Biomedical subjects

Vladimir Lazar

Publications and source records attributed to Vladimir Lazar.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Microarray-based identification of tenascin C and tenascin XB, genes possibly involved in tumorigenesis associated with neurofibromatosis type 1.

PURPOSE: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant disorder with a complex variety of clinical manifestations. The hallmark of NF1 is the onset of heterogeneous (dermal or plexiform) benign neurofibromas. Plexiform neurofibromas can give rise to malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, which are resistant to conventional therapies. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: To identify new signaling pathways involved in the malignant transformation of plexiform neurofibromas, we applied a 22,000-oligonucleotide microarray approach to a series of plexiform neurofibromas and malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Changes in the expression of selected genes were then confirmed by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. RESULTS: We identified two tenascin gene family members that were significantly deregulated in both human NF1-associated tumors and NF1-deficient primary cells: Tenascin C (TNC) was up-regulated whereas tenascin XB (TNXB) was down-regulated during tumor progression. TNC activation is mainly due to the up-regulation of large TNC splice variants. Immunohistochemical studies showed that TNC transcripts are translated into TNC protein in TNC-overexpressing tumors. Aberrant transcriptional activation of TNC seems to be principally mediated by activator protein transcription factor complexes. CONCLUSION: TNXB and TNC may be involved in the malignant transformation of plexiform neurofibromas. Anti-TNC antibodies, already used successfully in clinical trials to treat malignant human gliomas, may be an appropriate new therapeutic strategy for NF1.

Alternative Splicing↗

PubMed2006

Interrelation between polyploidization and megakaryocyte differentiation: a gene profiling approach.

Polyploidization is a part of the normal developmental process leading to platelet production during megakaryocyte (MK) differentiation. Ploidization is mainly involved in cell enlargement, but it is not clear whether gene expression is modified during MK ploidization. In this study, human MKs were grown from CD34(+) cells in the presence of thrombopoietin and sorted according to their ploidy level. A pangenomic microarray technique was applied to compare gene expression in 2N-, 4N-, 8N-, and 16N-sorted MKs. Using hierarchical clustering, we demonstrated that 2N and 4N MKs or 8N and 16N MKs are 2 different close populations with 105 discriminating genes. In the second approach, we determined the profile of genes that were continuously down- and up-regulated during polyploidization. Among the 100 down-regulated genes, 24 corresponded to genes involved in DNA replication and repair. The great majority of up-regulated genes corresponded to genes directly involved in platelet functions, such as genes encoding specific platelet glycoproteins and alpha-granule proteins, actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, factors involved in signaling, and transport proteins. Together, these results suggest that MK polyploidization per se does not regulate gene expression but is intrinsically included in the differentiation process.

Antigens, CD34↗

PubMed2006

The THAP-zinc finger protein THAP1 regulates endothelial cell proliferation through modulation of pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes.

We recently cloned a novel human nuclear factor (designated THAP1) from postcapillary venule endothelial cells (ECs) that contains a DNA-binding THAP domain, shared with zebrafish E2F6 and several Caenorhabditis elegans proteins interacting genetically with retinoblastoma gene product (pRB). Here, we show that THAP1 is a physiologic regulator of EC proliferation and cell-cycle progression, 2 essential processes for angiogenesis. Retroviral-mediated gene transfer of THAP1 into primary human ECs inhibited proliferation, and large-scale expression profiling with microarrays revealed that THAP1-mediated growth inhibition is due to coordinated repression of pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes. Silencing of endogenous THAP1 through RNA interference similarly inhibited EC proliferation and G1/S cell-cycle progression, and resulted in down-regulation of several pRB/E2F cell-cycle target genes, including RRM1, a gene required for S-phase DNA synthesis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in proliferating ECs showed that endogenous THAP1 associates in vivo with a consensus THAP1-binding site found in the RRM1 promoter, indicating that RRM1 is a direct transcriptional target of THAP1. The similar phenotypes observed after THAP1 overexpression and silencing suggest that an optimal range of THAP1 expression is essential for EC proliferation. Together, these data provide the first links in mammals among THAP proteins, cell proliferation, and pRB/E2F cell-cycle pathways.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Expression and possible role of hPTTG1/securin in cutaneous malignant melanoma.

Human pituitary tumour-transforming gene 1 or hPTTG1 is a proto-oncogene that codes for securin, a protein involved in sister chromatid separation. Based on previous microarray data, we studied the expression of hPTTG1/securin in melanocytic lesions. In contrast to nevi and radial growth phase melanomas, securin was expressed by scattered cells in the vertical growth phase, suggesting a role in tumour progression. In a series of 29 nodular and 29 superficial spreading melanomas, matched for all histological prognostic parameters, securin expression was significantly correlated with the nodular subtype (P=0.018) and not related to thickness. In other cancers, hPTTG1 is involved in various oncogenic pathways, including induction of neovascularisation and aneuploidy, and inhibition of p53 activity. We found coexpression of securin with wild-type p53 in the same neoplastic cells in a minority of melanomas. Expression of securin was significantly correlated with the extent of aneuploidy but not with basic fibroblast growth factor immunoreactivity or microvessel density. DNA cytometry revealed that nuclei-overexpressing securin frequently showed tetraploidy or aneuploidy. Our data show that hPTTG1 is frequently overexpressed in nodular melanoma, and suggest that hPTTG1 may act as an oncogene in the vertical growth phase, either by inhibiting anaphase, thereby causing aneuploidy and genomic instability, or by modulating the function of p53, thereby impairing apoptosis.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Apoptosis regulation in tetraploid cancer cells.

Tetraploidy can result in cancer-associated aneuploidy. As shown here, freshly generated tetraploid cells arising due to mitotic slippage or failed cytokinesis are prone to undergo Bax-dependent mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and subsequent apoptosis. Knockout of Bax or overexpression of Bcl-2 facilitated the survival of tetraploid cells at least as efficiently as the p53 or p21 knockout. When tetraploid cells were derived from diploid p53 and Bax-proficient precursors, such cells exhibited an enhanced transcription of p53 target genes. Tetraploid cells exhibited an enhanced rate of spontaneous apoptosis that could be suppressed by inhibition of p53 or by knockdown of proapoptotic p53 target genes such as BBC3/Puma, GADD45A and ferredoxin reductase. Unexpectedly, tetraploid cells were more resistant to DNA damaging agents (cisplatin, oxaliplatin and camptothecin) than their diploid counterparts, and this difference disappeared upon inhibition of p53 or knockdown of p53-inducible ribonucleotide reductase. Tetraploid cells were also more resistant against UVC and gamma-irradiation. These data indicate the existence of p53-dependent alterations in apoptosis regulation in tetraploid cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Gene expression profiling of primary cutaneous melanoma and clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: Gene expression profiling data for human primary cutaneous melanomas are scarce because of the lack of retrospective collections of frozen tumors. To identify differentially expressed genes that may be involved in melanoma progression and prognosis, we investigated the relationship between gene expression profiles and clinical outcome in a cohort of patients with primary melanoma. METHODS: Labeled complementary RNA (cRNA) from each tissue sample was hybridized to a pangenomic 44K 60-mer oligonucleotide microarray. Class comparison and class prediction analyses were performed to identify genes whose expression in primary melanomas was associated with 4-year distant metastasis-free survival among 58 patients with at least 4 years of follow-up, distant metastasis, or death. Results were validated immunohistochemically at the protein level in 176 independent primary melanomas from patients with a median clinical follow-up of 8.5 years. Survival was analyzed with a Cox multivariable model and stratified log-rank test. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: We identified 254 genes that were associated with distant metastasis-free survival of patients with primary melanoma. These 254 genes include genes involved in activating DNA replication origins, such as minichromosome maintenance genes and geminin. Twenty-three of these genes were studied at the protein level; expression of five (MCM4, P = .002; MCM3, P = .030; MCM6, P = .004; KPNA2, P = .021; and geminin, P = .004) was statistically significantly associated with overall survival in the validation set. In a multivariable Cox model adjusted for tumor thickness, ulceration, age, and sex, expression of MCM4 (hazard ratio [HR] of death = 4.04, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.39 to 11.76; P = .010) and MCM6 (HR of death = 7.42, 95% CI = 1.99 to 27.64; P = .003) proteins was still statistically significantly associated with overall survival. CONCLUSION: We identified 254 genes whose expression was associated with metastatic dissemination of cutaneous melanomas. These genes may shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying poor prognosis in melanoma patients.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Follicular thyroid tumors with the PAX8-PPARgamma1 rearrangement display characteristic genetic alterations.

Follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTC) arise through oncogenic pathways distinct from those involved in the papillary histotype. Recently, a t(2;3)(q13;p25) rearrangement, which juxtaposes the thyroid transcription factor PAX8 to the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma1, was described in FTCs. In this report, we describe gene expression in 11 normal tissues, 4 adenomas, and 8 FTCs, with or without the PAX8-PPARgamma1 translocation, using custom 60-mer oligonucleotide microarrays. Results were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of 65 thyroid tissues and by immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis revealed a pattern of 93 genes discriminating FTCs, with or without the translocation, that were morphologically undistinguishable. Although the expression of thyroid-specific genes was detectable, none appeared to be differentially regulated between tumors with or without the translocation. Differentially expressed genes included genes related to lipid/glucose/amino acid metabolism, tumorigenesis, and angiogenesis. Surprisingly, several PPARgamma target genes were up-regulated in PAX8-PPARgamma-positive FTCs such as angiopoietin-like 4 and aquaporin 7. Moreover many genes involved in PAX8-PPARgamma expression profile presented a putative PPARgamma-promoter site, compatible with a direct activity of the fusion product. These data identify several differentially expressed genes, such as FGD3, that may serve as potential targets of PPARgamma and as members of novel molecular pathways involved in the development of thyroid carcinomas.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular↗

PubMed2004

AIF deficiency compromises oxidative phosphorylation.

Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) is a mitochondrial flavoprotein that, after apoptosis induction, translocates to the nucleus where it participates in apoptotic chromatinolysis. Here, we show that human or mouse cells lacking AIF as a result of homologous recombination or small interfering RNA exhibit high lactate production and enhanced dependency on glycolytic ATP generation, due to severe reduction of respiratory chain complex I activity. Although AIF itself is not a part of complex I, AIF-deficient cells exhibit a reduced content of complex I and of its components, pointing to a role of AIF in the biogenesis and/or maintenance of this polyprotein complex. Harlequin mice with reduced AIF expression due to a retroviral insertion into the AIF gene also manifest a reduced oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) in the retina and in the brain, correlating with reduced expression of complex I subunits, retinal degeneration, and neuronal defects. Altogether, these data point to a role of AIF in OXPHOS and emphasize the dual role of AIF in life and death.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2004

Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 induces interleukin-18 receptor expression in B cells.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latently infects and immortalizes B lymphocytes and causes lymphoproliferative malignancies. We show here that the EBV nuclear antigen EBNA2 induces expression of the 2 chains of the interleukin-18 receptor (IL-18R) in Burkitt lymphoma (BL) cell lines and in nontransformed B cells. Activation of IL-18R expression by EBNA2 is independent of its interaction with the transcriptional repressor RBPJ kappa. It occurs in the absence of any other viral protein but requires de novo synthesis of cellular proteins. IL-18R induction is a highly specific function of EBNA2, because neither other EBV latent proteins nor the cellular proteins c-myc or Notch can exert this effect. Using cDNA microarray expression profiling, we find that the IL-18 receptor expressed in EBV-infected BL cells has signaling capacity, because IL-18 significantly modified gene expression. We report that EBNA2 expression is associated with IL-18R expression in vivo in EBV-positive B-lymphomas from AIDS patients.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed2004

Irofulven cytotoxicity depends on transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair and is correlated with XPG expression in solid tumor cells.

BACKGROUND: Irofulven is a novel alkylating agent with promising clinical activity, particularly toward ovarian and hormone-refractory prostate cancers. To facilitate additional clinical development, we have aimed to identify biological markers associated with sensitivity to the compound. METHODS: Fibroblasts derived from patients with xeroderma pigmentosum or Cockayne's syndrome along with a panel of 20 human cancer cell lines (eight different tumor types) were examined to establish the importance of nucleotide excision repair proteins in the sensitivity to irofulven. RESULTS: Human cells deficient in nucleotide excision repair are up to 30-fold more sensitive to the cytotoxic effects of irofulven compared with repair-proficient controls, clearly indicating that nucleotide excision repair plays a crucial role in the sensitivity to the drug. Interestingly, our results show that irofulven-induced lesions are recognized by transcription-coupled repair but not by global genome repair. Another unique feature is the pronounced sensitivity of XPD and XPB helicase-deficient cells to the drug. Comparison of the IC50 values for irofulven, cisplatin, and ecteinascidin 743 with the expression levels of ERCC1, XPD, and XPG genes in different solid tumor cell lines shows no correlation between the expression levels of any of the three nucleotide excision repair proteins and the sensitivity to ecteinascidin 743. In contrast, expression of the XPG endonuclease was correlated with the cytotoxicity for irofulven and, to a lesser degree, for cisplatin. Importantly, XPG expression was also correlated with cellular nucleotide excision repair activity. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing evidence indicates that compromised nucleotide excision repair activity is frequent in several solid tumor types. The results presented here suggest that XPG expression in such tumors may be a useful marker to predict their sensitivity to irofulven.

Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating↗

PubMed2004

NF-kappaB and p53 are the dominant apoptosis-inducing transcription factors elicited by the HIV-1 envelope.

The coculture of cells expressing the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein complex (Env) with cells expressing CD4 results into cell fusion, deregulated mitosis, and subsequent cell death. Here, we show that NF-kappaB, p53, and AP1 are activated in Env-elicited apoptosis. The nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) super repressor had an antimitotic and antiapoptotic effect and prevented the Env-elicited phosphorylation of p53 on serine 15 and 46, as well as the activation of AP1. Transfection with dominant-negative p53 abolished apoptosis and AP1 activation. Signs of NF-kappaB and p53 activation were also detected in lymph node biopsies from HIV-1-infected individuals. Microarrays revealed that most (85%) of the transcriptional effects of HIV-1 Env were blocked by the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-alpha. Macroarrays led to the identification of several Env-elicited, p53-dependent proapoptotic transcripts, in particular Puma, a proapoptotic "BH3-only" protein from the Bcl-2 family known to activate Bax/Bak. Down modulation of Puma by antisense oligonucleotides, as well as RNA interference of Bax and Bak, prevented Env-induced apoptosis. HIV-1-infected primary lymphoblasts up-regulated Puma in vitro. Moreover, circulating CD4+ lymphocytes from untreated, HIV-1-infected donors contained enhanced amounts of Puma protein, and these elevated Puma levels dropped upon antiretroviral therapy. Altogether, these data indicate that NF-kappaB and p53 cooperate as the dominant proapoptotic transcription factors participating in HIV-1 infection.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2004

Novel mode of action of c-kit tyrosine kinase inhibitors leading to NK cell-dependent antitumor effects.

Mutant isoforms of the KIT or PDGF receptors expressed by gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are considered the therapeutic targets for STI571 (imatinib mesylate; Gleevec), a specific inhibitor of these tyrosine kinase receptors. Case reports of clinical efficacy of Gleevec in GISTs lacking the typical receptor mutations prompted a search for an alternate mode of action. Here we show that Gleevec can act on host DCs to promote NK cell activation. DC-mediated NK cell activation was triggered in vitro and in vivo by treatment of DCs with Gleevec as well as by a loss-of-function mutation of KIT. Therefore, tumors that are refractory to the antiproliferative effects of Gleevec in vitro responded to Gleevec in vivo in an NK cell-dependent manner. Longitudinal studies of Gleevec-treated GIST patients revealed a therapy-induced increase in IFN-gamma production by NK cells, correlating with an enhanced antitumor response. These data point to a novel mode of antitumor action for Gleevec.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Survey of human genes of retroviral origin: identification and transcriptome of the genes with coding capacity for complete envelope proteins.

Sequences of retroviral origin occupy approximately 8% of the human genome. Most of these "retroviral" genes have lost their coding capacities since their entry into our ancestral genome millions of years ago, but some reading frames have remained open, suggesting positive selection. The complete sequencing of the human genome allowed a systematic search for retroviral envelope genes containing an open reading frame and resulted in the identification of 16 genes that we have characterized. We further showed, by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR using specifically devised primers which discriminate between coding and noncoding elements, that all 16 genes are expressed in at least some healthy human tissues, albeit at highly different levels. All envelope genes disclose significant expression in the testis, three of them have a very high level of expression in the placenta, and a fourth is expressed in the thyroid. Besides their primary role as key molecules for viral entry, the envelope genes of retroviruses can induce cell-cell fusion, elicit immunosuppressive effects, and even protect against infection, and as such, endogenous retroviral envelope proteins have been tentatively identified in several reports as being involved in both normal and pathological processes. The present study provides a comprehensive survey of candidate genes and tools for a precise evaluation of their involvement in these processes.

Genes, env↗

PubMed2002

Epigenetic regulation of an IAP retrotransposon in the aging mouse: progressive demethylation and de-silencing of the element by its repetitive induction.

The recent insertion of a murine intracisternal A-particle (IAP) retrotransposon within one of the introns of a housekeeping gene, the circadian m.nocturnin gene, revealed a singular expression profile, both throughout the daytime and the mouse life span. Measurement of the levels of transcripts from this element by quantitative real-time RT-PCR, in organs of 1-24-month-old mice, disclosed that the inserted element--which is part of a large family of otherwise severely repressed mobile elements--becomes active upon aging, specifically in the liver where the m.nocturnin housekeeping gene is expressed in a circadian manner and induces a circadian expression of the IAP sequence. This age-dependent induction is cell-autonomous, as it persists in hepatocytes in primary culture. We further show, using methylation-sensitive enzymes, a correlation between the life-time kinetics of this process and a liver-specific demethylation of the IAP promoter. These results strongly support a model whereby the progressive demethylation and turning on of the IAP sequence is the sole result of the transient, daily activation-throughout the mouse life span--of its promoter. This phenomenon, which develops on a timescale of months to years in the aging mouse, might reveal a general epigenetic--and stochastic--process, which could account for a large series of events associated with cell and animal aging.

Aging↗