0000000000143661

AUTHOR

Curtis C. Harris

The p53 Tumor Suppressor Network Is a Key Responder to Microenvironmental Components of Chronic Inflammatory Stress

Abstract Activation of the p53 network plays a central role in the inflammatory stress response associated with ulcerative colitis and may modulate cancer risk in patients afflicted with this chronic disease. Here, we describe the gene expression profiles associated with four microenvironmental components of the inflammatory response (NO•, H2O2, DNA replication arrest, and hypoxia) that result in p53 stabilization and activation. Isogenic HCT116 and HCT116 TP53−/− colon cancer cells were exposed to the NO• donor Sper/NO, H2O2, hypoxia, or hydroxyurea, and their mRNA was analyzed using oligonucleotide microarrays. Overall, 1,396 genes changed in a p53-dependent manner (P < 0.001), wit…

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High miR-21 expression from FFPE tissues is associated with poor survival and response to adjuvant chemotherapy in colon cancer

Colon cancer (CC) is a leading cause of cancer mortality. Novel biomarkers are needed to identify CC patients at high risk of recurrence and those who may benefit from therapeutic intervention. The aim of this study is to investigate if miR-21 expression from RNA isolated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections is associated with prognosis and therapeutic outcome for patients with CC. The expression of miR-21 was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in a Japanese cohort (stage I-IV, n = 156) and a German cohort (stage II, n = 145). High miR-21 expression in tumors was associated with poor survival in both the stage II/III Japanese (p …

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Increased p53 mutation load in nontumorous human liver of Wilson disease and hemochromatosis: Oxyradical overload diseases

Hemochromatosis and Wilson disease (WD), characterized by the excess hepatic deposition of iron and copper, respectively, produce oxidative stress and increase the risk of liver cancer. Because the frequency of p53 mutated alleles in nontumorous human tissue may be a biomarker of oxyradical damage and identify individuals at increased cancer risk, we have determined the frequency of p53 mutated alleles in nontumorous liver tissue from WD and hemochromatosis patients. When compared with the liver samples from normal controls, higher frequencies of G:C to T:A transversions at codon 249 ( P < 0.001) and C:G to A:T transversions and C:G to T:A transitions at codon 250 ( P < 0.001 and P &…

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