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Biomedical subjects

Ling-Ling Hsieh

Publications and source records attributed to Ling-Ling Hsieh.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

MS-920: DNA repair gene polymorphisms, diet and colorectal cancer risk in Taiwan.

This hospital-based case-control study examined whether polymorphic DNA repair genes: XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met and XPD Lys751Gln, play a role in the susceptibility to colorectal cancer. We genotyped these polymorphisms for 727 newly diagnosed colorectal adenocarcinoma cases and 736 age and sex matched healthy controls in Taiwan. Although the colorectal cancer risk was not significantly associated with these genes, the risk was significantly elevated in younger subjects (< or =60 years) with the XRCC1 399Arg/Arg genotype compared to those with XRCC1 399Gln allele (OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.06-2.99, P=0.02). The stratified analysis showed that XRCC3 interacted with meat consumption (P for interaction=0.02), but was limited to the low meat consumption (OR=2.34, 95% CI=1.28-4.29). Our results suggest that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may contribute to the risk of early-onset colorectal cancer and the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism may modify the risk for meat-associated colorectal cancer.

Age of Onset↗

Identification of differentially expressed genes in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC): overexpression of NPM, CDK1 and NDRG1 and underexpression of CHES1.

To identify cellular genes that could potentially serve as predictive molecular markers for human oral cancer, we employed differential display analysis to compare the gene expression profiles between oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and histopathologically normal epithelium tissues. Comparative real-time RT-PCR was used to confirm the gene expression in 52 OSCC patients, and a 2-fold difference was defined as over- or underexpression. A total of 7 genes were identified: NPM, CDK1, NDRG1, HMGCR, EF1A, NAC and CHES1. In the cancer tissues, NPM, CDK1 and NDRG1 were significantly overexpressed (an average of 7.6-, 17.2- and 12.9-fold, respectively), and CHES1 was underexpressed (15-fold). The frequencies of the differential expression were 40, 56, 67 and 46%, respectively in NPM, CDK1, NDRG1 and CHES1. In Western blot analysis, the protein expressions of NPM, CDK1 and NDRG1 were also increased in the cancer tissues, consistent with the mRNA expression results. To further evaluate clinicopathological associations in these genes, Pearson chi-square analysis was employed. Levels of CDK1 and NDRG1 were associated with poorly differentiated tumors (p = 0.043 and 0.023), suggesting that these genes participate in the mechanism of tumor transformation. Expressions of CDK1 and NDRG1, and CDK1 and CHES1 were mutually statistically correlated (p = 0.001 and 0.014), indicating that these genes share a very close regulatory relationship or interact synergistically in oncogenesis. In conclusion, we identified 7 genes that are differentially expressed in OSCC, and we provide the first evidence that NPM, CDK1 and NDRG1 are overexpressed and CHES1 is underexpressed in oral cancer. These results serve as a fundamental base for employing these genes in future clinical applications.

Adult↗

Frequency and spectrum of K-RAS codons 12 and 13 mutations in colorectal adenocarcinomas from Taiwan.

Mutations in codons 12 and 13 of the K-RAS oncogene are detected at a remarkably high frequency in colorectal adenocarcinoma and are believed to be a critical event in oncogenesis. In the present study, we evaluated colorectal tumor specimens from Taiwan for mutations in K-RAS codons 12 and 13 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis and direct DNA sequencing. Mutations were found in 48 of 181 (26.5%) tumors, 30 mutations were G-->A transitions (62.5% of all mutations), 14 were G-->T transversions (29.2%), and only 4 were G-->C transversions (8.3%). Similar relative mutation frequencies and spectra were found regardless of the sex of the patient, the tumor grade, or the tumor stage. The high frequency of transitions among K-RAS mutation suggests that G/T mismatches play an important role in the oncogenesis of colorectal adenocarcinoma, implying that alkylating carcinogens may be involved in the colorectal carcinogenesis. Although the frequency of mutation (26.5%) appears to be lower than those reported in the United States (40%), France (49%), and the Netherlands (34%), the spectrum of point mutations in codons 12 and 13 of the K-RAS gene in the Taiwan Chinese population appears to be similar. The reason for these results may be that diet and ethnicity are not rate limit factors in controlling the spectra of mutations but influence on the frequency of K-RAS mutations in human colorectal adenocarcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Vegetable/fruit, smoking, glutathione S-transferase polymorphisms and risk for colorectal cancer in Taiwan.

AIM: To investigate the colorectal cancer risk associated with polymorphic GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 and the effect of diet and smoking. METHODS: With consents, genotypes of the genes were determined using PCR methods for 727 cases and 736 sex and age-matched healthy controls recruited at a medical center in the Northern Taiwan. Nurses who were blind to the study hypothesis conducted interviews with study participants for the information of socio-demographic variables, diet and smoking. RESULTS: There was no significant association between GSTM1 genotypes and the disease. Men, not women, with GSTT1 null genotype were at significant risk of colorectal cancer, but limited to rectal tumor, and in men aged 60 years and less. The corresponding association with the GSTP1 with G allele compared to GSTP1 A/A genotype was at borderline significance. Compared to men with GSTT1 present and GSTP1 A/A combined, men with both GSTT1 null and GSTP1 with G allele genotypes were at significant risk (odds ratio (OR) = 1.91, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.21-3.02), also limited to the rectal tumor and younger men. The beneficial effects of vegetable/fruit intake on colorectal cancer were much higher for men with GSTT1 present (OR = 0.32, 95%CI = 0.20-0.50) or GSTP1 A/A genotypes (OR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.25-0.64). These effects remained significant for women. But, the greatest protective effect from vegetable/fruit intake for women was observed in those with GSTT1 null or GSTP1 with G allele genotypes. In addition, non-smoking men benefitted significantly from combined effect of higher vegetable/fruit intake and GSTT1 present or GSTP1 A/A genotypes with OR = 0.17 and 0.21 respectively. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the GSTT1 gene can modulate the colorectal cancer risk and vegetable/fruit-related colorectal cancer risk, particularly in men of no smoking history.

Aged↗

Tumor necrosis factor alpha promotes invasiveness of cholangiocarcinoma cells via its receptor, TNFR2.

We studied the effect of TNF-alpha stimulation on a cholangiocarcinoma cell line, CCKS1. CCKS1 expressed only one type TNF receptor, TNFR2. Treatment of CCKS1 with TNF-alpha substantially activated NFkappaB, MAPK and Akt signalings which in turn activated matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) secretion and in vitro invasiveness of CCKS1. Pretreatment of cells with anti-TNFR2 neutralizing antibody inhibited the TNF-alpha-dependent signaling and MMP-9 secretion and subsequently blocked invasion in vitro. Moreover, an inhibitor for matrix metalloproteinase, Galardin, suppressed the invasion in a dose-dependent manner. Similarly, pharmacological inhibition of signaling clearly suppressed the TNF-alpha dependent MMP-9 secretion. These results strongly suggest that TNF-alpha-TNFR2 signaling plays an important role to convert the cholangiocarcinoma cells to be more aggressive one.

Cholangiocarcinoma↗

Polymorphisms of the XRCC1, XRCC3, & XPD genes, and colorectal cancer risk: a case-control study in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies relating to the association between DNA repair-gene polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk would, to the best of our knowledge, appear to be very limited. This study was designed to examine the polymorphisms associated with three DNA repair genes, namely: XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met and XPD Lys751Gln, and investigate their role as susceptibility markers for colorectal cancer. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study including 727 cases of cancer and 736 hospital-based age- and sex-matched healthy controls to examine the role of genetic polymorphisms of three DNA-repair genes (XRCC1, XRCC3 and XPD) in the context of colorectal cancer risk for the Taiwanese population. Genomic DNA isolated from 10 ml whole blood was used to genotype XRCC1 Arg399Gln, XRCC3 Thr241Met and XPD Lys751Gln by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. RESULTS: The risk for colorectal cancer did not appear to differ significantly amongst individuals featuring the XRCC1 399Arg/Arg genotype (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 0.96-1.45), the XRCC3 241Thr/Thr genotype (OR = 1.25; 95% CI, 0.88-1.79) or the XPD 751Gln allele (OR = 1.20; 95% CI, 0.90-1.61), although individuals featuring a greater number of risk genotypes (genotype with OR greater than 1) did experience a higher risk for colorectal cancer when compared to those who didn't feature any risk genotypes (Trend test P = 0.03). Compared with those individuals who didn't express any putative risk genotypes, individuals featuring all of the putative risk genotypes did experience a significantly greater cancer risk (OR = 2.43, 95% CI = 1.21-4.90), particularly for individuals suffering tumors located in the rectum (OR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.29-7.82) and diagnosed prior to the age of 60 years (OR = 4.90, 95% CI = 1.72-14.0). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that DNA-repair pathways may simultaneously modulate the risk of colorectal cancer for the Taiwanese population, and, particularly for rectal cancer and younger patients.

Case-Control Studies↗

Clastogenic effect for cigarette smoking but not areca quid chewing as measured by micronuclei in exfoliated buccal mucosal cells.

The objective of this study was to use the micronuclei from exfoliated buccal mucosal cells to investigate the clastogenic effects of areca quid chewing and cigarette smoking, as well as the interaction between the two. The study population was selected from residents of seven villages recruited for a community-cohort study. A total of 141 subjects were recruited based on the regular consumption of cigarettes and betel quid. Salient personal characteristics were collected from interview using a specially designed questionnaire. Micronuclei were scored on Feulgen/fast green-stained smear preparations of exfoliated cells obtained by scraping the surface of the buccal mucosa. There was no significant interaction between the chewing of betel nut and cigarette smoking. Heavy smoking was positively associated with MN frequency, with areca quid chewing negatively associated. A significant positive trend was demonstrated for the relationship between MN frequency and either daily cigarette consumption or cumulative smoking pack-years. By contrast, negative trends were demonstrated for the analogous relationships with areca quid chewing. These results indicate that heavy smoking, but not areca quid chewing, increases MN formation. These findings suggest that the carcinogenesis of the oral cancers induced by areca quid chewing in Taiwan may be through a pathway other than genotoxicity.

Adult↗

p53 is an independent pre-treatment markers for long-term survival in stage II and III colorectal cancers: an analysis of interaction between genetic markers and fluorouracil-based adjuvant therapy.

One hundred and thirty-eight stage II and III colorectal cancer patients were included to evaluate the prognostic significance of genetic markers (including mutations of the p53, K-ras genes, and microsatellite instability) on the response to 5-fluorouracil (FU)-based post-operative adjuvant therapies (PAT). When stratified by PAT and adjusting for other prognostic variables, presence of p53 mutation was associated with a poor outcome (hazard ratio (HR)=3.1, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-11.0) among patients without PAT. Our data confirmed that p53 mutation is an independent pre-treatment factor in stage II and III colorectal cancer after curative resection.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗

Safrole-DNA adducts in human peripheral blood--an association with areca quid chewing and CYP2E1 polymorphisms.

It has been recently demonstrated that safrole (4-allyl-1,2-methylenedioxybenzene)-DNA adducts are present in oral cancer tissue from patients who have chewed areca quid (AQ) containing high concentration of safrole. In this study, the presence of safrole-DNA adducts in peripheral white blood cells from 88 subjects with a known AQ chewing history and 161 matched controls were studied with the aim of identifying the adducts as a biomarker for safrole exposure. This study also analyzed the correlation between the level of safrole-DNA adducts and polymorphism of the CYP2E1 gene, alone and in combination with the GST M1 and GST T1-deletion polymorphisms. The results demonstrated the presence of safrole-DNA adducts in 83 (94.32%) of the DNA samples from subjects with current AQ chewing history and 21 (13.04%) of the control samples without known AQ chewing habit ( [Formula: see text] ). Individuals with at least one CYP2E1 c2 allele had a significant higher frequency of safrole-DNA adducts (odds ratio (OR), 4.00; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03-15.53) than those with the CYP2E1 c1c1 genotype while chewing less than 20 areca quids per day. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the presence of safrole-DNA adducts in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL), and the presence of these safrole-DNA adducts is correlated with AQ chewing. In addition, the CYP2E1 would seem to play an important role in the modulation of safrole-DNA adduct formation.

Adult↗

Colorectal cancer without high microsatellite instability and chromosomal instability--an alternative genetic pathway to human colorectal cancer.

At least two forms of genomic instability have been described in colorectal cancers (CRCs): microsatellite instability (MIN), which is characterized by a high frequency of microsatellite instability (MSI-H) and chromosomal instability (CIN), which is characterized by losses and gains of chromosomes (aneuploidy), as well as chromosome rearrangements. Morphological and molecular heterogeneity within MIN(-) CRCs have been described, but the distinctions between MIN(-) tumors with CIN and those without CIN remain largely unknown. We studied 179 colorectal cancers to elucidate the clinicopathological characteristics and molecular events in CRCs arising along these pathways. Loss of heterozygosity, MIN, DNA content, mutation of p53 and K-ras, and expression of p53, hMLH1 and hMSH2 were examined. We found that a subtype of tumors (17%) with MIN(-) and CIN(-), differed from MIN(-)CIN(+) tumors with respect to clinicopathological and genetic characteristics. This subtype was associated with a greater frequency of poorly differentiated and/or mucinous tumors (26%). This subtype of tumors had an extremely low p53 gene mutation rate (11%) and a relatively high p53 protein accumulation rate (55%). The dissociation between the p53 gene mutation and protein accumulation suggests that stabilization of p53 protein in the absence of p53 gene mutation may be an important event on a distinct pathway.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

Telomerase as an independent prognostic factor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Telomerase activity has been found to be associated with many cancers, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We examined the association of telomerase activity with the clinical outcome of patients with HNSCC. METHODS: A PCR-based enzyme immunoassay method was used to measure telomerase activity in 217 matched (grossly normal and cancerous) tissues from patients with HNSCC. Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze the correlation of telomerase activity with clinicopathologic parameters. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox logistic regression model were used for prognostic analysis. RESULTS: Of the 217 tissues assayed, 4.1% of the normal and 63.3% of the cancer tissues had high levels of telomerase activity. Telomerase activity was shown to be statistically correlated with extracapsule spreading (ECS) of lymph nodes (p =.005) and overall survival (p =.003). On multivariant analysis, overall stage (p =.007), tumor depth (p =.045), and telomerase activity (p =.008) showed independent variables associated with poor survival. CONCLUSIONS: Telomerase activity has been shown to be an independent prognostic factor for survival in cases of HNSCC. Telomerase may be a potential molecular target for clinical use in prognostication and therapy in cases of the disease.

Adult↗

Radiation inactivation analysis of progesterone receptor in human uterine cytosol.

It is believed that human progesterone receptor (PR) contains a ligand binding subunit A (83 kDa) or subunit B (120 kDa) and 2 copies of heat shock proteins (hsp90) of molecular weight 90 kDa. To elucidate the mechanism of hormone binding, we employed radiation inactivation to determine its functional size. The functional masses determined in the presence of glycerol, molybdate and potassium chloride were 120+/-14, 124+/-13 and 130+/-20 kDa, respectively. From scatchard plot analysis, the radiation decreased the binding sites and increased the binding affinity of PR with ligand. The functional masses of PR dissolved in the three variant buffers were similar to the molecular weight of PR subunit B. The results implied that PR subunit B could bind with ligand despite hsp90 and hsp90 was not involved in the PR binding to progesterone.

Cytosol↗

Evaluation of meiotic spindles in thawed oocytes after vitrification using polarized light microscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of the PolScope on imaging the spindle morphology in oocytes at the metaphase II stage before vitrification and after thawing. DESIGN: In vitro study. SETTING: University infertility clinic and academic research laboratory. INTERVENTION(S): Oocytes at the metaphase II stage that were obtained from superovulating mice were vitrified and then thawed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Morphological features of the spindle in oocytes were evaluated by both the PolScope and immunofluorescent staining. RESULT(S): Using the PolScope, the morphological features of the spindle of intact thawed oocytes were undetected by 3 hours of thawing in only 25% of cases. Most of the spindle images were recognized during the first hour of observation. Additionally, the statistical analysis of agreement of spindle morphology by both the PolScope and fluorescent staining showed a weighted Kappa value of 0.70, indicating good agreement. Oocytes with good spindle morphology verified by the PolScope before vitrification had a higher survival rate of intact oocytes after thawing compared with those with poor or undetected spindle images. CONCLUSION(S): The morphological features of the spindle in oocytes evaluated by the PolScope before freezing and after thawing are significantly correlated with those assessed by immunofluorescent staining after fixation. With the assistance of the PolScope, thawed oocytes with good spindle morphology can be verified and selected for further manipulation without fixation and staining.

Animals↗

Degradation of MTBE in dilute aqueous solution by gamma radiolysis.

The radiolytic degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) in air-equilibrated dilute solution was investigated. Complete degradation of MTBE can be achieved within 5 min of irradiation at 59.7 Gy/min. The observed first-order degradation rate constant, called dose constant, increased from 0.04 to 0.56 Gy(-1) as the concentration of MTBE decreased from 92500 to 19 microg/L. Tert-butyl formate, tert-butyl alcohol, acetone and methyl acetate were found to be the primary intermediates of the degradation reaction with yields of 47%, 11%, 6.4% and 9.1%, respectively. The degradation of MTBE or its intermediates was also found to depend on the concentrations of benzene and cupric ion. The study shows that the removal of MTBE can be significantly decreased with increasing concentration of benzene. Little affects were observed with the presence of cupric ions, while the degradation of TBF was apparently reduced. These results indicate that gamma radiolysis can be a potentially effective treatment for the removal of MTBE in contaminated water systems.

Carcinogens↗

Humoral response to p53 is associated with conserved domains II and IV mutations in human colorectal cancer: a case-control study in Taiwan.

To explore the relationship between mutations of the p53 gene, p53 protein accumulation in tumor tissues and the presence of anti-p53 antibodies (Ab) in sera, a matched case-control study with 63 colorectal cancer patients positive for p53-Ab was carried out. These control patients were matched for age, gender, as well as tumor site and stage with 63 colorectal cancer patients positive for p53-Ab. The study was designed to analyze their p53 gene mutations in exons 4-9 by the single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) followed by direct sequencing, as well as measuring p53 protein accumulation by immunohistochemistry. A significantly higher frequency of p53 mutations in exon 4-9 and positive immunohistochemical staining of p53 protein was observed in tumors from p53-Ab positive patients (55.56 and 84.13%, respectively) than in tumors from p53-Ab negative patients (22.22 and 60.32%, respectively). Using a conditional logistic regression model, the humoral response to p53 was found to be associated with p53 gene mutation (OR = 3.34; 95% CI, 1.31-8.54, p=0.012) and p53 protein accumulation (OR = 3.80; 95% CI, 1.02-14.14, p=0.047). Further analysis showed that the frequency of p53 mutations located in the conserved domains II (codons 112-141) and IV (codons 234-258) was significantly higher in p53-Ab positive patients than in p53-Ab negative patients (50.00% (16/32) vs. 8.33% (1/12), p=0.015, Fisher's exact test). Thus, our study demonstrated that the generation of p53 antibodies was usually correlated with the p53 protein accumulation and p53 gene mutation, especially mutations located in conserved domains II and IV.

Adenocarcinoma↗

XRCC1, CYP2E1 and ALDH2 genetic polymorphisms and sister chromatid exchange frequency alterations amongst vinyl chloride monomer-exposed polyvinyl chloride workers.

Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) is a known human carcinogen, which may be metabolized by cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1). A DNA-repair gene, X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 ( XRCC1, exon 10), may also be implicated in the process of VCM-related carcinogenesis. Thus, VCM-exposed workers with inherited susceptible metabolic and DNA-repair genotypes may experience an increased risk of genotoxiciy. This study was designed to investigate whether metabolic and DNA-repair genotypes affected sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequency in occupationally VCM-exposed workers from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing plants. Study subjects comprised 61 male workers having experienced VCM exposure, and 29 male controls. Questionnaires were administered to obtain detailed histories of cigarette-smoking habits, alcohol consumption behavior, and occupation. The frequency of SCE in peripheral lymphocytes was determined using a standardized method, and genotypes of CYP2E1, ALDH2, GSTT1 and XRCC1 were identified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure. Our results demonstrated that smoking, age and VCM exposure and XRCC1 ( P=0.03), CYP2E1 ( P=0.04), and ALDH2 ( P=0.08) were significantly associated with an increased SCE frequency. Further analysis of gene combinations, including CYP2E1, ALDH2 and XRCC1, revealed an increased trend for these genotypes to influence SCE frequencies for the low VCM-exposure group ( P<0.01), but not so for the high VCM-exposure group ( P=0.29) or for controls ( P=0.49). These results suggest that workers with susceptible metabolic and DNA-repair genotypes, may experience an increased risk of DNA damage elicited by VCM exposure.

Adult↗

Profiling of gene expression associated with hepatolithiasis by complementary DNA expression array.

By use of cDNA expression array method, we compared the expression profiles of genes in hepatolithiasis tissues with those of paired normal tissues. Expression of 1176 cancer related genes that include 33 tumor suppressor genes, 100 proto-oncogenes and 37 DNA damage repair genes were examined in this study. We found that expression of tumor suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes was systemically activated in hepatholithiasis tissues, suggesting that expression of genes controlling cell growth becomes unstable in liver lobe of hepatolithiasis. In contrast, expression of DNA damage repair genes were not activated but rather remained unchanged in hepatholithiasis tissues, suggesting that repair process is not strongly activated but rather impaired in hepatholithiasis tissues.

Calculi↗

The XRCC1 399Gln polymorphism and the frequency of p53 mutations in Taiwanese oral squamous cell carcinomas.

DNA repair gene polymorphisms have been implicated as susceptibility factors in cancer development. It is possible that DNA repair polymorphisms may also influence the risk of gene mutation. The 399Gln polymorphism in the DNA repair gene XRCC1 has been indicated to have a contributive role in DNA adduct formation, sister chromatid exchange, and an increased risk of cancer development. Two hundred thirty-seven male oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) were included in a study to investigate the role of the XRCC1 194Trp, 280His, and 399Gln polymorphisms on p53 gene mutation. PCR-single-strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing were used to analyze the conserved regions of the p53 gene (exons 5-9). The XRCC1 genotype was determined by PCR-RFLP. Nineteen (8.02%) of the 237 OSCCs had a Gln/Gln genotype. One hundred six (43.88%) of the 237 OSCCs showed p53 gene mutations at exons 5-9. The OSCC patients with a Gln/Gln genotype exhibited a significantly higher frequency of p53 mutation than those with an Arg/Gln and an Arg/Arg genotype. After adjustment for age, cigarette smoking, areca quid chewing, and alcohol drinking, the Gln/Gln genotype still showed an independent association with the frequency of p53 mutation (odd ratio, 4.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.52-13.36). The findings support the hypothesis that XRCC1 Arg399Gln amino acid change may alter the phenotype of the XRCC1 protein, resulting in a DNA repair deficiency. This study also suggests an important role for the XRCC1 399Gln polymorphism in p53 gene mutation in Taiwanese OSCCs.

Adult↗