0000000000206752

AUTHOR

Martin R. Berger

Reduced expression of Hugl-1, the human homologue of Drosophila tumour suppressor gene lgl, contributes to progression of colorectal cancer.

The human gene, human giant larvae (Hugl-1/Llg1/Lgl1) has significant homology to the Drosophila tumour suppressor gene lethal(2)giant larvae (lgl). The lgl gene codes for a cortical cytoskeleton protein, Lgl, that binds Myosin II and is involved in maintaining cell polarity and epithelial integrity. The human protein, Hugl-1 contains several conserved functional domains found in Lgl, suggesting that these proteins may have closely related functions. Whether loss of Hugl expression plays a role in human tumorigenesis has so far not been extensively investigated. Thus, we evaluated tumour tissues from 94 patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC) for loss of Hugl-1 transcription…

research product

Bcl-xL and Myeloid cell leukaemia-1 contribute to apoptosis resistance of colorectal cancer cells

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, …

research product

Nitrosoureas Modes of Action and Perspectives in the Use of Hormone Receptor Affine Carrier Molecules

Mechanisms of DNA adduct formation by antineoplastic 2-chloroethyl-N-nitrosoureas (CNUs) and of DNA damage induced by these compounds are discussed. CNUs are alkylating agents that form DNA-DNA cross-links as well as 2-chloroethylated and 2-hydroxyethylated adducts, the N-7-position of guanine being the predominantly alkylated site. A close correlation exists between the potential of a given compound to induce DNA-DNA cross-links and its antineoplastic effectiveness. However, levels of DNA-DNA cross-linking in bone marrow and extent of myelosuppression as measured in rodents are also closely correlated. The design of new cross-linking analogues capable of directing the antineoplastically re…

research product

Diagnosis of lung cancer by canine olfactory detection in urine and breath samples.

e13067 Background: Lung cancer is the leading oncological cause of death in western countries. The WHO estimated 2.09 million newly diagnosed lung cancer patients in 2018 worldwide. Although early detection is crucial for patients outcome, no surveillance tools exist. Dogs have a highly sensitive olfactory system which is already used in several ways, such as drug and ketone detection. The aim of the study was to evaluate the capability of a classically conditioned domestic dog to accurately distinguish samples of lung cancer patients of all tumor stages in urine and breath from healthy controls. Methods: This monocentric clinical trial was an original study and approved by the local ethic…

research product

Strong Expression of Chemokine Receptor CXCR4 by Renal Cell Carcinoma Correlates with Advanced Disease

Diverse chemokines and their receptors have been associated with tumor growth, tumor dissemination, and local immune escape. In different tumor entities, the level of chemokine receptorCXCR4 expression has been linked with tumor progression and decreased survival. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence ofCXCR4 expression on the progression of human renal cell carcinoma.CXCR4 expression of renal cell carcinoma was assessed by immunohistochemistry in 113 patients. Intensity ofCXCR4 expression was correlated with both tumor and patient characteristics. Human renal cell carcinoma revealed variable intensities ofCXCR4 expression. StrongCXCR4 expression of renal cell carcinoma was si…

research product

Abstract 1741: Quantitative Real-Time PCR analysis of SPARCL1 and SPARC expression in colorectal cancer tissues

Abstract The SPARC family of proteins comprises 10 members, which share structural similarities in one or more protein domains. SPARC-like protein 1 (SPARCL1; also known as hevin) and SPARC are two important family members, which have been found to be involved in various tumors. The relationship between these two molecules and colorectal cancer and its liver metastasis has not yet been fully studied and understood. cDNA microarray was used to analyze the expression profiles of 22523 genes in CC531 rat colon adenocarcinoma cells. Briefly, 2 × 106 CC531 were injected into the portal vein of male Wag/Rij rats to grow in the liver. The tumor cells were then re-isolated from rat livers at differ…

research product

Erratum to: Cetuximab-induced skin exanthema: prophylactic and reactive skin therapy are equally effective

Purpose Treatment with cetuximab is accompanied by the development of an acneiform follicular skin exanthema in more than 80 % of patients. Severe exanthema (grade III/IV) develops in about 9–19 % of patients with the necessity of cetuximab dose reduction or cessation. Methods The study presented was a retrospective analysis of 50 gastrointestinal cancer patients treated with cetuximab in combination with either FOLFIRI or FOLFOX. One cohort of 15 patients received an in-house reactive skin protocol upon development of an exanthema. A second cohort of 15 patients received a skin prophylaxis starting with the first dose of cetuximab before clinical signs of toxicity. A third historic group o…

research product

Analysis of the expression of SDF-1 splicing variants in human colorectal cancer and normal mucosa tissues

C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), also termed stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) is a small protein 8-14 kDa in length that is expressed as six isoforms, consisting of SDF-1α, SDF-1β, SDF-1γ, SDF-1δ, SDF-1ε and SDF-1θ. All six isoforms are encoded by the single CXCL12 gene on chromosome 10. This gene regulates leukocyte trafficking and is variably expressed in a number of normal and cancer tissues. The potential role of the novel CXCL12 splice variants as components of the CXCR4 axis in cancer development is not fully understood. The present study aimed to analyze the expression profile of the various SDF-1 isoforms and SDF-1 polymorphisms, and the association with the clinicopat…

research product

Coexpression of receptor-tyrosine-kinases in gastric adenocarcinoma-a rationale for a molecular targeting strategy?

AIM: To define the (co-)expression pattern of target receptor-tyrosine-kinases (RTK) in human gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The (co-)expression pattern of VEGFR1-3, PDGFRα/β and EGFR1 was analyzed by RT-PCR in 51 human gastric adenocarcinomas. In addition, IHC staining was applied for confirmation of expression and analysis of RTK localisation. RESULTS: The majority of samples revealed a VEGFR1 (98%), VEGFR2 (80%), VEGFR3 (67%), PDGFRα (82%) and PDGFRβ (82%) expression, whereas only 62% exhibited an EGFR1 expression. 78% of cancers expressed at least four out of six RTKs. While VEGFR1-3 and PDGFRα revealed a predominantly cytoplasmatic staining in tumor cells, accompanied by an additiona…

research product

The T-box transcription factor eomesodermin controls CD8 T cell activity and lymph node metastasis in human colorectal cancer.

An efficient cytolytic T cell function is essential for immune mediated rejection of colorectal cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms driving T cell mediated cancer rejection are still poorly understood. Here, we assessed the relevance of the T-box transcription factor eomesodermin in colorectal cancer. METHODS/ RESULTS: By analysing tissue probes from 88 different colorectal tumours, a significant (p0.02) inverse correlation between eomesodermin expression in colorectal cancers and the presence of lymph node metastases could be shown, whereas no such correlation was noted for the master transcription factor of regulatory T cells, FoxP3 and CD8 alpha expression. To evaluate whether this…

research product

Effect of Chemokine Receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 on the Metastatic Behavior of Human Colorectal Cancer

AbstractPurpose: The expression of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CCR7 has been associated with tumor dissemination and poor prognosis in a limited number of tumor entities. However, no data are currently available on the impact of chemokine receptor expression on disease progression and prognosis in human colorectal cancer.Experimental Design: The expression of CXCR4 and CCR7 was evaluated in 96 patients with histologically confirmed colorectal cancers and in four colorectal cancer cell lines by immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, cell migration assays were done with SW480, SW620, and LS174T cancer cells to confirm the effect of the CXCR4 ligand stromal cell–derived factor 1α on migr…

research product

High miR-196a levels promote the oncogenic phenotype of colorectal cancer cells.

AIM: To analyze the relevance of the microRNA miR-196a for colorectal oncogenesis. METHODS: The impact of miR-196a on the restriction targets HoxA7, HoxB8, HoxC8 and HoxD8 was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) after transient transfection of SW480 cancer cells. The miR-196a transcription profile in colorectal cancer samples, mucosa samples and diverse cancer cell lines was quantified by RT-PCR. Transiently miR-196a-transfected colorectal cancer cells were used for diverse functional assays in vitro and for a xenograft lung metastasis model in vivo. RESULTS: HoxA7, HoxB8, HoxC8 and HoxD8 were restricted by miR-196a in a dose-dependent and gene-specific mann…

research product

Cetuximab-induced skin exanthema: prophylactic and reactive skin therapy are equally effective

Purpose Treatment with cetuximab is accompanied by the development of an acneiform follicular skin exanthema in more than 80 % of patients. Severe exanthema (grade III/IV) develops in about 9–19 % of patients with the necessity of cetuximab dose reduction or cessation.

research product

PDGFRa/β expression correlates with the metastatic behavior of human colorectal cancer: A possible rationale for a molecular targeting strategy

As new multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitors are emerging in the therapy of various malignancies, our aim was to define the co-expression pattern of receptor-tyrosine-kinase platelet-derived growth factor receptors alpha and beta (PDGFRalpha/beta) in human colorectal cancer. The co-expression pattern of PDGFRalpha/beta was analyzed by RT-PCR in 99 histologically confirmed human colorectal carcinomas and five colorectal cancer cell lines. In addition, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining was applied for confirmation of expression and analysis of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) localisation. The colorectal cancer cell lines that were analysed revealed varying expression intensities of PDGFRalp…

research product

Does expression of receptor tyrosine kinases in gastric adenocarcinoma correlate with clinicopathological parameters?

Introduction: The prognosis for patients with gastric cancer depends on the stage of the disease. Radical surgery and lymph node dissection represent the only curative intent and are the standard therapeutic option for patients with limited disease. As new multi-targeted receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTK) are ermerging in the therapy of diverse malignomas, our aim was to analyze the relevance of the targeted receptor tyrosine kinases on local growth, lymphatic dissemination and overall survival in gastric adenocarcinoma. Methods: The (co-)expression pattern of VEGFR1, VEGFR2, VEGFR3, PDGFRα, PDGFRβ and EGFR1 was analyzed by RT-PCR in 56 consecutive samples of human gastric adenocarci…

research product

Strong expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 by pancreatic cancer correlates with advanced disease

Certain chemokines have been proposed to distinctly contribute to tumor growth, dissemination and local immune escape. Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been linked to tumor progression in diverse tumor entities. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the expression of CXCR4 influences progression of human pancreatic cancer. CXCR4 expression of pancreatic cancer was retrospectively assessed by immunohistochemistry in 103 patients with pancreatic cancer. Intensity of CXCR4 expression was correlated with both tumor and patient characteristics. Human pancreatic cancer revealed variable intensities of CXCR4 expression. Strong CXCR4 expression was significantly associated with adv…

research product