Biomedical subjects

David Sidransky

Publications and source records attributed to David Sidransky.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2006

Mitochondrial DNA content increase in response to cigarette smoking.

An increase in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and decline in mitochondrial function occurs with aging and in response to DNA-damaging agents, including tobacco smoke. We did a cross-sectional study and quantified changes in mtDNA content in a population of individuals with varied smoking and alcohol exposure. Age, smoking history, ethanol intake, and other demographic data were characterized for 604 individuals participating in a screening study for smoking-related upper aerodigestive malignancy. Total DNA was extracted from exfoliated cells in saliva. DNA from a nuclear gene, beta-actin, and two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome c oxidase I and II (Cox I and Cox II), were quantified by real-time PCR. mtDNA content was correlated with age, exposure history, and other variables using multivariate regression analyses. A significant increase (P<0.001) in mtDNA content was noted in smokers (31% and 29% increase for Cox I and Cox II, respectively) and former smokers (31% and 34%) when compared with never smokers. This association persisted after adjustment for other significant factors including age, alcohol drinking, and income (P<0.001). Increased mtDNA content was positively associated with pack-years of smoking (P=0.02). Despite an average smoking cessation interval of 21 years in former smokers, tobacco cessation interval was not statistically significantly associated with mtDNA content. Smoking is associated with increased mtDNA content in a dose-dependent fashion. Mitochondrial DNA alterations in response to smoking persist for several decades after smoking cessation, consistent with long-term, smoking-related damage.

Actins↗

PubMed2006

Epigenetic heterogeneity of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia: clues for clonal progression in prostate carcinogenesis.

High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) is the most likely precursor of prostate adenocarcinoma, but the frequency and timing of epigenetic changes found in prostate carcinogenesis has not been extensively documented. Thus, the promoters of three genes (APC, GSTP1, and RARbeta2) involved in prostate carcinogenesis were tested by quantitative methylation-specific PCR in tissue DNA from 30 prostate carcinomas, 128 high-grade PIN lesions, and 30 normal prostate tissue samples dissected from 30 radical prostatectomy specimens using laser capture microdissection. The percentage of methylated alleles (PMA) was calculated for each gene, and hierarchical cluster analysis was used to define the degree of similarity of epigenetic alterations among the various samples. We found that PMA values of APC and RARbeta2 were higher than those of GSTP1 in all three types of tissue samples and median PMA values for all three genes were higher in prostate cancer. By cluster analysis, 26 of 30 prostate carcinomas and 82 of 128 high-grade PIN lesions were grouped in the "high methylation" branch, whereas 24 of 30 normal prostate tissue samples were allocated in the "low methylation" branch. Although high-grade PIN lesions are epigenetically more similar to prostate carcinoma than to normal prostate tissue, paired prostate carcinoma and high-grade PIN lesions did not always segregate together. We concluded that APC and RARbeta2 hypermethylation is frequent in normal prostate tissue and the progressive enrichment in cells carrying methylated alleles observed in high-grade PIN and prostate carcinoma is consistent with clonal progression. Because GSTP1 promoter methylation is mainly observed in prostate carcinoma and some high-grade PIN lesions, it represents an important marker for the transition of in situ to invasive neoplasia.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Dysfunctional KEAP1-NRF2 interaction in non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (NRF2) is a redox-sensitive transcription factor that positively regulates the expression of genes encoding antioxidants, xenobiotic detoxification enzymes, and drug efflux pumps, and confers cytoprotection against oxidative stress and xenobiotics in normal cells. Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1) negatively regulates NRF2 activity by targeting it to proteasomal degradation. Increased expression of cellular antioxidants and xenobiotic detoxification enzymes has been implicated in resistance of tumor cells against chemotherapeutic drugs. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we report a systematic analysis of the KEAP1 genomic locus in lung cancer patients and cell lines that revealed deletion, insertion, and missense mutations in functionally important domains of KEAP1 and a very high percentage of loss of heterozygosity at 19p13.2, suggesting that biallelic inactivation of KEAP1 in lung cancer is a common event. Sequencing of KEAP1 in 12 cell lines and 54 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples revealed somatic mutations in KEAP1 in a total of six cell lines and ten tumors at a frequency of 50% and 19%, respectively. All the mutations were within highly conserved amino acid residues located in the Kelch or intervening region domain of the KEAP1 protein, suggesting that these mutations would likely abolish KEAP1 repressor activity. Evaluation of loss of heterozygosity at 19p13.2 revealed allelic losses in 61% of the NSCLC cell lines and 41% of the tumor samples. Decreased KEAP1 activity in cancer cells induced greater nuclear accumulation of NRF2, causing enhanced transcriptional induction of antioxidants, xenobiotic metabolism enzymes, and drug efflux pumps. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to our knowledge to demonstrate that biallelic inactivation of KEAP1 is a frequent genetic alteration in NSCLC. Loss of KEAP1 function leading to constitutive activation of NRF2-mediated gene expression in cancer suggests that tumor cells manipulate the NRF2 pathway for their survival against chemotherapeutic agents.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

Aquaporin 1 is overexpressed in lung cancer and stimulates NIH-3T3 cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth.

The aquaporins represent a family of transmembrane water channel proteins that play a major role in trans-cellular and transepithelial water movement. Most tumors have been shown to exhibit high vascular permeability and interstitial fluid pressure, but the transport pathways for water within tumors remain unknown. Here, we tested 10 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines of various origins by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis and identified clear expression of aquaporin 1 (AQP1) in seven cell lines. We next examined the distribution of the AQP1 protein in several types of primary lung tumors (16 squamous cell carcinomas, 21 adenocarcinomas, and 7 bronchoalveolar carcinomas) by immunohistochemical staining. AQP1 was overexpressed in 62% (13 of 21) and 75% (6 of 8) of adenocarcinoma and bronchoalveolar carcinoma, respectively, whereas all cases of squamous cell carcinoma and normal lung tissue were negative. Forced expression of full-length AQP1 cDNA in NIH-3T3 cells induced many phenotypic changes characteristic of transformation, including cell proliferation-enhancing activity by the MTT assay and anchorage-independent growth in soft agar. Although further details on the molecular function of AQP1 related to tumorigenesis remain to be elucidated, our results suggest a potential role of AQP1 as a novel therapeutic target for the management of lung cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2006

An oligonucleotide microarray for high-throughput sequencing of the mitochondrial genome.

Previously we developed an oligonucleotide sequencing microarray (MitoChip) as an array-based sequencing platform for rapid and high-throughput analysis of mitochondrial DNA. The first generation MitoChip, however, was not tiled with probes for the noncoding D-loop region, a site frequently mutated in human cancers. Here we report the development of a second-generation MitoChip (v2.0) with oligonucleotide probes to sequence the entire mitochondrial genome. In addition, the MitoChip v2.0 contains redundant tiling of sequences for 500 of the most common haplotypes including single-nucleotide changes, insertions, and deletions. Sequencing results from 14 primary head and neck tumor tissues demonstrated that the v2.0 MitoChips detected a larger number of variants than the original version. Multiple coding region variants detected only in the second generation MitoChips, but not the earlier chip version, were further confirmed with conventional sequencing. Moreover, 31 variations in noncoding region were identified using MitoChips v2.0. Replicate experiments demonstrated >99.99% reproducibility in the second generation MitoChip. In seven head and neck cancer samples with matched lymphocyte DNA, the MitoChip v2.0 detected at least one cancer-associated mitochondrial mutation in four (57%) samples. These results indicate that the second generation MitoChip is a high-throughput platform for identification of mitochondrial DNA mutations in primary tumors.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2005

A novel response element confers p63- and p73-specific activation of the WNT4 promoter.

The p53 tumor suppressor gene family consists of three genes, p53, p63, and p73. p53 family proteins share high homology in their DNA-binding domains but exhibit diverse biological functions. In this study, we demonstrated differential target gene activation by specific p53, p63, and p73 induction in Saos2 cells by oligonucleotide microarray expression analysis. We further analyzed the WNT4 promoter, which was induced by p63 and p73 but not p53, in order to clarify the mechanism of differential target gene activation between the three family members. Luciferase analysis showed that the WNT4 promoter harbors two p63/p73 response elements, designated RE1 and RE2. RE1 resembles the canonical p53 response element (tandem repeats of RRRCWWGYYY), located between -141 and -121, while RE2 consists of a GC-rich sequence further downstream. Neither response element alone was able to confer transcriptional activity. It is thus likely that both RE1 and RE2 are necessary in rendering p63/p73-specific activation of the WNT4 promoter.

Cell Line↗

PubMed2005

Promoter hypermethylation as an independent prognostic factor for relapse in patients with prostate cancer following radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE: To analyze the prognostic significance of six epigenetic biomarkers (APC, Cyclin D2, GSTP1, TIG1, Rassf1A, and RARbeta2 promoter hypermethylation) in a homogeneous group of prostate cancer patients, following radical prostatectomy alone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Biomarker analyses were done retrospectively on tumors from 74 prostate cancer patients all with a Gleason score of 3 + 4 = 7 and minimum follow-up period of 7 years. Using quantitative methylation-specific PCR, we analyzed six gene promoters in primary prostate tumor tissues. Time to any progression was the primary end point, and development of metastatic disease and/or death from prostate cancer was a secondary point. The association of clinicopathologic and biomolecular risk factors to recurrence was done using the log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards model for multivariate analysis. To identify independent prognostic factors, a stepwise selection method was used. RESULTS: At a median follow-up time of 9 years, 37 patients (50%) had evidence of recurrence: biochemical/prostate-specific antigen relapse, metastases, or death from prostate cancer. In the final multivariate analysis for time to progression (TTP), the significant factors were age > 60 [hazard ratio (HR), 0.4; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.2-0.8; P = 0.01], hypermethylation of GSTP1 (HR, 0.23; 95% CI; 0.09-0.64; P = 0.004), and hypermethylation of APC (HR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.42-6.32; P = 0.004). In another multivariate analysis, a profile of hypermethylation of APC and cyclin D2 hypermethylation was significant as well: if either any one was hypermethylated (HR, 1.84; 95% CI, 0.92-3.72; P = 0.09) or if both were hypermethylated (HR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.52-12.33; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Methylation status of selected genes in the prostate cancer specimen may predict for time to recurrence in Gleason 3 + 4 = 7 patients undergoing prostatectomy. These results should be validated in a larger and unselected cohort.

Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein↗

PubMed2005

Feasibility of quantitative PCR-based saliva rinse screening of HPV for head and neck cancer.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) 16 is likely to be an etiologic factor in a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSC). We investigated the ability of a quantitative PCR-based assay to detect HPV 16 in salivary rinses as a screening method for HNSC. Real time quantitative PCR was applied to detect HPV16 E6 and E7 DNA level in 92 primary tumors and salivary rinses from patients with HNSC and 604 control subjects without HNSC. A total of 45.6% (42/92) of primary HNSC and 32.6% (30/92) of saliva rinse samples from HNSC patients had any detectable HPV 16 DNA, 30.4% (28/92) of tumors had HPV 16 levels >0.1 copies/cell. HPV16 was detected in 50% (confidence interval [CI] = 34.2-65.8%) (21/42) of the saliva rinse samples from HNSC patients with detectable HPV16 level in their tissue, 18% (CI = 8.4-30.9%) (9/50) of saliva rinse samples from patients with HPV 16 negative primary HNSC, in 2.8% (CI = 1.7-4.5%) (17/604) of the normal controls (p < 0.001). Using a cutoff of HPV 16 >0.001 copies/cell in saliva rinse yielded a sensitivity of 30.4% and a specificity of 98.3%. Nonsmokers had significant higher HPV 16 level than smokers in the cohort of cancer patients. HPV 16 DNA in saliva rinses can reflect HPV 16 status of primary HNSC. Quantitative analysis of HPV 16 DNA in salivary rinses allows for detection of HPV-related HNSC, however, specific limitations exist that prevent the application of this as a screening technique for a broad population.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

The effect of p53-RNAi and p53 knockout on human 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (hOgg1) activity.

Recent evidence indicates that in vitro p53 augments base excision repair (BER) activities in mammalian cells. To understand the role of p53 in BER, we analyzed the repair activity of hOgg1 in isogenic cell lines HCT116p53+/+ and HCT116p53-/-. We found that hOgg1 activity was significantly decreased in HCT116p53-/- cells as compared with HCT116p53+/+ cells, indicating a functional role for p53 in the regulation of hOGG1. Using gel-shift assays, we showed that p53 binds to its putative cis-elements within the hOGG1 promoter. In addition we demonstrated that supplementing p53 in HCT116p53-/- cells enhanced the transcription of hOGG1. To further strengthen our findings, we used p53-RNAi to study the effects of decreased p53 levels on hOgg1 activity. We observed that p53-RNAi resulted in decreased hOGG1 expression both at the mRNA and protein levels. This decrease in hOGG1 expression was associated with reduced cell viability upon oxidative damage and reduced hOgg1 activity as evidenced by the 8-oxoG incision assay. Taken together, our results indicate that loss of p53 function can lead to decreased hOgg1 repair activity.

DNA Damage↗

PubMed2005

Head and neck cancer cell lines exhibit differential mitochondrial repair deficiency in response to 4NQO.

Constituents of tobacco can cause DNA adduct formation and are implicated in head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSC) development. We investigated the capacity of HNSC cell lines to repair mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) damage induced by a DNA adduct-forming agent. HNSC cell lines underwent 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4NQO) exposure with subsequent rescue with normal media. Real-time quantitative PCR for nuclear DNA (nDNA) and mtDNA was performed. mtDNA to nDNA ratios were calculated and standardized to mock-treated cells to assess mtDNA repair ability. Two of three tested cancer cell lines exposed to 4NQO exhibited consistent decreases in mtDNA/nDNA ratios throughout the different repair timepoints. At 24 h mtDNA/nDNA ratios of JHU-O19 and JHU-O22 decreased to 63% and 60% of controls, respectively. Conversely, a control keratinocyte cell line exhibited overall increases in mtDNA/nDNA ratios compared to baseline suggesting intact DNA repair mechanisms. By using a DNA adduct formation and repair model featuring 4NQO and HNSC cell lines, we have implicated faulty mtDNA repair as having a potential role in HNSC.

4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide↗

PubMed2005

Detection of serum deoxyribonucleic acid methylation markers: a novel diagnostic tool for thyroid cancer.

CONTEXT: Serum DNA methylation markers may potentially be useful in diagnosing thyroid cancer and monitoring its recurrence. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess the utility of serum DNA methylation as a diagnostic test for patients with thyroid nodules and a monitoring test to detect thyroid cancer recurrence in previously treated patients. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: Using real-time quantitative methylation-specific PCR, we analyzed the methylation status of five genes (CALCA, CDH1, TIMP3, DAPK, and RARbeta2) on 96 bisulfite-treated serum DNA samples isolated preoperatively from either solid thyroid nodule patients or patients in follow-up for history of treated thyroid cancer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of serum DNA methylation marker for thyroid cancer were measured. RESULTS: For the patients with thyroid nodules, when a positive result was defined by a serum methylation level above the appropriately chosen cutoff value for any one of the five genes, the preoperative diagnostic sensitivity for thyroid cancer was 68% (26 of 38), the specificity was 95% (18 of 19), and the overall preoperative diagnostic accuracy was 77%, with positive and negative predictive values of 96 and 60%, respectively. In a subset of patients with cytologically indeterminate thyroid nodules, serum DNA methylation testing could correctly diagnose eight of 11 (73%) cancers and four of four (100%) benign tumors, with a diagnostic accuracy of 80%. We also analyzed these serum DNA methylation markers in 39 previously treated thyroid cancer patients. Among the 10 patients proved to have recurrent disease by conventional measures, seven (70%) were positive on methylation testing. Among the 29 patients who had no corroboration of residual or recurrent disease by conventional studies, six (21%) were positive for serum DNA methylation markers. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated the potential usefulness of serum DNA methylation markers as a novel tool for differential diagnosis of solid thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer recurrence monitoring.

Biomarkers↗

PubMed2005

Tumor-specific changes in mtDNA content in human cancer.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) alterations are associated with various cancer types, suggesting that the mitochondrial genome may be a critical contributing factor in carcinogenesis. mtDNA alterations have been suggested as a potentially sensitive and specific biomarker for several cancer types. We examined mtDNA content in 25 pairs of normal and tumor breast tissue samples, 37 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 21 benign thyroid neoplasms and in 20 paired normal and PTC samples. Our results showed that mtDNA content was reduced in 80% of the breast tumors relative to their corresponding normal. mtDNA was increased in papillary thyroid carcinomas, however, when compared to the corresponding normal DNA taken from the same individual. Also, mtDNA content was increased in none-paired PTC samples compared to the normal controls. Our findings indicate that changes in mtDNA content during carcinogenesis may be regulated in a tumor specific manner. Additionally, changes in mtDNA levels did not correlate with tumor grade and metastasis, suggesting that these alterations may occur in the early stages of tumorigenesis. Our findings suggest that mtDNA content can be used as a molecular diagnostic tool to help identify genetic abnormalities in human tumors.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed2005

DeltaNp63alpha levels correlate with clinical tumor response to cisplatin.

After exposure to damaging agents, the p53 tumor suppressor is stabilized mediating cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. p53 family member, DeltaNp63 promotes cell proliferation and accelerates tumor growth. We previously found that the genotoxic stress agents induced a decrease of DeltaNp63alpha. We further observed that genotoxic stress mediated phosphorylation of DeltaNp63alpha targeting it into proteasome degradation. Here, we found that high DeltaNp63 protein levels in primary tumors accurately predicted response to platinum based chemotherapy and a favorable outcome in head and neck cancer patients. Our data suggest that degradation of DeltaNp63alpha is part of the cellular response to DNA damage in head and neck cancers. The findings may have implications for the rational use of DNA damaging agents in human cancer.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction gene patterns in urine sediment distinguish prostate cancer patients from control subjects.

PURPOSE: Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of several known or putative tumor suppressor genes occurs frequently during the pathogenesis of prostate cancers and is a promising marker for cancer detection. We sought to develop a test for prostate cancer based on a quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (QMSP) of multiple genes in urine sediment DNA. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We tested urine sediment DNA for aberrant methylation of nine gene promoters (p16INK4a, p14(ARF), MGMT, GSTP1, RARbeta2, CDH1 [E-cadherin], TIMP3, Rassf1A, and APC) from 52 patients with prostate cancer and 21 matched primary tumors by quantitative fluorogenic real-time polymerase chain reaction. We also analyzed urine sediments from 91 age-matched individuals without any history of genitourinary malignancy as controls. RESULTS: Promoter hypermethylation of at least one of the genes studied was detected in urine samples from all 52 prostate cancer patients. Urine samples from the 91 controls without evidence of genitourinary cancer revealed no methylation of the p16, ARF, MGMT, and GSTP1 gene promoters, whereas methylation of RARbeta2, TIMP3, CDH1, Rassf1A, and APC was detected at low levels. CONCLUSION: Overall, methylation found in urine samples matched the methylation status in the primary tumor. A combination of only four genes (p16, ARF, MGMT, and GSTP1) would theoretically allow us to detect 87% of prostate cancers with 100% specificity. Our data support further development of the noninvasive QMSP assay in urine DNA for early detection and surveillance of prostate cancer.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

BRAF mutation predicts a poorer clinical prognosis for papillary thyroid cancer.

CONTEXT: Use of BRAF mutation in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) has the potential to improve risk stratification of this cancer. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to investigate the prognostic value of BRAF mutation in patients with PTC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND SUBJECTS: In a multicenter study of 219 PTC patients, data on their clinicopathological characteristics and clinical courses between 1990 and 2004 were retrospectively collected, and their tumor BRAF mutation status was determined. Associations of BRAF mutation with initial tumor characteristics and subsequent recurrence were analyzed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Relationships between the BRAF mutation status and clinicopathological outcomes, including recurrence, were measured. RESULTS: We found a significant association between BRAF mutation and extrathyroidal invasion (P < 0.001), lymph node metastasis (P < 0.001), and advanced tumor stage III/IV (P = 0.007) at initial surgery. This association remained significant on multivariate analysis, adjusting for conventional clinicopathological predictors of recurrence excluding the histological PTC subtype, but was lost when the tumor subtype was included in the model. BRAF mutation was also significantly associated with tumor recurrence, 25 vs. 9% with and without mutation, respectively (P = 0.004), during a median of 15 (interquartile range, 3-29) months of follow-up. This association remained significant on multivariate analysis adjusting for conventional clinicopathological predictors of recurrence, even including the PTC subtype (odds ratio, 4.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-14.1; P = 0.03). BRAF mutation was even an independent predictor of recurrence in patients with stage I/II disease, 22 vs. 5% with and without BRAF mutation, respectively (P = 0.002). BRAF mutation was also more frequently associated with absence of tumor I-131 avidity and treatment failure of recurrent disease. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with PTC, BRAF mutation is associated with poorer clinicopathological outcomes and independently predicts recurrence. Therefore, BRAF mutation may be a useful molecular marker to assist in risk stratification for patients with PTC.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Oxidized guanine lesions and hOgg1 activity in lung cancer.

In humans, the oxidatively induced DNA lesion 8-hydroxyguanine (8-oxoG) is removed from DNA by hOgg1, a DNA glycosylase/AP lyase that specifically incises 8-oxoG opposite cytosine. We analysed the expression of hOGG1 mRNA in 18 lung cancer and three normal cell lines. Although hOGG1 was overexpressed in most cell lines, 2/18 (11.1%) showed a lower hOGG1 mRNA and protein expression (approximately 80% decrease) relative to normal cell lines. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry analysis showed increased levels of 8-oxoG in the two cell lines with the lowest hOGG1 mRNA expression. We examined the ability of nuclear and mitochondrial extracts to incise 8-oxoG lesion in cell lines H1650 and H226 expressing lower hOGG1 mRNA and H1915 and H1975 with higher than normal hOGG1 mRNA expression. Both nuclear and mitochondrial extracts from H1915 and H1975 cells were proficient in 8-oxoG removal. However, both cell lines with the lowest hOGG1 mRNA expression exhibited a severe reduction in 8-oxoG incision in both nuclear and mitochondrial extracts. Under-expression of hOGG1 mRNA and hOgg1 protein was associated with a decrease in mitochondrial DNA repair in response to oxidative damaging agents. These results provide evidence for defective incision of 8-oxoG in both nuclear and mitochondria of H1650 and H226 lung cancer cell lines. These results may implicate 8-oxoG repair defects in certain lung cancers.

Cell Nucleus↗

PubMed2005

PGP9.5 promoter methylation is an independent prognostic factor for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

PGP9.5/UCHL1 is a member of the carboxyl-terminal ubiquitin hydrolase family with a potential role in carcinogenesis. We previously identified PGP9.5 as a putative tumor-suppressor gene and methylation of the promoter as a cancer-specific event in primary cancer tissues. In this current study, we analyzed PGP9.5 methylation in 50 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) primary tumors with well characterized clinicopathologic variables including patient outcome. Two independent modalities for methylation analysis (TaqMan methylation-specific PCR and combined bisulfite restriction analysis) were used to analyze these samples. The two data sets were consistent with each other, as the 21 patients (42%) with highest methylation levels by TaqMan analysis all showed visible combined bisulfite restriction analysis bands on acrylamide gels. Using an optimized cutoff value by TaqMan quantitation, we found that patients with higher PGP9.5 methylation ratios in the primary tumor showed poorer 5-year survival rates than those without PGP9.5 methylation (P = 0.01). A significant correlation was also seen between PGP9.5 promoter methylation and the presence of regional lymph node metastases (P = 0.03). Multivariate analysis subsequently revealed that PGP9.5 methylation was an independent prognostic factor for ESCC survival (P = 0.03). These results suggest that PGP9.5 promoter methylation could be a clinically applicable marker for ESCC progression.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

PubMed2005

Somatic mutation and gain of copy number of PIK3CA in human breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a group of lipid kinases that regulate signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation, adhesion, survival, and motility. Even though PIK3CA amplification and somatic mutation have been reported previously in various kinds of human cancers, the genetic change in PIK3CA in human breast cancer has not been clearly identified. METHODS: Fifteen breast cancer cell lines and 92 primary breast tumors (33 with matched normal tissue) were used to check somatic mutation and gene copy number of PIK3CA. For the somatic mutation study, we specifically checked exons 1, 9, and 20, which have been reported to be hot spots in colon cancer. For the analysis of the gene copy number, we used quantitative real-time PCR and fluorescence in situ hybridization. We also treated several breast cancer cells with the PIK3CA inhibitor LY294002 and compared the apoptosis status in cells with and without PIK3CA mutation. RESULTS: We identified a 20.6% (19 of 92) and 33.3% (5 of 15) PIK3CA somatic mutation frequency in primary breast tumors and cell lines, respectively. We also found that 8.7% (8 of 92) of the tumors harbored a gain of PIK3CA gene copy number. Only four cases in this study contained both an increase in the gene copy number and a somatic mutation. In addition, mutation of PIK3CA correlated with the status of Akt phosphorylation in some breast cancer cells and inhibition of PIK3CA-induced increased apoptosis in breast cancer cells with PIK3CA mutation. CONCLUSION: Somatic mutation rather than a gain of gene copy number of PIK3CA is the frequent genetic alteration that contributes to human breast cancer progression. The frequent and clustered mutations within PIK3CA make it an attractive molecular marker for early detection and a promising therapeutic target in breast cancer.

Apoptosis↗