1: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Sep 13;102(37):13194-9. Epub 2005 Sep 6. A zebrafish bmyb mutation causes genome instability and increased cancer susceptibility. Shepard JL, Amatruda JF, Stern HM, Subramanian A, Finkelstein D, Ziai J, Finley KR, Pfaff KL, Hersey C, Zhou Y, Barut B, Freedman M, Lee C, Spitsbergen J, Neuberg D, Weber G, Golub TR, Glickman JN, Kutok JL, Aster JC, Zon LI. Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. A major goal of cancer research has been to identify genes that contribute to cancer formation. The similar pathology between zebrafish and human tumors, as well as the past success of large-scale genetic screens in uncovering human disease genes, makes zebrafish an ideal system in which to find such new genes. Here, we show that a zebrafish forward genetic screen uncovered multiple cell proliferation mutants including one mutant, crash&burn (crb), that represents a loss-of-function mutation in bmyb, a transcriptional regulator and member of a putative proto-oncogene family. crb mutant embryos have defects in mitotic progression and spindle formation, and exhibit genome instability. Regulation of cyclin B levels by bmyb appears to be the mechanism of mitotic accumulation in crb. Carcinogenesis studies reveal increased cancer susceptibility in adult crb heterozygotes. Gene-expression signatures associated with loss of bmyb in zebrafish are also correlated with conserved signatures in human tumor samples, and down-regulation of the B-myb signature genes is associated with retention of p53 function. Our findings show that zebrafish screens can uncover cancer pathways, and demonstrate that loss of function of bmyb is associated with cancer. PMID: 16150706 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 2: Cancer Lett. 2005 Sep 28;227(2):153-62. Inhibitory effects of costunolide on the telomerase activity in human breast carcinoma cells. Choi SH, Im E, Kang HK, Lee JH, Kwak HS, Bae YT, Park HJ, Kim ND. Department of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, and Research Institute for Drug Development, Pusan National University, Busan 609-735, South Korea. Costunolide, a natural sesquiterpene compound, has been known having cytotoxic and chemopreventive effects on various human cancer cells. In the present study, we examined the effects of costunolide on telomerase activity and on the components of telomerase in MCF-7 (wild-type p53) and MDA-MB-231 (mutant p53) cells. We found that costunolide inhibited the growth and telomerase activity of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The expression of hTERT mRNA was also inhibited but hTR mRNA was not. In addition, the bindings of transcription factors in hTERT promoters were significantly decreased in both cells by the treatment of costunolide. These results suggest that costunolide inhibited the growth of both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells and this effect was mediated at least in part by a significant reduction in telomerase activity. PMID: 16112418 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 3: DNA Cell Biol. 2005 Jan;24(1):21-9. Colon epithelial cell differentiation is inhibited by constitutive c-myb expression or mutant APC plus activated RAS. Ramsay RG, Ciznadija D, Sicurella C, Reyes N, Mitchelhill K, Darcy PK, D'Abaco G, Mantamadiotis T. Differentiation and Transcription Laboratory, Trescowthick Research Laboratories, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, University of Melbourne, Australia. rob.ramsay@Petermac.org Blocked differentiation is a hallmark of cancer cells and the restoration of differentiation programs in vivo is an actively pursued clinical aim. Understanding the key regulators of cyto-differentiation may focus therapies on molecules that reactivate this process. c-myb expression declines rapidly when human colon cancer epithelial cells are induced to differentiate with the physiologically relevant short-chain fatty acid, sodium butyrate. These cells show increased expression of alkaline phosphatase and cytokeratin 8. Similarly, murine Immorto-epithelial cells derived from wild-type colon cells also show c-myb mRNA declines when induced to differentiate with sodium butyrate. Immorto-cells harboring a single APC mutation are indistinguishable from wild-type cells with regard to differentiation, while addition of activated RAS alone markedly enhances differentiation. In marked contrast, complete differentiation arrest occurs when both APC and RAS are mutated. Expression of MybER, a 4-hydroxytamoxifen-activatable form of c-Myb, blocks differentiation in wildtype and APC mutant Immorto-cell lines as well as LIM1215 human colon carcinoma cells. These data identify two pathways of oncogenic change that lead to retarded epithelial cell differentiation, one involving the presence of a single APC mutation in conjunction with activated RAS or alternatively constitutive c-myb expression. PMID: 15684716 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 4: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004 Dec;1028:90-103. Targeted delivery of oncogene-selective antisense oligonucleotides in neuroectodermal tumors: therapeutic implications. Pastorino F, Brignole C, Marimpietri D, Di Paolo D, Zancolli M, Pagnan G, Ponzoni M. Differentiation Therapy Unit, Laboratory of Oncology, G. Gaslini Children's Hospital, Largo G. Gaslini 5, 16148, Genoa, Italy. Neuroectodermal tumors are highly malignant and increasingly common tumors. Because the cure rate of these neoplasias by conventional treatment is very low, new therapeutic approaches are needed. Entrapping high concentrations of cytotoxic drugs and/or oligonucleotides within stabilized liposomal formulations represents an emerging modality of antitumor treatment. Here, we tested the in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects of a novel antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (asODN) liposomal formulation, the coated cationic liposomes (CCL), by targeting the c-myc and the c-myb oncogenes on melanoma and neuroblastoma, respectively, through the use of a monoclonal antibody against the disialoganglioside GD2, selectively expressed by neuroectoderma-derived tumors. Our methods produced GD2-targeted liposomes that stably entrapped 90 percent of added asODNs. These liposomes showed selective binding for GD2-positive tumor cells in vitro. Neuroblastoma cells treated with free myb-as or nontargeted CCL-myb-as showed the same level of c-myb protein expression as control cells. In contrast, c-myb protein expression of cells treated with aGD2-CCL-myb-as was inhibited by approximately 70 percent. Melanoma and neuroblastoma cell proliferation was inhibited to a greater extent by GD2-targeted liposomes containing c-myc or c-myb asODNs than by nontargeted liposomes or free asODNs. Mice bearing established subcutaneous human melanoma xenografts treated with aGD2-CCL-myc-as exhibited significantly reduced tumor growth and increased survival. The mechanism for the antitumor effects appears to be downregulation of the expression of the c-myc protein, induction of p53, and inhibition of Bcl-2 proteins, leading to extensive tumor cell apoptosis. In contrast, the increased life span obtained in a neuroblastoma pseudometastatic mouse model with the liposomal c-myb asODNs seems to be due to a synergistic mechanism: specific targeting to neuroblastoma cancer cells, downmodulation of c-myb protein expression, and stimulation of the innate immune system. These results suggest that inhibition of c-myc or c-myb proto-oncogenes by GD2-targeted antisense therapy could provide an effective approach for the treatment of neuroectodermal tumors in an adjuvant setting. PMID: 15650235 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 5: J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2004 Sep;23(3):469-75. C-MYB, serum P-53M, genetic instability, labeling index and endoscopic findings in patients with adenoma or colorectal cancer. Assisi D, Grassi A, La Penta R, Stigliano V, Greco C, Cianciulli AM, Giannarelli D, Casale V. Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. assisi@ifo.it Structural alterations of c-myb proto-oncogenes and serum p53 mutant level, Mitomycin C-induced chromosomal aberrations and sister chromatid exchanges and proliferative activity of mucosa (H3-thymidine -labeling index LI) are often determined to obtain more information about the diagnosis and prognosis of neoplastic and preneoplastic lesions of the colon. The aim of this study was to evaluate the endoscopic findings of a 5 year follow-up in three groups of subjects (normal, adenoma or cancer patients) and to correlate these findings with the biological alterations in the same subjects between 1990 and 1993. We analyzed 200 subjects (118 Male and 82 Female), 78 normal subjects (group A), 60 patients with adenoma (group B) and 62 with carcinoma (group C). Data regarding endoscopic lesions was collected from June 1998 to December 2000 after a 5 year follow-up and correlated with the biological alterations in the same subjects between 1990--1993. We obtained endoscopic findings from 23/137 subjects (16.8%), 6/137 (4.4%) died from other causes and 108/137 (78.8 %) were negative for lesions. The percentage of disease after 5 years is not statistically different among the three groups (groups A, B and C). There was no statistically significant association between values of the labeling index, structural alterations of c-myb, p-53-M serum levels and chromosomal aberrations and endoscopic findings in the 5 year follow-up. We conclude that the biological markers considered are not able to stratify patients in terms of risk of progression to malignant disease. PMID: 15595638 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 6: J Biol Chem. 2004 Dec 31;279(53):55393-400. Epub 2004 Oct 27. p53 suppresses c-Myb-induced trans-activation and transformation by recruiting the corepressor mSin3A. Tanikawa J, Nomura T, Macmillan EM, Shinagawa T, Jin W, Kokura K, Baba D, Shirakawa M, Gonda TJ, Ishii S. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, RIKEN Tsukuba Institute, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan. p53 is known to repress transcription of a number of genes, but the mechanism of p53 recruitment to these target genes is unknown. The c-myb proto-oncogene product (c-Myb) positively regulates proliferation of immature hematopoietic cells, whereas p53 blocks cell cycle progression. Here, we demonstrate that p53 inhibits c-Myb-induced transcription and transformation by directly binding to c-Myb. The ability of c-Myb to maintain the undifferentiated state of M1 cells was also suppressed by p53. p53 did not affect the ability of c-Myb to bind to DNA but formed a ternary complex with the corepressor mSin3A and c-Myb. Thus, p53 antagonizes c-Myb by recruiting mSin3A to down-regulate specific Myb target genes. PMID: 15509555 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 7: Cancer Biol Ther. 2004 Nov;3(11):1129-34; discussion 1135-6. Epub 2004 Nov 9. Ribozyme targeting HPV16 E6E7 transcripts in cervical cancer cells suppresses cell growth and sensitizes cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Zheng Y, Zhang J, Rao Z. Laboratory of Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, Maryland, USA. yazheng@niaid.nih.gov Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is related to more than 90% of cervical cancer. The virus is shown to be essential for the induction and maintenance of the malignant phenotype in cervical cancer. In this report, we designed a hammerhead ribozyme Rz170 to specifically target the HPV16 E6E7 transcripts, and our results demonstrated that Rz170 can cleave HPV16 E6E7 transcripts effectively and with high specificity. When transfected into a HPV16 positive cervical cancer cell, CaSKi, the ribozyme reduced the expression of HPV16 E6 and E7 mRNA, and inhibited cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. The percentage of apoptosis cells was also increased. We found that Rz170 reduced the expression of the viral E6 and E7 proteins, and cellular c-myc, bcl-2 proteins, but increased the expression of p53 and Rb proteins. It is likely that the ribozyme inhibited cervical cancer cell growth by reducing the expression of the HPV16 E6 and E7gene, which may alter the expression of p53, Rb, c-myc and bcl-2, and led to apoptosis in cancer cells. We also found that CaSKi cells transfected with Rz170 showed increased sensitivity to cisplatin and radiation. Our study demonstrated the potential of Rz170 for treating cervical cancer, and the possibility of using a combined therapeutic strategy involving ribozyme, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. PMID: 15467442 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 8: Methods Mol Med. 2005;106:85-111. Clinical studies of antisense oligonucleotides for cancer therapy. Orr RM, Dorr FA. Cancer Research UK Centre for Cancer Therapeutic, The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, Surrey, UK. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 15375314 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 9: Vitam Horm. 2004;67:35-49. Promoter of TRAIL-R2 gene. Yoshida T, Sakai T. Department of Molecular-Targeting Cancer Prevention Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. TRAIL-R2 promoter does not have a typical TATA-box but two functional Sp1-binding sites. TRAIL-R2 promoter belongs to the class of TATA-less and GC-box-containing promoters. The minimal promoter element is contained in the region spanning -198 to -116 upstream of translational initiation codon ATG. Computer analysis shows putative transcription factor binding sites such as c-Ets, AML-1a, c-Myb, Sp1, and GATA-1 in TRAIL-R2 promoter. Hypermethylation of TRAIL-R2 is not frequent compared with that of TRAIL-R3 and TRIAL-R4. There are no potential transcription factor binding sites in highly homologous regions between TRAIL-R2 promoter and TRAIL-R1 promoter, or between TRAIL-R2 promoter and mouse homologue mouse killer (MK) promoter. TRAIL-R2 is known to be a downstream gene of p53, a tumor-suppressor gene, and a p53-binding site in TRAIL-R2 intron 1 is responsible for p53-dependent transcription. Thapsigargin, endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor calcium releaser, upregulates TRAIL-R2 expression via the promoter region. Many regulators of TRAIL-R2 have been reported. However, it has not been demonstrated whether they regulate TRAIL-R2 via the promoter region. Here, we show a list of these regulators. Finally, we demonstrate the possibility of cancer therapy using regulation of TRAIL-R2 promoter. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 15110170 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 10: Clin Cancer Res. 2003 Oct 1;9(12):4595-605. Targeted liposomal c-myc antisense oligodeoxynucleotides induce apoptosis and inhibit tumor growth and metastases in human melanoma models. Pastorino F, Brignole C, Marimpietri D, Pagnan G, Morando A, Ribatti D, Semple SC, Gambini C, Allen TM, Ponzoni M. Differentiation Therapy Unit, Laboratory of Oncology, G. Gaslini Children's Hospital, 16148 Genoa, Italy. PURPOSE: Melanoma is a highly malignant and increasingly common tumor. Because the cure rate of metastatic melanoma by conventional treatment is very low, new therapeutic approaches are needed. We previously reported that coated cationic liposomes (CCL) targeted with a monoclonal antibody against the disialoganglioside (GD(2)) and containing c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (asODNs) resulted in a selective inhibition of the proliferation of GD(2)-positive neuroblastoma cells in vitro. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Here, we tested the in vivo antitumor effects of this novel antisense liposomal formulation by targeting the c-myc oncogene on melanoma, a neuroectodermal tumor sharing with neuroblastoma the expression of GD(2). RESULTS: Our methods produced GD(2)-targeted liposomes that stably entrapped 90% of added c-myc asODNs. These liposomes showed a selective binding for GD(2)-positive melanoma cells in vitro. Melanoma cell proliferation was inhibited to a greater extent by GD(2)-targeted liposomes containing c-myc asODNs (aGD(2)-CCL-myc-as) than by nontargeted liposomes or free asODNs. The pharmacokinetic results obtained after i.v. injection of [(3)H]-myc-asODNs, free or encapsulated in nontargeted CCLs or GD(2)-targeted CCLs, showed that free c-myc-asODNs were rapidly cleared, with less than 10% of the injected dose remaining in blood at 30 min after injection. c-myc-asODNs encapsulated within either CCL or aGD(2)-CCL demonstrated a more favorable profile in blood, with about 20% of the injected dose of each preparation remaining in vivo at 24 h after injection. In an in vivo melanoma experimental metastatic model, aGD(2)-CCL-myc-as, at a total dose of only 10 mg of asODN per kilogram, significantly inhibited the development of microscopic metastases in the lung compared with animals treated with myc-asODNs, free or entrapped in nontargeted liposomes, or aGD(2)-CCL encapsulating scrambled asODNs (P < 0.01). Moreover, mice bearing established s.c. human melanoma xenografts treated with aGD(2)-CCL-myc-as exhibited significantly reduced tumor growth and increased survival (P < 0.01 versus control mice). The mechanism for the antitumor effects appears to be down-regulation of the expression of the c-myc protein and interruption of c-myc-mediated signaling: induction of p53 and inhibition of Bcl-2 proteins, leading to extensive tumor cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that inhibition of c-myc proto-oncogene by GD(2)-targeted antisense therapy could provide an effective approach for the treatment of melanoma in an adjuvant setting. PMID: 14555535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 11: Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2003 Jul;32(4):304-7. [Study of 8-OH-dG and its correlation with several cancer related gene in lung cancer tissues] [Article in Chinese] Lu J, Shi L, Wu Z, Liao Y, Zhou C, Li Y, Bin X, Zeng B, Chen J. Institute for Chemical Carcinogenesis, Guangzhou Medical College, Guangzhou 510182, China. To investigate the relationship among 8-OH-dG and the development of human lung cancer and cancer related genes, an 8-OH-dG-specific monoclonal antibody and biotin-streptavidin immuno-staining were used to detect the 8-OH-dG in 150 cases of human lung cancer tissues, 120 adjacent lung tissues without cancer cells, 40 benign lung lesions and 40 normal lung tissues. The expressions of P53, C-MYC, K-RAS, BCL-2 and hTERT(human telomerase reverse transcriptase) were determined by immunohistochemistry and the relationship among the 8-OH-dG and these genes was analyzed. The 8-OH-dG were positive in 139 of 150 (92.7%) lung cancer specimens, and the percentage of adduct labeling cell in lung cancer specimens was (24.00 +/- 25.11)% (mean +/- SE). 21 of 120 (17.5%) adjacent lung tissues were adduct positive, and the percentage of adduct labeling cell was 2.42 +/- 5.98%. 4 of 40 (10.0%) benign lung lesions were adduct positive, and the percentage of adduct labeling cell was 0.80 +/- 1.30%, whereas 2 of 40 (5.0%) normal lung tissues were weak positive with 8-oh-dG, and the percentage of adduct labeling cell in this group was (0.34 +/- 1.01)%. The level of 8-OH-dG in lung cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of adjacent lung tissues, benign lung lesions and normal lungs (P < 0.01). The lung cancer patients were stratified by sex, age, cell types and smoking history, but these characteristics were not correlated with the level of 8-OH-dG. In the investigation of the relationship between the 8-OH-dG and five cancer related genes, higher 8-OH-dG levels were observed in lung cancer patients with over-expression of K-RAS and BCL-2 than those of negative expressed patients (P-value were 0.035 and 0.034 respectively), whereas the expression of P53, C-MYC and hTERT were not correlated with level of 8-OH-dG. 8-OH-dG was an important biomarker that may reflect the oxidative DNA damages of cells, and 8-OH-dG may affect K-RAS and BCL-2 genes in the carcinogenesis of lung cancer. PMID: 14535088 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 12: Cell Death Differ. 2003 Sep;10(9):1045-58. Cytosine arabinoside rapidly activates Bax-dependent apoptosis and a delayed Bax-independent death pathway in sympathetic neurons. Besirli CG, Deckwerth TL, Crowder RJ, Freeman RS, Johnson EM Jr. Departments of Neurology and Molecular Biology & Pharmacology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA. Cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) is a nucleoside analog used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. One of the major side effects of ara-C chemotherapy is neurotoxicity. In this study, we have further characterized the cell death induced by ara-C in sympathetic neurons. Similar to neurons undergoing trophic factor deprivation-induced apoptosis, ara-C-exposed neurons became hypometabolic before death and upregulated c-myb, c-fos, and Bim. Bax deletion delayed, but did not prevent, ara-C toxicity. Neurons died by apoptosis, indicated by the release of mitochondrial cytochrome-c and caspase-3 activation. p53-deficient neurons demonstrated decreased sensitivity to ara-C, but neither p53 nor multiple p53-regulated genes were induced. Mature neurons showed increased ara-C resistance. These results demonstrate that molecular mechanisms underlying ara-C-induced death are similar to those responsible for trophic factor deprivation-induced apoptosis. However, substantial differences in neuronal death after these two distinct stress stimuli exist since ara-C toxicity, unlike the developmental death, can proceed in the absence of Bax. PMID: 12934079 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 13: Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Aug;111(11):1411-20. Comment in: Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Aug;111(11):A590-1. Mechanisms of benzene-induced hematotoxicity and leukemogenicity: cDNA microarray analyses using mouse bone marrow tissue. Yoon BI, Li GX, Kitada K, Kawasaki Y, Igarashi K, Kodama Y, Inoue T, Kobayashi K, Kanno J, Kim DY, Inoue T, Hirabayashi Y. Division of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan. Although the mechanisms underlying benzene-induced toxicity and leukemogenicity are not yet fully understood, they are likely to be complicated by various pathways, including those of metabolism, growth factor regulation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, cell cycle regulation, and programmed cell death. With this as a background, we performed cDNA microarray analyses on mouse bone marrow tissue during and after a 2-week benzene exposure by inhalation. Our goal was to clarify the mechanisms underlying the hematotoxicity and leukemogenicity induced by benzene at the level of altered multigene expression. Because a few researchers have postulated that the cell cycle regulation mediated by p53 is a critical event for benzene-induced hematotoxicity, the present study was carried out using p53-knockout (KO) mice and C57BL/6 mice. On the basis of the results of large-scale gene expression studies, we conclude the following: (a) Benzene induces DNA damage in cells at any phase of the cell cycle through myeloperoxidase and in the redox cycle, resulting in p53 expression through Raf-1 and cyclin D-interacting myb-like protein 1. (b) For G1/S cell cycle arrest, the p53-mediated pathway through p21 is involved, as well as the pRb gene-mediated pathway. (c) Alteration of cyclin G1 and Wee-1 kinase genes may be related to the G2/M arrest induced by benzene exposure. (d) DNA repair genes such as Rad50 and Rad51 are markedly downregulated in p53-KO mice. (e) p53-mediated caspase 11 activation, aside from p53-mediated Bax gene induction, may be an important pathway for cellular apoptosis after benzene exposure. Our results strongly suggest that the dysfunction of the p53 gene, possibly caused by strong and repeated genetic and epigenetic effects of benzene on candidate leukemia cells, may induce fatal problems such as those of cell cycle checkpoint, apoptosis, and the DNA repair system, finally resulting in hemopoietic malignancies. Our cDNA microarray data provide valuable information for future investigations of the mechanisms underlying the toxicity and leukemogenicity of benzene. PMID: 12928149 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 14: J Asian Nat Prod Res. 2002 Dec;4(4):271-80. Inhibition of tumor growth by S-3-1, a synthetic intermediate of salvianolic acid A. Li HY, Li Y, Yan CH, Li LN, Chen XG. Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China. Salvianolic acid A (1) is one of the active components from Salvia miltiorrhiza, which was found to suppress the growth of mouse tumors. S-3-1 (a 2-allyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, 2) is a synthetic intermediate of a salvianolic acid A derivative with strong inhibitory effects on the growth of cancer cells in vitro. The inhibitory effects of 2 on tumor growth and its molecular targets were studied. 2 significantly suppressed the growth of mouse Lewis lung carcinoma, S180 sarcoma and H22 hepatic carcinoma in a dose-dependent manner. With a simple scrape-loading dye transfer method, 20 microg/ml of 2 was found to significantly enhance gap junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma PaCa Cells, human lung epithelial carcinoma W1-38 cells and human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, but 2 had no marked effect on GJIC in human colon cancer CACO2 cells. With Northern blot analysis, 2 was found to inhibit the expression of c-myc gene in A549 cells and have no marked effect on H-ras oncogene expression, and increase the cellular P53 mRNA contents, though it did not affect the expression of RB tumor suppressor gene. 2 also suppressed the P46 (JNK/SAPK) expression in A549 cells. Western blot analysis was applied to visualize the P21ras protein. Results shows that 2 at concentrations ranging from 10 to 20 microg/ml decreases the contents of the membranous P21ras and total P21ras and increases the contents of cytosolic P21ras protein in a time-dependent manner. However, 2 had no significant effects on farnesyl protein transferase activities at the concentrations that could efficiently decrease the membranous P21ras content. This suggested that 2 might suppress tumor growth partly through enhancement of GJIC and reversion of the transformed phenotypes. The other mechanisms may be that 2 can suppress the overexpression of c-myc oncogene, inhibit the function of Ras oncoprotein, increase the expression of P53 tumor suppressor gene and interrupt P46-associated mitogen-activated pathway other than farnesylation of Ras protein. PMID: 12450255 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 15: Lancet Oncol. 2002 Nov;3(11):672-83. Erratum in: Lancet Oncol. 2003 Feb;4(2):74. Antisense therapy for cancer--the time of truth. Jansen B, Zangemeister-Wittke U. Prostate Centre and the Division of Dermatology Vancouver General Hospital, University of British Columbia, BC, Vancouver, Canada. bjansen@interchange.ubc.ca The recent acceleration in the identification and characterisation of new molecular targets for cancer and the limited effectiveness of conventional treatment strategies has focused considerable interest on the development of new types of anticancer agents. These new drugs are hoped to be highly specific for malignant cells with a favorable side-effect profile due to well-defined mechanisms of action. Antisense oligonucleotides are one such class of new agent--they are short, synthetic stretches of DNA which hybridise with specific mRNA strands that correspond to target genes. By binding to the mRNA, the antisense oligonucleotides prevent the sequence of the target gene being converted into a protein, thereby blocking the action of the gene. Several genes known to be important in the regulation of apoptosis, cell growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis, have been validated as molecular targets for antisense therapy. Furthermore, new targets are rapidly being uncovered through coordinated functional genomics and proteomics initiatives. Phosphorothioate oligonucleotides are the current gold standard for antisense therapy; they have acceptable physical and chemical properties and show reasonable resistance to nucleases. Recently, new generations of these phosphorothioate oligonucleotides that contain 2'-modified nucleoside building blocks to enhance RNA binding affinity and decrease indirect toxic effects have been developed. Antisense therapeutics are, after decades of difficulties, finally close to fulfilling their promise in the clinic. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 12424069 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 16: EMBO Rep. 2002 Jun;3(6):569-74. Epub 2002 May 24. The p53 tumour suppressor inhibits glucocorticoid-induced proliferation of erythroid progenitors. Ganguli G, Back J, Sengupta S, Wasylyk B. Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, 1 rue Laurent Fries, BP 163, F-67404 Illkirch cedex, France. Hypoxia encountered at high altitude, blood loss and erythroleukemia instigate stress erythropoiesis, which involves glucocorticoid-induced proliferation of erythroid progenitors (ebls). The tumour suppressor p53 stimulates hematopoietic cell maturation and antagonizes glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activity in hypoxia, suggesting that it may inhibit stress erythropoiesis. We report that mouse fetal liver ebls that lack p53 proliferate better than wild-type cells in the presence of the GR agonist dexamethasone. An important mediator of GR-induced ebl self-renewal, the c-myb gene, is induced to higher levels in p53(-/-) ebls by dexamethasone. The stress response to anemia is faster in the spleens of p53(-/-) mice, as shown by the higher levels of colony forming units erythroids and the increase in the CD34/c-kit double positive population. Our results show that p53 antagonizes GR-mediated ebl expansion and demonstrate for the first time that p53-GR cross-talk is important in a physiological process in vivo: stress erythropoiesis. PMID: 12034755 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 17: Curr Opin Mol Ther. 1999 Jun;1(3):297-306. Oligonucleotide therapeutics: clothing the emperor. Gewirtz AM. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA. gewirtz@mail.med.upem.edu Oligonucleotides (ON) have been used in vitro, in vivo and clinically for the treatment viral infections, malignancies and inflammatory diseases. This review will focus on the application of ON-based therapeutics for hematological disease. The primary application of ONs has been as sequence specific inhibitors of gene expression, ie, antisense oligonucleotides (AS ON) and ribozymes. Based upon the unique expression of the Bcl-Abl neogene in CML cells, numerous studies have targeted this product with AS ONs and ribozymes. These studies demonstrate that ON targeting the breakpoint region selectively inhibit the proliferation of CML cells. Subsequent studies suggest that this effect may not be due to a true antisense effect of the ON. Other targets, which are being exploited for the treatment of hematological malignancies, include ON targeting c-myb gene, p53 and Bcl-2. All three have entered clinical trials and have been shown to be tolerated by patients. In addition to inhibition of gene expression, ON can be selected for sequence specific binding to proteins (aptamer). In particular an ON that binds to thrombin with high affinity is being explored as a potential anticoagulant. These early studies have identified limitations for first generation ON which may be solvable with newer ON chemistries and/or formulations. Although the technology is still nascent it continues to show promise. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 11713794 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 18: Blood Cells Mol Dis. 2001 Mar-Apr;27(2):479-82. Regulation of c-Myb activity by tumor suppressor p53. Tanikawa J, Ichikawa-Iwata E, Kanei-Ishii C, Ishii S. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, RIKEN Tsukuba Institute, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0074, Japan. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) act as chaperones and play important roles during cellular proliferation and apoptosis. Heat shock factors (HSFs) mediate transcriptional induction of HSP genes. Among multiple heat shock transcription factors (HSFs) in vertebrates, HSF3 is specifically activated in unstressed proliferating cells by direct binding to the c-myb proto-oncogene product (c-Myb). Since c-Myb has an important role in cellular proliferation, this regulatory pathway suggests a link between the events of cellular proliferation and the stress response. The c-Myb-induced activation of HSF3 is negatively regulated by the p53 tumor suppressor protein. p53 directly binds to HSF3 and blocks the interaction between c-Myb and HSF3. In addition, p53 stimulates the degradation of c-Myb, which is, at least partly, mediated by induction of Siah in certain types of cells. Thus, c-Myb and p53 regulate the expression of HSPs via HSF3 in opposite ways. Copyright 2001 Academic Press. PMID: 11500059 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 19: Cancer Lett. 2001 Sep 28;171(1):87-101. B-myb rescues ras-induced premature senescence, which requires its transactivation domain. Masselink H, Vastenhouw N, Bernards R. Division of Molecular Carcinogenesis and Center for Biomedical Genetics, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. B-myb, a ubiquitously expressed member of the myb gene family, is highly regulated throughout the cell cycle and appears to be required for cell cycle progression. In contrast to its relatives A-myb, c-myb, and v-myb, no transforming activity of B-myb has been reported thus far. We report here that B-myb can rescue senescence induced by an activated ras oncogene in rodent cells in vitro. We show that transformation by B-Myb involves its ability to activate transcription. Similar to other oncogenic transcription factors, such as c-Myc and E2F, we show that B-Myb also has repression activity. We demonstrate that the C-terminus of B-Myb can function as a repressor of transcription, that B-Myb interacts with the repressor molecules BS69 and N-CoR and that the repression function, like the transactivation domain, contributes to B-myb transformation. PMID: 11485831 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 20: Curr Oncol Rep. 2000 Jan;2(1):23-30. Antisense cancer therapy: the state of the science. Kushner DM, Silverman RH. Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveeland OH 44195, USA. Over the last few years, antisense technology has emerged as an exciting and promising strategy in the fight against cancer. The antisense concept is to selectively bind short, modified DNA or RNA molecules to messenger RNA in cells and prevent the synthesis of the encoded protein. As anticancer agents, these molecules can be targeted against a myriad of genes involved in cell transformation, cell survival, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Indeed, the list of possible antisense targets increases as the knowledge of the genetic basis of oncogenesis expands. One aim of this review is to focus on those antisense cancer drugs that have entered human clinical trials. At least four of these compounds are currently in phase II trials, including those targeting protein kinase C-alpha, bcl-2, c-raf, and the R1-alpha subunit of protein kinase A. A new development in antisense chemistry (peptide nucleic acids) is discussed, along with alternative antisense-related strategies (ribozymes and 2-5A-antisense) designed to overcome some of the challenges of this already encouraging technology. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 11122821 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 21: Mol Cell Biol. 2000 Aug;20(15):5554-70. Defect in the p53-Mdm2 autoregulatory loop resulting from inactivation of TAF(II)250 in cell cycle mutant tsBN462 cells. Wasylyk C, Wasylyk B. Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS/INSERM/ULP, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, France. The cell cycle arrest and proapoptotic functions of p53 are under tight control by Mdm2. After stress activation of p53 by nontranscriptional mechanisms, transcription of the mdm2 gene results in increased synthesis of Mdm2 and down-regulation of p53. Disruption of this autoregulatory loop has profound effects on cell survival and tumorigenesis. We show that a defective p53-Mdm2 autoregulatory loop results from inactivation of a basal transcription factor, TAF(II)250, in tsBN462 cells. We found that Mdm2 expression rescues the temperature-sensitive phenotype of tsBN462 cells, as shown by activation of cell cycle-regulated gene promoters (B-myb, cyclin A, and cdc25C), increased cell growth and DNA synthesis, and inhibition of apoptosis. These effects of Mdm2 are mediated by p53. Exogenous Mdm2 expression apparently complements endogenous Mdm2 synthesis in tsBN462 cells, which is reduced compared to that in the equivalent parental cells with wild-type TAF(II)250, BHK21. Expression of wild-type TAF(II)250 in tsBN462 stimulates and prolongs the synthesis of Mdm2 and rescues the temperature-sensitive phenotype. The TAF(II)250 rescue is blocked by inhibition of Mdm2-p53 interactions. We also show that Mdm2 promoter activation, after transfer to the nonpermissive temperature, is attenuated in cells with mutant TAF(II)250. The temperature-sensitive phenotype apparently results from inefficient inhibition of heat-induced p53 by reduced Mdm2 synthesis due to low mdm2 promoter activity. These results raise the possibility that the p53-Mdm2 autoregulatory loop could guard against transcriptional defects in cells. PMID: 10891494 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 22: Biochim Biophys Acta. 1999 Dec 10;1489(1):85-96. Oligonucleotide therapeutics for hematologic disorders. Agarwal N, Gewirtz AM. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA. During the last decade, the catalogue of known genes responsible for cell growth, development, and neoplastic transformation has expanded dramatically. Attempts to translate this information into new therapeutic strategies for both hematologic and non-hematologic diseases have accelerated at a rapid pace as well. Inserting genes into cells which either replace, or counter the effects of disease causing genes has been one of the primary ways in which scientists have tried to exploit this new knowledge. Strategies to directly downregulate gene expression have developed in parallel with this approach. The latter include triple helix forming oligonucleotides (ODN) and 'antisense' ODN. The latter have already entered clinical trials for a variety of disorders. In this monograph, we review the use of these materials in the treatment of hematologic diseases, particularly myelogenous leukemias. Problems and possible solutions associated with the use of ODN will be discussed as well. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 10806999 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 23: J Biol Chem. 2000 May 19;275(20):15578-85. p53 suppresses the c-Myb-induced activation of heat shock transcription factor 3. Tanikawa J, Ichikawa-Iwata E, Kanei-Ishii C, Nakai A, Matsuzawa S, Reed JC, Ishii S. Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, RIKEN Tsukuba Life Sciences Center, Japan Science and Technology, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan. Expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) is controlled by heat shock transcription factors (HSFs). Vertebrates express multiple HSFs whose activities may be regulated by distinct signals. HSF3 is specifically activated in unstressed proliferating cells by direct binding to the c-myb proto-oncogene product (c-Myb), which plays an important role in cellular proliferation. This suggests that the c-Myb-induced HSF3 activation may contribute to the growth-regulated expression of HSPs. Here we report that the p53 tumor suppressor protein directly binds to HSF3 and blocks the interaction between c-Myb and HSF3. In addition, p53 stimulates the degradation of c-Myb through a proteasome-dependent mechanism, which is, at least partly, mediated by induction of Siah in certain types of cells. Induction of p53 by a genotoxic reagent in DT40 cells disrupts the HSF3-c-Myb interaction and down-regulates the expression of certain HSPs. Mutated forms of p53 found in certain tumors did not inhibit c-Myb-induced HSF3 activation. The regulation of HSF3 activity by c-Myb and p53 sheds light on the molecular events that govern HSP expression during cellular proliferation and apoptosis. PMID: 10747903 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 24: Blood. 2000 Feb 1;95(3):745-55. CREB-binding protein and p300: molecular integrators of hematopoietic transcription. Blobel GA. Division of Hematology, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Publication Types: Review PMID: 10648382 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 25: J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1999 Nov;71(1-2):49-61. Gender- and androgen-related influence on the expression of proto-oncogene and apoptotic factor mRNAs in lacrimal glands of autoimmune and non-autoimmune mice. Toda I, Sullivan BD, Wickham LA, Sullivan DA. Schepens Eye Research Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA. Our previous studies have shown that the mRNA levels of c-myb, c-myc, bcl-2 and p53 are higher, and partial Fas antigen (i.e. exons 1-2) lower, in lacrimal tissues of female, as compared to male, MRL/lpr mice, which are a model of Sjogren's syndrome. We have also found that this gender-related difference in bcl-2 and c-myb expression appears to be due to the influence of androgens. To extend these findings, we sought to determine: first, whether these gender- and/or hormone-associated variations in mRNA content are unique to MRL/lpr mice, or are also present in lacrimal glands of other murine strains, including autoimmune NZB/NZW F1 (F1) and non-obese diabetic (NOD), as well as non-autoimmune C3H/HeJ (C3H) and BALB/c, mice; and second, whether the levels of these apoptotic factor mRNAs are altered in lacrimal tissues of mice (i.e. testicular feminized (Tfm) with dysfunctional androgen receptors, as compared to glandular amounts in their 'normal' controls (i.e. Tabby). Lacrimal tissues were obtained from adult mice, which were either untreated or treated with placebo or testosterone for 21 days. Glands were processed for the analysis of proto-oncogene mRNAs by RT-PCR (at exponential phase of amplification) and data were standardized to the corresponding levels of beta-actin mRNA. Our results demonstrate that Fas antigen, Fas ligand, c-myb, c-myc, bcl-2, Bax and p53 mRNAs are present in lacrimal tissues of F1, NOD, C3H, BALB/c, Tabby and Tfm mice. The relative levels of Fas antigen mRNA are consistently higher in glands of males, whereas amounts of bcl-2 mRNA are greater in tissues of F1, C3H and BALB/c females. Testosterone administration induced a significant increase in the lacrimal gland content of Bax mRNA, but a striking decrease in the lacrimal tissue level of bcl-2 mRNA in F1 and C3H mice. Lacrimal glands of Tfm mice contained elevated amounts of bcl-2 mRNA, as compared to values in tissues of their Tabby controls. In summary, our findings show that fundamental gender-related differences exist in the expression of genes associated with programmed cell death in lacrimal glands of autoimmune and normal mice. In addition, some of these differences may be due, at least in part, to the effect of androgens. PMID: 10619357 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 26: Oncogene. 1999 Nov 25;18(50):7016-25. Induction of apoptosis in U937 human leukemia cells by suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) proceeds through pathways that are regulated by Bcl-2/Bcl-XL, c-Jun, and p21CIP1, but independent of p53. Vrana JA, Decker RH, Johnson CR, Wang Z, Jarvis WD, Richon VM, Ehinger M, Fisher PB, Grant S. Department of Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond 23298, USA. Determinants of differentiation and apoptosis in myelomonocytic leukemia cells (U937) exposed to the novel hybrid polar compound SAHA (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) have been examined. In contrast to hexamethylenbisacetamide (HMBA), SAHA-related maturation was limited and accompanied by marked cytoxicity. SAHA-mediated apoptosis occurred within the G0G1 and S phase populations, and was associated with decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activation, PARP degradation, hypophosphorylation/cleavage of pRB, and down-regulation of c-Myc, c-Myb, and B-Myb. Enforced expression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL inhibited SAHA-induced apoptosis, but only modestly potentiated differentiation. While SAHA induced the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21CIP1, antisense ablation of this CDKI increased, rather than decreased, SAHA-related lethality. In contrast, conditional expression of wild-type p53 failed to modify SAHA actions, but markedly potentiated HMBA-induced apoptosis. Finally, SAHA modestly increased expression/activation of the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK/JNK); moreover, SAHA-related lethality was partially attenuated by a dominant-negative c-Jun mutant protein (TAM67). SAHA did not stimulate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), nor was lethality diminished by the specific MEK/MAPK inhibitor PD98059. These findings indicate that SAHA potently induces apoptosis in human leukemia cells via a pathway that is p53-independent but at least partially regulated by Bcl-2/Bcl-XL, p21CIP1, and the c-Jun/AP-1 signaling cascade. PMID: 10597302 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 27: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Mar 30;96(7):3993-8. Induction of ARF tumor suppressor gene expression and cell cycle arrest by transcription factor DMP1. Inoue K, Roussel MF, Sherr CJ. Department of Tumor Cell Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA. Expression of the DMP1 transcription factor, a cyclin D-binding Myb-like protein, induces growth arrest in mouse embryo fibroblast strains but is devoid of antiproliferative activity in primary diploid fibroblasts that lack the ARF tumor suppressor gene. DMP1 binds to a single canonical recognition site in the ARF promoter to activate gene expression, and in turn, p19(ARF) synthesis causes p53-dependent cell cycle arrest. Unlike genes such as Myc, adenovirus E1A, and E2F-1, which, when overexpressed, activate the ARF-p53 pathway and trigger apoptosis, DMP1, like ARF itself, does not induce programmed cell death. Therefore, apart from its recently recognized role in protecting cells from potentially oncogenic signals, ARF can be induced in response to antiproliferative stimuli that do not obligatorily lead to apoptosis. PMID: 10097151 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 28: Nat Med. 1998 Jul;4(7):844-7. Comment in: Nat Med. 1998 Jul;4(7):767-8. Tissue microarrays for high-throughput molecular profiling of tumor specimens. Kononen J, Bubendorf L, Kallioniemi A, Barlund M, Schraml P, Leighton S, Torhorst J, Mihatsch MJ, Sauter G, Kallioniemi OP. Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892-4470, USA. Many genes and signalling pathways controlling cell proliferation, death and differentiation, as well as genomic integrity, are involved in cancer development. New techniques, such as serial analysis of gene expression and cDNA microarrays, have enabled measurement of the expression of thousands of genes in a single experiment, revealing many new, potentially important cancer genes. These genome screening tools can comprehensively survey one tumor at a time; however, analysis of hundreds of specimens from patients in different stages of disease is needed to establish the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic importance of each of the emerging cancer gene candidates. Here we have developed an array-based high-throughput technique that facilitates gene expression and copy number surveys of very large numbers of tumors. As many as 1000 cylindrical tissue biopsies from individual tumors can be distributed in a single tumor tissue microarray. Sections of the microarray provide targets for parallel in situ detection of DNA, RNA and protein targets in each specimen on the array, and consecutive sections allow the rapid analysis of hundreds of molecular markers in the same set of specimens. Our detection of six gene amplifications as well as p53 and estrogen receptor expression in breast cancer demonstrates the power of this technique for defining new subgroups of tumors. PMID: 9662379 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 29: Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1998 Jan;86(1):59-71. Gender and androgen treatment influence the expression of proto-oncogenes and apoptotic factors in lacrimal and salivary tissues of MRL/lpr mice. Toda I, Wickham LA, Sullivan DA. Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine whether Fas antigen, Fas ligand, p53, and proto-oncogene mRNAs may be detected in lacrimal and submandibular glands of the MRL/lpr mouse model of Sjogren's syndrome, and (2) examine whether gender and androgen or cyclophosphamide therapy influence the mRNA expression of these apoptotic factors. Tissues were obtained from treated or untreated MRL/lpr mice after the onset of disease and processed for the analysis of mRNAs by RT-PCR and Southern blot hybridization. Our results demonstrated that (1) Fas antigen (exons 1-->2 or 3-->7+), Fas ligand, c-myb, c-myc, bcl-2, Bax, p53, and androgen receptor (AR) mRNAs are present in exocrine tissues of MRL/lpr mice; (2) the amounts of c-myb, c-myc, bcl-2, p53, and AR mRNA are higher (P < 0.05) and the level of Fas antigen (exons 1-->2) mRNA is lower (P < 0.05) in lacrimal glands of female compared to male mice. In contrast, the content of c-myb and p53 mRNA is greater (P < 0.05) in submandibular tissues of female relative to those of male mice; and (3) testosterone or cyclophosphamide treatment led to a significant (P < 0.05) decline in the mRNA levels of c-myb, bcl-2, and/or AR, but an increase (P < 0.05) in the mRNA amount of Bax, in lacrimal, but not in salivary, glands of female mice. These findings demonstrate that gender-associated differences exist in the expression of apoptotic factor mRNAs in exocrine tissues of autoimmune mice and that some of these differences appear to be due to the influence of androgens. PMID: 9434797 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 30: J Cell Biochem. 1997 Sep 1;66(3):309-21. Expression of cellular genes in HPV16-immortalized and cigarette smoke condensate-transformed human endocervical cells. Yang X, Nakao Y, Pater MM, Tang SC, Pater A. Division of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada. We studied the molecular mechanism of successive multistep cervical carcinogenic progression with our previously established in vitro model system. This system was composed of primary human endocervical cells (HEN), two lines of HEN immortalized by HPV16 and their counterparts subsequently malignantly transformed by cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). The expression was examined of diverse cellular genes associated with oncogenesis and senescence, especially for cervical cancer. Consistent results were seen for the pairs of immortalized and malignantly transformed lines. Immortalization of HEN by HPV16 resulted in enhanced expression of H-ras, c-myc, B-myb, p53, p16INK4 and PCNA mRNA; enhanced expression of p16 and PCNA proteins; decreased expression of WAF1/p21/Cip1/Sid1 and fibronectin mRNA; and decreased p53 protein. On the other hand, the CSC-transformed counterparts of HPV16-immortalized cells had up-regulated levels of B-myb, p53 and WAF1 mRNA and p53 protein. Our results indicate that the differential activation or inactivation of multiple cellular genes is important for the immortalization, as well as the transformation, of human cervical cells. Further, we suggest that our in vitro model system is useful for investigating the molecular mechanism of multistep cervical carcinogenesis. PMID: 9257188 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 31: Cancer Lett. 1997 Jan 15;112(1):65-9. Selective hyperexpression of c-jun oncoprotein by glass fiber- and silica-transformed BALB/c-3T3 cells. Gao H, Brick J, Ong S, Miller M, Whong WZ, Ong T. West Virginia University, Morgantown 26506, USA. Mining and mineral processing are important industries in the United States. A large number of workers are potentially exposed to silica during mining and to glass fibers during manufacturing. There is a concern regarding lung cancer risk among workers exposed to silica and glass fibers. Our previous studies showed that both glass fibers and silica induced transformation of BALB/c-3T3 cells. In order to explore the relationship between silica and glass fiber-induced cell transformation and oncoprotein expression, the protein products of seven proto-oncogenes (c-K-ras, c-H-ras, c-sis, c-myc, c-myb, c-erb B1 and c-jun) and one tumor suppressor gene (p53) were examined in BALB/c-3T3 cells transformed by glass fibers or silica using immunoblotting with specific monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies. The results showed that all transformants, including eight induced by glass fibers and eight by silica (Min-U-Sil 5), were positive for c-jun protein expression; the level of c-jun protein was elevated 8-21-fold in these transformants. Other protooncogene proteins in transformed cells were either not detectable or not different from non-transformed cells. These results suggest that the overexpression of c-jun is common in BALB/c-3T3 transformed cells induced by glass fibers or silica. It seems, therefore, that the expression of c-jun may play an important role in the transformation process. PMID: 9029170 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 32: Int J Hematol. 1996 Dec;65(1):41-8. p53-independent induction of p21 (WAF1/CIP1) during differentiation of HL-60 cells by tumor necrosis factor alpha. Yoshida K, Murohashi I, Hirashima K. First Department of Internal Medicine, Saitama Medical School, Japan. We demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) rapidly and markedly enhances p21 gene and protein expression prior to monocytic differentiation and apoptosis in p53-null HL-60 cells. TNF-alpha induced early small and delayed large peaks of apoptosis at 6 and 48 h of incubation, respectively. At 24 h of incubation, apparent monocytic differentiation of the cells was noted. Down-regulation of c-myc and c-myb and G0/G1 arrest were observed at 6-12 and 36 h, respectively. Actinomycin D markedly inhibited TNF-alpha-induced p21 mRNA expression, suggesting that the p21 gene is induced at the transcriptional level. We confirmed that TNF-alpha induces p53-independent apoptosis in HL-60 cells, which accompanies monocytic differentiation. PMID: 8990624 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 33: Anticancer Res. 1996 Nov-Dec;16(6B):3483-9. Deoxyadenosine-resistant mouse leukemia L1210 cell lines with alterations in early response genes and p53. Cory JG, He AW, Cory AH. Department of Biochemistry, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC 27858, USA. L1210 cell lines selected for resistance to deoxyadenosine exhibit altered steady-state levels of the mRNA for the early response genes and p53. In the deoxyadenosine-resistant cell lines (Y8 and ED2), the levels of the mRNAs for p53 and c-jun were markedly decreased while the steady-state levels for mRNAs for c-myc, c-fos and jun B were elevated in the Y-8 and ED2 cell lines. The levels of the mRNAs for PCNA and c-myb were the same in the wild type and mutant cell lines. The levels of the mRNAs for krox-24 were extremely low in the wild type and mutant cell lines. Cycloheximide (CHX) treatment of the cells resulted in the increase in the mRNA levels for c-jun, jun B, krox 24 and p53 in the Y-8 and ED2 cell lines. The time courses and the extents of the increases in the mRNA levels following CHX treatment were not the same for all of these mRNAs. The level of p53 RNA increased with no lag following CHX treatment while the levels of the mRNAs for c-myc, c-jun and krox-24 increased after a one-hour lag period. The level of the mRNA for p53 and c-myc increased 20- and 7-fold, respectively while the mRNA level for knox-24 increased 80-fold following CHX treatment. The Y8 and ED2 cell lines that lack steady-state levels of p53 show decreased sensitivity to cisplatin and increased frequency of gene amplification as measured by PALA resistance in a manner similar to other cell lines lacking p53. On the other hand, the ED2 and Y8 cell lines do not show a G1-block in response to PALA treatment. The cell lines appear to offer an experimental system in which to study the interactions between/among these early response genes and the p53-dependent and independent pathways. PMID: 9042210 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 34: Cancer Res. 1996 May 1;56(9):1991-6. Apoptotic response to oncogenic stimuli: cooperative and antagonistic interactions between c-myb and the growth suppressor p53. Sala A, Casella I, Grasso L, Bellon T, Reed JC, Miyashita T, Peschle C. Jefferson Cancer Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA. c-myb, a protooncogene prevalently expressed in the hematopoietic tissue, is a transcription factor that contains a DNA-binding domain and an acidic domain and is able to transactivate specific viral and cellular genes. In this report, we show that c-myb can stimulate apoptosis in both the murine promyelocytic 32D and the human osteosarcoma SAOS2 cell lines when coexpressed with p53. Apoptosis is accompanied by increased transactivation of the cell death-associated BAX gene. This effect is c-myb specific, because B-myb is not able to cooperate with p53 in the induction of BAX transcription and apoptosis. Immunoprecipitation studies and gel shift analysis indicate that c-myb does not directly interact with the BAX promoter or the p53 protein but, rather, cooperates through an indirect mechanism. Consistent with the existence of a functional link between c-myb and p53, we also observed that c-myb represses p53-induced activation of the WAF-1 promoter and induces proliferation of SAOS2 cells growth arrested by p53. These results might contribute to the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying p53-dependent pathways of oncogene-induced apoptosis and provide a further example of DNA-binding independent myb activity. PMID: 8616838 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 35: Oncogene. 1996 Feb 15;12(4):795-803. Activation of the endogenous p53 growth inhibitory pathway in HeLa cervical carcinoma cells by expression of the bovine papillomavirus E2 gene. Hwang ES, Naeger LK, DiMaio D. Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510, USA. We previously showed that expression of the bovine papillomavirus (BPV) E2 gene results in a dramatic inhibition of the proliferation of several human cervical carcinoma cell lines, including HeLa cells which contain human papillomavirus (HPV) type 18 DNA. We have assessed the status of endogenous G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins, including the tumor suppressor proteins, p53 and p105Rb, in order to investigate growth regulatory pathways in HeLa cells following E2 expression. The p53 tumor suppressor protein is stabilized following the introduction of the E2 gene into HeLa cells. This results in the induction of the p53-responsive gene encoding the cyclin dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor, p21/WAF1, complex formation between p21/WAF1 and cdk2 and reduction of in vitro cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity. The reduced cdk kinase activity is accompanied by the accumulation of the growth inhibitory hypophosphorylated form of the tumor suppressor protein, p105Rb. The level of the p105Rb-regulated transcription factor, E2F1, is reduced, as is transcription of a variety of E2F1-regulated genes, including B-myb. Thus, the p53 growth inhibitory pathway has evidently not accumulated mutations in HeLa cells but rather appears intact. However, this pathway remains dormant, until it is mobilized by appropriate manipulations, such as the expression of the BPV E2 protein. PMID: 8632901 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 36: J Virol. 1995 Mar;69(3):1842-50. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef protein inhibits activation pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and T-cell lines. Greenway A, Azad A, McPhee D. AIDS Cellular Biology Unit, National Centre in HIV Virology Research, Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research, Fairfield, Victoria, Australia. Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Nef protein causes the loss of cell surface CD4 and interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (Tac) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and CD4+ T-cell lines. As both CD4 and the IL-2 receptor play crucial roles in antigen-driven helper T-cell signalling and T-cell proliferation, respectively, the role of Nef in the viral life cycle may be to perturb signalling pathways emanating from these receptors. However, the intracellular targets for Nef that result in receptor down-regulation are unknown. Using a recombinant glutathione S-transferase-full-length 27 kDa Nef (Nef27) fusion protein, produced in Escherichia coli by translation from the first start codon of HIV-1 nef clone pNL4-3, as an affinity reagent to probe cytoplasmic extracts of MT-2 cells and PBMC, we have shown interaction with at least seven host cell protein species ranging from 24 to 75 kDa. Immunoblotting identified four of these proteins as p56lck, CD4, p53, and p44mapk/erk1, all of which are intimately involved in intracellular signalling. To assess the relevance of these interactions and further define the biochemical activity of Nef in signal transduction pathways, highly purified Nef27 protein was introduced directly into PBMC by electroporation. Nef27-treated PBMC showed reduced proliferative responsiveness to exogenous recombinant IL-2. Normally, stimulation of T-cells by IL-2 or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate provokes both augmentation of p56lck activity and corresponding posttranslational modification of p56lck. These changes were also inhibited by treatment of PBMC with Nef, suggesting that Nef interferes with activation of p56lck and as a consequence of signalling via the IL-2 receptor. Further evidence for Nef interfering with cell proliferation was the decreased production of the proto-oncogene c-myb, which is required for cell cycle progression, in Nef-treated MT-2 cells. In contrast to the binding characteristics and biological effects of Nef27, the alternate 25-kDa isoform of Nef (Nef25) produced by translation from the second start codon of HIV nef pNL4-3 (57 nucleotide residues downstream) was shown to interact with only three cellular proteins of approximately 26, 28, and 56 kDa from PBMC and MT-2 cells, one of which was identified as p56lck. Also, proliferation and posttranslational modification of p56lck in response to IL-2 stimulation were not profoundly affected by treatment of PBMC with Nef25 compared with Nef27.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) PMID: 7853525 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 37: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1994 Oct 11;91(21):10079-83. Constitutive expression of B-myb can bypass p53-induced Waf1/Cip1-mediated G1 arrest. Lin D, Fiscella M, O'Connor PM, Jackman J, Chen M, Luo LL, Sala A, Travali S, Appella E, Mercer WE. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jefferson Cancer Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19170. Overexpression of wild-type p53 protein has been shown to induce arrest in the G1 stage of the cell cycle and to transactivate expression of the gene that encodes the 21-kDa Waf1/Cip1 protein, a potent inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase activity. p53-dependent G1 arrest is accompanied by decreased expression of the B-myb gene, a relative of the c-myb cellular oncogene. In this study we show that B-myb expression is required for cells to progress from G1 into S phase and that high levels of ectopic B-myb expression uncoupled from cell cycle regulation rescues cells from p53-induced G1 arrest even in the presence of Waf1/Cip1 transactivation and inhibition of cyclin E/Cdk2 kinase activity. Cotransfection experiments with p53 expression plasmids and expression plasmids encoding in-frame deletion mutations in B-myb coding sequences indicate that the DNA-binding domain of the B-Myb protein is required for this activity. These results provide evidence of a bypass of p53-induced Waf1/Cip1-mediated cell cycle regulatory pathways by a member of the myb oncogene family. PMID: 7937841 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 38: Anticancer Res. 1994 May-Jun;14(3B):1433-40. Detection of C-myb genetic alterations and mutant p53 serum protein in patients with benign and malignant colon lesions. Greco C, Gandolfo GM, Mattei F, Gradilone A, Alvino S, Pastore LI, Casale V, Casole P, Grassi A, Cianciulli AM, et al. Clinical Pathology Department, Regina Elena Institute for Cancer Research, Rome, Italy. C-myb structural alterations were analysed by Southern blot hybridization in 55 adenomatous polyps and 21 adenocarcinomas of the colon. Gene amplification was observed in 8 cases (14.5%) and c-myb rearrangements in 3 cases (5.4%) of the preneoplastic lesions analysed. A higher percentage of c-myb abnormalities (23.8%) was shown by malignant tumors. As far as mutant p53 protein is concerned, it was detected both in sera of adenoma and adenocarcinoma patients, though at different levels. No statistically significant correlations were found between c-myb or p53 abnormalities and clinico-pathological variables. PMID: 8067719 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 39: Exp Cell Res. 1994 Jan;210(1):94-101. Effect of tumor suppressors on cell cycle-regulatory genes: RB suppresses p34cdc2 expression and normal p53 suppresses cyclin A expression. Yamamoto M, Yoshida M, Ono K, Fujita T, Ohtani-Fujita N, Sakai T, Nikaido T. Wistar Institute of Anatomy and Biology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. We show that expression of the p34cdc2 and cyclin A genes is induced by interleukin-2 in normal human T cells and present evidence to support the idea that these genes are deregulated in leukemic T cells. Our DNA sequencing data indicate that the promoter region of the p34cdc2 gene contains putative E2F-like binding sites which are recognized by Rb and binding sites for c-myb, Sp1, and ATF, and that the promoter region of the cyclin A gene contains binding sites for p53, Sp1, and ATF. In this study we focus on the effect of p53 and Rb on these cell cycle-regulatory genes. Cotransfection of Y79 human retinoblastoma cells with a p34cdc2 promoter-luciferase expression vector and a plasmid expressing the retinoblastoma gene (RB) indicated that RB suppresses p34cdc2 expression. Cotransfection of B104 rat neuroblastoma cells with a cyclin A promoter-luciferase expression vector and a plasmid expressing the normal or mutant p53 indicated that only the normal p53 suppresses cyclin A expression. In normal T cells, PHA stimulation reduces the amount of complexes in the p34cdc2 promoter between the E2F-like binding site and the RB gene product. These complexes were not detected in leukemic T cells. Our data support the idea that tumor suppressors modulate the expression of cell cycle-regulatory genes: RB regulates p34cdc2 expression and p53 regulates cyclin A expression. PMID: 8270002 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 40: Am J Vet Res. 1993 Dec;54(12):2010-4. Specific expression of cellular oncogenes c-myc and c-myb in T-cell lines established from three types of bovine lymphosarcomas. Ishiguro N, Matsui T, Shinagawa M. Department of Veterinary Public Health, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido, Japan. Expression of cellular oncogenes in 3 lymphoid cell lines, BTL-PC3 (BoCD2-, BoCD4-, BoCD8-, BoWC1+), BLS1 (BoCD2+, BoCD4-, BoCD8-, BoWC1+) and BLT2 (BoCD2-, BoCD4-, BoCD8-, BoWC1-), which have been established from calf, skin, and thymic types of lymphosarcomas, respectively, were analyzed by DNA-RNA (northern blot) hybridization. To determine specific expression of oncogenes involved in malignant transformation of the lymphoid cells, cellular RNA was isolated from bovine tumor cell lines, BTL-PC3, BLS1, and BLT2, and from Madin Darby bovine kidney cells used as a control for bovine cell lines. The RNA was hybridized against 5 viral oncogene probes (v-jun, v-myc, v-erbB, v-erbA and v-fes), 6 human cellular oncogene probes (N-ras, c-Blym-1 c-erbB-2, c-fos, c-myb and c-abl), human p53 tumor suppressor gene, and bovine LDH-A gene probes. Line BTL-PC3 expressed 2.4-kilobase (kb) c-myc and 4.0- and 3.6-kb c-myb transcripts, and line BLT2 expressed a 3.8-kb c-myb transcript, but line BLS1 expressed no message for the oncogenes tested. Specific transcripts of p53 were found in BTL-PC3 and BLT2 lines, but not in BLS1. Madin Darby bovine kidney cell line expressed multiple cellular oncogenes, c-jun, c-myc, and c-fos, and p53 genes. Southern blot hybridization did not reveal abnormal DNA rearrangements associated with the expressed oncogenes (c-myc and c-myb) in the 3 bovine tumor lines. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) PMID: 8116930 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 41: Leukemia. 1993 Jul;7(7):954-62. Expression and DNA rearrangement of proto-oncogenes in Cas-Br-E-induced non-T-, non-B-cell leukemias. Bergeron D, Houde J, Poliquin L, Barbeau B, Rassart E. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada. The Cas-Br-E murine leukemia virus is a non-defective retrovirus that induces non-T-, non-B-cell leukemias in susceptible NIH/Swiss mice. A collection of tumors was examined for genomic DNA structure and RNA expression of known or putative proto-oncogenes and one tumor-suppressor gene, with the aim of identifying genes involved in Cas-Br-E-induced non-T-, non-B-cell leukemogenesis. Fli-1, p53, and Evi-1 were found to be rearranged in 72%, 23%, and 18% of the tumors, respectively, whereas no DNA alteration were detected for c-myc, c-myb, Pim-1, Evi-2, and EpoR genes. Evi-1 rearrangements are rarely associated with p53 or Fli-1 alterations. However, rearrangements of these last two genes are very often associated within the same tumor. Moreover, patterns of coordinated expression of critical cell growth-regulating genes are consistently associated with specific tumor types. These data suggest that Cas-Br-E can induce two types of hematopoietic neoplasias by different mechanisms. PMID: 8391616 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 42: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993 May 28;686:262-78; discussion 278-9. Molecular and biochemical reprogramming of oncogenesis through the activity of prooxidants and antioxidants. Schwartz JL, Antoniades DZ, Zhao S. Department of Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02115. The antioxidant alpha-tocopherol and the weaker antioxidant and prooxidant chemopreventative, beta-carotene have been shown to inhibit tumor cell growth in vivo and in vitro. In some epidemiologic studies their serum levels were demonstrated to be inversely related to the incidence of malignant tumor. We hypothesized two basic pathways triggered by antioxidants and prooxidants, which resulted in the control of tumor cell growth. These included changes in phosphorylation and ultimately transcription. Specifically, the prooxidant beta-carotene treatment produced an oxidative stress resulting in the selective induction of heat shock proteins (hsps). These proteins and other proteins that were possibly oxidized were associated with the increased expression of cyclins (A and D) and increased cdc2 kinase expression. An increase in expression of phosphoproteins, such as p53 (tumor suppressor form) was also discerned. The level of expression for the transcription factor c-fos was reduced. Growth factors that contribute to tumor cell growth were also reduced. Increased DNA fragmentation, depression of proliferation and intracellular calcium levels, the accumulation of tumor cells in G0-->G1, and morphologic changes, were consistent with programmed cell death. Antioxidants such as alpha-tocopherol bound to membrane-associated proteins could inhibit the development of peroxidation products (hydroxyl radicals (.OH)), which attack proteins and modify their function and promote their degradation. Some kinases such as, cdc2 may be increased in activity, which would explain the observed increased expression of tumor suppressor p53, the accumulation of the tumor cells in G1 of the cell cycle and the inhibition of tumor cell proliferation. A reduction in oxidant radicals could also reduce transcription factor products, such as c-myb. Indirectly this result may occur through changes in nuclear translocation (signaling) NF-AT or the Rel-related family of transcription factors, including NF-kB (p50 or p65) or inhibition of immunophilin-calmodulin activity. Although the data remains fragmentary there are common points for control for tumor cell growth resulting from the effects of alpha-tocopherol or beta-carotene treatment. These changes involve phosphorylation and protein expression. Ultimately there is a reduction of important transcription factor protein products, a reduction in response to growth factors, and suppression of cell proliferation, resulting in increased control of the cell cycle. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 8512252 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 43: Biochem J. 1992 Oct 1;287 ( Pt 1):1-15. Nuclear protein phosphorylation and growth control. Meek DW, Street AJ. Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, Scotland, U.K. Publication Types: Review PMID: 1417761 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 44: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 Oct 1;89(19):9210-4. Growth arrest induced by wild-type p53 protein blocks cells prior to or near the restriction point in late G1 phase. Lin D, Shields MT, Ullrich SJ, Appella E, Mercer WE. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Jefferson Cancer Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107. Conditional expression of wild-type (wt) p53 protein in a glioblastoma tumor cell line has been shown to be growth inhibitory. We have now more precisely localized the position in the cell cycle where growth arrest occurs. We show that growth arrest occurs prior to or near the restriction point in late G1 phase of the cell cycle. The effect of wt p53 protein on the expression of four immediate-early genes (c-FOS, c-JUN, JUN-B, and c-MYC), one delayed-early gene (ornithine decarboxylase), and two late-G1/S-phase genes (B-MYB and DNA polymerase alpha) was also examined. Of this subset of growth response genes, only the expression of B-MYB and DNA polymerase alpha was significantly repressed. The possibility that decreased expression of B-MYB may be an important component of growth arrest mediated by wt p53 protein is discussed. PMID: 1409626 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 45: Br J Cancer. 1991 Jun;63(6):851-8. Oncogenes in human testicular cancer: DNA and RNA studies. Peltomaki P, Alfthan O, de la Chapelle A. Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Finland. Oncogene dosage and expression were studied in 16 testicular neoplasms, 14 of germ cell and two of non-germ cell origin. In comparison with normal DNA, tumour DNA of a total of eight patients (seven with germ cell neoplasm and one with testicular lymphoma) showed increased dosages of KRAS2, PDGFA, EGFR, MET and PDGFB. The most frequent (occurring in six tumours) and prominent (up to 3-4-fold) increases were detected in the dosages of KRAS2 (on chromosome 12p) and PDGFA (chromosome 7p), relative to a reference locus from chromosome 2. Importantly, there was a similar increase in 12p dosage in general in these tumours, suggesting the presence of the characteristic isochromosome 12p marker. On the contrary, possible 7p polysomy (assessed by molecular methods) did not explain the PDGFA (or EGFR) changes in all cases. NRAS, MYCN, CSFIR, MYB, MYC, ABL, HRASI, TP53, and ERBB2 did not reveal any consistent alterations in tumour DNA. In RNA dot blot assays the expression of KRAS2, PDGFA, EGFR, or MYC was generally not increased in the tumour samples when compared to that in normal testicular tissue of the same patients although there was interindividual variation in mRNA levels. It thus appears that while oncogene dosage changes occur in a proportion of testis cancers, they are often part of changes in large chromosomal regions or whole arms and are seldom accompanied by altered expression. PMID: 1829952 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 46: J Biol Chem. 1989 Oct 25;264(30):18019-23. Nuclear and nucleolar targeting sequences of c-erb-A, c-myb, N-myc, p53, HSP70, and HIV tat proteins. Dang CV, Lee WM. Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205. Protein import into the cell nucleus requires specific binding of nuclear proteins to the nuclear pore complex. Based on amino acid sequence "motifs" of known nuclear targeting signals, we identified peptides within a number of nuclear proteins with likely nuclear targeting potential and tested their function by transfecting into cells fusion genes that produce the cytoplasmic "reporter" protein, pyruvate kinase (PK), joined to the test sequence. Sequences within c-myb (PLLKKIKQ), N-myc (PPQKKIKS), p53 (PQPKKKP), and c-erb-A (SKRVAKRKL) oncoproteins that direct PK hybrids into the nucleus were identified. A peptide (GRKKRRQRRRAP) of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) tat protein (Tat), which contains two short basic regions, targets fusion proteins to the nucleolus. The COOH-terminal basic Tat region (QRRRAP) does not target PK hybrid proteins into the nucleus, but mutation of two basic amino acids in this region decreases but does not abolish nucleolar accumulation mediated by the entire Tat nucleolar targeting sequence. Moreover, the c-Myc nuclear targeting sequence fused to the COOH-terminal basic Tat region (PAAKRVKLDQRRRAP) effectively localizes PK hybrids to the nucleus and nucleolus. A similar sequence (FKRKHKKDISQNKRAVRR) in the human heat-shock protein HSP70 also localizes PK to the nucleus and nucleolus. PMID: 2553699 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 47: Oncogene. 1989 Feb;4(2):165-73. Modulation of the c-myb, c-myc and p53 mRNA and protein levels during induced murine erythroleukemia cell differentiation. Richon VM, Ramsay RG, Rifkind RA, Marks PA. The DeWitt Wallace Research Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021. The induction of murine erythroleukemia cells (MELC) to terminal differentiation by hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) is accompanied by changes in the levels of c-myb and c-myc mRNA, and in p53 protein levels. We simultaneously examined the effects of HMBA on modulation of c-myb, c-myc and p53 mRNA and protein levels, and examined the relationship between these changes and commitment to terminal cell division. In MELC cultured with HMBA, c-myb protein levels paralleled c-myb mRNA levels except at 24h, when the protein level was equivalent to the level in control cultures, whereas the mRNA had decreased. The c-myc protein paralleled c-myc mRNA throughout induction. The p53 mRNA and protein behaved in a discordant fashion. The p53 protein decreased to very low levels between 4 and 8 h and remained low, while the mRNA, which initially decreased, reaccumulated by 24 and 48 h. Transfer of MELC after 12 to 48 h of culture with HMBA to medium without inducer resulted in rapid (less than 3 h) reaccumulation of the c-myb mRNA, c-myb protein, and p53 protein, and cessation of recruitment of cells to commitment. Cells already induced to commit to terminal differentiation continued to express the differentiated phenotype. PMID: 2648254 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 48: Prog Clin Biol Res. 1989;316B:171-81. Induced differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells (MELC) by polar compounds: marked increased sensitivity of vincristine resistant MELC. Marks PA, Michaeli J, Jackson J, Richon VM, Rifkind RA. DeWitt Wallace Research Laboratory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. Hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) is a most effective compound as an inducer of MELC differentiation. HMBA-mediated terminal differentiation of MELC is a multistep process. There is a latent period during which a number of changes occur including the appearance of Ca2+ and phospholipid independent PKC activity in the cytosol, and modulation in expression of several genes, including c-myc, c-myb, c-fos and the p53 genes. During this latent period there is neither detectable commitment to terminal differentiation (including terminal cell division) or increased transcription of the globin genes. HMBA-mediated commitment to terminal differentiation is first detected at about 12 hr and increases in a stochastic fashion, until over 95% of the population has been recruited to terminal differentiation by 48 to 60 hr. Commitment is associated with persistent HMBA-mediated suppression of c-myb gene expression. By 36 to 48 hr, transcription of the globin genes has increased by 10 to 30 fold, whereas transcription of rRNA genes is suppressed. The steroid, dexamethasone, and the tumor promotor, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate, suppress HMBA-induced MEL cell terminal differentiation. The evidence indicates that these agents act at a late step during the latent period. Recently, we showed that MELC variants selected for resistance to vincristine have a marked increased sensitivity to HMBA. Compared to the parental MELC strains, vincristine resistant MELC are: A) responsive to 1/5 to 1/10 the concentration of HMBA; B) induced to terminal differentiation without a latent period and C) resistant to inhibition of HMBA induced terminal differentiation by dexamethasone or tumor promotor. The vincristine resistant MELC have characteristics of the multidrug resistant phenotype. A number of independently derived vincristine resistant MELC lines show similar altered response to HMBA. These findings suggest that vincristine resistance leads to a constitutive expression of a factor or factors induced by HMBA in vincristine sensitive (wild type) MELC during the latent period and which are essential to the transition to terminal differentiation. PMID: 2616574 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 49: Exp Cell Res. 1988 Oct;178(2):185-98. Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of c-myc, c-myb, and p53 during proliferation and differentiation of murine erythroleukemia cells treated with DFMO and DMSO. Klinken SP, Holmes KL, Morse HC 3rd, Thorgeirsson SS. Laboratory of Immunopathology, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20892. The proto-oncogenes myc, myb, and p53 produce nuclear proteins which have been implicated in the regulation of proliferation or differentiation in a number of systems. The expression of these proto-oncogenes was studied in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells during (i) normal replication, (ii) DMSO-induced differentiation and (iii), alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO)-restricted cell division and differentiation. The RNA levels of c-myc, c-myb, and p53 were all elevated during normal cellular proliferation; only c-myc expression declined when the cells stopped dividing although the rate of transcription for the gene was unaltered. In contrast, treatment of the cells with DFMO resulted in gradual cessation of cell replication and a decrease in transcription of c-myc, c-myb and p53. When the MEL cells were induced to differentiate with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a transient reduction in c-myc and c-myb RNA levels occurred immediately prior to the G1 arrest with a concomitant decrease in transcriptional activity, while p53 mRNA production was elevated without an increase in transcription. Similar changes of the proto-oncogene levels were observed when the MEL cells were incubated with DFMO and then later induced with DMSO, a protocol which restricts differentiation of the MEL cells. From these experiments we conclude that (i) c-myc, c-myb, and p53 are regulated independently at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels, (ii) DFMO inhibits MEL cell proliferation and expression of several genes, including c-myc, c-myb and p53, and (iii) DFMO suppresses terminal differentiation but is unable to alter proto-oncogene changes associated with the early stages of differentiation. PMID: 2458948 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 50: Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol. 1988 Aug;24(8):1321-8. Nuclear oncogene amplification or rearrangement is not involved in human colorectal malignancies. Dolcetti R, De Re V, Viel A, Pistello M, Tavian M, Boiocchi M. Centro di Riferimento Oncologico, Aviano (Pordenone), Italy. We have examined 44 cases of human colonic and rectal carcinomas for structural rearrangement and amplification of c-myc, N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 oncogenes. DNA hybridization showed evidence of c-myc amplification in only one of the samples tested. In addition, the same tumour also showed a rearrangement immediately 3' to the c-myc locus. No rearrangement could be found at the c-myc locus in the other 43 cases. Moreover, our molecular analysis of N-myc, L-myc, c-myb and p53 genes indicated no relevant alteration of the copy number and/or genomic structure of these nuclear oncogenes. Thus, at least in human colorectal malignancies, it is unlikely that nuclear oncogene structural alterations and/or amplification plays a major role in tumour induction or progression. PMID: 3181252 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 51: Int J Cell Cloning. 1988 Jul;6(4):230-40. Hexamethylene bisacetamide-induced differentiation of transformed cells: molecular and cellular effects and therapeutic application. Marks PA, Rifkind RA. DeWitt Wallace Research, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021. Hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA), a highly polar compound, induces murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells to express the erythroid phenotype, including cessation of proliferation. Inducer-mediated differentiation of MEL (DS19) cells is a multistep process characterized by a latent period during which a number of changes occur including alterations in ion flux, an increase in membrane-bound protein kinase C (PKC) activity, the appearance of Ca2+ and phospholipid-independent PKC activity in the cytosol, and modulation in expression of a number of genes such as c-myc, c-myb, c-fos and the p53 genes. HMBA-mediated commitment to terminal differentiation is first detected at about 12 hours and increases in a stochastic fashion until over 95% of the population is recruited to terminal differentiation by 48 to 60 hours. Commitment is associated with persistent suppression of c-myb gene expression. By 36 to 48 hours, transcription of the globin genes has increased 10 to 30 fold, whereas transcription from rRNA genes is suppressed. The steroid, dexamethasone, or the tumor promoter, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (TPA), suppress HMBA-induced MEL cell terminal differentiation. These agents appear to act at a late step during the latent period. MEL cell lines derived from DS19 by selection for resistance to vincristine are: 1) induced to commit without a detectable latent period, 2) markedly more sensitive to HMBA, and 3) resistant to dexamethasone or TPA inhibition of HMBA-induced commitment. The data suggests that vincristine-resistant MEL cells express a factor which circumvents essential HMBA-mediated early events. In vitro studies with HMBA provide a basis for the application of HMBA to clinical therapy of human cancers. Clinical trials with HMBA have been initiated. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 3047266 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 52: Anticancer Res. 1988 Jan-Feb;8(1):1-7. Oncogene expression in adenocarcinomas of the colon and in colon tumor-derived cell lines. Untawale S, Blick M. Department of Genetics, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute, Houston 77030. Six colon cancer cell lines, 13 colon tumors and ten normal colon tissues were analyzed for RNA expression using probes for c-myc, c-k-ras, c-myb, and c-fos and for the p53, TGF-alpha, and EGF receptor genes. No aberrant transcripts were detected. Levels of expression in tumors ranged from two-fold below that of normal tissue when the v-fos probe was used to 10 fold above the normal level when the c-myc probe was used. Enhanced c-myc expression was also observed in the cell lines. Southern and DNA dot blot analyses revealed c-myc amplification in three of the six cell lines. PMID: 3282475 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 53: Prog Clin Biol Res. 1987;251:253-68. Changes in gene expression during hexamethylene bisacetamide induced erythroleukemia differentiation. Marks PA, Ramsay R, Sheffery M, Rifkind RA. DeWitt Wallace Research Laboratories, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. HMBA induces MELC to terminal erythroid differentiation. The mechanism of HMBA action is not known. Culture with HMBA causes changes in gene expression which occur during the early "latent period", that is, prior to commitment to terminal differentiation. The inducer causes a decrease in diacylglycerol concentration, a decrease in Ca+2 and a decrease in phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C activity (within 2 hr) (Figure 2). There is an early suppression (within 1-2 hrs) of c-myb and c-myc gene transcription and an increase in c-fos mRNA (within 4 hrs). HMBA-induced commitment to terminal differentiation is detected by 12 hrs and over 95% become committed cells by 48 to 60 hrs. Commitment is associated with persistent suppression of c-myb gene transcription and elevated levels of c-fos mRNA whereas the level of c-myc mRNA returns to that of uninduced cells. By 36 to 48 hrs, transcription of alpha 1 and beta maj globin genes is increased 10 to 30 fold, while that of rRNA genes is suppressed. It is not yet clear how the protein products of proto-oncogenes elicit or modify cellular responses. Changes in expression of c-myb, c-myc, c-fos and p53 genes which occur during HMBA-induced differentiation, as well as in several other systems, suggest that products of these genes may have a role in regulating expression of multiple genes. One possible application of the established pattern of HMBA-induced modulation of gene expression during MELC differentiation may be in following the effects of cyto-differentiation agents during treatment of cancers. Phase I and Phase II chemical trials have been initiated to evaluate HMBA as a cytodifferentiation agent in human neoplasms (65). For most human tumors, assay for cytologic evidence of induced differentiation is difficult at best. Following the effects of a differentiation inducing agent by determining c-myc, or c-myb, mRNA levels may provide useful indicators of biological activity of HMBA and be a basis for evaluating whether continued administration of the agent is of interest in terms of potential clinical efficacy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) PMID: 3481077 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] --------------------------------------------------------------- 54: Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1987;511:246-55. Induction of transformed cells to terminal differentiation. Marks PA, Sheffery M, Ramsay R, Ikeda K, Rifkind RA. DeWitt Wallace Research Laboratories, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. HMBA induces MEL cells to terminal erythroid differentiation. HMBA causes a decrease in diacylglycerol concentration, a decrease in Ca+2 and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C activity (within 2 hr). There is an early (within 1-2 hrs) suppression of c-myb and c-myc gene transcription and an increase in c-fos mRNA (within 4 hrs). During the early or "latent" period there is no detectable commitment of MELC to terminal cell division or expression of differentiated genes such as alpha 1 or beta maj globin genes. HMBA-induced commitment to terminal differentiation is detected by 12 hrs and over 95% become committed cells by 48-60 hrs. Commitment is associated with persistent suppression of c-myb gene transcription and elevated levels of c-fos mRNA, whereas the level of c-myc mRNA returns to that of uninduced cells. By 36-48 hrs, transcription of the alpha 1 and beta maj globin genes increases 10-30 fold, and that of rRNA genes is suppressed. Changes in expression of c-myb, c-myc, c-fos and p53 genes that occur early during HMBA-induced differentiation may be important in the multistep process involved in commitment of MEL cells to terminal differentiation. Continued suppression of c-myb gene expression may be required for terminal differentiation of these cells. Publication Types: Review Review, Tutorial PMID: 3326466 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] ---------------------------------------------------------------