Biomedical subjects

J Bartek

Publications and source records attributed to J Bartek.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Cyclin D1 protein expression and function in human breast cancer.

Cyclin D1 is a cell-cycle regulator essential for G1 phase progression and a candidate proto-oncogene implicated in pathogenesis of several human tumour types, including breast carcinomas. In spite of the accumulating genetic evidence, however, there are no data regarding abundance and properties of the cyclin D1 protein in breast cancer. We now report aberrant nuclear overexpression/accumulation of the cyclin D1 protein in about half of the 170 primary breast carcinoma specimens analyzed by monoclonal antibody immunohistochemistry, indicating that the frequency of cyclin D1 abnormalities may be considerably higher than previously deduced from DNA amplification studies. A comparison of the expression patterns in matched lesions at different stages of tumour progression revealed that the cyclin D1 protein aberration appears to reflect a relatively early event and that, when acquired by a tumour, it is maintained throughout breast cancer progression including metastatic spread. In both tumour tissues and breast cancer cell lines, the abundance of this protein shows characteristic variations consistent with a cell-cycle oscillation and the peak levels expressed in G1. In all 7 cell lines whose retinoblastoma (Rb) protein is mutant or complexed to SV40 T antigen, exceptionally low levels of cyclin D1 protein and mRNA were found. Antibody-mediated and anti-sense oligonucleotide knockout experiments demonstrate the requirement for the cell-cycle regulatory function of cyclin D1 in breast cancer lines with single or multiple copies of the gene and reveal the absence of such a requirement in the cell lines with Rb defects. Our data are consistent with the notion that the emerging "Rb-cyclin D1 pathway" represents a frequent target of oncogenic abnormalities in breast cancer.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Efficient transfer of antibodies into mammalian cells by electroporation.

An optimized protocol for electroporation is described which is suitable for introducing antibodies into mammalian cells. The method results in the uptake of detectable amounts of antibodies in 80% of the cells and in 40% large amounts are introduced. As an example, cell cycle activity (transition from the G1 to S phase) was inhibited by the introduction of monoclonal antibodies against G1-specific cyclin D1 into CV-1 and MCF7 cells. This specific antibody mediated inhibition of cellular function did not affect the viability of the cells since they recovered from the inhibition after some time. While approaching the efficiency of microinjection, the new protocol for electroporation of antibodies additionally permits treatment of the larger number of cells which are required for biochemical analyses.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Cyclin D1 expression is regulated by the retinoblastoma protein.

The product of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene, pRb, acts as a tumor suppressor and loss of its function is involved in the development of various types of cancer. DNA tumor viruses are supposed to disturb the normal regulation of the cell cycle by inactivating pRb. However, a direct function of pRb in regulation of the cell cycle has hitherto not been shown. We demonstrate here that the cell cycle-dependent expression of one of the G1-phase cyclins, cyclin D1, is dependent on the presence of a functional Rb protein. Rb-deficient tumor cell lines as well as cells expressing viral oncoproteins (large tumor antigen of simian virus 40, early region 1A of adenovirus, early region 7 of papillomavirus) have low or barely detectable levels of cyclin D1. Expression of cyclin D1, but not of cyclins A and E, is induced by transfection of the Rb gene into Rb-deficient tumor cells. Cotransfection of a reporter gene under the control of the D1 promoter, together with the Rb gene, into Rb-deficient cell lines demonstrates stimulation of the D1 promoter by Rb, which parallels the stimulation of endogenous cyclin D1 gene expression. Our finding that pRb stimulates expression of a key component of cell cycle control, cyclin D1, suggests the existence of a regulatory loop between pRb and cyclin D1 and extends existing models of tumor suppressor function.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Amplification and overexpression of cyclin D1 in breast cancer detected by immunohistochemical staining.

Immunohistochemical staining with a monoclonal antibody against human cyclin D1 can be used to identify breast cancers that have an amplification of the q13 region of chromosome 11. In general, the intensity of staining is directly proportional to the degree of DNA amplification. In two unusual tumors, in which the CCND1 locus is highly amplified but staining is relatively weak, it appears that the DNA has undergone rearrangement and that the amplified/rearranged CCND1 allele may have reduced transcriptional activity. More significantly, the immunohistochemical technique identifies additional tumors in which the cyclin D1 gene is overexpressed with only marginal or undetectable increases in copy number, implying that other mechanisms can lead to deregulated expression. These results suggest that the frequency of overexpression is much higher than previously concluded from DNA-based analyses and that more than one-third of human breast cancers may contain excessive levels of cyclin D1. The technique we describe should facilitate the detection of this abnormality in a clinical setting and clarify its prognostic significance.

Alleles↗

PubMed1994

Cell cycle-related variation and tissue-restricted expression of human cyclin D1 protein.

Recent evidence from genetic studies suggests that abnormalities of some of the members of the cyclin superfamily may be intimately associated with tumourigenesis, most likely through deregulation of the cell cycle control. In an attempt to elucidate the potential role of cyclin D1 (a gene located within the 11q13 amplicon and a candidate BCL-1, PRAD-1 oncogene) in the pathogenesis of human neoplasias, we have developed and characterized a novel monoclonal antibody specifically recognizing cyclin D1 protein in various assays including immunohistochemistry on frozen and paraffin sections. Using the DCS-6 antibody as a tool, we now show a characteristic cell cycle-dependent variation of the cyclin D1 protein in human cultured cells and report on the first immunohistochemical study of this G1 cyclin in a range of normal human tissues and breast carcinomas. Analysis of normal tissues revealed generally low levels of cyclin D1 protein, mainly restricted to the proliferative zones of some epithelial tissues, and the lack of its expression in several human tissues including lymph nodes, spleen, and tonsils. In contrast, pronounced overexpression/nuclear accumulation of cyclin D1 was found in 37 per cent of cases in a series of 35 primary ductal carcinomas of the breast. We conclude that the DCS-6 antibody provides a potentially useful tool for the establishment of simple methods suitable for verifying any diagnostic and/or prognostic value of this novel marker on large series of histological specimens and opens the way for biochemical, immunocytochemical, and immunohistochemical studies of the role played by cyclin D1 aberrations in human oncogenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1994

Immunolocalisation of cell surface peptidases in the developing human breast.

The immunocytochemical distribution of three cell surface peptidases was investigated in samples of developing infant breast ranging in age from newborn to 9.5 months. We have previously demonstrated that in the adult breast these enzymes identify subpopulations of epithelial cells and fibroblasts. We therefore wished to address two questions: (a) At what stage in breast development can fibroblast subpopulations be identified, and (b) Is the distribution of these peptidases related to cellular differentiation and morphogenesis? At the histological level there was a cuff of stromal cells closely associated with the developing ductular and lobular structures. At all stages of ductular and lobular development the fibroblasts in this layer were consistently negative for dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP IV) and clearly distinguished from the fibroblasts in the surrounding matrix, some of which expressed DPP IV in an age-dependent manner. Within the infant breast aminopeptidase N (APN) was localised to luminal epithelial cells and all fibroblasts, whilst neutral endopeptidase (NEP) was specifically localised to myoepithelial cells. These results are considered in relation to the role of stromal-epithelial interactions during morphogenesis and the proposed function of these enzymes.

Aminopeptidases↗

PubMed1994

DNA tumor virus oncoproteins and retinoblastoma gene mutations share the ability to relieve the cell's requirement for cyclin D1 function in G1.

The retinoblastoma gene product (pRB) participates in the regulation of the cell division cycle through complex formation with numerous cellular regulatory proteins including the potentially oncogenic cyclin D1. Extending the current view of the emerging functional interplay between pRB and D-type cyclins, we now report that cyclin D1 expression is positively regulated by pRB. Cyclin D1 mRNA and protein is specifically downregulated in cells expressing SV40 large T antigen, adenovirus E1A, and papillomavirus E7/E6 oncogene products and this effect requires intact RB-binding, CR2 domain of E1A. Exceptionally low expression of cyclin D1 is also seen in genetically RB-deficient cell lines, in which ectopically expressed wild-type pRB results in specific induction of this G1 cyclin. At the functional level, antibody-mediated cyclin D1 knockout experiments demonstrate that the cyclin D1 protein, normally required for G1 progression, is dispensable for passage through the cell cycle in cell lines whose pRB is inactivated through complex formation with T antigen, E1A, or E7 oncoproteins as well as in cells which have suffered loss-of-function mutations of the RB gene. The requirement for cyclin D1 function is not regained upon experimental elevation of cyclin D1 expression in cells with mutant RB, while reintroduction of wild-type RB into RB-deficient cells leads to restoration of the cyclin D1 checkpoint. These results strongly suggest that pRB serves as a major target of cyclin D1 whose cell cycle regulatory function becomes dispensable in cells lacking functional RB. Based on available data including this study, we propose a model for an autoregulatory feedback loop mechanism that regulates both the expression of the cyclin D1 gene and the activity of pRB, thereby contributing to a G1 phase checkpoint control in cycling mammalian cells.

Adenovirus E1A Proteins↗

PubMed1994

Cell cycle analysis of the activity, subcellular localization, and subunit composition of human CAK (CDK-activating kinase).

The activity of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) depends on the phosphorylation of a residue corresponding to threonine 161 in human p34cdc2. One enzyme responsible for phosphorylating this critical residue has recently been purified from Xenopus and starfish. It was termed CAK (for cdk-activating kinase), and it was shown to contain p40MO15 as its catalytic subunit. In view of the cardinal role of cdks in cell cycle control, it is important to learn if and how CAK activity is regulated during the somatic cell cycle. Here, we report a molecular characterization of a human p40MO15 homologue and its associated CAK activity. We have cloned and sequenced a cDNA coding for human p40MO15, and raised specific polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against the corresponding protein expressed in Escherichia coli. These tools were then used to demonstrate that p40MO15 protein expression and CAK activity are constant throughout the somatic cell cycle. Gel filtration suggests that active CAK is a multiprotein complex, and immunoprecipitation experiments identify two polypeptides of 34 and 32 kD as likely complex partners of p40MO15. The association of the three proteins is near stoichiometric and invariant throughout the cell cycle. Immunocytochemistry and biochemical enucleation experiments both demonstrate that p40MO15 is nuclear at all stages of the cell cycle (except for mitosis, when the protein redistributes throughout the cell), although the p34cdc2/cyclin B complex, one of the major purported substrates of CAK, occurs in the cytoplasm until shortly before mitosis. The absence of obvious changes in CAK activity in exponentially growing cells constitutes a surprise. It suggests that the phosphorylation state of threonine 161 in p34cdc2 (and the corresponding residue in other cdks) may be regulated primarily by the availability of the cdk/cyclin substrates, and by phosphatase(s).

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Cell cycle analysis and chromosomal localization of human Plk1, a putative homologue of the mitotic kinases Drosophila polo and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Cdc5.

polo and CDC5 are two genes required for passage through mitosis in Drosophila melanogaster and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively. Both genes encode structurally related protein kinases that have been implicated in regulating the function of the mitotic spindle. Here, we report the characterization of a human protein kinase that displays extensive sequence similarity to Drosophila polo and S. cerevisiae Cdc5; we refer to this kinase as Plk1 (for polo-like kinase 1). The largest open reading frame of the Plk1 cDNA encodes a protein of 68,254 daltons, and a protein of this size is detected by immunoblotting of HeLa cell extracts with monoclonal antibodies raised against the C-terminal part of Plk1 expressed in Escherichia coli. Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from human cells and mouse tissues shows that a single Plk1 mRNA of 2.3 kb is highly expressed in tissues with a high mitotic index, consistent with a possible function of Plk1 in cell proliferation. The Plk1 gene maps to position p12 on chromosome 16, a locus for which no associations with neoplastic malignancies are known. The Plk1 protein levels and its distribution change during the cell cycle, in a manner consistent with a role of Plk1 in mitosis. Thus, like Drosophila polo and S. cerevisiae Cdc5, human Plk1 is likely to function in cell cycle progression.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1994

BCL-1/cyclin D1 oncoprotein oscillates and subverts the G1 phase control in B-cell neoplasms carrying the t(11;14) translocation.

In an effort to elucidate the biological role played by cyclin D1, a candidate BCL-1 oncogene, in human B-cell tumours carrying the t(11;14) translocation, we have studied the properties of this cyclin protein in a series of human lymphoid lines with rearrangements in the BCL-1 locus. The BCL-1/cyclin D1 protein was easily detectable in both immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting, its abundance grossly correlating with the mRNA levels. The cyclin D1 protein was localised predominantly to nuclei and there was a striking variation of staining intensity among the exponentially growing cells, reflecting the maximum level reached in mid/late G1 and the lowest level in S-phase. This characteristic mode of cell cycle-dependent oscillation was confirmed by three independent approaches, demonstrating that even upon rearrangement, the expression of cyclin D1 is regulated in a cyclical manner. Antibody-mediated and anti-sense oligonucleotide 'knockout' experiments revealed that the aberrantly expressed BCL-1/cyclin D1 protein is required for G1 phase progression of all four B-cell tumours with the BCL-1 rearrangement. Consistent with the proposed oncogenic role of this cyclin, our data demonstrate that the BCL-1 deregulation caused by chromosomal rearrangement leads to expression of a functionally active cyclin D1 protein which subverts the G1 phase control in the human B-cell tumours carrying the t(11;14) translocation.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1994

Cyclin D1 protein oscillates and is essential for cell cycle progression in human tumour cell lines.

Among the key cell cycle regulators, cyclin D1 has been implicated most strongly in oncogenesis. This G1 cyclin is a putative proto-oncogene whose clonal rearrangement and/or amplification and mRNA overexpression occurs in several types of human neoplasias. We have now raised a series of monoclonal antibodies to human cyclin D1 and analysed its regulation at the protein level in 40 human tumour cell lines. We found that 12 cell lines displayed low or undetectable cyclin D1 protein level, while the remaining lines accumulated the protein to a level comparable to, or moderately higher than, that of four normal diploid non-immortalized cell types. The cell cycle-dependent oscillation and subcellular localization of cyclin D1 were similar in both tumour and normal cells. The protein localized to the nucleus of G1 cells, and it was reduced to immunocytochemically undetectable level in DNA-replicating cells. At the functional level, microinjection and electroporation of anti-D1 antibodies revealed that in most tumour cell lines studied, including those with amplification at the cyclin D1 locus, this cyclin is essential for cell cycle progression in G1. Some tumours, however, seem to have evolved mechanism(s) that enable them to bypass the requirement for functional cyclin D1.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed1993

Immunochemical analysis of the p53 oncoprotein in matched primary and metastatic human tumours.

There is much interest in the range of genetic aberrations which occur in human malignancies. An immunohistochemical study has been carried out to investigate the consistency of expression of abnormally accumulated p53 protein in paired samples of archival primary and metastatic carcinomas. The staining of methacarn-fixed tissue from 136 matched pairs of mammary carcinoma and 20 cancers from other sites was completed using antibody CM-1 and DO1 in a sensitive peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin-biotin technique. The majority of tumour cells were positive in 25% and the tumours were negative in 17% of the primary carcinomas; staining was heterogeneous in the remaining cases. Staining was identical in 180/186 (96%) metastatic lesions. An ELISA assay carried out on 12 matched pairs of the tumour specimens demonstrated that altered conformation of the aberrant p53 protein present in a primary lesion was maintained in its metastasis. These data indicate that alterations in the p53 gene result in a relatively stable phenotype and that progression of disease is not usually accompanied by either further mutation or loss of the mutant allele.

Breast Neoplasms↗

PubMed1993

Regulation of the cell cycle by the cdk2 protein kinase in cultured human fibroblasts.

In mammalian cells inhibition of the cdc2 function results in arrest in the G2-phase of the cell cycle. Several cdc2-related gene products have been identified recently and it has been hypothesized that they control earlier cell cycle events. Here we have studied the relationship between activation of one of these cdc2 homologs, the cdk2 protein kinase, and the progression through the cell cycle in cultured human fibroblasts. We found that cdk2 was activated and specifically localized to the nucleus during S phase and G2. Microinjection of affinity-purified anti-cdk2 antibodies but not of affinity-purified anti-cdc2 antibodies, during G1, inhibited entry into S phase. The specificity of these effects was demonstrated by the fact that a plasmid-driven cdk2 overexpression counteracted the inhibition. These results demonstrate that the cdk2 protein kinase is involved in the activation of DNA synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Thermally-induced cutaneous vasodilatation in aging.

A decrease in heat-induced cutaneous vasodilatation has been implicated as the cause of increased heat stress in the elderly. We used laser Doppler techniques to study the skin blood flow response to local heat in 82 healthy volunteers. There were 39 young volunteers, mean age 29 +/- 1, and 43 elderly volunteers, mean age 76 +/- 1. There was minimal difference in skin blood flow at 35 degrees C between the two groups. In contrast, skin blood flow at 44 degrees C was significantly lower in the older subjects at nutritively perfused sites, such as the knee and elbow. However, there was no difference between the young and old groups in skin blood flow at the finger or toe pulp, sites with primarily arteriovenous anastomotic (AVA) flow. In the older subjects, the two components of skin blood flow, microvascular volume (VOL) and red blood cell velocity (VEL), were both decreased at 44 degrees C at nutritive sites, but not at AVA sites. Regression analysis demonstrated a linear fall in blood flow, VOL, and VEL with advancing age at nutritive sites at 44 degrees C. We conclude that thermally-induced cutaneous blood flow is reduced in older persons at nutritive capillary sites, but not at AVA sites.

Adult↗

PubMed1993

Oral test of magnesium tolerance.

Author presents original methodics of oral Mg deficiency testing, suitable for the detection of Mg deficiency, namely the latent states which could not have been easily evidenced till now. The test follows the retention of per os applied preparation of Mg on the basis of its discharge in urine. The realization of the oral Mg tolerance test is neither complicated nor embarrassing for the patient, it is thus applicable even in the out-patient practice.

Humans↗

PubMed1993

The role of TP53 in breast cancer development.

The TP53 protein is proving to be central to cell cycle control after exposure to DNA damage, and every week a new feature of its role in the regulation of cell division is described. TP53 is the most commonly altered oncogene in human tumours and is involved in the development of both sporadic and some hereditary breast tumours. Although there is no doubt that germline mutations in the TP53 gene carry a high risk of early onset breast cancer, and the gene is mutated somatically in a proportion of preinvasive and invasive breast cancers, it is not usually the initiating genetic event in most breast tumours. It does, however, seem to be an independent prognostic factor for survival and could prove useful in clinical management of node negative breast cancer patients. There has been an explosion of reports about the function of the TP53 protein--in particular, it seems to have a central role in the monitoring of some types of DNA damage. This role may prove to be the most important aspect of its association with breast cancer development, both as a prognostic factor and as a handle for treatment.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1993

Constitutional mutation in exon 8 of the p53 gene in a patient with multiple primary tumours: molecular and immunohistochemical findings.

We report a constitutional mutation of codon 273 in exon 8 of the p53 gene. The affected individual has developed multiple independent benign and malignant tumours (tricholemmoma of the scalp, multiple trichoepitheliomata of the face, osteosarcoma of the ovary, bilateral breast cancer, malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the thigh and endometrial adenocarcinoma) and belongs to a family with some, but not all, features of the Li-Fraumeni syndrome. The mutation, found in both blood lymphocyte and tumour specimens, is a cytosine to thymine transition at codon 273, resulting in an amino acid change from arginine to cysteine. The mother and sister of the index case both died of tumours at an early age. We have demonstrated that formalin-preserved material from these tumours contains the same C-->T mutation at codon 273, indicating that this mutation has probably been transmitted through the germline. All tumours from the index case, both benign and malignant, showed immunohistochemical positivity with four antibodies to the p53 protein. Positive staining was also seen in scattered nuclei of morphologically normal epidermal keratinocytes and pilosebaceous cells, but not in lymphocytes or other morphologically normal cells from the index case. However, a similar staining pattern in apparently normal tissue was also observed in 13/48 sections from other individuals with various skin conditions (melanocytic naevi, psoriasis and normal skin adjacent to malignant melanoma and fibrous histiocytomas), suggesting that this pattern of p53 staining may not be unique to individuals with constitutional p53 mutations.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed1992

Distinct forms of human CDC2 identified by novel monoclonal antibodies.

Studies on the functional and structural properties of the cdc2 kinase, a key cell-cycle regulator, have been possible thanks to the availability of cdc2-specific immunoreagents. In an attempt to elucidate the biochemical regulation of the cdc2 kinase in more detail, we have raised a series of novel mouse monoclonal antibodies against human recombinant cdc2 protein. The five Mab reported here can be subclassified into two groups according to their interspecies cross-reactivity and distinct immunoprecipitation patterns. Thus, the target epitopes of Mab POH-1, POH-2 and POH-7 (group 1) appear to be limited to a few mammalian species and the fraction of cdc2 immunoprecipitable by these Mab from cellular extracts is considerably enhanced by denaturation. In contrast, the POH-3 and POH-8 (group 2) Mab recognize a denaturation-sensitive epitope on cdc2 which is present in all tested mammalian species. More importantly, each of the two groups of Mab immunoprecipitate forms of cdc2 associated with a characteristic set of cellular proteins, none of which appears to be cyclin A or cyclin B. None of the antibodies precipitated a histone-H1 or casein-kinase activity, although an activity which phosphorylated some of the coprecipitated proteins was coprecipitated with the group 2 Mab. These novel Mab did not interfere with the association of cdc2 with cyclin A in vitro and efficient immunoprecipitation of a panel of cdc2 mutant proteins suggests that the target epitopes may not involve amino acid residues essential for currently known cdc2 functions. The results of the present study provide evidence for the existence of additional forms of the cdc2 protein in exponentially growing human cells, distinct from both the monomeric and the cyclin-bound cdc2 identified so far.

Animals↗