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Biomedical subjects

Charles A Powell

Publications and source records attributed to Charles A Powell.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

The heparan sulfate proteoglycan GPC3 is a potential lung tumor suppressor.

Recently, we used gene expression profiling of lung adenocarcinoma and paired normal tissue from smokers and nonsmokers to identify genes and molecular pathways associated with cigarette smoking and lung carcinogenesis. The gene encoding Glypican 3, a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked heparan sulfate proteoglycan, was decreased in lung adenocarcinoma. Within nonmalignant lung, GPC3 expression was decreased in smokers compared with nonsmokers; indicating that expression is associated with cigarette smoking. Microarray results were confirmed using an independent cohort of tumors and nonmalignant lung tissues. Immunohistochemical studies localized Glypican 3 protein expression to the apical surface of lung bronchiolar epithelial cells, potential cells of origin for adenocarcinoma. Northern blot analysis demonstrated expression was absent in all tested non-small cell lung carcinoma lines. Pharmacologic treatment of lung cell lines indicated that GPC3 expression was epigenetically silenced by promoter hypermethylation. Human lung carcinoma tumor cells ectopically expressing GPC3 demonstrated increased apoptosis response when exposed to etoposide and growth inhibition when implanted in nude mice. These findings suggest that GPC3 is a candidate lung tumor suppressor gene whose expression may be regulated by exposure to cigarette smoke and functions to modulate cellular response to exogenous damage.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Gene expression in lung adenocarcinomas of smokers and nonsmokers.

Adenocarcinoma (AC) has become the most frequent type of lung cancer in men and women, and is the major form of lung cancer in nonsmokers. Our goal in this paper was to determine if AC in smokers and nonsmokers represents the same genetic disease. We compared gene expression profiles in resected samples of nonmalignant lung tissue and tumor tissue in six never-smokers with AC and in six smokers with AC, who were matched for clinical staging and histologic criteria of cell differentiation. Results were analyzed using a variety of bioinformatic tools. Four times as many genes changed expression in the transition from noninvolved lung to tumor in nonsmokers as in smokers, suggesting that AC in nonsmokers evolves locally, whereas AC in smokers evolves in a field of genetically altered tissue. There were some similarities in gene expression in smokers and nonsmokers, but many differences, suggesting different pathways of cell transformation and tumor formation. Gene expression in the noninvolved lungs of smokers differed from that of nonsmokers, and multidimensional scaling showed that noninvolved lungs of smokers groups with tumors rather than noninvolved lungs of nonsmokers. In addition, expression of a number of genes correlated with smoking intensity. Our findings, although limited by small sample size, suggest that additional studies comparing noninvolved to tumor tissue may identify pathogenetic mechanisms and therapeutic targets that differ in AC of smokers and nonsmokers.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Non-small-cell lung cancer molecular signatures recapitulate lung developmental pathways.

Current paradigms hold that lung carcinomas arise from pleuripotent stem cells capable of differentiation into one or several histological types. These paradigms suggest lung tumor cell ontogeny is determined by consequences of gene expression that recapitulate events important in embryonic lung development. Using oligonucleotide microarrays, we acquired gene profiles from 32 microdissected non-small-cell lung tumors. We determined the 100 top-ranked marker genes for adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, large cell, and carcinoid using nearest neighbor analysis. Results were validated by immunostaining for 11 selected proteins using a tissue microarray representing 80 tumors. Gene expression data of lung development were accessed from a publicly available dataset generated with the murine Mu11k genome microarray. Self-organized mapping identified two temporally distinct clusters of murine orthologues. Supervised clustering of lung development data showed large-cell carcinoma gene orthologues were in a cluster expressed in pseudoglandular and canalicular stages whereas adenocarcinoma homologues were predominantly in a cluster expressed later in the terminal sac and alveolar stages of murine lung development. Representative large-cell genes (E2F3, MYBL2, HDAC2, CDK4, PCNA) are expressed in the nucleus and are associated with cell cycle and proliferation. In contrast, adenocarcinoma genes are associated with lung-specific transcription pathways (SFTPB, TTF-1), cell adhesion, and signal transduction. In sum, non-small-cell lung tumors histology gene profiles suggest mechanisms relevant to ontogeny and clinical course. Adenocarcinoma genes are associated with differentiation and glandular formation whereas large-cell genes are associated with proliferation and differentiation arrest. The identification of developmentally regulated pathways active in tumorigenesis provides insights into lung carcinogenesis and suggests early steps may differ according to the eventual tumor morphology.

Adult↗

Patterns of allelic loss differ in lung adenocarcinomas of smokers and nonsmokers.

Cigarette smoking is the most important cause of lung cancer, however approximately 10% of patients with lung cancer have no history of smoking. While the molecular pathogenesis of smoking associated lung carcinogenesis is becoming well characterized, the pathogenesis of lung cancer in nonsmokers is not. We designed a study to examine the pathogenesis of adenocarcinoma in nonsmokers by determining if loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in tumors of nonsmokers differs from those of smokers. We evaluated six cases of primary adenocarcinoma in never smokers and six selected cases in smokers, matched by clinical and histological criteria. LOH in tumor DNA relative to nonmalignant lung DNA was determined at 52 microsatellites located on ten chromosomal loci. The extent of allelic loss in smokers, as measured by fractional allelic loss (FAL), was compared with nonsmokers. LOH was more frequent in the tumors of nonsmokers than of smokers with mean FAL of 46% in nonsmokers and 28% in smokers (P<0.05). Increased LOH in nonsmokers was most pronounced at chromosomes: 3p, 8p, 9p, 10p, and 18q. Since this study compared allelic loss between lung and tumor-bearing lung, less frequent LOH in smokers' tumors can be interpreted to suggest LOH was already present in the nonmalignant lung of smokers and fewer additional instances of allelic loss were present in the tumors of smokers. Our results suggest that the early steps of lung carcinogenesis differ in nonsmokers compared with smokers. In addition, the chromosomal sites of LOH may identify genes important for lung carcinogenesis in nonsmokers.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Multitrophic interactions of the silverleaf whitefly, host plants, competing herbivores, and phytopathogens.

Our laboratory found that silverleaf whitefly (SLW; Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring) feeding alters host plant physiology and chemistry. The SLW induces a number of host plant defenses, including pathogenesis-related (PR) protein accumulation (e.g., chitinases, beta-1,3-glucanases, peroxidases, chitosanases, etc.). Induction of the PR proteins by SLW feeding occurs in various plant species and varieties. The extent and type of induction is dependent on a number of factors that include host plant growing conditions, the length of time the host plant is exposed to SLW feeding, the plant variety, and SLW population densities. The appearance of PR proteins correlates well with reduced infestations of conspecific insect herbivore competitors. Greenhouse and field experiments in which herbivore competitors (cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni; leaf miner, Liromyza trifolii) were placed on plants previously exposed to SLW feeding demonstrated behavioral differences (oviposition, feeding preferences) and reduced survival rates and development times of these insects. The interaction was asymmetrical, i.e., SLW infestations of plants previously exposed to leaf miners had little or no effect on SLW behavior (oviposition). Induction of plant-defensive proteins by SLW feeding was both local (at the feeding site) and systemic (uninfested leaves distant to the feeding site). There are interactions between diseases such as tomato mottle virus (ToMoV; a geminivirus) and the host plant and SLW. PR proteins were induced in tomato plants infected with ToMoV much as they were via non-viruliferous SLW feeding. The presence of ToMoV in tomato plants significantly increased the number of eggs produced by SLW females. Experiments using tomato plants, powdery mildew (PM), and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) show that whitefly infestations can affect plant pathogen relationships but the effects vary among pathogen types. Enzyme analyses prior to pathogen inoculation showed that whitefly treatment significantly increased the activities of foliar chitinase and peroxidase. Evaluation of pathogen growth 3 weeks after inoculation showed that whitefly feeding significantly reduced the incidence of PM. However, TMV levels evaluated by ELISA were not significantly affected by whitefly feeding. Six weeks after inoculation with pathogens, the chitinase and peroxidase activities were still elevated in plants initially fed on by whiteflies but continuing pathogen infection had no effect on these enzymes. The possibility that geminivirus infection and/or SLW infestations isolate the host plant for the selected reproduction of the virus and the insect is discussed. Multitrophic cascade effects may contribute to the successful eruptive appearance of SLW on various crops, ranking them as a major pest. They may explain the general observation that when SLW infest a host plant there are few if any competing insect herbivores and pathogens found in the host. However, the results indicate that certain SLW-virus relationships could be mutualistic.

Animals↗

Gene expression in Wilms' tumor mimics the earliest committed stage in the metanephric mesenchymal-epithelial transition.

Wilms' tumor (WT) has been considered a prototype for arrested cellular differentiation in cancer, but previous studies have relied on selected markers. We have now performed an unbiased survey of gene expression in WTs using oligonucleotide microarrays. Statistical criteria identified 357 genes as differentially expressed between WTs and fetal kidneys. This set contained 124 matches to genes on a microarray used by Stuart and colleagues (Stuart RO, Bush KT, Nigam SK: Changes in global gene expression patterns during development and maturation of the rat kidney. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2001, 98:5649-5654) to establish genes with stage-specific expression in the developing rat kidney. Mapping between the two data sets showed that WTs systematically overexpressed genes corresponding to the earliest stage of metanephric development, and underexpressed genes corresponding to later stages. Automated clustering identified a smaller group of 27 genes that were highly expressed in WTs compared to fetal kidney and heterologous tumor and normal tissues. This signature set was enriched in genes encoding transcription factors. Four of these, PAX2, EYA1, HBF2, and HOXA11, are essential for cell survival and proliferation in early metanephric development, whereas others, including SIX1, MOX1, and SALL2, are predicted to act at this stage. SIX1 and SALL2 proteins were expressed in the condensing mesenchyme in normal human fetal kidneys, but were absent (SIX1) or reduced (SALL2) in cells at other developmental stages. These data imply that the blastema in WTs has progressed to the committed stage in the mesenchymal-epithelial transition, where it is partially arrested in differentiation. The WT-signature set also contained the Wnt receptor FZD7, the tumor antigen PRAME, the imprinted gene NNAT and the metastasis-associated transcription factor E1AF.

Adenovirus E1A Proteins↗

Structural emphysema does not correlate with lung compliance: lessons from the mouse smoking model.

The murine smoke-induced model produces histologic emphysema. The authors sought to assess whether the structural emphysema that occurred correlated with the development of compliance changes. The study exposed 2 strains of mice (CBA/J/J x C57BL/6J and A/J) to chronic cigarette smoke. Lung compliance and morphometry were measured. The smoking model generated significant emphysema in A/J mice in the absence of changes in compliance, lung matrix, or apoptosis. Importantly, there was no correlation between the emphysema measured by lung morphometry and pulmonary compliance. This lack of correlation suggests that the mechanisms involved in anatomic emphysema may be distinct from those that cause the loss of elastic recoil.

Animals↗