0000000000015370
AUTHOR
Henning Schulze-bergkamen
showing 31 related works from this author
Activation of silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 by human chorionic gonadotropin exerts a therapeutic effect on hepatic injury and…
2017
Incidence and prevalence of inflammatory liver diseases has increased over the last years, but therapeutic options are limited. Pregnancy induces a state of immune tolerance, which can result in spontaneous improvement of clinical symptoms of certain autoimmune diseases including autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). We investigated the immune-suppressive mechanisms of the human pregnancy hormone, chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), in the liver. hCG signaling activates silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (SIRT1), which deacetylates forkhead box o3 (FOXO3a), leading to repression of proapoptotic gene expression, because the immunosuppressive consequence attributed to the absence of caspas…
Bcl-xL and Myeloid cell leukaemia-1 contribute to apoptosis resistance of colorectal cancer cells
2008
AIM: To explore the role of Bcl-x(L) and Myeloid cell leukaemia (Mcl)-1 for the apoptosis resistance of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) cells towards current treatment modalities. METHODS: Bcl-x(L) and Mcl-1 mRNA and protein expression were analyzed in CRC cell lines as well as human CRC tissue by Western blot, quantitative PCR and immunohistochemistry. Bcl-x(L) and Mcl-1 protein expression was knocked down or increased in CRC cell lines by applying specific siRNAs or expression plasmids, respectively. After modulation of protein expression, CRC cells were treated with chemotherapeutic agents, an antagonistic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR1) antibody, an EGFR1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor, …
Contrary roles of IL-4 and IL-12 on IL-10 production and proliferation of human tumour reactive T cells.
1997
The cytokine profile of tumour reactive T cells is likely to play a central role in their function. However, little is known about how cytokine patterns of tumour reactive T cells can be regulated. Here, the authors investigated the influence of exogenous regulatory cytokines in addition to interleukin-2 (IL-2) on cytokine patterns and the proliferation of T cells recognizing an autologous sarcoma cell line. In this system, IL-4 and IL-12 showed the most polarizing influences on tumour reactive T cells. Exogenous IL-4 induced a predominant production of IL-4 while decreasing the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and IL-10 production by tumour reactive T cells. It also stimulated the growth of tu…
Panitumumab in combination with gemcitabine/cisplatin (GemCis) for patients with advanced kRAS WT biliary tract cancer: A randomized phase II trial o…
2015
4082 Background: Biliary tract cancer encompasses a group of genetically heterogeneous tumors. Panitumumab is a human EGFR inhibitor and has shown anti-tumor activity in RAS WT colorectal cancer. M...
Histone deacetylase inhibition by valproic acid down-regulates c-FLIP/CASH and sensitizes hepatoma cells towards CD95-and TRAIL receptor-mediated apo…
2005
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly resistant to chemotherapy, leading to a poor prognosis of advanced disease. Inhibitors of histone deacetylase (HDACi) induce re-differentiation in tumor cells and thereby re-establish sensitivity towards apoptotic stimuli. HDACi are entering the clinical stage of tumor treatment, and several substances are currently being tested in clinical trials to prove their efficacy in the treatment of leukemias and solid tumors. In this study, we investigated the impact of the HDACi valproic acid (VA) on TRAIL- and CD95-mediated apoptosis in hepatoma cells, as well as its sensitizing effect on a chemotherapeutic agent. Treatment of HepG2 cells with VA increased…
Quantitative Acylcarnitine Profiling in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Using In Vitro Loading With Palmitic and 2-Oxoadipic Acids: Biochemical Co…
2005
Organic acid (OAD) and fatty acid oxidation disorders (FAOD) are inborn errors of metabolism often presenting with life-threatening metabolic decompensation followed by (irreversible) organ failure, and even death during catabolic state. Most of these diseases are considered as treatable, and metabolic decompensations can be avoided by early diagnosis and start of therapy. Confirmation of suspected diagnosis currently relies on enzymatic and mutation analyses and in vitro loading of palmitic acid in human skin fibroblast cultures. Furthermore, in some cases potentially life-threatening in vivo loading or fasting tests are still performed. In this study, we established a standardized in vitr…
Predictive Scores in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
2015
GOALS The aim of this study was to assess the long-term outcome of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients and to test the clinical value of various outcome models, such as the Mayo Risk Score (MRS), in a large single-center cohort in Germany. BACKGROUND PBC is a chronic autoimmune liver disease with a female gender predominance and a peak incidence in the fifth decade of life. PBC is characterized by portal inflammation and immune-mediated destruction of intrahepatic bile ducts in liver histology and the presence of antimitochondrial antibodies in the serum of nearly 95% of patients. In 5% to 20% of patients an overlap syndrome with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is diagnosed. Ursodeoxycholic…
Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition induces apoptosis signaling via death receptors and mitochondria in hepatocellular carcinoma.
2006
AbstractInhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 elicits chemopreventive and therapeutic effects in solid tumors that are coupled with the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. We investigated the mechanisms by which COX-2 inhibition induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. COX-2 inhibition triggered expression of the CD95, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-R, and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-R1 and TRAIL-R2 death receptors. Addition of the respective specific ligands further increased apoptosis, indicating that COX-2 inhibition induced the expression of functional death receptors. Overexpression of a dominant-negative Fas-associated death domain mutant reduced COX…
Dominant TCRB-V-J chain usage and clonal expansion of sarcoma-reactive CD4+ HLA-DR-restricted T cells suggest a limited set of immunodominant sarcoma…
1997
Tumor-reactive CD4+ T cells have been isolated from tumor patients, and their specifity but not T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire has been analyzed. Since we have described CD4+ sarcoma-reactive T-cell clones, we now sought to determine whether the TCR repertoire of these clones provides information on the spectrum of recognized sarcoma antigens. We analyzed the TCR beta (TCRB) chain repertoire of 19 CD4+ HLA-DR-restricted T-cell clones reactive with the autologous sarcoma cell line MZ-MES-1, with HLA-DR-matched tumor cell lines of different tissue origins and B-cell blasts. We identified 7 different clonotypes, which used a limited set of TCRBV and TCRBJ segments. Although the CDR3 of the d…
Nuclear Translocation of RELB Is Increased in Diseased Human Liver and Promotes Ductular Reaction and Biliary Fibrosis in Mice.
2019
Background & Aims Cholangiocyte proliferation and ductular reaction contribute to the onset and progression of liver diseases. Little is known about the role of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in this process. We investigated the activities of the RELB proto-oncogene NF-κB subunit in human cholangiocytes and in mouse models of liver disease characterized by a ductular reaction. Methods We obtained liver tissue samples from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis, primary biliary cholangitis, hepatitis B or C virus infection, autoimmune hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, or without these diseases (controls) from a tissue bank in Germany. Tissues were analyzed by immu…
Ablation of c-FLIP in hepatocytes enhances death-receptor mediated apoptosis and toxic liver injury in vivo
2010
Background & Aims Apoptosis is crucially involved in acute and chronic liver injury, including viral, cholestatic, toxic, and metabolic liver disease. Additionally, dysregulation of apoptosis signaling pathways has been implicated in hepatocarcinogenesis. The most prominent members of the apoptosis-mediating tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily are the TNF-R1 (CD120a) and the CD95 (Apo-1/Fas) receptor. Although extensively studied, the intracellular signaling events in hepatocytes are only incompletely understood. Methods To examine the role of the caspase-8 homolog cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) in liver injury, we generated mice with hepatocyte specific deletion of c-FLI…
Down-regulation of CYLD as a trigger for NF-κB activation and a mechanism of apoptotic resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma cells
2010
The cylindromatosis gene (CYLD) was identified as a tumor suppressor gene, which is mutated in familial cylindromatosis (Brooke-Spiegler syndrome), an autosomal-dominant predisposition to multiple tumors of the skin appendages. CYLD is a deubiquitinating enzyme acting as a negative regulator of the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway by removing lysine-63-linked polyubiquitin chains from NF-κB activating proteins. In order to investigate the role of CYLD in apoptotic signaling in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells, we first studied the expression levels of CYLD in HCC tissues. CYLD expression was lower in HCC both at protein and mRNA levels compared to the surrounding non-ma…
PICCA study: panitumumab in combination with cisplatin/gemcitabine chemotherapy in KRAS wild-type patients with biliary cancer—a randomised biomarker…
2017
Abstract Background Combination chemotherapy has shown benefit in the treatment of biliary cancer and further improvements might be achieved by the addition of a biological agent. We report here the effect of chemotherapy with the monoclonal EGFR antibody panitumumab as therapy for KRAS wild-type biliary cancer. Patients and methods Patients with advanced biliary tract cancer were randomised (2:1) to receive cisplatin 25 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 on day 1 and day 8/q3w with (arm A) or without panitumumab (arm B; 9 mg/kg BW, i.v q3w). The primary end-point was the evaluation of progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months. Secondary end-points included objective response rate (ORR), ov…
Safety and Efficacy of Sorafenib in Patients With Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Consideration of Concomitant Stage of Liver Cirrhosis
2009
GOALS AND BACKGROUND: The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib provides survival benefit for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis (LCI) Child-Pugh A. We report our experiences with sorafenib in advanced HCC, particularly in patients with LCI Child-Pugh B/C, where only limited data are available in regard to safety and efficacy of sorafenib. METHODS: Thirty-four patients with advanced HCC were treated with sorafenib regardless of liver function and prior anticancer therapy. Adverse events (AEs) were graded using Common Toxicity Criteria version 3.0, tumor response was assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors. RESULTS: Fifteen patients…
Hepatocyte-specific deletion of the antiapoptotic protein myeloid cell leukemia-1 triggers proliferation and hepatocarcinogenesis in mice
2010
Regulation of hepatocellular apoptosis is crucial for liver homeostasis. Increased sensitivity of hepatocytes toward apoptosis results in chronic liver injury, whereas apoptosis resistance is linked to hepatocarcinogenesis and nonresponsiveness to therapy-induced cell death. Recently, we have demonstrated an essential role of the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) in hepatocyte survival. In mice lacking Mcl-1 specifically in hepatocytes (Mcl-1Δhep), spontaneous apoptosis caused severe liver damage. Here, we demonstrate that chronically increased apoptosis of hepatocytes coincides with strong hepatocyte proliferation resulting in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).…
A multicentre, phase IIa study of zolbetuximab as a single agent in patients with recurrent or refractory advanced adenocarcinoma of the stomach or l…
2019
Abstract Background Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2) is physiologically confined to gastric mucosa tight junctions; however, upon malignant transformation, perturbations in cell polarity lead to CLDN18.2 epitopes being exposed on the cancer cell surface. The first-in-class monoclonal antibody, zolbetuximab (formerly known as IMAB362), binds to CLDN18.2 and can induce immune-mediated lysis of CLDN18.2-positive cells. Patients and methods Patients with advanced gastric, gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) or oesophageal adenocarcinomas with moderate-to-strong CLDN18.2 expression in ≥50% of tumour cells received zolbetuximab intravenously every 2 weeks for five planned infusions. At least three patients …
Suppression of Mcl-1 via RNA interference sensitizes human hepatocellular carcinoma cells towards apoptosis induction
2006
Abstract Background Hepatocelluar carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a major cause of cancer-related mortality. HCC is highly resistant to currently available chemotherapeutic drugs. Defects in apoptosis signaling contribute to this resistance. Myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1) is an anti-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 protein family which interferes with mitochondrial activation. In a previous study we have shown that Mcl-1 is highly expressed in tissues of human HCC. In this study, we manipulated expression of the Mcl-1 protein in HCC cells by RNA interference and analyzed its impact on apoptosis sensitivity of HCC cells in vitro. Methods RNA interference was per…
Survival analysis of proposed BCLC-B subgroups in hepatocellular carcinoma patients
2013
Background & Aims The BCLC-staging system is used to facilitate treatment decisions in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Owing to the observed clinical heterogeneity of the intermediate stage BCLC-B, a subclassification was proposed taking Child–Pugh score and extended criteria for transplantation into account. Analysis of the prognostic significance of a proposed subclassification of the BCLC-B score in a European cohort of HCC patients. Methods Eight hundred and eighty four consecutive HCC patients were retrospectively analysed. Patients with stage BCLC-B were grouped according to the proposed subclassification. Baseline patient and tumour characteristics, therapy and overall …
Liver specific deletion of CYLDexon7/8 induces severe biliary damage, fibrosis and increases hepatocarcinogenesis in mice
2012
Background & Aims CYLD is a tumor suppressor gene that is mutated in familial cylindromatosis, an autosomal dominant predisposition to tumors of skin appendages. Reduced CYLD expression has been observed in other tumor entities, including hepatocellular carcinoma. In the present study, we analyzed the role of CYLD in liver homeostasis and hepatocarcinogenesis in vivo . Methods Mice with liver-specific deletion of CYLDexon7/8 ( CYLD FF xAlbCre ) were generated. Liver tissues were histologically analyzed and oval cell activation was investigated. Hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by diethylnitrosamine/phenobarbital (DEN/PB). Microarray expression profiling of livers was performed in untreated …
Genetics of hepatocellular carcinoma.
2007
The completely assembled human genome has made it possible for modern medicine to step into an era rich in genetic information and high-throughput genomic analysis. These novel and readily available genetic resources and analytical tools may be the key to unravel the molecular basis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, since an efficient treatment for this disease is lacking, further understanding of the genetic background of HCC will be crucial in order to develop new therapies aimed at selected targets. We report on the current status and recent developments in HCC genetics. Special emphasis is given to the genetics and regulation of major signalling pathways involved in HCC such …
TRAIL-induced apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma cells is augmented by targeted therapies
2009
AIM: To analyze the effect of chemotherapeutic drugs and specific kinase inhibitors, in combination with the death receptor ligand tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL), on overcoming TRAIL resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to study the efficacy of agonistic TRAIL antibodies, as well as the commitment of antiapoptotic BCL-2 proteins, in TRAIL-induced apoptosis. METHODS: Surface expression of TRAIL receptors (TRAIL-R1-4) and expression levels of the antiapoptotic BCL-2 proteins MCL-1 and BCL-xL were analyzed by flow cytometry and Western blotting, respectively. Knock-down of MCL-1 and BCL-xL was performed by transfecting specific small interfering RNA…
Knockout of myeloid cell leukemia-1 induces liver damage and increases apoptosis susceptibility of murine hepatocytes
2008
Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, regulates tissue development and homeostasis in multi-cellular organisms. Extrinsic or intrinsic death signals activate pro-apoptotic pathways, resulting in the activation of caspases and finally in cell death. An important event during apoptosis process is the permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM). Integrity of the OMM is regulated by the Bcl-2 protein family, which is divided into three groups: anti-apoptotic members Bcl-2, Bcl-xL and myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), pro-apoptotic multidomain members Bax and Bak, and pro-apoptotic BH3-only proteins. Mitochondrial activation is regulated by selective interactions of Bcl-2 proteins v…
Novel ways to sensitise gastrointestinal cancer to apoptosis.
2009
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are major health problems, being the most common cancers worldwide. Resistance to apoptosis is closely linked to carcinogenesis and enables malignant cells to evade therapy-induced cell death. In the recent past, the increasing understanding of molecular pathways of apoptosis has provided novel targets in cancer therapy. Several drugs, either inhibiting antiapoptotic signalling or actively inducing apoptosis in cancer cells, have already entered clinical trials. Until now, agents targeting apoptosis pathways are primarily being tested alone or in combination with chemotherapy. In the near future, personalized combination therapies will probably be beneficial fo…
A dual role of caspase-8 in triggering and sensing proliferation-associated DNA damage, a key determinant of liver cancer development.
2017
Summary Concomitant hepatocyte apoptosis and regeneration is a hallmark of chronic liver diseases (CLDs) predisposing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here, we mechanistically link caspase-8-dependent apoptosis to HCC development via proliferation- and replication-associated DNA damage. Proliferation-associated replication stress, DNA damage, and genetic instability are detectable in CLDs before any neoplastic changes occur. Accumulated levels of hepatocyte apoptosis determine and predict subsequent hepatocarcinogenesis. Proliferation-associated DNA damage is sensed by a complex comprising caspase-8, FADD, c-FLIP, and a kinase-dependent function of RIPK1. This platform requires a non-apop…
The role of apoptosis versus oncotic necrosis in liver injury: Facts or faith?
2006
A tightly controlled balance between cell division and cell death is a basic feature for the development and maintenance of liver homeostasis. Disturbances of this balance contribute to liver diseases: too much cell death can cause liver injury, too little cell death is a prerequisite for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, a stringent control of the equilibrium of life and death in the liver is necessary. During the last decade most research activities in hepatology dealing with liver injury focussed on the evaluation of apoptosis pathways. Therefore, our understanding of the mechanisms of apoptosis has made profound progress. Programmed cell death (PCD) in the liver enables…
Efficacy and Safety of Multiple Doses of Imab362 in Patients with Advanced Gastro-Esophageal Cancer: Results of a Phase Ii Study
2014
ABSTRACT Aim: IMAB362 is a monoclonal antibody specifically targeting claudin 18 isoform 2 (CLDN18.2), which is expressed on gastric cancer cells, whereas it is only present on a fraction of healthy stomach cells. This may reduce the risk of target-related side effects. Single-agent IMAB362 appears safe in patients with advanced gastro-esophageal cancer (GEC) based on data from a phase I trial. Methods: This international, multicenter, non-randomized phase IIa study (NCT01197885) investigated the efficacy and safety of repeated doses of IMAB362 (300 and 600 mg/m2) in patients with metastatic, refractory/recurrent, CLDN18.2-positive GEC (i.e. cancer of the stomach, the lower esophagus and th…
Mcl-1 is an anti-apoptotic factor for human hepatocellular carcinoma
2005
Defects in apoptosis signaling in hepatocytes contribute to tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In addition, treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs is often ineffective in HCC patients due to the apoptosis resistance of cancer cells. Anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family, including myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), which regulate intrinsic apoptosis induction at the mito-chondrial level, are often overexpressed in human cancer, and are implicated with disease grade and prognosis. Yet, little is known about the role of Mcl-1 in HCC. In this study, we analyzed the relevance of Mcl-1 expression for the apop-tosis resistance of human HCC. Mcl-1 protein expression was considerabl…
The impact of patient and tumour baseline characteristics on the overall survival of patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with sor…
2013
Abstract Background Impact of patient and tumour baseline characteristics on the overall survival is not well characterized in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with sorafenib. Aims/methods Univariate/multivariate analyses were conducted to identify retrospectively the impact of baseline characteristics on the survival of 110 patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib. Results Median survival of the whole cohort was 6.7 months, median survival in Child-Pugh A, B, C patients was 10.5, 6.1 and 3.0 months and median survival of patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage C/D was 6.8/2.6 months. Presence of ascites, presence of macrovascular invas…
In vitro generated human memory-like T cells are CD95 type II cells and resistant towards CD95-mediated apoptosis
2006
An adaptive immune response implies expansion of activated T cells and subsequent elimination to maintain homeostasis in a process called activation-induced cell death. Some cells, however, differentiate into memory cells and ensure a strong secondary immune response. To analyze the apoptosis phenotype of memory T cells on a cellular and molecular level, we have established an in vitro model of T cell activation and generation of cells phenotypically and functionally similar to memory cells. These long-term cultured T cells show a CD95-resistant phenotype, although they are still sensitive towards TCR/CD3-mediated apoptosis. Biochemical analysis revealed that these cells shift from CD95 typ…
Trends in Epidemiology, Treatment, and Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients Between 1998 and 2009
2013
The aim of this study was to analyze clinical presentation, course of disease, and management of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a German referral center between 1998 and 2009.HCC is a rare tumor in Germany, but its incidence has increased over the last 30 years. New therapies such as chemoembolization with drug-eluting beads, selective internal radiotherapy, and sorafenib were introduced recently; however, the impact on clinical management and overall survival (OS) is unclear.In this retrospective analysis, 1066 patients with HCC, separated into two 6-year periods (n=385; 1998 to 2003 and n=681; 2004 to 2009) were evaluated.The number of patients presenting each year (64 vs…
IFN-alpha-induced apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma involves promyelocytic leukemia protein and TRAIL independently of p53.
2009
Abstract IFNs are pleiotropic cytokines that have been shown to be important regulators of cell growth. IFN-α has recently been recognized to harbor therapeutic potential in prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, HCC cells respond differentially to IFN treatment, the mechanism of which is largely unknown. To address this issue, we analyzed the effect of IFN-α on different liver tumor cell lines. We found that growth inhibiting effects of IFN-α in hepatoma cells require PML-NB induction and, moreover, tumor necrosis factor–related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) expression on the mRNA and protein level. RNAi silencing of PML down-regulates TRAIL expression in …