PubMed HealthSearch

Biomedical subjects

T Monden

Publications and source records attributed to T Monden.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Molecular characteristics of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma and signet-ring-cell carcinoma of colorectum.

In a series of 45 poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas (por) and 7 signet-ring-cell carcinomas (sig) of the colorectum, K-ras gene mutation, p53 immunostaining and microsatellite instability (MSI) were analyzed for a comparison with 46 cases of colorectal carcinomas of the well or moderately differentiated type (well/mod). In addition, the mutations of simple repeated sequences in the transforming-growth-factor-beta type-II receptor (T beta R-II) gene and the BAX gene were analyzed as possible targets for DNA replication errors. Mutation of the K-ras gene in the por, sig and well/mod specimens was detected in, respectively, 22%, 11% and 48%, positive immunostaining for p53 in 41.8%, 28.6% and 60.3%, and MSI in 36%, 30% and 4%. Frameshift mutation of the T beta R-II gene was detected in 27.5% of the por and none of the sig specimens, while corresponding figures for mutation of the BAX gene were 15.7% and 0%. Significant differences between the por and well/mod tumors were found in the occurrence of K-ras mutation at codons 12 and 13, and MSI. Clinicopathologically, the tumor status of por with MSI was found to significantly correlate with the tumor's location in the proximal colon. In cases without MSI and sig, no frameshift mutation of either the T beta R-II or the BAX gene was found. These results suggest that poorly differentiated and signet-ring-cell carcinomas have a genetic background different from that of well or moderately differentiated carcinomas of the colorectum, and that DNA-replication error is at least partly involved in the carcinogenesis of these specific types of colorectal carcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma

Abundance of cyclo (His-Pro)-like immunoreactivity in the brain of TRH-deficient mice.

Cyclo(His-Pro) or CHP was initially discovered as a metabolite of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) resulting from the action of the enzyme Pyroglutamyl aminopeptidase. Physiologic and pharmacologic studies that followed this initial discovery provided indirect evidence that all CHP may not be derived from TRH. However, the recent availability of a TRH-deficient mouse has made it possible to reinvestigate whether CHP is derived from TRH. In the present study, we examined distribution of CHP and TRH in TRH-deficient mice. Northern blot analysis confirmed the absence of preproTRH mRNA in both the hypothalamus and the cortex of TRH-deficient mice. Brains from the wild-type and TRH-deficient mice were dissected into 7 regions, and TRH and CHP concentrations were determined by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) in each region. Whereas TRH was identified in all regions of the wild-type brain, with the highest concentration in the hypothalamus, no detectable TRH was observed in any region in the TRH-deficient mice. While CHP-like immunoreactivity (CHP-LI) was present in all regions in the wild-type brain, its concentration was reduced by approximately 50% in the hypothalamus and cerebral cortex of TRH-deficient mice, with no change in other brain regions. Furthermore, the CHP-LI present in the brain of TRH-deficient mice was immunologically and chromatographically identical to synthetic CHP. These findings strongly suggest that a portion of the CHP in the brain is derived from sources other than TRH.

Animals

Genomic organization and promoter function of the mouse uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene.

We cloned and characterized the mouse uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) gene and its promoter region. The gene spans approximately 6.3 kb and contains eight exons and seven introns. Two short exons are located in the 5' untranslated region, and each of the remaining exons encodes one of the transmembrane domains. 3'-RACE analysis showed that a polyadenylation signal 257 bp downstream from the stop codon was functional. Primer extension analysis indicated a single transcriptional start site 369 bp upstream from the translational start site. The promoter region lacks both TATA and CAAT boxes but is GC-rich. A construct containing 1250 bp of the promoter region showed significant activity in all 6 cell lines examined, and the region between -160 and -678 bp exhibited strong positive regulatory activity. These features of the UCP2 gene are different from those of the UCP1 gene and may contribute to its ubiquitous expression.

Amino Acid Sequence

Identification of a novel gene marker specific for epithelial cells by utilizing a 3'-directed cDNA library.

To achieve reliability of molecular diagnosis using reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR), we established a unique method to search for a novel gene marker specific for colonic epithelial cells. Of eight candidate genes selected from a 3'-directed cDNA library in colonic mucosa, two genes were expressed in normal mucosa and cancer of the colon but not in either normal lymph node or normal liver tissue. Known sequences of these genes were reported to be located in the 3' noncoding region, and an additional sequence just upstream to gs04094 (one of the candidate genes) was determined. According to the newly identified sequence, we designed a new set of primers so that we could distinguish the DNA fragment amplified in RT-PCR from that in genomic PCR. RT-PCR using these primers demonstrated that gs04094 was expressed in all of 10 primary colon cancers and 4 liver metastases from colon cancer but in none of 5 normal lymph nodes, 10 peripheral blood samples, and 2 normal liver tissues. Sensitivity of this method was so high as to detect gs04094 mRNA in 10(-6) microg of colon cancer RNA per 1 microg of normal lymph node RNA. Thus, our strategy to search for a novel gene marker using 3'-directed cDNA library proved to be highly efficient.

Animals

PyNPase expression in human colon cancer.

Although colorectal cancer tissue is rich in pyrimidine nucleoside phosphorylase (PyNPase), there is no consensus as to whether cancer cells or stromal cells predominately express PyNPase. We micro-dissected OCT compound embedded frozen tissue sections into epithelial and stromal components and then analyzed the extracted samples separately. The PyNPase expression level was higher in stromal cells than in cancer cells and the difference increased with inflammation induced by the immunostimulator OK432. These results suggest that stromal cells are the major PyNPase source in colorectal cancer.

Adult

Localization and expression of p27KIP1 in multistage colorectal carcinogenesis.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 can inhibit the G1 to S transition of the cell cycle and is a putative tumor suppressor. However, our laboratory found that a variety of human cancer cell lines express relatively high levels of this protein and that this is often associated with increased expression of cyclin D1 or cyclin E. Therefore, in the present study we analyzed by immunohistochemistry the expression of p27Kip1 in a series of human tissue samples representing various stages of colon carcinogenesis, using 20 samples of normal colon mucosa, 20 hyperplastic polyps, 19 samples of adenomatous polyps, and 40 samples of various types of colorectal carcinomas. Parallel immunostaining was done for cyclin D1 and also for Ki67 to evaluate cell proliferation. An additional 17 human colon carcinoma samples, together with paired adjacent normal mucosa samples, were analyzed for levels of expression of the p27Kip1 protein by Western blot analysis, and 7 of these pairs of samples were examined by Northern blot analysis for levels of p27Kip1 mRNA. We did not find a positive or negative correlation between p27Kip1 expression and cell proliferation in the normal mucosa and tumor samples. There was, however, an inverse correlation between p27Kip1 and Ki67 expression in the lymphoid follicles present in the colonic mucosa. There was no evidence for a consistent increase or decrease in p27Kip1 expression in the mucosal cells during colon carcinogenesis, because the mean values for percentage p27Kip1-positive cells were similar in the normal mucosa, adenomatous polyps, and carcinoma samples. This is in contrast to Ki67 and cyclin D1 expression, which did show significant increases in mean values with tumor development. A subset (35%) of the carcinomas displayed diffuse cytoplasmic staining, in addition to nuclear staining, for p27Kip1, and in these cases the percentage of cells that were positive for p27Kip1 was higher than in cases that had only nuclear staining. There was a significant correlation between p27Kip1 expression and tumor grade; ie., well and moderately differentiated carcinomas had high p27Kip1 expression, whereas poorly differentiated carcinomas had lower expression. The Western blot analysis data on p27Kip1 expression confirmed this correlation. Comparisons of Northern and Western blots did not show a correlation between the level of p27Kip1 mRNA and the corresponding protein, a finding consistent with evidence that the p27Kip1 protein is regulated mainly via a posttranscriptional mechanism. The immunostaining studies revealed a significant correlation between high p27Kip1 protein expression and high cyclin D1 expression in the adenomatous polyps and in the subset of carcinomas that had only nuclear p27Kip1 expression. This may reflect the existence of a homeostatic feedback mechanism that is lost in the high-grade carcinomas that express low levels of p27Kip1.

Adult

Extraction and analysis of diagnostically useful proteins from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections.

We describe and discuss a method of protein extraction for Western blot analysis from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections. From 5-mm2 50-micron-thick tissue sections, an abundance of proteins could be extracted by incubating the sections in lysis buffer containing 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at 100C for 20 min followed by incubation at 60C for 2 hr. Extracts yielded discernible protein bands ranging from 10 kD to 120 kD as identified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Western blot analysis successfully detected membrane-bound protein such as E-cadherin, cytosolic protein such as beta-catenin, and nuclear proteins including proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), mutant-type p53, cyclin D1, cyclin E, and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). With this technique, we could examine cyclin D1 and CDK2 expression in small adenomas compared with cancer tissues and normal mucosa. The simple method of protein extraction described here should make it possible to use large-scale archives of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples for Western blot analysis, and its application could lead to detailed analysis of protein expression. This new technique should yield valuable information for molecular biology.

Adenoma

Prader-Willi syndrome with elevated follicle stimulating hormone levels and diabetes mellitus.

A 21 -year-old man with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) was hospitalized due to hyperglycemia. After diet therapy and transient insulin administration, his blood glucose levels improved. Based on the fact that his urinary C-peptide levels increased, the diabetes mellitus may have been due to insulin resistance with obesity. In addition, his testes had become atrophied. Testosterone levels remained low even after human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) administration. Luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were also low after LH releasing hormone (LHRH) administration. The LH response increased slightly after daily LHRH administration, indicating hypothalamic hypogonadism. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were, however, high and increased after LHRH administration. The selective FSH elevation may have been due to the accompanying idiopathic oligospermia.

Adult

Diabetes mellitus accompanied by nonocclusive colonic ischemia.

A 70-year-old man with diabetic triopathy was hospitalized with left lower quadrant abdominal pain and tenderness, muscle guarding and absent bowel sounds. Three hours after admission, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) was elevated and an abdominal plain film X-ray showed intestinal gas retention, indicating paralytic ileus due to inferior mesenteric artery occlusion. Urokinase (60,000 units/day) and heparin (10,000 units/day) were administered. Angiography showed no occlusion in the mesenteric artery. On the 16th day, the abdominal signs had disappeared and CPK was normalized. We diagnosed this case as nonocclusive colonic ischemia because of the hemorheological abnormalities due to diabetic triopathy and the hypercoagulable state.

Aged

Cdk2/cdc2 expression in colon carcinogenesis and effects of cdk2/cdc2 inhibitor in colon cancer cells.

Cyclin dependent kinases propel the cell cycle in collaboration with cyclins. We have examined the expression of cdk2/cdc2 in adenoma and focal carcinoma in adenomatous tissue to explore their role in tumorigenesis of colorectum. Immunohistochemical study revealed that cdk2/cdc2 was overexpressed in a subsets of adenoma (14/50; 28.0%) but this overexpression was much more obvious in focal carcinoma (13/15; 86.7%). These results suggest that cdk2/cdc2 is remarkably upregulated together with a malignant change. In an effort to demonstrate a significant role for cdk2/cdc2 in colon cancer, we investigated growth and apoptosis with butyrolactone I, a specific inhibitor for cdk2/cdc2, using 4 colon carcinoma cell lines (HCT116, LoVo, HT29, Colo 320DM). Butyrolactone I inhibited proliferation of all colon carcinoma cell lines at 100 microM and it induced apoptosis in LoVo cell line with induction of p53. Our findings suggest that inhibition of cdk2/cdc2 may be a useful strategy against colon cancer.

4-Butyrolactone

[Liver metastases from breast cancer--clinical features and treatment].

Between 1986 and 1997, we treated 55 patients with liver metastases of breast cancer. In this study, the clinical features and effects of systemic or intra-arterial chemo-endocrine therapy for these patients were reviewed to clarify the characteristics of liver metastases and establish the optimum therapy. One of the 55 patients underwent hepatectomy, 25 were treated with systemic chemo-endocrine therapy [A] and 10 were treated with one-shot intra-arterial chemoembolization through hepatic artery [B] while the other 19 were given hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy [C]. The response rate in the group [B] and [C] were better than in group [A], whereas there was no significant difference in survival time among the three groups. There were 14 cases (25.5%) among them showing metastasis in the thoracico-abdominal lymph nodes. In these patients, liver metastases seemed to have occurred through the lymphogenic route. In the intra-arterial chemotherapy ([B] + [C]) group, the survival time of patients with metastasis in the thoracico-abdominal lymph nodes was significantly shorter than that of patients without metastasis (p = 0.01). This study suggests that intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with MPA should be effective and useful for advanced breast cancer patients with liver metastases. And for lymphogenic liver metastases, it should be necessary to be combined with more intensive systemic chemo-endocrine therapy.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

[PyNPase expression and cancer progression in the colorectum].

We analyzed PyNPase expression discriminating between cancer and tumor stroma of the colorectum by Western blotting using a newly developed extraction method from microdissected tissue sections fixed with buffered formalin. Analysis of 98 colorectal cancers revealed that PyNPase was as high as 70.2 +/- 18.5 unit/mg protein in the stroma fraction (SF), whereas it was 45.1 +/- 10.5 in the cancer fraction (CF) (p < 0.0001). Vessel density was correlated with PyNPase in the SF but not in the CF. In stage IIIb, 11 cases expressing a high level of PyNPase in the CF showed poorer prognosis than 10 cases with low-level PyNPase expression (p < 0.05), although the level of PyNPase expression in the SF did not affected the patients prognosis. Immunohistochemical examination indicated that PyNPase in the SF was mainly produced by macrophages (M phi), and therefore we investigated the profile of PyNPase production by M phi. In in vitro experiments PyNPase production by M phi was greatly enhanced by stimulation with OK-432, and the culture supernatant had the ability to convert 5'DFUR to 5-FU.

Antineoplastic Agents

[Results of clinical study with epirubicin hydrochloride injectable solution in hepatoma].

A 10-center cooperative clinical study with a new formulation of epirubicin hydrochloride injectable solution (Epirubicin-RTU) was conducted in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Epirubicin-RTU 60 mg/m2 was injected into the hepatic artery and a three-week drug-free interval followed. Of 15 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma registered in this study, 14 patients were eligible, and they all completed the entire course. The objective was to investigate the safety of treatment with Epirubicin-RTU in 14 eligible patients. The adverse drug reactions frequently observed in these 14 eligible cases were leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, alopecia, and fever. They were all reversible and tolerable. With these results. Epirubicin-RTU was considered to be a safe pharmaceutical product to inject into the hepatic artery.

Adult

Isolation and characterization of a novel ligand-dependent thyroid hormone receptor-coactivating protein.

The thyroid hormone receptor (TR) regulates the expression of target genes upon binding to triiodothyronine (T3) response elements. In the presence of T3, the TR recruits coactivating proteins that both modulate and integrate the ligand response. We report here the cloning of a novel protein using the TR ligand-binding domain as bait in the yeast two-hybrid system. Analysis of a putative full-length clone demonstrates a cDNA sequence that encodes a protein of 920 amino acids with a size of 120 kDa (p120). Alignment with known sequences shows homology to a previously identified protein of unknown function, termed skeletal muscle abundant protein. Interaction studies demonstrate that p120 interacts with the TR AF-2 domain in the presence of ligand through a 111-amino acid region. Northern analysis demonstrates widespread expression in human tissues. Cotransfection assays in CV-1 cells demonstrate that p120 enhances TR-mediated transactivation on multiple T3 response elements in the presence of T3. In addition, CREB-binding protein synergizes with p120 to enhance this effect. When linked to the GAL4 DNA-binding domain, p120 is an activator of transcription alone. Thus, p120 satisfies a number of important criteria as a nuclear receptor coactivator.

ATPases Associated with Diverse Cellular Activitie

A unique role of the beta-2 thyroid hormone receptor isoform in negative regulation by thyroid hormone. Mapping of a novel amino-terminal domain important for ligand-independent activation.

Negative regulation by thyroid hormone is mediated by nuclear thyroid hormone receptors (TRs) acting on thyroid hormone response elements (TREs). We examine here the role of human TR-beta2, a TR isoform with central nervous system-restricted expression, in the regulation of target genes whose expression are decreased by triiodothyronine (T3). Using transient transfection studies, we found that TR-beta2 achieved significantly greater ligand-independent activation on the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and common glycoprotein alpha-subunit genes than either TR-beta1 or TR-alpha1. A chimeric TR-beta isoform containing the TR-beta2 amino terminus linked to the TR-alpha1 DNA- and ligand-binding domains functioned like the TR-beta2 isoform on these promoters, confirming that the amino terminus of TR-beta2 was both necessary and sufficient to mediate this effect. By constructing deletion mutants of the TR-beta2 amino terminus, we demonstrate that amino acids 89-116 mediate this function. This domain, important in ligand-independent activation on negative TREs, is discrete from a previously described activation domain in the amino-terminal portion of TR-beta2. We conclude that the central nervous system-restricted TR-beta2 isoform has a unique effect on negative regulation by T3 that can be mapped to amino acids 89-116 of the amino terminus of the human TR-beta2.

Amino Acid Sequence

Lineage- and differentiation stage-specific expression of LSM-1 (LPAP), a possible substrate for CD45, in human hematopoietic cells.

CD45, a transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase, is found on almost all nucleated hematopoietic cells and plays a crucial role in lymphocyte activation and differentiation. We recently achieved isolation of the human LSM-1 (hLSM-1) gene, whose product is a possible substrate for CD45, and we raised antibodies against the hLSM-1 protein. hLSM-1 expression in hematopoietic cells was examined with Northern and Western blot, fluorescence-activated cell sorter, and immunocytochemical analyses. It was found that in the lymphoid lineage, T and B lymphocytes as well as NK cells expressed LSM-1, whereas terminally differentiated plasma cells did not. As for the myeloid lineage, immature myeloid cells expressed LSM-1, whereas terminally differentiated granulocytes and monocytes did not. In the erythroid lineage, normal erythroblasts expressed very low levels of LSM-1, while erythroid cell lines (K562 and HEL) did not. Megakaryocytes did not express LSM-1. Both CD34+/CD33- and CD34+/CD33+ hematopoietic progenitor cells weakly expressed LSM-1. These results showed that LSM-1 is expressed in a lineage- and differentiation stage-specific fashion.

Blotting, Western

Augumentation of splenic antitumor immunity by local immunotherapy in gastric cancer patients.

We previously reported that the antitumor effect of OK-432, a streptococcal preparation, was markedly augmented when this agent was injected into tumors together with fibrinogen. In order to elucidate the effect of this treatment on the spleen, we assessed splenic function in gastric cancer patients receiving preoperative local immunotherapy with OK-432 and fibrinogen. Immunohistochemical studies of the spleen at 7 days after intratumoral injection therapy revealed numerous macrophages phagocytizing OK-432 in the splenic sinuses. Phenotypic analysis of splenocytes by flow cytometry revealed an increase in the CD4/CD8 ratio and in the expression of HLA-DR, CD25, and Leu M3 by splenic T cells of the patients treated with OK-432 plus fibrinogen when compared to patients treated with OK-432 alone or untreated patients. Splenic T cells from patients treated with OK-432 plus fibrinogen showed significantly higher cytotoxicity against Daudi and K562 cells than T cells from control patients (p < 0.05), and culture of these splenic T cells with recombinant IL-2 induced the expansion of lymphokine-activated killer cells. These results demonstrate that local immunotherapy with a mixture of OK-432 and fibrinogen effectively augumented splenic antitumor immunity in gastric cancer patients.

Antineoplastic Agents