKC activity. In contrast, methadone unexpectedly increased PKC activity. These results indicate that engagement of opioid receptors in human lung cancer cells induces apoptosis, while engagement of nicotine receptors suppresses apoptosis, which in some cases appear to be working through a PKC pathway. They also suggest complexities in the system where blockade of C6 or C10 nicotinic receptors can lead to facilitation of apoptosis. These findings suggest new strategies for treatment and prevention of cancer using opioids or nicotine receptors antagonists and are consistent with the idea that nicotine functions as a tumor promoter.

Apoptosis↗