Biomedical subjects

E H Chang

Publications and source records attributed to E H Chang.

76 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed1975

Interferon-directed inhibition of chronic murine leukemia virus production in cell cultures: lack of effect on intracellular viral markers.

Extracellular murine leukemia virus (MLV) reverse transcriptase activity was decreased by interferon treatment in four interferon-sensitive mouse cell lines which were chronic MLV producers. In three cell lines which were relatively insensitive to interferon, extracellular enzyme activity remained unchanged by interferon treatment. The concentrations of interferon used had no effect on DNA synthesis or cell replication of AKR,C+ cells which were chronic producers of AKR-MLV. In AKR,C+ cultures interferon treatment also had no effect on the level of intracellular viral reverse transcriptase activity in spite of an inhibition of extracellular enzyme activity. Treatment of AKRC+ cultures with interferon for 9 days inhibited extracellular viral reverse transcriptase levels throughout the period of treatment; however, the intracellular enzyme activity remained unchanged, and concentrations of viral p30 (gs) antigen were increased in the interferon-treated cells. When the cells were washed to remove interferon, however, virus production rapidly rose and intracellular p30 antigen fell to the levels of untreated AKR,C+ cells. These and previously reported results suggested that in interferon-treated AKR,C+ cells virus production is inhibited at a late step in the MLV replication cycle, either directly or through the inhibition of the production of a protein required for virus assembly.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

3'-End conjugates of minimally phosphorothioate-protected oligonucleotides with 1-O-hexadecylglycerol: synthesis and anti-ras activity in radiation-resistant cells.

Activation of the ras oncogene has been implicated in many types of human tumors. It has been shown that downmodulation of ras expression can lead to the reversion of the transformed phenotype of these tumor cells. Antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) can inhibit gene expression by hybridization to complementary mRNA sequences. To minimize toxicity associated with all-phosphorothioated ODNs and improve cellular uptake, we used partially phosphorothioate (PPS)-modified ODNs having an additional hydrophobic tail at the 3'-end (PPS-C(16)). The PPS ODNs are protected against degradation by PS internucleotide linkages at both the 3'- and 5'-ends and additionally stabilized at internal pyrimidine sites, which are the major sites of endonuclease cleavage. Here we show that anti-ras PPS-C(16) ODN retains the high sequence-specificity of PPS ODNs and provides maximal inhibition of Ras p21 synthesis with minimal toxicity even without the use of a cellular uptake enhancer. Moreover, treatment of T24, a radiation-resistant human tumor cell line that carries a mutant ras gene, with anti-ras PPS-C(16) ODN resulted in a reduction in the radiation resistance of the cells in vitro. We also demonstrate that the growth of RS504 (a human c-Ha-ras transformed NIH/3T3 cell line) mouse tumors was significantly inhibited by the combination of intratumoral injection of anti-ras PPS-C(16) ODN and radiation treatment. These findings indicate the potential of this combination of antisense and conventional radiation therapy as a highly effective cancer treatment modality.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Germ-line transmission of a mutated p53 gene in a cancer-prone family with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Tumour suppressor genes, whose usual function seems to be controlling normal cell proliferation, have been implicated in many inherited and sporadic forms of malignancies Much evidence supports the concept of tumour formation by loss-of-function mutations in suppressor genes, as predicted by the two-hit model of Knudson and DeMars. The suppressor gene, p53, is affected in such a manner by numerous mutations, which occur in a variety of human tumours. These mutations usually represent the loss of one allele and the substitution of a single base in the other. We have now analysed the p53 gene in a family affected by Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by the occurrence of diverse mesenchymal and epithelial neoplasms at multiple sites. In some instances the neoplasms seem to be related to exposure to carcinogens, including ionizing radiation. The Li-Fraumeni family that we studied had noncancerous skin fibroblasts (NSF) with an unusual radiation-resistant phenotype. DNA derived from the NSF cells of four family members, spanning two generations, had the same point mutation in codon 245 (GGC----GAC) of the p53 gene. This mutation leads to substitution of aspartic acid for glycine in one of the regions identified as a frequent target of point mutations in p53. The NSF cell lines with the mutation also retained the normal p53 allele. This inherited p53 mutation may predispose the members of this family to increased susceptibility to cancer.

Base Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Association of interferon-gamma induced growth inhibition and modulation of epidermal growth factor receptor gene expression in squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

Interferons (IFN) possess the ability to inhibit proliferation of certain transformed cell lines. Down modulation of the abnormal expression of certain oncogenes by IFN has been associated with phenotypic reversion of src, myc, or ras transformed cells. It has already been shown that some squamous cell carcinoma (SCCa) cell lines express elevated levels of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Previously, in A431, an SCCa cell line, it was shown that IFN-gamma-induced growth inhibition was associated with both enhanced expression of EGFR and terminal differentiation. This study examines the effect of IFN-beta or IFN-gamma on five additional cervical SCCa cell lines. One cell line was shown to have amplification of the EGFR gene. An IFN-gamma induced antiproliferative response, observed in four of the five cell lines, was associated with increased expression of EGFR mRNA and induction of the IFN-inducible genes, HLA-A3 class I antigen and 2-5 oligoadenylate synthetase. These data suggest that the increased expression of the EGFR gene in a particular SCCa may predict response to IFN-gamma.

Blotting, Northern↗