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Sample records for bioluminescent cancer cells

  1. Quantitative and Functional Requirements for Bioluminescent Cancer Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feys, Lynn; Descamps, Benedicte; Vanhove, Christian; Vermeulen, Stefan; Vandesompele, J O; Vanderheyden, Katrien; Messens, Kathy; Bracke, Marc; De Wever, Olivier

    2016-01-01

    Bioluminescent cancer models are widely used but detailed quantification of the luciferase signal and functional comparison with a non-transfected control cell line are generally lacking. In the present study, we provide quantitative and functional tests for luciferase-transfected cells. We quantified the luciferase expression in BLM and HCT8/E11 transfected cancer cells, and examined the effect of long-term luciferin exposure. The present study also investigated functional differences between parental and transfected cancer cells. Our results showed that quantification of different single-cell-derived populations are superior with droplet digital polymerase chain reaction. Quantification of luciferase protein level and luciferase bioluminescent activity is only useful when there is a significant difference in copy number. Continuous exposure of cell cultures to luciferin leads to inhibitory effects on mitochondrial activity, cell growth and bioluminescence. These inhibitory effects correlate with luciferase copy number. Cell culture and mouse xenograft assays showed no significant functional differences between luciferase-transfected and parental cells. Luciferase-transfected cells should be validated by quantitative and functional assays before starting large-scale experiments. Copyright © 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.

  2. A Bone Metastasis Nude Mouse Model Created by Ultrasound Guided Intracardiac Injection of Breast Cancer Cells: the Micro-CT, MRI and Bioluminescence Imaging Analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Young Jin; Song, Eun Hye; Kim, Seol Hwa; Song, Ho Taek; Suh, Jin Suck [Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Sang Hyun [Korean Minjok Leadership Academy, Heongsung (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-01-15

    The purpose of this study was to develop a nude mouse model of bone metastasis by performing intracardiac injection of breast cancer cells under ultrasonography guidance and we wanted to evaluate the development and the distribution of metastasis in vivo using micro-CT, MRI and bioluminescence imaging. Animal experiments were performed in 6-week-old female nude mice. The animals underwent left ventricular injection of 2x105 MDA-MB-231Bo-Luc cells. After injection of the tumor cells, serial bioluminescence imaging was performed for 7 weeks. The findings of micro-CT, MRI and the histology were correlated with the 'hot' lesions seen on the bioluminescence imaging. Metastasis was found in 62.3% of the animals. Two weeks after intracardiac injection, metastasis to the brain, spine and femur was detected with bioluminescence imaging with an increasing intensity by week 7. Micro-CT scan confirmed multiple osteolytic lesions at the femur, spine and skull. MRI and the histology were able to show metastasis in the brain and extraskeletal metastasis around the femur. The intracardiac injection of cancer cells under ultrasonography guidance is a safe and highly reproducible method to produce bone metastasis in nude mice. This bone metastasis nude mouse model will be useful to study the mechanism of bone metastasis and to validate new therapeutics

  3. In vivo cell tracking with bioluminescence imaging

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    Kim, Jung Eun; Kalimuthu, Senthilkumar; Ahn, Byeong Cheol [Dept. of Nuclear Medicine, Kyungpook National University School of Medicine and Hospital, Daegu (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-03-15

    Molecular imaging is a fast growing biomedical research that allows the visual representation, characterization and quantification of biological processes at the cellular and subcellular levels within intact living organisms. In vivo tracking of cells is an indispensable technology for development and optimization of cell therapy for replacement or renewal of damaged or diseased tissue using transplanted cells, often autologous cells. With outstanding advantages of bioluminescence imaging, the imaging approach is most commonly applied for in vivo monitoring of transplanted stem cells or immune cells in order to assess viability of administered cells with therapeutic efficacy in preclinical small animal models. In this review, a general overview of bioluminescence is provided and recent updates of in vivo cell tracking using the bioluminescence signal are discussed.

  4. Expression of a humanized viral 2A-mediated lux operon efficiently generates autonomous bioluminescence in human cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Xu

    Full Text Available Expression of autonomous bioluminescence from human cells was previously reported to be impossible, suggesting that all bioluminescent-based mammalian reporter systems must therefore require application of a potentially influential chemical substrate. While this was disproven when the bacterial luciferase (lux cassette was demonstrated to function in a human cell, its expression required multiple genetic constructs, was functional in only a single cell type, and generated a significantly reduced signal compared to substrate-requiring systems. Here we investigate the use of a humanized, viral 2A-linked lux genetic architecture for the efficient introduction of an autobioluminescent phenotype across a variety of human cell lines.The lux cassette was codon optimized and assembled into a synthetic human expression operon using viral 2A elements as linker regions. Human kidney, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer cell lines were both transiently and stably transfected with the humanized operon and the resulting autobioluminescent phenotype was evaluated using common imaging instrumentation. Autobioluminescent cells were screened for cytotoxic effects resulting from lux expression and their utility as bioreporters was evaluated through the demonstration of repeated monitoring of single populations over a prolonged period using both a modified E-SCREEN assay for estrogen detection and a classical cytotoxic compound detection assay for the antibiotic Zeocin. Furthermore, the use of self-directed bioluminescent initiation in response to target detection was assessed to determine its amenability towards deployment as fully autonomous sensors. In all cases, bioluminescent measurements were supported with traditional genetic and transcriptomic evaluations.Our results demonstrate that the viral 2A-linked, humanized lux genetic architecture successfully produced autobioluminescent phenotypes in all cell lines tested without the induction of cytotoxicity

  5. Comparisons of hybrid radiosity-diffusion model and diffusion equation for bioluminescence tomography in cavity cancer detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xueli; Yang, Defu; Qu, Xiaochao; Hu, Hao; Liang, Jimin; Gao, Xinbo; Tian, Jie

    2012-06-01

    Bioluminescence tomography (BLT) has been successfully applied to the detection and therapeutic evaluation of solid cancers. However, the existing BLT reconstruction algorithms are not accurate enough for cavity cancer detection because of neglecting the void problem. Motivated by the ability of the hybrid radiosity-diffusion model (HRDM) in describing the light propagation in cavity organs, an HRDM-based BLT reconstruction algorithm was provided for the specific problem of cavity cancer detection. HRDM has been applied to optical tomography but is limited to simple and regular geometries because of the complexity in coupling the boundary between the scattering and void region. In the provided algorithm, HRDM was first applied to three-dimensional complicated and irregular geometries and then employed as the forward light transport model to describe the bioluminescent light propagation in tissues. Combining HRDM with the sparse reconstruction strategy, the cavity cancer cells labeled with bioluminescent probes can be more accurately reconstructed. Compared with the diffusion equation based reconstruction algorithm, the essentiality and superiority of the HRDM-based algorithm were demonstrated with simulation, phantom and animal studies. An in vivo gastric cancer-bearing nude mouse experiment was conducted, whose results revealed the ability and feasibility of the HRDM-based algorithm in the biomedical application of gastric cancer detection.

  6. Imaging of bioluminescent LNCaP-luc-M6 tumors: a new animal model for the study of metastatic human prostate cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scatena, Caroline D; Hepner, Mischa A; Oei, Yoko A; Dusich, Joan M; Yu, Shang-Fan; Purchio, Tony; Contag, Pamela R; Jenkins, Darlene E

    2004-05-15

    Animal experiments examining hormone-sensitive metastatic prostate cancer using the human LNCaP cell line have been limited to endpoint analyses. To permit longitudinal studies, we generated a luciferase-expressing cell line and used bioluminescent imaging (BLI) to non-invasively monitor the in vivo growth of primary LNCaP tumors and metastasis. LNCaP.FGC cells were transfected to constitutively express firefly luciferase. LNCaP-luc-M6 cells were tested for bioluminescent signal intensity and hormone responsiveness in vitro. The cells were implanted in subcutaneous and orthotopic sites in SCID-bg mice and imaged over time. The LNCaP-luc-M6 cells formed subcutaneous and orthotopic tumors in SCID-bg mice, and nearly all tumor-bearing animals developed pulmonary metastases. Early detection and temporal growth of primary tumors and metastatic lesions was successfully monitored by BLI. The LNCaP-luc-M6 cell line is a bioluminescent, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cell line applicable for BLI studies to non-invasively monitor subcutaneous and orthotopic prostate tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Bioluminescent human breast cancer cell lines that permit rapid and sensitive in vivo detection of mammary tumors and multiple metastases in immune deficient mice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jenkins, Darlene E; Hornig, Yvette S; Oei, Yoko; Dusich, Joan; Purchio, Tony

    2005-01-01

    Our goal was to generate xenograft mouse models of human breast cancer based on luciferase-expressing MDA-MB-231 tumor cells that would provide rapid mammary tumor growth; produce metastasis to clinically relevant tissues such as lymph nodes, lung, and bone; and permit sensitive in vivo detection of both primary and secondary tumor sites by bioluminescent imaging. Two clonal cell sublines of human MDA-MB-231 cells that stably expressed firefly luciferase were isolated following transfection of the parental cells with luciferase cDNA. Each subline was passaged once or twice in vivo to enhance primary tumor growth and to increase metastasis. The resulting luciferase-expressing D3H1 and D3H2LN cells were analyzed for long-term bioluminescent stability, primary tumor growth, and distal metastasis to lymph nodes, lungs, bone and soft tissues by bioluminescent imaging. Cells were injected into the mammary fat pad of nude and nude-beige mice or were delivered systemically via intracardiac injection. Metastasis was also evaluated by ex vivo imaging and histologic analysis postmortem. The D3H1 and D3H2LN cell lines exhibited long-term stable luciferase expression for up to 4–6 months of accumulative tumor growth time in vivo. Bioluminescent imaging quantified primary mammary fat pad tumor development and detected early spontaneous lymph node metastasis in vivo. Increased frequency of spontaneous lymph node metastasis was observed with D3H2LN tumors as compared with D3H1 tumors. With postmortem ex vivo imaging, we detected additional lung micrometastasis in mice with D3H2LN mammary tumors. Subsequent histologic evaluation of tissue sections from lymph nodes and lung lobes confirmed spontaneous tumor metastasis at these sites. Following intracardiac injection of the MDA-MB-231-luc tumor cells, early metastasis to skeletal tissues, lymph nodes, brain and various visceral organs was detected. Weekly in vivo imaging data permitted longitudinal analysis of metastasis at

  8. Hybrid light transport model based bioluminescence tomography reconstruction for early gastric cancer detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xueli; Liang, Jimin; Hu, Hao; Qu, Xiaochao; Yang, Defu; Chen, Duofang; Zhu, Shouping; Tian, Jie

    2012-03-01

    Gastric cancer is the second cause of cancer-related death in the world, and it remains difficult to cure because it has been in late-stage once that is found. Early gastric cancer detection becomes an effective approach to decrease the gastric cancer mortality. Bioluminescence tomography (BLT) has been applied to detect early liver cancer and prostate cancer metastasis. However, the gastric cancer commonly originates from the gastric mucosa and grows outwards. The bioluminescent light will pass through a non-scattering region constructed by gastric pouch when it transports in tissues. Thus, the current BLT reconstruction algorithms based on the approximation model of radiative transfer equation are not optimal to handle this problem. To address the gastric cancer specific problem, this paper presents a novel reconstruction algorithm that uses a hybrid light transport model to describe the bioluminescent light propagation in tissues. The radiosity theory integrated with the diffusion equation to form the hybrid light transport model is utilized to describe light propagation in the non-scattering region. After the finite element discretization, the hybrid light transport model is converted into a minimization problem which fuses an l1 norm based regularization term to reveal the sparsity of bioluminescent source distribution. The performance of the reconstruction algorithm is first demonstrated with a digital mouse based simulation with the reconstruction error less than 1mm. An in situ gastric cancer-bearing nude mouse based experiment is then conducted. The primary result reveals the ability of the novel BLT reconstruction algorithm in early gastric cancer detection.

  9. Bioluminescent system for dynamic imaging of cell and animal behavior

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    Hara-Miyauchi, Chikako [Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Laboratory for Cell Function Dynamics, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Health Care Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510 (Japan); Tsuji, Osahiko [Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Hanyu, Aki [Division of Biochemistry, The Cancer Institute of the Japanese Foundation for Cancer Research, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Okada, Seiji [Department of Advanced Medical Initiatives, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Yasuda, Akimasa [Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Fukano, Takashi [Laboratory for Cell Function Dynamics, Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Akazawa, Chihiro [Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Graduate School of Health Care Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo 113-8510 (Japan); Nakamura, Masaya [Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Imamura, Takeshi [Department of Molecular Medicine for Pathogenesis, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Toon, Ehime 791-0295 (Japan); Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, The Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Tokyo 135-8550 (Japan); Matsuzaki, Yumi [Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Okano, Hirotaka James, E-mail: hjokano@jikei.ac.jp [Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo 160-8582 (Japan); Division of Regenerative Medicine Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo 150-8461 (Japan); and others

    2012-03-09

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We combined a yellow variant of GFP and firefly luciferase to make ffLuc-cp156. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ffLuc-cp156 showed improved photon yield in cultured cells and transgenic mice. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ffLuc-cp156 enabled video-rate bioluminescence imaging of freely-moving animals. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ffLuc-cp156 mice enabled tracking real-time drug delivery in conscious animals. -- Abstract: The current utility of bioluminescence imaging is constrained by a low photon yield that limits temporal sensitivity. Here, we describe an imaging method that uses a chemiluminescent/fluorescent protein, ffLuc-cp156, which consists of a yellow variant of Aequorea GFP and firefly luciferase. We report an improvement in photon yield by over three orders of magnitude over current bioluminescent systems. We imaged cellular movement at high resolution including neuronal growth cones and microglial cell protrusions. Transgenic ffLuc-cp156 mice enabled video-rate bioluminescence imaging of freely moving animals, which may provide a reliable assay for drug distribution in behaving animals for pre-clinical studies.

  10. Bioluminescent system for dynamic imaging of cell and animal behavior

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hara-Miyauchi, Chikako; Tsuji, Osahiko; Hanyu, Aki; Okada, Seiji; Yasuda, Akimasa; Fukano, Takashi; Akazawa, Chihiro; Nakamura, Masaya; Imamura, Takeshi; Matsuzaki, Yumi; Okano, Hirotaka James

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We combined a yellow variant of GFP and firefly luciferase to make ffLuc-cp156. ► ffLuc-cp156 showed improved photon yield in cultured cells and transgenic mice. ► ffLuc-cp156 enabled video-rate bioluminescence imaging of freely-moving animals. ► ffLuc-cp156 mice enabled tracking real-time drug delivery in conscious animals. -- Abstract: The current utility of bioluminescence imaging is constrained by a low photon yield that limits temporal sensitivity. Here, we describe an imaging method that uses a chemiluminescent/fluorescent protein, ffLuc-cp156, which consists of a yellow variant of Aequorea GFP and firefly luciferase. We report an improvement in photon yield by over three orders of magnitude over current bioluminescent systems. We imaged cellular movement at high resolution including neuronal growth cones and microglial cell protrusions. Transgenic ffLuc-cp156 mice enabled video-rate bioluminescence imaging of freely moving animals, which may provide a reliable assay for drug distribution in behaving animals for pre-clinical studies.

  11. Bioluminescent imaging: a critical tool in pre-clinical oncology research.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    O'Neill, Karen

    2010-02-01

    Bioluminescent imaging (BLI) is a non-invasive imaging modality widely used in the field of pre-clinical oncology research. Imaging of small animal tumour models using BLI involves the generation of light by luciferase-expressing cells in the animal following administration of substrate. This light may be imaged using an external detector. The technique allows a variety of tumour-associated properties to be visualized dynamically in living models. The increasing use of BLI as a small-animal imaging modality has led to advances in the development of xenogeneic, orthotopic, and genetically engineered animal models expressing luciferase genes. This review aims to provide insight into the principles of BLI and its applications in cancer research. Many studies to assess tumour growth and development, as well as efficacy of candidate therapeutics, have been performed using BLI. More recently, advances have also been made using bioluminescent imaging in studies of protein-protein interactions, genetic screening, cell-cycle regulators, and spontaneous cancer development. Such novel studies highlight the versatility and potential of bioluminescent imaging in future oncological research.

  12. Detection and quantitation of circulating tumor cell dynamics by bioluminescence imaging in an orthotopic mammary carcinoma model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Sarah Sasportas

    Full Text Available Circulating tumor cells (CTCs have been detected in the bloodstream of both early-stage and advanced cancer patients. However, very little is know about the dynamics of CTCs during cancer progression and the clinical relevance of longitudinal CTC enumeration. To address this, we developed a simple bioluminescence imaging assay to detect CTCs in mouse models of metastasis. In a 4T1 orthotopic metastatic mammary carcinoma mouse model, we demonstrated that this quantitative method offers sensitivity down to 2 CTCs in 0.1-1mL blood samples and high specificity for CTCs originating from the primary tumor, independently of their epithelial status. In this model, we simultaneously monitored blood CTC dynamics, primary tumor growth, and lung metastasis progression over the course of 24 days. Early in tumor development, we observed low numbers of CTCs in blood samples (10-15 cells/100 µL and demonstrated that CTC dynamics correlate with viable primary tumor growth. To our knowledge, these data represent the first reported use of bioluminescence imaging to detect CTCs and quantify their dynamics in any cancer mouse model. This new assay is opening the door to the study of CTC dynamics in a variety of animal models. These studies may inform clinical decision on the appropriate timing of blood sampling and value of longitudinal CTC enumeration in cancer patients.

  13. Detection of organic compounds with whole-cell bioluminescent bioassays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tingting; Close, Dan; Smartt, Abby; Ripp, Steven; Sayler, Gary

    2014-01-01

    Natural and manmade organic chemicals are widely deposited across a diverse range of ecosystems including air, surface water, groundwater, wastewater, soil, sediment, and marine environments. Some organic compounds, despite their industrial values, are toxic to living organisms and pose significant health risks to humans and wildlife. Detection and monitoring of these organic pollutants in environmental matrices therefore is of great interest and need for remediation and health risk assessment. Although these detections have traditionally been performed using analytical chemical approaches that offer highly sensitive and specific identification of target compounds, these methods require specialized equipment and trained operators, and fail to describe potential bioavailable effects on living organisms. Alternatively, the integration of bioluminescent systems into whole-cell bioreporters presents a new capacity for organic compound detection. These bioreporters are constructed by incorporating reporter genes into catabolic or signaling pathways that are present within living cells and emit a bioluminescent signal that can be detected upon exposure to target chemicals. Although relatively less specific compared to analytical methods, bioluminescent bioassays are more cost-effective, more rapid, can be scaled to higher throughput, and can be designed to report not only the presence but also the bioavailability of target substances. This chapter reviews available bacterial and eukaryotic whole-cell bioreporters for sensing organic pollutants and their applications in a variety of sample matrices.

  14. Autonomously bioluminescent mammalian cells for continuous and real-time monitoring of cytotoxicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tingting; Close, Dan M; Webb, James D; Ripp, Steven A; Sayler, Gary S

    2013-10-28

    Mammalian cell-based in vitro assays have been widely employed as alternatives to animal testing for toxicological studies but have been limited due to the high monetary and time costs of parallel sample preparation that are necessitated due to the destructive nature of firefly luciferase-based screening methods. This video describes the utilization of autonomously bioluminescent mammalian cells, which do not require the destructive addition of a luciferin substrate, as an inexpensive and facile method for monitoring the cytotoxic effects of a compound of interest. Mammalian cells stably expressing the full bacterial bioluminescence (luxCDABEfrp) gene cassette autonomously produce an optical signal that peaks at 490 nm without the addition of an expensive and possibly interfering luciferin substrate, excitation by an external energy source, or destruction of the sample that is traditionally performed during optical imaging procedures. This independence from external stimulation places the burden for maintaining the bioluminescent reaction solely on the cell, meaning that the resultant signal is only detected during active metabolism. This characteristic makes the lux-expressing cell line an excellent candidate for use as a biosentinel against cytotoxic effects because changes in bioluminescent production are indicative of adverse effects on cellular growth and metabolism. Similarly, the autonomous nature and lack of required sample destruction permits repeated imaging of the same sample in real-time throughout the period of toxicant exposure and can be performed across multiple samples using existing imaging equipment in an automated fashion.

  15. Autonomous bioluminescent expression of the bacterial luciferase gene cassette (lux in a mammalian cell line.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan M Close

    Full Text Available The bacterial luciferase (lux gene cassette consists of five genes (luxCDABE whose protein products synergistically generate bioluminescent light signals exclusive of supplementary substrate additions or exogenous manipulations. Historically expressible only in prokaryotes, the lux operon was re-synthesized through a process of multi-bicistronic, codon-optimization to demonstrate for the first time self-directed bioluminescence emission in a mammalian HEK293 cell line in vitro and in vivo.Autonomous in vitro light production was shown to be 12-fold greater than the observable background associated with untransfected control cells. The availability of reduced riboflavin phosphate (FMNH(2 was identified as the limiting bioluminescence substrate in the mammalian cell environment even after the addition of a constitutively expressed flavin reductase gene (frp from Vibrio harveyi. FMNH(2 supplementation led to a 151-fold increase in bioluminescence in cells expressing mammalian codon-optimized luxCDE and frp genes. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, in vivo optical imaging permitted near instantaneous light detection that persisted independently for the 60 min length of the assay with negligible background.The speed, longevity, and self-sufficiency of lux expression in the mammalian cellular environment provides a viable and powerful alternative for real-time target visualization not currently offered by existing bioluminescent and fluorescent imaging technologies.

  16. New bioreactor for in situ simultaneous measurement of bioluminescence and cell density

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picart, Pascal; Bendriaa, Loubna; Daniel, Philippe; Horry, Habib; Durand, Marie-José; Jouvanneau, Laurent; Thouand, Gérald

    2004-03-01

    This article presents a new device devoted to the simultaneous measurement of bioluminescence and optical density of a bioluminescent bacterial culture. It features an optoelectronic bioreactor with a fully autoclavable module, in which the bioluminescent bacteria are cultivated, a modulated laser diode dedicated to optical density measurement, and a detection head for the acquisition of both bioluminescence and optical density signals. Light is detected through a bifurcated fiber bundle. This setup allows the simultaneous estimation of the bioluminescence and the cell density of the culture medium without any sampling. The bioluminescence is measured through a highly sensitive photomultiplier unit which has been photometrically calibrated to allow light flux measurements. This was achieved by considering the bioluminescence spectrum and the full optical transmission of the device. The instrument makes it possible to measure a very weak light flux of only a few pW. The optical density is determined through the laser diode and a photodiode using numerical synchronous detection which is based on the power spectrum density of the recorded signal. The detection was calibrated to measure optical density up to 2.5. The device was validated using the Vibrio fischeri bacterium which was cultivated under continuous culture conditions. A very good correlation between manual and automatic measurements processed with this instrument has been demonstrated. Furthermore, the optoelectronic bioreactor enables determination of the luminance of the bioluminescent bacteria which is estimated to be 6×10-5 W sr-1 m-2 for optical density=0.3. Experimental results are presented and discussed.

  17. Continuous, real-time bioimaging of chemical bioavailability and toxicology using autonomously bioluminescent human cell lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tingting; Close, Dan M.; Webb, James D.; Price, Sarah L.; Ripp, Steven A.; Sayler, Gary S.

    2013-05-01

    Bioluminescent imaging is an emerging biomedical surveillance strategy that uses external cameras to detect in vivo light generated in small animal models of human physiology or in vitro light generated in tissue culture or tissue scaffold mimics of human anatomy. The most widely utilized of reporters is the firefly luciferase (luc) gene; however, it generates light only upon addition of a chemical substrate, thus only generating intermittent single time point data snapshots. To overcome this disadvantage, we have demonstrated substrate-independent bioluminescent imaging using an optimized bacterial bioluminescence (lux) system. The lux reporter produces bioluminescence autonomously using components found naturally within the cell, thereby allowing imaging to occur continuously and in real-time over the lifetime of the host. We have validated this technology in human cells with demonstrated chemical toxicological profiling against exotoxin exposures at signal strengths comparable to existing luc systems (~1.33 × 107 photons/second). As a proof-in-principle demonstration, we have engineered breast carcinoma cells to express bioluminescence for real-time screening of endocrine disrupting chemicals and validated detection of 17β-estradiol (EC50 = ~ 10 pM). These and other applications of this new reporter technology will be discussed as potential new pathways towards improved models of target chemical bioavailability, toxicology, efficacy, and human safety.

  18. Development of a Novel Preclinical Pancreatic Cancer Research Model: Bioluminescence Image-Guided Focal Irradiation and Tumor Monitoring of Orthotopic Xenografts1

    OpenAIRE

    Tuli, Richard; Surmak, Andrew; Reyes, Juvenal; Hacker-Prietz, Amy; Armour, Michael; Leubner, Ashley; Blackford, Amanda; Tryggestad, Erik; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Wong, John; DeWeese, Theodore L; Herman, Joseph M

    2012-01-01

    PURPOSE: We report on a novel preclinical pancreatic cancer research model that uses bioluminescence imaging (BLI)-guided irradiation of orthotopic xenograft tumors, sparing of surrounding normal tissues, and quantitative, noninvasive longitudinal assessment of treatment response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Luciferase-expressing MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic carcinoma cells were orthotopically injected in nude mice. BLI was compared to pathologic tumor volume, and photon emission was assessed over time. B...

  19. Development of a novel preclinical pancreatic cancer research model: bioluminescence image-guided focal irradiation and tumor monitoring of orthotopic xenografts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuli, Richard; Surmak, Andrew; Reyes, Juvenal; Hacker-Prietz, Amy; Armour, Michael; Leubner, Ashley; Blackford, Amanda; Tryggestad, Erik; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Wong, John; Deweese, Theodore L; Herman, Joseph M

    2012-04-01

    We report on a novel preclinical pancreatic cancer research model that uses bioluminescence imaging (BLI)-guided irradiation of orthotopic xenograft tumors, sparing of surrounding normal tissues, and quantitative, noninvasive longitudinal assessment of treatment response. Luciferase-expressing MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic carcinoma cells were orthotopically injected in nude mice. BLI was compared to pathologic tumor volume, and photon emission was assessed over time. BLI was correlated to positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to estimate tumor dimensions. BLI and cone-beam CT (CBCT) were used to compare tumor centroid location and estimate setup error. BLI and CBCT fusion was performed to guide irradiation of tumors using the small animal radiation research platform (SARRP). DNA damage was assessed by γ-H2Ax staining. BLI was used to longitudinally monitor treatment response. Bioluminescence predicted tumor volume (R = 0.8984) and increased linearly as a function of time up to a 10-fold increase in tumor burden. BLI correlated with PET/CT and necropsy specimen in size (P < .05). Two-dimensional BLI centroid accuracy was 3.5 mm relative to CBCT. BLI-guided irradiated pancreatic tumors stained positively for γ-H2Ax, whereas surrounding normal tissues were spared. Longitudinal assessment of irradiated tumors with BLI revealed significant tumor growth delay of 20 days relative to controls. We have successfully applied the SARRP to a bioluminescent, orthotopic preclinical pancreas cancer model to noninvasively: 1) allow the identification of tumor burden before therapy, 2) facilitate image-guided focal radiation therapy, and 3) allow normalization of tumor burden and longitudinal assessment of treatment response.

  20. Bioluminescence imaging of β cells and intrahepatic insulin gene activity under normal and pathological conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tokio Katsumata

    Full Text Available In diabetes research, bioluminescence imaging (BLI has been applied in studies of β-cell impairment, development, and islet transplantation. To develop a mouse model that enables noninvasive imaging of β cells, we generated a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC transgenic mouse in which a mouse 200-kbp genomic fragment comprising the insulin I gene drives luciferase expression (Ins1-luc BAC transgenic mouse. BLI of mice was performed using the IVIS Spectrum system after intraperitoneal injection of luciferin, and the bioluminescence signal from the pancreatic region analyzed. When compared with MIP-Luc-VU mice [FVB/N-Tg(Ins1-lucVUPwrs/J] expressing luciferase under the control of the 9.2-kbp mouse insulin I promoter (MIP, the bioluminescence emission from Ins1-luc BAC transgenic mice was enhanced approximately 4-fold. Streptozotocin-treated Ins1-luc BAC transgenic mice developed severe diabetes concomitant with a sharp decline in the BLI signal intensity in the pancreas. Conversely, mice fed a high-fat diet for 8 weeks showed an increase in the signal, reflecting a decrease or increase in the β-cell mass. Although the bioluminescence intensity of the islets correlated well with the number of isolated islets in vitro, the intensity obtained from a living mouse in vivo did not necessarily reflect an absolute quantification of the β-cell mass under pathological conditions. On the other hand, adenovirus-mediated gene transduction of β-cell-related transcription factors in Ins1-luc BAC transgenic mice generated luminescence from the hepatic region for more than 1 week. These results demonstrate that BLI in Ins1-luc BAC transgenic mice provides a noninvasive method of imaging islet β cells and extrapancreatic activity of the insulin gene in the liver under normal and pathological conditions.

  1. Validity of bioluminescence measurements for noninvasive in vivo imaging of tumor load in small animals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klerk, Clara P. W.; Overmeer, Renée M.; Niers, Tatjana M. H.; Versteeg, Henri H.; Richel, Dick J.; Buckle, Tessa; van Noorden, Cornelis J. F.; van Tellingen, Olaf

    2007-01-01

    A relatively new strategy to longitudinally monitor tumor load in intact animals and the effects of therapy is noninvasive bioluminescence imaging (BLI). The validity of BLI for quantitative assessment of tumor load in small animals is critically evaluated in the present review. Cancer cells are

  2. Bathyphotometer bioluminescence potential measurements: A framework for characterizing flow agitators and predicting flow-stimulated bioluminescence intensity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latz, Michael I.; Rohr, Jim

    2013-07-01

    Bathyphotometer measurements of bioluminescence are used as a proxy for the abundance of luminescent organisms for studying population dynamics; the interaction of luminescent organisms with physical, chemical, and biological oceanographic processes; and spatial complexity especially in coastal areas. However, the usefulness of bioluminescence measurements has been limited by the inability to compare results from different bathyphotometer designs, or even the same bathyphotometer operating at different volume flow rates. The primary objective of this study was to compare measurements of stimulated bioluminescence of four species of cultured dinoflagellates, the most common source of bioluminescence in coastal waters, using two different bathyphotometer flow agitators as a function of bathyphotometer volume flow rate and dinoflagellate concentration. For both the NOSC and BIOLITE flow agitators and each species of dinoflagellate tested, there was a critical volume flow rate, above which average bioluminescence intensity, designated as bathyphotometer bioluminescence potential (BBP), remained relatively constant and scaled directly with dinoflagellate cell concentration. At supra-critical volume flow rates, the ratio of BIOLITE to NOSC BBP was nearly constant for the same species studied, but varied between species. The spatial pattern and residence time of flash trajectories within the NOSC flow agitator indicated the presence of dominant secondary recirculating flows, where most of the bioluminescence was detected. A secondary objective (appearing in the Appendix) was to study the feasibility of using NOSC BBP to scale flow-stimulated bioluminescence intensity across similar flow fields, where the contributing composition of luminescent species remained the same. Fully developed turbulent pipe flow was chosen because it is hydrodynamically well characterized. Average bioluminescence intensity in a 2.54-cm i.d. pipe was highly correlated with wall shear stress and

  3. T-cell activation promotes tumorigenesis in inflammation-associated cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lairmore Michael

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Chronic inflammation has long been associated with a wide range of malignancies, is now widely accepted as a risk factor for development of cancer, and has been implicated as a promoter of a variety of cancers including hematopoietic malignancies. We have described a mouse model uniquely suited to examine the link between inflammation and lymphoma in which the Tax oncogene, expressed in activated T and NK cells, perpetuates chronic inflammation that begins as microscopic intraepithelial lesions and develops into inflammatory nodules, subcutaneous tumors, and large granular lymphocytic leukemia. The use of bioluminescent imaging in these mice has expanded our ability to interrogate aspects of inflammation and tumorigenesis non-invasively. Here we demonstrate that bioluminescence induction in these mice correlated with inflammation resulting from wounding, T cell activation, and exposure to chemical agents. In experiments in which long-term effects of inflammation on disease outcome were monitored, the development of lymphoma was promoted by an inflammatory stimulus. Finally we demonstrated that activation of T-cells in T-cell receptor (TCR transgenic TAX-LUC animals dramatically exacerbated the development of subcutaneous TCR- CD16+ LGL tumors. The role of activated T-cells and acquired immunity in inflammation-associated cancers is broadly applicable to hematopoietic malignancies, and we propose these mice will be of use in dissecting mechanisms by which activated T-cells promote lymphomagenesis in vivo.

  4. In vitro validation of bioluminescent monitoring of disease progression and therapeutic response in leukaemia model animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Yusuke; Okubo, Toshiyuki; Tojo, Arinobu; Sekine, Rieko; Soda, Yasushi; Kobayashi, Seiichiro; Nomura, Akiko; Izawa, Kiyoko; Kitamura, Toshio; Ohtomo, Kuni

    2006-01-01

    The application of in vivo bioluminescence imaging to non-invasive, quantitative monitoring of tumour models relies on a positive correlation between the intensity of bioluminescence and the tumour burden. We conducted cell culture studies to investigate the relationship between bioluminescent signal intensity and viable cell numbers in murine leukaemia model cells. Interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B cell line Ba/F3 was transduced with firefly luciferase to generate cells expressing luciferase stably under the control of a retroviral long terminal repeat. The luciferase-expressing cells were transduced with p190 BCR-ABL to give factor-independent proliferation. The cells were cultured under various conditions, and bioluminescent signal intensity was compared with viable cell numbers and the cell cycle stage. The Ba/F3 cells showed autonomous growth as well as stable luciferase expression following transduction with both luciferase and p190 BCR-ABL, and in vivo bioluminescence imaging permitted external detection of these cells implanted into mice. The bioluminescence intensities tended to reflect cell proliferation and responses to imatinib in cell culture studies. However, the luminescence per viable cell was influenced by the IL-3 concentration in factor-dependent cells and by the stage of proliferation and imatinib concentration in factor-independent cells, thereby impairing the proportionality between viable cell number and bioluminescent signal intensity. Luminescence per cell tended to vary in association with the fraction of proliferating cells. Although in vivo bioluminescence imaging would allow non-invasive monitoring of leukaemia model animals, environmental factors and therapeutic interventions may cause some discrepancies between tumour burden and bioluminescence intensity. (orig.)

  5. Development of a Novel Preclinical Pancreatic Cancer Research Model: Bioluminescence Image-Guided Focal Irradiation and Tumor Monitoring of Orthotopic Xenografts1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuli, Richard; Surmak, Andrew; Reyes, Juvenal; Hacker-Prietz, Amy; Armour, Michael; Leubner, Ashley; Blackford, Amanda; Tryggestad, Erik; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Wong, John; DeWeese, Theodore L; Herman, Joseph M

    2012-01-01

    PURPOSE: We report on a novel preclinical pancreatic cancer research model that uses bioluminescence imaging (BLI)-guided irradiation of orthotopic xenograft tumors, sparing of surrounding normal tissues, and quantitative, noninvasive longitudinal assessment of treatment response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Luciferase-expressing MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic carcinoma cells were orthotopically injected in nude mice. BLI was compared to pathologic tumor volume, and photon emission was assessed over time. BLI was correlated to positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to estimate tumor dimensions. BLI and cone-beam CT (CBCT) were used to compare tumor centroid location and estimate setup error. BLI and CBCT fusion was performed to guide irradiation of tumors using the small animal radiation research platform (SARRP). DNA damage was assessed by γ-H2Ax staining. BLI was used to longitudinally monitor treatment response. RESULTS: Bioluminescence predicted tumor volume (R = 0.8984) and increased linearly as a function of time up to a 10-fold increase in tumor burden. BLI correlated with PET/CT and necropsy specimen in size (P < .05). Two-dimensional BLI centroid accuracy was 3.5 mm relative to CBCT. BLI-guided irradiated pancreatic tumors stained positively for γ-H2Ax, whereas surrounding normal tissues were spared. Longitudinal assessment of irradiated tumors with BLI revealed significant tumor growth delay of 20 days relative to controls. CONCLUSIONS: We have successfully applied the SARRP to a bioluminescent, orthotopic preclinical pancreas cancer model to noninvasively: 1) allow the identification of tumor burden before therapy, 2) facilitate image-guided focal radiation therapy, and 3) allow normalization of tumor burden and longitudinal assessment of treatment response. PMID:22496923

  6. Effect of electromagnetic fields on the bacteria bioluminescent activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berzhanskaya, L.Yu.; Berzhanskij, V.N.; Beloplotova, O.Yu.

    1995-01-01

    The effect of electromagnetic field with frequency from 36.2 to 55.9 GHz on bioluminescence activity of bacterium were investigated. Electromagnetic field results in decrease of bioluminescence, which depends from frequency. The electromagnetic field adaptation time is higher of intrinsic time parameters of bioluminescence system. The effect has nonthermal nature. It is suggested that electromagnetic field influence connects with structure rearrangements near cell emitter. 8 refs.; 3 figs

  7. Rapid and Quantitative Assessment of Cancer Treatment Response Using In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alnawaz Rehemtulla

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Current assessment of orthotopic tumor models in animals utilizes survival as the primary therapeutic end point. In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI is a sensitive imaging modality that is rapid and accessible, and may comprise an ideal tool for evaluating antineoplastic therapies [1 ]. Using human tumor cell lines constitutively expressing luciferase, the kinetics of tumor growth and response to therapy have been assessed in intraperitoneal [2], subcutaneous, and intravascular [3] cancer models. However, use of this approach for evaluating orthotopic tumor models has not been demonstrated. In this report, the ability of BLI to noninvasively quantitate the growth and therapeuticinduced cell kill of orthotopic rat brain tumors derived from 9L gliosarcoma cells genetically engineered to stably express firefly luciferase (9LLuc was investigated. Intracerebral tumor burden was monitored over time by quantitation of photon emission and tumor volume using a cryogenically cooled CCD camera and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, respectively. There was excellent correlation (r=0.91 between detected photons and tumor volume. A quantitative comparison of tumor cell kill determined from serial MRI volume measurements and BLI photon counts following 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl-1-nitrosourea (BCNU treatment revealed that both imaging modalities yielded statistically similar cell kill values (P=.951. These results provide direct validation of BLI imaging as a powerful and quantitative tool for the assessment of antineoplastic therapies in living animals.

  8. A Preclinical Evaluation of Antrodia camphorata Alcohol Extracts in the Treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Using Non-Invasive Molecular Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jeng-Feng Chiou

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was carried out to provide a platform for the pre-clinical evaluation of anti-cancer properties of a unique CAM (complementary and alternative medicine agent, Antrodia camphorata alcohol extract (ACAE, in a mouse model with the advantageous non-invasive in vivo bioluminescence molecular imaging technology. In vitro analyses on the proliferation, migration/invasion, cell cycle and apoptosis were performed on ACAE-treated non-small cell lung cancer cells, H441GL and control CGL1 cells. In vivo, immune-deficient mice were inoculated subcutaneously with H441GL followed by oral gavages of ACAE. The effect of ACAE on tumor progression was monitored by non-invasive bioluminescence imaging. The proliferation and migration/invasion of H441GL cells were inhibited by ACAE in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, ACAE induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase and apoptosis in H441GL cells as shown by flow cytometric analysis, Annexin-V immunoflourescence and DNA fragmentation. In vivo bioluminescence imaging revealed that tumorigenesis was significantly retarded by oral treatment of ACAE in a dose-dependent fashion. Based on our experimental data, ACAE contains anti-cancer properties and could be considered as a potential CAM agent in future clinical evaluation.

  9. Bioluminescent bioreporter sensing of foodborne toxins

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraley, Amanda C.; Ripp, Steven; Sayler, Gary S.

    2004-06-01

    Histamine is the primary etiological agent in the foodborne disease scombrotoxicosis, one of the most common food toxicities related to fish consumption. Procedures for detecting histamine in fish products are available, but are often too expensive or too complex for routine use. As an alternative, a bacterial bioluminescent bioreporter has been constructed to develop a biosensor system that autonomously responds to low levels of histamine. The bioreporter contains a promoterless Photorhabdus luminescens lux operon (luxCDABE) fused with the Vibrio anguillarum angR regulatory gene promoter of the anguibactin biosynthetic operon. The bioreporter emitted 1.46 times more bioluminescence than background, 30 minutes after the addition of 100mM histamine. However, specificity was not optimal, as this biosensor generated significant bioluminescence in the presence of L-proline and L-histidine. As a means towards improving histamine specificity, the promoter region of a histamine oxidase gene from Arthrobacter globiformis was cloned upstream of the promotorless lux operon from Photorhabdus luminescens. This recently constructed whole-cell, lux-based bioluminescent bioreporter is currently being tested for optimal performance in the presence of histamine in order to provide a rapid, simple, and inexpensive model sensor for the detection of foodborne toxins.

  10. Increased bioassay sensitivity of bioactive molecule discovery using metal-enhanced bioluminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golberg, Karina; Elbaz, Amit; McNeil, Ronald; Kushmaro, Ariel; Geddes, Chris D.; Marks, Robert S.

    2014-01-01

    We report the use of bioluminescence signal enhancement via proximity to deposited silver nanoparticles for bioactive compound discovery. This approach employs a whole-cell bioreporter harboring a plasmid-borne fusion of a specific promoter incorporated with a bioluminescence reporter gene. The silver deposition process was first optimized to provide optimal nanoparticle size in the reaction time dependence with fluorescein. The use of silver deposition of 350 nm particles enabled the doubling of the bioluminescent signal amplitude by the bacterial bioreporter when compared to an untouched non-silver-deposited microtiter plate surface. This recording is carried out in the less optimal but necessary far-field distance. SEM micrographs provided a visualization of the proximity of the bioreporter to the silver nanoparticles. The electromagnetic field distributions around the nanoparticles were simulated using Finite Difference Time Domain, further suggesting a re-excitation of non-chemically excited bioluminescence in addition to metal-enhanced bioluminescence. The possibility of an antiseptic silver effect caused by such a close proximity was eliminated disregarded by the dynamic growth curves of the bioreporter strains as seen using viability staining. As a highly attractive biotechnology tool, this silver deposition technique, coupled with whole-cell sensing, enables increased bioluminescence sensitivity, making it especially useful for cases in which reporter luminescence signals are very weak

  11. Increased bioassay sensitivity of bioactive molecule discovery using metal-enhanced bioluminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Golberg, Karina, E-mail: karingo@bgu.ac.il; Elbaz, Amit [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering (Israel); McNeil, Ronald [The Institute of Fluorescence, University of Maryland Baltimore County (United States); Kushmaro, Ariel [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering (Israel); Geddes, Chris D. [The Institute of Fluorescence, University of Maryland Baltimore County (United States); Marks, Robert S., E-mail: rsmarks@bgu.ac.il [Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering (Israel)

    2014-12-15

    We report the use of bioluminescence signal enhancement via proximity to deposited silver nanoparticles for bioactive compound discovery. This approach employs a whole-cell bioreporter harboring a plasmid-borne fusion of a specific promoter incorporated with a bioluminescence reporter gene. The silver deposition process was first optimized to provide optimal nanoparticle size in the reaction time dependence with fluorescein. The use of silver deposition of 350 nm particles enabled the doubling of the bioluminescent signal amplitude by the bacterial bioreporter when compared to an untouched non-silver-deposited microtiter plate surface. This recording is carried out in the less optimal but necessary far-field distance. SEM micrographs provided a visualization of the proximity of the bioreporter to the silver nanoparticles. The electromagnetic field distributions around the nanoparticles were simulated using Finite Difference Time Domain, further suggesting a re-excitation of non-chemically excited bioluminescence in addition to metal-enhanced bioluminescence. The possibility of an antiseptic silver effect caused by such a close proximity was eliminated disregarded by the dynamic growth curves of the bioreporter strains as seen using viability staining. As a highly attractive biotechnology tool, this silver deposition technique, coupled with whole-cell sensing, enables increased bioluminescence sensitivity, making it especially useful for cases in which reporter luminescence signals are very weak.

  12. Uninterrupted monitoring of drug effects in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes with bioluminescence Ca2+ microscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Kazushi; Onishi, Takahito; Nakada, Chieko; Takei, Shunsuke; Daniels, Matthew J; Nakano, Masahiro; Matsuda, Tomoki; Nagai, Takeharu

    2018-05-18

    Cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells are a powerful platform for high-throughput drug screening in vitro. However, current modalities for drug testing, such as electrophysiology and fluorescence imaging have inherent drawbacks. To circumvent these problems, we report the development of a bioluminescent Ca 2+ indicator GmNL(Ca 2+ ), and its application in a customized microscope for high-throughput drug screening. GmNL(Ca 2+ ) gives a 140% signal change with Ca 2+ , and can image drug-induced changes of Ca 2+ dynamics in cultured cells. Since bioluminescence requires application of a chemical substrate, which is consumed over ~ 30 min we made a dedicated microscope with automated drug dispensing inside a light-tight box, to control drug addition. To overcome thermal instability of the luminescent substrate, or small molecule, dual climate control enables distinct temperature settings in the drug reservoir and the biological sample. By combining GmNL(Ca 2+ ) with this adaptation, we could image spontaneous Ca 2+ transients in cultured cardiomyocytes and phenotype their response to well-known drugs without accessing the sample directly. In addition, the bioluminescent strategy demonstrates minimal perturbation of contractile parameters and long-term observation attributable to lack of phototoxicity and photobleaching. Overall, bioluminescence may enable more accurate drug screening in a high-throughput manner.

  13. Natural killer cell lines preferentially kill clonogenic multiple myeloma cells and decrease myeloma engraftment in a bioluminescent xenograft mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swift, Brenna E; Williams, Brent A; Kosaka, Yoko; Wang, Xing-Hua; Medin, Jeffrey A; Viswanathan, Sowmya; Martinez-Lopez, Joaquin; Keating, Armand

    2012-07-01

    Novel therapies capable of targeting drug resistant clonogenic MM cells are required for more effective treatment of multiple myeloma. This study investigates the cytotoxicity of natural killer cell lines against bulk and clonogenic multiple myeloma and evaluates the tumor burden after NK cell therapy in a bioluminescent xenograft mouse model. The cytotoxicity of natural killer cell lines was evaluated against bulk multiple myeloma cell lines using chromium release and flow cytometry cytotoxicity assays. Selected activating receptors on natural killer cells were blocked to determine their role in multiple myeloma recognition. Growth inhibition of clonogenic multiple myeloma cells was assessed in a methylcellulose clonogenic assay in combination with secondary replating to evaluate the self-renewal of residual progenitors after natural killer cell treatment. A bioluminescent mouse model was developed using the human U266 cell line transduced to express green fluorescent protein and luciferase (U266eGFPluc) to monitor disease progression in vivo and assess bone marrow engraftment after intravenous NK-92 cell therapy. Three multiple myeloma cell lines were sensitive to NK-92 and KHYG-1 cytotoxicity mediated by NKp30, NKp46, NKG2D and DNAM-1 activating receptors. NK-92 and KHYG-1 demonstrated 2- to 3-fold greater inhibition of clonogenic multiple myeloma growth, compared with killing of the bulk tumor population. In addition, the residual colonies after treatment formed significantly fewer colonies compared to the control in a secondary replating for a cumulative clonogenic inhibition of 89-99% at the 20:1 effector to target ratio. Multiple myeloma tumor burden was reduced by NK-92 in a xenograft mouse model as measured by bioluminescence imaging and reduction in bone marrow engraftment of U266eGFPluc cells by flow cytometry. This study demonstrates that NK-92 and KHYG-1 are capable of killing clonogenic and bulk multiple myeloma cells. In addition, multiple myeloma

  14. 3-bromopyruvate enhanced daunorubicin-induced cytotoxicity involved in monocarboxylate transporter 1 in breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhe; Sun, Yiming; Hong, Haiyu; Zhao, Surong; Zou, Xue; Ma, Renqiang; Jiang, Chenchen; Wang, Zhiwei; Li, Huabin; Liu, Hao

    2015-01-01

    Increasing evidence demonstrates that the hexokinase inhibitor 3-bromopyruvate (3-BrPA) induces the cell apoptotic death by inhibiting ATP generation in human cancer cells. Interestingly, some tumor cell lines are less sensitive to 3-BrPA-induced apoptosis than others. Moreover, the molecular mechanism of 3-BrPA-trigged apoptosis is unclear. In the present study, we examined the effects of 3-BrPA on the viability of the breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. We further investigated the potential roles of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) in drug accumulation and efflux of breast cancer cells. Finally, we explored whether 3-BrPA enhanced daunorubicin (DNR)-induced cytotoxicity through regulation of MCT1 in breast cancer cells. MTT and colony formation assays were used to measure cell viability. Western blot analysis, flow cytometric analysis and fluorescent microscopy were used to determine the molecular mechanism of actions of MCT1 in different breast cancer cell lines. Whole-body bioluminescence imaging was used to investigate the effect of 3-BrPA in vivo. We found that 3-BrPA significantly inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cell line, but not in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, we observed that 3-BrPA efficiently enhanced DNR-induced cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cells by inhibiting the activity of ATP-dependent efflux pumps. We also found that MCT1 overexpression increased the efficacy of 3-BrPA in MDA-MB-231 cells. 3-BrPA markedly suppressed subcutaneous tumor growth in combination with DNR in nude mice implanted with MCF-7 cells. Lastly, our whole-body bioluminescence imaging data indicated that 3-BrPA promoted DNR accumulation in tumors. These findings collectively suggest that 3-BrPA enhanced DNR antitumor activity in breast cancer cells involved MCT-1, suggesting that inhibition of glycolysis could be an effective therapeutic approach for breast cancer treatment.

  15. Visualization of glucagon secretion from pancreatic α cells by bioluminescence video microscopy: Identification of secretion sites in the intercellular contact regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yokawa, Satoru; Suzuki, Takahiro; Inouye, Satoshi; Inoh, Yoshikazu; Suzuki, Ryo; Kanamori, Takao; Furuno, Tadahide; Hirashima, Naohide

    2017-01-01

    We have firstly visualized glucagon secretion using a method of video-rate bioluminescence imaging. The fusion protein of proglucagon and Gaussia luciferase (PGCG-GLase) was used as a reporter to detect glucagon secretion and was efficiently expressed in mouse pancreatic α cells (αTC1.6) using a preferred human codon-optimized gene. In the culture medium of the cells expressing PGCG-GLase, luminescence activity determined with a luminometer was increased with low glucose stimulation and KCl-induced depolarization, as observed for glucagon secretion. From immunochemical analyses, PGCG-GLase stably expressed in clonal αTC1.6 cells was correctly processed and released by secretory granules. Luminescence signals of the secreted PGCG-GLase from the stable cells were visualized by video-rate bioluminescence microscopy. The video images showed an increase in glucagon secretion from clustered cells in response to stimulation by KCl. The secretory events were observed frequently at the intercellular contact regions. Thus, the localization and frequency of glucagon secretion might be regulated by cell-cell adhesion. - Highlights: • The fused protein of proglucagon to Gaussia luciferase was used as a reporter. • The fusion protein was highly expressed using a preferred human-codon optimized gene. • Glucagon secretion stimulated by depolarization was determined by luminescence. • Glucagon secretion in α cells was visualized by bioluminescence imaging. • Glucagon secretion sites were localized in the intercellular contact regions.

  16. Methodological problems of direct bioluminescent ATP assay in platelets and erythrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girotti, S; Ferri, E; Cascione, M L; Comuzio, S; Mazzuca, A; Orlandini, A; Breccia, A

    1989-07-01

    Direct bioluminescent ATP determination in platelets and erythrocytes involves the study of different parameters which are discussed here. Some parameters are linked to the bioluminescent reaction and to the analyte (ATP); others have regard to the biological matrix. The composition of bioluminescent reagents and the preparation and conservation of the ATP standard, also in the presence of excipients, are among the first given. Matrix problems involve cell characteristics related to age and form, lysis resistance and the possible formation of aggregates (platelets) that may inhibit the complete release of ATP. For these reasons we used the most efficient ATP release agent with the lowest inhibitory effect on luciferase. The data obtained correlate well with a bioluminescent method requiring extraction with ethanol/EDTA, and therefore more time, for ATP determination in platelets and erythrocytes.

  17. Bioluminescence imaging of Chlamydia muridarum ascending infection in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jessica Campbell

    Full Text Available Chlamydial pathogenicity in the upper genital tract relies on chlamydial ascending from the lower genital tract. To monitor chlamydial ascension, we engineered a luciferase-expressing C. muridarum. In cells infected with the luciferase-expressing C. muridarum, luciferase gene expression and enzymatic activity (measured as bioluminescence intensity correlated well along the infection course, suggesting that bioluminescence can be used for monitoring chlamydial replication. Following an intravaginal inoculation with the luciferase-expressing C. muridarum, 8 of 10 mice displayed bioluminescence signal in the lower with 4 also in the upper genital tracts on day 3 after infection. By day 7, all 10 mice developed bioluminescence signal in the upper genital tracts. The bioluminescence signal was maintained in the upper genital tract in 6 and 2 mice by days 14 and 21, respectively. The bioluminescence signal was no longer detectable in any of the mice by day 28. The whole body imaging approach also revealed an unexpected airway infection following the intravaginal inoculation. Although the concomitant airway infection was transient and did not significantly alter the genital tract infection time courses, caution should be taken during data interpretation. The above observations have demonstrated that C. muridarum can not only achieve rapid ascending infection in the genital tract but also cause airway infection following a genital tract inoculation. These findings have laid a foundation for further optimizing the C. muridarum intravaginal infection murine model for understanding chlamydial pathogenic mechanisms.

  18. CD4+ T cell effects on CD8+ T cell location defined using bioluminescence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra Azadniv

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available T lymphocytes of the CD8+ class are critical in delivering cytotoxic function and in controlling viral and intracellular infections. These cells are "helped" by T lymphocytes of the CD4+ class, which facilitate their activation, clonal expansion, full differentiation and the persistence of memory. In this study we investigated the impact of CD4+ T cells on the location of CD8+ T cells, using antibody-mediated CD4+ T cell depletion and imaging the antigen-driven redistribution of bioluminescent CD8+ T cells in living mice. We documented that CD4+ T cells influence the biodistribution of CD8+ T cells, favoring their localization to abdominal lymph nodes. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that this was associated with an increase in the expression of specific integrins. The presence of CD4+ T cells at the time of initial CD8+ T cell activation also influences their biodistribution in the memory phase. Based on these results, we propose the model that one of the functions of CD4+ T cell "help" is to program the homing potential of CD8+ T cells.

  19. A miniaturized device for bioluminescence analysis of caspase-3/7 5 activity in a single apoptotic cell

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Adamová, Eva; Lišková, Marcela; Matalová, E.; Klepárník, Karel

    Roč. 406 , č. 22 (2014), s. 5389-5394 ISSN 1618-2642 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-28254S Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : apoptosis * bioluminescence * single-cell analysis Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.436, year: 2014

  20. A miniaturized device for bioluminescence analysis of caspase-3/7 5 activity in a single apoptotic cell

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Adamová, Eva; Lišková, Marcela; Matalová, E.; Klepárník, Karel

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 406, č. 22 (2014), s. 5389-5394 ISSN 1618-2642 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-28254S Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : apoptosis * bioluminescence * single-cell analysis Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.436, year: 2014

  1. Up-regulated microRNA-143 in cancer stem cells differentiation promotes prostate cancer cells metastasis by modulating FNDC3B expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Xinlan; Chen, Xu; Deng, Weixi; Zhong, Guangzheng; Cai, Qingqing; Lin, Tianxin

    2013-01-01

    Metastatic prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in tumor progression and metastasis, including in prostate cancer. There is an obvious and urgent need for effective cancer stem cells specific therapies in metastatic prostate cancer. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are an important class of pervasive genes that are involved in a variety of biological functions, especially in cancer. The goal of this study was to identify miRNAs involved in prostate cancer metastasis and cancer stem cells. A microarray and qRT-PCR were performed to investigate the miRNA expression profiles in PC-3 sphere cells and adherent cells. A transwell assay was used to evaluate the migration of PC-3 sphere cells and adherent cells. MiR-143 was silenced with antisense oligonucleotides in PC-3, PC-3-M and LNCaP cells. The role of miR-143 in prostate cancer metastasis was measured by wound-healing and transwell assays in vitro and bioluminescence imaging in vivo. Bioinformatics and luciferase report assays were used to identify the target of miR-143. The expression of miR-143 and the migration capability were reduced in PC-3 sphere cells and progressively increased during sphere re-adherent culture. Moreover, the down-regulation of miR-143 suppressed prostate cancer cells migration and invasion in vitro and systemically inhibited metastasis in vivo. Fibronectin type III domain containing 3B (FNDC3B), which regulates cell motility, was identified as a target of miR-143. The inhibition of miR-143 increased the expression of FNDC3B protein but not FNDC3B mRNA in vitro and vivo. These data demonstrate for the first time that miR-143 was up-regulated during the differentiation of prostate cancer stem cells and promoted prostate cancer metastasis by repressing FNDC3B expression. This sheds a new insight into the post-transcriptional regulation of cancer stem cells differentiation by miRNAs, a potential approach for the treatment of prostate cancer

  2. Bioluminescent bacteria: lux genes as environmental biosensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nunes-Halldorson Vânia da Silva

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Bioluminescent bacteria are widespread in natural environments. Over the years, many researchers have been studying the physiology, biochemistry and genetic control of bacterial bioluminescence. These discoveries have revolutionized the area of Environmental Microbiology through the use of luminescent genes as biosensors for environmental studies. This paper will review the chronology of scientific discoveries on bacterial bioluminescence and the current applications of bioluminescence in environmental studies, with special emphasis on the Microtox toxicity bioassay. Also, the general ecological significance of bioluminescence will be addressed.

  3. Bioluminescence-based cytotoxicity assay for simultaneous evaluation of cell viability and membrane damage in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uno, Katsuhiro; Murotomi, Kazutoshi; Kazuki, Yasuhiro; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Nakajima, Yoshihiro

    2018-05-01

    We have developed a bioluminescence-based non-destructive cytotoxicity assay in which cell viability and membrane damage are simultaneously evaluated using Emerald luciferase (ELuc) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-targeted copepod luciferase (GLuc-KDEL), respectively, by using multi-integrase mouse artificial chromosome (MI-MAC) vector. We have demonstrated that the time-dependent concentration response curves of ELuc luminescence intensity and WST-1 assay, and GLuc-KDEL luminescence intensity and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the culture medium accompanied by cytotoxicity show good agreement in toxicant-treated ELuc- and GLuc-KDEL-expressing HepG2 stable cell lines. We have clarified that the increase of GLuc-KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium reflects the type of cell death, including necrosis and late apoptosis, but not early apoptosis. We have also uncovered a strong correlation between GLuc-KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium and the extracellular release of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a representative damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) molecule. The bioluminescence measurement assay using ELuc and GLuc-KDEL developed in this study can simultaneously monitor cell viability and membrane damage, respectively, and the increase of GLuc-KDEL luminescence intensity in the culture medium accompanied by the increase of cytotoxicity is an index of necrosis and late apoptosis associated with the extracellular release of DAMP molecules. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  4. Bioluminescent bacteria: lux genes as environmental biosensors

    OpenAIRE

    Nunes-Halldorson,Vânia da Silva; Duran,Norma Letícia

    2003-01-01

    Bioluminescent bacteria are widespread in natural environments. Over the years, many researchers have been studying the physiology, biochemistry and genetic control of bacterial bioluminescence. These discoveries have revolutionized the area of Environmental Microbiology through the use of luminescent genes as biosensors for environmental studies. This paper will review the chronology of scientific discoveries on bacterial bioluminescence and the current applications of bioluminescence in env...

  5. Quorum sensing influences Vibrio harveyi growth rates in a manner not fully accounted for by the marker effect of bioluminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nackerdien, Zeena E; Keynan, Alexander; Bassler, Bonnie L; Lederberg, Joshua; Thaler, David S

    2008-02-27

    The light-emitting Vibrios provide excellent material for studying the interaction of cellular communication with growth rate because bioluminescence is a convenient marker for quorum sensing. However, the use of bioluminescence as a marker is complicated because bioluminescence itself may affect growth rate, e.g. by diverting energy. The marker effect was explored via growth rate studies in isogenic Vibrio harveyi (Vh) strains altered in quorum sensing on the one hand, and bioluminescence on the other. By hypothesis, growth rate is energy limited: mutants deficient in quorum sensing grow faster because wild type quorum sensing unleashes bioluminescence and bioluminescence diverts energy. Findings reported here confirm a role for bioluminescence in limiting Vh growth rate, at least under the conditions tested. However, the results argue that the bioluminescence is insufficient to explain the relationship of growth rate and quorum sensing in Vh. A Vh mutant null for all genes encoding the bioluminescence pathway grew faster than wild type but not as fast as null mutants in quorum sensing. Vh quorum sensing mutants showed altered growth rates that do not always rank with their relative increase or decrease in bioluminescence. In addition, the cell-free culture fluids of a rapidly growing Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) strain increased the growth rate of wild type Vh without significantly altering Vh's bioluminescence. The same cell-free culture fluid increased the bioluminescence of Vh quorum mutants. The effect of quorum sensing on Vh growth rate can be either positive or negative and includes both bioluminescence-dependent and independent components. Bioluminescence tends to slow growth rate but not enough to account for the effects of quorum sensing on growth rate.

  6. Quorum sensing influences Vibrio harveyi growth rates in a manner not fully accounted for by the marker effect of bioluminescence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zeena E Nackerdien

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available The light-emitting Vibrios provide excellent material for studying the interaction of cellular communication with growth rate because bioluminescence is a convenient marker for quorum sensing. However, the use of bioluminescence as a marker is complicated because bioluminescence itself may affect growth rate, e.g. by diverting energy.The marker effect was explored via growth rate studies in isogenic Vibrio harveyi (Vh strains altered in quorum sensing on the one hand, and bioluminescence on the other. By hypothesis, growth rate is energy limited: mutants deficient in quorum sensing grow faster because wild type quorum sensing unleashes bioluminescence and bioluminescence diverts energy. Findings reported here confirm a role for bioluminescence in limiting Vh growth rate, at least under the conditions tested. However, the results argue that the bioluminescence is insufficient to explain the relationship of growth rate and quorum sensing in Vh. A Vh mutant null for all genes encoding the bioluminescence pathway grew faster than wild type but not as fast as null mutants in quorum sensing. Vh quorum sensing mutants showed altered growth rates that do not always rank with their relative increase or decrease in bioluminescence. In addition, the cell-free culture fluids of a rapidly growing Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp strain increased the growth rate of wild type Vh without significantly altering Vh's bioluminescence. The same cell-free culture fluid increased the bioluminescence of Vh quorum mutants.The effect of quorum sensing on Vh growth rate can be either positive or negative and includes both bioluminescence-dependent and independent components. Bioluminescence tends to slow growth rate but not enough to account for the effects of quorum sensing on growth rate.

  7. Repeated and Widespread Evolution of Bioluminescence in Marine Fishes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew P Davis

    Full Text Available Bioluminescence is primarily a marine phenomenon with 80% of metazoan bioluminescent genera occurring in the world's oceans. Here we show that bioluminescence has evolved repeatedly and is phylogenetically widespread across ray-finned fishes. We recover 27 independent evolutionary events of bioluminescence, all among marine fish lineages. This finding indicates that bioluminescence has evolved many more times than previously hypothesized across fishes and the tree of life. Our exploration of the macroevolutionary patterns of bioluminescent lineages indicates that the present day diversity of some inshore and deep-sea bioluminescent fish lineages that use bioluminescence for communication, feeding, and reproduction exhibit exceptional species richness given clade age. We show that exceptional species richness occurs particularly in deep-sea fishes with intrinsic bioluminescent systems and both shallow water and deep-sea lineages with luminescent systems used for communication.

  8. Angiotensin II facilitates breast cancer cell migration and metastasis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sylvie Rodrigues-Ferreira

    Full Text Available Breast cancer metastasis is a leading cause of death by malignancy in women worldwide. Efforts are being made to further characterize the rate-limiting steps of cancer metastasis, i.e. extravasation of circulating tumor cells and colonization of secondary organs. In this study, we investigated whether angiotensin II, a major vasoactive peptide both produced locally and released in the bloodstream, may trigger activating signals that contribute to cancer cell extravasation and metastasis. We used an experimental in vivo model of cancer metastasis in which bioluminescent breast tumor cells (D3H2LN were injected intra-cardiacally into nude mice in order to recapitulate the late and essential steps of metastatic dissemination. Real-time intravital imaging studies revealed that angiotensin II accelerates the formation of metastatic foci at secondary sites. Pre-treatment of cancer cells with the peptide increases the number of mice with metastases, as well as the number and size of metastases per mouse. In vitro, angiotensin II contributes to each sequential step of cancer metastasis by promoting cancer cell adhesion to endothelial cells, trans-endothelial migration and tumor cell migration across extracellular matrix. At the molecular level, a total of 102 genes differentially expressed following angiotensin II pre-treatment were identified by comparative DNA microarray. Angiotensin II regulates two groups of connected genes related to its precursor angiotensinogen. Among those, up-regulated MMP2/MMP9 and ICAM1 stand at the crossroad of a network of genes involved in cell adhesion, migration and invasion. Our data suggest that targeting angiotensin II production or action may represent a valuable therapeutic option to prevent metastatic progression of invasive breast tumors.

  9. Photon hunting in the twilight zone: visual features of mesopelagic bioluminescent sharks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julien M Claes

    Full Text Available The mesopelagic zone is a visual scene continuum in which organisms have developed various strategies to optimize photon capture. Here, we used light microscopy, stereology-assisted retinal topographic mapping, spectrophotometry and microspectrophotometry to investigate the visual ecology of deep-sea bioluminescent sharks [four etmopterid species (Etmopterus lucifer, E. splendidus, E. spinax and Trigonognathus kabeyai and one dalatiid species (Squaliolus aliae]. We highlighted a novel structure, a translucent area present in the upper eye orbit of Etmopteridae, which might be part of a reference system for counterillumination adjustment or acts as a spectral filter for camouflage breaking, as well as several ocular specialisations such as aphakic gaps and semicircular tapeta previously unknown in elasmobranchs. All species showed pure rod hexagonal mosaics with a high topographic diversity. Retinal specialisations, formed by shallow cell density gradients, may aid in prey detection and reflect lifestyle differences; pelagic species display areae centrales while benthopelagic and benthic species display wide and narrow horizontal streaks, respectively. One species (E. lucifer displays two areae within its horizontal streak that likely allows detection of conspecifics' elongated bioluminescent flank markings. Ganglion cell topography reveals less variation with all species showing a temporal area for acute frontal binocular vision. This area is dorsally extended in T. kabeyai, allowing this species to adjust the strike of its peculiar jaws in the ventro-frontal visual field. Etmopterus lucifer showed an additional nasal area matching a high rod density area. Peak spectral sensitivities of the rod visual pigments (λmax fall within the range 484-491 nm, allowing these sharks to detect a high proportion of photons present in their habitat. Comparisons with previously published data reveal ocular differences between bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent

  10. Photon hunting in the twilight zone: visual features of mesopelagic bioluminescent sharks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Claes, Julien M; Partridge, Julian C; Hart, Nathan S; Garza-Gisholt, Eduardo; Ho, Hsuan-Ching; Mallefet, Jérôme; Collin, Shaun P

    2014-01-01

    The mesopelagic zone is a visual scene continuum in which organisms have developed various strategies to optimize photon capture. Here, we used light microscopy, stereology-assisted retinal topographic mapping, spectrophotometry and microspectrophotometry to investigate the visual ecology of deep-sea bioluminescent sharks [four etmopterid species (Etmopterus lucifer, E. splendidus, E. spinax and Trigonognathus kabeyai) and one dalatiid species (Squaliolus aliae)]. We highlighted a novel structure, a translucent area present in the upper eye orbit of Etmopteridae, which might be part of a reference system for counterillumination adjustment or acts as a spectral filter for camouflage breaking, as well as several ocular specialisations such as aphakic gaps and semicircular tapeta previously unknown in elasmobranchs. All species showed pure rod hexagonal mosaics with a high topographic diversity. Retinal specialisations, formed by shallow cell density gradients, may aid in prey detection and reflect lifestyle differences; pelagic species display areae centrales while benthopelagic and benthic species display wide and narrow horizontal streaks, respectively. One species (E. lucifer) displays two areae within its horizontal streak that likely allows detection of conspecifics' elongated bioluminescent flank markings. Ganglion cell topography reveals less variation with all species showing a temporal area for acute frontal binocular vision. This area is dorsally extended in T. kabeyai, allowing this species to adjust the strike of its peculiar jaws in the ventro-frontal visual field. Etmopterus lucifer showed an additional nasal area matching a high rod density area. Peak spectral sensitivities of the rod visual pigments (λmax) fall within the range 484-491 nm, allowing these sharks to detect a high proportion of photons present in their habitat. Comparisons with previously published data reveal ocular differences between bioluminescent and non-bioluminescent deep

  11. Bioluminescent organs of two deep-sea arrow worms, Eukrohnia fowleri and Caecosagitta macrocephala, with further observations on Bioluminescence in chaetognaths.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thuesen, Erik V; Goetz, Freya E; Haddock, Steven H D

    2010-10-01

    Bioluminescence in the deep-sea chaetognath Eukrohnia fowleri is reported for the first time, and behavioral, morphological, and chemical characteristics of bioluminescence in chaetognaths are examined. Until this study, the only known species of bioluminescent chaetognath was Caecosagitta macrocephala. The luminescent organ of that species is located on the ventral edge of each anterior lateral fin, whereas that of E. fowleri runs across the center of the tail fin on both dorsal and ventral sides. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the bioluminescent organs of both species consist of hexagonal chambers containing elongate ovoid particles-the organelles holding bioluminescent materials. No other luminous organism is known to use hexagonal packing to hold bioluminescent materials. Transmission electron microscopy of particles from C. macrocephala revealed a densely packed paracrystalline matrix punctuated by globular inclusions, which likely correspond to luciferin and luciferase, respectively. Both species use unique luciferases in conjunction with coelenterazine for light emission. Luciferase of C. macrocephala becomes inactive after 30 min, but luciferase of E. fowleri is highly stable. Although C. macrocephala has about 90 times fewer particles than E. fowleri, it has a similar bioluminescent capacity (total particle volume) due to its larger particle size. In situ observations of C. macrocephala from a remotely operated vehicle revealed that the luminous particles are released to form a cloud. The discovery of bioluminescence in a second chaetognath phylogenetically distant from the first highlights the importance of bioluminescence among deep-sea organisms.

  12. Preclinical evaluation of destruxin B as a novel Wnt signaling target suppressing proliferation and metastasis of colorectal cancer using non-invasive bioluminescence imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yeh, Chi-Tai [Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Center of Excellence for Cancer Research, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Rao, Yerra Koteswara [Institute of Biochemical Sciences and Technology, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan (China); Ye, Min [Department of Natural Medicine, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing (China); Wu, Wen-Shi [Department of Horticulture and Biotechnology, Chinese Culture University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Chang, Tung-Chen [Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wang, Liang-Shun [Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wu, Chih-Hsiung [Center of Excellence for Cancer Research, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Surgery, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Wu, Alexander T.H., E-mail: chaw1211@tmu.edu.tw [Ph.D. Program for Translational Medicine, College of Medical Science and Technology, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Department of Radiation Oncology, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (China); Tzeng, Yew-Min, E-mail: ymtzeng@cyut.edu.tw [Institute of Biochemical Sciences and Technology, Chaoyang University of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan (China)

    2012-05-15

    In continuation to our studies toward the identification of direct anti-cancer targets, here we showed that destruxin B (DB) from Metarhizium anisopliae suppressed the proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest in human colorectal cancer (CRC) HT29, SW480 and HCT116 cells. Additionally, DB induced apoptosis in HT29 cells by decreased expression level of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL while increased pro-apoptotic Bax. On the other hand, DB attenuated Wnt-signaling by downregulation of β-catenin, Tcf4 and β-catenin/Tcf4 transcriptional activity, concomitantly with decreased expression of β-catenin target genes cyclin D1, c-myc and survivin. Furthermore, DB affected the migratory and invasive ability of HT29 cells through suppressed MMPs-2 and -9 enzymatic activities. We also found that DB targeted the MAPK and/or PI3K/Akt pathway by reduced expression of Akt, IKK-α, JNK, NF-κB, c-Jun and c-Fos while increased that of IκBα. Finally, we demonstrated that DB inhibited tumorigenesis in HT29 xenograft mice using non-invasive bioluminescence technique. Consistently, tumor samples from DB-treated mice demonstrated suppressed expression of β-catenin, cyclin D1, survivin, and endothelial marker CD31 while increased caspase-3 expression. Collectively, our data supports DB as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin/Tcf signaling pathway that may be beneficial in the CRC management. Highlights: ► Destruxin B (DB) inhibited colorectal cancer cells growth and induced apoptosis. ► MAPK and/or PI3K/Akt cascade cooperates in DB induced apoptosis. ► DB affected the migratory and invasive ability of HT29 cells through MMP-9. ► DB attenuated Wnt-signaling components β-catenin, Tcf4. ► DB attenuated cyclin D1, c-myc, survivin and tumorigenesis in HT29 xenograft mice.

  13. Monitoring and quantitative assessment of tumor burden using in vivo bioluminescence imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, C.-C. [Cancer Research Division, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli 350, Taiwan (China); Hwang, Jeng-Jong [Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China)]. E-mail: jjhwang@ym.edu.tw; Ting, G. [Cancer Research Division, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli 350, Taiwan (China); Tseng, Y.-L. [Taiwan Liposome Company, Taipei 115, Taiwan (China); Wang, S.-J. [Department of Nuclear Medicine, Veterans General Hospital, Taipei 112, Taiwan (China); Whang-Peng, J. [Cancer Research Division, National Health Research Institute, Miaoli 350, Taiwan (China)

    2007-02-01

    In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a sensitive imaging modality that is rapid and accessible, and may comprise an ideal tool for evaluating tumor growth. In this study, the kinetic of tumor growth has been assessed in C26 colon carcinoma bearing BALB/c mouse model. The ability of BLI to noninvasively quantitate the growth of subcutaneous tumors transplanted with C26 cells genetically engineered to stably express firefly luciferase and herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (C26/tk-luc). A good correlation (R {sup 2}=0.998) of photon emission to the cell number was found in vitro. Tumor burden and tumor volume were monitored in vivo over time by quantitation of photon emission using Xenogen IVIS 50 and standard external caliper measurement, respectively. At various time intervals, tumor-bearing mice were imaged to determine the correlation of in vivo BLI to tumor volume. However, a correlation of BLI to tumor volume was observed when tumor volume was smaller than 1000 mm{sup 3} (R {sup 2}=0.907). {gamma} Scintigraphy combined with [{sup 131}I]FIAU was another imaging modality used for verifying the previous results. In conclusion, this study showed that bioluminescence imaging is a powerful and quantitative tool for the direct assay to monitor tumor growth in vivo. The dual reporter genes transfected tumor-bearing animal model can be applied in the evaluation of the efficacy of new developed anti-cancer drugs.

  14. Monitoring and quantitative assessment of tumor burden using in vivo bioluminescence imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, C.-C.; Hwang, Jeng-Jong; Ting, G.; Tseng, Y.-L.; Wang, S.-J.; Whang-Peng, J.

    2007-01-01

    In vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a sensitive imaging modality that is rapid and accessible, and may comprise an ideal tool for evaluating tumor growth. In this study, the kinetic of tumor growth has been assessed in C26 colon carcinoma bearing BALB/c mouse model. The ability of BLI to noninvasively quantitate the growth of subcutaneous tumors transplanted with C26 cells genetically engineered to stably express firefly luciferase and herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (C26/tk-luc). A good correlation (R 2 =0.998) of photon emission to the cell number was found in vitro. Tumor burden and tumor volume were monitored in vivo over time by quantitation of photon emission using Xenogen IVIS 50 and standard external caliper measurement, respectively. At various time intervals, tumor-bearing mice were imaged to determine the correlation of in vivo BLI to tumor volume. However, a correlation of BLI to tumor volume was observed when tumor volume was smaller than 1000 mm 3 (R 2 =0.907). γ Scintigraphy combined with [ 131 I]FIAU was another imaging modality used for verifying the previous results. In conclusion, this study showed that bioluminescence imaging is a powerful and quantitative tool for the direct assay to monitor tumor growth in vivo. The dual reporter genes transfected tumor-bearing animal model can be applied in the evaluation of the efficacy of new developed anti-cancer drugs

  15. Heterogeneity in quorum sensing-regulated bioluminescence of Vibrio harveyi.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anetzberger, Claudia; Pirch, Torsten; Jung, Kirsten

    2009-07-01

    Quorum sensing (QS) refers to the ability of bacterial populations to read out the local environment for cell density and to collectively activate gene expression. Vibrio harveyi, one of the best characterized model organisms in QS, was used to address the question how single cells behave within a QS-activated community in a homogeneous environment. Analysis of the QS-regulated bioluminescence of a wild type strain revealed that even at high cell densities only 69% of the cells of the population produced bioluminescence, 25% remained dark and 6% were dead. Moreover, light intensities greatly varied from cell to cell at high population density. Addition of autoinducer to a bright liquid culture of V. harveyi increased the percentage of luminescent cells up to 98%, suggesting that V. harveyi produces and/or keeps the autoinducers at non-saturating concentrations. In contrast, all living cells of a constitutive QS-active mutant (DeltaluxO) produced light. We also found that QS affects biofilm formation in V. harveyi. Our data provide first evidence that a heterogeneous population produces more biofilm than a homogeneous one. It is suggested that even a QS-committed population of V. harveyi takes advantage of heterogeneity, which extends the current view of QS-regulated uniformity.

  16. Dual monitoring using 124I-FIAU and bioluminescence for HSV1-tk suicide gene therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, T. S.; Kim, J. H.; Kwon, H. C.

    2007-01-01

    Herpes simplex virus type I thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) is the most common reporter gene and is used in cancer gene therapy with a prodrug nucleoside analog, ganciclovir (GCV). The aim of this study is to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of suicide gene therapy with 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxy-1-D-arabinofuranosyl-5-[ 124 I] iodouracil ( 124 I - FIAU) and bioluminescence in retrovirally HSV -tk and firefly luciferase transduced hepatoma model. The HSV -tk and firefly luciferase (Luc) was retrovirally transduced and expressed in MCA rat Morris hepatoma cells. Nude mice with subcutaneous tumors, MCA and MCA-TK-Luc, were subjected to GCV treatment (50mg/Kg/d intraperitoneally) for 5 day. PET imaging and biodistribution with ( 124 I-FIAU) were performed at before and after initiation of therapy with GCV. Bioluminescent signal was also measured during GCV treatment. Before GCV treatment, no significant difference in tumor volume was found in tumors between MCA and MCA-TK-Luc. After GCV treatment, tumor volume of MCA-TK-Luc markedly reduced compared to that of MCA. In biodistribution study, 124 I-FIAU uptake after GCV therapy significantly decreased compared with pretreatment levels (34.8 13.67 %ID/g vs 7.6 2.59 %ID/g) and bioluminescent signal was also significantly decreased compared with pretreatment levels. In small animal PET imaging, 124 I-FIAU selectively localized in HSV -tk expressing tumor and the therapeutic efficacy of GCV treatment was evaluated by 124 I-FIAU PET imaging. 124 I-FIAU PET and bioluminescence imaging in HSV-tk suicide gene therapy were effective to evaluate the therapeutic response. 124 I-FIAU may serve as an efficient and selective agent for monitoring of transduced HSV1-tk gene expression in vivo in clinical trials

  17. Gambogic Acid Efficiently Kills Stem-Like Colorectal Cancer Cells by Upregulating ZFP36 Expression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Wei

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Gambogic acid (GA, the main active compound of Gamboge hanburyi, has been reported to be a potential novel antitumor drug. Whether GA inhibits putative cancer stem cells (CSCs, which are considered to be the major cause of cancer treatment failure, remains largely unknown. This study investigated whether GA inhibits the CSCs of colorectal cancer (CRC and its possible mechanisms. Methods: We performed CCK8 and tumor sphere formation assays, percentage analysis of both side population and CD133+CD44+ cells, and the detection of stem cells markers, in order to assess the role of GA in inhibiting the stem celllike features of CRC. An mRNA microarray was performed to identify the downstream gene affected by GA and rescue assays were performed to further clarify whether the downstream gene is involved in the GA induced decrease of the stem cell-like CRC population. CRC cells were engineered with a CSC detector vector encoding GFP and luciferase (Luc under the control of the Nanog promoter, which were utilized to investigate the effect of GA on putative CSC in human tumor xenograft-bearing mice using in vivo bioluminescence imaging. Results: Our results showed that GA significantly reduced tumor sphere formation and the percentages of side population and CD133+CD44+ cells, while also decreasing the expression of stemness and EMT-associated markers in CRC cells in vitro. GA killed stem-like CRC cells by upregulating the expression of ZFP36, which is dependent on the inactivation of the EGFR/ ERK signaling pathway. GFP+ cells harboring the PNanog-GFP-T2A-Luc transgene exhibited CSC characteristics. The in vivo results showed that GA significantly inhibited tumor growth in nude mice, accompanied by a remarkable reduction in the putative CSC number, based on whole-body bioluminescence imaging. Conclusion: These findings suggest that GA significantly inhibits putative CSCs of CRC both in vitro and in vivo by inhibiting the activation of the

  18. The Application of Non-Invasive Apoptosis Detection Sensor (NIADS on Histone Deacetylation Inhibitor (HDACi-Induced Breast Cancer Cell Death

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kai-Wen Hsu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women and the second leading cause of cancer death in women. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC subtype is a breast cancer subset without ER (estrogen receptor, PR (progesterone receptor and HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression, limiting treatment options and presenting a poorer survival rate. Thus, we investigated whether histone deacetylation inhibitor (HDACi could be used as potential anti-cancer therapy on breast cancer cells. In this study, we found TNBC and HER2-enriched breast cancers are extremely sensitive to Panobinostat, Belinostat of HDACi via experiments of cell viability assay, apoptotic marker identification and flow cytometry measurement. On the other hand, we developed a bioluminescence-based live cell non-invasive apoptosis detection sensor (NIADS detection system to evaluate the quantitative and kinetic analyses of apoptotic cell death by HDAC treatment on breast cancer cells. In addition, the use of HDACi may also contribute a synergic anti-cancer effect with co-treatment of chemotherapeutic agent such as doxorubicin on TNBC cells (MDA-MB-231, but not in breast normal epithelia cells (MCF-10A, providing therapeutic benefits against breast tumor in the clinic.

  19. Breast Cancer Cell Colonization of the Human Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue Niche.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Templeton, Zach S; Lie, Wen-Rong; Wang, Weiqi; Rosenberg-Hasson, Yael; Alluri, Rajiv V; Tamaresis, John S; Bachmann, Michael H; Lee, Kitty; Maloney, William J; Contag, Christopher H; King, Bonnie L

    2015-12-01

    Bone is a preferred site of breast cancer metastasis, suggesting the presence of tissue-specific features that attract and promote the outgrowth of breast cancer cells. We sought to identify parameters of human bone tissue associated with breast cancer cell osteotropism and colonization in the metastatic niche. Migration and colonization patterns of MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP (luciferase-enhanced green fluorescence protein) and MCF-7-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cells were studied in co-culture with cancellous bone tissue fragments isolated from 14 hip arthroplasties. Breast cancer cell migration into tissues and toward tissue-conditioned medium was measured in Transwell migration chambers using bioluminescence imaging and analyzed as a function of secreted factors measured by multiplex immunoassay. Patterns of breast cancer cell colonization were evaluated with fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry. Enhanced MDA-MB-231-fLuc-EGFP breast cancer cell migration to bone-conditioned versus control medium was observed in 12/14 specimens (P = .0014) and correlated significantly with increasing levels of the adipokines/cytokines leptin (P = .006) and IL-1β (P = .001) in univariate and multivariate regression analyses. Fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry of fragments underscored the extreme adiposity of adult human bone tissues and revealed extensive breast cancer cell colonization within the marrow adipose tissue compartment. Our results show that breast cancer cells migrate to human bone tissue-conditioned medium in association with increasing levels of leptin and IL-1β, and colonize the bone marrow adipose tissue compartment of cultured fragments. Bone marrow adipose tissue and its molecular signals may be important but understudied components of the breast cancer metastatic niche. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. [Determination of minimal concentrations of biocorrosion inhibitors by a bioluminescence method in relation to bacteria, participating in biocorrosion].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Efremenko, E N; Azizov, R E; Makhlis, T A; Abbasov, V M; Varfolomeev, S D

    2005-01-01

    By using a bioluminescence ATP assay, we have determined the minimal concentrations of some biocorrosion inhibitors (Katon, Khazar, VFIKS-82, Nitro-1, Kaspii-2, and Kaspii-4) suppressing most common microbial corrosion agents: Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, Desulfovibrio vulgaris, Pseudomonas putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens, and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. The cell titers determined by the bioluminescence method, including not only dividing cells but also their dormant living counterparts, are two- to sixfold greater than the values determined microbiologically. It is shown that the bioluminescence method can be applied to determination of cell titers in samples of oil-field waters in the presence of iron ions (up to 260 mM) and iron sulfide (to 186 mg/l) and in the absence or presence of biocidal corrosion inhibitors.

  1. Bioluminescence imaging: a shining future for cardiac regeneration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roura, Santiago; Gálvez-Montón, Carolina; Bayes-Genis, Antoni

    2013-01-01

    Advances in bioanalytical techniques have become crucial for both basic research and medical practice. One example, bioluminescence imaging (BLI), is based on the application of natural reactants with light-emitting capabilities (photoproteins and luciferases) isolated from a widespread group of organisms. The main challenges in cardiac regeneration remain unresolved, but a vast number of studies have harnessed BLI with the discovery of aequorin and green fluorescent proteins. First described in the luminous hydromedusan Aequorea victoria in the early 1960s, bioluminescent proteins have greatly contributed to the design and initiation of ongoing cell-based clinical trials on cardiovascular diseases. In conjunction with advances in reporter gene technology, BLI provides valuable information about the location and functional status of regenerative cells implanted into numerous animal models of disease. The purpose of this review was to present the great potential of BLI, among other existing imaging modalities, to refine effectiveness and underlying mechanisms of cardiac cell therapy. We recount the first discovery of natural primary compounds with light-emitting capabilities, and follow their applications to bioanalysis. We also illustrate insights and perspectives on BLI to illuminate current efforts in cardiac regeneration, where the future is bright. PMID:23402217

  2. In vivo bioluminescence imaging of cell differentiation in biomaterials: a platform for scaffold development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagó, Juli R; Aguilar, Elisabeth; Alieva, Maria; Soler-Botija, Carolina; Vila, Olaia F; Claros, Silvia; Andrades, José A; Becerra, José; Rubio, Nuria; Blanco, Jerónimo

    2013-03-01

    In vivo testing is a mandatory last step in scaffold development. Agile longitudinal noninvasive real-time monitoring of stem cell behavior in biomaterials implanted in live animals should facilitate the development of scaffolds for tissue engineering. We report on a noninvasive bioluminescence imaging (BLI) procedure for simultaneous monitoring of changes in the expression of multiple genes to evaluate scaffold performance in vivo. Adipose tissue-derived stromal mensenchymal cells were dually labeled with Renilla red fluorescent protein and firefly green fluorescent protein chimeric reporters regulated by cytomegalovirus and tissue-specific promoters, respectively. Labeled cells were induced to differentiate in vitro and in vivo, by seeding in demineralized bone matrices (DBMs) and monitored by BLI. Imaging results were validated by RT-polymerase chain reaction and histological procedures. The proposed approach improves molecular imaging and measurement of changes in gene expression of cells implanted in live animals. This procedure, applicable to the simultaneous analysis of multiple genes from cells seeded in DBMs, should facilitate engineering of scaffolds for tissue repair.

  3. Bacterial bioluminescence onset and quenching: a dynamical model for a quorum sensing-mediated property

    OpenAIRE

    Side, Domenico Delle; Nassisi, Vincenzo; Pennetta, Cecilia; Alifano, Pietro; Di Salvo, Marco; Talà, Adelfia; Chechkin, Aleksei; Seno, Flavio; Trovato, Antonio

    2017-01-01

    We present an effective dynamical model for the onset of bacterial bioluminescence, one of the most studied quorum sensing-mediated traits. Our model is built upon simple equations that describe the growth of the bacterial colony, the production and accumulation of autoinducer signal molecules, their sensing within bacterial cells, and the ensuing quorum activation mechanism that triggers bioluminescent emission. The model is directly tested to quantitatively reproduce the experimental distri...

  4. Dual monitoring using {sup 124}I-FIAU and bioluminescence for HSV1-tk suicide gene therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, T. S.; Kim, J. H.; Kwon, H. C. [Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)

    2007-07-01

    Herpes simplex virus type I thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) is the most common reporter gene and is used in cancer gene therapy with a prodrug nucleoside analog, ganciclovir (GCV). The aim of this study is to evaluate therapeutic efficacy of suicide gene therapy with 2'-fluoro-2'-deoxy-1-D-arabinofuranosyl-5-[{sup 124}I] iodouracil ({sup 124}I - FIAU) and bioluminescence in retrovirally HSV -tk and firefly luciferase transduced hepatoma model. The HSV -tk and firefly luciferase (Luc) was retrovirally transduced and expressed in MCA rat Morris hepatoma cells. Nude mice with subcutaneous tumors, MCA and MCA-TK-Luc, were subjected to GCV treatment (50mg/Kg/d intraperitoneally) for 5 day. PET imaging and biodistribution with ({sup 124}I-FIAU) were performed at before and after initiation of therapy with GCV. Bioluminescent signal was also measured during GCV treatment. Before GCV treatment, no significant difference in tumor volume was found in tumors between MCA and MCA-TK-Luc. After GCV treatment, tumor volume of MCA-TK-Luc markedly reduced compared to that of MCA. In biodistribution study, {sup 124}I-FIAU uptake after GCV therapy significantly decreased compared with pretreatment levels (34.8 13.67 %ID/g vs 7.6 2.59 %ID/g) and bioluminescent signal was also significantly decreased compared with pretreatment levels. In small animal PET imaging, {sup 124}I-FIAU selectively localized in HSV -tk expressing tumor and the therapeutic efficacy of GCV treatment was evaluated by {sup 124}I-FIAU PET imaging. {sup 124}I-FIAU PET and bioluminescence imaging in HSV-tk suicide gene therapy were effective to evaluate the therapeutic response. {sup 124}I-FIAU may serve as an efficient and selective agent for monitoring of transduced HSV1-tk gene expression in vivo in clinical trials.

  5. Suppress orthotopic colon cancer and its metastasis through exact targeting and highly selective drug release by a smart nanomicelle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Chunqi; Zhang, Hanbo; Li, Wei; Luo, Lihua; Guo, Xiaomeng; Wang, Zuhua; Kong, Fenfen; Li, Qingpo; Yang, Jie; Du, Yongzhong; You, Jian

    2018-04-01

    The treatment of metastatic cancer is a huge challenge at the moment. Highly precise targeting delivery and drug release in tumor have always been our pursuit in cancer therapy, especially to advance cancer with metastasis, for increasing the efficacy and biosafety. We established a smart nanosized micelle, formed by tocopherol succinate (TOS) conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA) using a disulfide bond linker. The micelle (HA-SS-TOS, HSST) can highly specifically bind with CD44 receptor over-expressed tumor, and response selectively to high GSH level in the cells, inducing disulfide bond breakage and the release of the payload (paclitaxel, PTX). To predict the antitumor efficacy of the micelles more clinically, we established an orthotopic colon cancer model with high metastasis rate, which could be visualized by the luciferase bioluminescence. Our data confirmed CD44 high expression in the colon cancer cells. Highly matching between the micellar fluorescence and bioluminescence of cancer cells in intestines demonstrated an exact recognition of our micelles to orthotopic colon tumor and its metastatic cells, attributing to the mediation of CD44 receptors. Furthermore, the fluorescence of the released Nile Red from the micelles was found only in the tumor and its metastatic cells, and almost completely overlapped with the bioluminescence of the cancer cells, indicating a highly selective drug release. Our micelles presented an excellent therapeutic effect against metastatic colon cancer, and induced significantly prolonged survival time for the mice, which might become a promising nanomedicine platform for the future clinical application against advanced cancers with high CD44 receptor expression. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Fast in vivo bioluminescence tomography using a novel pure optical imaging technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuang Zhang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Bioluminescence tomography (BLT is a novel optical molecular imaging technique that advanced the conventional planar bioluminescence imaging (BLI into a quantifiable three-dimensional (3D approach in preclinical living animal studies in oncology. In order to solve the inverse problem and reconstruct tumor lesions inside animal body accurately, the prior structural information is commonly obtained from X-ray computed tomography (CT. This strategy requires a complicated hybrid imaging system, extensive post imaging analysis and involvement of ionizing radiation. Moreover, the overall robustness highly depends on the fusion accuracy between the optical and structural information. Here, we present a pure optical bioluminescence tomographic (POBT system and a novel BLT workflow based on multi-view projection acquisition and 3D surface reconstruction. This method can reconstruct the 3D surface of an imaging subject based on a sparse set of planar white-light and bioluminescent images, so that the prior structural information can be offered for 3D tumor lesion reconstruction without the involvement of CT. The performance of this novel technique was evaluated through the comparison with a conventional dual-modality tomographic (DMT system and a commercialized optical imaging system (IVIS Spectrum using three breast cancer xenografts. The results revealed that the new technique offered comparable in vivo tomographic accuracy with the DMT system (P>0.05 in much shorter data analysis time. It also offered significantly better accuracy comparing with the IVIS system (P<0.04 without sacrificing too much time.

  7. Bioluminescence determination of active caspase-3 in single apoptotic cells

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lišková, Marcela; Klepárník, Karel; Matalová, Eva; Hegrová, Jitka; Přikryl, Jan; Švandová, Eva; Foret, František

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 34, č. 12 (2013), s. 1772-1777 ISSN 0173-0835 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP206/11/2377 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GAP502/12/1285 Program:GA Institutional support: RVO:68081715 ; RVO:67985904 Keywords : apoptosis * bioluminescence * caspase-3 Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 3.161, year: 2013

  8. Visualization of local Ca2+ dynamics with genetically encoded bioluminescent reporters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Kelly L; Stinnakre, Jacques; Agulhon, Cendra; Jublot, Delphine; Shorte, Spencer L; Kremer, Eric J; Brûlet, Philippe

    2005-02-01

    Measurements of local Ca2+ signalling at different developmental stages and/or in specific cell types is important for understanding aspects of brain functioning. The use of light excitation in fluorescence imaging can cause phototoxicity, photobleaching and auto-fluorescence. In contrast, bioluminescence does not require the input of radiative energy and can therefore be measured over long periods, with very high temporal resolution. Aequorin is a genetically encoded Ca(2+)-sensitive bioluminescent protein, however, its low quantum yield prevents dynamic measurements of Ca2+ responses in single cells. To overcome this limitation, we recently reported the bi-functional Ca2+ reporter gene, GFP-aequorin (GA), which was developed specifically to improve the light output and stability of aequorin chimeras [V. Baubet, et al., (2000) PNAS, 97, 7260-7265]. In the current study, we have genetically targeted GA to different microdomains important in synaptic transmission, including to the mitochondrial matrix, endoplasmic reticulum, synaptic vesicles and to the postsynaptic density. We demonstrate that these reporters enable 'real-time' measurements of subcellular Ca2+ changes in single mammalian neurons using bioluminescence. The high signal-to-noise ratio of these reporters is also important in that it affords the visualization of Ca2+ dynamics in cell-cell communication in neuronal cultures and tissue slices. Further, we demonstrate the utility of this approach in ex-vivo preparations of mammalian retina, a paradigm in which external light input should be controlled. This represents a novel molecular imaging approach for non-invasive monitoring of local Ca2+ dynamics and cellular communication in tissue or whole animal studies.

  9. Assessing the bioavailability of organic contaminants using a novel bioluminescent biosensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keane, A.; Phoenix, P.; Lau, P.C.K.; Ghoshal, S.

    2002-01-01

    The limited rate and extent of biodegradation in contaminated soils is often attributed to a lack of bioavailability of hydrophobic organic compounds. To date, the majority of studies aimed at assessing bioavailability and modes of bacterial uptake have relied upon quantification of microbial degradation rates in comparison to rates of dissolution or desorption in corresponding abiotic systems. Several studies have indicated the possibility of a direct uptake mechanism for sorbed or separate phase compounds. However, there is a lack of direct evidence to support these claims. To address the need for a direct measurement technique for microbial bioavailability, we have constructed a whole-cell bioluminescent biosensor, Pseudomonas putida F1G4 (PpF1G4), by fusing lux genes that encode for bioluminescence to the solvent efflux pump (sep) promoter element in PpF1G4, which is induced by the presence of target organic compounds. When the biosensor microorganism is exposed to an inducing compound, the bioluminescence system is activated and the cell produces an intensity of visible light (λ = 495 nm) that is directly related to the level of exposure to the contaminant. Batch experiments were carried out to assess whether the biosensor is able to sense the presence of toluene, a representative target compound, contained in a NAPL. Preliminary results show that while PpF1G4 responds to toluene in the aqueous phase, the biosensor does not appear to emit a significant bioluminescence signal in response to the toluene present in the NAPL. Ongoing research is focusing on optimizing the experimental procedure to fully explore this issue. (author)

  10. CDK5 as a Therapeutic Target in Prostate Cancer Metastasis

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Nelkin, Barry

    2007-01-01

    .... We also proposed to examine the role of CDK5 activity in growth of prostate cancer metastatic to bone, using PC3 based bioluminescent cell clones, and to explore the potential for CDK5 inhibition...

  11. Hybrid radiosity-SP3 equation based bioluminescence tomography reconstruction for turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xueli; Zhang, Qitan; Yang, Defu; Liang, Jimin

    2014-01-01

    To provide an ideal solution for a specific problem of gastric cancer detection in which low-scattering regions simultaneously existed with both the non- and high-scattering regions, a novel hybrid radiosity-SP3 equation based reconstruction algorithm for bioluminescence tomography was proposed in this paper. In the algorithm, the third-order simplified spherical harmonics approximation (SP3) was combined with the radiosity equation to describe the bioluminescent light propagation in tissues, which provided acceptable accuracy for the turbid medium with both low- and non-scattering regions. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated with digital mouse based simulations and a gastric cancer-bearing mouse based in situ experiment. Primary results demonstrated the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm for the turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions.

  12. Hybrid radiosity-SP3 equation based bioluminescence tomography reconstruction for turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Xueli; Zhang, Qitan; Yang, Defu; Liang, Jimin

    2014-01-01

    To provide an ideal solution for a specific problem of gastric cancer detection in which low-scattering regions simultaneously existed with both the non- and high-scattering regions, a novel hybrid radiosity-SP 3 equation based reconstruction algorithm for bioluminescence tomography was proposed in this paper. In the algorithm, the third-order simplified spherical harmonics approximation (SP 3 ) was combined with the radiosity equation to describe the bioluminescent light propagation in tissues, which provided acceptable accuracy for the turbid medium with both low- and non-scattering regions. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated with digital mouse based simulations and a gastric cancer-bearing mouse based in situ experiment. Primary results demonstrated the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm for the turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions

  13. Immediate in vivo target-specific cancer cell death after near infrared photoimmunotherapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitsunaga Makoto

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Near infrared (NIR photoimmunotherapy (PIT is a new type of cancer treatment based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb-NIR phthalocyanine dye, (IR700 conjugate. In vitro cancer-specific cell death occurs during NIR light exposure in cells previously incubated with mAb-IR700 conjugates. However, documenting rapid cell death in vivo is more difficult. Methods A luciferase-transfected breast cancer cell (epidermal growth factor receptor+, MDA-MB-468luc cells was produced and used for both in vitro and in vivo experiments for monitoring the cell killing effect of PIT. After validation of cytotoxicity with NIR exposure up to 8 J/cm2in vitro, we employed an orthotopic breast cancer model of bilateral MDA-MB-468luc tumors in female athymic mice, which subsequently received a panitumumab-IR700 conjugate in vivo. One side was used as a control, while the other was treated with NIR light of dose ranging from 50 to 150 J/cm2. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI was performed before and after PIT. Results Dose-dependent cell killing and regrowth was successfully monitored by the BLI signal in vitro. Although tumor sizes were unchanged, BLI signals decreased by >95% immediately after PIT in vivo when light intensity was high (>100 J/cm2, however, in mice receiving lower intensity NIR (50 J/cm2, tumors recurred with gradually increasing BLI signal. Conclusion PIT induced massive cell death of targeted tumor cells immediately after exposure of NIR light that was demonstrated with BLI in vivo.

  14. BarTeL, a Genetically Versatile, Bioluminescent and Granule Neuron Precursor-Targeted Mouse Model for Medulloblastoma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory M Shackleford

    Full Text Available Medulloblastomas are the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor and have been divided into four major molecular subgroups. Animal models that mimic the principal molecular aberrations of these subgroups will be important tools for preclinical studies and allow greater understanding of medulloblastoma biology. We report a new transgenic model of medulloblastoma that possesses a unique combination of desirable characteristics including, among others, the ability to incorporate multiple and variable genes of choice and to produce bioluminescent tumors from a limited number of somatic cells within a normal cellular environment. This model, termed BarTeL, utilizes a Barhl1 homeobox gene promoter to target expression of a bicistronic transgene encoding both the avian retroviral receptor TVA and an eGFP-Luciferase fusion protein to neonatal cerebellar granule neuron precursor (cGNP cells, which are cells of origin for the sonic hedgehog (SHH subgroup of human medulloblastomas. The Barhl1 promoter-driven transgene is expressed strongly in mammalian cGNPs and weakly or not at all in mature granule neurons. We efficiently induced bioluminescent medulloblastomas expressing eGFP-luciferase in BarTeL mice by infection of a limited number of somatic cGNPs with avian retroviral vectors encoding the active N-terminal fragment of SHH and a stabilized MYCN mutant. Detection and quantification of the increasing bioluminescence of growing tumors in young BarTeL mice was facilitated by the declining bioluminescence of their uninfected maturing cGNPs. Inclusion of eGFP in the transgene allowed enriched sorting of cGNPs from neonatal cerebella. Use of a single bicistronic avian vector simultaneously expressing both Shh and Mycn oncogenes increased the medulloblastoma incidence and aggressiveness compared to mixed virus infections. Bioluminescent tumors could also be produced by ex vivo transduction of neonatal BarTeL cerebellar cells by avian retroviruses and

  15. A portable bioluminescence engineered cell-based biosensor for on-site applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roda, Aldo; Cevenini, Luca; Michelini, Elisa; Branchini, Bruce R

    2011-04-15

    We have developed a portable biosensing device based on genetically engineered bioluminescent (BL) cells. Cells were immobilized on a 4 × 3 multiwell cartridge using a new biocompatible matrix that preserved their vitality. Using a fiber optic taper, the cartridge was placed in direct contact with a cooled CCD sensor to image and quantify the BL signals. Yeast and bacterial cells were engineered to express recognition elements, whose interaction with the analyte led to luciferase expression, via reporter gene technology. Three different biosensors were developed. The first detects androgenic compounds using yeast cells carrying a green-emitting P. pyralis luciferase regulated by the human androgen receptor and a red mutant of the same species as internal vitality control. The second biosensor detects two classes of compounds (androgens and estrogens) using yeast strains engineered to express green-or red-emitting mutant firefly luciferases in response to androgens or estrogens, respectively. The third biosensor detects lactose analogue isopropyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside using two E. coli strains. One strain exploits the lac operon as recognition element for the expression of P. pyralis luciferase. The other strain serves as a vitality control expressing Gaussia princeps luciferase, which requires a different luciferin substrate. The immobilized cells were stable for up to 1 month. The analytes could be detected at nanomolar levels with good precision and accuracy when the specific signal was corrected using the internal vitality control. This portable device can be used for on-site multiplexed bioassays for different compound classes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Stimulated bioluminescence by fluid shear stress associated with pipe flow

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cao Jing; Wang Jiangan; Wu Ronghua, E-mail: caojing981@126.com [Col. of Electronic Eng., Naval University of Engineering, Wuhan 430033 (China)

    2011-01-01

    Dinoflagellate can be stimulated bioluminescence by hydrodynamic agitation. Two typical dinoflagellate (Lingulodinium polyedrum and Pyrocystis noctiluca) was choosed to research stimulated bioluminescence. The bioluminescence intensity and shear stress intensity were measured using fully developed pipe flow. There is shear stress threshold to agitate organism bioluminescence. From these experiment, the response thresholds of the stimulated bioluminscence always occurred in laminar flows at a shear stress level of 0.6-3 dyn/cm{sup 2}. At the same time, the spectral characteristc of dinoflagellate was recorded, the wavelength of them is about 470nm, and the full width at half maximum is approximate 30nm.

  17. Sensitive in situ monitoring of a recombinant bioluminescent Yersinia enterocolitica reporter mutant in real time on Camembert cheese.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maoz, Ariel; Mayr, Ralf; Bresolin, Geraldine; Neuhaus, Klaus; Francis, Kevin P; Scherer, Siegfried

    2002-11-01

    Bioluminescent mutants of Yersinia enterocolitica were generated by transposon mutagenesis using a promoterless, complete lux operon (luxCDABE) derived from Photorhabdus luminescens, and their production of light in the cheese environment was monitored. Mutant B94, which had the lux cassette inserted into an open reading frame of unknown function was used for direct monitoring of Y. enterocolitica cells on cheeses stored at 10 degrees C by quantifying bioluminescence using a photon-counting, intensified charge-coupled device camera. The detection limit on cheese was 200 CFU/cm(2). Bioluminescence of the reporter mutant was significantly regulated by its environment (NaCl, temperature, and cheese), as well as by growth phase, via the promoter the lux operon had acquired upon transposition. At low temperatures, mutant B94 did not exhibit the often-reported decrease of photon emission in older cells. It was not necessary to include either antibiotics or aldehyde in the food matrix in order to gain quantitative, reproducible bioluminescence data. As far as we know, this is the first time a pathogen has been monitored in situ, in real time, in a "real-product" status, and at a low temperature.

  18. Hybrid radiosity-SP{sub 3} equation based bioluminescence tomography reconstruction for turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Xueli, E-mail: xlchen@xidian.edu.cn, E-mail: jimleung@mail.xidian.edu.cn; Zhang, Qitan; Yang, Defu; Liang, Jimin, E-mail: xlchen@xidian.edu.cn, E-mail: jimleung@mail.xidian.edu.cn [School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710071 (China)

    2014-01-14

    To provide an ideal solution for a specific problem of gastric cancer detection in which low-scattering regions simultaneously existed with both the non- and high-scattering regions, a novel hybrid radiosity-SP{sub 3} equation based reconstruction algorithm for bioluminescence tomography was proposed in this paper. In the algorithm, the third-order simplified spherical harmonics approximation (SP{sub 3}) was combined with the radiosity equation to describe the bioluminescent light propagation in tissues, which provided acceptable accuracy for the turbid medium with both low- and non-scattering regions. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated with digital mouse based simulations and a gastric cancer-bearing mouse based in situ experiment. Primary results demonstrated the feasibility and superiority of the proposed algorithm for the turbid medium with low- and non-scattering regions.

  19. Bioluminescence in vivo imaging of autoimmune encephalomyelitis predicts disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steinman Lawrence

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is a widely used animal model to understand not only multiple sclerosis but also basic principles of immunity. The disease is scored typically by observing signs of paralysis, which do not always correspond with pathological changes. Methods Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis was induced in transgenic mice expressing an injury responsive luciferase reporter in astrocytes (GFAP-luc. Bioluminescence in the brain and spinal cord was measured non-invasively in living mice. Mice were sacrificed at different time points to evaluate clinical and pathological changes. The correlation between bioluminescence and clinical and pathological EAE was statistically analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis. Results Bioluminescence from the brain and spinal cord correlates strongly with severity of clinical disease and a number of pathological changes in the brain in EAE. Bioluminescence at early time points also predicts severity of disease. Conclusion These results highlight the potential use of bioluminescence imaging to monitor neuroinflammation for rapid drug screening and immunological studies in EAE and suggest that similar approaches could be applied to other animal models of autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

  20. Triple Bioluminescence Imaging for In Vivo Monitoring of Cellular Processes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Casey A Maguire

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Bioluminescence imaging (BLI has shown to be crucial for monitoring in vivo biological processes. So far, only dual bioluminescence imaging using firefly (Fluc and Renilla or Gaussia (Gluc luciferase has been achieved due to the lack of availability of other efficiently expressed luciferases using different substrates. Here, we characterized a codon-optimized luciferase from Vargula hilgendorfii (Vluc as a reporter for mammalian gene expression. We showed that Vluc can be multiplexed with Gluc and Fluc for sequential imaging of three distinct cellular phenomena in the same biological system using vargulin, coelenterazine, and D-luciferin substrates, respectively. We applied this triple imaging system to monitor the effect of soluble tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (sTRAIL delivered using an adeno-associated viral vector (AAV on brain tumors in mice. Vluc imaging showed efficient sTRAIL gene delivery to the brain, while Fluc imaging revealed a robust antiglioma therapy. Further, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB activation in response to sTRAIL binding to glioma cells death receptors was monitored by Gluc imaging. This work is the first demonstration of trimodal in vivo bioluminescence imaging and will have a broad applicability in many different fields including immunology, oncology, virology, and neuroscience.

  1. Bioluminescence lights the way to food safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brovko, Lubov Y.; Griffiths, Mansel W.

    2003-07-01

    The food industry is increasingly adopting food safety and quality management systems that are more proactive and preventive than those used in the past which have tended to rely on end product testing and visual inspection. The regulatory agencies in many countries are promoting one such management tool, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), as a way to achieve a safer food supply and as a basis for harmonization of trading standards. Verification that the process is safe must involve microbiological testing but the results need not be generated in real-time. Of all the rapid microbiological tests currently available, the only ones that come close to offering real-time results are bioluminescence-based methods. Recent developments in application of bioluminescence for food safety issues are presented in the paper. These include the use of genetically engineered microorganisms with bioluminescent and fluorescent phenotypes as a real time indicator of physiological state and survival of food-borne pathogens in food and food processing environments as well as novel bioluminescent-based methods for rapid detection of pathogens in food and environmental samples. Advantages and pitfalls of the methods are discussed.

  2. In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging for Longitudinal Monitoring of Inflammation in Animal Models of Uveitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutowski, Michal B; Wilson, Leslie; Van Gelder, Russell N; Pepple, Kathryn L

    2017-03-01

    We develop a quantitative bioluminescence assay for in vivo longitudinal monitoring of inflammation in animal models of uveitis. Three models of experimental uveitis were induced in C57BL/6 albino mice: primed mycobacterial uveitis (PMU), endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU), and experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). Intraperitoneal injection of luminol sodium salt, which emits light when oxidized, provided the bioluminescence substrate. Bioluminescence images were captured by a PerkinElmer In Vivo Imaging System (IVIS) Spectrum and total bioluminescence was analyzed using Living Image software. Bioluminescence on day zero was compared to bioluminescence on the day of peak inflammation for each model. Longitudinal bioluminescence imaging was performed in EIU and EAU. In the presence of luminol, intraocular inflammation generates detectable bioluminescence in three mouse models of uveitis. Peak bioluminescence in inflamed PMU eyes (1.46 × 105 photons/second [p/s]) was significantly increased over baseline (1.47 × 104 p/s, P = 0.01). Peak bioluminescence in inflamed EIU eyes (3.18 × 104 p/s) also was significantly increased over baseline (1.09 × 104 p/s, P = 0.04), and returned to near baseline levels by 48 hours. In EAU, there was a nonsignificant increase in bioluminescence at peak inflammation. In vivo bioluminescence may be used as a noninvasive, quantitative measure of intraocular inflammation in animal models of uveitis. Primed mycobacterial uveitis and EIU are both acute models with robust anterior inflammation and demonstrated significant changes in bioluminescence corresponding with peak inflammation. Experimental autoimmune uveitis is a more indolent posterior uveitis and generated a more modest bioluminescent signal. In vivo imaging system bioluminescence is a nonlethal, quantifiable assay that can be used for monitoring inflammation in animal models of uveitis.

  3. Monitoring Dynamic Interactions between Breast Cancer Cells and Human Bone Tissue in a Co-Culture Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Contag, Christopher H.; Lie, Wen-Rong; Bammer, Marie C.; Hardy, Jonathan W.; Schmidt, Tobi L.; Maloney, William J.; King, Bonnie L.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Bone is a preferential site of breast cancer metastasis and models are needed to study this process at the level of the microenvironment. We have used bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and multiplex biomarker immunoassays to monitor dynamic breast cancer cell behaviors in co-culture with human bone tissue. Procedures Femur tissue fragments harvested from hip replacement surgeries were co-cultured with luciferase-positive MDA-MB-231-fLuc cells. BLI was performed to quantify breast cell division and track migration relative to bone tissue. Breast cell colonization of bone tissues was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Biomarkers in co-culture supernatants were profiled with MILLIPLEX® immunoassays. Results BLI demonstrated increased MDA-MB-231-fLuc proliferation (pbones, and revealed breast cell migration toward bone. Immunohistochemistry illustrated MDA-MB-231-fLuc colonization of bone, and MILLIPLEX® profiles of culture supernatants suggested breast/bone crosstalk. Conclusions Breast cell behaviors that facilitate metastasis occur reproducibly in human bone tissue co-cultures and can be monitored and quantified using BLI and multiplex immunoassays. PMID:24008275

  4. Bioluminescence in the Ocean: Origins of Biological, Chemical, and Ecological Diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widder, E. A.

    2010-05-01

    From bacteria to fish, a remarkable variety of marine life depends on bioluminescence (the chemical generation of light) for finding food, attracting mates, and evading predators. Disparate biochemical systems and diverse phylogenetic distribution patterns of light-emitting organisms highlight the ecological benefits of bioluminescence, with biochemical and genetic analyses providing new insights into the mechanisms of its evolution. The origins and functions of some bioluminescent systems, however, remain obscure. Here, I review recent advances in understanding bioluminescence in the ocean and highlight future research efforts that will unite molecular details with ecological and evolutionary relationships.

  5. Bioluminescence Monitoring of Neuronal Activity in Freely Moving Zebrafish Larvae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knafo, Steven; Prendergast, Andrew; Thouvenin, Olivier; Figueiredo, Sophie Nunes; Wyart, Claire

    2017-01-01

    The proof of concept for bioluminescence monitoring of neural activity in zebrafish with the genetically encoded calcium indicator GFP-aequorin has been previously described (Naumann et al., 2010) but challenges remain. First, bioluminescence signals originating from a single muscle fiber can constitute a major pitfall. Second, bioluminescence signals emanating from neurons only are very small. To improve signals while verifying specificity, we provide an optimized 4 steps protocol achieving: 1) selective expression of a zebrafish codon-optimized GFP-aequorin, 2) efficient soaking of larvae in GFP-aequorin substrate coelenterazine, 3) bioluminescence monitoring of neural activity from motor neurons in free-tailed moving animals performing acoustic escapes and 4) verification of the absence of muscle expression using immunohistochemistry. PMID:29130058

  6. Chemistry and biology of insect bioluminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colepicolo Neto, P.; Bechara, E.J.H.

    1984-01-01

    Basic aspects on the Chemistry and Biology of bioluminescence are reviewed, with emphasis on insects. Data from the investigation of Lampyridae (fireflies) are collected from literature. With regard to Elateridae (click beetles) and Phengodidae (rail road worms), the least explored families of luminescent insects, new data are presented on the following aspects: (i) 'in vivo' emission spectra, (ii) chemical nature of the luciferin, (iii) conection between bioluminescence and 'oxygen toxicity' as a result of molecular oxygen storage and (iv) the role of light emission by larvae and pupae. (Author) [pt

  7. Comparison of three different methods for the detection of circulating tumor cells in mice with lung metastasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Weifeng; Wu, Bing; Fu, Lengxi; Chen, Junying; Wang, Zeng; Huang, Fei; Chen, Jinrong; Zhang, Mei; Zhang, Zhenhuan; Lin, Jingan; Lan, Ruilong; Chen, Ruiqing; Chen, Wei; Chen, Long; Hong, Jinsheng; Zhang, Weijian; Ding, Yuxiong; Okunieff, Paul; Lin, Jianhua; Zhang, Lurong

    2017-06-01

    Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) represent the key step of cancer cell dissemination. The alteration of CTCs correlates with the treatment outcome and prognosis. To enrich and identify CTCs from billions of blood cells renders a very challenging task, which triggers development of several methods, including lysis of RBC plus negative or positive enrichment using antibodies, and filter membrane or spiral microfluidics to capture CTCs. To compare the advantages of different enrichment methods for CTCs, we utilized the 4T1 breast cancer cells transfected with both green fluorescent protein (GFP) and luciferase to trace CTCs in the experimental lung metastasis model. Three methods were used to detect CTCs at the same time: bioluminescence assay, smearing method, and membrane filter method. The in vivo alive mouse imaging was used to dynamically monitor the growth of lung metastases. The sensitivity and accuracy of three detection methods were compared side-by-side. Our results showed that 1) the sensitivity of bioluminescence assay was the highest, but there was no information of CTC morphology; 2) the smearing method and membrane filter method could observe the detail of CTC morphology, such as in single or in cluster, while their sensitivity was lower than bioluminescence assay; 3) A dynamic observation at a 7-day intervals, the lung metastatic cancer grew at a log speed, while CTCs were increased at a low speed. This might be due to the activated immune cells eliminating the CTCs at a speed much faster than CTCs were generated. This comparison of three CTC detection methods in mouse model suggests that bioluminescence assay could be used in quantitative study of the effect of certain agent on the suppression of CTCs, while GFP-based morphological assays could be used to study the dissemination mechanism of CTCs. The combination of both bioluminescence assay and GFP-based assay would generate more information for quantity and quality of CTCs.

  8. Influence of antibiotic pressure on bacterial bioluminescence, with emphasis on Staphylococcus aureus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daghighi, Seyedmojtaba; Sjollema, Jelmer; Harapanahalli, Akshay; Dijkstra, Rene J. B.; van der Mei, Henny C.; Busscher, Henk J.

    2015-01-01

    Bioluminescence imaging is used for longitudinal evaluation of bacteria in live animals. Clear relations exist between bacterial numbers and their bioluminescence. However, bioluminescence images of Staphylococcus aureus Xen29, S. aureus Xen36 and Escherichia coli Xen14 grown on tryptone soy agar in

  9. High resolution in vivo bioluminescent imaging for the study of bacterial tumour targeting.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Cronin

    Full Text Available The ability to track microbes in real time in vivo is of enormous value for preclinical investigations in infectious disease or gene therapy research. Bacteria present an attractive class of vector for cancer therapy, possessing a natural ability to grow preferentially within tumours following systemic administration. Bioluminescent Imaging (BLI represents a powerful tool for use with bacteria engineered to express reporter genes such as lux. BLI is traditionally used as a 2D modality resulting in images that are limited in their ability to anatomically locate cell populations. Use of 3D diffuse optical tomography can localize the signals but still need to be combined with an anatomical imaging modality like micro-Computed Tomography (μCT for interpretation.In this study, the non-pathogenic commensal bacteria E. coli K-12 MG1655 and Bifidobacterium breve UCC2003, or Salmonella Typhimurium SL7207 each expressing the luxABCDE operon were intravenously (i.v. administered to mice bearing subcutaneous (s.c FLuc-expressing xenograft tumours. Bacterial lux signal was detected specifically in tumours of mice post i.v.-administration and bioluminescence correlated with the numbers of bacteria recovered from tissue. Through whole body imaging for both lux and FLuc, bacteria and tumour cells were co-localised. 3D BLI and μCT image analysis revealed a pattern of multiple clusters of bacteria within tumours. Investigation of spatial resolution of 3D optical imaging was supported by ex vivo histological analyses. In vivo imaging of orally-administered commensal bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT was also achieved using 3D BLI. This study demonstrates for the first time the potential to simultaneously image multiple BLI reporter genes three dimensionally in vivo using approaches that provide unique information on spatial locations.

  10. Flexible Measurement of Bioluminescent Reporters Using an Automated Longitudinal Luciferase Imaging Gas- and Temperature-optimized Recorder (ALLIGATOR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crosby, Priya; Hoyle, Nathaniel P; O'Neill, John S

    2017-12-13

    Luciferase-based reporters of cellular gene expression are in widespread use for both longitudinal and end-point assays of biological activity. In circadian rhythms research, for example, clock gene fusions with firefly luciferase give rise to robust rhythms in cellular bioluminescence that persist over many days. Technical limitations associated with photomultiplier tubes (PMT) or conventional microscopy-based methods for bioluminescence quantification have typically demanded that cells and tissues be maintained under quite non-physiological conditions during recording, with a trade-off between sensitivity and throughput. Here, we report a refinement of prior methods that allows long-term bioluminescence imaging with high sensitivity and throughput which supports a broad range of culture conditions, including variable gas and humidity control, and that accepts many different tissue culture plates and dishes. This automated longitudinal luciferase imaging gas- and temperature-optimized recorder (ALLIGATOR) also allows the observation of spatial variations in luciferase expression across a cell monolayer or tissue, which cannot readily be observed by traditional methods. We highlight how the ALLIGATOR provides vastly increased flexibility for the detection of luciferase activity when compared with existing methods.

  11. The in vitro and in vivo effects of constitutive light expression on a bioluminescent strain of the mouse enteropathogen Citrobacter rodentium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannah M. Read

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Bioluminescent reporter genes, such as those from fireflies and bacteria, let researchers use light production as a non-invasive and non-destructive surrogate measure of microbial numbers in a wide variety of environments. As bioluminescence needs microbial metabolites, tagging microorganisms with luciferases means only live metabolically active cells are detected. Despite the wide use of bioluminescent reporter genes, very little is known about the impact of continuous (also called constitutive light expression on tagged bacteria. We have previously made a bioluminescent strain of Citrobacter rodentium, a bacterium which infects laboratory mice in a similar way to how enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC infect humans. In this study, we compared the growth of the bioluminescent C. rodentium strain ICC180 with its non-bioluminescent parent (strain ICC169 in a wide variety of environments. To understand more about the metabolic burden of expressing light, we also compared the growth profiles of the two strains under approximately 2,000 different conditions. We found that constitutive light expression in ICC180 was near-neutral in almost every non-toxic environment tested. However, we also found that the non-bioluminescent parent strain has a competitive advantage over ICC180 during infection of adult mice, although this was not enough for ICC180 to be completely outcompeted. In conclusion, our data suggest that constitutive light expression is not metabolically costly to C. rodentium and supports the view that bioluminescent versions of microbes can be used as a substitute for their non-bioluminescent parents to study bacterial behaviour in a wide variety of environments.

  12. In Vitro Bioluminescence Assay to Characterize Circadian Rhythm in Mammary Epithelial Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Mingzhu; Kang, Hwan-Goo; Park, Youngil; Estrella, Brian; Zarbl, Helmut

    2017-09-28

    The circadian rhythm is a fundamental physiological process present in all organisms that regulates biological processes ranging from gene expression to sleep behavior. In vertebrates, circadian rhythm is controlled by a molecular oscillator that functions in both the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN; central pacemaker) and individual cells comprising most peripheral tissues. More importantly, disruption of circadian rhythm by exposure to light-at-night, environmental stressors and/or toxicants is associated with increased risk of chronic diseases and aging. The ability to identify agents that can disrupt central and/or peripheral biological clocks, and agents that can prevent or mitigate the effects of circadian disruption, has significant implications for prevention of chronic diseases. Although rodent models can be used to identify exposures and agents that induce or prevent/mitigate circadian disruption, these experiments require large numbers of animals. In vivo studies also require significant resources and infrastructure, and require researchers to work all night. Thus, there is an urgent need for a cell-type appropriate in vitro system to screen for environmental circadian disruptors and enhancers in cell types from different organs and disease states. We constructed a vector that drives transcription of the destabilized luciferase in eukaryotic cells under the control of the human PERIOD 2 gene promoter. This circadian reporter construct was stably transfected into human mammary epithelial cells, and circadian responsive reporter cells were selected to develop the in vitro bioluminescence assay. Here, we present a detailed protocol to establish and validate the assay. We further provide details for proof of concept experiments demonstrating the ability of our in vitro assay to recapitulate the in vivo effects of various chemicals on the cellular biological clock. The results indicate that the assay can be adapted to a variety of cell types to screen for both

  13. BLProt: Prediction of bioluminescent proteins based on support vector machine and relieff feature selection

    KAUST Repository

    Kandaswamy, Krishna Kumar

    2011-08-17

    Background: Bioluminescence is a process in which light is emitted by a living organism. Most creatures that emit light are sea creatures, but some insects, plants, fungi etc, also emit light. The biotechnological application of bioluminescence has become routine and is considered essential for many medical and general technological advances. Identification of bioluminescent proteins is more challenging due to their poor similarity in sequence. So far, no specific method has been reported to identify bioluminescent proteins from primary sequence.Results: In this paper, we propose a novel predictive method that uses a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and physicochemical properties to predict bioluminescent proteins. BLProt was trained using a dataset consisting of 300 bioluminescent proteins and 300 non-bioluminescent proteins, and evaluated by an independent set of 141 bioluminescent proteins and 18202 non-bioluminescent proteins. To identify the most prominent features, we carried out feature selection with three different filter approaches, ReliefF, infogain, and mRMR. We selected five different feature subsets by decreasing the number of features, and the performance of each feature subset was evaluated.Conclusion: BLProt achieves 80% accuracy from training (5 fold cross-validations) and 80.06% accuracy from testing. The performance of BLProt was compared with BLAST and HMM. High prediction accuracy and successful prediction of hypothetical proteins suggests that BLProt can be a useful approach to identify bioluminescent proteins from sequence information, irrespective of their sequence similarity. 2011 Kandaswamy et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  14. BLProt: Prediction of bioluminescent proteins based on support vector machine and relieff feature selection

    KAUST Repository

    Kandaswamy, Krishna Kumar; Pugalenthi, Ganesan; Hazrati, Mehrnaz Khodam; Kalies, Kai-Uwe; Martinetz, Thomas

    2011-01-01

    Background: Bioluminescence is a process in which light is emitted by a living organism. Most creatures that emit light are sea creatures, but some insects, plants, fungi etc, also emit light. The biotechnological application of bioluminescence has become routine and is considered essential for many medical and general technological advances. Identification of bioluminescent proteins is more challenging due to their poor similarity in sequence. So far, no specific method has been reported to identify bioluminescent proteins from primary sequence.Results: In this paper, we propose a novel predictive method that uses a Support Vector Machine (SVM) and physicochemical properties to predict bioluminescent proteins. BLProt was trained using a dataset consisting of 300 bioluminescent proteins and 300 non-bioluminescent proteins, and evaluated by an independent set of 141 bioluminescent proteins and 18202 non-bioluminescent proteins. To identify the most prominent features, we carried out feature selection with three different filter approaches, ReliefF, infogain, and mRMR. We selected five different feature subsets by decreasing the number of features, and the performance of each feature subset was evaluated.Conclusion: BLProt achieves 80% accuracy from training (5 fold cross-validations) and 80.06% accuracy from testing. The performance of BLProt was compared with BLAST and HMM. High prediction accuracy and successful prediction of hypothetical proteins suggests that BLProt can be a useful approach to identify bioluminescent proteins from sequence information, irrespective of their sequence similarity. 2011 Kandaswamy et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  15. Bioluminescence of beetle luciferases with 6'-amino-D-luciferin analogues reveals excited keto-oxyluciferin as the emitter and phenolate/luciferin binding site interactions modulate bioluminescence colors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viviani, Vadim R; Neves, Deimison Rodrigues; Amaral, Danilo Trabuco; Prado, Rogilene A; Matsuhashi, Takuto; Hirano, Takashi

    2014-08-19

    Beetle luciferases produce different bioluminescence colors from green to red using the same d-luciferin substrate. Despite many studies of the mechanisms and structural determinants of bioluminescence colors with firefly luciferases, the identity of the emitters and the specific active site interactions responsible for bioluminescence color modulation remain elusive. To address these questions, we analyzed the bioluminescence spectra with 6'-amino-D-luciferin (aminoluciferin) and its 5,5-dimethyl analogue using a set of recombinant beetle luciferases that naturally elicit different colors and different pH sensitivities (pH-sensitive, Amydetes vivianii λmax=538 nm, Macrolampis sp2 λmax=564 nm; pH-insensitive, Phrixotrix hirtus λmax=623 nm, Phrixotrix vivianii λmax=546 nm, and Pyrearinus termitilluminans λmax=534 nm), a luciferase-like enzyme (Tenebrionidae, Zophobas morio λmax=613 nm), and mutants of C311 (S314). The green-yellow-emitting luciferases display red-shifted bioluminescence spectra with aminoluciferin in relation to those with D-luciferin, whereas the red-emitting luciferases displayed blue-shifted spectra. Bioluminescence spectra with 5,5-dimethylaminoluciferin, in which enolization is blocked, were almost identical to those of aminoluciferin. Fluorescence probing using 2-(4-toluidino)naphthalene-6-sulfonate and inference with aminoluciferin confirm that the luciferin binding site of the red-shifted luciferases is more polar than in the case of the green-yellow-emitting luciferases. Altogether, the results show that the keto form of excited oxyluciferin is the emitter in beetle bioluminescence and that bioluminescence colors are essentially modulated by interactions of the 6'-hydroxy group of oxyluciferin and basic moieties under the influence of the microenvironment polarity of the active site: a strong interaction between a base moiety and oxyluciferin phenol in a hydrophobic microenvironment promotes green-yellow emission, whereas a more polar

  16. Bioluminescence imaging in a medium-sized animal by local injection of d-luciferin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Kim, Sung Mi; Bom, Hee Seung [Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Suk Jung; Kang, Han Saem; Kim, Kwang Yoon [ECOBIO INC., Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Ho [Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-07-01

    Luciferase is one of the most commonly used reporter enzymes in the field of molecular imaging. D-luciferin is known as the substrate for luciferase enzyme and its cost is very expensive. Therefore, the bioluminescence molecular imaging study has been allowed in small animals such as mice and rats. In this current study, we validated local injection of D-luciferin in articular capsule for bioluminescence imaging in rabbits. Chondrocytes were cultured and infected by replication-defective adenoviral vector encoding firefly luciferase. And then was performed different method of chondrocyte cell injection and transplantation into the knee of rabbits. The rabbits underwent imaging by cooled CCD camera after local injection of D-luciferin (3mg) into experimental knee joint as well as contralateral normal knee joint on days 1, 5, 7, 9. We sought whether optimal imaging signal was acquired by using cooled CCD camera after local injection of D-luciferin. We successfully visualized injected or transplanted cells in knee joint by local injection of D-luciferin. Total photon flux (7.86E+08 p/s/cm{sup 2}/sr) from the knee joint transplanted with cells approximately increased 10-fold more than (9.43E+07p/s/cm{sup 2}/sr) that from injected knee joints until 7 day. Imaging signal was observed in transplanted joints until day 9 after surgery while signal from injected knee was observed by day 7 after injection. We successfully carried out bioluminescence imaging study with medium sized animal by local injection of small amount of D-luciferin. Survival of chondrocytes were prolonged when surgically transplanted in joints than when directly injected in joint space.

  17. Far red bioluminescence from two deep-sea fishes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Widder, E A; Latz, M I; Herring, P J; Case, J F

    1984-08-03

    Spectral measurements of red bioluminescence were obtained from the deep-sea stomiatoid fishes Aristostomias scintillans (Gilbert) and Malacosteus niger (Ayres). Red luminescence from suborbital light organs extends to the near infrared, with peak emission at approximately 705 nanometers in the far red. These fishes also have postorbital light organs that emit blue luminescence with maxima between 470 and 480 nanometers. The red bioluminescence may be due to an energy transfer system and wavelength-selective filtering.

  18. Filtering and deconvolution for bioluminescence imaging of small animals; Filtrage et deconvolution en imagerie de bioluminescence chez le petit animal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Akkoul, S.

    2010-06-22

    This thesis is devoted to analysis of bioluminescence images applied to the small animal. This kind of imaging modality is used in cancerology studies. Nevertheless, some problems are related to the diffusion and the absorption of the tissues of the light of internal bioluminescent sources. In addition, system noise and the cosmic rays noise are present. This influences the quality of the images and makes it difficult to analyze. The purpose of this thesis is to overcome these disturbing effects. We first have proposed an image formation model for the bioluminescence images. The processing chain is constituted by a filtering stage followed by a deconvolution stage. We have proposed a new median filter to suppress the random value impulsive noise which corrupts the acquired images; this filter represents the first block of the proposed chain. For the deconvolution stage, we have performed a comparative study of various deconvolution algorithms. It allowed us to choose a blind deconvolution algorithm initialized with the estimated point spread function of the acquisition system. At first, we have validated our global approach by comparing our obtained results with the ground truth. Through various clinical tests, we have shown that the processing chain allows a significant improvement of the spatial resolution and a better distinction of very close tumor sources, what represents considerable contribution for the users of bioluminescence images. (author)

  19. Influence of sex differences on the progression of cancer-induced bone pain

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Falk, Sarah; Uldall, Maria; Appel, Camilla

    2013-01-01

    Background: Pain caused by bone metastases has a severe impact on the quality of life for many patients with cancer. Good translational in vivo models are required to understand the molecular mechanism and develop better treatment. In the current study we evaluated the influence of sex differences...... on the progression of cancer-induced bone pain. Materials and Methods: 4T1-luc2 mammary cancer cells were introduced into the femoral cavity of female and male BALB/cJ mice. Bioluminescence tumor signal, pain-related behavior and bone degradation were monitored for 14 days. Results: Female mice demonstrated...... a significantly greater bioluminescence signal on day 2 compared to male mice and, in addition, a significant earlier onset of pain-related behavior was observed in the females. No sex difference was observed for bone degradation. Finally, a strong correlation between pain-related behavior and bone degradation...

  20. Uptake kinetics and biodistribution of C-14-D-luciferin-a radiolabeled substrate for the firefly luciferase catalyzed bioluminescence reaction : impact on bioluminescence based reporter gene imaging

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berger, Frank; Paulmurugan, Ramasamy; Bhaumik, Srabani; Gambhir, Sanjiv Sam

    2008-01-01

    Purpose Firefly luciferase catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of D-luciferin to oxyluciferin in the presence of cofactors, producing bioluminescence. This reaction is used in optical bioluminescence-based molecular imaging approaches to detect the expression of the firefly luciferase reporter

  1. TH-EF-207A-07: An Integrated X-Ray/bioluminescence Tomography System for Radiation Guidance and Tumor Evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shi, J; Udayakumar, T; Wang, Z; Dogan, N; Pollack, A; Yang, Y [University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: CT is not able to differentiate tumors from surrounding soft tissue. This study is to develop a bioluminescence tomography (BLT) system that is integrated onto our previously developed CT guided small animal arc radiation treatment system (iSMAART) to guide radiation, monitor tumor growth and evaluate therapeutic response. Methods: The BLT system employs a CCD camera coupled with a high speed lens, and is aligned orthogonally to the x-ray beam central axis. The two imaging modalities, CT and BLT, are physically registered through geometrical calibration. The CT anatomy provides an accurate contour of animal surface which is used to construct 3D mesh for BLT reconstruction. Bioluminescence projections are captured from multiple angles, once every 45 degree rotation. The diffusion equation based on analytical Kirchhoff approximation is adopted to model the photon propagation in tissues. A discrete cosine transform based reweighted L1-norm regularization (DCT-re-L1) algorithm is used for BLT reconstruction. Experiments are conducted on a mouse orthotopic prostate tumor model (n=12) to evaluate the BLT performance, in terms of its robustness and accuracy in locating and quantifying the bioluminescent tumor cells. Iodinated contrast agent was injected intravenously to delineate the tumor in CT. The tumor location and volume obtained from CT also serve as a benchmark against BLT. Results: With our cutting edge reconstruction algorithm, BLT is able to accurately reconstruct the orthotopic prostate tumors. The tumor center of mass in BLT is within 0.5 mm radial distance of that in CT. The tumor volume in BLT is significantly correlated with that in CT (R2 = 0.81). Conclusion: The BLT can differentiate, localize and quantify tumors. Together with CT, BLT will provide precision radiation guidance and reliable treatment assessment in preclinical cancer research.

  2. Symplectin evolved from multiple duplications in bioluminescent squid

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Francis, Warren R.; Christianson, Lynne M.; Haddock, Steven H.D.

    2017-01-01

    The squid Sthenoteuthis oualaniensis, formerly Symplectoteuthis oualaniensis, generates light using the luciferin coelenterazine and a unique enzyme, symplectin. Genetic information is limited for bioluminescent cephalopod species, so many proteins, including symplectin, occur in public databases...... functioning is conserved across essentially all members of the protein family, even those unlikely to be used for bioluminescence. Conversely, active site residues involved in pantetheinase catalysis are also conserved across essentially all of these proteins, suggesting that symplectin may have multiple...

  3. REVIEW ARTICLE: Bioluminescent signals and the role of reflectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herring, Peter J.

    2000-11-01

    Organisms in a well lit environment use optical signals derived from the selective reflection of ambient light. In a dim or dark environment it is very difficult (because of low photon numbers) to detect the contrast between light reflected from the organism and that from the background, and many organisms use bioluminescent signals instead. The use of such signals on land is largely restricted to sexual signalling by the luminous beetles, but in the deep ocean their use is widespread, involving both many different organisms and a range of uses which parallel those of reflective signals on land. Some bioluminescent signals rely almost entirely on an optically unmodified light source (e.g. a secretion) but others depend upon complex optical structures, particularly reflectors, in the light-emitting organs. Reflectors in the light organs of many shrimp, squid and fish are based on constructive interference systems but employ different biological materials. They and other structures modify the angular, spectral and intensity distributions of bioluminescent signals. The ready availability of highly efficient biological reflectors has been a formative influence in the evolution of bioluminescent signalling in the sea.

  4. Luciferin Amides Enable in Vivo Bioluminescence Detection of Endogenous Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mofford, David M; Adams, Spencer T; Reddy, G S Kiran Kumar; Reddy, Gadarla Randheer; Miller, Stephen C

    2015-07-15

    Firefly luciferase is homologous to fatty acyl-CoA synthetases. We hypothesized that the firefly luciferase substrate d-luciferin and its analogs are fatty acid mimics that are ideally suited to probe the chemistry of enzymes that release fatty acid products. Here, we synthesized luciferin amides and found that these molecules are hydrolyzed to substrates for firefly luciferase by the enzyme fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH). In the presence of luciferase, these molecules enable highly sensitive and selective bioluminescent detection of FAAH activity in vitro, in live cells, and in vivo. The potency and tissue distribution of FAAH inhibitors can be imaged in live mice, and luciferin amides serve as exemplary reagents for greatly improved bioluminescence imaging in FAAH-expressing tissues such as the brain.

  5. Action of γ-radiation on bioluminescence of Noctiluca miliaris

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokarev, Yu.N.

    1976-01-01

    Results of the study in the action of various doses of irradiation on the bioluminescence of Noctiluca miliaris are presented. The doses are found that stimulate the bioluminescence and the dose - effect curves are obtained. It has been shown that stimulation of Noctiluca luminescence by γ-radiation is not of a constant character and extinguishes after a period of time determined by a dose rate

  6. Stereotactic intracranial implantation and in vivo bioluminescent imaging of tumor xenografts in a mouse model system of glioblastoma multiforme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baumann, Brian C; Dorsey, Jay F; Benci, Joseph L; Joh, Daniel Y; Kao, Gary D

    2012-09-25

    Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a high-grade primary brain cancer with a median survival of only 14.6 months in humans despite standard tri-modality treatment consisting of surgical resection, post-operative radiation therapy and temozolomide chemotherapy. New therapeutic approaches are clearly needed to improve patient survival and quality of life. The development of more effective treatment strategies would be aided by animal models of GBM that recapitulate human disease yet allow serial imaging to monitor tumor growth and treatment response. In this paper, we describe our technique for the precise stereotactic implantation of bio-imageable GBM cancer cells into the brains of nude mice resulting in tumor xenografts that recapitulate key clinical features of GBM. This method yields tumors that are reproducible and are located in precise anatomic locations while allowing in vivo bioluminescent imaging to serially monitor intracranial xenograft growth and response to treatments. This method is also well-tolerated by the animals with low perioperative morbidity and mortality.

  7. Circular polarization observed in bioluminescence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wijnberg, Hans; Meijer, E.W.; Hummelen, J.C.; Dekkers, H.P.J.M.; Schippers, P.H.; Carlson, A.D.

    1980-01-01

    While investigating circular polarization in luminescence, and having found it in chemiluminescence, we have studied bioluminescence because it is such a widespread and dramatic natural phenomenon. We report here that left and right lanterns of live larvae of the fireflies, Photuris lucicrescens and

  8. Controlled field release of a bioluminescent genetically engineered microorganism for bioremediation process monitoring and control

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ripp, S.; Nivens, D.E.; Ahn, Y.; Werner, C.; Jarrell, J. IV; Easter, J.P.; Cox, C.D.; Burlage, R.S.; Sayler, G.S.

    2000-03-01

    Pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 represents the first genetically engineered microorganism approved for field testing in the United States for bioremediation purposes. Strain HK44 harbors an introduced lux gene fused within a naphthalene degradative pathway, thereby allowing this recombinant microbe to bioluminescent as it degrades specific polyaromatic hydrocarbons such as naphthalene. The bioremediation process can therefore be monitored by the detection of light. P. fluorescens HK44 was inoculated into the vadose zone of intermediate-scale, semicontained soil lysimeters contaminated with naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene, and the population dynamics were followed over an approximate 2-year period in order to assess the long-term efficacy of using strain HK44 for monitoring and controlling bioremediation processes. Results showed that P. fluorescens HK44 was capable of surviving initial inoculation into both hydrocarbon contaminated and uncontaminated soils and was recoverable from these soils 660 days post inoculation. It was also demonstrated that strain HK44 was capable of generating bioluminescence in response to soil hydrocarbon bioavailability. Bioluminescence approaching 166,000 counts/s was detected in fiber optic-based biosensor devices responding to volatile polyaromatic hydrocarbons, while a portable photomultiplier module detected bioluminescence at an average of 4300 counts/s directly from soil-borne HK44 cells within localized treatment areas. The utilization of lux-based bioreporter microorganisms therefore promises to be a viable option for in situ determination of environmental contaminant bioavailability and biodegradation process monitoring and control.

  9. Calorie restriction as an anti-invasive therapy for malignant brain cancer in the VM mouse.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelton, Laura M; Huysentruyt, Leanne C; Mukherjee, Purna; Seyfried, Thomas N

    2010-07-23

    GBM (glioblastoma multiforme) is the most aggressive and invasive form of primary human brain cancer. We recently developed a novel brain cancer model in the inbred VM mouse strain that shares several characteristics with human GBM. Using bioluminescence imaging, we tested the efficacy of CR (calorie restriction) for its ability to reduce tumour size and invasion. CR targets glycolysis and rapid tumour cell growth in part by lowering circulating glucose levels. The VM-M3 tumour cells were implanted intracerebrally in the syngeneic VM mouse host. Approx. 12-15 days post-implantation, brains were removed and both ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres were imaged to measure bioluminescence of invading tumour cells. CR significantly reduced the invasion of tumour cells from the implanted ipsilateral hemisphere into the contralateral hemisphere. The total percentage of Ki-67-stained cells within the primary tumour and the total number of blood vessels was also significantly lower in the CR-treated mice than in the mice fed ad libitum, suggesting that CR is anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic. Our findings indicate that the VM-M3 GBM model is a valuable tool for studying brain tumour cell invasion and for evaluating potential therapeutic approaches for managing invasive brain cancer. In addition, we show that CR can be effective in reducing malignant brain tumour growth and invasion.

  10. Calorie Restriction as an Anti-Invasive Therapy for Malignant Brain Cancer in the VM Mouse

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura M Shelton

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available GBM (glioblastoma multiforme is the most aggressive and invasive form of primary human brain cancer. We recently developed a novel brain cancer model in the inbred VM mouse strain that shares several characteristics with human GBM. Using bioluminescence imaging, we tested the efficacy of CR (calorie restriction for its ability to reduce tumour size and invasion. CR targets glycolysis and rapid tumour cell growth in part by lowering circulating glucose levels. The VM-M3 tumour cells were implanted intracerebrally in the syngeneic VM mouse host. Approx. 12-15 days post-implantation, brains were removed and both ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres were imaged to measure bioluminescence of invading tumour cells. CR significantly reduced the invasion of tumour cells from the implanted ipsilateral hemisphere into the contralateral hemisphere. The total percentage of Ki-67-stained cells within the primary tumour and the total number of blood vessels was also significantly lower in the CR-treated mice than in the mice fed ad libitum, suggesting that CR is anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic. Our findings indicate that the VM-M3 GBM model is a valuable tool for studying brain tumour cell invasion and for evaluating potential therapeutic approaches for managing invasive brain cancer. In addition, we show that CR can be effective in reducing malignant brain tumour growth and invasion.

  11. Rapid Analysis of Eukaryotic Bioluminescence to Assess Potential Groundwater Contamination Events

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zacariah L. Hildenbrand

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Here we present data using a bioluminescent dinoflagellate, Pyrocystis lunula, in a toxicological bioassay to rapidly assess potential instances of groundwater contamination associated with natural gas extraction. P. lunula bioluminescence can be quantified using spectrophotometry as a measurement of organismal viability, with normal bioluminescent output declining with increasing concentration(s of aqueous toxicants. Glutaraldehyde and hydrochloric acid (HCl, components used in hydraulic fracturing and shale acidization, triggered significant toxicological responses in as little as 4 h. Conversely, P. lunula was not affected by the presence of arsenic, selenium, barium, and strontium, naturally occurring heavy metal ions potentially associated with unconventional drilling activities. If exogenous compounds, such as glutaraldehyde and HCl, are thought to have been introduced into groundwater, quantification of P. lunula bioluminescence after exposure to water samples can serve as a cost-effective detection and risk assessment tool to rapidly assess the impact of putative contamination events attributed to unconventional drilling activity.

  12. Silibinin inhibits accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and tumor growth of murine breast cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forghani, Parvin; Khorramizadeh, Mohammad R; Waller, Edmund K

    2014-01-01

    Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC)s increase in blood and accumulate in the tumor microenvironment of tumor-bearing animals, contributing to immune suppression in cancer. Silibinin, a natural flavonoid from the seeds of milk thistle, has been developed as an anti-inflammatory agent and supportive care agent to reduce the toxicity of cancer chemotherapy. The goals of this study were to evaluate the effect of silibinin on MDSCs in tumor-bearing mice and antitumor activity of silibinin in a mouse model of breast cancer. 4T1 luciferase-transfected mammary carcinoma cells were injected into in the mammary fat pad female BALB/c mice, and female CB17-Prkdc Scid/J mice. Silibinin treatment started on day 4 or day 14 after tumor inoculation continued every other day. Tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescent imaging (BLI) measuring total photon flux. Flow cytometry measured total leukocytes, CD11b + Gr-1 + MDSC, and T cells in the blood and tumors of tumor-bearing mice. The effects of silibinin on 4T1 cell viability in vitro were measured by BLI. Treatment with silibinin increased overall survival in mice harboring tumors derived from the 4T1-luciferase breast cancer cell line, and reduced tumor volumes and numbers of CD11b + Gr-1 + MDSCs in the blood and tumor, and increased the content of T cells in the tumor microenvironment. Silibinin failed to inhibit tumor growth in immunocompromised severe combined immunodeficiency mice, supporting the hypothesis that anticancer effect of silibinin is immune-mediated. The antitumor activity of silibinin requires an intact host immune system and is associated with decreased accumulation of blood and tumor-associated MDSCs

  13. A multi-channel bioluminescent bacterial biosensor for the on-line detection of metals and toxicity. Part I: design and optimization of bioluminescent bacterial strains

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Charrier, Thomas; Durand, Marie-Jose; Jouanneau, Sulivan; Thouand, Gerald [UMR CNRS 6144 GEPEA, CBAC, Nantes University, PRES UNAM, Campus de la Courtaisiere-IUT, La Roche-sur-Yon cedex (France); Dion, Michel [UMR CNRS 6204, Nantes University, PRES UNAM, Biotechnologie, Biocatalyse, Bioregulation, 2, Rue de la Houssiniere, BP 92208, Nantes cedex 3 (France); Pernetti, Mimma; Poncelet, Denis [ONIRIS-ENITIAA, UMR CNRS GEPEA, Rue de la Geraudiere, BP 82225, Nantes cedex 3 (France)

    2011-05-15

    This study describes the construction of inducible bioluminescent strains via genetic engineering along with their characterization and optimization in the detection of heavy metals. Firstly, a preliminary comparative study enabled us to select a suitable carbon substrate from pyruvate, glucose, citrate, diluted Luria-Bertani, and acetate. The latter carbon source provided the best induction ratios for comparison. Results showed that the three constructed inducible strains, Escherichia coli DH1 pBzntlux, pBarslux, and pBcoplux, were usable when conducting a bioassay after a 14-h overnight culture at 30 C. Utilizing these sensors gave a range of 12 detected heavy metals including several cross-detections. Detection limits for each metal were often close to and sometimes lower than the European standards for water pollution. Finally, in order to maintain sensitive bacteria within the future biosensor-measuring cell, the agarose immobilization matrix was compared to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Agarose was selected because the detection limits of the bioluminescent strains were not affected, in contrast to PVA. Specific detection and cross-detection ranges determined in this study will form the basis of a multiple metals detection system by the new multi-channel Lumisens3 biosensor. (orig.)

  14. Detection of the onset of ischemia and carcinogenesis by hypoxia-inducible transcription factor-based in vivo bioluminescence imaging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetsuya Kadonosono

    Full Text Available An animal model for the early detection of common fatal diseases such as ischemic diseases and cancer is desirable for the development of new drugs and treatment strategies. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1 is a transcription factor that regulates oxygen homeostasis and plays key roles in a number of diseases, including cancer. Here, we established transgenic (Tg mice that carry HRE/ODD-luciferase (HOL gene, which generates bioluminescence in an HIF-1-dependent manner and was successfully used in this study to monitor HIF-1 activity in ischemic tissues. To monitor carcinogenesis in vivo, we mated HOL mice with rasH2 Tg mice, which are highly sensitive to carcinogens and are used for short-term carcinogenicity assessments. After rasH2-HOL Tg mice were treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, bioluminescence was detected noninvasively as early as 9 weeks in tissues that contained papillomas and malignant lesions. These results suggest that the Tg mouse lines we established hold significant potential for monitoring the early onset of both ischemia and carcinogenesis and that these lines will be useful for screening chemicals for carcinogenic potential.

  15. Filtering and deconvolution for bioluminescence imaging of small animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akkoul, S.

    2010-01-01

    This thesis is devoted to analysis of bioluminescence images applied to the small animal. This kind of imaging modality is used in cancerology studies. Nevertheless, some problems are related to the diffusion and the absorption of the tissues of the light of internal bioluminescent sources. In addition, system noise and the cosmic rays noise are present. This influences the quality of the images and makes it difficult to analyze. The purpose of this thesis is to overcome these disturbing effects. We first have proposed an image formation model for the bioluminescence images. The processing chain is constituted by a filtering stage followed by a deconvolution stage. We have proposed a new median filter to suppress the random value impulsive noise which corrupts the acquired images; this filter represents the first block of the proposed chain. For the deconvolution stage, we have performed a comparative study of various deconvolution algorithms. It allowed us to choose a blind deconvolution algorithm initialized with the estimated point spread function of the acquisition system. At first, we have validated our global approach by comparing our obtained results with the ground truth. Through various clinical tests, we have shown that the processing chain allows a significant improvement of the spatial resolution and a better distinction of very close tumor sources, what represents considerable contribution for the users of bioluminescence images. (author)

  16. Hv 1 Proton Channels in Dinoflagellates: Not Just for Bioluminescence?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kigundu, Gabriel; Cooper, Jennifer L; Smith, Susan M E

    2018-04-26

    Bioluminescence in dinoflagellates is controlled by H V 1 proton channels. Database searches of dinoflagellate transcriptomes and genomes yielded hits with sequence features diagnostic of all confirmed H V 1, and show that H V 1 is widely distributed in the dinoflagellate phylogeny including the basal species Oxyrrhis marina. Multiple sequence alignments followed by phylogenetic analysis revealed three major subfamilies of H V 1 that do not correlate with presence of theca, autotrophy, geographic location, or bioluminescence. These data suggest that most dinoflagellates express a H V 1 which has a function separate from bioluminescence. Sequence evidence also suggests that dinoflagellates can contain more than one H V 1 gene. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  17. Validating Bioluminescence Imaging as a High-Throughput, Quantitative Modality for Assessing Tumor Burden

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zain Paroo

    2004-04-01

    Full Text Available Bioluminescence imaging (BLI is a highly sensitive tool for visualizing tumors, neoplastic development, metastatic spread, and response to therapy. Although BLI has engendered much excitement due to its apparent simplicity and ease of implementation, few rigorous studies have been presented to validate the measurements. Here, we characterize the nature of bioluminescence output from mice bearing subcutaneous luciferase-expressing tumors over a 4-week period. Following intraperitoneal or direct intratumoral administration of luciferin substrate, there was a highly dynamic kinetic profile of light emission. Although bioluminescence was subject to variability, strong correlations (r > .8, p < .001 between caliper measured tumor volumes and peak light signal, area under light signal curve and light emission at specific time points were determined. Moreover, the profile of tumor growth, as monitored with bioluminescence, closely resembled that for caliper measurements. The study shows that despite the dynamic and variable nature of bioluminescence, where appropriate experimental precautions are taken, single time point BLI may be useful for noninvasive, high-throughput, quantitative assessment of tumor burden.

  18. Biological water quality monitoring using chemiluminescent and bioluminescent techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, R. R.

    1978-01-01

    Automated chemiluminescence and bioluminescence sensors were developed for the continuous monitoring of microbial levels in water supplies. The optimal chemical procedures were determined for the chemiluminescence system to achieve maximum sensitivity. By using hydrogen peroxide, reaction rate differentiation, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), and carbon monoxide pretreatments, factors which cause interference were eliminated and specificity of the reaction for living and dead bacteria was greatly increased. By employing existing technology with some modifications, a sensitive and specific bioluminescent system was developed.

  19. Modeling bioluminescent photon transport in tissue based on Radiosity-diffusion model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Li; Wang, Pu; Tian, Jie; Zhang, Bo; Han, Dong; Yang, Xin

    2010-03-01

    Bioluminescence tomography (BLT) is one of the most important non-invasive optical molecular imaging modalities. The model for the bioluminescent photon propagation plays a significant role in the bioluminescence tomography study. Due to the high computational efficiency, diffusion approximation (DA) is generally applied in the bioluminescence tomography. But the diffusion equation is valid only in highly scattering and weakly absorbing regions and fails in non-scattering or low-scattering tissues, such as a cyst in the breast, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) layer of the brain and synovial fluid layer in the joints. A hybrid Radiosity-diffusion model is proposed for dealing with the non-scattering regions within diffusing domains in this paper. This hybrid method incorporates a priori information of the geometry of non-scattering regions, which can be acquired by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or x-ray computed tomography (CT). Then the model is implemented using a finite element method (FEM) to ensure the high computational efficiency. Finally, we demonstrate that the method is comparable with Mont Carlo (MC) method which is regarded as a 'gold standard' for photon transportation simulation.

  20. Polyphyly of non-bioluminescent Vibrio fischeri sharing a lux-locus deletion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wollenberg, M S; Preheim, S P; Polz, M F; Ruby, E G

    2012-03-01

    This study reports the first description and molecular characterization of naturally occurring, non-bioluminescent strains of Vibrio fischeri. These 'dark' V. fischeri strains remained non-bioluminescent even after treatment with both autoinducer and aldehyde, substrate additions that typically maximize light production in dim strains of luminous bacteria. Surprisingly, the entire lux locus (eight genes) was absent in over 97% of these dark V. fischeri strains. Although these strains were all collected from a Massachusetts (USA) estuary in 2007, phylogenetic reconstructions allowed us to reject the hypothesis that these newly described non-bioluminescent strains exhibit monophyly within the V. fischeri clade. These dark strains exhibited a competitive disadvantage against native bioluminescent strains when colonizing the light organ of the model V. fischeri host, the Hawaiian bobtail squid Euprymna scolopes. Significantly, we believe that the data collected in this study may suggest the first observation of a functional, parallel locus-deletion event among independent lineages of a non-pathogenic bacterial species. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  1. A two-hour antibiotic susceptibility test by ATP-bioluminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    March Rosselló, Gabriel Alberto; García-Loygorri Jordán de Urries, María Cristina; Gutiérrez Rodríguez, María Purificación; Simarro Grande, María; Orduña Domingo, Antonio; Bratos Pérez, Miguel Ángel

    2016-01-01

    The antibiotic susceptibility test (AST) in Clinical Microbiology laboratories is still time-consuming, and most procedures take 24h to yield results. In this study, a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test using ATP-bioluminescence has been developed. The design of method was performed using five ATCC collection strains of known susceptibility. This procedure was then validated against standard commercial methods on 10 strains of enterococci, 10 staphylococci, 10 non-fermenting gram negative bacilli, and 13 Enterobacteriaceae from patients. The agreement obtained in the sensitivity between the ATP-bioluminescence method and commercial methods (E-test, MicroScan and VITEK2) was 100%. In summary, the preliminary results obtained in this work show that the ATP-bioluminescence method could provide a fast and reliable AST in two hours. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica. All rights reserved.

  2. Establishment of animal model for the analysis of cancer cell metastasis during radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jong Kuk; Jang, Su Jin; Kang, Sung Wook; Park, Sunhoo; Hwang, Sang-Gu; Kim, Wun-Jae; Kang, Joo Hyun; Um, Hong-Duck

    2012-01-01

    Γ-Ionizing radiation (IR) therapy is one of major therapeutic tools in cancer treatment. Nevertheless, γ-IR therapy failed due to occurrence of metastasis, which constitutes a significant obstacle in cancer treatment. The main aim of this investigation was to construct animal model which present metastasis during radiotherapy in a mouse system in vivo and establishes the molecular mechanisms involved. The C6L transfectant cell line expressing firefly luciferase (fLuc) was treated with γ-IR, followed by immunoblotting, zymography and invasion assay in vitro. We additionally employed the C6L transfectant cell line to construct xenografts in nude mice, which were irradiated with γ-IR. Irradiated xenograft-containing mice were analyzed via survival curves, measurement of tumor size, and bioluminescence imaging in vivo and ex vivo. Metastatic lesions in organs of mice were further assessed using RT-PCR, H & E staining and immunohistochemistry. γ-IR treatment of C6L cells induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increased cell invasion. In irradiated xenograft-containing mice, tumor sizes were decreased dramatically and survival rates extended. Almost all non-irradiated xenograft-containing control mice had died within 4 weeks. However, we also observed luminescence signals in about 22.5% of γ-IR-treated mice. Intestines or lungs of mice displaying luminescence signals contained several lesions, which expressed the fLuc gene and presented histological features of cancer tissues as well as expression of EMT markers. These findings collectively indicate that occurrences of metastases during γ-IR treatment accompanied induction of EMT markers, including increased MMP activity. Establishment of a murine metastasis model during γ-IR treatment should aid in drug development against cancer metastasis and increase our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the metastatic process

  3. Intracranial implantation with subsequent 3D in vivo bioluminescent imaging of murine gliomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdelwahab, Mohammed G; Sankar, Tejas; Preul, Mark C; Scheck, Adrienne C

    2011-11-06

    The mouse glioma 261 (GL261) is recognized as an in vivo model system that recapitulates many of the features of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). The cell line was originally induced by intracranial injection of 3-methyl-cholantrene into a C57BL/6 syngeneic mouse strain (1); therefore, immunologically competent C57BL/6 mice can be used. While we use GL261, the following protocol can be used for the implantation and monitoring of any intracranial mouse tumor model. GL261 cells were engineered to stably express firefly luciferase (GL261-luc). We also created the brighter GL261-luc2 cell line by stable transfection of the luc2 gene expressed from the CMV promoter. C57BL/6-cBrd/cBrd/Cr mice (albino variant of C57BL/6) from the National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD were used to eliminate the light attenuation caused by black skin and fur. With the use of albino C57BL/6 mice; in vivo imaging using the IVIS Spectrum in vivo imaging system is possible from the day of implantation (Caliper Life Sciences, Hopkinton, MA). The GL261-luc and GL261-luc2 cell lines showed the same in vivo behavior as the parental GL261 cells. Some of the shared histological features present in human GBMs and this mouse model include: tumor necrosis, pseudopalisades, neovascularization, invasion, hypercellularity, and inflammation (1). Prior to implantation animals were anesthetized by an intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (50 mg/kg), xylazine (5 mg/kg) and buprenorphine (0.05 mg/kg), placed in a stereotactic apparatus and an incision was made with a scalpel over the cranial midline. A burrhole was made 0.1 mm posterior to the bregma and 2.3mm to the right of the midline. A needle was inserted to a depth of 3mm and withdrawn 0.4 mm to a depth of 2.6 mm. Two μl of GL261-luc or GL261-luc2 cells (10(7) cells/ml) were infused over the course of 3 minutes. The burrhole was closed with bonewax and the incision was sutured. Following stereotactic implantation the bioluminescent cells are

  4. Bioorthogonal chemistry in bioluminescence imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godinat, Aurélien; Bazhin, Arkadiy A; Goun, Elena A

    2018-05-18

    Bioorthogonal chemistry has developed significant over the past few decades, to the particular benefit of molecular imaging. Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) along with other imaging modalities have significantly benefitted from this chemistry. Here, we review bioorthogonal reactions that have been used to signific antly broaden the application range of BLI. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. The cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor H-89 attenuates the bioluminescence signal produced by Renilla Luciferase.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katie J Herbst

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Investigations into the regulation and functional roles of kinases such as cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA increasingly rely on cellular assays. Currently, there are a number of bioluminescence-based assays, for example reporter gene assays, that allow the study of the regulation, activity, and functional effects of PKA in the cellular context. Additionally there are continuing efforts to engineer improved biosensors that are capable of detecting real-time PKA signaling dynamics in cells. These cell-based assays are often utilized to test the involvement of PKA-dependent processes by using H-89, a reversible competitive inhibitor of PKA.We present here data to show that H-89, in addition to being a competitive PKA inhibitor, attenuates the bioluminescence signal produced by Renilla luciferase (RLuc variants in a population of cells and also in single cells. Using 10 microM of luciferase substrate and 10 microM H-89, we observed that the signal from RLuc and RLuc8, an eight-point mutation variant of RLuc, in cells was reduced to 50% (+/-15% and 54% (+/-14% of controls exposed to the vehicle alone, respectively. In vitro, we showed that H-89 decreased the RLuc8 bioluminescence signal but did not compete with coelenterazine-h for the RLuc8 active site, and also did not affect the activity of Firefly luciferase. By contrast, another competitive inhibitor of PKA, KT5720, did not affect the activity of RLuc8.The identification and characterization of the adverse effect of H-89 on RLuc signal will help deconvolute data previously generated from RLuc-based assays looking at the functional effects of PKA signaling. In addition, for the current application and future development of bioluminscence assays, KT5720 is identified as a more suitable PKA inhibitor to be used in conjunction with RLuc-based assays. These principal findings also provide an important lesson to fully consider all of the potential effects of experimental conditions on a cell

  6. Bioluminescent Antibodies for Point-of-Care Diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Lin; Yu, Qiuliyang; Griss, Rudolf; Schena, Alberto; Johnsson, Kai

    2017-06-12

    We introduce a general method to transform antibodies into ratiometric, bioluminescent sensor proteins for the no-wash quantification of analytes. Our approach is based on the genetic fusion of antibody fragments to NanoLuc luciferase and SNAP-tag, the latter being labeled with a synthetic fluorescent competitor of the antigen. Binding of the antigen, here synthetic drugs, by the sensor displaces the tethered fluorescent competitor from the antibody and disrupts bioluminescent resonance energy transfer (BRET) between the luciferase and fluorophore. The semisynthetic sensors display a tunable response range (submicromolar to submillimolar) and large dynamic range (ΔR max >500 %), and they permit the quantification of analytes through spotting of the samples onto paper followed by analysis with a digital camera. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

  7. Numerical modeling of the dynamic response of a bioluminescent bacterial biosensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Affi, Mahmoud; Solliec, Camille; Legentilhomme, Patrick; Comiti, Jacques; Legrand, Jack; Jouanneau, Sulivan; Thouand, Gérald

    2016-12-01

    Water quality and water management are worldwide issues. The analysis of pollutants and in particular, heavy metals, is generally conducted by sensitive but expensive physicochemical methods. Other alternative methods of analysis, such as microbial biosensors, have been developed for their potential simplicity and expected moderate cost. Using a biosensor for a long time generates many changes in the growth of the immobilized bacteria and consequently alters the robustness of the detection. This work simulated the operation of a biosensor for the long-term detection of cadmium and improved our understanding of the bioluminescence reaction dynamics of bioreporter bacteria inside an agarose matrix. The choice of the numerical tools is justified by the difficulty to measure experimentally in every condition the biosensor functioning during a long time (several days). The numerical simulation of a biomass profile is made by coupling the diffusion equation and the consumption/reaction of the nutrients by the bacteria. The numerical results show very good agreement with the experimental profiles. The growth model verified that the bacterial growth is conditioned by both the diffusion and the consumption of the nutrients. Thus, there is a high bacterial density in the first millimeter of the immobilization matrix. The growth model has been very useful for the development of the bioluminescence model inside the gel and shows that a concentration of oxygen greater than or equal to 22 % of saturation is required to maintain a significant level of bioluminescence. A continuous feeding of nutrients during the process of detection of cadmium leads to a biofilm which reduces the diffusion of nutrients and restricts the presence of oxygen from the first layer of the agarose (1 mm) and affects the intensity of the bioluminescent reaction. The main advantage of this work is to link experimental works with numerical models of growth and bioluminescence in order to provide a

  8. Cancer stem cells, cancer cell plasticity and radiation therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlashi, Erina; Pajonk, Frank

    2015-04-01

    Since the first prospective identification of cancer stem cells in solid cancers the cancer stem cell hypothesis has reemerged as a research topic of increasing interest. It postulates that solid cancers are organized hierarchically with a small number of cancer stem cells driving tumor growth, repopulation after injury and metastasis. They give rise to differentiated progeny, which lack these features. The model predicts that for any therapy to provide cure, all cancer stem cells have to be eliminated while the survival of differentiated progeny is less critical. In this review we discuss recent reports challenging the idea of a unidirectional differentiation of cancer cells. These reports provide evidence supporting the idea that non-stem cancer cells exhibit a remarkable degree of plasticity that allows them to re-acquire cancer stem cell traits, especially in the context of radiation therapy. We summarize conditions under which differentiation is reversed and discuss the current knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Co-Cultured Continuously Bioluminescent Human Cells as Bioreporters for the Detection of Prodrug Therapeutic Impact Pre- and Post-Metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Xu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Modern drug discovery workflows require assay systems capable of replicating the complex interactions of multiple tissue types, but that can still function under high throughput conditions. In this work, we evaluate the use of substrate-free autobioluminescence in human cell lines to support the performance of these assays with reduced economical and logistical restrictions relative to substrate-requiring bioluminescent reporter systems. The use of autobioluminescence was found to support assay functionality similar to existing luciferase reporter targets. The autobioluminescent assay format was observed to correlate strongly with general metabolic activity markers such as ATP content and the presence of reactive oxygen species, but not with secondary markers such as glutathione depletion. At the transcriptional level, autobioluminescent dynamics were most closely associated with expression of the CYP1A1 phase I detoxification pathway. These results suggest constitutively autobioluminescent cells can function as general metabolic activity bioreporters, while pairing expression of the autobioluminescent phenotype to detoxification pathway specific promoters could create more specific sensor systems.

  10. An adaptive regularization parameter choice strategy for multispectral bioluminescence tomography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Feng Jinchao; Qin Chenghu; Jia Kebin; Han Dong; Liu Kai; Zhu Shouping; Yang Xin; Tian Jie [Medical Image Processing Group, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2728, Beijing 100190 (China); College of Electronic Information and Control Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124 (China); Medical Image Processing Group, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2728, Beijing 100190 (China); Medical Image Processing Group, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2728, Beijing 100190 (China) and School of Life Sciences and Technology, Xidian University, Xi' an 710071 (China)

    2011-11-15

    Purpose: Bioluminescence tomography (BLT) provides an effective tool for monitoring physiological and pathological activities in vivo. However, the measured data in bioluminescence imaging are corrupted by noise. Therefore, regularization methods are commonly used to find a regularized solution. Nevertheless, for the quality of the reconstructed bioluminescent source obtained by regularization methods, the choice of the regularization parameters is crucial. To date, the selection of regularization parameters remains challenging. With regards to the above problems, the authors proposed a BLT reconstruction algorithm with an adaptive parameter choice rule. Methods: The proposed reconstruction algorithm uses a diffusion equation for modeling the bioluminescent photon transport. The diffusion equation is solved with a finite element method. Computed tomography (CT) images provide anatomical information regarding the geometry of the small animal and its internal organs. To reduce the ill-posedness of BLT, spectral information and the optimal permissible source region are employed. Then, the relationship between the unknown source distribution and multiview and multispectral boundary measurements is established based on the finite element method and the optimal permissible source region. Since the measured data are noisy, the BLT reconstruction is formulated as l{sub 2} data fidelity and a general regularization term. When choosing the regularization parameters for BLT, an efficient model function approach is proposed, which does not require knowledge of the noise level. This approach only requests the computation of the residual and regularized solution norm. With this knowledge, we construct the model function to approximate the objective function, and the regularization parameter is updated iteratively. Results: First, the micro-CT based mouse phantom was used for simulation verification. Simulation experiments were used to illustrate why multispectral data were used

  11. The origins of marine bioluminescence: turning oxygen defence mechanisms into deep-sea communication tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rees, J F; de Wergifosse, B; Noiset, O; Dubuisson, M; Janssens, B; Thompson, E M

    1998-04-01

    Bioluminescence, the emission of ecologically functional light by living organisms, emerged independently on several occasions, yet the evolutionary origins of most bioluminescent systems remain obscure. We propose that the luminescent substrates of the luminous reactions (luciferins) are the evolutionary core of most systems, while luciferases, the enzymes catalysing the photogenic oxidation of the luciferin, serve to optimise the expression of the endogenous chemiluminescent properties of the luciferin. Coelenterazine, a luciferin occurring in many marine bioluminescent groups, has strong antioxidative properties as it is highly reactive with reactive oxygen species such as the superoxide anion or peroxides. We suggest that the primary function of coelenterazine was originally the detoxification of the deleterious oxygen derivatives. The functional shift from its antioxidative to its light-emitting function might have occurred when the strength of selection for antioxidative defence mechanisms decreased. This might have been made possible when marine organisms began colonising deeper layers of the oceans, where exposure to oxidative stress is considerably reduced because of reduced light irradiance and lower oxygen levels. A reduction in metabolic activity with increasing depth would also have decreased the endogenous production of reactive oxygen species. Therefore, in these organisms, mechanisms for harnessing the chemiluminescence of coelenterazine in specialised organs could have developed, while the beneficial antioxidative properties were maintained in other tissues. The full range of graded irradiance in the mesopelagic zone, where the majority of organisms are bioluminescent, would have provided a continuum for the selection and improvement of proto-bioluminescence. Although the requirement for oxygen or reactive oxygen species observed in bioluminescent systems reflects the high energy required to produce visible light, it may suggest that oxygen

  12. Effect of irradiation on detection of bacteria in dehydrated vegetables with ATP bioluminescence assay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiao Huan; Luo Shishi; Wang Zegang; Feng Min; Zhu Jiating; Chen Xiulan; Zhai Jianqing

    2011-01-01

    ATP bioluminescence intensity of 4 kinds of irradiated dehydrated vegetables was inconsistent with the bacteria number, the reasons were investigated in this paper. Results showed that irradiation had little effect on background luminescence, and there was no effect on luciferase-luminous system. When irradiation killed the bacteria, the ATPase activity also decreased. As a result, the ATP content in bacteria didn't decreased with the killed of bacteria, which contributed to the increase of free ATP in ATP extract and finally led to the disagreement between the bioluminescence intensity and the actual number of bacteria. When the free ATP in the dehydrated vegetable was removed, the bioluminescence intensity of ATP extract was consistent with the actual number of bacteria in irradiated dehydrated vegetable and ATP bioluminescence technology could be used in bacteria detection of irradiated samples. (authors)

  13. Enlightening the malaria parasite life cycle: bioluminescent Plasmodium in fundamental and applied research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulia eSiciliano

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available The unicellular protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium impose on human health worldwide the enormous burden of malaria. The possibility to genetically modify several species of malaria parasites represented a major advance in the possibility to elucidate their biology and is now turning laboratory lines of transgenic Plasmodium into precious weapons to fight malaria. Amongst the various genetically modified plasmodia, transgenic parasite lines expressing bioluminescent reporters have been essential to unveil mechanisms of parasite gene expression and to develop in vivo imaging approaches in mouse malaria models. Mainly the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and the rodent parasite Plasmodium berghei have been engineered to express bioluminescent reporters in almost all the developmental stages of the parasite along its complex life cycle between the insect and the vertebrate hosts. Plasmodium lines expressing conventional and improved luciferase reporters are now gaining a central role to develop cell based assays in the much needed search of new antimalarial drugs and to open innovative approaches for both fundamental and applied research in malaria.

  14. Enlightening the malaria parasite life cycle: bioluminescent Plasmodium in fundamental and applied research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siciliano, Giulia; Alano, Pietro

    2015-01-01

    The unicellular protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium impose on human health worldwide the enormous burden of malaria. The possibility to genetically modify several species of malaria parasites represented a major advance in the possibility to elucidate their biology and is now turning laboratory lines of transgenic Plasmodium into precious weapons to fight malaria. Amongst the various genetically modified plasmodia, transgenic parasite lines expressing bioluminescent reporters have been essential to unveil mechanisms of parasite gene expression and to develop in vivo imaging approaches in mouse malaria models. Mainly the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum and the rodent parasite P. berghei have been engineered to express bioluminescent reporters in almost all the developmental stages of the parasite along its complex life cycle between the insect and the vertebrate hosts. Plasmodium lines expressing conventional and improved luciferase reporters are now gaining a central role to develop cell based assays in the much needed search of new antimalarial drugs and to open innovative approaches for both fundamental and applied research in malaria.

  15. Characterization of an anthraquinone fluor from the bioluminescent, pelagic polychaete Tomopteris

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Warren R; Powers, Meghan L; Haddock, Steven H D

    2014-01-01

    Tomopteris is a cosmopolitan genus of polychaetes. Many species produce yellow luminescence in the parapodia when stimulated. Yellow bioluminescence is rare in the ocean, and the components of this luminescent reaction have not been identified. Only a brief description, half a century ago, noted fluorescence in the parapodia with a remarkably similar spectrum to the bioluminescence, which suggested that it may be the luciferin or terminal light-emitter. Here, we report the isolation of the fluorescent yellow–orange pigment found in the luminous exudate and in the body of the animals. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry revealed the mass to be 270 m/z with a molecular formula of C15H10O5, which ultimately was shown to be aloe-emodin, an anthraquinone previously found in plants. We speculate that aloe-emodin could be a factor for resonant-energy transfer or the oxyluciferin for Tomopteris bioluminescence. PMID:24760626

  16. In vivo bioluminescence imaging using orthotopic xenografts towards patient's derived-xenograft Medulloblastoma models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asadzadeh, Fatemeh; Ferrucci, Veronica; DE Antonellis, Pasqualino; Zollo, Massimo

    2017-03-01

    Medulloblastoma is a cerebellar neoplasia of the central nervous system. Four molecular subgrups have been identified (MBWNT, MBSHH, MBgroup3 and MBgroup4) with distinct genetics and clinical outcome. Among these, MBgroup3-4 are highly metastatic with the worst prognosis. The current standard therapy includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Thus, specific treatments adapted to cure those different molecular subgroups are needed. The use of orthotopic xenograft models, together with the non-invasive in vivo biolumiscence imaging (BLI) technology, is emerging during preclinical studies to test novel therapeutics for medulloblastoma treatment. Orthotopic MB xenografts were performed by injection of Daoy-luc cells, that had been previously infected with lentiviral particles to stably express luciferase gene, into the fourth right ventricle of the cerebellum of ten nude mice. For the implantation, specific stereotactic coordinates were used. Seven days after the implantation the mice were imaged by acquisitions of bioluminescence imaging (BLI) using IVIS 3D Illumina Imaging System (Xenogen). Tumor growth was evaluated by quantifying the bioluminescence signals using the integrated fluxes of photons within each area of interest using the Living Images Software Package 3.2 (Xenogen-Perkin Elmer). Finally, histological analysis using hematoxylin-eosin staining was performed to confirm the presence of tumorigenic cells into the cerebellum of the mice. We describe a method to use the in vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI) showing the potential to be used to investigate the potential antitumorigenic effects of a drug for in vivo medulloblastoma treatment. We also discuss other studies in which this technology has been applied to obtain a more comprehensive knowledge of medulloblastoma using orthotopic xenograft mouse models. There is a need to develop patient's derived-xenograft (PDX) model systems to test novel drugs for medulloblastoma treatment within each molecular sub

  17. Total evidence phylogeny and the evolution of adult bioluminescence in fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Gavin J; Branham, Marc A; Whiting, Michael F; Bybee, Seth M

    2017-02-01

    Fireflies are some of the most captivating organisms on the planet. They have a rich history as subjects of scientific study, especially in relation to their bioluminescent behavior. Yet, the phylogenetic relationships of fireflies are still poorly understood. Here, we present the first total evidence approach to reconstruct lampyrid phylogeny using both a molecular matrix from six loci and an extensive morphological matrix. Using this phylogeny we test the hypothesis that adult bioluminescence evolved after the origin of the firefly clade. The ancestral state of adult bioluminescence is recovered as non-bioluminescent with one to six gains and five to ten subsequent losses. The monophyly of the family, as well as the subfamilies is also tested. Ototretinae, Cyphonocerinae, Luciolinae (incl. Pristolycus), Amydetinae, "cheguevarinae" sensu Jeng 2008, and Photurinae are highly supported as monophyletic. With the exception of four taxa, Lampyrinae is also recovered as monophyletic with high support. Based on phylogenetic and morphological data Lamprohiza, Phausis, and Lamprigera are transferred to Lampyridae incertae sedis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Comparison of the spectral emission of lux recombinant and bioluminescent marine bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thouand, Gérald; Daniel, Philippe; Horry, Habib; Picart, Pascal; Durand, Marie José; Killham, Ken; Knox, Oliver G G; DuBow, Michael S; Rousseau, Michel

    2003-01-01

    The purpose of the present paper was to study the influence of bacteria harbouring the luciferase-encoding Vibrio harveyi luxAB genes upon the spectral emission during growth in batch-culture conditions. In vivo bioluminescence spectra were compared from several bioluminescent strains, either naturally luminescent (Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio harveyi) or in recombinant strains (two Gram-negative Escherichia coli::luxAB strains and a Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis::luxAB strain). Spectral emission was recorded from 400 nm to 750 nm using a highly sensitive spectrometer initially devoted to Raman scattering. Two peaks were clearly identified, one at 491-500 nm (+/- 5 nm) and a second peak at 585-595 (+/- 5 nm) with the Raman CCD. The former peak was the only one detected with traditional spectrometers with a photomultiplier detector commonly used for spectral emission measurement, due to their lack of sensitivity and low resolution in the 550-650 nm window. When spectra were compared between all the studied bacteria, no difference was observed between natural or recombinant cells, between Gram-positive and Gram-negative strains, and growth conditions and growth medium were not found to modify the spectrum of light emission. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. A look at some systemic properties of self-bioluminescent emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Creath, Katherine

    2008-08-01

    Self-bioluminescent emission (SBE) is a type of biological chemiluminescence where photons are emitted as part of chemical reactions occurring during metabolic processes. This emission is also known as biophoton emission, ultraweak photon emission and ultraweak bioluminescence. This paper outlines research over the past century on some systemic properties of SBE as measured with biological detectors, photomultiplier detectors and ultra-sensitive imaging arrays. There is an apparent consensus in the literature that emission in the deep blue and ultraviolet (150-450nm) is related to DNA / RNA processes while emission in the red and near infrared (600-1000nm) is related to mitochondria and oxidative metabolisms involving reactive oxygen species, singlet oxygen and free radicals in plant, animal and human cells along with chlorophyll fluorescent decay in plants. Additionally, there are trends showing that healthy, unstressed and uninjured samples have less emission than samples that are unhealthy, stressed or injured. Mechanisms producing this emission can be narrowed down by isolating the wavelength region of interest and waiting for short-term fluorescence to decay leaving the ultraweak long-term metabolic emission. Examples of imaging this emission in healthy versus unhealthy, stressed versus unstressed, and injured versus uninjured plant parts are shown. Further discussion poses questions still to be answered related to properties such as coherence, photon statistics, and methodological means of isolating mechanisms.

  20. SU-E-J-274: Responses of Medulloblastoma Cells to Radiation Dosimetric Parameters in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, J; Park, J; Rogalla, S; Contag, C; Woo, D; Lee, D; Park, H; Suh, T

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate radiation responses of the medulloblastoma cell line Daoy in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), quantitative variations to variable radiation dosimetic parameters were tracked by bioluminescent images (BLIs). Methods: The luciferase and green fluorescent protein positive Daoy cells were cultured on dishes. The medulloblastoma cells irradiated to different dose rate, interval of fractionated doses, field margin and misalignment, and dose uniformity in IMRT were monitored using bioluminescent images. The cultured cells were placed into a dedicated acrylic phantom to deliver intensity-modulated fluences and calculate accurate predicted dose distribution. The radiation with dose rate from 0.5 Gy/min to 15 Gy/min was irradiated by adjusting monitor unit per minute and source-to-surface distances. The intervals of fractionated dose delivery were changed considering the repair time of double strand breaks (DSB) revealed by straining of gamma-H2AX.The effect of non-uniform doses on the cells were visualized by registering dose distributions and BLIs. The viability according to dosimetric parameters was correlated with bioluminescent intensities for cross-check of radiation responses. Results: The DSB and cell responses due to the first fractionated dose delivery significantly affected final tumor control rather than other parameters. The missing tumor volumes due to the smaller field margin than the tumor periphery or field misalignment caused relapse of cell responses on BLIs. The dose rate and gradient had effect on initial responses but could not bring out the distinguishable killing effect on cancer cells. Conclusion: Visualized and quantified bioluminescent images were useful to correlate the dose distributions with spatial radiation effects on cells. This would derive the effective combination of dose delivery parameters and fractionation. Radiation responses in particular IMRT configuration could be reflected to image based-dose re-optimization

  1. Comparison of Acute Toxicity of Algal Metabolites Using Bioluminescence Inhibition Assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hansa Jeswani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Microalgae are reported to degrade hazardous compounds. However, algae, especially cyanobacteria are known to produce secondary metabolites which may be toxic to flora, fauna and human beings. The aim of this study was selection of an appropriate algal culture for biological treatment of biomass gasification wastewater based on acute toxicity considerations. The three algae that were selected were Spirulina sp., Scenedesmus abundans and a fresh water algal consortium. Acute toxicity of the metabolites produced by these algal cultures was tested at the end of log phase using the standard bioluminescence inhibition assay based on Vibrio fischeri NRRLB 11174. Scenedesmus abundans and a fresh water algal consortium dominated by cyanobacteria such as Phormidium, Chroococcus and Oscillatoria did not release much toxic metabolites at the end of log phase and caused only about 20% inhibition in bioluminescence. In comparison, Spirulina sp. released toxic metabolites and caused 50% bioluminescence inhibition at 3/5 times dilution of the culture supernatant (EC50.

  2. Bioluminescent hydrocarbonclastic bacteria of the Niger Delta ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Utilization of three petroleum hydrocarbons (Mobil SAE 40 Engine Oil, Diesel and Bonny light Crude Oil) by four bioluminescent bacteria (Vibrio harveyi, V. fisheri, Photobacterium leiognathi and P. Phosphoreum isolated from the Bonny estuary in the Niger Delta, Nigeria was investigated. Microbial utilization was monitored ...

  3. Bioluminescence Detection of Cells Having Stabilized p53 in Response to a Genotoxic Event

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alnawaz Rehemtulla

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available Inactivation of p53 is one of the most frequent molecular events in neoplastic transformation. Approximately 60% of all human tumors have mutations in both p53 alleles. Wild-type p53 activity is regulated in large part by the proteosome-dependent degradation of p53, resulting in a short p53 half-life in unstressed and untransformed cells. Activation of p53 by a variety of stimuli, including DNA damage induced by genotoxic drugs or radiation, is accomplished by stabilization of wild-type p53. The stabilized and active p53 can result in either cell-cycle arrest or apoptosis. Surprisingly, the majority of tumor-associated, inactivating p53 mutations also result in p53 accumulation. Thus, constitutive elevation of p53 levels in cells is a reliable measure of p53 inactivation, whereas transiently increased p53 levels reflect a recent genotoxic stress. In order to facilitate noninvasive imaging of p53 accumulation, we here describe the construction of a p53-luciferase fusion protein. Induction of DNA damage in cells expressing the fusion protein resulted in a time-dependent accumulation of the fusion that was noninvasively detected using bioluminescence imaging and validated by Western blot analysis. The p53-Luc protein retains p53 function because its expression in HCT116 cells lacking functional p53 resulted in activation of p21 expression as well as induction of apoptosis in response to a DNA damaging event. Employed in a transgenic animal model, the proposed p53-reporter fusion protein will be useful for studying p53 activation in response to exposure to DNA-damaging carcinogenic agents. It could also be used to study p53 stabilization as a result of inactivating p53 mutations. Such studies will further our understanding of p53's role as the “guardian of the genome” and its function in tumorigenesis.

  4. Noninvasive imaging of protein-protein interactions from live cells and living subjects using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De, Abhijit; Gambhir, Sanjiv Sam

    2005-12-01

    This study demonstrates a significant advancement of imaging of a distance-dependent physical process, known as the bioluminescent resonance energy transfer (BRET2) signal in living subjects, by using a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. A CCD camera-based spectral imaging strategy enables simultaneous visualization and quantitation of BRET signal from live cells and cells implanted in living mice. We used the BRET2 system, which utilizes Renilla luciferase (hRluc) protein and its substrate DeepBlueC (DBC) as an energy donor and a mutant green fluorescent protein (GFP2) as the acceptor. To accomplish this objective in this proof-of-principle study, the donor and acceptor proteins were fused to FKBP12 and FRB, respectively, which are known to interact only in the presence of the small molecule mediator rapamycin. Mammalian cells expressing these fusion constructs were imaged using a cooled-CCD camera either directly from culture dishes or by implanting them into mice. By comparing the emission photon yields in the presence and absence of rapamycin, the specific BRET signal was determined. The CCD imaging approach of BRET signal is particularly appealing due to its capacity to seamlessly bridge the gap between in vitro and in vivo studies. This work validates BRET as a powerful tool for interrogating and observing protein-protein interactions directly at limited depths in living mice.

  5. Hyperspectral and multispectral bioluminescence optical tomography for small animal imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhari, Abhijit J; Darvas, Felix; Bading, James R; Moats, Rex A; Conti, Peter S; Smith, Desmond J; Cherry, Simon R; Leahy, Richard M

    2005-01-01

    For bioluminescence imaging studies in small animals, it is important to be able to accurately localize the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the underlying bioluminescent source. The spectrum of light produced by the source that escapes the subject varies with the depth of the emission source because of the wavelength-dependence of the optical properties of tissue. Consequently, multispectral or hyperspectral data acquisition should help in the 3D localization of deep sources. In this paper, we describe a framework for fully 3D bioluminescence tomographic image acquisition and reconstruction that exploits spectral information. We describe regularized tomographic reconstruction techniques that use semi-infinite slab or FEM-based diffusion approximations of photon transport through turbid media. Singular value decomposition analysis was used for data dimensionality reduction and to illustrate the advantage of using hyperspectral rather than achromatic data. Simulation studies in an atlas-mouse geometry indicated that sub-millimeter resolution may be attainable given accurate knowledge of the optical properties of the animal. A fixed arrangement of mirrors and a single CCD camera were used for simultaneous acquisition of multispectral imaging data over most of the surface of the animal. Phantom studies conducted using this system demonstrated our ability to accurately localize deep point-like sources and show that a resolution of 1.5 to 2.2 mm for depths up to 6 mm can be achieved. We also include an in vivo study of a mouse with a brain tumour expressing firefly luciferase. Co-registration of the reconstructed 3D bioluminescent image with magnetic resonance images indicated good anatomical localization of the tumour

  6. Metformin kills and radiosensitizes cancer cells and preferentially kills cancer stem cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Chang W.; Lee, Hyemi; Dings, Ruud P. M.; Williams, Brent; Powers, John; Santos, Troy Dos; Choi, Bo-Hwa; Park, Heon Joo

    2012-01-01

    The anti-cancer effects of metformin, the most widely used drug for type 2 diabetes, alone or in combination with ionizing radiation were studied with MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and FSaII mouse fibrosarcoma cells. Clinically achievable concentrations of metformin caused significant clonogenic death in cancer cells. Importantly, metformin was preferentially cytotoxic to cancer stem cells relative to non-cancer stem cells. Metformin increased the radiosensitivity of cancer cells in vitro, and significantly enhanced the radiation-induced growth delay of FSaII tumors (s.c.) in the legs of C3H mice. Both metformin and ionizing radiation activated AMPK leading to inactivation of mTOR and suppression of its downstream effectors such as S6K1 and 4EBP1, a crucial signaling pathway for proliferation and survival of cancer cells, in vitro as well as in the in vivo tumors. Conclusion: Metformin kills and radiosensitizes cancer cells and eradicates radioresistant cancer stem cells by activating AMPK and suppressing mTOR. PMID:22500211

  7. Image analyzing method to evaluate in situ bioluminescence from an obligate anaerobe cultivated under various dissolved oxygen concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ninomiya, Kazuaki; Yamada, Ryuji; Matsumoto, Masami; Fukiya, Satoru; Katayama, Takane; Ogino, Chiaki; Shimizu, Nobuaki

    2013-02-01

    An image analyzing method was developed to evaluate in situ bioluminescence expression, without exposing the culture sample to the ambient oxygen atmosphere. Using this method, we investigated the effect of dissolved oxygen concentration on bioluminescence from an obligate anaerobe Bifidobacterium longum expressing bacterial luciferase which catalyzes an oxygen-requiring bioluminescent reaction. Copyright © 2012 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. The Use of Stimulable Bioluminescence From Dinoflagellates as a Means of Detecting Toxicity in the Marine Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-03-01

    AND SSTýTL FUNDINCG NUMI)) W, TIHE USE OF STIMt LABILE BIOLUMINESCENCE FROM DI NOIFLAGELLATk. PH: M1E69 AS A MEAN’S OF DETrECTING ToxicITY IN THE...bioluminescence dinoflagellates for asseossmnent of toxic effects when exposed to a single tox~icant or mixture. Successful use of this type of bioassav... tributyltin chloride (TFITCI), Copper (11) Sulfate (CuSO 4 I. zinc sulfate (ZnSO4 ), or storm drain effluent. Stimulable bioluminescence was measured at

  9. Smartphone-based low light detection for bioluminescence application

    Science.gov (United States)

    We report a smartphone-based device and associated imaging-processing algorithm to maximize the sensitivity of standard smartphone cameras, that can detect the presence of single-digit pW of radiant flux intensity. The proposed hardware and software, called bioluminescent-based analyte quantitation ...

  10. Molecular phylogeny of Neotropical bioluminescent beetles (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in southern and central Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amaral, D T; Arnoldi, F G C; Rosa, S P; Viviani, V R

    2014-08-01

    Bioluminescence in beetles is found mainly in the Elateroidea superfamily (Elateridae, Lampyridae and Phengodidae). The Neotropical region accounts for the richest diversity of bioluminescent species in the world with about 500 described species, most occurring in the Amazon, Atlantic rainforest and Cerrado (savanna) ecosystems in Brazil. The origin and evolution of bioluminescence, as well as the taxonomic status of several Neotropical taxa in these families remains unclear. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of bioluminescent Elateroidea we sequenced and analyzed sequences of mitochondrial NADH2 and the nuclear 28S genes and of the cloned luciferase sequences of Brazilian species belonging to the following genera: (Lampyridae) Macrolampis, Photuris, Amydetes, Bicellonycha, Aspisoma, Lucidota, Cratomorphus; (Elateridae) Conoderus, Pyrophorus, Hapsodrilus, Pyrearinus, Fulgeochlizus; and (Phengodidae) Pseudophengodes, Phrixothrix, Euryopa and Brasilocerus. Our study supports a closer phylogenetic relationship between Elateridae and Phengodidae as other molecular studies, in contrast with previous morphologic and molecular studies that clustered Lampyridae/Phengodidae. Molecular data also supported division of the Phengodinae subfamily into the tribes Phengodini and Mastinocerini. The position of the genus Amydetes supports the status of the Amydetinae as a subfamily. The genus Euryopa is included in the Mastinocerini tribe within the Phengodinae/Phengodidae. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  11. Bacteria as part of bioluminescence emission at the deep ANTARES station (North-Western Mediterranean Sea) during a one-year survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martini, S.; Michotey, V.; Casalot, L.; Bonin, P.; Guasco, S.; Garel, M.; Tamburini, C.

    2016-10-01

    Bioluminescent bacteria have been studied during a one-year survey in 2011 at the deep ANTARES site (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea, 2000 m depth). The neutrino underwater telescope ANTARES, located at this station, has been used to record the bioluminescence at the same depth. Together with these data, environmental variables (potential temperature, salinity, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon and oxygen) have been characterized in water samples. The year 2011 was characterized by relatively stable conditions, as revealed by minor variability in the monitored oceanographic variables, by low bioluminescence and low current speed. This suggests weak eukaryote participation and mainly non-stimulated light emission. Hence, no processes of dense water have affected the ANTARES station during this survey. Abundance of bioluminescent bacteria belonging to Photobacterium genus, measured by qPCR of the luxF gene, ranged from 1.4×102 to 7.2×102 genes mL-1. Their effective activity was confirmed through mRNA luxF quantification. Our results reveal that bioluminescent bacteria appeared more active than the total counterpart of bacteria, suggesting an ecological benefit of this feature such as favoring interaction with macro-organisms. Moreover, these results show that part of the bioluminescence, recorded at 2000 m depth over one year, could be due to bioluminescent bacteria in stable hydrological conditions.

  12. Bioanalytical Applications of Real-Time ATP Imaging Via Bioluminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gruenhagen, Jason Alan [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2003-01-01

    The research discussed within involves the development of novel applications of real-time imaging of adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP). ATP was detected via bioluminescence and the firefly luciferase-catalyzed reaction of ATP and luciferin. The use of a microscope and an imaging detector allowed for spatially resolved quantitation of ATP release. Employing this method, applications in both biological and chemical systems were developed. First, the mechanism by which the compound 48/80 induces release of ATP from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was investigated. Numerous enzyme activators and inhibitors were utilized to probe the second messenger systems involved in release. Compound 48/80 activated a G{sub q}-type protein to initiate ATP release from HUVECs. Ca2+ imaging along with ATP imaging revealed that activation of phospholipase C and induction of intracellular Ca2+ signaling were necessary for release of ATP. Furthermore, activation of protein kinase C inhibited the activity of phospholipase C and thus decreased the magnitude of ATP release. This novel release mechanism was compared to the existing theories of extracellular release of ATP. Bioluminescence imaging was also employed to examine the role of ATP in the field of neuroscience. The central nervous system (CNS) was dissected from the freshwater snail Lymnaea stagnalis. Electrophysiological experiments demonstrated that the neurons of the Lymnaea were not damaged by any of the components of the imaging solution. ATP was continuously released by the ganglia of the CNS for over eight hours and varied from ganglion to ganglion and within individual ganglia. Addition of the neurotransmitters K+ and serotonin increased release of ATP in certain regions of the Lymnaea CNS. Finally, the ATP imaging technique was investigated for the study of drug release systems. MCM-41-type mesoporous nanospheres were loaded with ATP and end-capped with mercaptoethanol

  13. CAR T cell therapy for breast cancer: harnessing the tumor milieu to drive T cell activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bajgain, Pradip; Tawinwung, Supannikar; D'Elia, Lindsey; Sukumaran, Sujita; Watanabe, Norihiro; Hoyos, Valentina; Lulla, Premal; Brenner, Malcolm K; Leen, Ann M; Vera, Juan F

    2018-05-10

    The adoptive transfer of T cells redirected to tumor via chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has produced clinical benefits for the treatment of hematologic diseases. To extend this approach to breast cancer, we generated CAR T cells directed against mucin1 (MUC1), an aberrantly glycosylated neoantigen that is overexpressed by malignant cells and whose expression has been correlated with poor prognosis. Furthermore, to protect our tumor-targeted cells from the elevated levels of immune-inhibitory cytokines present in the tumor milieu, we co-expressed an inverted cytokine receptor linking the IL4 receptor exodomain with the IL7 receptor endodomain (4/7ICR) in order to transform the suppressive IL4 signal into one that would enhance the anti-tumor effects of our CAR T cells at the tumor site. First (1G - CD3ζ) and second generation (2G - 41BB.CD3ζ) MUC1-specific CARs were constructed using the HMFG2 scFv. Following retroviral transduction transgenic expression of the CAR±ICR was assessed by flow cytometry. In vitro CAR/ICR T cell function was measured by assessing cell proliferation and short- and long-term cytotoxic activity using MUC1+ MDA MB 468 cells as targets. In vivo anti-tumor activity was assessed using IL4-producing MDA MB 468 tumor-bearing mice using calipers to assess tumor volume and bioluminescence imaging to track T cells. In the IL4-rich tumor milieu, 1G CAR.MUC1 T cells failed to expand or kill MUC1+ tumors and while co-expression of the 4/7ICR promoted T cell expansion, in the absence of co-stimulatory signals the outgrowing cells exhibited an exhausted phenotype characterized by PD-1 and TIM3 upregulation and failed to control tumor growth. However, by co-expressing 2G CAR.MUC1 (signal 1 - activation + signal 2 - co-stimulation) and 4/7ICR (signal 3 - cytokine), transgenic T cells selectively expanded at the tumor site and produced potent and durable tumor control in vitro and in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of targeting breast

  14. The application of superweak bioluminescence on freshness degree of chicken egg

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Hongxia; Li Guochen; Li Qiangzheng; Li Juan

    2007-01-01

    The luminescence of chicken egg in storage is studied by a detection system of superweak bioluminescence. The results show that egg has the strongest vigour on the third day after it is laid, subsequently the luminescence presents decay with oscillation. These eggs, which have been stored for 3 days, are most suitable for hatching. Different eggs have different luminescence intensities depending on the vigour of the egg. The stronger the vigour of the egg is, the more intensive the luminescence is. Superweak bioluminescence as a comprehensive index of biology and biochemistry response can be used for inspecting the freshness degree of the egg, and the test is nondestructive and sensitive

  15. Generation of a new bioluminescent model for visualisation of mammary tumour development in transgenic mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zagozdzon Agnieszka M

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Numerous transgenic models have been generated to study breast cancer. However, despite many advantages, traditional transgenic models for breast cancer are also burdened with difficulties in early detection and longitudinal observation of transgene-induced tumours, which in most cases are randomly located and occur at various time points. Methods such as palpation followed by mechanical measurement of the tumours are of limited value in transgenic models. There is a crucial need for making these previously generated models suitable for modern methods of tumour visualisation and monitoring, e.g. by bioluminescence-based techniques. This approach was successfully used in the current study. Results A new mouse strain (MMTV-Luc2 mice expressing Luc2 luciferase primarily in mammary tissue in females, with low-level background expression in internal organs, was generated and bred to homozygosity. After these mice were intercrossed with MMTV-PyVT mice, all double transgenic females developed mammary tumours by the age of 10 weeks, the localisation and progression of which could be effectively monitored using the luminescence-based in vivo imaging. Luminescence-based readout allowed for early visualisation of the locally overgrown mammary tissue and for longitudinal evaluation of local progression of the tumours. When sampled ex vivo at the age of 10 weeks, all tumours derived from MMTV-Luc2PyVT females displayed robust bioluminescent signal. Conclusions We have created a novel transgenic strain for visualisation and longitudinal monitoring of mammary tumour development in transgenic mice as an addition and/or a new and more advanced alternative to manual methods. Generation of this mouse strain is vital for making many of the existing mammary tumour transgenic models applicable for in vivo imaging techniques.

  16. Generation of a new bioluminescent model for visualisation of mammary tumour development in transgenic mice

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Zagozdzon, Agnieszka M

    2012-05-30

    AbstractBackgroundNumerous transgenic models have been generated to study breast cancer. However, despite many advantages, traditional transgenic models for breast cancer are also burdened with difficulties in early detection and longitudinal observation of transgene-induced tumours, which in most cases are randomly located and occur at various time points. Methods such as palpation followed by mechanical measurement of the tumours are of limited value in transgenic models. There is a crucial need for making these previously generated models suitable for modern methods of tumour visualisation and monitoring, e.g. by bioluminescence-based techniques. This approach was successfully used in the current study.ResultsA new mouse strain (MMTV-Luc2 mice) expressing Luc2 luciferase primarily in mammary tissue in females, with low-level background expression in internal organs, was generated and bred to homozygosity. After these mice were intercrossed with MMTV-PyVT mice, all double transgenic females developed mammary tumours by the age of 10 weeks, the localisation and progression of which could be effectively monitored using the luminescence-based in vivo imaging. Luminescence-based readout allowed for early visualisation of the locally overgrown mammary tissue and for longitudinal evaluation of local progression of the tumours. When sampled ex vivo at the age of 10 weeks, all tumours derived from MMTV-Luc2PyVT females displayed robust bioluminescent signal.ConclusionsWe have created a novel transgenic strain for visualisation and longitudinal monitoring of mammary tumour development in transgenic mice as an addition and\\/or a new and more advanced alternative to manual methods. Generation of this mouse strain is vital for making many of the existing mammary tumour transgenic models applicable for in vivo imaging techniques.

  17. Lung cancer - small cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cancer - lung - small cell; Small cell lung cancer; SCLC ... About 15% of all lung cancer cases are SCLC. Small cell lung cancer is slightly more common in men than women. Almost all cases of SCLC are ...

  18. Effect of Naphthalene and Salicylate Analogues on the Bioluminescence of Bioreporter Pseudomonas Fluorescens HK44.

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Trögl, Josef; Kuncová, Gabriela; Kubicová, L.; Pařík, P.; Hálová, Jaroslava; Demnerová, K.; Ripp, S.; Sayler, G. S.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 52, 1 (2007) , s. 3-14 ISSN 0015-5632 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA104/05/2637; GA ČR(CZ) GA203/06/1244 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40720504; CEZ:AV0Z40320502 Keywords : pseudomonas fluorescens HK44 * bioluminescence * bioluminescence Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 0.989, year: 2007

  19. An ebCMOS camera system for marine bioluminescence observation: The LuSEApher prototype

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dominjon, A., E-mail: a.dominjon@ipnl.in2p3.fr [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France); Ageron, M. [CNRS/IN2P3, Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille, Marseille, F-13288 (France); Barbier, R. [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France); Universite de Lyon, Universite Lyon 1, Lyon F-69003 (France); Billault, M.; Brunner, J. [CNRS/IN2P3, Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille, Marseille, F-13288 (France); Cajgfinger, T. [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France); Universite de Lyon, Universite Lyon 1, Lyon F-69003 (France); Calabria, P. [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France); Chabanat, E. [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France); Universite de Lyon, Universite Lyon 1, Lyon F-69003 (France); Chaize, D.; Doan, Q.T.; Guerin, C.; Houles, J.; Vagneron, L. [CNRS/IN2P3, Institut de Physique Nucleaire de Lyon, Villeurbanne F-69622 (France)

    2012-12-11

    The ebCMOS camera, called LuSEApher, is a marine bioluminescence recorder device adapted to extreme low light level. This prototype is based on the skeleton of the LUSIPHER camera system originally developed for fluorescence imaging. It has been installed at 2500 m depth off the Mediterranean shore on the site of the ANTARES neutrino telescope. The LuSEApher camera is mounted on the Instrumented Interface Module connected to the ANTARES network for environmental science purposes (European Seas Observatory Network). The LuSEApher is a self-triggered photo detection system with photon counting ability. The presentation of the device is given and its performances such as the single photon reconstruction, noise performances and trigger strategy are presented. The first recorded movies of bioluminescence are analyzed. To our knowledge, those types of events have never been obtained with such a sensitivity and such a frame rate. We believe that this camera concept could open a new window on bioluminescence studies in the deep sea.

  20. Deep-sea bioluminescence blooms after dense water formation at the ocean surface.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Tamburini

    Full Text Available The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in the properties of deep waters. Such changes are triggered by the winter cooling and evaporation experienced by the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Lion that leads to the formation and subsequent sinking of dense water through a process known as "open-sea convection". It episodically renews the deep water of the study area and conveys fresh organic matter that fuels the deep ecosystems. Luminous bacteria most likely are the main contributors to the observed deep-sea bioluminescence blooms. Our observations demonstrate a consistent and rapid connection between deep open-sea convection and bathypelagic biological activity, as expressed by bioluminescence. In a setting where dense water formation events are likely to decline under global warming scenarios enhancing ocean stratification, in situ observatories become essential as environmental sentinels for the monitoring and understanding of deep-sea ecosystem shifts.

  1. Deep-sea bioluminescence blooms after dense water formation at the ocean surface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamburini, Christian; Canals, Miquel; Durrieu de Madron, Xavier; Houpert, Loïc; Lefèvre, Dominique; Martini, Séverine; D'Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Robert, Anne; Testor, Pierre; Aguilar, Juan Antonio; Samarai, Imen Al; Albert, Arnaud; André, Michel; Anghinolfi, Marco; Anton, Gisela; Anvar, Shebli; Ardid, Miguel; Jesus, Ana Carolina Assis; Astraatmadja, Tri L; Aubert, Jean-Jacques; Baret, Bruny; Basa, Stéphane; Bertin, Vincent; Biagi, Simone; Bigi, Armando; Bigongiari, Ciro; Bogazzi, Claudio; Bou-Cabo, Manuel; Bouhou, Boutayeb; Bouwhuis, Mieke C; Brunner, Jurgen; Busto, José; Camarena, Francisco; Capone, Antonio; Cârloganu, Christina; Carminati, Giada; Carr, John; Cecchini, Stefano; Charif, Ziad; Charvis, Philippe; Chiarusi, Tommaso; Circella, Marco; Coniglione, Rosa; Costantini, Heide; Coyle, Paschal; Curtil, Christian; Decowski, Patrick; Dekeyser, Ivan; Deschamps, Anne; Donzaud, Corinne; Dornic, Damien; Dorosti, Hasankiadeh Q; Drouhin, Doriane; Eberl, Thomas; Emanuele, Umberto; Ernenwein, Jean-Pierre; Escoffier, Stéphanie; Fermani, Paolo; Ferri, Marcelino; Flaminio, Vincenzo; Folger, Florian; Fritsch, Ulf; Fuda, Jean-Luc; Galatà, Salvatore; Gay, Pascal; Giacomelli, Giorgio; Giordano, Valentina; Gómez-González, Juan-Pablo; Graf, Kay; Guillard, Goulven; Halladjian, Garadeb; Hallewell, Gregory; van Haren, Hans; Hartman, Joris; Heijboer, Aart J; Hello, Yann; Hernández-Rey, Juan Jose; Herold, Bjoern; Hößl, Jurgen; Hsu, Ching-Cheng; de Jong, Marteen; Kadler, Matthias; Kalekin, Oleg; Kappes, Alexander; Katz, Uli; Kavatsyuk, Oksana; Kooijman, Paul; Kopper, Claudio; Kouchner, Antoine; Kreykenbohm, Ingo; Kulikovskiy, Vladimir; Lahmann, Robert; Lamare, Patrick; Larosa, Giuseppina; Lattuada, Dario; Lim, Gordon; Presti, Domenico Lo; Loehner, Herbert; Loucatos, Sotiris; Mangano, Salvatore; Marcelin, Michel; Margiotta, Annarita; Martinez-Mora, Juan Antonio; Meli, Athina; Montaruli, Teresa; Moscoso, Luciano; Motz, Holger; Neff, Max; Nezri, Emma Nuel; Palioselitis, Dimitris; Păvălaş, Gabriela E; Payet, Kevin; Payre, Patrice; Petrovic, Jelena; Piattelli, Paolo; Picot-Clemente, Nicolas; Popa, Vlad; Pradier, Thierry; Presani, Eleonora; Racca, Chantal; Reed, Corey; Riccobene, Giorgio; Richardt, Carsten; Richter, Roland; Rivière, Colas; Roensch, Kathrin; Rostovtsev, Andrei; Ruiz-Rivas, Joaquin; Rujoiu, Marius; Russo, Valerio G; Salesa, Francisco; Sánchez-Losa, Augustin; Sapienza, Piera; Schöck, Friederike; Schuller, Jean-Pierre; Schussler, Fabian; Shanidze, Rezo; Simeone, Francesco; Spies, Andreas; Spurio, Maurizio; Steijger, Jos J M; Stolarczyk, Thierry; Taiuti, Mauro G F; Toscano, Simona; Vallage, Bertrand; Van Elewyck, Véronique; Vannoni, Giulia; Vecchi, Manuela; Vernin, Pascal; Wijnker, Guus; Wilms, Jorn; de Wolf, Els; Yepes, Harold; Zaborov, Dmitry; De Dios Zornoza, Juan; Zúñiga, Juan

    2013-01-01

    The deep ocean is the largest and least known ecosystem on Earth. It hosts numerous pelagic organisms, most of which are able to emit light. Here we present a unique data set consisting of a 2.5-year long record of light emission by deep-sea pelagic organisms, measured from December 2007 to June 2010 at the ANTARES underwater neutrino telescope in the deep NW Mediterranean Sea, jointly with synchronous hydrological records. This is the longest continuous time-series of deep-sea bioluminescence ever recorded. Our record reveals several weeks long, seasonal bioluminescence blooms with light intensity up to two orders of magnitude higher than background values, which correlate to changes in the properties of deep waters. Such changes are triggered by the winter cooling and evaporation experienced by the upper ocean layer in the Gulf of Lion that leads to the formation and subsequent sinking of dense water through a process known as "open-sea convection". It episodically renews the deep water of the study area and conveys fresh organic matter that fuels the deep ecosystems. Luminous bacteria most likely are the main contributors to the observed deep-sea bioluminescence blooms. Our observations demonstrate a consistent and rapid connection between deep open-sea convection and bathypelagic biological activity, as expressed by bioluminescence. In a setting where dense water formation events are likely to decline under global warming scenarios enhancing ocean stratification, in situ observatories become essential as environmental sentinels for the monitoring and understanding of deep-sea ecosystem shifts.

  2. Isolation and Characterization of Cancer Stem Cells of the Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (A549) Cell Line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halim, Noor Hanis Abu; Zakaria, Norashikin; Satar, Nazilah Abdul; Yahaya, Badrul Hisham

    2016-01-01

    Cancer is a major health problem worldwide. The failure of current treatments to completely eradicate cancer cells often leads to cancer recurrence and dissemination. Studies have suggested that tumor growth and spread are driven by a minority of cancer cells that exhibit characteristics similar to those of normal stem cells, thus these cells are called cancer stem cells (CSCs). CSCs are believed to play an important role in initiating and promoting cancer. CSCs are resistant to currently available cancer therapies, and understanding the mechanisms that control the growth of CSCs might have great implications for cancer therapy. Cancer cells are consist of heterogeneous population of cells, thus methods of identification, isolation, and characterisation of CSCs are fundamental to obtain a pure CSC populations. Therefore, this chapter describes in detail a method for isolating and characterizing a pure population of CSCs from heterogeneous population of cancer cells and CSCs based on specific cell surface markers.

  3. Real-time bioluminescence imaging of macroencapsulated fibroblasts reveals allograft protection in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarantal, Alice F; Lee, C Chang I; Itkin-Ansari, Pamela

    2009-07-15

    Encapsulation of cells has the potential to eliminate the need for immunosuppression for cellular transplantation. Recently, the TheraCyte device was shown to provide long-term immunoprotection of murine islets in a mouse model of diabetes. In this report, translational studies were undertaken using skin fibroblasts from an unrelated rhesus monkey donor that were transduced with an HIV-1-derived lentiviral vector expressing firefly luciferase permitting the use of bioluminescence imaging (BLI) to monitor cell survival over time and in a noninvasive manner. Encapsulated cells were transplanted subcutaneously (n=2), or cells were injected without encapsulation (n=1) and outcomes compared. BLI was performed to monitor cell survival. The BLI signal from the encapsulated cells remained robust postinsertion and in one animal persisted for up to 1 year. In contrast, the control animal that received unencapsulated cells exhibited a complete loss of cell signal within 14 days. These data demonstrate that TheraCyte encapsulation of allogeneic cells provides robust immune protection in transplanted rhesus monkeys.

  4. A novel triple-modality reporter gene for whole-body fluorescent, bioluminescent, and nuclear noninvasive imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ponomarev, Vladimir; Vider, Jelena; Shavrin, Aleksander; Ageyeva, Ludmila; Tourkova, Vilia; Doubrovin, Michael; Serganova, Inna; Beresten, Tatiana; Ivanova, Anna; Blasberg, Ronald; Balatoni, Julius; Bornmann, William; Gelovani Tjuvajev, Juri

    2004-01-01

    Two genetic reporter systems were developed for multimodality reporter gene imaging of different molecular-genetic processes using fluorescence, bioluminescence (BLI), and nuclear imaging techniques. The eGFP cDNA was fused at the N-terminus with HSV1-tk cDNA bearing a nuclear export signal from MAPKK (NES-HSV1-tk) or with truncation at the N-terminus of the first 45 amino acids (Δ45HSV1-tk) and with firefly luciferase at the C-terminus. A single fusion protein with three functional subunits is formed following transcription and translation from a single open reading frame. The NES-TGL (NES-TGL) or Δ45HSV1-tk/GFP/luciferase (Δ45-TGL) triple-fusion gene cDNAs were cloned into a MoMLV-based retrovirus, which was used for transduction of U87 human glioma cells. The integrity, fluorescence, bioluminescence, and enzymatic activity of the TGL reporter proteins were assessed in vitro. The predicted molecular weight of the fusion proteins (130 kDa) was confirmed by western blot. The U87-NES-TGL and U87-Δ45-TGL cells had cytoplasmic green fluorescence. The in vitro BLI was 7- and 13-fold higher in U87-NES-TGL and U87-Δ45-TGL cells compared to nontransduced control cells. The Ki of 14 C-FIAU was 0.49±0.02, 0.51±0.03, and 0.003±0.001 ml/min/g in U87-NES-TGL, U87-Δ45-TGL, and wild-type U87 cells, respectively. Multimodality in vivo imaging studies were performed in nu/nu mice bearing multiple s.c. xenografts established from U87-NES-TGL, U87-Δ45-TGL, and wild-type U87 cells. BLI was performed after administration of d-luciferin (150 mg/kg i.v.). Gamma camera or PET imaging was conducted at 2 h after i.v. administration of [ 131 I]FIAU (7.4 MBq/animal) or [ 124 I]FIAU (7.4 MBq/animal), respectively. Whole-body fluorescence imaging was performed in parallel with the BLI and radiotracer imaging studies. In vivo BLI and gamma camera imaging showed specific localization of luminescence and radioactivity to the TGL transduced xenografts with background levels of activity

  5. Identification of cancer specific ligands from one-bead one compound combinatorial libraries to develop theranostics agents against oral squamous cell carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Frances Fan

    Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent disease worldwide. One-bead one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial technology is a powerful method to identify peptidomimetic ligands against a variety of receptors on cell surfaces. We therefore hypothesized that cancer specific ligands against OSCC might be identified and can be conjugated to optical dyes or nanocarriers to develop theranostic agents against OSCC. Material and methods: Different OSCC cell lines were incubated with OBOC libraries and beads with cell binding were sorted and then screened with normal human cells to identify peptide-beads binding to different OSCC cell lines but not binding to normal human cells. The molecular probes of OSCC were developed by biotinylating the carboxyl end of the ligands. OSCC theranostic agents were developed by decorating LLY13 with NPs and evaluated by using orthotopic bioluminescent oral cancer model. Results: Six OSCC specific ligands were discovered. Initial peptide-histochemistry study indicated that LLY12 and LLY13 were able to specifically detect OSCC cells grown on chamber slides at the concentration of 1 muM. In addition, LLY13 was found to penetrate into the OSCC cells and accumulate in the cytoplasm, and nucleus. After screened with a panel of integrin antibodies, only anti-alpha3 antibody was able to block most of OSCC cells binding to the LLY13 beads. OSCC theranostic agents developed using targeting LLY13 micelles (25+/- 4nm in diameter) were more efficient in binding to HSC-3 cancer cells compared to non-targeting micelles. Ex vivo images demonstrated that xenografts from the mice with targeting micelles appeared to have higher signals than the non-targeting groups. Conclusion: LLY13 has promising in vitro and in vivo targeting activity against OSCC. In addition, LLY13 is also able to penetrate into cancer cells via endocytosis. Initial study indicated that alpha3 integrin might partially be the corresponding receptor involved

  6. Setting up a Bioluminescence Resonance Energy Transfer high throughput screening assay to search for protein/protein interaction inhibitors in mammalian cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cyril eCouturier

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Each step of the cell life and its response or adaptation to its environment are mediated by a network of protein/protein interactions termed interactome. Our knowledge of this network keeps growing due to the development of sensitive techniques devoted to study these interactions. The bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET technique was primarily developed to allow the dynamic monitoring of protein-protein interactions in living cells, and has widely been used to study receptor activation by intra- or extra-molecular conformational changes within receptors and activated complexes in mammal cells. Some interactions are described as crucial in human pathological processes, and a new class of drugs targeting them has recently emerged. The BRET method is well suited to identify inhibitors of protein-protein interactions and here is described why and how to set up and optimize a High Throughput Screening assay based on BRET to search for such inhibitory compounds. The different parameters to take into account when developing such BRET assays in mammal cells are reviewed to give general guidelines: considerations on the targeted interaction, choice of BRET version, inducibility of the interaction, kinetic of the monitored interaction, and of the BRET reading, influence substrate concentration, number of cells and medium composition used on the Z’ factor, and expected interferences for colored or fluorescent compounds.

  7. A new prospect in cancer therapy: targeting cancer stem cells to eradicate cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Li-Sha; Wang, An-Xin; Dong, Bing; Pu, Ke-Feng; Yuan, Li-Hua; Zhu, Yi-Min

    2012-12-01

    According to the cancer stem cell theory, cancers can be initiated by cancer stem cells. This makes cancer stem cells prime targets for therapeutic intervention. Eradicating cancer stem cells by efficient targeting agents may have the potential to cure cancer. In this review, we summarize recent breakthroughs that have improved our understanding of cancer stem cells, and we discuss the therapeutic strategy of targeting cancer stem cells, a promising future direction for cancer stem cell research.

  8. Gigantol Suppresses Cancer Stem Cell-Like Phenotypes in Lung Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Narumol Bhummaphan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available As cancer stem cells (CSCs contribute to malignancy, metastasis, and relapse of cancers, potential of compound in inhibition of CSCs has garnered most attention in the cancer research as well as drug development fields recently. Herein, we have demonstrated for the first time that gigantol, a pure compound isolated from Dendrobium draconis, dramatically suppressed stem-like phenotypes of human lung cancer cells. Gigantol at nontoxic concentrations significantly reduced anchorage-independent growth and survival of the cancer cells. Importantly, gigantol significantly reduced the ability of the cancer cells to form tumor spheroids, a critical hallmark of CSCs. Concomitantly, the treatment of the compound was shown to reduce well-known lung CSCs markers, including CD133 and ALDH1A1. Moreover, we revealed that gigantol decreased stemness in the cancer cells by suppressing the activation of protein kinase B (Akt signal which in turn decreased the cellular levels of pluripotency and self-renewal factors Oct4 and Nanog. In conclusion, gigantol possesses CSCs suppressing activity which may facilitate the development of this compound for therapeutic approaches by targeting CSCs.

  9. Bioluminescence Tomography–Guided Radiation Therapy for Preclinical Research

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Bin [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Wang, Ken Kang-Hsin, E-mail: kwang27@jhmi.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Yu, Jingjing [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); School of Physics and Information Technology, Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi (China); Eslami, Sohrab; Iordachita, Iulian [Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Reyes, Juvenal; Malek, Reem [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Tran, Phuoc T. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Department of Oncology and Urology, Brady Urological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (United States); Patterson, Michael S. [Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (Canada); Wong, John W. [Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland (United States)

    2016-04-01

    Purpose: In preclinical radiation research, it is challenging to localize soft tissue targets based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guidance. As a more effective method to localize soft tissue targets, we developed an online bioluminescence tomography (BLT) system for small-animal radiation research platform (SARRP). We demonstrated BLT-guided radiation therapy and validated targeting accuracy based on a newly developed reconstruction algorithm. Methods and Materials: The BLT system was designed to dock with the SARRP for image acquisition and to be detached before radiation delivery. A 3-mirror system was devised to reflect the bioluminescence emitted from the subject to a stationary charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. Multispectral BLT and the incomplete variables truncated conjugate gradient method with a permissible region shrinking strategy were used as the optimization scheme to reconstruct bioluminescent source distributions. To validate BLT targeting accuracy, a small cylindrical light source with high CBCT contrast was placed in a phantom and also in the abdomen of a mouse carcass. The center of mass (CoM) of the source was recovered from BLT and used to guide radiation delivery. The accuracy of the BLT-guided targeting was validated with films and compared with the CBCT-guided delivery. In vivo experiments were conducted to demonstrate BLT localization capability for various source geometries. Results: Online BLT was able to recover the CoM of the embedded light source with an average accuracy of 1 mm compared to that with CBCT localization. Differences between BLT- and CBCT-guided irradiation shown on the films were consistent with the source localization revealed in the BLT and CBCT images. In vivo results demonstrated that our BLT system could potentially be applied for multiple targets and tumors. Conclusions: The online BLT/CBCT/SARRP system provides an effective solution for soft tissue targeting, particularly for small, nonpalpable, or

  10. Bioluminescence Tomography–Guided Radiation Therapy for Preclinical Research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Bin; Wang, Ken Kang-Hsin; Yu, Jingjing; Eslami, Sohrab; Iordachita, Iulian; Reyes, Juvenal; Malek, Reem; Tran, Phuoc T.; Patterson, Michael S.; Wong, John W.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: In preclinical radiation research, it is challenging to localize soft tissue targets based on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) guidance. As a more effective method to localize soft tissue targets, we developed an online bioluminescence tomography (BLT) system for small-animal radiation research platform (SARRP). We demonstrated BLT-guided radiation therapy and validated targeting accuracy based on a newly developed reconstruction algorithm. Methods and Materials: The BLT system was designed to dock with the SARRP for image acquisition and to be detached before radiation delivery. A 3-mirror system was devised to reflect the bioluminescence emitted from the subject to a stationary charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. Multispectral BLT and the incomplete variables truncated conjugate gradient method with a permissible region shrinking strategy were used as the optimization scheme to reconstruct bioluminescent source distributions. To validate BLT targeting accuracy, a small cylindrical light source with high CBCT contrast was placed in a phantom and also in the abdomen of a mouse carcass. The center of mass (CoM) of the source was recovered from BLT and used to guide radiation delivery. The accuracy of the BLT-guided targeting was validated with films and compared with the CBCT-guided delivery. In vivo experiments were conducted to demonstrate BLT localization capability for various source geometries. Results: Online BLT was able to recover the CoM of the embedded light source with an average accuracy of 1 mm compared to that with CBCT localization. Differences between BLT- and CBCT-guided irradiation shown on the films were consistent with the source localization revealed in the BLT and CBCT images. In vivo results demonstrated that our BLT system could potentially be applied for multiple targets and tumors. Conclusions: The online BLT/CBCT/SARRP system provides an effective solution for soft tissue targeting, particularly for small, nonpalpable, or

  11. Quantitative imaging of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG in selected histological tissue areas by a novel bioluminescence technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nadine Fabienne Voelxen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available AbstractPatients with malignant gliomas have a poor prognosis with average survival of less than one year. Whereas in other tumor entities the characteristics of tumor metabolism are successfully used for therapeutic approaches, such developments are very rare in brain tumors, notably in gliomas. One metabolic feature characteristic of gliomas, in particular diffuse astrocytomas and oligodendroglial tumors, is the variable content of D-2-hydroxyglutarate (D2HG, a metabolite, which was discovered first in this tumor entity. D2HG is generated in large amounts due to various gain-of–function mutations in the isocitrate dehydrogenases IDH-1 and IDH-2. Meanwhile, D2HG has been detected in several other tumor entities including intrahepatic bile-duct cancer, chondrosarcoma, acute myeloid leukemia, and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. D2HG is barely detectable in healthy tissue (< 0.1 mM, but its concentration increases up to 35 mM in malignant tumor tissues. Consequently, the oncometabolite D2HG has gained increasing interest in the field of tumor metabolism. To facilitate its quantitative measurement without loss of spatial resolution at a microscopical level, we have developed a novel bioluminescence assay for determining D2HG in sections of snap-frozen tissue. The assay was verified independently by photometric tests and liquid chromatography / mass spectrometry (LC/MS. The novel technique allows the microscopically resolved determination of D2HG in a concentration range of 0 – 10 µmol/g tissue (wet weight. In combination with the already established bioluminescence imaging techniques for ATP, glucose, pyruvate, and lactate, the novel D2HG assay enables a comparative characterization of the metabolic profile of individual tumors in a further dimension.

  12. Disposable bioluminescence-based biosensor for detection of bacterial count in food.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Jinping; Liu, Xiaohong; Tian, Qing; Yue, Weiwei; Zeng, Jing; Chen, Guangquan; Cai, Xinxia

    2009-11-01

    A biosensor for rapid detection of bacterial count based on adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence has been developed. The biosensor is composed of a key sensitive element and a photomultiplier tube used as a detector element. The disposable sensitive element consists of a sampler, a cartridge where intracellular ATP is chemically extracted from bacteria, and a microtube where the extracted ATP reacts with the luciferin-luciferase reagent to produce bioluminescence. The bioluminescence signal is transformed into relevant electrical signal by the detector and further measured with a homemade luminometer. Parameters affecting the amount of the extracted ATP, including the types of ATP extractants, the concentrations of ATP extractant, and the relevant neutralizing reagent, were optimized. Under the optimal experimental conditions, the biosensor showed a linear response to standard bacteria in a concentration range from 10(3) to 10(8) colony-forming units (CFU) per milliliter with a correlation coefficient of 0.925 (n=22) within 5min. Moreover, the bacterial count of real food samples obtained by the biosensor correlated well with those by the conventional plate count method. The proposed biosensor, with characteristics of low cost, easy operation, and fast response, provides potential application to rapid evaluation of bacterial contamination in the food industry, environment monitoring, and other fields.

  13. Smartphone-based low light detection for bioluminescence application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Huisung; Jung, Youngkee; Doh, Iyll-Joon; Lozano-Mahecha, Roxana Andrea; Applegate, Bruce; Bae, Euiwon

    2017-01-01

    We report a smartphone-based device and associated imaging-processing algorithm to maximize the sensitivity of standard smartphone cameras, that can detect the presence of single-digit pW of radiant flux intensity. The proposed hardware and software, called bioluminescent-based analyte quantitation by smartphone (BAQS), provides an opportunity for onsite analysis and quantitation of luminescent signals from biological and non-biological sensing elements which emit photons in response to an analyte. A simple cradle that houses the smartphone, sample tube, and collection lens supports the measuring platform, while noise reduction by ensemble averaging simultaneously lowers the background and enhances the signal from emitted photons. Five different types of smartphones, both Android and iOS devices, were tested, and the top two candidates were used to evaluate luminescence from the bioluminescent reporter Pseudomonas fluorescens M3A. The best results were achieved by OnePlus One (android), which was able to detect luminescence from ~106 CFU/mL of the bio-reporter, which corresponds to ~107 photons/s with 180 seconds of integration time.

  14. Pancreatic stellate cells enhance stem cell-like phenotypes in pancreatic cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamada, Shin; Masamune, Atsushi; Takikawa, Tetsuya; Suzuki, Noriaki; Kikuta, Kazuhiro; Hirota, Morihisa; Hamada, Hirofumi; Kobune, Masayoshi; Satoh, Kennichi; Shimosegawa, Tooru

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) promote the progression of pancreatic cancer. ► Pancreatic cancer cells co-cultured with PSCs showed enhanced spheroid formation. ► Expression of stem cell-related genes ABCG2, Nestin and LIN28 was increased. ► Co-injection of PSCs enhanced tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo. ► This study suggested a novel role of PSCs as a part of the cancer stem cell niche. -- Abstract: The interaction between pancreatic cancer cells and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), a major profibrogenic cell type in the pancreas, is receiving increasing attention. There is accumulating evidence that PSCs promote the progression of pancreatic cancer by increasing cancer cell proliferation and invasion as well as by protecting them from radiation- and gemcitabine-induced apoptosis. Recent studies have identified that a portion of cancer cells, called “cancer stem cells”, within the entire cancer tissue harbor highly tumorigenic and chemo-resistant phenotypes, which lead to the recurrence after surgery or re-growth of the tumor. The mechanisms that maintain the “stemness” of these cells remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that PSCs might enhance the cancer stem cell-like phenotypes in pancreatic cancer cells. Indirect co-culture of pancreatic cancer cells with PSCs enhanced the spheroid-forming ability of cancer cells and induced the expression of cancer stem cell-related genes ABCG2, Nestin and LIN28. In addition, co-injection of PSCs enhanced tumorigenicity of pancreatic cancer cells in vivo. These results suggested a novel role of PSCs as a part of the cancer stem cell niche.

  15. Are cancer cells really softer than normal cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alibert, Charlotte; Goud, Bruno; Manneville, Jean-Baptiste

    2017-05-01

    Solid tumours are often first diagnosed by palpation, suggesting that the tumour is more rigid than its surrounding environment. Paradoxically, individual cancer cells appear to be softer than their healthy counterparts. In this review, we first list the physiological reasons indicating that cancer cells may be more deformable than normal cells. Next, we describe the biophysical tools that have been developed in recent years to characterise and model cancer cell mechanics. By reviewing the experimental studies that compared the mechanics of individual normal and cancer cells, we argue that cancer cells can indeed be considered as softer than normal cells. We then focus on the intracellular elements that could be responsible for the softening of cancer cells. Finally, we ask whether the mechanical differences between normal and cancer cells can be used as diagnostic or prognostic markers of cancer progression. © 2017 Société Française des Microscopies and Société de Biologie Cellulaire de France. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Melatonin Entrains PER2::LUC Bioluminescence Circadian Rhythm in the Mouse Cornea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baba, Kenkichi; Davidson, Alec J.; Tosini, Gianluca

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Previous studies have reported the presence of a circadian rhythm in PERIOD2::LUCIFERASE (PER2::LUC) bioluminescence in mouse photoreceptors, retina, RPE, and cornea. Melatonin (MLT) modulates many physiological functions in the eye and it is believed to be one of the key circadian signals within the eye. The aim of the present study was to investigate the regulation of the PER2::LUC circadian rhythm in mouse cornea and to determine the role played by MLT. Methods Corneas were obtained from PER2::LUC mice and cultured to measure bioluminescence rhythmicity in isolated tissue using a Lumicycle or CCD camera. To determine the time-dependent resetting of the corneal circadian clocks in response to MLT or IIK7 (a melatonin type 2 receptor, MT2, agonist) was added to the cultured corneas at different times of the day. We also defined the location of the MT2 receptor within different corneal layers using immunohistochemistry. Results A long-lasting bioluminescence rhythm was recorded from cultured PER2::LUC cornea and PER2::LUC signal was localized to the corneal epithelium and endothelium. MLT administration in the early night delayed the cornea rhythm, whereas administration of MLT at late night to early morning advanced the cornea rhythm. Treatment with IIK7 mimicked the MLT phase-shifting effect. Consistent with these results, MT2 immunoreactivity was localized to the corneal epithelium and endothelium. Conclusions Our work demonstrates that MLT entrains the PER2::LUC bioluminescence rhythm in the cornea. Our data indicate that the cornea may represent a model to study the molecular mechanisms by which MLT affects the circadian clock. PMID:26207312

  17. How Can We Treat Cancer Disease Not Cancer Cells?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyu-Won; Lee, Su-Jae; Kim, Woo-Young; Seo, Ji Hae; Lee, Ho-Young

    2017-01-01

    Since molecular biology studies began, researches in biological science have centered on proteins and genes at molecular level of a single cell. Cancer research has also focused on various functions of proteins and genes that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Accordingly, most contemporary anticancer drugs have been developed to target abnormal characteristics of cancer cells. Despite the great advances in the development of anticancer drugs, vast majority of patients with advanced cancer have shown grim prognosis and high rate of relapse. To resolve this problem, we must reevaluate our focuses in current cancer research. Cancer should be considered as a systemic disease because cancer cells undergo a complex interaction with various surrounding cells in cancer tissue and spread to whole body through metastasis under the control of the systemic modulation. Human body relies on the cooperative interaction between various tissues and organs, and each organ performs its specialized function through tissue-specific cell networks. Therefore, investigation of the tumor-specific cell networks can provide novel strategy to overcome the limitation of current cancer research. This review presents the limitations of the current cancer research, emphasizing the necessity of studying tissue-specific cell network which could be a new perspective on treating cancer disease, not cancer cells.

  18. Dive Activities for Bioluminescence 2009 - Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Information about dive activities were recorded by personnel during the "Bioluminescence 2009" expedition, July 20 through 31, 2009. Additional information was...

  19. Squamous cell cancer (image)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Squamous cell cancer involves cancerous changes to the cells of the middle portion of the epidermal skin layer. It is ... malignant tumor, and is more aggressive than basal cell cancer, but still may be relatively slow-growing. It ...

  20. Attenuated Bioluminescent Brucella melitensis Mutants GR019 (virB4), GR024 (galE), and GR026 (BMEI1090-BMEI1091) Confer Protection in Mice

    OpenAIRE

    Rajashekara, Gireesh; Glover, David A.; Banai, Menachem; O'Callaghan, David; Splitter, Gary A.

    2006-01-01

    In vivo bioluminescence imaging is a persuasive approach to investigate a number of issues in microbial pathogenesis. Previously, we have applied bioluminescence imaging to gain greater insight into Brucella melitensis pathogenesis. Endowing Brucella with bioluminescence allowed direct visualization of bacterial dissemination, pattern of tissue localization, and the contribution of Brucella genes to virulence. In this report, we describe the pathogenicity of three attenuated bioluminescent B....

  1. Induction of cancer stem cell properties in colon cancer cells by defined factors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nobu Oshima

    Full Text Available Cancer stem cells (CSCs are considered to be responsible for the dismal prognosis of cancer patients. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the acquisition and maintenance of CSC properties in cancer cells because of their rarity in clinical samples. We herein induced CSC properties in cancer cells using defined factors. We retrovirally introduced a set of defined factors (OCT3/4, SOX2 and KLF4 into human colon cancer cells, followed by culture with conventional serum-containing medium, not human embryonic stem cell medium. We then evaluated the CSC properties in the cells. The colon cancer cells transduced with the three factors showed significantly enhanced CSC properties in terms of the marker gene expression, sphere formation, chemoresistance and tumorigenicity. We designated the cells with CSC properties induced by the factors, a subset of the transduced cells, as induced CSCs (iCSCs. Moreover, we established a novel technology to isolate and collect the iCSCs based on the differences in the degree of the dye-effluxing activity enhancement. The xenografts derived from our iCSCs were not teratomas. Notably, in contrast to the tumors from the parental cancer cells, the iCSC-based tumors mimicked actual human colon cancer tissues in terms of their immunohistological findings, which showed colonic lineage differentiation. In addition, we confirmed that the phenotypes of our iCSCs were reproducible in serial transplantation experiments. By introducing defined factors, we generated iCSCs with lineage specificity directly from cancer cells, not via an induced pluripotent stem cell state. The novel method enables us to obtain abundant materials of CSCs that not only have enhanced tumorigenicity, but also the ability to differentiate to recapitulate a specific type of cancer tissues. Our method can be of great value to fully understand CSCs and develop new therapies targeting CSCs.

  2. Cell phones and cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cancer and cell phones; Do cell phones cause cancer? ... Several major studies show no link between cell phones and cancer at this time. However, since the information available is based on short-term studies, the impact of many years of ...

  3. Bioluminescent bacteria have potential as a marker of drowning in seawater: two immersed cadavers retrieved near estuaries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakizaki, Eiji; Kozawa, Shuji; Sakai, Masahiro; Yukawa, Nobuhiro

    2009-03-01

    We detected numerous bioluminescent bacteria in blood samples from two cadavers that had been immersed in estuarine environments. Autopsy, diatomaceous and toxicological findings indicated death by drowning, which agreed with environmental aspects and the findings of police investigations. Bioluminescent bacteria appeared in blood samples cultured on selective agar containing 2%, 3% and 4% NaCl after about 18h. Blood from the left side of the heart, the right side of the heart and the femoral vein generated 7.0 x 10(2), 2.0 x 10(4) and 8.0 x 10(2) cfu/ml of blood (case 1), and 1.8 x 10(4), 1.1 x 10(3) and 2.5 x 10(1) cfu/ml (case 2) of bioluminescent colonies, respectively, in agar containing 4% NaCl. Homologous analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene also identified the bioluminescent colonies as Vibrio fischeri and V. harveyi, which normally inhabit seawater. This simple assay might serve as an additional indicator to support a conclusion of death by drowning together with the diatom test.

  4. Ship track for Bioluminescence 2009 - Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ship track of the R/V Seward Johnson during the "Bioluminescence 2009" expedition sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of...

  5. Cancer stem cell markers in common cancers - therapeutic implications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klonisch, Thomas; Wiechec, Emilia; Hombach-Klonisch, Sabine

    2008-01-01

    Rapid advance in the cancer stem cell field warrants optimism for the development of more reliable cancer therapies within the next 2-3 decades. Below, we characterize and compare the specific markers that are present on stem cells, cancer cells and cancer stem cells (CSC) in selected tissues...

  6. Physical View on the Interactions Between Cancer Cells and the Endothelial Cell Lining During Cancer Cell Transmigration and Invasion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mierke, Claudia T.

    There exist many reviews on the biological and biochemical interactions of cancer cells and endothelial cells during the transmigration and tissue invasion of cancer cells. For the malignant progression of cancer, the ability to metastasize is a prerequisite. In particular, this means that certain cancer cells possess the property to migrate through the endothelial lining into blood or lymph vessels, and are possibly able to transmigrate through the endothelial lining into the connective tissue and follow up their invasion path in the targeted tissue. On the molecular and biochemical level the transmigration and invasion steps are well-defined, but these signal transduction pathways are not yet clear and less understood in regards to the biophysical aspects of these processes. To functionally characterize the malignant transformation of neoplasms and subsequently reveal the underlying pathway(s) and cellular properties, which help cancer cells to facilitate cancer progression, the biomechanical properties of cancer cells and their microenvironment come into focus in the physics-of-cancer driven view on the metastasis process of cancers. Hallmarks for cancer progression have been proposed, but they still lack the inclusion of specific biomechanical properties of cancer cells and interacting surrounding endothelial cells of blood or lymph vessels. As a cancer cell is embedded in a special environment, the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix also cannot be neglected. Therefore, in this review it is proposed that a novel hallmark of cancer that is still elusive in classical tumor biological reviews should be included, dealing with the aspect of physics in cancer disease such as the natural selection of an aggressive (highly invasive) subtype of cancer cells displaying a certain adhesion or chemokine receptor on their cell surface. Today, the physical aspects can be analyzed by using state-of-the-art biophysical methods. Thus, this review will present

  7. The Antineoplastic Activity of Photothermal Ablative Therapy with Targeted Gold Nanorods in an Orthotopic Urinary Bladder Cancer Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Xiaoping; Su, Lih-Jen; La Rosa, Francisco G; Smith, Elizabeth Erin; Schlaepfer, Isabel R; Cho, Suehyun K; Kavanagh, Brian; Park, Wounjhang; Flaig, Thomas W

    2017-07-27

    Gold nanoparticles treated with near infrared (NIR) light can be heated preferentially, allowing for thermal ablation of targeted cells. The use of novel intravesical nanoparticle-directed therapy in conjunction with laser irradiation via a fiber optic cystoscope, represents a potential ablative treatment approach in patients with superficial bladder cancer. To examine the thermal ablative effect of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-directed gold nanorods irradiated with NIR light in an orthotopic urinary bladder cancer model. Gold nanorods linked to an anti-EGFR antibody (Conjugated gold NanoRods - CNR) were instilled into the bladder cavity of an orthotopic murine xenograft model with T24 bladder cancer cells expressing luciferase. NIR light was externally administered via an 808 nm diode laser. This treatment was repeated weekly for 4 weeks. The anti-cancer effect was monitored by an in vivo imaging system in a non-invasive manner, which was the primary outcome of our study. The optimal approach for an individual treatment was 2.1 W/cm 2 laser power for 30 seconds. Using this in vivo model, NIR light combined with CNR demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in tumor-associated bioluminescent activity ( n  = 16) compared to mice treated with laser alone ( n  = 14) at the end of the study ( p  = 0.035). Furthermore, the CNR+NIR light treatment significantly abrogated bioluminescence signals over a 6-week observation period, compared to pre-treatment levels ( p  = 0.045). Photothermal tumor ablation with EGFR-directed gold nanorods and NIR light proved effective and well tolerated in a murine in vivo model of urinary bladder cancer.

  8. Metastasis of breast cancer cells to the bone, lung, and lymph nodes promotes resistance to ionizing radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hara, Takamitsu [Gunma Prefectural College of Health Sciences, Department of Radiological Technology, School of Radiological Technology, Gunma, Maebashi (Japan); Iwadate, Manabu [Fukushima Medical University, Department of Thyroid and Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Fukushima (Japan); Tachibana, Kazunoshin [Fukushima Medical University, Department of Breast Surgery, School of Medicine, Fukushima (Japan); Waguri, Satoshi [Fukushima Medical University, Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Fukushima (Japan); Takenoshita, Seiichi [Fukushima Medical University, Advanced Clinical Research Center, Fukushima Global Medical Science Center, School of Medicine, Fukushima (Japan); Hamada, Nobuyuki [Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Tokyo, Komae (Japan)

    2017-10-15

    Metastasis represents the leading cause of breast cancer deaths, necessitating strategies for its treatment. Although radiotherapy is employed for both primary and metastatic breast cancers, the difference in their ionizing radiation response remains incompletely understood. This study is the first to compare the radioresponse of a breast cancer cell line with its metastatic variants and report that such metastatic variants are more radioresistant. A luciferase expressing cell line was established from human basal-like breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 and underwent in vivo selections, whereby a cycle of inoculations into the left cardiac ventricle or the mammary fat pad of athymic nude mice, isolation of metastases to the bone, lung and lymph nodes visualized with bioluminescence imaging, and expansion of obtained cells was repeated twice or three times. The established metastatic cell lines were assessed for cell proliferation, wound healing, invasion, clonogenic survival, and apoptosis. The established metastatic cell lines possessed an increased proliferative potential in vivo and were more chemotactic, invasive, and resistant to X-ray-induced clonogenic inactivation and apoptosis in vitro. Breast cancer metastasis to the bone, lung, and lymph nodes promotes radioresistance. (orig.) [German] Metastasierung ist die Hauptursache fuer den toedlichen Verlauf von Brustkrebserkrankungen. Darauf muessen spezifische Behandlungsstrategien ausgerichtet werden. Sowohl primaere als auch metastatische Brustkrebsarten koennen mit einer Strahlentherapie behandelt werden, allerdings sind die Unterschiede in der Reaktion auf ionisierende Strahlung bis heute nicht vollstaendig verstanden. In dieser Studie wird zum ersten Mal die Strahlenantwort einer Brustkrebszelllinie mit der ihrer metastatischen Varianten verglichen und die erhoehte Strahlenresistenz der metastatischen Varianten gezeigt. Eine Luciferase-exprimierende Zelllinie wurde aus humanen basaloiden Brustadenokarzinomen

  9. Unanimous Model for Describing the Fast Bioluminescence Kinetics of Ca

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Eremeeva, Elena V.; Bartsev, Sergey I.; Berkel, van Willem J.H.; Vysotski, Eugene S.

    2017-01-01

    Upon binding their metal ion cofactors, Ca2+-regulated photoproteins display a rapid increase of light signal, which reaches its peak within milliseconds. In the present study, we investigate bioluminescence kinetics of the entire photoprotein family. All five recombinant hydromedusan Ca2+-regulated

  10. Targeting cancer cells using 3-bromopyruvate for selective cancer treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hussam H Baghdadi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Cancer treatment deserves more research efforts despite intensive conventional treatment modalities for many types of malignancies. Metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy receive a lot of global research efforts. The current advances in cancer biology may improve targeting the critical metabolic differences that distinguish cancer cells from normal cells. Cancer cells are highly glycolytic for energy production, exhibit the Warburg effect, establish aggressive acidic microenvironment, maintain cancer stem cells, exhibit resistance to chemotherapy, have low antioxidant systems but different ΔΨm (delta psi, mitochondrial transmembrane potential, express P-glycoprotein for multidrug resistance, upregulate glucose transporters and monocarboxylate transporters and are under high steady-state reactive oxygen species conditions. Normal cells differ in all these aspects. Lactate produced through the Warburg effect helps cancer metastasis. Targeting glycolysis reactions for energy production in cancer cells seems promising in decreasing the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells. 3-bromopyruvate makes use of cancer biology in treating cancer cells, cancer stem cells and preventing metastasis in human cancer as discussed in this review. Updated advances are analyzed here, which include research analysis of background, experience, readings in the field of cancer biology, oncology and biochemistry.

  11. In vivo imaging of the dynamics of different variants of EGFR in glioblastomas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Khalid

    2011-01-01

    A number of altered pathways in cancer cells depend on growth factor receptors. The amplification/alteration of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been shown to play a significant role in enhancing tumor burden in a number of tumors, including malignant glioblastomas (GBM). To dissect the role of EGFR expression in tumor progression in mouse models of cancer and ultimately evaluate targeted therapies, it is necessary to visualize the dynamics of EGFR in real time in vivo. Non-invasive imaging based on quantitative and qualitative changes in light emission by fluorescent and bioluminescent markers offers a huge potential to facilitate drug development. Multiple approaches could be used to follow a molecular target or pathway with the fusion of a bioluminescent-fluorescent marker. This unit describes a protocol for simultaneously imaging EGFR activity and progression of GBM in a mouse model. Human glioma cells transduced with lentiviral vectors bearing different combinations of fluorescent and bioluminescent proteins either fused to EGFR or expressed alone can be grown as monolayers and maintained over several passages. The unit begins with a method for transducing glioma cells with lentiviral vectors for stable expression of these fluorescent and bioluminescent markers in vitro, followed by transplantation of engineered glioma cells in mice, and, finally, sequential bioluminescent imaging of EGFR expression and GBM progression in mice. The protocol details characterization of engineered glioma cells in culture, surgical preparation, craniotomy, cell implantation, animal recovery, and imaging procedures to study kinetics of EGFR expression and GBM progression.

  12. Cancer stem cells and differentiation therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Xiong; Jin, Xun; Kim, Hyunggee

    2017-10-01

    Cancer stem cells can generate tumors from only a small number of cells, whereas differentiated cancer cells cannot. The prominent feature of cancer stem cells is its ability to self-renew and differentiate into multiple types of cancer cells. Cancer stem cells have several distinct tumorigenic abilities, including stem cell signal transduction, tumorigenicity, metastasis, and resistance to anticancer drugs, which are regulated by genetic or epigenetic changes. Like normal adult stem cells involved in various developmental processes and tissue homeostasis, cancer stem cells maintain their self-renewal capacity by activating multiple stem cell signaling pathways and inhibiting differentiation signaling pathways during cancer initiation and progression. Recently, many studies have focused on targeting cancer stem cells to eradicate malignancies by regulating stem cell signaling pathways, and products of some of these strategies are in preclinical and clinical trials. In this review, we describe the crucial features of cancer stem cells related to tumor relapse and drug resistance, as well as the new therapeutic strategy to target cancer stem cells named "differentiation therapy."

  13. Registration of planar bioluminescence to magnetic resonance and x-ray computed tomography images as a platform for the development of bioluminescence tomography reconstruction algorithms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beattie, Bradley J; Klose, Alexander D; Le, Carl H; Longo, Valerie A; Dobrenkov, Konstantine; Vider, Jelena; Koutcher, Jason A; Blasberg, Ronald G

    2009-01-01

    The procedures we propose make possible the mapping of two-dimensional (2-D) bioluminescence image (BLI) data onto a skin surface derived from a three-dimensional (3-D) anatomical modality [magnetic resonance (MR) or computed tomography (CT)] dataset. This mapping allows anatomical information to be incorporated into bioluminescence tomography (BLT) reconstruction procedures and, when applied using sources visible to both optical and anatomical modalities, can be used to evaluate the accuracy of those reconstructions. Our procedures, based on immobilization of the animal and a priori determined fixed projective transforms, should be more robust and accurate than previously described efforts, which rely on a poorly constrained retrospectively determined warping of the 3-D anatomical information. Experiments conducted to measure the accuracy of the proposed registration procedure found it to have a mean error of 0.36+/-0.23 mm. Additional experiments highlight some of the confounds that are often overlooked in the BLT reconstruction process, and for two of these confounds, simple corrections are proposed.

  14. Lung cancer - non-small cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cancer - lung - non-small cell; Non-small cell lung cancer; NSCLC; Adenocarcinoma - lung; Squamous cell carcinoma - lung ... Research shows that smoking marijuana may help cancer cells grow. But there is no direct link between ...

  15. CD24 negative lung cancer cells, possessing partial cancer stem cell properties, cannot be considered as cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Haineng; Mu, Jiasheng; Xiao, Jing; Wu, Xiangsong; Li, Maolan; Liu, Tianrun; Liu, Xinyuan

    2016-01-01

    Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play vital role in lung cancer progression, resistance, metastasis and relapse. Identifying lung CSCs makers for lung CSCs targeting researches are critical for lung cancer therapy. In this study, utilizing previous identified lung CSCs as model, we compared the expression of CD24, CD133 and CD44 between CSCs and non-stem cancer cells. Increased ratio of CD24- cells were found in CSCs. CD24- cells were then sorted by flow cytometry and their proliferative ability, chemo-resistance property and in vivo tumor formation abilities were detected. A549 CD24- cells formed smaller colonies, slower proliferated in comparison to A549 CD24+ cells. Besides, A549 CD24- exhibited stronger resistance to chemotherapy drug. However, A549 CD24- didn't exert any stronger tumor formation ability in vivo, which is the gold standard of CSCs. These results showed that CD24- A549 cells showed some properties of CSCs but not actually CSCs. This study provides evidence that CD24 cannot be considered as lung CSCs marker.

  16. Fast monitoring of indoor bioaerosol concentrations with ATP bioluminescence assay using an electrostatic rod-type sampler.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ji-Woon Park

    Full Text Available A culture-based colony counting method is the most widely used analytical technique for monitoring bioaerosols in both indoor and outdoor environments. However, this method requires several days for colony formation. In this study, our goal was fast monitoring (Sampling: 3 min, Detection: < 1 min of indoor bioaerosol concentrations with ATP bioluminescence assay using a bioaerosol sampler. For this purpose, a novel hand-held electrostatic rod-type sampler (110 mm wide, 115 mm long, and 200 mm tall was developed and used with a commercial luminometer, which employs the Adenosine triphosphate (ATP bioluminescence method. The sampler consisted of a wire-rod type charger and a cylindrical collector, and was operated with an applied voltage of 4.5 kV and a sampling flow rate of 150.7 lpm. Its performance was tested using Staphylococcus epidermidis which was aerosolized with an atomizer. Bioaerosol concentrations were measured using ATP bioluminescence method with our sampler and compared with the culture-based method using Andersen cascade impactor under controlled laboratory conditions. Indoor bioaerosol concentrations were also measured using both methods in various indoor environments. A linear correlation was obtained between both methods in lab-tests and field-tests. Our proposed sampler with ATP bioluminescence method may be effective for fast monitoring of indoor bioaerosol concentrations.

  17. Mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in cancer (stem cells with emphasis on thyroid cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sabine eHombach-Klonisch

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Tissue invasion, metastasis and therapeutic resistance to anti-cancer treatments are common and main causes of death in cancer patients. Tumor cells mount complex and still poorly understood molecular defense mechanisms to counteract and evade oxygen deprivation, nutritional restrictions as well as radio- and chemotherapeutic treatment regimens aimed at destabilizing their genomes and important cellular processes. In thyroid cancer, as in other tumors, such defense strategies include the reactivation in cancer cells of early developmental programs normally active exclusively in stem cells, the stimulation of cancer stem-like cells resident within the tumor tissue and the recruitment of bone marrow-derived progenitors into the tumor (Thomas et al., 2008;Klonisch et al., 2009;Derwahl, 2011. Metastasis and therapeutic resistance in cancer (stem cells involves the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition- (EMT- mediated enhancement in cellular plasticity, which includes coordinated dynamic biochemical and nuclear changes (Ahmed et al., 2010. The purpose of the present review is to provide an overview of the role of DNA repair mechanisms contributing to therapeutic resistance in thyroid cancer and highlight the emerging roles of autophagy and damage associated molecular pattern (DAMP responses in EMT and chemoresistance in tumor cells. Finally, we use the stem cell factor and nucleoprotein High Mobility Group A2 (HMGA2 as an example to demonstrate how factors intended to protect stem cells are wielded by cancer (stem cells to gain increased transformative cell plasticity which enhances metastasis, therapeutic resistance and cell survival. Wherever possible, we have included information on these cellular processes and associated factors as they relate to thyroid cancer cells.

  18. An Experimental-Numerical Study of Small Scale Flow Interaction with Bioluminescent Plankton

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Latz, Michael

    1998-01-01

    Numerical and experimental approaches were used to investigate the effects of quantified flow stimuli on bioluminescence sUmulatidn at the small length and time scales appropriate for individual plankton...

  19. Assessment of tumor energy and oxygenation status by bioluminescence, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and cryospectrophotometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller-Klieser, W; Schaefer, C; Walenta, S; Rofstad, E K; Fenton, B M; Sutherland, R M

    1990-03-15

    The energy and oxygenation status of tumors from two murine sarcoma lines (KHT, RIF-1) and two human ovarian carcinoma xenograft lines (MLS, OWI) were assessed using three independent techniques. Tumor energy metabolism was investigated in vivo by 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. After nuclear magnetic resonance measurements, tumors were frozen in liquid nitrogen to determine the tissue ATP concentration by imaging bioluminescence and to register the intracapillary oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) saturation using the cryospectrophotometric method. There was a positive correlation between the nucleoside triphosphate beta/total resonance ratio or a negative correlation between the Pi/total resonance ratio and the model ATP concentration obtained by bioluminescence, respectively. This was true for small tumors with no extended necrosis irrespective of tumor type. Moreover, a positive correlation was obtained between the HbO2 saturations and the ATP concentration measured with bioluminescence. The results demonstrate the potential of combined studies using noninvasive, integrating methods and high-resolution imaging techniques for characterizing the metabolic milieu in tumors.

  20. Tumor-Initiating Label-Retaining Cancer Cells in Human Gastrointestinal Cancers Undergo Asymmetric Cell Division

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Hong-Wu; Hari, Danielle M.; Mullinax, John E.; Ambe, Chenwi M.; Koizumi, Tomotake; Ray, Satyajit; Anderson, Andrew J.; Wiegand, Gordon W.; Garfield, Susan H.; Thorgeirsson, Snorri S.; Avital, Itzhak

    2012-01-01

    Label-retaining cells (LRCs) have been proposed to represent adult tissue stem cells. LRCs are hypothesized to result from either slow cycling or asymmetric cell division (ACD). However, the stem cell nature and whether LRC undergo ACD remain controversial. Here, we demonstrate label-retaining cancer cells (LRCCs) in several gastrointestinal (GI) cancers including fresh surgical specimens. Using a novel method for isolation of live LRCC, we demonstrate that a subpopulation of LRCC is actively dividing and exhibits stem cells and pluripotency gene expression profiles. Using real-time confocal microscopic cinematography, we show live LRCC undergoing asymmetric nonrandom chromosomal cosegregation LRC division. Importantly, LRCCs have greater tumor-initiating capacity than non-LRCCs. Based on our data and that cancers develop in tissues that harbor normal-LRC, we propose that LRCC might represent a novel population of GI stem-like cancer cells. LRCC may provide novel mechanistic insights into the biology of cancer and regenerative medicine and present novel targets for cancer treatment. PMID:22331764

  1. Monitoring Bloom Dynamics of a Common Coastal Bioluminescent Ctenophore

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-30

    photodiode array are simultaneously burst sampled through integrating transimpedance amplifiers with an integration period of 0.1 s. 64-bursts are...clear acrylic test section to reduce the optical path length and reducing integrator capacitance to increase transimpedance gain. A later improvement...gain, higher resolution analog to digital conversion, and greater transimpedance gain. Figure 5 Bioluminescence intensities from Pyrocystis

  2. ATP bioluminescence: Surface hygiene monitoring in milk preparation room of neonatal intensive care unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamad, Mahirah; Ishak, Shareena; Jaafar, Rohana; Sani, Norrakiah Abdullah

    2018-04-01

    ATP Bioluminescence application and standard microbiological analyses were used to evaluate the cleanliness of milk contact surfaces and non-milk contact surfaces in milk preparation room of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC). A total of 44 samples including the breast pump, milk bottle, milk bottle screw top and screw ring, teats, measuring cups, waterless warmer, refrigerator, dishwasher and pasteurizer inner wall were tested on May 2017. 3M Clean and Trace Hygiene Monitoring (UXL100 ATP Test swabs) and the bioluminescence reader Clean-Trace NG Luminometer (3M) were used to measure the Relative Light Unit (RLU) and microbiological analysis using 3M Quick Swab and 3MTM PetrifilmTM for enumeration of aerobic count, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, coliform and detection of Escherichia coli (CFU /100cm2 or utensil/item). The RLU values were from 11 to 194 and passed the ATP benchmark for intensive care unit (ICU), < 250 RLU as recommended. Aerobic colony count was only found in waterless warmer (0.05±0.01 mean log CFU/warmer). None of S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli and coliform was detected in all samples. A weak correlation was found between bioluminescence measurements RLU and the microbiological analysis (CFU). However, the use of ATP bioluminescence in monitoring milk preparation room cleanliness can be a useful method for assessing rapidly the surface hygiene as well as to verify the Sanitation Standard Operating Procedure (SSOP) prior to implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) in milk preparation room.

  3. Light and vision in the deep-sea benthos: I. Bioluminescence at 500-1000 m depth in the Bahamian islands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnsen, Sönke; Frank, Tamara M; Haddock, Steven H D; Widder, Edith A; Messing, Charles G

    2012-10-01

    Bioluminescence is common and well studied in mesopelagic species. However, the extent of bioluminescence in benthic sites of similar depths is far less studied, although the relatively large eyes of benthic fish, crustaceans and cephalopods at bathyal depths suggest the presence of significant biogenic light. Using the Johnson-Sea-Link submersible, we collected numerous species of cnidarians, echinoderms, crustaceans, cephalopods and sponges, as well as one annelid from three sites in the northern Bahamas (500-1000 m depth). Using mechanical and chemical stimulation, we tested the collected species for light emission, and photographed and measured the spectra of the emitted light. In addition, in situ intensified video and still photos were taken of different benthic habitats. Surprisingly, bioluminescence in benthic animals at these sites was far less common than in mesopelagic animals from similar depths, with less than 20% of the collected species emitting light. Bioluminescent taxa comprised two species of anemone (Actinaria), a new genus and species of flabellate Parazoanthidae (formerly Gerardia sp.) (Zoanthidea), three sea pens (Pennatulacea), three bamboo corals (Alcyonacea), the chrysogorgiid coral Chrysogorgia desbonni (Alcyonacea), the caridean shrimp Parapandalus sp. and Heterocarpus ensifer (Decapoda), two holothuroids (Elasipodida and Aspidochirota) and the ophiuroid Ophiochiton ternispinus (Ophiurida). Except for the ophiuroid and the two shrimp, which emitted blue light (peak wavelengths 470 and 455 nm), all the species produced greener light than that measured in most mesopelagic taxa, with the emissions of the pennatulaceans being strongly shifted towards longer wavelengths. In situ observations suggested that bioluminescence associated with these sites was due primarily to light emitted by bioluminescent planktonic species as they struck filter feeders that extended into the water column.

  4. Local advanced transitional cell cancer and squamous cell cancer of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Case report: A 51-year-old man presented with a locally advanced squamous cell cancer of the periurethral tissues as well as an underlying isolated transitional cell cancer of the urethra. Chemotherapy with Gemcitabin and Cisplatinum together with local radiation to the pelvis and the perineum was given. There was ...

  5. Therapeutic effects of microbubble added to combined high-intensity focused ultrasound and chemotherapy in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Mi Hye [Dept. of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Bo Ram; Park, Eun Joo; Kim, Hoe Suk; Han, Joon Koo [Dept. of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hae Ri [Dept. of Pre-Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University College of Dentistry, Gangneung (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Byung Ihn [Dept. of Radiology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-09-15

    To investigate whether high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy. A pancreatic cancer xenograft model was established using BALB/c nude mice and luciferase-expressing human pancreatic cancer cells. Mice were randomly assigned to five groups according to treatment: control (n = 10), gemcitabine alone (GEM; n = 12), HIFU with microbubbles (HIFU + MB, n = 11), combined HIFU and gemcitabine (HIGEM; n = 12), and HIGEM + MB (n = 13). After three weekly treatments, apoptosis rates were evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay in two mice per group. Tumor volume and bioluminescence were monitored using high-resolution 3D ultrasound imaging and in vivo bioluminescence imaging for eight weeks in the remaining mice. The HIGEM + MB group showed significantly higher apoptosis rates than the other groups (p < 0.05) and exhibited the slowest tumor growth. From week 5, the tumor-volume-ratio relative to the baseline tumor volume was significantly lower in the HIGEM + MB group than in the control, GEM, and HIFU + MB groups (p < 0.05). Despite visible distinction, the HIGEM and HIGEM + MB groups showed no significant differences. High-intensity focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of gemcitabine chemotherapy in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model.

  6. Therapeutic Effects of Microbubbles Added to Combined High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound and Chemotherapy in a Pancreatic Cancer Xenograft Model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Mi Hye [Department of Radiology, Konkuk University Medical Center, Seoul 05030 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Young [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hae Ri [Department of Pre-Dentistry, Gangneung-Wonju National University College of Dentistry, Gangneung 25457 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Bo Ram; Park, Eun-Joo; Kim, Hoe Suk; Han, Joon Koo [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080 (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Byung Ihn [Department of Radiology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Seoul 06973 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-11-01

    To investigate whether high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy. A pancreatic cancer xenograft model was established using BALB/c nude mice and luciferase-expressing human pancreatic cancer cells. Mice were randomly assigned to five groups according to treatment: control (n = 10), gemcitabine alone (GEM; n = 12), HIFU with microbubbles (HIFU + MB, n = 11), combined HIFU and gemcitabine (HIGEM; n = 12), and HIGEM + MB (n = 13). After three weekly treatments, apoptosis rates were evaluated using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling assay in two mice per group. Tumor volume and bioluminescence were monitored using high-resolution 3D ultrasound imaging and in vivo bioluminescence imaging for eight weeks in the remaining mice. The HIGEM + MB group showed significantly higher apoptosis rates than the other groups (p < 0.05) and exhibited the slowest tumor growth. From week 5, the tumor-volume-ratio relative to the baseline tumor volume was significantly lower in the HIGEM + MB group than in the control, GEM, and HIFU + MB groups (p < 0.05). Despite visible distinction, the HIGEM and HIGEM + MB groups showed no significant differences. High-intensity focused ultrasound combined with microbubbles enhances the therapeutic effects of gemcitabine chemotherapy in a pancreatic cancer xenograft model.

  7. Integrated visualization of multi-angle bioluminescence imaging and micro CT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kok, P.; Dijkstra, J.; Botha, C.P.; Post, F.H.; Kaijzel, E.; Que, I.; Löwik, C.W.G.M.; Reiber, J.H.C.; Lelieveldt, B.P.F.

    2007-01-01

    This paper explores new methods to visualize and fuse multi-2D bioluminescence imaging (BLI) data with structural imaging modalities such as micro CT and MR. A geometric, back-projection-based 3D reconstruction for superficial lesions from multi-2D BLI data is presented, enabling a coarse estimate

  8. In vivo bioluminescence imaging for prolonged survival of transplanted human neural stem cells using 3D biocompatible scaffold in corticectomized rat model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Do Won Hwang

    Full Text Available Stem cell-based treatment of traumatic brain injury has been limited in its capacity to bring about complete functional recovery, because of the poor survival rate of the implanted stem cells. It is known that biocompatible biomaterials play a critical role in enhancing survival and proliferation of transplanted stem cells via provision of mechanical support. In this study, we noninvasively monitored in vivo behavior of implanted neural stem cells embedded within poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA scaffold, and showed that they survived over prolonged periods in corticectomized rat model. Corticectomized rat models were established by motor-cortex ablation of the rat. F3 cells expressing enhanced firefly luciferase (F3-effLuc were established through retroviral infection. The F3-effLuc within PLLA was monitored using IVIS-100 imaging system 7 days after corticectomized surgery. F3-effLuc within PLLA robustly adhered, and gradually increased luciferase signals of F3-effLuc within PLLA were detected in a day dependent manner. The implantation of F3-effLuc cells/PLLA complex into corticectomized rats showed longer-lasting luciferase activity than F3-effLuc cells alone. The bioluminescence signals from the PLLA-encapsulated cells were maintained for 14 days, compared with 8 days for the non-encapsulated cells. Immunostaining results revealed expression of the early neuronal marker, Tuj-1, in PLLA-F3-effLuc cells in the motor-cortex-ablated area. We observed noninvasively that the mechanical support by PLLA scaffold increased the survival of implanted neural stem cells in the corticectomized rat. The image-guided approach easily proved that scaffolds could provide supportive effect to implanted cells, increasing their viability in terms of enhancing therapeutic efficacy of stem-cell therapy.

  9. Cancer stem cells in head and neck cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trapasso S

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Eugenia Allegra, Serena TrapassoOtolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, ItalyAbstract: Cancer stem cells (CSCs, also called "cells that start the tumor," represent in themselves one of the most topical and controversial issues in the field of cancer research. Tumor stem cells are able to self-propagate in vitro (self-renewal, giving rise both to other tumor stem cells and most advanced cells in the line of differentiation (asymmetric division. A final characteristic is tumorigenicity, a fundamental property, which outlines the tumor stem cell as the only cell able to initiate the formation of a tumor when implanted in immune-deficient mice. The hypothesis of a hierarchical organization of tumor cells dates back more than 40 years, but only in 1997, thanks to the work of John Dick and Dominique Bonnet, was there the formal proof of such an organization in acute myeloid leukemia. Following this, many other research groups were able to isolate CSCs, by appropriate selection markers, in various malignancies, such as breast, brain, colon, pancreas, and liver cancers and in melanoma. To date, however, it is not possible to isolate stem cells from all types of neoplasia, particularly in solid tumors. From a therapeutic point of view, the concept of tumor stem cells implies a complete revision of conventional antineoplastic treatment. Conventional cytotoxic agents are designed to target actively proliferating cells. In the majority of cases, this is not sufficient to eliminate the CSCs, which thanks to their reduced proliferative activity and/or the presence of proteins capable of extruding chemotherapeutics from the cell are not targeted. Therefore, the theory of cancer stem cells can pose new paradigms in terms of cancer treatment. Potential approaches, even in the very early experimental stages, relate to the selective inhibition of pathways connected with self-renewal, or more specifically based on

  10. Drug Treatment of Cancer Cell Lines: A Way to Select for Cancer Stem Cells?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiodi, Ilaria; Belgiovine, Cristina; Donà, Francesca; Scovassi, A. Ivana; Mondello, Chiara

    2011-01-01

    Tumors are generally composed of different cell types. In recent years, it has been shown that in many types of cancers a subset of cells show peculiar characteristics, such as the ability to induce tumors when engrafted into host animals, self-renew and being immortal, and give rise to a differentiated progeny. These cells have been defined as cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor initiating cells. CSCs can be isolated both from tumor specimens and established cancer cell lines on the basis of their ability to exclude fluorescent dyes, express specific cell surface markers or grow in particular culture conditions. A key feature of CSCs is their resistance to chemotherapeutic agents, which could contribute to the remaining of residual cancer cells after therapeutic treatments. It has been shown that CSC-like cells can be isolated after drug treatment of cancer cell lines; in this review, we will describe the strategies so far applied to identify and isolate CSCs. Furthermore, we will discuss the possible use of these selected populations to investigate CSC biology and develop new anticancer drugs

  11. Colorectal cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salama, Paul; Platell, Cameron

    2009-10-01

    Somatic stem cells reside at the base of the crypts throughout the colonic mucosa. These cells are essential for the normal regeneration of the colonic epithelium. The stem cells reside within a special 'niche' comprised of intestinal sub-epithelial myofibroblasts that tightly control their function. It has been postulated that mutations within these adult colonic stem cells may induce neoplastic changes. Such cells can then dissociate from the epithelium and travel into the mesenchyme and thus form invasive cancers. This theory is based on the observation that within a colon cancer, less than 1% of the neoplastic cells have the ability to regenerate the tumour. It is this group of cells that exhibits characteristics of colonic stem cells. Although anti-neoplastic agents can induce remissions by inhibiting cell division, the stem cells appear to be remarkably resistant to both standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These stem cells may therefore persist after treatment and form the nucleus for cancer recurrence. Hence, future treatment modalities should focus specifically on controlling the cancer stem cells. In this review, we discuss the biology of normal and malignant colonic stem cells.

  12. Identification and characterization of cells with cancer stem cell properties in human primary lung cancer cell lines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Wang

    Full Text Available Lung cancer (LC with its different subtypes is generally known as a therapy resistant cancer with the highest morbidity rate worldwide. Therapy resistance of a tumor is thought to be related to cancer stem cells (CSCs within the tumors. There have been indications that the lung cancer is propagated and maintained by a small population of CSCs. To study this question we established a panel of 15 primary lung cancer cell lines (PLCCLs from 20 fresh primary tumors using a robust serum-free culture system. We subsequently focused on identification of lung CSCs by studying these cell lines derived from 4 representative lung cancer subtypes such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC, large cell carcinoma (LCC, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC and adenocarcinoma (AC. We identified a small population of cells strongly positive for CD44 (CD44(high and a main population which was either weakly positive or negative for CD44 (CD44(low/-. Co-expression of CD90 further narrowed down the putative stem cell population in PLCCLs from SCLC and LCC as spheroid-forming cells were mainly found within the CD44(highCD90(+ sub-population. Moreover, these CD44(highCD90(+ cells revealed mesenchymal morphology, increased expression of mesenchymal markers N-Cadherin and Vimentin, increased mRNA levels of the embryonic stem cell related genes Nanog and Oct4 and increased resistance to irradiation compared to other sub-populations studied, suggesting the CD44(highCD90(+ population a good candidate for the lung CSCs. Both CD44(highCD90(+ and CD44(highCD90(- cells in the PLCCL derived from SCC formed spheroids, whereas the CD44(low/- cells were lacking this potential. These results indicate that CD44(highCD90(+ sub-population may represent CSCs in SCLC and LCC, whereas in SCC lung cancer subtype, CSC potentials were found within the CD44(high sub-population.

  13. Identification and Characterization of Cells with Cancer Stem Cell Properties in Human Primary Lung Cancer Cell Lines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suo, Zhenhe; Munthe, Else; Solberg, Steinar; Ma, Liwei; Wang, Mengyu; Westerdaal, Nomdo Anton Christiaan; Kvalheim, Gunnar; Gaudernack, Gustav

    2013-01-01

    Lung cancer (LC) with its different subtypes is generally known as a therapy resistant cancer with the highest morbidity rate worldwide. Therapy resistance of a tumor is thought to be related to cancer stem cells (CSCs) within the tumors. There have been indications that the lung cancer is propagated and maintained by a small population of CSCs. To study this question we established a panel of 15 primary lung cancer cell lines (PLCCLs) from 20 fresh primary tumors using a robust serum-free culture system. We subsequently focused on identification of lung CSCs by studying these cell lines derived from 4 representative lung cancer subtypes such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), large cell carcinoma (LCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC). We identified a small population of cells strongly positive for CD44 (CD44high) and a main population which was either weakly positive or negative for CD44 (CD44low/−). Co-expression of CD90 further narrowed down the putative stem cell population in PLCCLs from SCLC and LCC as spheroid-forming cells were mainly found within the CD44highCD90+ sub-population. Moreover, these CD44highCD90+ cells revealed mesenchymal morphology, increased expression of mesenchymal markers N-Cadherin and Vimentin, increased mRNA levels of the embryonic stem cell related genes Nanog and Oct4 and increased resistance to irradiation compared to other sub-populations studied, suggesting the CD44highCD90+ population a good candidate for the lung CSCs. Both CD44highCD90+ and CD44highCD90− cells in the PLCCL derived from SCC formed spheroids, whereas the CD44low/− cells were lacking this potential. These results indicate that CD44highCD90+ sub-population may represent CSCs in SCLC and LCC, whereas in SCC lung cancer subtype, CSC potentials were found within the CD44high sub-population. PMID:23469181

  14. Ship Sensor Observations for Bioluminescence 2009 - Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Hourly measurements made by selected ship sensors on the R/V Seward Johnson during the "Bioluminescence 2009" expedition sponsored by the National Oceanic and...

  15. Induction of apoptosis in colon cancer cells treated with isorhamnetin glycosides from Opuntia ficus-indica pads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antunes-Ricardo, Marilena; Moreno-García, Beatriz E; Gutiérrez-Uribe, Janet A; Aráiz-Hernández, Diana; Alvarez, Mario M; Serna-Saldivar, Sergio O

    2014-12-01

    (OFI) contains health-promoting compounds like flavonoids, being the isorhamnetin glycosides the most abundant. We evaluated the effect of OFI extracts with different isorhamnetin glycosides against two different human colon cancer cells (HT-29 and Caco2). The extracts were obtained by alkaline hydrolysis with NaOH at 40 °C during 15, 30 or 60 min. Tri and diglycosides were the most abundant isorhamnetin glycosides, therefore these compounds were isolated to compare their cytotoxic effect with the obtained from the extracts. The OFI extracts and purified isorhamnetin glycosides were more cytotoxic against HT-29 cells than Caco2 cells. OFI-30 exhibited the lowest IC50 value against HT-29 (4.9 ± 0.5 μg/mL) and against Caco2 (8.2 ± 0.3 μg/mL). Isorhamnetin diglycosides IG5 and IG6 were more cytotoxic than pure isorhamnetin aglycone or triglycosides when they were tested in HT-29 cells. Bioluminescent analysis revealed increased activity of caspase 3/7 in OFI extracts-treated cells, particularly for the extract with the highest concentration of isorhamnetin triglycosides. Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that OFI extract and isorhamnetin glycosides induced a higher percentage of apoptosis in HT-29 than in Caco2, while isorhamnetin was more apoptotic in Caco2. This research demonstrated that glycosilation affected antiproliferative effect of pure isorhamnetin glycosides or when they are mixed with other phytochemicals in an extract obtained from OFI.

  16. Smartphone-based low light detection for bioluminescence application

    OpenAIRE

    Kim, Huisung; Jung, Youngkee; Doh, Iyll-Joon; Lozano-Mahecha, Roxana Andrea; Applegate, Bruce; Bae, Euiwon

    2017-01-01

    We report a smartphone-based device and associated imaging-processing algorithm to maximize the sensitivity of standard smartphone cameras, that can detect the presence of single-digit pW of radiant flux intensity. The proposed hardware and software, called bioluminescent-based analyte quantitation by smartphone (BAQS), provides an opportunity for onsite analysis and quantitation of luminescent signals from biological and non-biological sensing elements which emit photons in response to an an...

  17. Stem cells and cancer: A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Najeeb Ullah

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Stem cells are the small units of multicellular creature. Regeneration and self-renewal are the ability of the stem cells. Each tissue is having particular stem cells, specific to it. These normal stem cells are converted into cancer stem cells through mutations in it. Although the expression of oncogenes is enhanced a lot, the tumor-supressing gene is lessened. Cancer stem cells are isolated and visualized through different techniques like immunocytochemical staining, spectral karyotyping, immunohistochemistry, induction method and dissection measures, then are performed histological procedures which include fascination, immunohistochemistry, dispensation, in situ hybridization and also quantitative examination of tissue flow cytometric analysis. For the analysis of quantization, statistical tests are also performed as two-sample t-test, Chi-square test, SD and arithmetic mean. Tumor cells generate glioma spheres. These are used in cancer study. Axin 1 is the gene suppressing cancer. Its removal causes the generation of liver cancer. Curcumin is the most effective for suppressing cancer as it increases the normal stem cell function and decreases the cancer stem cell function. Brahma-related gene 1 is crucial for the safeguarding of the stem cell residents in tissue-specific comportment. Different types of cancers originate through genetic mutation, tissue disorganization and cell proliferation. Tumor configuration is produced by the alteration in original cell culture having stem cells and progenitor cell populations. The developmental facets about cancer cells and cancer stem cells as well as their personal natal functions sustain an intricate steadiness to settle on their personal donations to the efficacy or harmfulness of the biological organization.

  18. Multifaceted Interpretation of Colon Cancer Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatano, Yuichiro; Fukuda, Shinya; Hisamatsu, Kenji; Hirata, Akihiro; Hara, Akira; Tomita, Hiroyuki

    2017-07-05

    Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, despite recent advances in clinical oncology. Accumulating evidence sheds light on the existence of cancer stem cells and their role in conferring therapeutic resistance. Cancer stem cells are a minor fraction of cancer cells, which enable tumor heterogeneity and initiate tumor formation. In addition, these cells are resistant to various cytotoxic factors. Therefore, elimination of cancer stem cells is difficult but essential to cure the malignant foci completely. Herein, we review the recent evidence for intestinal stem cells and colon cancer stem cells, methods to detect the tumor-initiating cells, and clinical significance of cancer stem cell markers. We also describe the emerging problems of cancer stem cell theory, including bidirectional conversion and intertumoral heterogeneity of stem cell phenotype.

  19. Epigenetics in cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toh, Tan Boon; Lim, Jhin Jieh; Chow, Edward Kai-Hua

    2017-02-01

    Compelling evidence have demonstrated that bulk tumors can arise from a unique subset of cells commonly termed "cancer stem cells" that has been proposed to be a strong driving force of tumorigenesis and a key mechanism of therapeutic resistance. Recent advances in epigenomics have illuminated key mechanisms by which epigenetic regulation contribute to cancer progression. In this review, we present a discussion of how deregulation of various epigenetic pathways can contribute to cancer initiation and tumorigenesis, particularly with respect to maintenance and survival of cancer stem cells. This information, together with several promising clinical and preclinical trials of epigenetic modulating drugs, offer new possibilities for targeting cancer stem cells as well as improving cancer therapy overall.

  20. Squamous cell skin cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... that reflect light more, such as water, sand, concrete, and areas that are painted white. The higher ... - skin - squamous cell; Skin cancer - squamous cell; Nonmelanoma skin cancer - squamous ...

  1. Aequorin fusion proteins as bioluminescent tracers for competitive immunoassays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirasoli, Mara; Michelini, Elisa; Deo, Sapna K.; Dikici, Emre; Roda, Aldo; Daunert, Sylvia

    2004-06-01

    The use of bio- and chemiluminescence for the development of quantitative binding assays offers undoubted advantages over other detection systems, such as spectrophotometry, fluorescence, or radioactivity. Indeed, bio- and chemiluminescence detection provides similar, or even better, sensitivity and detectability than radioisotopes, while avoiding the problems of health hazards, waste disposal, and instability associated with the use of radioisotopes. Among bioluminescent labels, the calcium-activated photoprotein aequorin, originally isolated from Aequorea victoria and today available as a recombinant product, is characterized by very high detectability, down to attomole levels. It has been used as a bioluminescent label for developing a variety of highly sensitive immunoassays, using various analyte-aequorin conjugation strategies. When the analyte is a protein or a peptide, genetic engineering techniques can be used to produce protein fusions where the analyte is in-frame fused with aequorin, thus producing homogeneous one-to-one conjugation products, available in virtually unlimited amount. Various assays were developed using this strategy: a short review of the most interesting applications is presented, as well as the cloning, purification and initial characterization of an endothelin-1-aequorin conjugate suitable for developing a competitive immunoassay for endothelin-1, a potent vasoconstrictor peptide, involved in hypertension.

  2. A genetic screen for bioluminescence genes in the fungus Armillaria mellea, through the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated random insertional mutagenesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bioluminescence is reported from 71 saprobic species of fungi from four, distant lineages in the order Agaricales. Analyses of the fungal luminescent chemistry shows that all four lineages share a functionally conserved substrate and luciferase, indicating that the bioluminescent pathway is likely c...

  3. Pancreatic stellate cells promote epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kikuta, Kazuhiro; Masamune, Atsushi; Watanabe, Takashi; Ariga, Hiroyuki; Itoh, Hiromichi; Hamada, Shin; Satoh, Kennichi; Egawa, Shinichi; Unno, Michiaki; Shimosegawa, Tooru

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Recent studies have shown that pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) promote the progression of pancreatic cancer. → Pancreatic cancer cells co-cultured with PSCs showed loose cell contacts and scattered, fibroblast-like appearance. → PSCs decreased the expression of epithelial markers but increased that of mesenchymal markers, along with increased migration. → This study suggests epithelial-mesenchymal transition as a novel mechanism by which PSCs contribute to the aggressive behavior of pancreatic cancer cells. -- Abstract: The interaction between pancreatic cancer cells and pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs), a major profibrogenic cell type in the pancreas, is receiving increasing attention. There is accumulating evidence that PSCs promote the progression of pancreatic cancer by increasing cancer cell proliferation and invasion as well as by protecting them from radiation- and gemcitabine-induced apoptosis. Because epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in the progression of pancreatic cancer, we hypothesized that PSCs promote EMT in pancreatic cancer cells. Panc-1 and SUIT-2 pancreatic cancer cells were indirectly co-cultured with human PSCs isolated from patients undergoing operation for pancreatic cancer. The expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers was examined by real-time PCR and immunofluorescent staining. The migration of pancreatic cancer cells was examined by scratch and two-chamber assays. Pancreatic cancer cells co-cultured with PSCs showed loose cell contacts and a scattered, fibroblast-like appearance. The expression of E-cadherin, cytokeratin 19, and membrane-associated β-catenin was decreased, whereas vimentin and Snail (Snai-1) expression was increased more in cancer cells co-cultured with PSCs than in mono-cultured cells. The migration of pancreatic cancer cells was increased by co-culture with PSCs. The PSC-induced decrease of E-cadherin expression was not altered by treatment with anti

  4. Stages of Renal Cell Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Tumors Treatment Genetics of Kidney Cancer Research Renal Cell Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Renal Cell Cancer Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Renal ...

  5. Cancer stem cells and personalized cancer nanomedicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gener, Petra; Rafael, Diana Fernandes de Sousa; Fernández, Yolanda; Ortega, Joan Sayós; Arango, Diego; Abasolo, Ibane; Videira, Mafalda; Schwartz, Simo

    2016-02-01

    Despite the progress in cancer treatment over the past years advanced cancer is still an incurable disease. Special attention is pointed toward cancer stem cell (CSC)-targeted therapies, because this minor cell population is responsible for the treatment resistance, metastatic growth and tumor recurrence. The recently described CSC dynamic phenotype and interconversion model of cancer growth hamper even more the possible success of current cancer treatments in advanced cancer stages. Accordingly, CSCs can be generated through dedifferentiation processes from non-CSCs, in particular, when CSC populations are depleted after treatment. In this context, the use of targeted CSC nanomedicines should be considered as a promising tool to increase CSC sensitivity and efficacy of specific anti-CSC therapies.

  6. U-SPECT-BioFluo : An integrated radionuclide, bioluminescence, and fluorescence imaging platform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Oosterom, M.N.; Kreuger, R.; Buckle, T.; Mahn, W.A.; Bunschoten, A.; Josephson, L.; Van Leeuwen, F.W.B.; Beekman, F.J.

    2014-01-01

    Background: In vivo bioluminescence, fluorescence, and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging provide complementary information about biological processes. However, to date these signatures are evaluated separately on individual preclinical systems. In this paper, we introduce a

  7. Image Reconstruction For Bioluminescence Tomography From Partial Measurement

    OpenAIRE

    Jiang, M.; Zhou, T.; Cheng, J. T.; Cong, W. X.; Wang, Ge

    2007-01-01

    The bioluminescence tomography is a novel molecular imaging technology for small animal studies. Known reconstruction methods require the completely measured data on the external surface, although only partially measured data is available in practice. In this work, we formulate a mathematical model for BLT from partial data and generalize our previous results on the solution uniqueness to the partial data case. Then we extend two of our reconstruction methods for BLT to this case. The first m...

  8. Photon Counting System for High-Sensitivity Detection of Bioluminescence at Optical Fiber End.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iinuma, Masataka; Kadoya, Yutaka; Kuroda, Akio

    2016-01-01

    The technique of photon counting is widely used for various fields and also applicable to a high-sensitivity detection of luminescence. Thanks to recent development of single photon detectors with avalanche photodiodes (APDs), the photon counting system with an optical fiber has become powerful for a detection of bioluminescence at an optical fiber end, because it allows us to fully use the merits of compactness, simple operation, highly quantum efficiency of the APD detectors. This optical fiber-based system also has a possibility of improving the sensitivity to a local detection of Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by high-sensitivity detection of the bioluminescence. In this chapter, we are introducing a basic concept of the optical fiber-based system and explaining how to construct and use this system.

  9. Metabolic cooperation between cancer and non-cancerous stromal cells is pivotal in cancer progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lopes-Coelho, Filipa; Gouveia-Fernandes, Sofia; Serpa, Jacinta

    2018-02-01

    The way cancer cells adapt to microenvironment is crucial for the success of carcinogenesis, and metabolic fitness is essential for a cancer cell to survive and proliferate in a certain organ/tissue. The metabolic remodeling in a tumor niche is endured not only by cancer cells but also by non-cancerous cells that share the same microenvironment. For this reason, tumor cells and stromal cells constitute a complex network of signal and organic compound transfer that supports cellular viability and proliferation. The intensive dual-address cooperation of all components of a tumor sustains disease progression and metastasis. Herein, we will detail the role of cancer-associated fibroblasts, cancer-associated adipocytes, and inflammatory cells, mainly monocytes/macrophages (tumor-associated macrophages), in the remodeling and metabolic adaptation of tumors.

  10. Adipocyte activation of cancer stem cell signaling in breast cancer

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Benjamin; Wolfson; Gabriel; Eades; Qun; Zhou

    2015-01-01

    Signaling within the tumor microenvironment has a critical role in cancer initiation and progression. Adipocytes, one of the major components of the breast microenvironment,have been shown to provide pro-tumorigenic signals that promote cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness in vitro and tumorigenicity in vivo. Adipocyte secreted factors such as leptin and interleukin-6(IL-6) have a paracrine effect on breast cancer cells. In adipocyte-adjacent breast cancer cells, the leptin and IL-6 signaling pathways activate janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activatorof transcription 5, promoting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and upregulating stemness regulators such as Notch, Wnt and the Sex determining region Y-box 2/octamer binding transcription factor 4/Nanog signaling axis. In this review we will summarize the major signaling pathways that regulate cancer stem cells in breast cancer and describe the effects that adipocyte secreted IL-6 and leptin have on breast cancer stem cell signaling. Finally we will introduce a new potential treatment paradigm of inhibiting the adipocyte-breast cancer cell signaling via targeting the IL-6 or leptin pathways.

  11. Gastric stem cells and gastric cancer stem cells

    OpenAIRE

    Han, Myoung-Eun; Oh, Sae-Ock

    2013-01-01

    The gastric epithelium is continuously regenerated by gastric stem cells, which give rise to various kinds of daughter cells, including parietal cells, chief cells, surface mucous cells, mucous neck cells, and enteroendocrine cells. The self-renewal and differentiation of gastric stem cells need delicate regulation to maintain the normal physiology of the stomach. Recently, it was hypothesized that cancer stem cells drive the cancer growth and metastasis. In contrast to conventional clonal ev...

  12. Multimodal Nanomedicine Strategies for Targeting Cancer Cells as well as Cancer Stem Cell Signalling Mechanisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanwar, Jagat R; Samarasinghe, Rasika M; Kamalapuram, Sishir K; Kanwar, Rupinder K

    2017-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that stem cells, a small population of cells with unique selfrenewable and tumour regenerative capacity, are aiding tumour re-growth and multidrug resistance. Conventional therapies are highly ineffective at eliminating these cells leading to relapse of disease and formation of chemoresistance tumours. Cancer and stem cells targeted therapies that utilizes nanotherapeutics to delivery anti-cancer drugs to specific sites are continuously investigated. This review focuses on recent research using nanomedicine and targeting entities to eliminate cancer cells and cancer stem cells. Current nanotherapeutics in clinical trials along with more recent publications on targeted therapies are addressed. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  13. Road for understanding cancer stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Serakinci, Nedime; Erzik, Can

    2007-01-01

    There is increasing evidence suggesting that stem cells are susceptive to carcinogenesis and, consequently, can be the origin of many cancers. Recently, the neoplastic potential of stem cells has been supported by many groups showing the existence of subpopulations with stem cell characteristics...... in tumor biopsies such as brain and breast. Evidence supporting the cancer stem cell hypothesis has gained impact due to progress in stem cell biology and development of new models to validate the self-renewal potential of stem cells. Recent evidence on the possible identification of cancer stem cells may...... offer an opportunity to use these cells as future therapeutic targets. Therefore, model systems in this field have become very important and useful. This review will focus on the state of knowledge on cancer stem cell research, including cell line models for cancer stem cells. The latter will, as models...

  14. Dual-color bioluminescent sensor proteins for therapeutic drug monitoring of antitumor antibodies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Rosmalen, M.; Ni, Y.; Vervoort, D.F.M.; Arts, R.; Ludwig, S.K.J.; Merkx, M.

    2018-01-01

    Monitoring the levels of therapeutic antibodies in individual patients would allow patient-specific dose optimization, with the potential for major therapeutic and financial benefits. Our group recently developed a new platform of bioluminescent sensor proteins (LUMABS; LUMinescent AntiBody Sensor)

  15. Submersible Data (Dive Waypoints) for Bioluminescence 2009 - Office of Ocean Exploration and Research

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Data and information collected by the submersible Johnson Sea-Link II at waypoints along its track during seventeen dives of the 2009 "Bioluminescence" expedition...

  16. Cancer Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bao, Qi; Zhao, Yue; Renner, Andrea; Niess, Hanno; Seeliger, Hendrik; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Bruns, Christiane J., E-mail: christiane.bruns@med.uni-muenchen.de [Department of Surgery, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Klinikum Grosshadern, Marchioninistr. 15, D-81377, Munich (Germany)

    2010-08-19

    Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignant solid tumor well-known by early metastasis, local invasion, resistance to standard chemo- and radiotherapy and poor prognosis. Increasing evidence indicates that pancreatic cancer is initiated and propagated by cancer stem cells (CSCs). Here we review the current research results regarding CSCs in pancreatic cancer and discuss the different markers identifying pancreatic CSCs. This review will focus on metastasis, microRNA regulation and anti-CSC therapy in pancreatic cancer.

  17. Cancer stem cells in colorectal cancer: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Munro, Matthew J; Wickremesekera, Susrutha K; Peng, Lifeng; Tan, Swee T; Itinteang, Tinte

    2018-02-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in women and the third most common in men. Adenocarcinoma accounts for 90% of CRC cases. There has been accumulating evidence in support of the cancer stem cell (CSC) concept of cancer which proposes that CSCs are central in the initiation of cancer. CSCs have been the focus of study in a range of cancers, including CRC. This has led to the identification and understanding of genes involved in the induction and maintenance of pluripotency of stem cells, and markers for CSCs, including those investigated specifically in CRC. Knowledge of the expression pattern of CSCs in CRC has been increasing in recent years, revealing a heterogeneous population of cells within CRC ranging from pluripotent to differentiated cells, with overlapping and sometimes unique combinations of markers. This review summarises current literature on the understanding of CSCs in CRC, including evidence of the presence of CSC subpopulations, and the stem cell markers currently used to identify and localise these CSC subpopulations. Future research into this field may lead to improved methods for early detection of CRC, novel therapy and monitoring of treatment for CRC and other cancer types. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  18. Extragonadal Germ Cell Cancer (EGC)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Testicular Cancer Resource Center Extragonadal Germ Cell Cancer (EGC) 95% of all testicular tumors are germ cell tumors. That is, the tumors originate in the sperm forming cells in the testicles ( ...

  19. Automatic cell cloning assay for determining the clonogenic capacity of cancer and cancer stem-like cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedr, Radek; Pernicová, Zuzana; Slabáková, Eva; Straková, Nicol; Bouchal, Jan; Grepl, Michal; Kozubík, Alois; Souček, Karel

    2013-05-01

    The clonogenic assay is a well-established in vitro method for testing the survival and proliferative capability of cells. It can be used to determine the cytotoxic effects of various treatments including chemotherapeutics and ionizing radiation. However, this approach can also characterize cells with different phenotypes and biological properties, such as stem cells or cancer stem cells. In this study, we implemented a faster and more precise method for assessing the cloning efficiency of cancer stem-like cells that were characterized and separated using a high-speed cell sorter. Cell plating onto a microplate using an automatic cell deposition unit was performed in a single-cell or dilution rank mode by the fluorescence-activated cell sorting method. We tested the new automatic cell-cloning assay (ACCA) on selected cancer cell lines and compared it with the manual approach. The obtained results were also compared with the results of the limiting dilution assay for different cell lines. We applied the ACCA to analyze the cloning capacity of different subpopulations of prostate and colon cancer cells based on the expression of the characteristic markers of stem (CD44 and CD133) and cancer stem cells (TROP-2, CD49f, and CD44). Our results revealed that the novel ACCA is a straightforward approach for determining the clonogenic capacity of cancer stem-like cells identified in both cell lines and patient samples. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

  20. Cancer Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Qi; Zhao, Yue; Renner, Andrea; Niess, Hanno; Seeliger, Hendrik; Jauch, Karl-Walter; Bruns, Christiane J.

    2010-01-01

    Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignant solid tumor well-known by early metastasis, local invasion, resistance to standard chemo- and radiotherapy and poor prognosis. Increasing evidence indicates that pancreatic cancer is initiated and propagated by cancer stem cells (CSCs). Here we review the current research results regarding CSCs in pancreatic cancer and discuss the different markers identifying pancreatic CSCs. This review will focus on metastasis, microRNA regulation and anti-CSC therapy in pancreatic cancer. PMID:24281178

  1. Cancer Stem Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl-Walter Jauch

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive malignant solid tumor well-known by early metastasis, local invasion, resistance to standard chemo- and radiotherapy and poor prognosis. Increasing evidence indicates that pancreatic cancer is initiated and propagated by cancer stem cells (CSCs. Here we review the current research results regarding CSCs in pancreatic cancer and discuss the different markers identifying pancreatic CSCs. This review will focus on metastasis, microRNA regulation and anti-CSC therapy in pancreatic cancer.

  2. Stages of Small Cell Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Lung Cancer Prevention Lung Cancer Screening Research Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Small Cell Lung Cancer Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Small ...

  3. Hypoxic stellate cells of pancreatic cancer stroma regulate extracellular matrix fiber organization and cancer cell motility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sada, Masafumi; Ohuchida, Kenoki; Horioka, Kohei; Okumura, Takashi; Moriyama, Taiki; Miyasaka, Yoshihiro; Ohtsuka, Takao; Mizumoto, Kazuhiro; Oda, Yoshinao; Nakamura, Masafumi

    2016-03-28

    Desmoplasia and hypoxia in pancreatic cancer mutually affect each other and create a tumor-supportive microenvironment. Here, we show that microenvironment remodeling by hypoxic pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) promotes cancer cell motility through alteration of extracellular matrix (ECM) fiber architecture. Three-dimensional (3-D) matrices derived from PSCs under hypoxia exhibited highly organized parallel-patterned matrix fibers compared with 3-D matrices derived from PSCs under normoxia, and promoted cancer cell motility by inducing directional migration of cancer cells due to the parallel fiber architecture. Microarray analysis revealed that procollagen-lysine, 2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) in PSCs was the gene that potentially regulates ECM fiber architecture under hypoxia. Stromal PLOD2 expression in surgical specimens of pancreatic cancer was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RNA interference-mediated knockdown of PLOD2 in PSCs blocked parallel fiber architecture of 3-D matrices, leading to decreased directional migration of cancer cells within the matrices. In conclusion, these findings indicate that hypoxia-induced PLOD2 expression in PSCs creates a permissive microenvironment for migration of cancer cells through architectural regulation of stromal ECM in pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Bioluminescence resonance energy transfer system for measuring dynamic protein-protein interactions in bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Boyu; Wang, Yao; Song, Yunhong; Wang, Tietao; Li, Changfu; Wei, Yahong; Luo, Zhao-Qing; Shen, Xihui

    2014-05-20

    Protein-protein interactions are important for virtually every biological process, and a number of elegant approaches have been designed to detect and evaluate such interactions. However, few of these methods allow the detection of dynamic and real-time protein-protein interactions in bacteria. Here we describe a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) system based on the bacterial luciferase LuxAB. We found that enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (eYFP) accepts the emission from LuxAB and emits yellow fluorescence. Importantly, BRET occurred when LuxAB and eYFP were fused, respectively, to the interacting protein pair FlgM and FliA. Furthermore, we observed sirolimus (i.e., rapamycin)-inducible interactions between FRB and FKBP12 and a dose-dependent abolishment of such interactions by FK506, the ligand of FKBP12. Using this system, we showed that osmotic stress or low pH efficiently induced multimerization of the regulatory protein OmpR and that the multimerization induced by low pH can be reversed by a neutralizing agent, further indicating the usefulness of this system in the measurement of dynamic interactions. This method can be adapted to analyze dynamic protein-protein interactions and the importance of such interactions in bacterial processes such as development and pathogenicity. Real-time measurement of protein-protein interactions in prokaryotes is highly desirable for determining the roles of protein complex in the development or virulence of bacteria, but methods that allow such measurement are not available. Here we describe the development of a bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) technology that meets this need. The use of endogenous excitation light in this strategy circumvents the requirement for the sophisticated instrument demanded by standard fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). Furthermore, because the LuxAB substrate decanal is membrane permeable, the assay can be performed without lysing the bacterial cells

  5. Structure of fungal oxyluciferin, the product of the bioluminescence reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purtov, K V; Osipova, Z M; Petushkov, V N; Rodionova, N S; Tsarkova, A S; Kotlobay, A A; Chepurnykh, T V; Gorokhovatsky, A Yu; Yampolsky, I V; Gitelson, J I

    2017-11-01

    The structure of fungal oxyluciferin was determined, the enzymatic bioluminescence reaction under substrate saturation conditions with discrete monitoring of formed products was conducted, and the structures of the end products of the reaction were established. On the basis of these studies, the scheme of oxyluciferin degradation to the end products was developed. The structure of fungal oxyluciferin was confirmed by counter synthesis.

  6. Inactivated Sendai virus particle upregulates cancer cell expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and enhances natural killer cell sensitivity on cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Simin; Nishikawa, Tomoyuki; Kaneda, Yasufumi

    2017-12-01

    We have already reported that the inactivated Sendai virus (hemagglutinating virus of Japan; HVJ) envelope (HVJ-E) has multiple anticancer effects, including induction of cancer-selective cell death and activation of anticancer immunity. The HVJ-E stimulates dendritic cells to produce cytokines and chemokines such as β-interferon, interleukin-6, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5, and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10, which activate both CD8 + T cells and natural killer (NK) cells and recruit them to the tumor microenvironment. However, the effect of HVJ-E on modulating the sensitivity of cancer cells to immune cell attack has yet to be investigated. In this study, we found that HVJ-E induced the production of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54), a ligand of lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1, in several cancer cell lines through the activation of nuclear factor-κB downstream of retinoic acid-inducible gene I and the mitochondrial antiviral signaling pathway. The upregulation of ICAM-1 on the surface of cancer cells increased the sensitivity of cancer cells to NK cells. Knocking out expression of ICAM-1 in MDA-MB-231 cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 method significantly reduced the killing effect of NK cells on ICAM-1-depleted MDA-MB-231 cells. In addition, HVJ-E suppressed tumor growth in MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing SCID mice, and the HVJ-E antitumor effect was impaired when NK cells were depleted by treatment with the anti-asialo GM1 antibody. Our findings suggest that HVJ-E enhances NK cell sensitivity against cancer cells by increasing ICAM-1 expression on the cancer cell surface. © 2017 The Authors. Cancer Science published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

  7. Targetless T cells in cancer immunotherapy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    thor Straten, Eivind Per; Garrido, Federico

    2016-01-01

    Attention has recently focused on new cancer immunotherapy protocols aiming to activate T cell mediated anti-tumor responses. To this end, administration of antibodies that target inhibitory molecules regulating T-cell cytotoxicity has achieved impressive clinical responses, as has adoptive cell...... infiltrate tumor tissues and destroy HLA class I positive tumor cells expressing the specific antigen. In fact, current progress in the field of cancer immune therapy is based on the capacity of T cells to kill cancer cells that present tumor antigen in the context on an HLA class I molecule. However......, it is also well established that cancer cells are often characterized by loss or down regulation of HLA class I molecules, documented in a variety of human tumors. Consequently, immune therapy building on CD8 T cells will be futile in patients harboring HLA class-I negative or deficient cancer cells...

  8. Ginger and Zingerone Ameliorate Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Systemic Inflammation in Mice, Assessed by Nuclear Factor-κB Bioluminescent Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiang, Chien-Yun; Cheng, Hui-Man; Lo, Hsin-Yi; Li, Chia-Cheng; Chou, Pei-Chi; Lee, Yu-Chen; Ho, Tin-Yun

    2015-07-08

    Ginger is a commonly used spice in cooking. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated the anti-inflammatory activities of ginger and its component zingerone in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute systemic inflammation in mice via nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) bioluminescent imaging. Ginger and zingerone significantly suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB activities in cells in a dose-dependent manner, and the maximal inhibition (84.5% ± 3.5% and 96.2% ± 0.6%) was observed at 100 μg/mL ginger and zingerone, respectively. Moreover, dietary ginger and zingerone significantly reduced LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine production in sera by 62.9% ± 18.2% and 81.3% ± 6.2%, respectively, and NF-κB bioluminescent signals in whole body by 26.9% ± 14.3% and 38.5% ± 6.2%, respectively. In addition, ginger and zingerone suppressed LPS-induced NF-κB-driven luminescent intensities in most organs, and the maximal inhibition by ginger and zingerone was observed in small intestine. Immunohistochemical staining further showed that ginger and zingerone decreased interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-, CD11b-, and p65-positive areas in jejunum. In conclusion, our findings suggested that ginger and zingerone were likely to be broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory agents in most organs that suppressed the activation of NF-κB, the production of IL-1β, and the infiltration of inflammatory cells in mice.

  9. Hybrid clone cells derived from human breast epithelial cells and human breast cancer cells exhibit properties of cancer stem/initiating cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gauck, Daria; Keil, Silvia; Niggemann, Bernd; Zänker, Kurt S; Dittmar, Thomas

    2017-08-02

    The biological phenomenon of cell fusion has been associated with cancer progression since it was determined that normal cell × tumor cell fusion-derived hybrid cells could exhibit novel properties, such as enhanced metastatogenic capacity or increased drug resistance, and even as a mechanism that could give rise to cancer stem/initiating cells (CS/ICs). CS/ICs have been proposed as cancer cells that exhibit stem cell properties, including the ability to (re)initiate tumor growth. Five M13HS hybrid clone cells, which originated from spontaneous cell fusion events between M13SV1-EGFP-Neo human breast epithelial cells and HS578T-Hyg human breast cancer cells, and their parental cells were analyzed for expression of stemness and EMT-related marker proteins by Western blot analysis and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The frequency of ALDH1-positive cells was determined by flow cytometry using AldeRed fluorescent dye. Concurrently, the cells' colony forming capabilities as well as the cells' abilities to form mammospheres were investigated. The migratory activity of the cells was analyzed using a 3D collagen matrix migration assay. M13HS hybrid clone cells co-expressed SOX9, SLUG, CK8 and CK14, which were differently expressed in parental cells. A variation in the ALDH1-positive putative stem cell population was observed among the five hybrids ranging from 1.44% (M13HS-7) to 13.68% (M13HS-2). In comparison to the parental cells, all five hybrid clone cells possessed increased but also unique colony formation and mammosphere formation capabilities. M13HS-4 hybrid clone cells exhibited the highest colony formation capacity and second highest mammosphere formation capacity of all hybrids, whereby the mean diameter of the mammospheres was comparable to the parental cells. In contrast, the largest mammospheres originated from the M13HS-2 hybrid clone cells, whereas these cells' mammosphere formation capacity was comparable to the parental breast cancer cells. All M13HS

  10. Differential Cytotoxic Potential of Silver Nanoparticles in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells and Ovarian Cancer Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun-Jung Choi

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The cancer stem cell (CSC hypothesis postulates that cancer cells are composed of hierarchically-organized subpopulations of cells with distinct phenotypes and tumorigenic capacities. As a result, CSCs have been suggested as a source of disease recurrence. Recently, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs have been used as antimicrobial, disinfectant, and antitumor agents. However, there is no study reporting the effects of AgNPs on ovarian cancer stem cells (OvCSCs. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic effects of AgNPs and their mechanism of causing cell death in A2780 (human ovarian cancer cells and OvCSCs derived from A2780. In order to examine these effects, OvCSCs were isolated and characterized using positive CSC markers including aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH and CD133 by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS. The anticancer properties of the AgNPs were evaluated by assessing cell viability, leakage of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH, reactive oxygen species (ROS, and mitochondrial membrane potential (mt-MP. The inhibitory effect of AgNPs on the growth of ovarian cancer cells and OvCSCs was evaluated using a clonogenic assay. Following 1–2 weeks of incubation with the AgNPs, the numbers of A2780 (bulk cells and ALDH+/CD133+ colonies were significantly reduced. The expression of apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes was measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR. Our observations showed that treatment with AgNPs resulted in severe cytotoxicity in both ovarian cancer cells and OvCSCs. In particular, AgNPs showed significant cytotoxic potential in ALDH+/CD133+ subpopulations of cells compared with other subpopulation of cells and also human ovarian cancer cells (bulk cells. These findings suggest that AgNPs can be utilized in the development of novel nanotherapeutic molecules for the treatment of ovarian cancers by specific targeting of the ALDH+/CD133+ subpopulation of cells.

  11. Targeting Cell Polarity Machinery to Exhaust Breast Cancer Stem Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0644 TITLE: Targeting Cell Polarity Machinery to Exhaust Breast Cancer Stem Cells PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Chun-Ju...Targeting Cell Polarity Machinery to Exhaust Breast Cancer Stem Cells 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-15-1-0644 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT...Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a cell population with acquired perpetuating self-renewal properties which

  12. Observations and Measurements of Planktonic Bioluminescence in and Around a Milky Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    1988-03-01

    malticharnel analysers operating in the multiscaler mode. The details of both the onboard underway system and the LPTC systems have been published (Lapota...the Arabian Sea during the southwest monsoon. No nutrient data was collected during our study, yet phosphates, nitrates , and trace BIOLUMINESCENCE IN

  13. Advanced research on separating prostate cancer stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hao Yumei; He Xin; Song Naling

    2013-01-01

    Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor in male urinary system,and may easily develop into the hormone refractory prostate cancer which can hardly be cured. Recent studies had found that the prostate cancer stem cells may be the source of the prostate cancer's occurrence,development, metastasis and recurrence. The therapy targeting the prostate cancer stem cells may be the effective way to cure prostate cancer. But these cells is too low to be detected. The difficulty lies in the low separation efficiency of prostate cancer stem cell, so the effectively separating prostate cancer stem cells occupied the main position for the more in-depth research of prostate cancer stem cells. This paper reviews the research progress and existing problems on the several main separating methods of prostate cancer stem cells, includes the fluorescence activated cells sorting and magnetic activated cells sorting based on prostate cancer stem cell surface markers, the side-population sorting and serum-free medium sphere forming sorting based on prostate cancer stem cell's biology. (authors)

  14. Toxicity evaluation of e-juice and its soluble aerosols generated by electronic cigarettes using recombinant bioluminescent bacteria responsive to specific cellular damages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharadwaj, Shiv; Mitchell, Robert J; Qureshi, Anjum; Niazi, Javed H

    2017-04-15

    Electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarette) are widely used as an alternative to traditional cigarettes but their safety is not well established. Herein, we demonstrate and validate an analytical method to discriminate the deleterious effects of e-cigarette refills (e-juice) and soluble e-juice aerosol (SEA) by employing stress-specific bioluminescent recombinant bacterial cells (RBCs) as whole-cell biosensors. These RBCs carry luxCDABE-operon tightly controlled by promoters that specifically induced to DNA damage (recA), superoxide radicals (sodA), heavy metals (copA) and membrane damage (oprF). The responses of the RBCs following exposure to various concentrations of e-juice/SEA was recorded in real-time that showed dose-dependent stress specific-responses against both the e-juice and vaporized e-juice aerosols produced by the e-cigarette. We also established that high doses of e-juice (4-folds diluted) lead to cell death by repressing the cellular machinery responsible for repairing DNA-damage, superoxide toxicity, ion homeostasis and membrane damage. SEA also caused the cellular damages but the cells showed enhanced bioluminescence expression without significant growth inhibition, indicating that the cells activated their global defense system to repair these damages. DNA fragmentation assay also revealed the disintegration of total cellular DNA at sub-toxic doses of e-juice. Despite their state of matter, the e-juice and its aerosols induce cytotoxicity and alter normal cellular functions, respectively that raises concerns on use of e-cigarettes as alternative to traditional cigarette. The ability of RBCs in detecting both harmful effects and toxicity mechanisms provided a fundamental understanding of biological response to e-juice and aerosols. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. The cancer-germline antigen SSX2 causes cell cycle arrest and DNA damage in cancer cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Greve, Katrine Buch Vidén; Lindgreen, Jonas; Terp, Mikkel Green

    2011-01-01

    The SSX family of cancer and germline antigens is mainly expressed in the germ cells of healthy individuals as well as wide range of cancers and is therefore potential targets for immunotherapy. However, little is known about the role of SSX proteins in tumorigenesis and normal cell function. Here......, we show that SSX2 is involved in regulation of cancer cell growth. We found that ectopic expression of SSX2 in melanoma and colon cancer cells strongly reduced cell growth and induced apoptosis in vitro. Importantly, in a xenograft mouse model, the growth of tumors derived from SSX2 overexpressing...... melanoma cells was severely reduced compared to those derived from the isogenic parental cell line. Cell cycle analysis showed that SSX2 caused an accumulation of cells arrested in G1. Consistent with this, we observed a marked decrease in cells expressing the proliferation marker Ki67 and concomitantly...

  16. Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr) promotes EMT, growth, and invasion in canine prostate cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elshafae, Said M; Hassan, Bardes B; Supsavhad, Wachiraphan; Dirksen, Wessel P; Camiener, Rachael Y; Ding, Haiming; Tweedle, Michael F; Rosol, Thomas J

    2016-06-01

    The gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPr) is upregulated in early and late-stage human prostate cancer (PCa) and other solid tumors of the mammary gland, lung, head and neck, colon, uterus, ovary, and kidney. However, little is known about its role in prostate cancer. This study examined the effects of a heterologous GRPr agonist, bombesin (BBN), on growth, motility, morphology, gene expression, and tumor phenotype of an osteoblastic canine prostate cancer cell line (Ace-1) in vitro and in vivo. The Ace-1 cells were stably transfected with the human GRPr and tumor cells were grown in vitro and as subcutaneous and intratibial tumors in nude mice. The effect of BBN was measured on cell proliferation, cell migration, tumor growth (using bioluminescence), tumor cell morphology, bone tumor phenotype, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis gene expression (quantitative RT-PCR). GRPr mRNA expression was measured in primary canine prostate cancers and normal prostate glands. Bombesin (BBN) increased tumor cell proliferation and migration in vitro and tumor growth and invasion in vivo. BBN upregulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (TWIST, SNAIL, and SLUG mRNA) and downregulated epithelial markers (E-cadherin and β-catenin mRNA), and modified tumor cell morphology to a spindle cell phenotype. Blockade of GRPr upregulated E-cadherin and downregulated VIMENTIN and SNAIL mRNA. BBN altered the in vivo tumor phenotype in bone from an osteoblastic to osteolytic phenotype. Primary canine prostate cancers had increased GRPr mRNA expression compared to normal prostates. These data demonstrated that the GRPr is important in prostate cancer growth and progression and targeting GRPr may be a promising strategy for treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate 76:796-809, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Ursodeoxycholic acid inhibits the proliferation of colon cancer cells by regulating oxidative stress and cancer stem-like cell growth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, EuiJoo

    2017-01-01

    Introduction The regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) exists as a therapeutic target for cancer treatments. Previous studies have shown that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) suppresses the proliferation of colon cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of UDCA upon the proliferation of colon cancer cells as a direct result of the regulation of ROS. Method Colon cancer cell lines (HT29 and HCT116) were treated with UDCA. The total number of cells and the number of dead cells were determined using cell counters. A fluorescein isothiocyanate-bromodeoxyuridine flow kit was used to analyze cell cycle variations. Upon exposure to UDCA, the protein levels of p27, p21, CDK2, CDK4 and CDK6 were determined using western blotting, and qRT-PCR was used to determine levels of mRNA. We preformed dichlorofluorescindiacetate (DCF-DA) staining to detect alteration of intracellular ROS using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Colon cancer stem-like cell lines were generated by tumorsphere culture and treated with UDCA for seven days. The total number of tumorspheres was determined using microscopy. Results We found that UDCA reduced the total number of colon cancer cells, but did not increase the number of dead cells. UDCA inhibited the G1/S and G2/M transition phases in colon cancer cells. UDCA induced expression of cell cycle inhibitors such as p27 and p21. However, it was determined that UDCA suppressed levels of CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6. UDCA regulated intracellular ROS generation in colon cancer cells, and induced activation of Erk1/2. Finally, UDCA inhibited formation of colon cancer stem-like cells. Conclusion Our results indicate that UDCA suppresses proliferation through regulation of oxidative stress in colon cancer cells, as well as colon cancer stem-like cells. PMID:28708871

  18. Nucleic acid detection using BRET-beacons based on bioluminescent protein-DNA hybrids

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Engelen, W.; van de Wiel, K.M.; Meijer, L.H.H.; Saha, B.; Merkx, M.

    2017-01-01

    Bioluminescent molecular beacons have been developed using a modular design approach that relies on BRET between the bright luciferase NanoLuc and a Cy3 acceptor. While classical molecular beacons are hampered by background fluorescence and scattering, these BRET-beacons allow detection of low pM

  19. Investigation of Processes and Factors Regulating the Generation, Maintenance and Breakdown of Bioluminescent Thin Layers

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Widder, Edith

    2001-01-01

    .... Katz's submersible holographic camera mounted on the upper work platform. Thin layers were located using real-time sensor feedback from intensified video recordings of stimulated bioluminescence...

  20. Mesenchymal Stem Cells Induce Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Colon Cancer Cells through Direct Cell-to-Cell Contact

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hidehiko Takigawa

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available We previously reported that in an orthotopic nude mouse model of human colon cancer, bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs migrated to the tumor stroma and promoted tumor growth and metastasis. Here, we evaluated the proliferation and migration ability of cancer cells cocultured with MSCs to elucidate the mechanism of interaction between cancer cells and MSCs. Proliferation and migration of cancer cells increased following direct coculture with MSCs but not following indirect coculture. Thus, we hypothesized that direct contact between cancer cells and MSCs was important. We performed a microarray analysis of gene expression in KM12SM colon cancer cells directly cocultured with MSCs. Expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT–related genes such as fibronectin (FN, SPARC, and galectin 1 was increased by direct coculture with MSCs. We also confirmed the upregulation of these genes with real-time polymerase chain reaction. Gene expression was not elevated in cancer cells indirectly cocultured with MSCs. Among the EMT-related genes upregulated by direct coculture with MSCs, we examined the immune localization of FN, a well-known EMT marker. In coculture assay in chamber slides, expression of FN was seen only at the edges of cancer clusters where cancer cells directly contacted MSCs. FN expression in cancer cells increased at the tumor periphery and invasive edge in orthotopic nude mouse tumors and human colon cancer tissues. These results suggest that MSCs induce EMT in colon cancer cells via direct cell-to-cell contact and may play an important role in colon cancer metastasis.

  1. General Information about Renal Cell Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Tumors Treatment Genetics of Kidney Cancer Research Renal Cell Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Renal Cell Cancer Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Renal ...

  2. Treatment Option Overview (Renal Cell Cancer)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Tumors Treatment Genetics of Kidney Cancer Research Renal Cell Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Renal Cell Cancer Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Renal ...

  3. Ionizing radiation induces stemness in cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Ghisolfi

    Full Text Available The cancer stem cell (CSC model posits the presence of a small number of CSCs in the heterogeneous cancer cell population that are ultimately responsible for tumor initiation, as well as cancer recurrence and metastasis. CSCs have been isolated from a variety of human cancers and are able to generate a hierarchical and heterogeneous cancer cell population. CSCs are also resistant to conventional chemo- and radio-therapies. Here we report that ionizing radiation can induce stem cell-like properties in heterogeneous cancer cells. Exposure of non-stem cancer cells to ionizing radiation enhanced spherogenesis, and this was accompanied by upregulation of the pluripotency genes Sox2 and Oct3/4. Knockdown of Sox2 or Oct3/4 inhibited radiation-induced spherogenesis and increased cellular sensitivity to radiation. These data demonstrate that ionizing radiation can activate stemness pathways in heterogeneous cancer cells, resulting in the enrichment of a CSC subpopulation with higher resistance to radiotherapy.

  4. Extinction models for cancer stem cell therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sehl, Mary; Zhou, Hua; Sinsheimer, Janet S.; Lange, Kenneth L.

    2012-01-01

    Cells with stem cell-like properties are now viewed as initiating and sustaining many cancers. This suggests that cancer can be cured by driving these cancer stem cells to extinction. The problem with this strategy is that ordinary stem cells are apt to be killed in the process. This paper sets bounds on the killing differential (difference between death rates of cancer stem cells and normal stem cells) that must exist for the survival of an adequate number of normal stem cells. Our main tools are birth–death Markov chains in continuous time. In this framework, we investigate the extinction times of cancer stem cells and normal stem cells. Application of extreme value theory from mathematical statistics yields an accurate asymptotic distribution and corresponding moments for both extinction times. We compare these distributions for the two cell populations as a function of the killing rates. Perhaps a more telling comparison involves the number of normal stem cells NH at the extinction time of the cancer stem cells. Conditioning on the asymptotic time to extinction of the cancer stem cells allows us to calculate the asymptotic mean and variance of NH. The full distribution of NH can be retrieved by the finite Fourier transform and, in some parameter regimes, by an eigenfunction expansion. Finally, we discuss the impact of quiescence (the resting state) on stem cell dynamics. Quiescence can act as a sanctuary for cancer stem cells and imperils the proposed therapy. We approach the complication of quiescence via multitype branching process models and stochastic simulation. Improvements to the τ-leaping method of stochastic simulation make it a versatile tool in this context. We conclude that the proposed therapy must target quiescent cancer stem cells as well as actively dividing cancer stem cells. The current cancer models demonstrate the virtue of attacking the same quantitative questions from a variety of modeling, mathematical, and computational perspectives

  5. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells promote pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji, S.Q.; Cao, J.; Zhang, Q.Y.; Li, Y.Y.; Yan, Y.Q.; Yu, F.X.

    2013-01-01

    To explore the effects of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and the possible mechanism involved, ADSCs were cocultured with pancreatic cancer cells, and a cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. ELISA was used to determine the concentration of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the supernatants. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in pancreatic cancer cells and ADSCs. An in vitro invasion assay was used to measure invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. SDF-1 was detected in the supernatants of ADSCs, but not in pancreatic cancer cells. Higher CXCR4 mRNA levels were detected in the pancreatic cancer cell lines compared with ADSCs (109.3±10.7 and 97.6±7.6 vs 18.3±1.7, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, conditioned medium from ADSCs promoted the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, and AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, significantly downregulated these growth-promoting effects. We conclude that ADSCs can promote the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, which may involve the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis

  6. Adipose tissue-derived stem cells promote pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ji, S.Q.; Cao, J. [Department of Liver Surgery I, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai (China); Zhang, Q.Y.; Li, Y.Y. [Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou (China); Yan, Y.Q. [Department of Liver Surgery I, Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai (China); Yu, F.X. [Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Wenzhou Medical College, Wenzhou (China)

    2013-09-27

    To explore the effects of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and the possible mechanism involved, ADSCs were cocultured with pancreatic cancer cells, and a cell counting kit (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferation of pancreatic cancer cells. ELISA was used to determine the concentration of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) in the supernatants. RT-PCR was performed to detect the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 in pancreatic cancer cells and ADSCs. An in vitro invasion assay was used to measure invasion of pancreatic cancer cells. SDF-1 was detected in the supernatants of ADSCs, but not in pancreatic cancer cells. Higher CXCR4 mRNA levels were detected in the pancreatic cancer cell lines compared with ADSCs (109.3±10.7 and 97.6±7.6 vs 18.3±1.7, respectively; P<0.01). In addition, conditioned medium from ADSCs promoted the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, and AMD3100, a CXCR4 antagonist, significantly downregulated these growth-promoting effects. We conclude that ADSCs can promote the proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells, which may involve the SDF-1/CXCR4 axis.

  7. Development of Optical Molecular Imaging System for the Acquisition of Bioluminescence Signals from Small Animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Byeong Il; Kim, Hyeon Sik; Jeong, Hye Jin; Lee, Hyung Jae; Moon, Seung Min; Kwon, Seung Young; Jeong, Shin Young; Bom, Hee Seung; Min, Jung Joon; Choi, Eun Seo

    2009-01-01

    Optical imaging is providing great advance and improvement in genetic and molecular imaging of animals and humans. Optical imaging system consists of optical imaging devices, which carry out major function for monitoring, tracing, and imaging in most of molecular in-vivo researches. In bio-luminescent imaging, small animals containing luciferase gene locally irradiate light, and emitted photons transmitted through skin of the small animals are imaged by using a high sensitive charged coupled device (CCD) camera. In this paper, we introduced optical imaging system for the image acquisition of bio-luminescent signals emitted from small animals. In the system, Nikon lens and four LED light sources were mounted at the inside of a dark box. A cooled CCD camera equipped with a control module was used. We tested the performance of the optical imaging system using effendorf tube and light emitting bacteria which injected intravenously into CT26 tumor bearing nude mouse. The performance of implemented optical imaging system for bio-luminescence imaging was demonstrated and the feasibility of the system in small animal imaging application was proved. We anticipate this system could be a useful tool for the molecular imaging of small animals adaptable for various experimental conditions in future

  8. Brazilian Bioluminescent Beetles: Reflections on Catching Glimpses of Light in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    ETELVINO J.H. BECHARA

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Bioluminescence - visible and cold light emission by living organisms - is a worldwide phenomenon, reported in terrestrial and marine environments since ancient times. Light emission from microorganisms, fungi, plants and animals may have arisen as an evolutionary response against oxygen toxicity and was appropriated for sexual attraction, predation, aposematism, and camouflage. Light emission results from the oxidation of a substrate, luciferin, by molecular oxygen, catalyzed by a luciferase, producing oxyluciferin in the excited singlet state, which decays to the ground state by fluorescence emission. Brazilian Atlantic forests and Cerrados are rich in luminescent beetles, which produce the same luciferin but slightly mutated luciferases, which result in distinct color emissions from green to red depending on the species. This review focuses on chemical and biological aspects of Brazilian luminescent beetles (Coleoptera belonging to the Lampyridae (fireflies, Elateridae (click-beetles, and Phengodidae (railroad-worms families. The ATP-dependent mechanism of bioluminescence, the role of luciferase tuning the color of light emission, the “luminous termite mounds” in Central Brazil, the cooperative roles of luciferase and superoxide dismutase against oxygen toxicity, and the hypothesis on the evolutionary origin of luciferases are highlighted. Finally, we point out analytical uses of beetle bioluminescence for biological, clinical, environmental, and industrial samples.

  9. Factors Influencing Quantification of in Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging: Application to Assessment of Pancreatic Islet Transplants

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Virostko

    2004-10-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to determine and characterize factors influencing in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI and apply them to the specific application of imaging transplanted pancreatic islets. Noninvasive quantitative assessment of transplanted pancreatic islets poses a formidable challenge. Murine pancreatic islets expressing firefly luciferase were transplanted under the renal capsule or into the portal vein of nonobese diabetic–severe combined immunodeficiency mice and the bioluminescence was quantified with a cooled charge coupled device camera and digital photon image analysis. The important, but often neglected, effects of wound healing, mouse positioning, and transplantation site on bioluminescence measurements were investigated by imaging a constant emission, isotropic light-emitting bead (λ = 600 implanted at the renal or hepatic site. The renal beads emitted nearly four times more light than hepatic beads with a smaller spot size, indicating that light absorption and scatter are greatly influenced by the transplant site and must be accounted for in BLI measurements. Detected luminescence decreased with increasing angle between the mouse surface normal and optical axis. By defining imaging parameters such as postsurgical effects, animal positioning, and light attenuation as a function of transplant site, this study develops BLI as a useful imaging modality for quantitative assessment of islets post-transplantation.

  10. Brazilian Bioluminescent Beetles: Reflections on Catching Glimpses of Light in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bechara, Etelvino J H; Stevani, Cassius V

    2018-01-01

    Bioluminescence - visible and cold light emission by living organisms - is a worldwide phenomenon, reported in terrestrial and marine environments since ancient times. Light emission from microorganisms, fungi, plants and animals may have arisen as an evolutionary response against oxygen toxicity and was appropriated for sexual attraction, predation, aposematism, and camouflage. Light emission results from the oxidation of a substrate, luciferin, by molecular oxygen, catalyzed by a luciferase, producing oxyluciferin in the excited singlet state, which decays to the ground state by fluorescence emission. Brazilian Atlantic forests and Cerrados are rich in luminescent beetles, which produce the same luciferin but slightly mutated luciferases, which result in distinct color emissions from green to red depending on the species. This review focuses on chemical and biological aspects of Brazilian luminescent beetles (Coleoptera) belonging to the Lampyridae (fireflies), Elateridae (click-beetles), and Phengodidae (railroad-worms) families. The ATP-dependent mechanism of bioluminescence, the role of luciferase tuning the color of light emission, the "luminous termite mounds" in Central Brazil, the cooperative roles of luciferase and superoxide dismutase against oxygen toxicity, and the hypothesis on the evolutionary origin of luciferases are highlighted. Finally, we point out analytical uses of beetle bioluminescence for biological, clinical, environmental, and industrial samples.

  11. Use of a highly sensitive two-dimensional luminescence imaging system to monitor endogenous bioluminescence in plant leaves

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Flor-Henry Michel

    2004-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background All living organisms emit spontaneous low-level bioluminescence, which can be increased in response to stress. Methods for imaging this ultra-weak luminescence have previously been limited by the sensitivity of the detection systems used. Results We developed a novel configuration of a cooled charge-coupled device (CCD for 2-dimensional imaging of light emission from biological material. In this study, we imaged photon emission from plant leaves. The equipment allowed short integration times for image acquisition, providing high resolution spatial and temporal information on bioluminescence. We were able to carry out time course imaging of both delayed chlorophyll fluorescence from whole leaves, and of low level wound-induced luminescence that we showed to be localised to sites of tissue damage. We found that wound-induced luminescence was chlorophyll-dependent and was enhanced at higher temperatures. Conclusions The data gathered on plant bioluminescence illustrate that the equipment described here represents an improvement in 2-dimensional luminescence imaging technology. Using this system, we identify chlorophyll as the origin of wound-induced luminescence from leaves.

  12. Rapid drug susceptibility test of mycobacterium tuberculosis by bioluminescence sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Bin; Xu, Shunqing; Chen, Zifei; Zhou, Yikai

    2001-09-01

    With the persisting increase of drug-resistant stains of M. Tuberculosis around the world, rapid and sensitive detection of antibiotic of M. Tuberculosis is becoming more and more important. In the present study, drug susceptibility of M. tuberculosis were detected by recombination mycobacteriophage combined with bioluminescence sensor. It is based on the use of recombination mycobacteriophage which can express firefly luciferase when it infects viable mycobacteria, and can effectively produce quantifiable photon. Meanwhile, in mycobacterium cells treated with active antibiotic, no light is observed. The emitted light is recorded by a bioluminscence sensor, so the result of drug-resistant test can be determined by the naked eye. 159 stains of M. tuberculosis were applied to this test on their resistant to rifampin, streptomycin and isoniazid. It is found that the agreement of this assay with Liewenstein- Jensen slat is: rifampin 95.60 percent, isoniazid 91.82 percent, streptomycin 88.68 percent, which showed that it is a fast and practical method to scene and detect drug resistant of mycobacterium stains.

  13. Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates cancer stem cells in lung cancer A549 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teng, Ying; Wang, Xiuwen; Wang, Yawei; Ma, Daoxin

    2010-01-01

    Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an important role not only in cancer, but also in cancer stem cells. In this study, we found that β-catenin and OCT-4 was highly expressed in cisplatin (DDP) selected A549 cells. Stimulating A549 cells with lithium chloride (LiCl) resulted in accumulation of β-catenin and up-regulation of a typical Wnt target gene cyclin D1. This stimulation also significantly enhanced proliferation, clone formation, migration and drug resistance abilities in A549 cells. Moreover, the up-regulation of OCT-4, a stem cell marker, was observed through real-time PCR and Western blotting. In a reverse approach, we inhibited Wnt signaling by knocking down the expression of β-catenin using RNA interference technology. This inhibition resulted in down-regulation of the Wnt target gene cyclin D1 as well as the proliferation, clone formation, migration and drug resistance abilities. Meanwhile, the expression of OCT-4 was reduced after the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Taken together, our study provides strong evidence that canonical Wnt signaling plays an important role in lung cancer stem cell properties, and it also regulates OCT-4, a lung cancer stem cell marker.

  14. Targeting Stromal-Cancer Cell Crosstalk Networks in Ovarian Cancer Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tsz-Lun Yeung

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Ovarian cancer is a histologically, clinically, and molecularly diverse disease with a five-year survival rate of less than 30%. It has been estimated that approximately 21,980 new cases of epithelial ovarian cancer will be diagnosed and 14,270 deaths will occur in the United States in 2015, making it the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Ovarian tumor tissue is composed of cancer cells and a collection of different stromal cells. There is increasing evidence that demonstrates that stromal involvement is important in ovarian cancer pathogenesis. Therefore, stroma-specific signaling pathways, stroma-derived factors, and genetic changes in the tumor stroma present unique opportunities for improving the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs are one of the major components of the tumor stroma that have demonstrated supportive roles in tumor progression. In this review, we highlight various types of signaling crosstalk between ovarian cancer cells and stromal cells, particularly with CAFs. In addition to evaluating the importance of signaling crosstalk in ovarian cancer progression, we discuss approaches that can be used to target tumor-promoting signaling crosstalk and how these approaches can be translated into potential ovarian cancer treatment.

  15. Study of the Dynamic Uptake of Free Drug and Nanostructures for Drug Delivery Based on Bioluminescence Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongjian Fang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The past two decades have witnessed the great growth of the development of novel drug carriers. However, the releasing dynamics of drug from drug carriers in vivo and the interactions between cells and drug carriers remain unclear. In this paper, liposomes were prepared to encapsulate D-luciferin, which was the substrate of luciferase and served as a model drug. Based on the theoretical calculation of active loading, methods of preparation for liposomes were optimized. Only when D-luciferin was released from liposomes or taken in by the cells could bioluminescence be produced under the catalysis of luciferase. Models of multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS were built with 4T1-luc cells that expressed luciferase stably. The kinetic processes of uptake and distribution of free drugs and liposomal drugs were determined with models of cell suspension, monolayer cells, MCTS, and tumor-bearing nude mice. The technology platform has been demonstrated to be effective for the study of the distribution and kinetic profiles of various liposomes as drug delivery systems.

  16. Tumorigenic hybrids between mesenchymal stem cells and gastric cancer cells enhanced cancer proliferation, migration and stemness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue, Jianguo; Zhu, Yuan; Sun, Zixuan; Ji, Runbi; Zhang, Xu; Xu, Wenrong; Yuan, Xiao; Zhang, Bin; Yan, Yongmin; Yin, Lei; Xu, Huijuan; Zhang, Leilei; Zhu, Wei; Qian, Hui

    2015-01-01

    Emerging evidence indicates that inappropriate cell-cell fusion might contribute to cancer progression. Similarly, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can also fuse with other cells spontaneously and capable of adopting the phenotype of other cells. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of MSCs participated cell fusion in the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer. We fused human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) with gastric cancer cells in vitro by polyethylene glycol (PEG), the hybrid cells were sorted by flow cytometer. The growth and migration of hybrids were assessed by cell counting, cell colony formation and transwell assays. The proteins and genes related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition and stemness were tested by western blot, immunocytochemistry and real-time RT-PCR. The expression of CD44 and CD133 was examined by immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry. The xenograft assay was used to evaluation the tumorigenesis of the hybrids. The obtained hybrids exhibited epithelial- mesenchymal transition (EMT) change with down-regulation of E-cadherin and up-regulation of Vimentin, N-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and fibroblast activation protein (FAP). The hybrids also increased expression of stemness factors Oct4, Nanog, Sox2 and Lin28. The expression of CD44 and CD133 on hybrid cells was stronger than parental gastric cancer cells. Moreover, the migration and proliferation of heterotypic hybrids were enhanced. In addition, the heterotypic hybrids promoted the growth abilities of gastric xenograft tumor in vivo. Taken together, our results suggest that cell fusion between hucMSCs and gastric cancer cells could contribute to tumorigenic hybrids with EMT and stem cell-like properties, which may provide a flexible tool for investigating the roles of MSCs in gastric cancer. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1780-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  17. The Implications of Cancer Stem Cells for Cancer Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenjing Jiang

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are universally recognized as the most effective anti-cancer therapies. Despite significant advances directed towards elucidating molecular mechanisms and developing clinical trials, cancer still remains a major public health issue. Recent studies have showed that cancer stem cells (CSCs, a small subpopulation of tumor cells, can generate bulk populations of nontumorigenic cancer cell progeny through the self-renewal and differentiation processes. As CSCs are proposed to persist in tumors as a distinct population and cause relapse and metastasis by giving rise to new tumors, development of CSC-targeted therapeutic strategies holds new hope for improving survival and quality of life in patients with cancer. Therapeutic innovations will emerge from a better understanding of the biology and environment of CSCs, which, however, are largely unexplored. This review summarizes the characteristics, evidences and development of CSCs, as well as implications and challenges for cancer treatment.

  18. Detection of antibodies in blood plasma using bioluminescent sensor proteins and a smartphone

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arts, R.; den Hartog, I.; Zijlema, S.E.; Thijssen, V.; van der Beelen, S.H.E.; Merkx, M.

    2016-01-01

    Antibody detection is of fundamental importance in many diagnostic and bioanalytical assays, yet current detection techniques tend to be laborious and/or expensive. We present a new sensor platform (LUMABS) based on bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET) that allows detection of antibodies

  19. A POX on Renal Cancer Cells | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proline oxidase, or POX, is an enzyme responsible for metabolizing the amino acid proline. POX contributes to the regulation of cell death that occurs when cellular systems malfunction, a process called apoptosis. Previous studies have determined that levels of POX are reduced in several types of human cancer. Likewise, many cancer cells become resistant to apoptosis, suggesting a link between POX and cancer cell survival.

  20. Triiodothyronine regulates cell growth and survival in renal cell cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czarnecka, Anna M; Matak, Damian; Szymanski, Lukasz; Czarnecka, Karolina H; Lewicki, Slawomir; Zdanowski, Robert; Brzezianska-Lasota, Ewa; Szczylik, Cezary

    2016-10-01

    Triiodothyronine plays an important role in the regulation of kidney cell growth, differentiation and metabolism. Patients with renal cell cancer who develop hypothyreosis during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment have statistically longer survival. In this study, we developed cell based model of triiodothyronine (T3) analysis in RCC and we show the different effects of T3 on renal cell cancer (RCC) cell growth response and expression of the thyroid hormone receptor in human renal cell cancer cell lines from primary and metastatic tumors along with human kidney cancer stem cells. Wild-type thyroid hormone receptor is ubiquitously expressed in human renal cancer cell lines, but normalized against healthy renal proximal tube cell expression its level is upregulated in Caki-2, RCC6, SKRC-42, SKRC-45 cell lines. On the contrary the mRNA level in the 769-P, ACHN, HKCSC, and HEK293 cells is significantly decreased. The TRβ protein was abundant in the cytoplasm of the 786-O, Caki-2, RCC6, and SKRC-45 cells and in the nucleus of SKRC-42, ACHN, 769-P and cancer stem cells. T3 has promoting effect on the cell proliferation of HKCSC, Caki-2, ASE, ACHN, SK-RC-42, SMKT-R2, Caki-1, 786-0, and SK-RC-45 cells. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor, sunitinib, directly inhibits proliferation of RCC cells, while thyroid hormone receptor antagonist 1-850 (CAS 251310‑57-3) has less significant inhibitory impact. T3 stimulation does not abrogate inhibitory effect of sunitinib. Renal cancer tumor cells hypostimulated with T3 may be more responsive to tyrosine kinase inhibition. Moreover, some tumors may be considered as T3-independent and present aggressive phenotype with thyroid hormone receptor activated independently from the ligand. On the contrary proliferation induced by deregulated VHL and or c-Met pathways may transgress normal T3 mediated regulation of the cell cycle.

  1. Toxicity assessment of Hanford Site wastes by bacterial bioluminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rebagay, T.V.; Dodd, D.A.; Voogd, J.A.

    1991-09-01

    This paper examines the toxicity of the nonradioactive component of low-level wastes stored in tanks on the Hanford reservation. The use of a faster, cheaper bioassay to replace the 96 hour fish acute toxicity test is examined. The new bioassay is based on loss of bioluminescence of Photobacter phosphoreum (commonly called Microtox) following exposure to toxic materials. This bioassay is calibrated and compares well to the standard fish acute toxicity test for characterization of Hanford Wastes. 4 refs., 11 figs., 11 tabs

  2. Revealing the ability of a novel polysaccharide bioflocculant in bioremediation of heavy metals sensed in a Vibrio bioluminescence reporter assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajayan, Arya; Seghal Kiran, G; Priyadharshini, S; Poulose, Navya; Selvin, Joseph

    2017-09-01

    A bioflocculant-producing bacterial strain, designated MSI021, was isolated from the marine sponge Dendrilla nigra and demonstrated 94% flocculation activity in a kaolin clay suspension. MSI021 was identified as Bacillus cereus based on phylogenetic affiliation and biochemical characteristics. The purified extra-cellular bioflocculant was chemically elucidated as a polysaccharide molecule. The polysaccharide bioflocculant was stable under both acidic and alkaline conditions (pH 2.0-10.0) and temperatures up to 100 °C. The purified bioflocculant efficiently nucleated the formation of silver nanoparticles which showed broad spectrum antibacterial activity. The ability of the bioflocculant to remediate heavy metal toxicity was evaluated by measuring the inhibition of bioluminescence expression in Vibrio harveyi. Enrichment of heavy metals such as zinc, mercury and copper at concentrations of 1, 2 and 3 mM in culture media showed significant reduction of bioluminescence in Vibrio, whereas media enriched with heavy metals and bioflocculant showed dose dependent improvement in the expression of bioluminescence. The assay results demonstrated that the polysaccharide bioflocculant effectively mitigates heavy metal toxicity, thereby improving the expression of bioluminescence in Vibrio. This bioluminescence reporter assay can be developed into a high-throughput format to monitor and evaluate of heavy metal toxicity. The findings of this study revealed that a novel polysaccharide bioflocculant produced by a marine B. cereus demonstrated strong flocculating performance and was effective in nucleating the formation antibacterial silver nanoparticles and removing heavy metals. These results suggest that the MSI021 polysaccharide bioflocculant can be used to develop greener waste water treatment systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Gastric cancer stem cells: A novel therapeutic target

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Shree Ram

    2013-01-01

    Gastric cancer remains one of the leading causes of global cancer mortality. Multipotent gastric stem cells have been identified in both mouse and human stomachs, and they play an essential role in the self-renewal and homeostasis of gastric mucosa. There are several environmental and genetic factors known to promote gastric cancer. In recent years, numerous in vitro and in vivo studies suggest that gastric cancer may originate from normal stem cells or bone marrow–derived mesenchymal cells, and that gastric tumors contain cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are believed to share a common microenvironment with normal niche, which play an important role in gastric cancer and tumor growth. This mini-review presents a brief overview of the recent developments in gastric cancer stem cell research. The knowledge gained by studying cancer stem cells in gastric mucosa will support the development of novel therapeutic strategies for gastric cancer. PMID:23583679

  4. Cancer cells enter dormancy after cannibalizing mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartosh, Thomas J; Ullah, Mujib; Zeitouni, Suzanne; Beaver, Joshua; Prockop, Darwin J

    2016-10-18

    Patients with breast cancer often develop malignant regrowth of residual drug-resistant dormant tumor cells years after primary treatment, a process defined as cancer relapse. Deciphering the causal basis of tumor dormancy therefore has obvious therapeutic significance. Because cancer cell behavior is strongly influenced by stromal cells, particularly the mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) that are actively recruited into tumor-associated stroma, we assessed the impact of MSCs on breast cancer cell (BCC) dormancy. Using 3D cocultures to mimic the cellular interactions of an emerging tumor niche, we observed that MSCs sequentially surrounded the BCCs, promoted formation of cancer spheroids, and then were internalized/degraded through a process resembling the well-documented yet ill-defined clinical phenomenon of cancer cell cannibalism. This suspected feeding behavior was less appreciable in the presence of a rho kinase inhibitor and in 2D monolayer cocultures. Notably, cannibalism of MSCs enhanced survival of BCCs deprived of nutrients but suppressed their tumorigenicity, together suggesting the cancer cells entered dormancy. Transcriptome profiles revealed that the resulting BCCs acquired a unique molecular signature enriched in prosurvival factors and tumor suppressors, as well as inflammatory mediators that demarcate the secretome of senescent cells, also referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Overall, our results provide intriguing evidence that cancer cells under duress enter dormancy after cannibalizing MSCs. Importantly, our practical 3D coculture model could provide a valuable tool to understand the antitumor activity of MSCs and cell cannibalism further, and therefore open new therapeutic avenues for the prevention of cancer recurrence.

  5. Targeting lipid metabolism of cancer cells: A promising therapeutic strategy for cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qiuping; Luo, Qing; Halim, Alexander; Song, Guanbin

    2017-08-10

    One of the most important metabolic hallmarks of cancer cells is deregulation of lipid metabolism. In addition, enhancing de novo fatty acid (FA) synthesis, increasing lipid uptake and lipolysis have also been considered as means of FA acquisition in cancer cells. FAs are involved in various aspects of tumourigenesis and tumour progression. Therefore, targeting lipid metabolism is a promising therapeutic strategy for human cancer. Recent studies have shown that reprogramming lipid metabolism plays important roles in providing energy, macromolecules for membrane synthesis, and lipid signals during cancer progression. Moreover, accumulation of lipid droplets in cancer cells acts as a pivotal adaptive response to harmful conditions. Here, we provide a brief review of the crucial roles of FA metabolism in cancer development, and place emphasis on FA origin, utilization and storage in cancer cells. Understanding the regulation of lipid metabolism in cancer cells has important implications for exploring a new therapeutic strategy for management and treatment of cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Osteoblast-Prostate Cancer Cell Interaction in Prostate Cancer Bone Metastases

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Navone, Nora

    2001-01-01

    .... This suggests that prostate cancer cells interact with cells from the osteoblastic lineage. To understand the molecular bases of prostatic bone metastases, we established two prostate cancer cell lines, MDA PCa 2a and MDA PCa 2b (1...

  7. High-dimensional single-cell cancer biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Irish, Jonathan M; Doxie, Deon B

    2014-01-01

    Cancer cells are distinguished from each other and from healthy cells by features that drive clonal evolution and therapy resistance. New advances in high-dimensional flow cytometry make it possible to systematically measure mechanisms of tumor initiation, progression, and therapy resistance on millions of cells from human tumors. Here we describe flow cytometry techniques that enable a "single-cell " view of cancer. High-dimensional techniques like mass cytometry enable multiplexed single-cell analysis of cell identity, clinical biomarkers, signaling network phospho-proteins, transcription factors, and functional readouts of proliferation, cell cycle status, and apoptosis. This capability pairs well with a signaling profiles approach that dissects mechanism by systematically perturbing and measuring many nodes in a signaling network. Single-cell approaches enable study of cellular heterogeneity of primary tissues and turn cell subsets into experimental controls or opportunities for new discovery. Rare populations of stem cells or therapy-resistant cancer cells can be identified and compared to other types of cells within the same sample. In the long term, these techniques will enable tracking of minimal residual disease (MRD) and disease progression. By better understanding biological systems that control development and cell-cell interactions in healthy and diseased contexts, we can learn to program cells to become therapeutic agents or target malignant signaling events to specifically kill cancer cells. Single-cell approaches that provide deep insight into cell signaling and fate decisions will be critical to optimizing the next generation of cancer treatments combining targeted approaches and immunotherapy.

  8. Colorectal cancer cells suppress CD4+ T cells immunity through canonical Wnt signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xuan; Liu, Suoning; Wang, Daguang; Zhang, Yang; Li, Wei; Guo, Yuchen; Zhang, Hua; Suo, Jian

    2017-02-28

    Understanding how colorectal cancer escapes from immunosurveillance and immune attack is important for developing novel immunotherapies for colorectal cancer. In this study we evaluated the role of canonical Wnt signaling in the regulation of T cell function in a mouse colorectal cancer model. We found that colorectal cancer cells expressed abundant Wnt ligands, and intratumoral T cells expressed various Frizzled proteins. Meanwhile, both active β-catenin and total β-catenin were elevated in intratumoral T cells. In vitro study indicated that colorectal cancer cells suppressed IFN-γ expression and increased IL-17a expression in activated CD4+ T cells. However, the cytotoxic activity of CD8+ T cells was not altered by colorectal cancer cells. To further evaluate the importance of Wnt signaling for CD4+ T cell-mediated cancer immunity, β-catenin expression was enforced in CD4+ T cells using lentiviral transduction. In an adoptive transfer model, enforced expression of β-catenin in intratumoral CD4+ T cells increased IL-17a expression, enhanced proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells. Taken together, our study disclosed a new mechanism by which colorectal cancer impairs T cell immunity.

  9. Non-invasive bioluminescence imaging to monitor the immunological control of a plasmablastic lymphoma-like B cell neoplasia after hematopoietic cell transplantation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Chopra

    Full Text Available To promote cancer research and to develop innovative therapies, refined pre-clinical mouse tumor models that mimic the actual disease in humans are of dire need. A number of neoplasms along the B cell lineage are commonly initiated by a translocation recombining c-myc with the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene locus. The translocation is modeled in the C.129S1-Igha(tm1(MycJanz/J mouse which has been previously engineered to express c-myc under the control of the endogenous IgH promoter. This transgenic mouse exhibits B cell hyperplasia and develops diverse B cell tumors. We have isolated tumor cells from the spleen of a C.129S1-Igha(tm1(MycJanz/J mouse that spontaneously developed a plasmablastic lymphoma-like disease. These cells were cultured, transduced to express eGFP and firefly luciferase, and gave rise to a highly aggressive, transplantable B cell lymphoma cell line, termed IM380. This model bears several advantages over other models as it is genetically induced and mimics the translocation that is detectable in a number of human B cell lymphomas. The growth of the tumor cells, their dissemination, and response to treatment within immunocompetent hosts can be imaged non-invasively in vivo due to their expression of firefly luciferase. IM380 cells are radioresistant in vivo and mice with established tumors can be allogeneically transplanted to analyze graft-versus-tumor effects of transplanted T cells. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation of tumor-bearing mice results in prolonged survival. These traits make the IM380 model very valuable for the study of B cell lymphoma pathophysiology and for the development of innovative cancer therapies.

  10. General Information about Small Cell Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Lung Cancer Prevention Lung Cancer Screening Research Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version General Information About Small Cell Lung Cancer Go to Health Professional Version Key Points Small ...

  11. BIOLUMINESCENCE: TEACHING BIOCHEMISTRY BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY WALLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Paula Jesus de Almeida

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The use of video in teaching and learning processes provides a challenging environment, able to stimulate the intellect and facilitate understanding in life science studies. Videos can be of extraordinary importance in education and dissemination of knowledge, contributing to greater learning, but is rarely used and exploited properly, especially for teaching biochemistry. Biochemistry is considered complex because it involves many molecular structures and processes, especially considering the number of events and molecules involved in the metabolism. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to introduce biochemistry for the students of basic education using the theme "Light, Science and Life" in a playful and fun way. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A video about bioluminescence was designed and prepared aiming to use it as a support for learning biochemistry by students of basic education of public schools located in Salvador, Bahia. In order to prepare the video, undergraduate students initially revised the literature in order to acquire proper knowledge, and along with their teacher advisor worked the elaboration of texts, textbook and questionnaire and applied at school. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: Analysis the qualitative results of the experiment on the preparation and use of the video about "Bioluminescence" focused mainly on the content of biochemistry linked to theme Light, Science and Life, and demonstrated the importance of such work in the teaching-learning process. The dynamics used allowed greater interaction between students and teacher, and the teaching of biochemistry in a fun way beyond the university walls. CONCLUSION: The teaching through recreational resources, e.g. videos and other educational strategies that foster learning should be encouraged from basic education, always bearing in order to transmit through these teaching methods the main concepts covered in biochemistry.

  12. Mechanisms of Cancer Cell Dormancy--Another Hallmark of Cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Albert C; Ramaswamy, Sridhar

    2015-12-01

    Disease relapse in cancer patients many years after clinical remission, often referred to as cancer dormancy, is well documented but remains an incompletely understood phenomenon on the biologic level. Recent reviews have summarized potential models that can explain this phenomenon, including angiogenic, immunologic, and cellular dormancy. We focus on mechanisms of cellular dormancy as newer biologic insights have enabled better understanding of this process. We provide a historical context, synthesize current advances in the field, and propose a mechanistic framework that treats cancer cell dormancy as a dynamic cell state conferring a fitness advantage to an evolving malignancy under stress. Cellular dormancy appears to be an active process that can be toggled through a variety of signaling mechanisms that ultimately downregulate the RAS/MAPK and PI(3)K/AKT pathways, an ability that is preserved even in cancers that constitutively depend on these pathways for their growth and survival. Just as unbridled proliferation is a key hallmark of cancer, the ability of cancer cells to become quiescent may be critical to evolving malignancies, with implications for understanding cancer initiation, progression, and treatment resistance. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  13. Invasive cancer cells and metastasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mierke, Claudia Tanja

    2013-12-01

    The physics of cancer is a relatively new emerging field of cancer research. In the last decade it has become a focus of biophysical research as well as becoming a novel focus for classical cancer research. This special section of Physical Biology focusing on invasive cancer cells and metastasis (physical oncology) will give greater insight into the different subfields where physical approaches are being applied to cancer research. This focus on the physical aspects of cancer is necessary because novel approaches in the field of genomics and proteomics have not altered the field of cancer research dramatically, due to the fact that few breakthroughs have been made. It is still not understood why some primary tumors metastasize and thus have a worse outcome compared to others that do not metastasize. As biophysicists, we and others suggest that the mechanical properties of the cancer cells, which possess the ability to transmigrate, are quite different compared to non-metastatic and non-invasive cancer cells. Furthermore, we hypothesize that these cancer cells undergo a selection process within the primary tumor that enables them to weaken their cell-cell adhesions and to alter their cell-matrix adhesions in order to be able to cross the outermost boundary of the primary tumor, as well as the surrounding basement membrane, and to invade the connective tissue. This prerequisite may also help the cancer cells to enter blood or lymph vessels, get transported with the vessel flow and form secondary tumors either within the vessel, directly on the endothelium, or in a different organ after crossing the endothelial lining a second time. This special section begins with a paper by Mark F Coughlin and Jeffrey J Fredberg on the changes in cytoskeletal dynamics and nonlinear rheology due to the metastatic capability of cancer cells from different cancer tissue types such as skin, bladder, prostate and kidney [1]. The hypothesis was that the metastatic outcome is impacted by

  14. Extracellular ATP drives breast cancer cell migration and metastasis via S100A4 production by cancer cells and fibroblasts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ying; Geng, Yue-Hang; Yang, Hui; Yang, Han; Zhou, Yan-Ting; Zhang, Hong-Quan; Tian, Xin-Xia; Fang, Wei-Gang

    2018-05-04

    Our previous work has demonstrated that extracellular ATP is an important pro-invasive factor, and in this study, we tapped into a possible mechanism involved. We discovered that ATP could upregulate both the intracellular expression and secretion of S100A4 in breast cancer cells and fibroblasts. Apart from stimulating breast cancer cell motility via intracellular S100A4, ATP enhanced the ability of breast cancer cells to transform fibroblasts into cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF)-like cells, which in turn secreted S100A4 to further promote cancer cell motility. Both apyrase and niclosamide treatments could inhibit metastasis of inoculated tumors to lung, liver and kidney in mice model, and CAFs from these treated tumors exhibited weakened migration-stimulating capacity for breast cancer cells. Collectively, our data indicate that extracellular ATP promotes the interactions between breast cancer cells and fibroblasts, which work collaboratively via production of S100A4 to exacerbate breast cancer metastasis. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  15. What Orthopaedic Operating Room Surfaces Are Contaminated With Bioburden? A Study Using the ATP Bioluminescence Assay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richard, Raveesh Daniel; Bowen, Thomas R

    2017-07-01

    Contaminated operating room surfaces can increase the risk of orthopaedic infections, particularly after procedures in which hardware implantation and instrumentation are used. The question arises as to how surgeons can measure surface cleanliness to detect increased levels of bioburden. This study aims to highlight the utility of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence technology as a novel technique in detecting the degree of contamination within the sterile operating room environment. What orthopaedic operating room surfaces are contaminated with bioburden? When energy is required for cellular work, ATP breaks down into adenosine biphosphate (ADP) and phosphate (P) and in that process releases energy. This process is inherent to all living things and can be detected as light emission with the use of bioluminescence assays. On a given day, six different orthopaedic surgery operating rooms (two adult reconstruction, two trauma, two spine) were tested before surgery with an ATP bioluminescence assay kit. All of the cases were considered clean surgery without infection, and this included the previously performed cases in each sampled room. These rooms had been cleaned and prepped for surgery but the patients had not been physically brought into the room. A total of 13 different surfaces were sampled once in each room: the operating room (OR) preparation table (both pre- and postdraping), OR light handles, Bovie machine buttons, supply closet countertops, the inside of the Bair Hugger™ hose, Bair Hugger™ buttons, right side of the OR table headboard, tourniquet machine buttons, the Clark-socket attachment, and patient positioners used for total hip and spine positioning. The relative light units (RLUs) obtained from each sample were recorded and data were compiled and averaged for analysis. These values were compared with previously published ATP benchmark values of 250 to 500 RLUs to define cleanliness in both the hospital and restaurant industries. All

  16. CD44 and SSEA-4 positive cells in an oral cancer cell line HSC-4 possess cancer stem-like cell characteristics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noto, Zenko; Yoshida, Toshiko; Okabe, Motonori; Koike, Chika; Fathy, Moustafa; Tsuno, Hiroaki; Tomihara, Kei; Arai, Naoya; Noguchi, Makoto; Nikaido, Toshio

    2013-08-01

    Cancer may be derived from cancer stem-like cells (CSCs), which are tumor-initiating cells that have properties similar to those of stem cells. Identification and isolation of CSCs needs to be improved further. CSCs markers were examined in human oral cancer cell lines by flow cytometry. The stem cell properties of subpopulations expressing different markers were assessed further by in vitro sphere formation assays, expression of stemness genes, drug resistance assays, and the ability to form tumors in nude mice. We demonstrated that CSCs could be isolated by the cell surface markers CD44 and stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4). CD44+SSEA-4+ cells exhibited cancer stem-like properties, including extensive self-renewal into the bulk of cancer cells. In vivo xenograft experiments indicated that CD44+SSEA-4+ cells exhibit the highest tumorigenic capacity compared with the remaining subpopulations and parental cells. Double-positive cells for CD44 and SSEA-4 exhibited preferential expression of some stemness genes and were more resistant to the anticancer drugs, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In addition, cells expressing CD44 and SSEA-4 were detected in all tumor specimens analyzed, while coexpression of CD44 and SSEA-4 was not detectable in normal oral mucosa. Our findings suggest that CD44+SSEA-4+ cells exhibit the characteristics of CSCs in oral squamous cell carcinoma and provide a target for the development of more effective therapies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. T Cells in Gastric Cancer: Friends or Foes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amedei, Amedeo; Della Bella, Chiara; Silvestri, Elena; Prisco, Domenico; D'Elios, Mario M.

    2012-01-01

    Gastric cancer is the second cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Helicobacter pylori is the major risk factor for gastric cancer. As for any type of cancer, T cells are crucial for recognition and elimination of gastric tumor cells. Unfortunately T cells, instead of protecting from the onset of cancer, can contribute to oncogenesis. Herein we review the different types, “friend or foe”, of T-cell response in gastric cancer. PMID:22693525

  18. Xylitol induces cell death in lung cancer A549 cells by autophagy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Eunjoo; Park, Mi Hee; Na, Hee Sam; Chung, Jin

    2015-05-01

    Xylitol is a widely used anti-caries agent that has anti-inflammatory effects. We have evaluated the potential of xylitol in cancer treatment. It's effects on cell proliferation and cytotoxicity were measured by MTT assay and LDH assay. Cell morphology and autophagy were examined by immunostaining and immunoblotting. Xylitol inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in these cancer cells: A549, Caki, NCI-H23, HCT-15, HL-60, K562, and SK MEL-2. The IC50 of xylitol in human gingival fibroblast cells was higher than in cancer cells, indicating that it is more specific for cancer cells. Moreover, xylitol induced autophagy in A549 cells that was inhibited by 3-methyladenine, an autophagy inhibitor. These results indicate that xylitol has potential in therapy against lung cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing autophagy of A549 cells.

  19. Syncytin is involved in breast cancer-endothelial cell fusions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerregaard, Bolette; Holck, S.; Christensen, I.J.

    2006-01-01

    Cancer cells can fuse spontaneously with normal host cells, including endothelial cells, and such fusions may strongly modulate the biological behaviour of tumors. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We now show that human breast cancer cell lines and 63 out of 165 (38%) breast cancer...... specimens express syncytin, an endogenous retroviral envelope protein, previously implicated in fusions between placental trophoblast cells. Additionally, endothelial and cancer cells are shown to express ASCT-2, a receptor for syncytin. Syncytin antisense treatment decreases syncytin expression...... and inhibits fusions between breast cancer cells and endothelial cells. Moreover, a syncytin inhibitory peptide also inhibits fusions between cancer and endothelial cells. These results are the first to show that syncytin is expressed by human cancer cells and is involved in cancer-endothelial cell fusions....

  20. Rapid susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by bioluminescence assay of mycobacterial ATP

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nilsson, L.E.; Hoffner, S.E.; Ansehn, S.

    1988-01-01

    Mycobacterial growth was monitored by bioluminescence assay of mycobacterial ATP. Cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and of 25 clinical isolates of the same species were exposed to serial dilutions of ethambutol, isoniazid, rifampin, and streptomycin. A suppression of ATP, indicating growth inhibition, occurred for susceptible but not resistant strains within 5 to 7 days of incubation. Breakpoint concentrations between susceptibility and resistance were determined by comparing these results with those obtained by reference techniques. Full agreement was found in 99% of the assays with the resistance ratio method on Lowenstein-Jensen medium, and 98% of the assays were in full agreement with the radiometric system (BACTEC). A main advantage of the bioluminescence method is its rapidity, with results available as fast as with the radiometric system but at a lower cost and without the need for radioactive culture medium. The method provides kinetic data concerning drug effects within available in vivo drug concentrations and has great potential for both rapid routine susceptibility testing and research applications in studies of drug effects on mycobacteria

  1. Ell3 stimulates proliferation, drug resistance, and cancer stem cell properties of breast cancer cells via a MEK/ERK-dependent signaling pathway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahn, Hee-Jin [Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Gwangil [Department of Pathology, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Park, Kyung-Soon, E-mail: kspark@cha.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Science, College of Life Science, CHA University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-08-09

    Highlights: •Ell3 enhances proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 is related to the cancer stem cell characteristics of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 enhances oncogenicity of breast cancer through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. -- Abstract: Ell3 is a RNA polymerase II transcription elongation factor that is enriched in testis. The C-terminal domain of Ell3 shows strong similarities to that of Ell (eleven−nineteen lysine-rich leukemia gene), which acts as a negative regulator of p53 and regulates cell proliferation and survival. Recent studies in our laboratory showed that Ell3 induces the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by protecting differentiating cells from apoptosis via the promotion of p53 degradation. In this study, we evaluated the function of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines. MCF-7 cell lines overexpressing Ell3 were used to examine cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties. Ectopic expression of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines induces proliferation and 5-FU resistance. In addition, Ell3 expression increases the cancer stem cell population, which is characterized by CD44 (+) or ALDH1 (+) cells. Mammosphere-forming potential and migration ability were also increased upon Ell3 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Through biochemical and molecular biological analyses, we showed that Ell3 regulates proliferation, cancer stem cell properties and drug resistance in breast cancer cell lines partly through the MEK−extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Murine xenograft experiments showed that Ell3 expression promotes tumorigenesis in vivo. These results suggest that Ell3 may play a critical role in promoting oncogenesis in breast cancer by regulating cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

  2. Ell3 stimulates proliferation, drug resistance, and cancer stem cell properties of breast cancer cells via a MEK/ERK-dependent signaling pathway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahn, Hee-Jin; Kim, Gwangil; Park, Kyung-Soon

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Ell3 enhances proliferation and drug resistance of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 is related to the cancer stem cell characteristics of breast cancer cell lines. •Ell3 enhances oncogenicity of breast cancer through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway. -- Abstract: Ell3 is a RNA polymerase II transcription elongation factor that is enriched in testis. The C-terminal domain of Ell3 shows strong similarities to that of Ell (eleven−nineteen lysine-rich leukemia gene), which acts as a negative regulator of p53 and regulates cell proliferation and survival. Recent studies in our laboratory showed that Ell3 induces the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells by protecting differentiating cells from apoptosis via the promotion of p53 degradation. In this study, we evaluated the function of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines. MCF-7 cell lines overexpressing Ell3 were used to examine cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties. Ectopic expression of Ell3 in breast cancer cell lines induces proliferation and 5-FU resistance. In addition, Ell3 expression increases the cancer stem cell population, which is characterized by CD44 (+) or ALDH1 (+) cells. Mammosphere-forming potential and migration ability were also increased upon Ell3 expression in breast cancer cell lines. Through biochemical and molecular biological analyses, we showed that Ell3 regulates proliferation, cancer stem cell properties and drug resistance in breast cancer cell lines partly through the MEK−extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling pathway. Murine xenograft experiments showed that Ell3 expression promotes tumorigenesis in vivo. These results suggest that Ell3 may play a critical role in promoting oncogenesis in breast cancer by regulating cell proliferation and cancer stem cell properties via the ERK1/2 signaling pathway

  3. Hydroxychavicol, a betel leaf component, inhibits prostate cancer through ROS-driven DNA damage and apoptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gundala, Sushma Reddy; Yang, Chunhua; Mukkavilli, Rao; Paranjpe, Rutugandha; Brahmbhatt, Meera; Pannu, Vaishali; Cheng, Alice; Reid, Michelle D; Aneja, Ritu

    2014-10-01

    Dietary phytochemicals are excellent ROS-modulating agents and have been shown to effectively enhance ROS levels beyond toxic threshold in cancer cells to ensure their selective killing while leaving normal cells unscathed. Here we demonstrate that hydroxychavicol (HC), extracted and purified from Piper betel leaves, significantly inhibits growth and proliferation via ROS generation in human prostate cancer, PC-3 cells. HC perturbed cell-cycle kinetics and progression, reduced clonogenicity and mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to activation of several pro-apoptotic molecules. In addition, HC treatment elicited a novel autophagic response as evidenced by the appearance of acidic vesicular organelles and increased expression of autophagic markers, LC3-IIb and beclin-1. Interestingly, quenching of ROS with tiron, an antioxidant, offered significant protection against HC-induced inhibition of cell growth and down regulation of caspase-3, suggesting the crucial role of ROS in mediating cell death. The collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential by HC further revealed the link between ROS generation and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Our data showed remarkable inhibition of prostate tumor xenografts by ~72% upon daily oral administration of 150mg/kg bw HC by quantitative tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. HC was well-tolerated at this dosing level without any observable toxicity. This is the first report to demonstrate the anti-prostate cancer efficacy of HC in vitro and in vivo, which is perhaps attributable to its selective prooxidant activity to eliminate cancer cells thus providing compelling grounds for future preclinical studies to validate its potential usefulness for prostate cancer management. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Cancer Stem Cells of Differentiated B-Cell Malignancies: Models and Consequences

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-Jacques Fournie

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available The concept of cancer stem cells has revolutionized our current vision of cancer development and was validated in solid tumors and cancers of the primitive hematopoietic compartment. Proof of the principle is still lacking, however, in malignancies of differentiated B-cells. We review here the current literature, which nevertheless suggests hierarchical organizations of the tumor clone for mostly incurable B-cell cancers such as multiple myeloma, lymphomas and B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We propose two models accounting for cancer stem cells in these contexts: a “top-to-bottom” clonal hierarchy from memory B-cells and a “bottom-to-top” model of clonal reprogramming. Selection pressure on the growing tumor can drive such reprogramming and increase its genetic diversity.

  5. Cancer Stem Cells of Differentiated B-Cell Malignancies: Models and Consequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gross, Emilie; Quillet-Mary, Anne; Ysebaert, Loic; Laurent, Guy; Fournie, Jean-Jacques

    2011-01-01

    The concept of cancer stem cells has revolutionized our current vision of cancer development and was validated in solid tumors and cancers of the primitive hematopoietic compartment. Proof of the principle is still lacking, however, in malignancies of differentiated B-cells. We review here the current literature, which nevertheless suggests hierarchical organizations of the tumor clone for mostly incurable B-cell cancers such as multiple myeloma, lymphomas and B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We propose two models accounting for cancer stem cells in these contexts: a “top-to-bottom” clonal hierarchy from memory B-cells and a “bottom-to-top” model of clonal reprogramming. Selection pressure on the growing tumor can drive such reprogramming and increase its genetic diversity

  6. Effects of Combined Simultaneous and Sequential Endostar and Cisplatin Treatment in a Mice Model of Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Jia

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. Aimed to study the effects of endostar and cisplatin using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS in a model of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer. Methods. NUGC-4 gastric cancer cells transfected with luciferase gene (NUGC-4-Luc were injected i.p. into nude mice. One week later, mice were randomly injected i.p.: group 1, cisplatin (d1–3 + endostar (d4–7; group 2, endostar (d1–4 + cisplatin (d5–7; group 3, endostar + cisplatin d1, 4, and 7; group 4, saline for two weeks. One week after the final administration, mice were sacrificed. Bioluminescent data, microvessel density (MVD, and lymphatic vessel density (LVD were analyzed. Results. Among the four groups, there were no significant differences in the weights and in the number of cancer cell photons on days 1 and 8 (P>0.05. On day 15, the numbers in groups 3 and 1 were less than that in group 2 (P0.05 or in LVD number among the four groups (P>0.05. Conclusions. IVIS® was more useful than weight, volume of ascites, and number of peritoneal nodules. The simultaneous group was superior to sequential groups in killing cancer cells and inhibiting vascular endothelium. Cisplatin-endostar was superior to endostar-cisplatin in killing cancer cells, while the latter in inhibiting peritoneal vascular endothelium.

  7. Effects of Combined Simultaneous and Sequential Endostar and Cisplatin Treatment in a Mice Model of Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jia, Lin; Ren, Shuguang; Li, Tao; Wu, Jianing; Zhou, Xinliang; Zhang, Yan; Wu, Jianhua; Liu, Wei

    2017-01-01

    Objective . Aimed to study the effects of endostar and cisplatin using an in vivo imaging system (IVIS) in a model of peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer. Methods . NUGC-4 gastric cancer cells transfected with luciferase gene (NUGC-4-Luc) were injected i.p. into nude mice. One week later, mice were randomly injected i.p.: group 1, cisplatin (d1-3) + endostar (d4-7); group 2, endostar (d1-4) + cisplatin (d5-7); group 3, endostar + cisplatin d1, 4, and 7; group 4, saline for two weeks. One week after the final administration, mice were sacrificed. Bioluminescent data, microvessel density (MVD), and lymphatic vessel density (LVD) were analyzed. Results . Among the four groups, there were no significant differences in the weights and in the number of cancer cell photons on days 1 and 8 ( P > 0.05). On day 15, the numbers in groups 3 and 1 were less than that in group 2 ( P 0.05) or in LVD number among the four groups ( P > 0.05). Conclusions . IVIS® was more useful than weight, volume of ascites, and number of peritoneal nodules. The simultaneous group was superior to sequential groups in killing cancer cells and inhibiting vascular endothelium. Cisplatin-endostar was superior to endostar-cisplatin in killing cancer cells, while the latter in inhibiting peritoneal vascular endothelium.

  8. The stem cell division theory of cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Lázaro, Miguel

    2018-03-01

    All cancer registries constantly show striking differences in cancer incidence by age and among tissues. For example, lung cancer is diagnosed hundreds of times more often at age 70 than at age 20, and lung cancer in nonsmokers occurs thousands of times more frequently than heart cancer in smokers. An analysis of these differences using basic concepts in cell biology indicates that cancer is the end-result of the accumulation of cell divisions in stem cells. In other words, the main determinant of carcinogenesis is the number of cell divisions that the DNA of a stem cell has accumulated in any type of cell from the zygote. Cell division, process by which a cell copies and separates its cellular components to finally split into two cells, is necessary to produce the large number of cells required for living. However, cell division can lead to a variety of cancer-promoting errors, such as mutations and epigenetic mistakes occurring during DNA replication, chromosome aberrations arising during mitosis, errors in the distribution of cell-fate determinants between the daughter cells, and failures to restore physical interactions with other tissue components. Some of these errors are spontaneous, others are promoted by endogenous DNA damage occurring during quiescence, and others are influenced by pathological and environmental factors. The cell divisions required for carcinogenesis are primarily caused by multiple local and systemic physiological signals rather than by errors in the DNA of the cells. As carcinogenesis progresses, the accumulation of DNA errors promotes cell division and eventually triggers cell division under permissive extracellular environments. The accumulation of cell divisions in stem cells drives not only the accumulation of the DNA alterations required for carcinogenesis, but also the formation and growth of the abnormal cell populations that characterize the disease. This model of carcinogenesis provides a new framework for understanding the

  9. Simultaneous Expression of Cancer Stem Cell-Like Properties and Cancer-Associated Fibroblast-Like Properties in a Primary Culture of Breast Cancer Cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ishikawa, Mami; Inoue, Takahiro; Shirai, Takuma; Takamatsu, Kazuhiko; Kunihiro, Shiori; Ishii, Hirokazu [Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan); Nishikata, Takahito, E-mail: nisikata@konan-u.ac.jp [Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology (FIRST), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan); Frontier Institute for Biomolecular Engineering Research (FIBER), Konan University, Kobe 650-0047 (Japan)

    2014-07-31

    The importance of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in cancer biology has been recently highlighted owing to their critical roles in cancer growth, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. We have previously established a primary culture of breast cancer cells, which showed epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cell-like properties. In this study, we found that the primary culture also showed CAF-like properties. For example, hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF1A) and its downstream genes, nuclear factor-kappa B2 (NF-κB2) and BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19 kd-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), and many enzymes involved in glycolysis, such as GAPDH, LDH, PGAM1, and PKM2, were highly overexpressed in the primary culture. Moreover, media conditioned with the primary culture cells enhanced the growth of breast cancer cells. Similar to previous CAF studies, this enhancement suggested to be occurred through fibroblast growth factor signaling. This MCKH primary culture cell, which showed simultaneous expression of tumorigenic and CAF properties, offers a unique experimental system for studying the biology of CAFs.

  10. Fingerprints in cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Servomaa, K.

    1994-01-01

    Gene research has shown that factors causing cancer, or carcinogens, may leave marks typical of each particular carcinogen (fingerprints) in the genotype of the cell. Radiation, for instance, may leave such fingerprints in a cancer cell. In particular, the discovery of a gene called p53 has yielded much new information on fingerprints. It has been discovered, for example, that toxic fungus and UV-radiation each leave fingerprints in the p53 gene. Based on the detection of fingerprints, it may be possible in the future to tell a cancer patient what factor had trigged the maglinancy

  11. Bioluminescence imaging of chondrocytes in rabbits by intraarticular injection of D-luciferin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Kim, Sung Mi; Bom, Hee Seung [Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Suk Jung; Kang, Han Saem; Kim, Kwang Yoon [ECOBIO INC., Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Ho [College of Natural Science, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-02-15

    Luciferase is one of the most commonly used reporter enzymes in the field of in vivo optical imaging. D-luciferin, the substrate for firefly luciferase has very high cost that allows this kind of experiment limited to small animals such as mice and rats. In this current study, we validated local injection of D-luciferin in the articular capsule for bioluminescence imaging in rabbits. Chondrocytes were cultured and infected by replication-defective adenoviral vector encoding firefly luciferase (Fluc). Chondrocytes expressing Fluc were injected or implanted in the left knee joint. The rabbits underwent optical imaging studies after local injection of D-luciferin at 1, 5, 7, 9 days after cellular administration. We sought whether optimal imaging signals was could be by a cooled CCD camera after local injection of D-luciferin. Imaging signal was not observed from the left knee joint after intraperitoneal injection of D-luciferin (15 mg/kg), whereas it was observed after intraarticular injection. Photon intensity from the left knee joint of rabbits was compared between cell injected and implanted groups after intraarticular injection of D-luciferin. During the period of imaging studies, photon intensity of the cell implanted group was 5-10 times higher than that of the cell injected group. We successfully imaged chondrocytes expressing Fluc after intraarticular injection of D-luciferin. This technique may be further applied to develop new drugs for knee joint disease.

  12. Cell plasticity and heterogeneity in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marjanovic, Nemanja D; Weinberg, Robert A; Chaffer, Christine L

    2013-01-01

    Heterogeneity within a given cancer arises from diverse cell types recruited to the tumor and from genetic and/or epigenetic differences amongst the cancer cells themselves. These factors conspire to create a disease with various phenotypes. There are 2 established models of cancer development and progression to metastatic disease. These are the clonal evolution and cancer stem cell models. The clonal evolution theory suggests that successive mutations accumulating in a given cell generate clonal outgrowths that thrive in response to microenvironmental selection pressures, dictating the phenotype of the tumor. The alternative cancer stem cell (CSC) model suggests that cancer cells with similar genetic backgrounds can be hierarchically organized according to their tumorigenic potential. Accordingly, CSCs reside at the apex of the hierarchy and are thought to possess the majority of a cancer's tumor-initiating and metastatic ability. A defining feature of this model is its apparent unidirectional nature, whereby CSCs undergo symmetric division to replenish the CSC pool and irreversible asymmetric division to generate daughter cells (non-CSCs) with low tumorigenic potential. However, evolving evidence supports a new model of tumorigenicity, in which considerable plasticity exists between the non-CSC and CSC compartments, such that non-CSCs can reacquire a CSC phenotype. These findings suggest that some tumors may adhere to a plastic CSC model, in which bidirectional conversions are common and essential components of tumorigenicity. Accumulating evidence surrounding the plasticity of cancer cells, in particular, suggests that aggressive CSCs can be created de novo within a tumor. Given the current focus on therapeutic targeting of CSCs, we discuss the implications of non-CSC-to-CSC conversions on the development of future therapies. © 2012 American Association for Clinical Chemistry

  13. Are Mast Cells MASTers in Cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varricchi, Gilda; Galdiero, Maria Rosaria; Loffredo, Stefania; Marone, Giancarlo; Iannone, Raffaella; Marone, Gianni; Granata, Francescopaolo

    2017-01-01

    Prolonged low-grade inflammation or smoldering inflammation is a hallmark of cancer. Mast cells form a heterogeneous population of immune cells with differences in their ultra-structure, morphology, mediator content, and surface receptors. Mast cells are widely distributed throughout all tissues and are stromal components of the inflammatory microenvironment that modulates tumor initiation and development. Although canonically associated with allergic disorders, mast cells are a major source of pro-tumorigenic (e.g., angiogenic and lymphangiogenic factors) and antitumorigenic molecules (e.g., TNF-α and IL-9), depending on the milieu. In certain neoplasias (e.g., gastric, thyroid and Hodgkin's lymphoma) mast cells play a pro-tumorigenic role, in others (e.g., breast cancer) a protective role, whereas in yet others they are apparently innocent bystanders. These seemingly conflicting results suggest that the role of mast cells and their mediators could be cancer specific. The microlocalization (e.g., peritumoral vs intratumoral) of mast cells is another important aspect in the initiation/progression of solid and hematologic tumors. Increasing evidence in certain experimental models indicates that targeting mast cells and/or their mediators represent a potential therapeutic target in cancer. Thus, mast cells deserve focused consideration also as therapeutic targets in different types of tumors. There are many unanswered questions that should be addressed before we understand whether mast cells are an ally, adversary, or innocent bystanders in human cancers.

  14. Cancer stem cells of the digestive system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colvin, Hugh S; Nishida, Naohiro; Koseki, Jun; Konno, Masamitsu; Kawamoto, Koichi; Tsunekuni, Kenta; Doki, Yuichiro; Mori, Masaki; Ishii, Hideshi

    2014-12-01

    Stem cells of the digestive system are ideal in many ways for research, given they are abundant, highly proliferative and have a uniform structural arrangement. This in turn has enormously aided the research of cancer stem cells of the digestive system, which is now shaping our understanding of cancer stem cells. In this review, the recent advances in the understanding of cancer stem cells of the digestive system have been summarized, including aspects such as their identification, origin, cell-cycle dormancy, relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cellular metabolism and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Newly acquired knowledge concerning cancer stem cells have led to the development of novel cancer therapeutics with provisional yet encouraging results. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  15. Characterization of G-protein coupled receptor kinase interaction with the neurokinin-1 receptor using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jorgensen, Rasmus; Holliday, Nicholas D; Hansen, Jakob L

    2007-01-01

    To analyze the interaction between the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor and G-protein coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), we performed bioluminescence resonance energy transfer(2) (BRET(2)) measurements between the family A NK-1 receptor and GRK2 and GRK5 as well as their respective kinase-inactive muta......To analyze the interaction between the neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor and G-protein coupled receptor kinases (GRKs), we performed bioluminescence resonance energy transfer(2) (BRET(2)) measurements between the family A NK-1 receptor and GRK2 and GRK5 as well as their respective kinase...

  16. Cancer cell-secreted IGF2 instigates fibroblasts and bone marrow-derived vascular progenitor cells to promote cancer progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Wen Wen; Li, Bin; Guan, Xin Yuan; Chung, Sookja K; Wang, Yang; Yip, Yim Ling; Law, Simon Y K; Chan, Kin Tak; Lee, Nikki P Y; Chan, Kwok Wah; Xu, Li Yan; Li, En Min; Tsao, Sai Wah; He, Qing-Yu; Cheung, Annie L M

    2017-02-10

    Local interactions between cancer cells and stroma can produce systemic effects on distant organs to govern cancer progression. Here we show that IGF2 secreted by inhibitor of differentiation (Id1)-overexpressing oesophageal cancer cells instigates VEGFR1-positive bone marrow cells in the tumour macroenvironment to form pre-metastatic niches at distant sites by increasing VEGF secretion from cancer-associated fibroblasts. Cancer cells are then attracted to the metastatic site via the CXCL5/CXCR2 axis. Bone marrow cells transplanted from nude mice bearing Id1-overexpressing oesophageal tumours enhance tumour growth and metastasis in recipient mice, whereas systemic administration of VEGFR1 antibody abrogates these effects. Mechanistically, IGF2 regulates VEGF in fibroblasts via miR-29c in a p53-dependent manner. Analysis of patient serum samples showed that concurrent elevation of IGF2 and VEGF levels may serve as a prognostic biomarker for oesophageal cancer. These findings suggest that the Id1/IGF2/VEGF/VEGFR1 cascade plays a critical role in tumour-driven pathophysiological processes underlying cancer progression.

  17. Dynamics of Cancer Cell near Collagen Fiber Chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jihan; Sun, Bo

    Cell migration is an integrated process that is important in life. Migration is essential for embryonic development as well as homeostatic processes such as wound healing and immune responses. When cell migrates through connective extracellular matrix (ECM), it applies cellular traction force to ECM and senses the rigidity of their local environment. We used human breast cancer cell (MDA-MB-231) which is highly invasive and applies strong traction force to ECM. As cancer cell applies traction force to type I collage-based ECM, it deforms collagen fibers near the surface. Patterns of deforming collagen fibers are significantly different with pairs of cancer cells compared to a single cancer cell. While a pair of cancer cells within 60 um creates aligned collagen fiber chains between them permanently, a single cancer cell does not form any fiber chains. In this experiment we measured a cellular response and an interaction between a pair of cells through the chain. Finally, we analyzed correlation of directions between cancer cell migration and the collagen chain alignment.

  18. Angular-dependent light scattering from cancer cells in different phases of the cell cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Xiaogang; Wan, Nan; Weng, Lingdong; Zhou, Yong

    2017-10-10

    Cancer cells in different phases of the cell cycle result in significant differences in light scattering properties. In order to harvest cancer cells in particular phases of the cell cycle, we cultured cancer cells through the process of synchronization. Flow cytometric analysis was applied to check the results of cell synchronization and prepare for light scattering measurements. Angular-dependent light scattering measurements of cancer cells arrested in the G1, S, and G2 phases have been performed. Based on integral calculations for scattering intensities from 5° to 10° and from 110° to 150°, conclusions have been reached. Clearly, the sizes of the cancer cells in different phases of the cell cycle dominated the forward scatter. Accompanying the increase of cell size with the progression of the cell cycle, the forward scattering intensity also increased. Meanwhile, the DNA content of cancer cells in every phase of the cell cycle is responsible for light scattering at large scatter angles. The higher the DNA content of cancer cells was, the greater the positive effect on the high-scattering intensity. As expected, understanding the relationships between the light scattering from cancer cells and cell cycles will aid in the development of cancer diagnoses. Also, it may assist in the guidance of antineoplastic drugs clinically.

  19. A cancer specific cell-penetrating peptide, BR2, for the efficient delivery of an scFv into cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ki Jung Lim

    Full Text Available Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs have proven very effective as intracellular delivery vehicles for various therapeutics. However, there are some concerns about non-specific penetration and cytotoxicity of CPPs for effective cancer treatments. Herein, based on the cell-penetrating motif of an anticancer peptide, buforin IIb, we designed several CPP derivatives with cancer cell specificity. Among the derivatives, a 17-amino acid peptide (BR2 was found to have cancer-specificity without toxicity to normal cells. After specifically targeting cancer cells through interaction with gangliosides, BR2 entered cells via lipid-mediated macropinocytosis. Moreover, BR2 showed higher membrane translocation efficiency than the well-known CPP Tat (49-57. The capability of BR2 as a cancer-specific drug carrier was demonstrated by fusion of BR2 to a single-chain variable fragment (scFv directed toward a mutated K-ras (G12V. BR2-fused scFv induced a higher degree of apoptosis than Tat-fused scFv in K-ras mutated HCT116 cells. These results suggest that the novel cell-penetrating peptide BR2 has great potential as a useful drug delivery carrier with cancer cell specificity.

  20. A cancer specific cell-penetrating peptide, BR2, for the efficient delivery of an scFv into cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Ki Jung; Sung, Bong Hyun; Shin, Ju Ri; Lee, Young Woong; Kim, Da Jung; Yang, Kyung Seok; Kim, Sun Chang

    2013-01-01

    Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) have proven very effective as intracellular delivery vehicles for various therapeutics. However, there are some concerns about non-specific penetration and cytotoxicity of CPPs for effective cancer treatments. Herein, based on the cell-penetrating motif of an anticancer peptide, buforin IIb, we designed several CPP derivatives with cancer cell specificity. Among the derivatives, a 17-amino acid peptide (BR2) was found to have cancer-specificity without toxicity to normal cells. After specifically targeting cancer cells through interaction with gangliosides, BR2 entered cells via lipid-mediated macropinocytosis. Moreover, BR2 showed higher membrane translocation efficiency than the well-known CPP Tat (49-57). The capability of BR2 as a cancer-specific drug carrier was demonstrated by fusion of BR2 to a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) directed toward a mutated K-ras (G12V). BR2-fused scFv induced a higher degree of apoptosis than Tat-fused scFv in K-ras mutated HCT116 cells. These results suggest that the novel cell-penetrating peptide BR2 has great potential as a useful drug delivery carrier with cancer cell specificity.

  1. Tumor budding cells, cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-type cells in pancreatic cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karamitopoulou, Eva

    2013-01-01

    Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Moreover, PDAC escapes early detection and resists treatment. Multiple combinations of genetic alterations are known to occur in PDAC including mutational activation of KRAS, inactivation of p16/CDKN2A and SMAD4 (DPC4) and dysregulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling. Through their interaction with Wingless-INT pathway, the downstream molecules of these pathways have been implicated in the promotion of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Emerging evidence has demonstrated that cancer stem cells (CSCs), small populations of which have been identified in PDAC, and EMT-type cells play critical roles in drug resistance, invasion, and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. EMT may be histologically represented by the presence of tumor budding which is described as the occurrence of single tumor cells or small clusters (<5) of dedifferentiated cells at the invasive front of gastrointestinal (including colorectal, oesophageal, gastric, and ampullary) carcinomas and is linked to poor prognosis. Tumor budding has recently been shown to occur frequently in PDAC and to be associated with adverse clinicopathological features and decreased disease-free and overall survival. The aim of this review is to present a short overview on the morphological and molecular aspects that underline the relationship between tumor budding cells, CSCs, and EMT-type cells in PDAC.

  2. Tumor budding cells, cancer stem cells and epithelial-mesenchymal transition-type cells in pancreatic cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karamitopoulou, Eva

    2012-01-01

    Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Moreover, PDAC escapes early detection and resists treatment. Multiple combinations of genetic alterations are known to occur in PDAC including mutational activation of KRAS, inactivation of p16/CDKN2A and SMAD4 (DPC4) and dysregulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling. Through their interaction with Wingless-INT pathway, the downstream molecules of these pathways have been implicated in the promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Emerging evidence has demonstrated that cancer stem cells (CSCs), small populations of which have been identified in PDAC, and EMT-type cells play critical roles in drug resistance, invasion, and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. EMT may be histologically represented by the presence of tumor budding which is described as the occurrence of single tumor cells or small clusters (<5) of dedifferentiated cells at the invasive front of gastrointestinal (including colorectal, oesophageal, gastric, and ampullary) carcinomas and is linked to poor prognosis. Tumor budding has recently been shown to occur frequently in PDAC and to be associated with adverse clinicopathological features and decreased disease-free and overall survival. The aim of this review is to present a short overview on the morphological and molecular aspects that underline the relationship between tumor budding cells, CSCs, and EMT-type cells in PDAC.

  3. Tumor Budding Cells, Cancer Stem Cells and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition-type Cells in Pancreatic Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva eKaramitopoulou

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC is one of the most lethal cancers with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Moreover, PDAC escapes early detection and resists treatment. Multiple combinations of genetic alterations are known to occur in PDAC including mutational activation of KRAS, inactivation of p16/CDKN2A and SMAD4 (DPC4 and dysregulation of PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling. Through their interaction with WNT pathway, the downstream molecules of these pathways have been implicated in the promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that cancer stem cells (CSCs, small populations of which have been identified in PDAC, and EMT-type cells play critical roles in drug resistance, invasion and metastasis in pancreatic cancer. EMT may be histologically represented by the presence of tumor budding which is described as the occurrence of single tumor cells or small clusters (<5 of dedifferentiated cells at the invasive front of gastrointestinal (including colorectal, oesophageal, gastric and ampullary carcinomas and is linked to poor prognosis. Tumor budding has recently been shown to occur frequently in PDAC and to be associated with adverse clinicopathological features and decreased disease-free and overall survival. The aim of this review is to present a short overview on the morphological and molecular aspects that underline the relationship between tumor budding cells, CSCs and EMT-type cells in PDAC.

  4. Exosomes Promote Ovarian Cancer Cell Invasion through Transfer of CD44 to Peritoneal Mesothelial Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Koji; Sawada, Kenjiro; Kinose, Yasuto; Yoshimura, Akihiko; Toda, Aska; Nakatsuka, Erika; Hashimoto, Kae; Mabuchi, Seiji; Morishige, Ken-Ichirou; Kurachi, Hirohisa; Lengyel, Ernst; Kimura, Tadashi

    2017-01-01

    Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells metastasize within the peritoneal cavity and directly encounter human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMC) as the initial step of metastasis. The contact between ovarian cancer cells and the single layer of mesothelial cells involves direct communications that modulate cancer progression but the mechanisms are unclear. One candidate mediating cell-cell communications is exosomes, 30-100 nm membrane vesicles of endocytic origin, through the cell-cell transfer of proteins, mRNAs, or microRNAs. Therefore, the goal was to mechanistically characterize how EOC-derived exosomes modulate metastasis. Exosomes from ovarian cancer cells were fluorescently labeled and cocultured with HPMCs which internalized the exosomes. Upon exosome uptake, HPMCs underwent a change in cellular morphology to a mesenchymal, spindle phenotype. CD44, a cell surface glycoprotein, was found to be enriched in the cancer cell-derived exosomes, transferred, and internalized to HPMCs, leading to high levels of CD44 in HPMCs. This increased CD44 expression in HPMCs promoted cancer invasion by inducing the HPMCs to secrete MMP9 and by cleaning the mesothelial barrier for improved cancer cell invasion. When CD44 expression was knocked down in cancer cells, exosomes had fewer effects on HPMCs. The inhibition of exosome release from cancer cells blocked CD44 internalization in HPMCs and suppressed ovarian cancer invasion. In ovarian cancer omental metastasis, positive CD44 expression was observed in those mesothelial cells that directly interacted with cancer cells, whereas CD44 expression was negative in the mesothelial cells remote from the invading edge. This study indicates that ovarian cancer-derived exosomes transfer CD44 to HPMCs, facilitating cancer invasion. Mechanistic insight from the current study suggests that therapeutic targeting of exosomes may be beneficial in treating ovarian cancer. Mol Cancer Res; 15(1); 78-92. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American

  5. Pancreatic Cancer-Derived Exosomes Cause Paraneoplastic β-cell Dysfunction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javeed, Naureen; Sagar, Gunisha; Dutta, Shamit K; Smyrk, Thomas C; Lau, Julie S; Bhattacharya, Santanu; Truty, Mark; Petersen, Gloria M; Kaufman, Randal J; Chari, Suresh T; Mukhopadhyay, Debabrata

    2015-04-01

    Pancreatic cancer frequently causes diabetes. We recently proposed adrenomedullin as a candidate mediator of pancreatic β-cell dysfunction in pancreatic cancer. How pancreatic cancer-derived adrenomedullin reaches β cells remote from the cancer to induce β-cell dysfunction is unknown. We tested a novel hypothesis that pancreatic cancer sheds adrenomedullin-containing exosomes into circulation, which are transported to β cells and impair insulin secretion. We characterized exosomes from conditioned media of pancreatic cancer cell lines (n = 5) and portal/peripheral venous blood of patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 20). Western blot analysis showed the presence of adrenomedullin in pancreatic cancer-exosomes. We determined the effect of adrenomedullin-containing pancreatic cancer exosomes on insulin secretion from INS-1 β cells and human islets, and demonstrated the mechanism of exosome internalization into β cells. We studied the interaction between β-cell adrenomedullin receptors and adrenomedullin present in pancreatic cancer-exosomes. In addition, the effect of adrenomedullin on endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response genes and reactive oxygen/nitrogen species generation in β cells was shown. Exosomes were found to be the predominant extracellular vesicles secreted by pancreatic cancer into culture media and patient plasma. Pancreatic cancer-exosomes contained adrenomedullin and CA19-9, readily entered β cells through caveolin-mediated endocytosis or macropinocytosis, and inhibited insulin secretion. Adrenomedullin in pancreatic cancer exosomes interacted with its receptor on β cells. Adrenomedullin receptor blockade abrogated the inhibitory effect of exosomes on insulin secretion. β cells exposed to adrenomedullin or pancreatic cancer exosomes showed upregulation of ER stress genes and increased reactive oxygen/nitrogen species. Pancreatic cancer causes paraneoplastic β-cell dysfunction by shedding adrenomedullin(+)/CA19-9(+) exosomes into

  6. The usefulness of three-dimensional cell culture in induction of cancer stem cells from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiwara, Daisuke; Kato, Kazunori; Nohara, Shigeo; Iwanuma, Yoshimi; Kajiyama, Yoshiaki

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Spheroids were created from esophageal carcinoma cells using NanoCulture® Plates. •The proportion of strongly ALDH-positive cells increased in 3-D culture. •Expression of cancer stem cell-related genes was enhanced in 3-D culture. •CA-9 expression was enhanced, suggesting hypoxia had been induced in 3-D culture. •Drug resistance was increased. 3-D culture is useful for inducing cancer stem cells. -- Abstract: In recent years, research on resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer treatment has come under the spotlight, and researchers have also begun investigating the relationship between resistance and cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are assumed to be present in esophageal cancer, but experimental methods for identification and culture of these cells have not yet been established. To solve this problem, we created spheroids using a NanoCulture® Plate (NCP) for 3-dimensional (3-D) cell culture, which was designed as a means for experimentally reproducing the 3-D structures found in the body. We investigated the potential for induction of cancer stem cells from esophageal cancer cells. Using flow cytometry we analyzed the expression of surface antigen markers CD44, CD133, CD338 (ABCG2), CD318 (CDCP1), and CD326 (EpCAM), which are known cancer stem cell markers. None of these surface antigen markers showed enhanced expression in 3-D cultured cells. We then analyzed aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymatic activity using the ALDEFLUOR reagent, which can identify immature cells such as stem cells and precursor cells. 3-D-cultured cells were strongly positive for ALDH enzyme activity. We also analyzed the expression of the stem cell-related genes Sox-2, Nanog, Oct3/4, and Lin28 using RT-PCR. Expression of Sox-2, Nanog, and Lin28 was enhanced. Analysis of expression of the hypoxic surface antigen marker carbonic anhydrase-9 (CA-9), which is an indicator of cancer stem cell induction and maintenance, revealed that CA-9 expression

  7. Curcumin induces chemo/radio-sensitization in ovarian cancer cells and curcumin nanoparticles inhibit ovarian cancer cell growth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yallapu Murali M

    2010-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chemo/radio-resistance is a major obstacle in treating advanced ovarian cancer. The efficacy of current treatments may be improved by increasing the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemo/radiation therapies. Curcumin is a naturally occurring compound with anti-cancer activity in multiple cancers; however, its chemo/radio-sensitizing potential is not well studied in ovarian cancer. Herein, we demonstrate the effectiveness of a curcumin pre-treatment strategy for chemo/radio-sensitizing cisplatin resistant ovarian cancer cells. To improve the efficacy and specificity of curcumin induced chemo/radio sensitization, we developed a curcumin nanoparticle formulation conjugated with a monoclonal antibody specific for cancer cells. Methods Cisplatin resistant A2780CP ovarian cancer cells were pre-treated with curcumin followed by exposure to cisplatin or radiation and the effect on cell growth was determined by MTS and colony formation assays. The effect of curcumin pre-treatment on the expression of apoptosis related proteins and β-catenin was determined by Western blotting or Flow Cytometry. A luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the effect of curcumin on β-catenin transcription activity. The poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid (PLGA nanoparticle formulation of curcumin (Nano-CUR was developed by a modified nano-precipitation method and physico-chemical characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy and dynamic light scattering methods. Results Curcumin pre-treatment considerably reduced the dose of cisplatin and radiation required to inhibit the growth of cisplatin resistant ovarian cancer cells. During the 6 hr pre-treatment, curcumin down regulated the expression of Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 pro-survival proteins. Curcumin pre-treatment followed by exposure to low doses of cisplatin increased apoptosis as indicated by annexin V staining and cleavage of caspase 9 and PARP. Additionally, curcumin pre

  8. Cyclooxygenase-2: A Role in Cancer Stem Cell Survival and Repopulation of Cancer Cells during Therapy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Y. Pang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2 is an inducible form of the enzyme that catalyses the synthesis of prostanoids, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE2, a major mediator of inflammation and angiogenesis. COX-2 is overexpressed in cancer cells and is associated with progressive tumour growth, as well as resistance of cancer cells to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These therapies are often delivered in multiple doses, which are spaced out to allow the recovery of normal tissues between treatments. However, surviving cancer cells also proliferate during treatment intervals, leading to repopulation of the tumour and limiting the effectiveness of the treatment. Tumour cell repopulation is a major cause of treatment failure. The central dogma is that conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy selects resistant cancer cells that are able to reinitiate tumour growth. However, there is compelling evidence of an active proliferative response, driven by increased COX-2 expression and downstream PGE2 release, which contribute to the repopulation of tumours and poor patient outcome. In this review, we will examine the evidence for a role of COX-2 in cancer stem cell biology and as a mediator of tumour repopulation that can be molecularly targeted to overcome resistance to therapy.

  9. Comparative proteomics analysis of oral cancer cell lines: identification of cancer associated proteins

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background A limiting factor in performing proteomics analysis on cancerous cells is the difficulty in obtaining sufficient amounts of starting material. Cell lines can be used as a simplified model system for studying changes that accompany tumorigenesis. This study used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) to compare the whole cell proteome of oral cancer cell lines vs normal cells in an attempt to identify cancer associated proteins. Results Three primary cell cultures of normal cells with a limited lifespan without hTERT immortalization have been successfully established. 2DE was used to compare the whole cell proteome of these cells with that of three oral cancer cell lines. Twenty four protein spots were found to have changed in abundance. MALDI TOF/TOF was then used to determine the identity of these proteins. Identified proteins were classified into seven functional categories – structural proteins, enzymes, regulatory proteins, chaperones and others. IPA core analysis predicted that 18 proteins were related to cancer with involvements in hyperplasia, metastasis, invasion, growth and tumorigenesis. The mRNA expressions of two proteins – 14-3-3 protein sigma and Stress-induced-phosphoprotein 1 – were found to correlate with the corresponding proteins’ abundance. Conclusions The outcome of this analysis demonstrated that a comparative study of whole cell proteome of cancer versus normal cell lines can be used to identify cancer associated proteins. PMID:24422745

  10. Experimental Study on Bioluminescence Tomography with Multimodality Fusion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yujie Lv

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available To verify the influence of a priori information on the nonuniqueness problem of bioluminescence tomography (BLT, the multimodality imaging fusion based BLT experiment is performed by multiview noncontact detection mode, which incorporates the anatomical information obtained by the microCT scanner and the background optical properties based on diffuse reflectance measurements. In the reconstruction procedure, the utilization of adaptive finite element methods (FEMs and a priori permissible source region refines the reconstructed results and improves numerical robustness and efficiency. The comparison between the absence and employment of a priori information shows that multimodality imaging fusion is essential to quantitative BLT reconstruction.

  11. B-cell lymphoma 6 protein stimulates oncogenicity of human breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Qiang; Kong, Xiang-jun; Xu, Xiao-chun; Lobie, Peter E; Zhu, Tao; Wu, Zheng-sheng; Liu, Xue; Yan, Hong; He, Yin-huan; Ye, Shan; Cheng, Xing-wang; Zhu, Gui-lu; Wu, Wen-yong; Wang, Xiao-nan

    2014-01-01

    B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) protein, an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger transcription factor, showed to be highly expressed in various human cancers in addition to malignancies in the lymphoid system. This study investigated the role of BCL6 expression in breast cancer and its clinical significance in breast cancer patients. Expression of BCL6 protein was assessed using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry in 127 breast cancer patients and 50 patients with breast benign disease as well as in breast cell lines. Expression of BCL6 was restored or knocked down in two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and T47D) using BCL6 cDNA and siRNA, respectively. The phenotypic change of these breast cancer cell lines was assessed using cell viability MTT, Transwell invasion, colony formation, and flow cytometry assays and in a xenograft mice model. Luciferase reporter gene, immunoblot, and qRT-PCR were used to investigate the molecular events after manipulated BCL6 expression in breast cancer cells. BCL6 protein was highly expressed in breast cancer cell lines and tissue specimens and expression of BCL6 protein was associated with disease progression and poor survival of breast cancer patients. In vitro, the forced expression of BCL6 results in increased proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration, invasion and survival of breast cancer cell lines, whereas knockdown of BCL6 expression reduced these oncogenic properties of breast cancer cells. Moreover, forced expression of BCL6 increased tumor growth and invasiveness in a nude mouse xenograft model. At the gene level, BCL6 was a target gene of miR-339-5p. Expression of BCL6 induced expression of CXCR4 and cyclinD1 proteins. The current study demonstrated the oncogenic property of BCL6 in breast cancer and further study could target BCL6 as a novel potential therapeutic strategy for breast cancer

  12. Free Base Lysine Increases Survival and Reduces Metastasis in Prostate Cancer Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ibrahim-Hashim, Arig; Wojtkowiak, Jonathan W; de Lourdes Coelho Ribeiro, Maria; Estrella, Veronica; Bailey, Kate M; Cornnell, Heather H; Gatenby, Robert A; Gillies, Robert J

    2011-11-19

    Malignant tumor cells typically metabolize glucose anaerobically to lactic acid even under normal oxygen tension, a phenomenon called aerobic glycolysis or the Warburg effect. This results in increased acid production and the acidification of the extracellular microenvironment in solid tumors. H + ions tend to flow along concentration gradients into peritumoral normal tissue causing extracellular matrix degradation and increased tumor cell motility thus promoting invasion and metastasis. We have shown that reducing this acidity with sodium bicarbonate buffer decreases the metastatic fitness of circulating tumor cells in prostate cancer and other cancer models. Mathematical models of the tumor-host dynamics predicted that buffers with a pka around 7 will be more effective in reducing intra- and peri-tumoral acidosis and, thus, and possibly more effective in inhibiting tumor metastasis than sodium bicarbonate which has a pKa around 6. Here we test this prediction the efficacy of free base lysine; a non-bicarbonate/non-volatile buffer with a higher pKa (~10), on prostate tumor metastases model. Oxygen consumption and acid production rate of PC3M prostate cancer cells and normal prostate cells were determined using the Seahorse Extracellular Flux (XF-96) analyzer. In vivo effect of 200 mM lysine started four days prior to inoculation on inhibition of metastasis was examined in PC3M-LUC-C6 prostate cancer model using SCID mice. Metastases were followed by bioluminescence imaging. PC3M prostate cancer cells are highly acidic in comparison to a normal prostate cell line indicating that reduction of intra- and perit-tumoral acidosis should inhibit metastases formation. In vivo administration of 200 mM free base lysine increased survival and reduced metastasis. PC3M prostate cancer cells are highly glycolytic and produce large amounts of acid when compared to normal prostate cells. Administration of non-volatile buffer decreased growth of metastases and improved survival

  13. Prostate stromal cells express the progesterone receptor to control cancer cell mobility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Yue; Lee, Jennifer Suehyun; Xie, Ning; Li, Estelle; Hurtado-Coll, Antonio; Fazli, Ladan; Cox, Michael; Plymate, Stephen; Gleave, Martin; Dong, Xuesen

    2014-01-01

    Reciprocal interactions between epithelium and stroma play vital roles for prostate cancer development and progression. Enhanced secretions of cytokines and growth factors by cancer associated fibroblasts in prostate tumors create a favorable microenvironment for cancer cells to grow and metastasize. Our previous work showed that the progesterone receptor (PR) was expressed specifically in prostate stromal fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. However, the expression levels of PR and its impact to tumor microenvironment in prostate tumors are poorly understood. Immunohistochemistry assays are applied to human prostate tissue biopsies. Cell migration, invasion and proliferation assays are performed using human prostate cells. Real-time PCR and ELISA are applied to measure gene expression at molecular levels. Immunohistochemistry assays showed that PR protein levels were decreased in cancer associated stroma when compared with paired normal prostate stroma. Using in vitro prostate stromal cell models, we showed that conditioned media collected from PR positive stromal cells inhibited prostate cancer cell migration and invasion, but had minor suppressive impacts on cancer cell proliferation. PR suppressed the secretion of stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and interlukin-6 (IL-6) by stromal cells independent to PR ligands. Blocking PR expression by siRNA or supplementation of exogenous SDF-1 or IL-6 to conditioned media from PR positive stromal cells counteracted the inhibitory effects of PR to cancer cell migration and invasion. Decreased expression of the PR in cancer associated stroma may contribute to the elevated SDF-1 and IL-6 levels in prostate tumors and enhance prostate tumor progression.

  14. Prostate stromal cells express the progesterone receptor to control cancer cell mobility.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yue Yu

    Full Text Available Reciprocal interactions between epithelium and stroma play vital roles for prostate cancer development and progression. Enhanced secretions of cytokines and growth factors by cancer associated fibroblasts in prostate tumors create a favorable microenvironment for cancer cells to grow and metastasize. Our previous work showed that the progesterone receptor (PR was expressed specifically in prostate stromal fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. However, the expression levels of PR and its impact to tumor microenvironment in prostate tumors are poorly understood.Immunohistochemistry assays are applied to human prostate tissue biopsies. Cell migration, invasion and proliferation assays are performed using human prostate cells. Real-time PCR and ELISA are applied to measure gene expression at molecular levels.Immunohistochemistry assays showed that PR protein levels were decreased in cancer associated stroma when compared with paired normal prostate stroma. Using in vitro prostate stromal cell models, we showed that conditioned media collected from PR positive stromal cells inhibited prostate cancer cell migration and invasion, but had minor suppressive impacts on cancer cell proliferation. PR suppressed the secretion of stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1 and interlukin-6 (IL-6 by stromal cells independent to PR ligands. Blocking PR expression by siRNA or supplementation of exogenous SDF-1 or IL-6 to conditioned media from PR positive stromal cells counteracted the inhibitory effects of PR to cancer cell migration and invasion.Decreased expression of the PR in cancer associated stroma may contribute to the elevated SDF-1 and IL-6 levels in prostate tumors and enhance prostate tumor progression.

  15. Stem Cells and Cancer; Celulas madre y cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Segrelles, C.; Paraminio, J. M.; Lorz, C.

    2014-04-01

    Stem cell research has thrived over the last years due to their therapeutic and regenerative potential. Scientific breakthroughs in the field are immediately translated from the scientific journals to the mass media, which is not surprising as the characterisation of the molecular mechanisms that regulate the biology of stem cells is crucial for the treatment of degenerative and cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer. In the Molecular Oncology Unit at Ciemat we work to unravel the role of cancer stem cells in tumour development, and to find new antitumor therapies. (Author)

  16. Application of single-cell technology in cancer research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Shao-Bo; Fu, Li-Wu

    2017-07-01

    In this review, we have outlined the application of single-cell technology in cancer research. Single-cell technology has made encouraging progress in recent years and now provides the means to detect rare cancer cells such as circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells. We reveal how this technology has advanced the analysis of intratumor heterogeneity and tumor epigenetics, and guided individualized treatment strategies. The future prospects now are to bring single-cell technology into the clinical arena. We believe that the clinical application of single-cell technology will be beneficial in cancer diagnostics and treatment, and ultimately improve survival in cancer patients. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Active targeting of tumor cells using light emitting bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Sung Min; Min, Jung Joon; Hong, Yeong Jin; Kim, Hyun Ju; Le, Uuenchi N.; Rhee, Joon Haeng; Song, Ho Chun; Heo, Young Jun; Bom, Hee Seung; Choy, Hyon E

    2004-01-01

    The presence of bacteria and viruses in human tumors has been recognized for more than 50 years. Today, with the discovery of bacterial strains that specifically target tumors, and aided by genomic sequencing and genetic engineering, there is new interest in the use of bacteria as tumor vectors. Here, we show that bacteria injected intravenously into live animals entered and replicated in solid tumors and metastases using the novel imaging technology of biophotonics. Bioluminescence operon (LuxCDABE) or fluorescence protein, GFP) has been cloned into pUC19 plasmid to engineer pUC19lux or pUC19gfp. Engineered plasmid was transformed into different kinds of wild type (MG1655) or mutant E. coli (DH5, ppGpp, fnr, purE, crpA, flagella, etc.) strains to construct light emitting bacteria. Xenograft tumor model has been established using CT26 colon cancer cell line. Light emitting bacteria was injected via tail vein into tumor bearing mouse. In vivo bioluminescence imaging has been done after 20 min to 14 days of bacterial injection. We observed localization of tumors by light-emitting E. coli in tumor (CT-26) bearing mice. We confirmed the presence of light-emitting bacteria under the fluorescence microscope with E. coli expressing GFP. Althoug varying mutants strain with deficient invading function has been found in tumor tissues, mutant strains of movement (flagella) couldn't show any light signal from the tumor tissue under the cooled CCD camera, indicating bacteria may actively target the tumor cells. Based on their 'tumor-finding' nature, bacteria may be designed to carry multiple genes or drugs for detection and treatment of cancer, such as prodrug-converting enzymes, toxins, angiogenesis inhibitors and cytokines

  18. Cell of Origin and Cancer Stem Cell Phenotype in Medulloblastomas

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-09-01

    AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-14-1-0115 TITLE: Cell of Origin and Cancer Stem Cell Phenotype in Medulloblastomas PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Kyuson Yun...CA130273 - Cell of Origin and Cancer Stem Cell Phenotype in Medulloblastomas 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER W81XWH-14-1-0115 5c. PROGRAM...hypothesis, we originally proposed to transform neural stem cells (NSCs) and neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in vivo by expressing an activated form

  19. Dormancy activation mechanism of oral cavity cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xiang; Li, Xin; Zhao, Baohong; Shang, Dehao; Zhong, Ming; Deng, Chunfu; Jia, Xinshan

    2015-07-01

    Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are targeted primarily at rapidly proliferating cancer cells and are unable to eliminate cancer stem cells in the G0 phase. Thus, these treatments cannot prevent the recurrence and metastasis of cancer. Understanding the mechanisms by which cancer stem cells are maintained in the dormant G0 phase, and how they become active is key to developing new cancer therapies. The current study found that the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil, acting on the oral squamous cell carcinoma KB cell line, selectively killed proliferating cells while sparing cells in the G0 phase. Bisulfite sequencing PCR showed that demethylation of the Sox2 promoter led to the expression of Sox2. This then resulted in the transformation of cancer stem cells from the G0 phase to the division stage and suggested that the transformation of cancer stem cells from the G0 phase to the division stage is closely related to an epigenetic modification of the cell.

  20. Cancer stem cells: a metastasizing menace!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bandhavkar, Saurabh

    2016-04-01

    Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and is estimated to be a reason of death of more than 18 billion people in the coming 5 years. Progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment of cancer; however, a sound understanding of the underlying cell biology still remains an unsolved mystery. Current treatments include a combination of radiation, surgery, and/or chemotherapy. However, these treatments are not a complete cure, aimed simply at shrinking the tumor and in majority of cases, there is a relapse of tumor. Several evidences suggest the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating stem-like cells, a small population of cells present in the tumor, capable of self-renewal and generation of differentiated progeny. The presence of these CSCs can be attributed to the failure of cancer treatments as these cells are believed to exhibit therapy resistance. As a result, increasing attention has been given to CSC research to resolve the therapeutic problems related to cancer. Progress in this field of research has led to the development of novel strategies to treat several malignancies and has become a hot topic of discussion. In this review, we will briefly focus on the main characteristics, therapeutic implications, and perspectives of CSCs in cancer therapy. © 2016 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  1. Phylogenetic relationships of click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae) inferred from 28S ribosomal DNA: insights into the evolution of bioluminescence in Elateridae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sagegami-Oba, Reiko; Oba, Yuichi; Ohira, Hitoo

    2007-02-01

    Although the taxonomy of click beetles (family Elateridae) has been studied extensively, inconsistencies remain. We examine here the relationships between species of Elateridae based on partial sequences of nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA. Specimens were collected primarily from Japan, while luminous click beetles were also sampled from Central and South America to investigate the origins of bioluminescence in Elateridae. Neighbor-joining, maximum-parsimony, and maximum-likelihood analyses produced a consistent basal topology with high statistical support that is partially congruent with the results of previous investigations based on the morphological characteristics of larvae and adults. The most parsimonious reconstruction of the "luminous" and "nonluminous" states, based on the present molecular phylogeny, indicates that the ancestral state of Elateridae was nonluminous. This suggests that the bioluminescence in click beetle evolved independent of that of other luminous beetles, such as Lampyridae, despite their common mechanisms of bioluminescence.

  2. Mitrocomin from the jellyfish Mitrocoma cellularia with deleted C-terminal tyrosine reveals a higher bioluminescence activity compared to wild type photoprotein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burakova, Ludmila P.; Natashin, Pavel V.; Markova, Svetlana V.; Eremeeva, Elena V.; Malikova, Natalia P.; Cheng, Chongyun; Liu, Zhi-Jie; Vysotski, Eugene S.

    2016-09-01

    The full-length cDNA genes encoding five new isoforms of Ca2 +-regulated photoprotein mitrocomin from a small tissue sample of the outer bell margin containing photocytes of only one specimen of the luminous jellyfish Mitrocoma cellularia were cloned, sequenced, and characterized after their expression in Escherichia coli and subsequent purification. The analysis of cDNA nucleotide sequences encoding mitrocomin isoforms allowed suggestion that two isoforms might be the products of two allelic genes differing in one amino acid residue (64R/Q) whereas other isotypes appear as a result of transcriptional mutations. In addition, the crystal structure of mitrocomin was determined at 1.30 Å resolution which expectedly revealed a high similarity with the structures of other hydromedusan photoproteins. Although mitrocomin isoforms reveal a high degree of identity of amino acid sequences, they vary in specific bioluminescence activities. At that, all isotypes displayed the identical bioluminescence spectra (473–474 nm with no shoulder at 400 nm). Fluorescence spectra of Ca2 +-discharged mitrocomins were almost identical to their light emission spectra similar to the case of Ca2 +-discharged aequorin, but different from Ca2 +-discharged obelins and clytin which fluorescence is red-shifted by 25–30 nm from bioluminescence spectra. The main distinction of mitrocomin from other hydromedusan photoproteins is an additional Tyr at the C-terminus. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we showed that this Tyr is not important for bioluminescence because its deletion even increases specific activity and efficiency of apo-mitrocomin conversion into active photoprotein, in contrast to C-terminal Pro of other photoproteins. Since genes in a population generally exist as different isoforms, it makes us anticipate the cloning of even more isoforms of mitrocomin and other hydromedusan photoproteins with different bioluminescence properties.

  3. Distribution of bioluminescent fungi across old-growth and secondary tropical rain forest in Costa Rica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carolina Seas-Carvajal

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Most research on bioluminescent fungi is concentrated on their taxonomic relationships, while the basics of their natural history and ecological relationships are poorly understood. In this study, we compared the distribution of bioluminescent fungi between old-growth and secondary forest as related to four different soil types at the tropical rainforest of La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. The study was conducted during the wet season of 2009. Bioluminescent fungi were sought following eight different transects distributed evenly in old-growth and secondary forests across four different soil types, covering an area of 9 420m². We found fungi in four different substrates: litter, fallen branches, dead trunks, and roots, for a total of 61 samples. Correspondence analysis showed that the occurrence of fungi and soil types were related (inertia=0.21, p=0.071. We found a significant relationship between the presence of fungi and the distribution of soil types (X²=18.89, df=9, p=0.026. We found only three samples with fruiting bodies, two of which had Mycena and the other had one fungus of the order Xylariales (possibly Hypoxylon sp., Kretzschmariella sp., Xylaria sp.. Future work will concentrate on exploring other aspects of their ecology, such as their dispersal and substrate preference. This information will facilitate field identification and will foster more research on the distribution, seasonality, reproductive phenology and ecological requirements of this group of Fungi.

  4. Melittin exerts an antitumor effect on non‑small cell lung cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Su-Fang; Chen, Zhe

    2017-09-01

    Lung cancer accounts for a significant percentage of all cancer‑associated mortalities in men and women, with non‑small cell lung cancer being the most frequently occurring type of lung cancer. Melittin is the principal active component of apitoxin (bee venom) that has been reported to exert anti‑chronic inflammatory and anti‑cancer effects. In the present study, the antitumor effect of melittin was evaluated using in vivo and in vitro analyses. The results demonstrated that melittin significantly inhibited the epidermal growth factor‑induced invasion and migration of non‑small cell lung cancer cells. Subcutaneous injection of melittin at doses of 1 and 10 mg/kg significantly suppressed non‑small cell lung cancer tumor growth by 27 and 61%, respectively. In addition, melittin significantly inhibited the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in non‑small cell lung cancer cells. Furthermore, melittin decreased the protein expression of VEGF and hypoxia‑inducible factor 1‑α. Therefore, the antitumor activity of melittin may be associated with the anti‑angiogenic actions of inhibiting the VEGF and hypoxia‑inducible factor signaling pathways.

  5. An immunosurveillance mechanism controls cancer cell ploidy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senovilla, Laura; Vitale, Ilio; Martins, Isabelle; Tailler, Maximilien; Pailleret, Claire; Michaud, Mickaël; Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Adjemian, Sandy; Kepp, Oliver; Niso-Santano, Mireia; Shen, Shensi; Mariño, Guillermo; Criollo, Alfredo; Boilève, Alice; Job, Bastien; Ladoire, Sylvain; Ghiringhelli, François; Sistigu, Antonella; Yamazaki, Takahiro; Rello-Varona, Santiago; Locher, Clara; Poirier-Colame, Vichnou; Talbot, Monique; Valent, Alexander; Berardinelli, Francesco; Antoccia, Antonio; Ciccosanti, Fabiola; Fimia, Gian Maria; Piacentini, Mauro; Fueyo, Antonio; Messina, Nicole L; Li, Ming; Chan, Christopher J; Sigl, Verena; Pourcher, Guillaume; Ruckenstuhl, Christoph; Carmona-Gutierrez, Didac; Lazar, Vladimir; Penninger, Josef M; Madeo, Frank; López-Otín, Carlos; Smyth, Mark J; Zitvogel, Laurence; Castedo, Maria; Kroemer, Guido

    2012-09-28

    Cancer cells accommodate multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations that initially activate intrinsic (cell-autonomous) and extrinsic (immune-mediated) oncosuppressive mechanisms. Only once these barriers to oncogenesis have been overcome can malignant growth proceed unrestrained. Tetraploidization can contribute to oncogenesis because hyperploid cells are genomically unstable. We report that hyperploid cancer cells become immunogenic because of a constitutive endoplasmic reticulum stress response resulting in the aberrant cell surface exposure of calreticulin. Hyperploid, calreticulin-exposing cancer cells readily proliferated in immunodeficient mice and conserved their increased DNA content. In contrast, hyperploid cells injected into immunocompetent mice generated tumors only after a delay, and such tumors exhibited reduced DNA content, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and calreticulin exposure. Our results unveil an immunosurveillance system that imposes immunoselection against hyperploidy in carcinogen- and oncogene-induced cancers.

  6. Oculogryphus chenghoiyanae sp. n. (Coleoptera, Lampyridae: a new ototretine firefly from Hong Kong with descriptions of its bioluminescent behavior and ultraviolet-induced fluorescence in females

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vor Yiu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The first Oculogryphus species with associated males and female was found in Hong Kong and is described as new: O. chenghoiyanae sp. n. Adults of both sexes were collected live in the field and their bioluminescent behavior is reported for the first time in the genus. The captive males emit weak and continuous light from a pair of light spots on abdominal ventrite 6 or do so when disturbed. The larviform (highly paedomorphic females can glow brightly from a pair of light-emitting organs on the abdomen. The females of Oculogryphus and Stenocladius are to date the only documented representatives of paedomorphism in ototretine fireflies. The finding is consistent with the evidence from male morphology and bioluminescent behavior, supporting the close relationship between the two genera. A key to the Oculogryphus species is provided. The Oculogryphus females can fluoresce with a blue-green light through the whole body under ultraviolet illumination, a phenomenon reported in the Lampyridae for the first time. The co-occurrence of bioluminescence and fluorescence is rare in terrestrial ecosystems, previously known only in some millipedes (Diplopoda. The fluorescence and bioluminescence abilities of Oculogryphus females are functionally independent: abdominal light-emitting organs producing bright yellowish green light while the body wall fluoresces with blue-green light. In contrast, fluorescence and bioluminescence in millipedes are biochemically linked, like in some jellyfish (Cnidaria: Medusozoa.

  7. Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Your Treatment Research Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer This page lists cancer drugs approved by the ... not listed here. Drugs Approved for Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer Afinitor (Everolimus) Aldesleukin Avastin (Bevacizumab) Axitinib Bevacizumab Cabometyx ( ...

  8. Assessment of chitosan-affected metabolic response by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor bioluminescent imaging-guided transcriptomic analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chia-Hung Kao

    Full Text Available Chitosan has been widely used in food industry as a weight-loss aid and a cholesterol-lowering agent. Previous studies have shown that chitosan affects metabolic responses and contributes to anti-diabetic, hypocholesteremic, and blood glucose-lowering effects; however, the in vivo targeting sites and mechanisms of chitosan remain to be clarified. In this study, we constructed transgenic mice, which carried the luciferase genes driven by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR, a key regulator of fatty acid and glucose metabolism. Bioluminescent imaging of PPAR transgenic mice was applied to report the organs that chitosan acted on, and gene expression profiles of chitosan-targeted organs were further analyzed to elucidate the mechanisms of chitosan. Bioluminescent imaging showed that constitutive PPAR activities were detected in brain and gastrointestinal tract. Administration of chitosan significantly activated the PPAR activities in brain and stomach. Microarray analysis of brain and stomach showed that several pathways involved in lipid and glucose metabolism were regulated by chitosan. Moreover, the expression levels of metabolism-associated genes like apolipoprotein B (apoB and ghrelin genes were down-regulated by chitosan. In conclusion, these findings suggested the feasibility of PPAR bioluminescent imaging-guided transcriptomic analysis on the evaluation of chitosan-affected metabolic responses in vivo. Moreover, we newly identified that downregulated expression of apoB and ghrelin genes were novel mechanisms for chitosan-affected metabolic responses in vivo.

  9. Stem cells and cancer of the stomach and intestine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vries, Robert G J; Huch, Meritxell; Clevers, Hans

    2010-10-01

    Cancer in the 21st century has become the number one cause of death in developed countries. Although much progress has been made in improving patient survival, tumour relapse is one of the important causes of cancer treatment failure. An early observation in the study of cancer was the heterogeneity of tumours. Traditionally, this was explained by a combination of genomic instability of tumours and micro environmental factors leading to diverse phenotypical characteristics. It was assumed that cells in a tumour have an equal capacity to propagate the cancer. This model is currently known as the stochastic model. Recently, the Cancer stem cell model has been proposed to explain the heterogeneity of a tumour and its progression. According to this model, the heterogeneity of tumours is the result of aberrant differentiation of tumour cells into the cells of the tissue the tumour originated from. Tumours were suggested to contain stem cell-like cells, the cancer stem cells or tumour-initiating cells, which are uniquely capable of propagating a tumour much like normal stem cells fuel proliferation and differentiation in normal tissue. In this review we discuss the normal stem cell biology of the stomach and intestine followed by both the stochastic and cancer stem cell models in light of recent findings in the gastric and intestinal systems. The molecular pathways underlying normal and tumourigenic growth have been well studied, and recently the stem cells of the stomach and intestine have been identified. Furthermore, intestinal stem cells were identified as the cells-of-origin of colon cancer upon loss of the tumour suppressor APC. Lastly, several studies have proposed the positive identification of a cancer stem cell of human colon cancer. At the end we compare the cancer stem cell model and the stochastic model. We conclude that clonal evolution of tumour cells resulting from genetic mutations underlies tumour initiation and progression in both cancer models. This

  10. Cancer stem cells: a metastasizing menace!

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bandhavkar, Saurabh

    2016-01-01

    Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and is estimated to be a reason of death of more than 18 billion people in the coming 5 years. Progress has been made in diagnosis and treatment of cancer; however, a sound understanding of the underlying cell biology still remains an unsolved mystery. Current treatments include a combination of radiation, surgery, and/or chemotherapy. However, these treatments are not a complete cure, aimed simply at shrinking the tumor and in majority of cases, there is a relapse of tumor. Several evidences suggest the presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) or tumor-initiating stem-like cells, a small population of cells present in the tumor, capable of self-renewal and generation of differentiated progeny. The presence of these CSCs can be attributed to the failure of cancer treatments as these cells are believed to exhibit therapy resistance. As a result, increasing attention has been given to CSC research to resolve the therapeutic problems related to cancer. Progress in this field of research has led to the development of novel strategies to treat several malignancies and has become a hot topic of discussion. In this review, we will briefly focus on the main characteristics, therapeutic implications, and perspectives of CSCs in cancer therapy

  11. Antibiotic drug tigecycline inhibited cell proliferation and induced autophagy in gastric cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Chunling; Yang, Liqun; Jiang, Xiaolan; Xu, Chuan; Wang, Mei; Wang, Qinrui; Zhou, Zhansong; Xiang, Zhonghuai; Cui, Hongjuan

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Tigecycline inhibited cell growth and proliferation in human gastric cancer cells. • Tigecycline induced autophagy not apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. • AMPK/mTOR/p70S6K pathway was activated after tigecycline treatment. • Tigecycline inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model of human gastric cancer cells. - Abstract: Tigecycline acts as a glycylcycline class bacteriostatic agent, and actively resists a series of bacteria, specifically drug fast bacteria. However, accumulating evidence showed that tetracycline and their derivatives such as doxycycline and minocycline have anti-cancer properties, which are out of their broader antimicrobial activity. We found that tigecycline dramatically inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and provided an evidence that tigecycline induced autophagy but not apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. Further experiments demonstrated that AMPK pathway was activated accompanied with the suppression of its downstream targets including mTOR and p70S6K, and ultimately induced cell autophagy and inhibited cell growth. So our data suggested that tigecycline might act as a candidate agent for pre-clinical evaluation in treatment of patients suffering from gastric cancer

  12. Antibiotic drug tigecycline inhibited cell proliferation and induced autophagy in gastric cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Chunling; Yang, Liqun; Jiang, Xiaolan [State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716 (China); Xu, Chuan [Division of Scientific Research and Training, General Hospital of PLA Chengdu Military Area Command, Chengdu, Sichuan 610083 (China); Wang, Mei; Wang, Qinrui [State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716 (China); Zhou, Zhansong, E-mail: zhouzhans@sina.com [Institute of Urinary Surgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038 (China); Xiang, Zhonghuai [State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716 (China); Cui, Hongjuan, E-mail: hcui@swu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716 (China)

    2014-03-28

    Highlights: • Tigecycline inhibited cell growth and proliferation in human gastric cancer cells. • Tigecycline induced autophagy not apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. • AMPK/mTOR/p70S6K pathway was activated after tigecycline treatment. • Tigecycline inhibited tumor growth in xenograft model of human gastric cancer cells. - Abstract: Tigecycline acts as a glycylcycline class bacteriostatic agent, and actively resists a series of bacteria, specifically drug fast bacteria. However, accumulating evidence showed that tetracycline and their derivatives such as doxycycline and minocycline have anti-cancer properties, which are out of their broader antimicrobial activity. We found that tigecycline dramatically inhibited gastric cancer cell proliferation and provided an evidence that tigecycline induced autophagy but not apoptosis in human gastric cancer cells. Further experiments demonstrated that AMPK pathway was activated accompanied with the suppression of its downstream targets including mTOR and p70S6K, and ultimately induced cell autophagy and inhibited cell growth. So our data suggested that tigecycline might act as a candidate agent for pre-clinical evaluation in treatment of patients suffering from gastric cancer.

  13. Engineered T cells for pancreatic cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katari, Usha L; Keirnan, Jacqueline M; Worth, Anna C; Hodges, Sally E; Leen, Ann M; Fisher, William E; Vera, Juan F

    2011-01-01

    Objective Conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy produce marginal survival benefits in pancreatic cancer, underscoring the need for novel therapies. The aim of this study is to develop an adoptive T cell transfer approach to target tumours expressing prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA), a tumour-associated antigen that is frequently expressed by pancreatic cancer cells. Methods Expression of PSCA on cell lines and primary tumour samples was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Healthy donor- and patient-derived T cells were isolated, activated in vitro using CD3/CD28, and transduced with a retroviral vector encoding a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting PSCA. The ability of these cells to kill tumour cells was analysed by chromium-51 (Cr51) release. Results Prostate stem cell antigen was expressed on >70% of the primary tumour samples screened. Activated, CAR-modified T cells could be readily generated in clinically relevant numbers and were specifically able to kill PSCA-expressing pancreatic cancer cell lines with no non-specific killing of PSCA-negative target cells, thus indicating the potential efficacy and safety of this approach. Conclusions Prostate stem cell antigen is frequently expressed on pancreatic cancer cells and can be targeted for immune-mediated destruction using CAR-modified, adoptively transferred T cells. The safety and efficacy of this approach indicate that it deserves further study and may represent a promising novel treatment for patients with pancreatic cancer. PMID:21843265

  14. Cell membrane softening in human breast and cervical cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Händel, Chris; Schmidt, B. U. Sebastian; Schiller, Jürgen; Dietrich, Undine; Möhn, Till; Kießling, Tobias R.; Pawlizak, Steve; Fritsch, Anatol W.; Horn, Lars-Christian; Briest, Susanne; Höckel, Michael; Zink, Mareike; Käs, Josef A.

    2015-08-01

    Biomechanical properties are key to many cellular functions such as cell division and cell motility and thus are crucial in the development and understanding of several diseases, for instance cancer. The mechanics of the cellular cytoskeleton have been extensively characterized in cells and artificial systems. The rigidity of the plasma membrane, with the exception of red blood cells, is unknown and membrane rigidity measurements only exist for vesicles composed of a few synthetic lipids. In this study, thermal fluctuations of giant plasma membrane vesicles (GPMVs) directly derived from the plasma membranes of primary breast and cervical cells, as well as breast cell lines, are analyzed. Cell blebs or GPMVs were studied via thermal membrane fluctuations and mass spectrometry. It will be shown that cancer cell membranes are significantly softer than their non-malignant counterparts. This can be attributed to a loss of fluid raft forming lipids in malignant cells. These results indicate that the reduction of membrane rigidity promotes aggressive blebbing motion in invasive cancer cells.

  15. SRT1720 induces lysosomal-dependent cell death of breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahusen, Tyler J; Deng, Chu-Xia

    2015-01-01

    SRT1720 is an activator of SIRT1, a NAD(+)-dependent protein and histone deacetylase that plays an important role in numerous biologic processes. Several studies have illustrated that SRT1720 treatment could improve metabolic conditions in mouse models and in a study in cancer SRT1720 caused increased apoptosis of myeloma cells. However, the effect of SRT1720 on cancer may be complex, as some recent studies have demonstrated that SRT1720 may not directly activate SIRT1 and another study showed that SRT1720 treatment could promote lung metastasis. To further investigate the role of SRT1720 in breast cancer, we treated SIRT1 knockdown and control breast cancer cell lines with SRT1720 both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that SRT1720 more effectively decreased the viability of basal-type MDA-MB-231 and BT20 cells as compared with luminal-type MCF-7 breast cancer cells or nontumorigenic MCF-10A cells. We demonstrated that SRT1720 induced lysosomal membrane permeabilization and necrosis, which could be blocked by lysosomal inhibitors. In contrast, SRT1720-induced cell death occurred in vitro irrespective of SIRT1 status, whereas in nude mice, SRT1720 exhibited a more profound effect in inhibiting the growth of allograft tumors of SIRT1 proficient cells as compared with tumors of SIRT1-deficient cells. Thus, SRT1720 causes lysosomal-dependent necrosis and may be used as a therapeutic agent for breast cancer treatment. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

  16. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells in breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markowitz, Joseph; Wesolowski, Robert; Papenfuss, Tracey; Brooks, Taylor R; Carson, William E

    2013-07-01

    Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a population of immature myeloid cells defined by their suppressive actions on immune cells such as T cells, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells. MDSCs typically are positive for the markers CD33 and CD11b but express low levels of HLADR in humans. In mice, MDSCs are typically positive for both CD11b and Gr1. These cells exert their suppressive activity on the immune system via the production of reactive oxygen species, arginase, and cytokines. These factors subsequently inhibit the activity of multiple protein targets such as the T cell receptor, STAT1, and indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase. The numbers of MDSCs tend to increase with cancer burden while inhibiting MDSCs improves disease outcome in murine models. MDSCs also inhibit immune cancer therapeutics. In light of the poor prognosis of metastatic breast cancer in women and the correlation of increasing levels of MDSCs with increasing disease burden, the purposes of this review are to (1) discuss why MDSCs may be important in breast cancer, (2) describe model systems used to study MDSCs in vitro and in vivo, (3) discuss mechanisms involved in MDSC induction/function in breast cancer, and (4) present pre-clinical and clinical studies that explore modulation of the MDSC-immune system interaction in breast cancer. MDSCs inhibit the host immune response in breast cancer patients and diminishing MDSC actions may improve therapeutic outcomes.

  17. Genetics of Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell Cancer) (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Science.gov (United States)

    Genetics of Kidney Cancer (Renal Cell) includes the hereditary cancer syndromes von Hippel-Lindau disease, hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer, Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, and hereditary papillary renal carcinoma. Get comprehensive information on these syndromes in this clinician summary.

  18. Identification of Human Cutaneous Basal Cell Carcinoma Cancer Stem Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Huw; Olivero, Carlotta; Patel, Girish K

    2018-04-20

    The cancer stem cell model states that a subset of tumor cells, called "cancer stem cells," can initiate and propagate tumor growth through self-renewal, high proliferative capacity, and their ability to recreate tumor heterogeneity. In basal cell carcinoma (BCC), we have shown that tumor cells that express the cell surface protein CD200 fulfill the cancer stem cell hypothesis. CD200+ CD45- BCC cells represent 0.05-3.96% of all BCC cells and reside in small clusters at the tumor periphery. Using a novel, reproducible in vivo xenograft growth assay, we determined that tumor-initiating cell (TIC) frequencies are approximately 1 per 1.5 million unsorted BCC cells. The CD200+ CD45- BCC subpopulation recreated BCC tumor growth in vivo with typical histological architecture and expression of sonic hedgehog-regulated genes. Reproducible in vivo BCC growth was achieved with as few as 10,000 CD200+ CD45- cells, representing ~1500-fold enrichment. The methods used to identify and purify CD200+ CD45- BCC cells, as well as characterize gene expression, are described herein.

  19. Phytochemicals radiosensitize cancer cells by inhibiting DNA repair

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Rana P.

    2017-01-01

    Solid tumors are mostly treated with radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is toxic to normal tissues and also promote the invasiveness and radioresistance in cancer cells. The resistance against radiotherapy and adverse effects to normal cells reduce the overall therapeutic effects of the treatment. Radiosensitizing agents usually show limited success during clinical trials. Therefore, the search and development of new radiosensitizers showing selective response to only cancer cells is desirable. We analyzed the radiosensitizing effects including cell death effect of silibinin, a phytochemical on prostate cancer cells. Silibinin enhanced gamma radiation (2.5-10 Gy) induced inhibition in colony formation selectively in prostate cancer cells. In cell cycle progression, G2/M phase is the most sensitive phase for radiation-induced damage which was delayed by the compound treatment in radiation exposed cells. The lower concentrations of silibinin substantially enhanced radiation-induced apoptosis. A prolonged reactive oxygen species production was also observed in these treatments EGFR signaling pathway can contribute to radiation-induced pro-survival mechanisms and to the therapeutic resistance. Agent treatment reduced the IR-induced EGFR phosphorylation and consequently reversed the resistance mediating mechanisms within the cancer cell. Thus, inhibiting DNA repair in cancer cells would enhance therapeutic response of radiation in cancer cells. Silibinin affected the localization of EGFR and DNA-dependent protein kinase, the DNA-PK is known to be an important mediator of DSB repair in human cells, and showed increased number of pH2AX (ser139) foci, and thus indicating lower DNA repair in these cancer cells. This was also confirmed in the tumor xenograft study. Our findings suggest that a combination of silibinin with radiation could be an effective treatment of radioresistant human prostate cancer and warrants further investigation. (author)

  20. Glutathione in Cancer Cell Death

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ortega, Angel L. [Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, 17 Av. Blasco Ibanez, 46010 Valencia (Spain); Mena, Salvador [Green Molecular SL, Pol. Ind. La Coma-Parc Cientific, 46190 Paterna, Valencia (Spain); Estrela, Jose M., E-mail: jose.m.estrela@uv.es [Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Odontology, University of Valencia, 17 Av. Blasco Ibanez, 46010 Valencia (Spain)

    2011-03-11

    Glutathione (L-γ-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine; GSH) in cancer cells is particularly relevant in the regulation of carcinogenic mechanisms; sensitivity against cytotoxic drugs, ionizing radiations, and some cytokines; DNA synthesis; and cell proliferation and death. The intracellular thiol redox state (controlled by GSH) is one of the endogenous effectors involved in regulating the mitochondrial permeability transition pore complex and, in consequence, thiol oxidation can be a causal factor in the mitochondrion-based mechanism that leads to cell death. Nevertheless GSH depletion is a common feature not only of apoptosis but also of other types of cell death. Indeed rates of GSH synthesis and fluxes regulate its levels in cellular compartments, and potentially influence switches among different mechanisms of death. How changes in gene expression, post-translational modifications of proteins, and signaling cascades are implicated will be discussed. Furthermore, this review will finally analyze whether GSH depletion may facilitate cancer cell death under in vivo conditions, and how this can be applied to cancer therapy.

  1. Epirubicin-adsorbed nanodiamonds kill chemoresistant hepatic cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xin; Low, Xinyi Casuarine; Hou, Weixin; Abdullah, Lissa Nurrul; Toh, Tan Boon; Mohd Abdul Rashid, Masturah; Ho, Dean; Chow, Edward Kai-Hua

    2014-12-23

    Chemoresistance is a primary cause of treatment failure in cancer and a common property of tumor-initiating cancer stem cells. Overcoming mechanisms of chemoresistance, particularly in cancer stem cells, can markedly enhance cancer therapy and prevent recurrence and metastasis. This study demonstrates that the delivery of Epirubicin by nanodiamonds is a highly effective nanomedicine-based approach to overcoming chemoresistance in hepatic cancer stem cells. The potent physical adsorption of Epirubicin to nanodiamonds creates a rapidly synthesized and stable nanodiamond-drug complex that promotes endocytic uptake and enhanced tumor cell retention. These attributes mediate the effective killing of both cancer stem cells and noncancer stem cells in vitro and in vivo. Enhanced treatment of both tumor cell populations results in an improved impairment of secondary tumor formation in vivo compared with treatment by unmodified chemotherapeutics. On the basis of these results, nanodiamond-mediated drug delivery may serve as a powerful method for overcoming chemoresistance in cancer stem cells and markedly improving overall treatment against hepatic cancers.

  2. Mechanisms of Cancer Cell Dormancy – Another Hallmark of Cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeh, Albert C.; Ramaswamy, Sridhar

    2015-01-01

    Disease relapse in cancer patients many years after clinical remission, often referred to as cancer dormancy, is well documented but remains an incompletely understood phenomenon on the biological level. Recent reviews have summarized potential models that can explain this phenomenon, including angiogenic, immunologic, and cellular dormancy. We focus on mechanisms of cellular dormancy as newer biological insights have enabled better understanding of this process. We provide a historical context, synthesize current advances in the field, and propose a mechanistic framework that treats cancer cell dormancy as a dynamic cell state conferring a fitness advantage to an evolving malignancy under stress. Cellular dormancy appears to be an active process that can be toggled through a variety of signaling mechanisms that ultimately down-regulate the Ras/MAPK and PI(3)K/AKT pathways, an ability that is preserved even in cancers that constitutively depend on these pathways for their growth and survival. Just as unbridled proliferation is a key hallmark of cancer, the ability of cancer cells to become quiescent may be critical to evolving malignancies, with implications for understanding cancer initiation, progression, and treatment resistance. PMID:26354021

  3. High-Throughput Cancer Cell Sphere Formation for 3D Cell Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu-Chih; Yoon, Euisik

    2017-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is critical in studying cancer pathology and drug response. Though 3D cancer sphere culture can be performed in low-adherent dishes or well plates, the unregulated cell aggregation may skew the results. On contrary, microfluidic 3D culture can allow precise control of cell microenvironments, and provide higher throughput by orders of magnitude. In this chapter, we will look into engineering innovations in a microfluidic platform for high-throughput cancer cell sphere formation and review the implementation methods in detail.

  4. Crosstalk between stromal cells and cancer cells in pancreatic cancer: New insights into stromal biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Han-Xiang; Zhou, Bin; Cheng, Yu-Gang; Xu, Jian-Wei; Wang, Lei; Zhang, Guang-Yong; Hu, San-Yuan

    2017-04-28

    Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies worldwide. Increasing evidence has confirmed the pivotal role of stromal components in the regulation of carcinogenesis, invasion, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance in PC. Interaction between neoplastic cells and stromal cells builds a specific microenvironment, which further modulates the malignant properties of cancer cells. Instead of being a "passive bystander", stroma may play a role as a "partner in crime" in PC. However, the role of stromal components in PC is complex and requires further investigation. In this article, we review recent advances regarding the regulatory roles and mechanisms of stroma biology, especially the cellular components such as pancreatic stellate cells, macrophages, neutrophils, adipocytes, epithelial cells, pericytes, mast cells, and lymphocytes, in PC. Crosstalk between stromal cells and cancer cells is thoroughly investigated. We also review the prognostic value and molecular therapeutic targets of stroma in PC. This review may help us further understand the molecular mechanisms of stromal biology and its role in PC development and therapeutic resistance. Moreover, targeting stroma components may provide new therapeutic strategies for this stubborn disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Cytologic studies on irradiated gestric cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isono, S; Takeda, T; Amakasu, H; Asakawa, H; Yamada, S [Miyagi Prefectural Adult Disease Center, Natori (Japan)

    1981-06-01

    The smears of the biopsy and resected specimens obtained from 74 cases of irradiated gastric cancer were cytologically analyzed for effects of irradiation. Irradiation increased the amount of both necrotic materials and neutrophils in the smears. Cancer cells were decreased in number almost in inverse proportion to irradiation dose. Clusters of cancer cells shrank in size and cells were less stratified after irradiation. Irradiated cytoplasms were swollen, vacuolated and stained abnormally. Irradiation with less than 3,000 rads gave rise to swelling of cytoplasms in almost all cases. Nuclei became enlarged, multiple, pyknotic and/or stained pale after irradiation. Nuclear swelling was more remarkable in cancer cells of differentiated adenocarcinomas.

  6. Mammary Stem Cells and Breast Cancer Stem Cells: Molecular Connections and Clinical Implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Celià-Terrassa, Toni

    2018-05-04

    Cancer arises from subpopulations of transformed cells with high tumor initiation and repopulation ability, known as cancer stem cells (CSCs), which share many similarities with their normal counterparts. In the mammary gland, several studies have shown common molecular regulators between adult mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and breast cancer stem cells (bCSCs). Cell plasticity and self-renewal are essential abilities for MaSCs to maintain tissue homeostasis and regenerate the gland after pregnancy. Intriguingly, these properties are similarly executed in breast cancer stem cells to drive tumor initiation, tumor heterogeneity and recurrence after chemotherapy. In addition, both stem cell phenotypes are strongly influenced by external signals from the microenvironment, immune cells and supportive specific niches. This review focuses on the intrinsic and extrinsic connections of MaSC and bCSCs with clinical implications for breast cancer progression and their possible therapeutic applications.

  7. Hydroxychavicol, a betel leaf component, inhibits prostate cancer through ROS-driven DNA damage and apoptosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gundala, Sushma Reddy; Yang, Chunhua; Mukkavilli, Rao; Paranjpe, Rutugandha; Brahmbhatt, Meera; Pannu, Vaishali; Cheng, Alice; Reid, Michelle D.; Aneja, Ritu

    2015-01-01

    Dietary phytochemicals are excellent ROS-modulating agents and have been shown to effectively enhance ROS levels beyond toxic threshold in cancer cells to ensure their selective killing while leaving normal cells unscathed. Here we demonstrate that hydroxychavicol (HC), extracted and purified from Piper betel leaves, significantly inhibits growth and proliferation via ROS generation in human prostate cancer, PC-3 cells. HC perturbed cell-cycle kinetics and progression, reduced clonogenicity and mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to activation of several pro-apoptotic molecules. In addition, HC treatment elicited a novel autophagic response as evidenced by the appearance of acidic vesicular organelles and increased expression of autophagic markers, LC3-IIb and beclin-1. Interestingly, quenching of ROS with tiron, an antioxidant, offered significant protection against HC-induced inhibition of cell growth and down regulation of caspase-3, suggesting the crucial role of ROS in mediating cell death. The collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential by HC further revealed the link between ROS generation and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Our data showed remarkable inhibition of prostate tumor xenografts by ~72% upon daily oral administration of 150 mg/kg bw HC by quantitative tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. HC was well-tolerated at this dosing level without any observable toxicity. This is the first report to demonstrate the anti-prostate efficacy of HC in vitro and in vivo, which is perhaps attributable to its selective prooxidant activity to eliminate cancer cells thus providing compelling grounds for future preclinical studies to validate its potential usefulness for prostate cancer management. PMID:25064160

  8. Plasma-activated medium (PAM) kills human cancer-initiating cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Jun-Ichiro; Tanaka, Hiromasa; Ishikawa, Kenji; Sakakita, Hajime; Ikehara, Yuzuru; Hori, Masaru

    2018-01-01

    Medical non-thermal plasma (NTP) treatments for various types of cancers have been reported. Cells with tumorigenic potential (cancer-initiating cells; CICs) are few in number in many types of tumors. CICs efficiently eliminate anti-cancer chemicals and exhibit high-level aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity. We previously examined the effects of direct irradiation via NTP on cancer cells; even though we targeted CICs expressing high levels of ALDH, such treatment affected both non-CICs and CICs. Recent studies have shown that plasma-activated medium (PAM) (culture medium irradiated by NTP) selectively induces apoptotic death of cancer but not normal cells. Therefore, we explored the anti-cancer effects of PAM on CICs among endometrioid carcinoma and gastric cancer cells. PAM reduced the viability of cells expressing both low and high levels of ALDH. Combined PAM/cisplatin appeared to kill cancer cells more efficiently than did PAM or cisplatin alone. In a mouse tumor xenograft model, PAM exerted an anti-cancer effect on CICs. Thus, our results suggest that PAM effectively kills both non-CICs and CICs, as does NTP. Therefore, PAM may be a useful new anti-cancer therapy, targeting various cancer cells including CICs. © 2017 Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  9. c-Myc-Dependent Cell Competition in Human Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Manish S; Shah, Heta S; Shrivastava, Neeta

    2017-07-01

    Cell Competition is an interaction between cells for existence in heterogeneous cell populations of multicellular organisms. This phenomenon is involved in initiation and progression of cancer where heterogeneous cell populations compete directly or indirectly for the survival of the fittest based on differential gene expression. In Drosophila, cells having lower dMyc expression are eliminated by cell competition through apoptosis when present in the milieu of cells having higher dMyc expression. Thus, we designed a study to develop c-Myc (human homolog) dependent in vitro cell competition model of human cancer cells. Cells with higher c-Myc were transfected with c-myc shRNA to prepare cells with lower c-Myc and then co-cultured with the same type of cells having a higher c-Myc in equal ratio. Cells with lower c-Myc showed a significant decrease in numbers when compared with higher c-Myc cells, suggesting "loser" and "winner" status of cells, respectively. During microscopy, engulfment of loser cells by winner cells was observed with higher expression of JNK in loser cells. Furthermore, elimination of loser cells was prevented significantly, when co-cultured cells were treated with the JNK (apoptosis) inhibitor. Above results indicate elimination of loser cells in the presence of winner cells by c-Myc-dependent mechanisms of cell competition in human cancer cells. This could be an important mechanism in human tumors where normal cells are eliminated by c-Myc-overexpressed tumor cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1782-1791, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Cell volume regulation in epithelial physiology and cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Stine Helene Falsig; Hoffmann, Else Kay; Novak, Ivana

    2013-01-01

    expression of ion transporters and channels is now recognized as one of the hallmarks of cancer, it is timely to consider this especially for epithelia. Epithelial cells are highly proliferative and epithelial cancers, carcinomas, account for about 90% of all cancers. In this review we will focus on ion...... such as cancer, transepithelial and cell volume regulatory ion transport are dys-regulated. Furthermore, epithelial architecture and coordinated ion transport function are lost, cell survival/death balance is altered, and new interactions with the stroma arise, all contributing to drug resistance. Since altered...... transporters and channels with key physiological functions in epithelia and known roles in the development of cancer in these tissues. Their roles in cell survival, cell cycle progression, and development of drug resistance in epithelial cancers will be discussed....

  11. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells Expressing CD44 Are Enriched for Stem Cell-Like Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leung, Elaine Lai-Han; Fiscus, Ronald R.; Tung, James W.; Tin, Vicky Pui-Chi; Cheng, Lik Cheung; Sihoe, Alan Dart-Loon; Fink, Louis M.; Ma, Yupo; Wong, Maria Pik

    2010-01-01

    Background The cancer stem cell theory hypothesizes that cancers are perpetuated by cancer stem cells (CSC) or tumor initiating cells (TIC) possessing self-renewal and other stem cell-like properties while differentiated non-stem/initiating cells have a finite life span. To investigate whether the hypothesis is applicable to lung cancer, identification of lung CSC and demonstration of these capacities is essential. Methodology/Principal Finding The expression profiles of five stem cell markers (CD34, CD44, CD133, BMI1 and OCT4) were screened by flow cytometry in 10 lung cancer cell lines. CD44 was further investigated by testing for in vitro and in vivo tumorigenecity. Formation of spheroid bodies and in vivo tumor initiation ability were demonstrated in CD44+ cells of 4 cell lines. Serial in vivo tumor transplantability in nude mice was demonstrated using H1299 cell line. The primary xenografts initiated from CD44+ cells consisted of mixed CD44+ and CD44− cells in similar ratio as the parental H1299 cell line, supporting in vivo differentiation. Semi-quantitative Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) showed that both freshly sorted CD44+ and CD44+ cells derived from CD44+-initiated tumors expressed the pluripotency genes OCT4/POU5F1, NANOG, SOX2. These stemness markers were not expressed by CD44− cells. Furthermore, freshly sorted CD44+ cells were more resistant to cisplatin treatment with lower apoptosis levels than CD44− cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of 141 resected non-small cell lung cancers showed tumor cell expression of CD44 in 50.4% of tumors while no CD34, and CD133 expression was observed in tumor cells. CD44 expression was associated with squamous cell carcinoma but unexpectedly, a longer survival was observed in CD44-expressing adenocarcinomas. Conclusion/Significance Overall, our results demonstrated that stem cell-like properties are enriched in CD44-expressing subpopulations of some lung cancer cell lines. Further investigation is required to clarify

  12. T cell recognition of breast cancer antigens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Nadia Viborg; Andersen, Sofie Ramskov; Andersen, Rikke Sick

    Recent studies are encouraging research of breast cancer immunogenicity to evaluate the applicability ofimmunotherapy as a treatment strategy. The epitope landscape in breast cancer is minimally described, thus it is necessary to identify T cell targets to develop immune mediated therapies.......This project investigates four proteins commonly upregulated in breast cancer and thus probable tumor associated antigens (TAAs). Aromatase, prolactin, NEK3, and PIAS3 contribute to increase growth, survival, and motility of malignant cells. Aspiring to uncover novel epitopes for cytotoxic T cells, a reverse...... recognition utilizing DNA barcode labeled MHC multimers to screen peripheral blood lymphocytes from breast cancer patients and healthy donor samples. Signif-icantly more TAA specific T cell responses were detected in breast cancer patients than healthy donors for both HLA-A*0201 (P

  13. Arsenic trioxide inhibits cell proliferation and human papillomavirus oncogene expression in cervical cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Hongtao; Gao, Peng; Zheng, Jie

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • As 2 O 3 inhibits growth of cervical cancer cells and expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. • HPV-negative cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. • HPV-18 positive cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV-16 positive cancer cells. • Down-regulation of HPV oncogenes by As 2 O 3 is partially due to the diminished AP-1 binding. - Abstract: Arsenic trioxide (As 2 O 3 ) has shown therapeutic effects in some leukemias and solid cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer efficacy have not been clearly elucidated, particularly in solid cancers. Our previous data showed that As 2 O 3 induced apoptosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA-immortalized human cervical epithelial cells and cervical cancer cells and inhibited the expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. In the present study, we systemically examined the effects of As 2 O 3 on five human cervical cancer cell lines and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. MTT assay showed that HPV-negative C33A cells were more sensitive to growth inhibition induced by As 2 O 3 than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells, and HPV 18-positive HeLa and C4-I cells were more sensitive to As 2 O 3 than HPV 16-positive CaSki and SiHa cells. After As 2 O 3 treatment, both mRNA and protein levels of HPV E6 and E7 obviously decreased in all HPV positive cell lines. In contrast, p53 and Rb protein levels increased in all tested cell lines. Transcription factor AP-1 protein expression decreased significantly in HeLa, CaSki and C33A cells with ELISA method. These results suggest that As 2 O 3 is a potential anticancer drug for cervical cancer

  14. Arsenic trioxide inhibits cell proliferation and human papillomavirus oncogene expression in cervical cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Hongtao [Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China); Gao, Peng [Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 (United States); Zheng, Jie, E-mail: jiezheng54@126.com [Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009 (China)

    2014-09-05

    Highlights: • As{sub 2}O{sub 3} inhibits growth of cervical cancer cells and expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. • HPV-negative cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells. • HPV-18 positive cervical cancer cells are more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-16 positive cancer cells. • Down-regulation of HPV oncogenes by As{sub 2}O{sub 3} is partially due to the diminished AP-1 binding. - Abstract: Arsenic trioxide (As{sub 2}O{sub 3}) has shown therapeutic effects in some leukemias and solid cancers. However, the molecular mechanisms of its anticancer efficacy have not been clearly elucidated, particularly in solid cancers. Our previous data showed that As{sub 2}O{sub 3} induced apoptosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 DNA-immortalized human cervical epithelial cells and cervical cancer cells and inhibited the expression of HPV oncogenes in these cells. In the present study, we systemically examined the effects of As{sub 2}O{sub 3} on five human cervical cancer cell lines and explored the possible molecular mechanisms. MTT assay showed that HPV-negative C33A cells were more sensitive to growth inhibition induced by As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV-positive cervical cancer cells, and HPV 18-positive HeLa and C4-I cells were more sensitive to As{sub 2}O{sub 3} than HPV 16-positive CaSki and SiHa cells. After As{sub 2}O{sub 3} treatment, both mRNA and protein levels of HPV E6 and E7 obviously decreased in all HPV positive cell lines. In contrast, p53 and Rb protein levels increased in all tested cell lines. Transcription factor AP-1 protein expression decreased significantly in HeLa, CaSki and C33A cells with ELISA method. These results suggest that As{sub 2}O{sub 3} is a potential anticancer drug for cervical cancer.

  15. Stages of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Common Cancer Types Recurrent Cancer Common Cancer Types Bladder Cancer Breast Cancer Colorectal Cancer Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer ... certain genes, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene or the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) ...

  16. The CEA−/lo colorectal cancer cell population harbors cancer stem cells and metastatic cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Bo; Mu, Lei; Huang, Kaiyu; Zhao, Hui; Ma, Chensen; Li, Xiaolan; Tao, Deding; Gong, Jianping; Qin, Jichao

    2016-01-01

    Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is the most commonly used tumor marker in a variety of cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC) for tumor diagnosis and monitoring. Recent studies have shown that colonic crypt cells expressing little or no CEA may enrich for stem cells. Numerous studies have clearly shown that there exist CRC patients with normal serum CEA levels during tumor progression or even tumor relapse, although CEA itself is considered to promote metastasis and block cell differentiation. These seemingly contradictory observations prompted us to investigate, herein, the biological properties as well as tumorigenic and metastatic capacity of CRC cells that express high (CEA+) versus low CEA (CEA−/lo) levels of CEA. Our findings show that the abundance of CEA−/lo cells correlate with poor differentiation and poor prognosis, and moreover, CEA−/lo cells form more spheres in vitro, generate more tumors and exhibit a higher potential in developing liver and lung metastases than corresponding CEA+ cells. Applying RNAi-mediated approach, we found that IGF1R mediated tumorigenic and capacity of CEA−/lo cells but did not mediate those of CEA+ cells. Notably, our data demonstrated that CEA molecule was capable of protecting CEA−/lo cells from anoikis, implying that CEA+ cells, although themselves possessing less tumorigenic and metastatic capacity, may promote metastasis of CEA−/lo cells via secreting CEA molecule. Our observations suggest that, besides targeting CEA molecule, CEA−/lo cells may represent a critical source of tumor progression and metastasis, and should therefore be the target of future therapies. PMID:27813496

  17. Prostate Cancer Stem-Like Cells | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death among men, killing an estimated 27,000 men each year in the United States. Men with advanced prostate cancer often become resistant to conventional therapies. Many researchers speculate that the emergence of resistance is due to the presence of cancer stem cells, which are believed to be a small subpopulation

  18. Treatment of stage III non-small cell lung cancer and limited-disease small-cell lung cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    El Sharouni, S.Y.

    2009-01-01

    This thesis concerns the treatment of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and limited disease small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). We described a systematic review on the clinical results of radiotherapy, combined or not with chemotherapy, for inoperable NSCLC stage III with the aim to define the

  19. In vivo bioluminescence imaging for leptomeningeal dissemination of medulloblastoma in mouse models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Seung Ah; Kwak, Pil Ae; Kim, Seung-Ki; Park, Sung-Hye; Lee, Ji Yeoun; Wang, Kyu-Chang; Oh, Hyun Jeong; Kim, Kyuwan; Lee, Dong Soo; Hwang, Do Won; Phi, Ji Hoon

    2016-01-01

    The primary cause of treatment failure in medulloblastomas (MB) is the development of leptomeningeal dissemination (seeding). For translational research on MB seeding, one of the major challenges is the development of reliable experimental models that simulate the seeding and growth characteristics of MBs. To overcome this obstacle, we improved an experimental mouse model by intracisternal inoculation of human MB cells and monitoring with in vivo live images. Human MB cells (UW426, D283 and MED8A) were transfected with a firefly luciferase gene and a Thy1.1 (CD90.1) marker linked with IRES under the control of the CMV promoter in a retroviral DNA backbone (effLuc). The MB-effLuc cells were injected into the cisterna magna using an intrathecal catheter, and bioluminescence images were captured. We performed histopathological analysis to confirm the extent of tumor seeding. The luciferase activity of MB-effLuc cells displayed a gradually increasing pattern, which correlated with a quantitative luminometric assay. Live imaging showed that the MB-effLuc cells were diffusely distributed in the cervical spinal cord and the lumbosacral area. All mice injected with UW426-effLuc, D283-effLuc and MED8A-effLuc died within 51 days. The median survival was 22, 41 and 12 days after injection of 1.2 × 10 6 UW426-effLuc, D283-effLuc and MED8A-effLuc cells, respectively. The histopathological studies revealed that the MB-effLuc cells spread extensively and diffusely along the leptomeninges of the brain and spinal cord, forming tumor cell-coated layers. The tumor cells in the subarachnoid space expressed a human nuclei marker and Ki-67. Compared with the intracerebellar injection method in which the subfrontal area and distal spinal cord were spared by tumor cell seeding in some mice, the intracisternal injection model more closely resembled the widespread leptomeningeal seeding observed in MB patients. The results and described method are valuable resources for further

  20. Kaempferia parviflora Extract Exhibits Anti-cancer Activity against HeLa Cervical Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Potikanond, Saranyapin; Sookkhee, Siriwoot; Na Takuathung, Mingkwan; Mungkornasawakul, Pitchaya; Wikan, Nitwara; Smith, Duncan R; Nimlamool, Wutigri

    2017-01-01

    Kaempferia parviflora (KP) has been traditionally used as a folk remedy to treat several diseases including cancer, and several studies have reported cytotoxic activities of extracts of KP against a number of different cancer cell lines. However, many aspects of the molecular mechanism of action of KP remain unclear. In particular, the ability of KP to regulate cancer cell growth and survival signaling is still largely unexplored. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of KP on cell viability, cell migration, cell invasion, cell apoptosis, and on signaling pathways related to growth and survival of cervical cancer cells, HeLa. We discovered that KP reduced HeLa cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner. The potent cytotoxicity of KP against HeLa cells was associated with a dose-dependent induction of apoptotic cell death as determined by flow cytometry and observation of nuclear fragmentation. Moreover, KP-induced cell apoptosis was likely to be mediated through the intrinsic apoptosis pathway since caspase 9 and caspase 7, but not BID, were shown to be activated after KP exposure. Based on the observation that KP induced apoptosis in HeLa cell, we further investigated the effects of KP at non-cytotoxic concentrations on suppressing signal transduction pathways relevant to cell growth and survival. We found that KP suppressed the MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in cells activated with EGF, as observed by a significant decrease in phosphorylation of ERK1/2, Elk1, PI3K, and AKT. The data suggest that KP interferes with the growth and survival of HeLa cells. Consistent with the inhibitory effect on EGF-stimulated signaling, KP potently suppressed the migration of HeLa cells. Concomitantly, KP was demonstrated to markedly inhibit HeLa cell invasion. The ability of KP in suppressing the migration and invasion of HeLa cells was associated with the suppression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 production. These data strongly suggest that KP may slow

  1. Cancer Stem Cells – New Approach to Cancerogenensis and Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuzana Mačingová

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently, there is an increasing evidence supporting the theory of cancer stem cells not only in leukemia but also in solid cancer. To date, the existence of cancer stem cells has been proven in acute and chronic myeloid leukemia, in breast cancer, in brain tumors, in lung cancer and gastrointestinal tumors. This review is focusing on the recent discovery of stem cells in leukemia, human brain tumors and breast cancer. A small population of cells in the tumor (less than 1 % shows the potential to give rise to the tumor and its growth. These cells have a substantial characteristic of stem cells – ability for self-renewal without loss of proliferation capacity with each cell division. Furthermore they are immortal, rather resistant to treatment and express typical markers of stem cells. The origin of these resident cancer stem cells is not clear. Whether the cancer stem cells originate from normal stem cells in consequence of genetic and epigenetic changes and/or redifferentiation from somatic tumor cells to the stem-like cells remains to be investigated. We propose the idea of the relation between normal tissue stem cells and cancer stem cells and their populations – progenitor cells. Based on this we highlight one of the major characteristic of stem cell – plasticity, which is equally important in the physiological regeneration process as well as carcinogenesis. Furthermore, we consider the microenvironment as a limiting factor for tumor genesis in AML, breast cancer and brain tumors. Thus the biological properties of cancer stem cells are just beginning to be revealed, the continuation of these studies should lead to the development of cancer stem cells target therapies for cancer treatment.

  2. Cancer cell metastasis; perspectives from the focal adhesion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lefteris C Zacharia

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available In almost all cancers, most patients die from metastatic disease and not from the actual primary tumor. That is why addressing the problem of metastasis is of utmost importance for the successful treatment and improved survival of cancer patients. Metastasis is a complex process that ultimately leads to cancer cells spreading from the tumor to distant sites of the body. During this process, cancer cells tend to lose contact with the extracellular matrix (ECM and neighboring cells within the primary tumor, and are thus able to invade surrounding tissues. Hence, ECM, and the ECM-associated adhesion proteins play a critical role in the metastatic process. This review will focus on recent literature regarding interesting and novel molecules at the cell-ECM adhesion sites, namely migfilin, mitogen-inducible gene-2 (Mig-2 and Ras suppressor-1 (RSU-1, that are also critically involved in cancer cell metastasis, emphasizing on data from experiments performed in vitro in breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines as well as human breast cancer tissue samples.

  3. Reprogramming to developmental plasticity in cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Brien-Ball, Caitlin; Biddle, Adrian

    2017-10-15

    During development and throughout adult life, sub-populations of cells exist that exhibit phenotypic plasticity - the ability to differentiate into multiple lineages. This behaviour is important in embryogenesis, is exhibited in a more limited context by adult stem cells, and can be re-activated in cancer cells to drive important processes underlying tumour progression. A well-studied mechanism of phenotypic plasticity is the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process which has been observed in both normal and cancerous cells. The epigenetic and metabolic modifications necessary to facilitate phenotypic plasticity are first seen in development and can be re-activated both in normal regeneration and in cancer. In cancer, the re-activation of these mechanisms enables tumour cells to acquire a cancer stem cell (CSC) phenotype with enhanced ability to survive in hostile environments, resist therapeutic interventions, and undergo metastasis. However, recent research has suggested that plasticity may also expose weaknesses in cancer cells that could be exploited for future therapeutic development. More research is needed to identify developmental mechanisms that are active in cancer, so that these may be targeted to reduce tumour growth and metastasis and overcome therapeutic resistance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Cancer stem cells in solid tumors: elusive or illusive?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lehrach Hans R

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract During the past years in vivo transplantation experiments and in vitro colony-forming assays indicated that tumors arise only from rare cells. These cells were shown to bear self-renewal capacities and the ability to recapitulate all cell types within an individual tumor. Due to their phenotypic resemblance to normal stem cells, the term "cancer stem cells" is used. However, some pieces of the puzzle are missing: (a a stringent definition of cancer stem cells in solid tumors (b specific markers that only target cells that meet the criteria for a cancer stem cell in a certain type of tumor. These missing parts started an ongoing debate about which is the best method to identify and characterize cancer stem cells, or even if their mere existence is just an artifact caused by the experimental procedures. Recent findings query the cancer stem cell hypothesis for solid tumors itself since it was shown in xenograft transplantation experiments that under appropriate conditions tumor-initiating cells are not rare. In this review we critically discuss the challenges and prospects of the currently used major methods to identify cancer stem cells. Further on, we reflect the present discussion about the existence of cancer stem cells in solid tumors as well as the amount and characteristics of tumor-initiating cells and finally provide new perspectives like the correlation of cancer stem cells and induced pluripotent cells.

  5. LGR4 modulates breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and cancer stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yue, Zhiying; Yuan, Zengjin; Zeng, Li; Wang, Ying; Lai, Li; Li, Jing; Sun, Peng; Xue, Xiwen; Qi, Junyi; Yang, Zhengfeng; Zheng, Yansen; Fang, Yuanzhang; Li, Dali; Siwko, Stefan; Li, Yi; Luo, Jian; Liu, Mingyao

    2018-05-01

    The fourth member of the leucine-rich repeat-containing GPCR family (LGR4, frequently referred to as GPR48) and its cognate ligands, R-spondins (RSPOs) play crucial roles in the development of multiple organs as well as the survival of adult stem cells by activation of canonical Wnt signaling. Wnt/β-catenin signaling acts to regulate breast cancer; however, the molecular mechanisms determining its spatiotemporal regulation are largely unknown. In this study, we identified LGR4 as a master controller of Wnt/β-catenin signaling-mediated breast cancer tumorigenesis, metastasis, and cancer stem cell (CSC) maintenance. LGR4 expression in breast tumors correlated with poor prognosis. Either Lgr4 haploinsufficiency or mammary-specific deletion inhibited mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)- PyMT- and MMTV- Wnt1-driven mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis. Moreover, LGR4 down-regulation decreased in vitro migration and in vivo xenograft tumor growth and lung metastasis. Furthermore, Lgr4 deletion in MMTV- Wnt1 tumor cells or knockdown in human breast cancer cells decreased the number of functional CSCs by ∼90%. Canonical Wnt signaling was impaired in LGR4-deficient breast cancer cells, and LGR4 knockdown resulted in increased E-cadherin and decreased expression of N-cadherin and snail transcription factor -2 ( SNAI2) (also called SLUG), implicating LGR4 in regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Our findings support a crucial role of the Wnt signaling component LGR4 in breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and breast CSCs.-Yue, Z., Yuan, Z., Zeng, L., Wang, Y., Lai, L., Li, J., Sun, P., Xue, X., Qi, J., Yang, Z., Zheng, Y., Fang, Y., Li, D., Siwko, S., Li, Y., Luo, J., Liu, M. LGR4 modulates breast cancer initiation, metastasis, and cancer stem cells.

  6. Effect of cell-phone radiofrequency on angiogenesis and cell invasion in human head and neck cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alahmad, Yaman M; Aljaber, Mohammed; Saleh, Alaaeldin I; Yalcin, Huseyin C; Aboulkassim, Tahar; Yasmeen, Amber; Batist, Gerald; Moustafa, Ala-Eddin Al

    2018-05-13

    Today, the cell phone is the most widespread technology globally. However, the outcome of cell-phone radiofrequency on head and neck cancer progression has not yet been explored. The chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and human head and neck cancer cell lines, FaDu and SCC25, were used to explore the outcome of cell-phone radiofrequency on angiogenesis, cell invasion, and colony formation of head and neck cancer cells, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to investigate the impact of the cell phone on the regulation of E-cadherin and Erk1/Erk2 genes. Our data revealed that cell-phone radiofrequency promotes angiogenesis of the CAM. In addition, the cell phone enhances cell invasion and colony formation of human head and neck cancer cells; this is accompanied by a downregulation of E-cadherin expression. More significantly, we found that the cell phone can activate Erk1/Erk2 in our experimental models. Our investigation reveals that cell-phone radiofrequency could enhance head and neck cancer by stimulating angiogenesis and cell invasion via Erk1/Erk2 activation. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Polymer–lipid hybrid anti-HER2 nanoparticles for targeted salinomycin delivery to HER2-positive breast cancer stem cells and cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li J

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Jun Li,1,* Wenqing Xu,2,* Xiaoli Yuan,3,* Huaiwen Chen,3 Hao Song,1,4 Bingquan Wang,5 Jun Han5 1College of Pharmacy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, 2Railway Police College, Zhengzhou, 3Department of Cadre Health Care, Nanjing General Hospital of Nanjing Military Command, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 4Centre for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, 5Institute of Biopharmaceutical Research, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, Shandong, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Breast cancer stem cells (CSCs are responsible for the initiation, recurrence, and metastasis of breast cancer. Sufficient evidence has established that breast cancer cells can spontaneously turn into breast CSCs. Thus, it is essential to simultaneously target breast CSCs and cancer cells to maximize the efficacy of breast cancer therapy. HER2 has been found to be overexpressed in both breast CSCs and cancer cells. We developed salinomycin-loaded polymer–lipid hybrid anti-HER2 nanoparticles (Sali-NP-HER2 to target both HER2-positive breast CSCs and cancer cells.Methods: The antitumor activity of Sali-NP-HER2 constructed by conjugating anti-HER2 antibodies to polymer–lipid salinomycin nanoparticles was evaluated in vitro and in vivo.Results: Sali-NP-HER2 efficiently bound to HER2-positive breast CSCs and cancer cells, resulting in enhanced cytotoxic effects compared with non-targeted nanoparticles or salinomycin. In mice bearing breast cancer xenografts, administration of Sali-NP-HER2 exhibited superior efficacy in inhibiting tumor growth. Sali-NP-HER2 reduced the breast tumorsphere formation rate and the proportion of breast CSCs more effectively than non-targeted nanoparticles or salinomycin alone.Conclusion: Sali-NP-HER2 represents a promising approach in treating HER2-positive breast cancer by targeting both breast CSCs and cancer cells. Keywords: nanoparticles, breast cancer, cancer stem cells, salinomycin, HER2

  8. Dynamic mapping of genes controlling cancer stem cell proliferation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhong eWang

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The growing evidence that cancer originates from stem cells holds a great promise to eliminate this disease by designing specific drug therapies for removing cancer stem cells. Translation of this knowledge into predictive tests for the clinic is hampered due to the lack of methods to discriminate cancer stem cells from non-cancer stem cells. Here, we address this issue by describing a conceptual strategy for identifying the genetic origins of cancer stem cells. The strategy incorporates a high-dimensional group of differential equations that characterizes the proliferation, differentiation, and reprogramming of cancer stem cells in a dynamic cellular and molecular system. The deployment of robust mathematical models will help uncover and explain many still unknown aspects of cell behavior, tissue function, and network organization related to the formation and division of cancer stem cells. The statistical method developed allows biologically meaningful hypotheses about the genetic control mechanisms of carcinogenesis and metastasis to be tested in a quantitative manner.

  9. Glioma-Associated Oncogene Homolog Inhibitors Have the Potential of Suppressing Cancer Stem Cells of Breast Cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeng, Kuo-Shyang; Jeng, Chi-Juei; Sheen, I-Shyan; Wu, Szu-Hua; Lu, Ssu-Jung; Wang, Chih-Hsuan; Chang, Chiung-Fang

    2018-05-05

    Overexpression of Sonic Hedgehog signaling (Shh) pathway molecules is associated with invasiveness and recurrence in breast carcinoma. Therefore, inhibition of the Shh pathway downstream molecule Glioma-associated Oncogene Homolog (Gli) was investigated for its ability to reduce progression and invasiveness of patient-derived breast cancer cells and cell lines. Human primary breast cancer T2 cells with high expression of Shh signaling pathway molecules were compared with breast cancer line MDA-MB-231 cells. The therapeutic effects of Gli inhibitors were examined in terms of the cell proliferation, apoptosis, cancer stem cells, cell migration and gene expression. Blockade of the Shh signaling pathway could reduce cell proliferation and migration only in MDA-MB-231 cells. Hh pathway inhibitor-1 (HPI-1) increased the percentages of late apoptotic cells in MDA-MB-231 cells and early apoptotic cells in T2 cells. It reduced Bcl2 expression for cell proliferation and increased Bim expression for apoptosis. In addition, Gli inhibitor HPI-1 decreased significantly the percentages of cancer stem cells in T2 cells. HPI-1 worked more effectively than GANT-58 against breast carcinoma cells. In conclusion, HPI-1 could inhibit cell proliferation, reduce cell invasion and decrease cancer stem cell population in breast cancer cells. To target Gli-1 could be a potential strategy to suppress breast cancer stem cells.

  10. Paeoniflorin inhibits cell growth and induces cell cycle arrest through inhibition of FoxM1 in colorectal cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yue, Meng; Li, Shiquan; Yan, Guoqiang; Li, Chenyao; Kang, Zhenhua

    2018-01-01

    Paeoniflorin (PF) exhibits tumor suppressive functions in a variety of human cancers. However, the function of PF and molecular mechanism in colorectal cancer are elusive. In the present study, we investigated whether PF could exert its antiproliferative activity, anti-migration, and anti-invasive function in colorectal cancer cells. We found that PF inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis and blocked cell cycle progression in the G0/G1 phase in colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, we found that PF suppressed cell migration and invasion in colorectal cancer cells. FoxM1 has been reported to play an important oncogenic role in human cancers. We also determine whether PF inhibited the expression of FoxM1, leading to its anti-cancer activity. We found that PF treatment in colorectal cancer cells resulted in down-regulation of FoxM1. The rescue experiments showed that overexpression of FoxM1 abrogated the tumor suppressive function induced by PF treatment. Notably, depletion of FoxM1 promoted the anti-tumor activity of PF in colorectal cancer cells. Therefore, inhibition of FoxM1 could participate in the anti-tumor activity of PF in colorectal cancer cells.

  11. A mathematical model of cancer cells with phenotypic plasticity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Da Zhou

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells is recently becoming a cutting-edge research area in cancer, which challenges the cellular hierarchy proposed by the conventional cancer stem cell theory. In this study, we establish a mathematical model for describing the phenotypic plasticity of cancer cells, based on which we try to find some salient features that can characterize the dynamic behavior of the phenotypic plasticity especially in comparison to the hierarchical model of cancer cells. Methods: We model cancer as population dynamics composed of different phenotypes of cancer cells. In this model, not only can cancer cells divide (symmetrically and asymmetrically and die, but they can also convert into other cellular phenotypes. According to the Law of Mass Action, the cellular processes can be captured by a system of ordinary differential equations (ODEs. On one hand, we can analyze the long-term stability of the model by applying qualitative method of ODEs. On the other hand, we are also concerned about the short-term behavior of the model by studying its transient dynamics. Meanwhile, we validate our model to the cell-state dynamics in published experimental data.Results: Our results show that the phenotypic plasticity plays important roles in both stabilizing the distribution of different phenotypic mixture and maintaining the cancer stem cells proportion. In particular, the phenotypic plasticity model shows decided advantages over the hierarchical model in predicting the phenotypic equilibrium and cancer stem cells’ overshoot reported in previous biological experiments in cancer cell lines.Conclusion: Since the validity of the phenotypic plasticity paradigm and the conventional cancer stem cell theory is still debated in experimental biology, it is worthy of theoretically searching for good indicators to distinguish the two models through quantitative methods. According to our study, the phenotypic equilibrium and overshoot

  12. Contributions of 3D Cell Cultures for Cancer Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravi, Maddaly; Ramesh, Aarthi; Pattabhi, Aishwarya

    2017-10-01

    Cancer cell lines have contributed immensely in understanding the complex physiology of cancers. They are excellent material for studies as they offer homogenous samples without individual variations and can be utilised with ease and flexibility. Also, the number of assays and end-points one can study is almost limitless; with the advantage of improvising, modifying or altering several variables and methods. Literally, a new dimension to cancer research has been achieved by the advent of 3Dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques. This approach increased many folds the ways in which cancer cell lines can be utilised for understanding complex cancer biology. 3D cell culture techniques are now the preferred way of using cancer cell lines to bridge the gap between the 'absolute in vitro' and 'true in vivo'. The aspects of cancer biology that 3D cell culture systems have contributed include morphology, microenvironment, gene and protein expression, invasion/migration/metastasis, angiogenesis, tumour metabolism and drug discovery, testing chemotherapeutic agents, adaptive responses and cancer stem cells. We present here, a comprehensive review on the applications of 3D cell culture systems for these aspects of cancers. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2679-2697, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Cell injury, retrodifferentiation and the cancer treatment paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uriel, José

    2015-09-01

    This "opinion article" is an attempt to take an overview of some significant changes that have happened in our understanding of cancer status during the last half century and its evolution under the progressive influence of molecular biology. As an active worker in cancer research and developmental biology during most of this period, I would like to comment briefly on these changes and to give my critical appreciation of their outcome as it affects our knowledge of cancer development as well as the current treatment of the disease. A recall of my own contribution to the subject is also included. Two subjects are particularly developed: cell injury and cell-killing therapies. Cell injury, whatever its origin, has acquired the status of a pivotal event for the initiation of cancer emergence. It is postulated that cell injury, a potential case of cellular death, may also be the origin of a process of stepwise cell reversion (retrodifferentiation or retroprogrammation) leading, by division, mature or stem cells to progressive immaturity. The genetic instability and mutational changes that accompanies this process of cell injury and rejuvenation put normal cells in a status favourable to neoplastic transformation or may evolve cancer cells toward clones with higher malignant potentiality. Thus, cell injury suggests lifestyle as the major upstream initiator of cancer development although this not exclude randomness as an unavoidable contributor to the disease. Cell-killing agents (mainly cytotoxic drugs and radiotherapy) are currently used to treat cancer. At the same time, it is agreed that agents with high cell injury potential (ultraviolet light, ionising radiations, tobacco, environmental pollutants, etc.) contribute to the emergence of malignant tumours. This represents a real paradox. In spite of the progress accomplished in cancer survival, one is tempted to suggest that we have very few chances of really cure cancer as long as we continue to treat malignancies

  14. Long term imaging of living brain cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farias, Patricia M. A.; Galembeck, André; Milani, Raquel; Andrade, Arnaldo C. D. S.; Stingl, Andreas

    2018-02-01

    QDs synthesized in aqueous medium and functionalized with polyethylene glycol were used as fluorescent probes. They label and monitor living healthy and cancer brain glial cells in culture. Physical-chemical characterization was performed. Toxicological studies were performed by in vivo short and long-term inhalation in animal models. Healthy and cancer glial living cells were incubated in culture media with highly controlled QDs. Specific features of glial cancer cells were enhanced by QD labelling. Cytoplasmic labelling pattern was clearly distinct for healthy and cancer cells. Labelled cells kept their normal activity for same period as non-labelled control samples.

  15. Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Therapeutic Strategies in Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroshi Katoh

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Development of solid cancer depends on escape from host immunosurveillance. Various types of immune cells contribute to tumor-induced immune suppression, including tumor associated macrophages, regulatory T cells, type 2 NKT cells, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs. Growing body of evidences shows that MDSCs play pivotal roles among these immunosuppressive cells in multiple steps of cancer progression. MDSCs are immature myeloid cells that arise from myeloid progenitor cells and comprise a heterogeneous immune cell population. MDSCs are characterized by the ability to suppress both adaptive and innate immunities mainly through direct inhibition of the cytotoxic functions of T cells and NK cells. In clinical settings, the number of circulating MDSCs is associated with clinical stages and response to treatment in several cancers. Moreover, MDSCs are reported to contribute to chemoresistant phenotype. Collectively, targeting MDSCs could potentially provide a rationale for novel treatment strategies in cancer. This review summarizes recent understandings of MDSCs in cancer and discusses promissing clinical approaches in cancer patients.

  16. Advancing Molecular Therapies through In Vivo Bioluminescent Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anton McCaffrey

    2003-04-01

    Full Text Available Effective development of therapeutics that target the molecular basis of disease is dependent on testing new therapeutic moieties and delivery strategies in animal models of human disease. Accelerating the analyses of these models and improving their predictive value through whole animal imaging methods, which provide data in real time and are sensitive to the subtle changes, are crucial for rapid advancement of these approaches. Modalities based on optics are rapid, sensitive, and accessible methods for in vivo analyses with relatively low instrumentation costs. In vivo bioluminescent imaging (BLI is one of these optically based imaging methods that enable rapid in vivo analyses of a variety of cellular and molecular events with extreme sensitivity. BLI is based on the use of light-emitting enzymes as internal biological light sources that can be detected externally as biological indicators. BLI has been used to test spatio-temporal expression patterns of both target and therapeutic genes in living laboratory animals where the contextual influences of whole biological systems are preserved. BLI has also been used to analyze gene delivery, immune cell therapies, and the in vivo efficacy of inhibitory RNAs. New tools for BLI are being developed that will offer greater flexibility in detection and analyses. BLI can be used to accelerate the evaluation of experimental therapeutic strategies and whole body imaging offers the opportunity of revealing the effects of novel approaches on key steps in disease processes.

  17. Biological response of cancer cells to radiation treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rajamanickam eBaskar

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and has the ability to spread or metastasize throughout the body. In recent years, remarkable progress has been made towards the understanding of proposed hallmarks of cancer development, care and treatment modalities. Radiation therapy or radiotherapy is an important and integral component of cancer management, mostly conferring a survival benefit. Radiation therapy destroys cancer by depositing high-energy radiation on the cancer tissues. Over the years, radiation therapy has been driven by constant technological advances and approximately 50% of all patients with localized malignant tumors are treated with radiation at some point in the course of their disease. In radiation oncology, research and development in the last three decades has led to considerable improvement in our understanding of the differential responses of normal and cancer cells. The biological effectiveness of radiation depends on the linear energy transfer (LET, total dose, number of fractions and radiosensitivity of the targeted cells or tissues. Radiation can either directly or indirectly (by producing free radicals damages the genome of the cell. This has been challenged in recent years by a newly identified phenomenon known as radiation induced bystander effect (RIBE. In RIBE, the non-irradiated cells adjacent to or located far from the irradiated cells/tissues demonstrate similar responses to that of the directly irradiated cells. Understanding the cancer cell responses during the fractions or after the course of irradiation will lead to improvements in therapeutic efficacy and potentially, benefitting a significant proportion of cancer patients. In this review, the clinical implications of radiation induced direct and bystander effects on the cancer cell are discussed.

  18. Bone marrow-derived fibrocytes promote stem cell-like properties of lung cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saijo, Atsuro; Goto, Hisatsugu; Nakano, Mayuri; Mitsuhashi, Atsushi; Aono, Yoshinori; Hanibuchi, Masaki; Ogawa, Hirohisa; Uehara, Hisanori; Kondo, Kazuya; Nishioka, Yasuhiko

    2018-05-01

    Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a minor population that have clonal tumor initiation and self-renewal capacity and are responsible for tumor initiation, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. CSCs reside in niches, which are composed of diverse types of stromal cells and extracellular matrix components. These stromal cells regulate CSC-like properties by providing secreted factors or by physical contact. Fibrocytes are differentiated from bone marrow-derived CD14 + monocytes and have features of both macrophages and fibroblasts. Accumulating evidence has suggested that stromal fibrocytes might promote cancer progression. However, the role of fibrocytes in the CSC niches has not been revealed. We herein report that human fibrocytes enhanced the CSC-like properties of lung cancer cells through secreted factors, including osteopontin, CC-chemokine ligand 18, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1. The PIK3K/AKT pathway was critical for fibrocytes to mediate the CSC-like functions of lung cancer cells. In human lung cancer specimens, the number of tumor-infiltrated fibrocytes was correlated with high expression of CSC-associated protein in cancer cells. These results suggest that fibrocytes may be a novel cell population that regulates the CSC-like properties of lung cancer cells in the CSC niches. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  19. Aspirin exerts high anti-cancer activity in PIK3CA-mutant colon cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Mancang; Nishihara, Reiko; Chen, Yang; Li, Wanwan; Shi, Yan; Masugi, Yohei; Hamada, Tsuyoshi; Kosumi, Keisuke; Liu, Li; da Silva, Annacarolina; Nowak, Jonathan A; Twombly, Tyler; Du, Chunxia; Koh, Hideo; Li, Wenbin; Meyerhardt, Jeffrey A; Wolpin, Brian M; Giannakis, Marios; Aguirre, Andrew J; Bass, Adam J; Drew, David A; Chan, Andrew T; Fuchs, Charles S; Qian, Zhi Rong; Ogino, Shuji

    2017-10-20

    Evidence suggests that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) may improve patient survival in PIK3CA -mutant colorectal carcinoma, but not in PIK3CA -wild-type carcinoma. However, whether aspirin directly influences the viability of PIK3CA -mutant colon cancer cells is poorly understood. We conducted in vitro experiments to test our hypothesis that the anti-proliferative activity of aspirin might be stronger for PIK3CA -mutant colon cancer cells than for PIK3CA -wild-type colon cancer cells. We measured the anti-proliferative effect of aspirin at physiologic concentrations in seven PIK3CA -mutant and six PIK3CA -wild-type human colon cancer cell lines. After exposure to aspirin, the apoptotic index and cell cycle phase of colon cancer cells were assessed. In addition, the effect of aspirin was examined in parental SW48 cells and SW48 cell clones with individual knock-in PIK3CA mutations of either c.3140A>G (p.H1047R) or c.1633G>A (p.E545K). Aspirin induced greater dose-dependent loss of cell viability in PIK3CA -mutant cells than in PIK3CA -wild-type cells after treatment for 48 and 72 hours. Aspirin treatment also led to higher proportions of apoptotic cells and G0/G1 phase arrest in PIK3CA -mutant cells than in PIK3CA -wild-type cells. Aspirin treatment of isogenic SW48 cells carrying a PIK3CA mutation, either c.3140A>G (p.H1047R) or c.1633G>A (p. E545K), resulted in a more significant loss of cell viability compared to wild-type controls. Our findings indicate that aspirin causes cell cycle arrest, induces apoptosis, and leads to loss of cell viability more profoundly in PIK3CA -mutated colon cancer cells than in PIK3CA -wild-type colon cancer cells. These findings support the use of aspirin to treat patients with PIK3CA -mutant colon cancer.

  20. Adenosina trifosfato bioluminescência para avaliação da limpeza de superfícies: uma revisão integrativa

    OpenAIRE

    Oliveira, Adriana Cristina de; Viana, Roberta El Hariri

    2014-01-01

    Objetivo: Identificar na literatura indicações e controvérsias do ATP bioluminescência para avaliação da efetividade da limpeza de superfícies em estabelecimentos de saúde. Método: Revisão integrativa da literatura, entre 2000 e 2012, nas bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, Science Direct, SCOPUS e Isi Web of Knowledge. Resultados: Selecionou-se para esta revisão 15 artigos. O ATP bioluminescência foi apontado como importante recurso educacional e método complementar à inspeção visual e às anális...

  1. Stromal-cell and cancer-cell exosomes leading the metastatic exodus for the promised niche

    OpenAIRE

    Hoffman, Robert M

    2013-01-01

    Exosomes are thought to play an important role in metastasis. Luga and colleagues have described the production of exosomes by stromal cells such as cancer-associated fibroblasts that are taken up by breast cancer cells and are then loaded with Wnt 11, which is associated with stimulation of the invasiveness and metastasis of the breast cancer cells. Previous studies have shown that exosomes produced by breast cancer cells are taken up by stromal fibroblasts and other stromal cells, suggestin...

  2. Ship track for Islands in the Stream 2002 - Pharmaceutical Discovery, Vision, and Bioluminescence - Office of Ocean Exploration

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Ship track of the R/V Seward Johnson during the 2002 "Islands in the Stream - Pharmaceutical Discovery, Vision, and Bioluminescence" expedition sponsored by the...

  3. Extracellular Molecules Involved in Cancer Cell Invasion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stivarou, Theodora; Patsavoudi, Evangelia

    2015-01-01

    Nowadays it is perfectly clear that understanding and eradicating cancer cell invasion and metastasis represent the crucial, definitive points in cancer therapeutics. During the last two decades there has been a great interest in the understanding of the extracellular molecular mechanisms involved in cancer cell invasion. In this review, we highlight the findings concerning these processes, focusing in particular on extracellular molecules, including extracellular matrix proteins and their receptors, growth factors and their receptors, matrix metalloproteinases and extracellular chaperones. We report the molecular mechanisms underlying the important contribution of this pool of molecules to the complex, multi-step phenomenon of cancer cell invasion

  4. DDX4 (DEAD box polypeptide 4) colocalizes with cancer stem cell marker CD133 in ovarian cancers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ki Hyung; Kang, Yun-Jeong; Jo, Jin-Ok; Ock, Mee Sun; Moon, Soo Hyun; Suh, Dong Soo; Yoon, Man Soo; Park, Eun-Sil; Jeong, Namkung; Eo, Wan-Kyu; Kim, Heung Yeol; Cha, Hee-Jae

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Germ cell marker DDX4 was significantly increased in ovarian cancer. • Ovarian cancer stem cell marker CD133 was significantly increased in ovarian cancer. • DDX4 and CD133 were mostly colocalized in various types of ovarian cancer tissues. • CD133 positive ovarian cancer cells also express DDX4 whereas CD133-negative cells did not possess DDX4. • Germ cell marker DDX4 has the potential of ovarian cancer stem cell marker. - Abstract: DDX4 (DEAD box polypeptide 4), characterized by the conserved motif Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp (DEAD), is an RNA helicase which is implicated in various cellular processes involving the alteration of RNA secondary structure, such as translation initiation, nuclear and mitochondrial splicing, and ribosome and spliceosome assembly. DDX4 is known to be a germ cell-specific protein and is used as a sorting marker of germline stem cells for the production of oocytes. A recent report about DDX4 in ovarian cancer showed that DDX4 is overexpressed in epithelial ovarian cancer and disrupts a DNA damage-induced G2 checkpoint. We investigated the relationship between DDX4 and ovarian cancer stem cells by analyzing the expression patterns of DDX4 and the cancer stem cell marker CD133 in ovarian cancers via tissue microarray. Both DDX4 and CD133 were significantly increased in ovarian cancer compared to benign tumors, and showed similar patterns of expression. In addition, DDX4 and CD133 were mostly colocalized in various types of ovarian cancer tissues. Furthermore, almost all CD133 positive ovarian cancer cells also express DDX4 whereas CD133-negative cells did not possess DDX4, suggesting a strong possibility that DDX4 plays an important role in cancer stem cells, and/or can be used as an ovarian cancer stem cell marker

  5. Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, Luis; Chisholm, Rebecca; Clairambault, Jean; Escargueil, Alexandre; Lorenzi, Tommaso; Lorz, Alexander; Trélat, Emmanuel

    2016-01-01

    Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations, be it of genetic, epigenetic or stochastic origin, has been identified as a main source of resistance to drug treatments and a major source of therapeutic failures in cancers. The molecular mechanisms of drug resistance are partly understood at the single cell level (e.g., overexpression of ABC transporters or of detoxication enzymes), but poorly predictable in tumours, where they are hypothesised to rely on heterogeneity at the cell population scale, which is thus the right level to describe cancer growth and optimise its control by therapeutic strategies in the clinic. We review a few results from the biological literature on the subject, and from mathematical models that have been published to predict and control evolution towards drug resistance in cancer cell populations. We propose, based on the latter, optimisation strategies of combined treatments to limit emergence of drug resistance to cytotoxic drugs in cancer cell populations, in the monoclonal situation, which limited as it is still retains consistent features of cell population heterogeneity. The polyclonal situation, that may be understood as “bet hedging” of the tumour, thus protecting itself from different sources of drug insults, may lie beyond such strategies and will need further developments. In the monoclonal situation, we have designed an optimised therapeutic strategy relying on a scheduled combination of cytotoxic and cytostatic treatments that can be adapted to different situations of cancer treatments. Finally, we review arguments for biological theoretical frameworks proposed at different time and development scales, the so-called atavistic model (diachronic view relying on Darwinian genotype selection in the coursof billions of years) and the Waddington-like epigenetic landscape endowed with evolutionary quasi-potential (synchronic view relying on Lamarckian phenotype instruction of a given genome by reversible mechanisms), to

  6. Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Almeida, Luis [CNRS UMR 7598, LJLL, & INRIA MAMBA team, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Boîte courrier 187, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France, luis@ann.jussieu.fr (France); Chisholm, Rebecca [School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, rebecca.chisholm@gmail.com (Australia); Clairambault, Jean [INRIA MAMBA team & LJLL, UMR 7598, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Boîte courrier 187, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France, jean.clairambault@inria.fr, Corresponding author (France); Escargueil, Alexandre [INSERM “Cancer Biology and Therapeutics”, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR-S 938, CDR St Antoine, Hôpital St Antoine, 184 Fbg. St Antoine, 75571 Paris cedex 12, France, alexandre.escargueil@upmc.fr (France); Lorenzi, Tommaso [CMLA, ENS Cachan, 61, Av. du Président Wilson, 94230 Cachan cedex & INRIA MAMBA team, & LJLL, UMR 7598, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Boîte courrier 187, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France, tommaso.lorenzi@gmail.com (France); Lorz, Alexander [Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, LJLL, UMR 7598 & INRIA Boîte courrier 187, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France, alex.lorz@ann.jussieu.fr (France); Trélat, Emmanuel [Institut Universitaire de France, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, LJLL, UMR 7598, Boîte courrier 187, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 4 Pl. Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France, emmanuel.trelat@upmc.fr (France)

    2016-06-08

    Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations, be it of genetic, epigenetic or stochastic origin, has been identified as a main source of resistance to drug treatments and a major source of therapeutic failures in cancers. The molecular mechanisms of drug resistance are partly understood at the single cell level (e.g., overexpression of ABC transporters or of detoxication enzymes), but poorly predictable in tumours, where they are hypothesised to rely on heterogeneity at the cell population scale, which is thus the right level to describe cancer growth and optimise its control by therapeutic strategies in the clinic. We review a few results from the biological literature on the subject, and from mathematical models that have been published to predict and control evolution towards drug resistance in cancer cell populations. We propose, based on the latter, optimisation strategies of combined treatments to limit emergence of drug resistance to cytotoxic drugs in cancer cell populations, in the monoclonal situation, which limited as it is still retains consistent features of cell population heterogeneity. The polyclonal situation, that may be understood as “bet hedging” of the tumour, thus protecting itself from different sources of drug insults, may lie beyond such strategies and will need further developments. In the monoclonal situation, we have designed an optimised therapeutic strategy relying on a scheduled combination of cytotoxic and cytostatic treatments that can be adapted to different situations of cancer treatments. Finally, we review arguments for biological theoretical frameworks proposed at different time and development scales, the so-called atavistic model (diachronic view relying on Darwinian genotype selection in the coursof billions of years) and the Waddington-like epigenetic landscape endowed with evolutionary quasi-potential (synchronic view relying on Lamarckian phenotype instruction of a given genome by reversible mechanisms), to

  7. Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida, Luis; Chisholm, Rebecca; Clairambault, Jean; Escargueil, Alexandre; Lorenzi, Tommaso; Lorz, Alexander; Trélat, Emmanuel

    2016-06-01

    Phenotype heterogeneity in cancer cell populations, be it of genetic, epigenetic or stochastic origin, has been identified as a main source of resistance to drug treatments and a major source of therapeutic failures in cancers. The molecular mechanisms of drug resistance are partly understood at the single cell level (e.g., overexpression of ABC transporters or of detoxication enzymes), but poorly predictable in tumours, where they are hypothesised to rely on heterogeneity at the cell population scale, which is thus the right level to describe cancer growth and optimise its control by therapeutic strategies in the clinic. We review a few results from the biological literature on the subject, and from mathematical models that have been published to predict and control evolution towards drug resistance in cancer cell populations. We propose, based on the latter, optimisation strategies of combined treatments to limit emergence of drug resistance to cytotoxic drugs in cancer cell populations, in the monoclonal situation, which limited as it is still retains consistent features of cell population heterogeneity. The polyclonal situation, that may be understood as "bet hedging" of the tumour, thus protecting itself from different sources of drug insults, may lie beyond such strategies and will need further developments. In the monoclonal situation, we have designed an optimised therapeutic strategy relying on a scheduled combination of cytotoxic and cytostatic treatments that can be adapted to different situations of cancer treatments. Finally, we review arguments for biological theoretical frameworks proposed at different time and development scales, the so-called atavistic model (diachronic view relying on Darwinian genotype selection in the coursof billions of years) and the Waddington-like epigenetic landscape endowed with evolutionary quasi-potential (synchronic view relying on Lamarckian phenotype instruction of a given genome by reversible mechanisms), to

  8. DNA Nanoparticles: Detection of Long-Term Transgene Activity in Brain using Bioluminescence Imaging

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    David M. Yurek

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we used bioluminescence imaging (BLI to track long-term transgene activity following the transfection of brain cells using a nonviral gene therapy technique. Formulations of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA combined with 30-mer lysine polymers (substituted with 10 kDa polyethylene glycol form nanoparticles that transfect brain cells in vivo and produce transgene activity. Here we show that a single intracerebral injection of these DNA nanoparticles (DNPs into the rat cortex, striatum, or substantia nigra results in long-term and persistent luciferase transgene activity over an 8- to 11-week period as evaluated by in vivo BLI analysis, and single injections of DNPs into the mouse striatum showed stable luciferase transgene activity for 1 year. Compacted DNPs produced in vivo signals 7- to 34-fold higher than DNA alone. In contrast, ex vivo BLI analysis, which is subject to less signal quenching from surrounding tissues, demonstrated a DNP to DNA alone ratio of 76- to 280-fold. Moreover, the ex vivo BLI analysis confirmed that signals originated from the targeted brain structures. In summary, BLI permits serial analysis of luciferase transgene activity at multiple brain locations following gene transfer with DNPs. Ex vivo analysis may permit more accurate determination of relative activities of gene transfer vectors.

  9. Immune and Inflammatory Cell Composition of Human Lung Cancer Stroma.

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    G-Andre Banat

    Full Text Available Recent studies indicate that the abnormal microenvironment of tumors may play a critical role in carcinogenesis, including lung cancer. We comprehensively assessed the number of stromal cells, especially immune/inflammatory cells, in lung cancer and evaluated their infiltration in cancers of different stages, types and metastatic characteristics potential. Immunohistochemical analysis of lung cancer tissue arrays containing normal and lung cancer sections was performed. This analysis was combined with cyto-/histomorphological assessment and quantification of cells to classify/subclassify tumors accurately and to perform a high throughput analysis of stromal cell composition in different types of lung cancer. In human lung cancer sections we observed a significant elevation/infiltration of total-T lymphocytes (CD3+, cytotoxic-T cells (CD8+, T-helper cells (CD4+, B cells (CD20+, macrophages (CD68+, mast cells (CD117+, mononuclear cells (CD11c+, plasma cells, activated-T cells (MUM1+, B cells, myeloid cells (PD1+ and neutrophilic granulocytes (myeloperoxidase+ compared with healthy donor specimens. We observed all of these immune cell markers in different types of lung cancers including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, papillary adenocarcinoma, metastatic adenocarcinoma, and bronchioloalveolar carcinoma. The numbers of all tumor-associated immune cells (except MUM1+ cells in stage III cancer specimens was significantly greater than those in stage I samples. We observed substantial stage-dependent immune cell infiltration in human lung tumors suggesting that the tumor microenvironment plays a critical role during lung carcinogenesis. Strategies for therapeutic interference with lung cancer microenvironment should consider the complexity of its immune cell composition.

  10. Expression of stanniocalcin 1 in thyroid side population cells and thyroid cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayase, Suguru; Sasaki, Yoshihito; Matsubara, Tsutomu; Seo, Daekwan; Miyakoshi, Masaaki; Murata, Tsubasa; Ozaki, Takashi; Kakudo, Kennichi; Kumamoto, Kensuke; Ylaya, Kris; Cheng, Sheue-yann; Thorgeirsson, Snorri S; Hewitt, Stephen M; Ward, Jerrold M; Kimura, Shioko

    2015-04-01

    Mouse thyroid side population (SP) cells consist of a minor population of mouse thyroid cells that may have multipotent thyroid stem cell characteristics. However the nature of thyroid SP cells remains elusive, particularly in relation to thyroid cancer. Stanniocalcin (STC) 1 and 2 are secreted glycoproteins known to regulate serum calcium and phosphate homeostasis. In recent years, the relationship of STC1/2 expression to cancer has been described in various tissues. Microarray analysis was carried out to determine genes up- and down-regulated in thyroid SP cells as compared with non-SP cells. Among genes up-regulated, stanniocalcin 1 (STC1) was chosen for study because of its expression in various thyroid cells by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Gene expression analysis revealed that genes known to be highly expressed in cancer cells and/or involved in cancer invasion/metastasis were markedly up-regulated in SP cells from both intact as well as partial thyroidectomized thyroids. Among these genes, expression of STC1 was found in five human thyroid carcinoma-derived cell lines as revealed by analysis of mRNA and protein, and its expression was inversely correlated with the differentiation status of the cells. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated higher expression of STC1 in the thyroid tumor cell line and thyroid tumor tissues from humans and mice. These results suggest that SP cells contain a population of cells that express genes also highly expressed in cancer cells including Stc1, which warrants further study on the role of SP cells and/or STC1 expression in thyroid cancer.

  11. Exosomes derived from gastric cancer cells activate NF-κB pathway in macrophages to promote cancer progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Lijun; Zhang, Xu; Zhang, Bin; Shi, Hui; Yuan, Xiao; Sun, Yaoxiang; Pan, Zhaoji; Qian, Hui; Xu, Wenrong

    2016-09-01

    Exosomes are nano-sized membrane vesicles secreted by both normal and cancer cells. Emerging evidence indicates that cancer cells derived exosomes contribute to cancer progression through the modulation of tumor microenvironment. However, the effects of exosomes derived from gastric cancer cells on macrophages are not well understood. In this study, we investigated the biological role of gastric cancer cells derived exosomes in the activation of macrophages. We demonstrated that gastric cancer cells derived exosomes activated macrophages to express increased levels of proinflammatory factors, which in turn promoted tumor cell proliferation and migration. In addition, gastric cancer cells derived exosomes remarkably upregulated the phosphorylation of NF-κB in macrophages. Inhibiting the activation of NF-κB reversed the upregulation of proinflammatory factors in macrophages and blocked their promoting effects on gastric cancer cells. Moreover, we found that gastric cancer cells derived exosomes could also activate macrophages from human peripheral blood monocytes through the activation of NF-κB. In conclusion, our results suggest that gastric cancer cells derived exosomes stimulate the activation of NF-κB pathway in macrophages to promote cancer progression, which provides a potential therapeutic approach for gastric cancer by interfering with the interaction between exosomes and macrophages in tumor microenvironment.

  12. Gallic acid reduces cell viability, proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis in human cervical cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    ZHAO, BING; HU, MENGCAI

    2013-01-01

    Gallic acid is a trihydroxybenzoic acid, also known as 3,4,5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, which is present in plants worldwide, including Chinese medicinal herbs. Gallic acid has been shown to have cytotoxic effects in certain cancer cells, without damaging normal cells. The objective of the present study was to determine whether gallic acid is able to inhibit human cervical cancer cell viability, proliferation and invasion and suppress cervical cancer cell-mediated angiogenesis. Treatment of HeLa and HTB-35 human cancer cells with gallic acid decreased cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. BrdU proliferation and tube formation assays indicated that gallic acid significantly decreased human cervical cancer cell proliferation and tube formation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells, respectively. Additionally, gallic acid decreased HeLa and HTB-35 cell invasion in vitro. Western blot analysis demonstrated that the expression of ADAM17, EGFR, p-Akt and p-Erk was suppressed by gallic acid in the HeLa and HTB-35 cell lines. These data indicate that the suppression of ADAM17 and the downregulation of the EGFR, Akt/p-Akt and Erk/p-Erk signaling pathways may contribute to the suppression of cancer progression by Gallic acid. Gallic acid may be a valuable candidate for the treatment of cervical cancer. PMID:24843386

  13. MiR-122 Induces Radiosensitization in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line

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    Debin Ma

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available MiR-122 is a novel tumor suppresser and its expression induces cell cycle arrest, or apoptosis, and inhibits cell proliferation in multiple cancer cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cells. Radioresistance of cancer cell leads to the major drawback of radiotherapy for NSCLC and the induction of radiosensitization could be a useful strategy to fix this problem. The present work investigates the function of miR-122 in inducing radiosensitization in A549 cell, a type of NSCLC cells. MiR-122 induces the radiosensitization of A549 cells. MiR-122 also boosts the inhibitory activity of ionizing radiation (IR on cancer cell anchor-independent growth and invasion. Moreover, miR-122 reduced the expression of its targeted genes related to tumor-survival or cellular stress response. These results indicate that miR-122 would be a novel strategy for NSCLC radiation-therapy.

  14. Attenuated bioluminescent Brucella melitensis mutants GR019 (virB4), GR024 (galE), and GR026 (BMEI1090-BMEI1091) confer protection in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajashekara, Gireesh; Glover, David A; Banai, Menachem; O'Callaghan, David; Splitter, Gary A

    2006-05-01

    In vivo bioluminescence imaging is a persuasive approach to investigate a number of issues in microbial pathogenesis. Previously, we have applied bioluminescence imaging to gain greater insight into Brucella melitensis pathogenesis. Endowing Brucella with bioluminescence allowed direct visualization of bacterial dissemination, pattern of tissue localization, and the contribution of Brucella genes to virulence. In this report, we describe the pathogenicity of three attenuated bioluminescent B. melitensis mutants, GR019 (virB4), GR024 (galE), and GR026 (BMEI1090-BMEI1091), and the dynamics of bioluminescent virulent bacterial infection following vaccination with these mutants. The virB4, galE, and BMEI1090-BMEI1091 mutants were attenuated in interferon regulatory factor 1-deficient (IRF-1(-/-)) mice; however, only the GR019 (virB4) mutant was attenuated in cultured macrophages. Therefore, in vivo imaging provides a comprehensive approach to identify virulence genes that are relevant to in vivo pathogenesis. Our results provide greater insights into the role of galE in virulence and also suggest that BMEI1090 and downstream genes constitute a novel set of genes involved in Brucella virulence. Survival of the vaccine strain in the host for a critical period is important for effective Brucella vaccines. The galE mutant induced no changes in liver and spleen but localized chronically in the tail and protected IRF-1(-/-) and wild-type mice from virulent challenge, implying that this mutant may serve as a potential vaccine candidate in future studies and that the direct visualization of Brucella may provide insight into selection of improved vaccine candidates.

  15. Targeting Stromal Recruitment by Prostate Cancer Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2006-03-01

    Ensinger, C., Tumer , Z., Tommerup, N. et al.: Hedgehog signaling in small-cell lung cancer : frequent in vivo but a rare event in vitro. Lung Cancer , 52...W81XWH-04-1-0157 TITLE: Targeting Stromal Recruitment by Prostate Cancer Cells PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Jingxian Zhang, Ph.D...DATES COVERED (From - To) 15 Feb 2004 – 14 Feb 2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Targeting Stromal Recruitment by Prostate Cancer

  16. Aminomethylphosphonic acid inhibits growth and metastasis of human prostate cancer in an orthotopic xenograft mouse model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parajuli, Keshab Raj; Zhang, Qiuyang; Liu, Sen; You, Zongbing

    2016-03-01

    Aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA) has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer cell growth in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to determine if AMPA could inhibit growth and metastasis of prostate cancer in vivo. Human prostate cancer PC-3-LacZ-luciferase cells were implanted into the ventral lateral lobes of the prostate in 39 athymic Nu/Nu nude male mice. Seven days later, mice were randomized into the control group (n = 14, treated intraperitoneally with phosphate buffered saline), low dose group (n = 10, treated intraperitoneally with AMPA at 400 mg/kg body weight/day), and high dose group (n = 15, treated intraperitoneally with AMPA at 800 mg/kg body weight/day). Tumor growth and metastasis were examined every 4-7 days by bioluminescence imaging of live mice. We found that AMPA treatment significantly inhibited growth and metastasis of orthotopic xenograft prostate tumors and prolonged the survival time of the mice. AMPA treatment decreased expression of BIRC2 and activated caspase 3, leading to increased apoptosis in the prostate tumors. AMPA treatment decreased expression of cyclin D1. AMPA treatment also reduced angiogenesis in the prostate tumors. Taken together, these results demonstrate that AMPA can inhibit prostate cancer growth and metastasis, suggesting that AMPA may be developed into a therapeutic agent for the treatment of prostate cancer.

  17. The nucleus is irreversibly shaped by motion of cell boundaries in cancer and non-cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tocco, Vincent J; Li, Yuan; Christopher, Keith G; Matthews, James H; Aggarwal, Varun; Paschall, Lauren; Luesch, Hendrik; Licht, Jonathan D; Dickinson, Richard B; Lele, Tanmay P

    2018-02-01

    Actomyosin stress fibers impinge on the nucleus and can exert compressive forces on it. These compressive forces have been proposed to elongate nuclei in fibroblasts, and lead to abnormally shaped nuclei in cancer cells. In these models, the elongated or flattened nuclear shape is proposed to store elastic energy. However, we found that deformed shapes of nuclei are unchanged even after removal of the cell with micro-dissection, both for smooth, elongated nuclei in fibroblasts and abnormally shaped nuclei in breast cancer cells. The lack of shape relaxation implies that the nuclear shape in spread cells does not store any elastic energy, and the cellular stresses that deform the nucleus are dissipative, not static. During cell spreading, the deviation of the nucleus from a convex shape increased in MDA-MB-231 cancer cells, but decreased in MCF-10A cells. Tracking changes of nuclear and cellular shape on micropatterned substrata revealed that fibroblast nuclei deform only during deformations in cell shape and only in the direction of nearby moving cell boundaries. We propose that motion of cell boundaries exert a stress on the nucleus, which allows the nucleus to mimic cell shape. The lack of elastic energy in the nuclear shape suggests that nuclear shape changes in cells occur at constant surface area and volume. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  18. Bioluminescence in a complex coastal environment: 1. Temporal dynamics of nighttime water-leaving radiance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moline, Mark A.; Oliver, Matthew J.; Mobley, Curtis D.; Sundman, Lydia; Bensky, Thomas; Bergmann, Trisha; Bissett, W. Paul; Case, James; Raymond, Erika H.; Schofield, Oscar M. E.

    2007-11-01

    Nighttime water-leaving radiance is a function of the depth-dependent distribution of both the in situ bioluminescence emissions and the absorption and scattering properties of the water. The vertical distributions of these parameters were used as inputs for a modified one-dimensional radiative transfer model to solve for spectral bioluminescence water-leaving radiance from prescribed depths of the water column. Variation in the water-leaving radiance was consistent with local episodic physical forcing events, with tidal forcing, terrestrial runoff, particulate accumulation, and biological responses influencing the shorter timescale dynamics. There was a >90 nm shift in the peak water-leaving radiance from blue (˜474 nm) to green as light propagated to the surface. In addition to clues in ecosystem responses to physical forcing, the temporal dynamics in intensity and spectral quality of water-leaving radiance provide suitable ranges for assessing detection. This may provide the information needed to estimate the depth of internal light sources in the ocean, which is discussed in part 2 of this paper.

  19. Self-renewal molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer stem cells

    OpenAIRE

    Pan, Tianhui; Xu, Jinghong; Zhu, Yongliang

    2016-01-01

    Colorectal cancer stem cells (CCSCs) represent a small fraction of the colorectal cancer cell population that possess self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation potential and drive tumorigenicity. Self-renewal is essential for the malignant biological behaviors of colorectal cancer stem cells. While the self-renewal molecular mechanisms of colorectal cancer stem cells are not yet fully understood, the aberrant activation of signaling pathways, such as Wnt, Notch, transforming growth facto...

  20. Cell cycle-dependent Rho GTPase activity dynamically regulates cancer cell motility and invasion in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kagawa, Yoshinori; Matsumoto, Shinji; Kamioka, Yuji; Mimori, Koshi; Naito, Yoko; Ishii, Taeko; Okuzaki, Daisuke; Nishida, Naohiro; Maeda, Sakae; Naito, Atsushi; Kikuta, Junichi; Nishikawa, Keizo; Nishimura, Junichi; Haraguchi, Naotsugu; Takemasa, Ichiro; Mizushima, Tsunekazu; Ikeda, Masataka; Yamamoto, Hirofumi; Sekimoto, Mitsugu; Ishii, Hideshi; Doki, Yuichiro; Matsuda, Michiyuki; Kikuchi, Akira; Mori, Masaki; Ishii, Masaru

    2013-01-01

    The mechanism behind the spatiotemporal control of cancer cell dynamics and its possible association with cell proliferation has not been well established. By exploiting the intravital imaging technique, we found that cancer cell motility and invasive properties were closely associated with the cell cycle. In vivo inoculation of human colon cancer cells bearing fluorescence ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci) demonstrated an unexpected phenomenon: S/G2/M cells were more motile and invasive than G1 cells. Microarray analyses showed that Arhgap11a, an uncharacterized Rho GTPase-activating protein (RhoGAP), was expressed in a cell-cycle-dependent fashion. Expression of ARHGAP11A in cancer cells suppressed RhoA-dependent mechanisms, such as stress fiber formation and focal adhesion, which made the cells more prone to migrate. We also demonstrated that RhoA suppression by ARHGAP11A induced augmentation of relative Rac1 activity, leading to an increase in the invasive properties. RNAi-based inhibition of Arhgap11a reduced the invasion and in vivo expansion of cancers. Additionally, analysis of human specimens showed the significant up-regulation of Arhgap11a in colon cancers, which was correlated with clinical invasion status. The present study suggests that ARHGAP11A, a cell cycle-dependent RhoGAP, is a critical regulator of cancer cell mobility and is thus a promising therapeutic target in invasive cancers.

  1. Cell cycle-dependent Rho GTPase activity dynamically regulates cancer cell motility and invasion in vivo.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshinori Kagawa

    Full Text Available The mechanism behind the spatiotemporal control of cancer cell dynamics and its possible association with cell proliferation has not been well established. By exploiting the intravital imaging technique, we found that cancer cell motility and invasive properties were closely associated with the cell cycle. In vivo inoculation of human colon cancer cells bearing fluorescence ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (Fucci demonstrated an unexpected phenomenon: S/G2/M cells were more motile and invasive than G1 cells. Microarray analyses showed that Arhgap11a, an uncharacterized Rho GTPase-activating protein (RhoGAP, was expressed in a cell-cycle-dependent fashion. Expression of ARHGAP11A in cancer cells suppressed RhoA-dependent mechanisms, such as stress fiber formation and focal adhesion, which made the cells more prone to migrate. We also demonstrated that RhoA suppression by ARHGAP11A induced augmentation of relative Rac1 activity, leading to an increase in the invasive properties. RNAi-based inhibition of Arhgap11a reduced the invasion and in vivo expansion of cancers. Additionally, analysis of human specimens showed the significant up-regulation of Arhgap11a in colon cancers, which was correlated with clinical invasion status. The present study suggests that ARHGAP11A, a cell cycle-dependent RhoGAP, is a critical regulator of cancer cell mobility and is thus a promising therapeutic target in invasive cancers.

  2. LGR5 and Nanog identify stem cell signature of pancreas beta cells which initiate pancreatic cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amsterdam, Abraham; Raanan, Calanit; Schreiber, Letizia; Polin, Nava; Givol, David

    2013-04-05

    Pancreas cancer, is the fourth leading cause of cancer death but its cell of origin is controversial. We compared the localization of stem cells in normal and cancerous pancreas using antibodies to the stem cell markers Nanog and LGR5. Here we show, for the first time, that LGR5 is expressed in normal pancreas, exclusively in the islets of Langerhans and it is co-localized, surprisingly, with Nanog and insulin in clusters of beta cells. In cancerous pancreas Nanog and LGR5 are expressed in the remaining islets and in all ductal cancer cells. We observed insulin staining among the ductal cancer cells, but not in metastases. This indicates that the islet's beta cells, expressing LGR5 and Nanog markers are the initiating cells of pancreas cancer, which migrated from the islets to form the ductal cancerous tissue, probably after mutation and de-differentiation. This discovery may facilitate treatment of this devastating cancer. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Extracellular Molecules Involved in Cancer Cell Invasion

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    Theodora Stivarou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays it is perfectly clear that understanding and eradicating cancer cell invasion and metastasis represent the crucial, definitive points in cancer therapeutics. During the last two decades there has been a great interest in the understanding of the extracellular molecular mechanisms involved in cancer cell invasion. In this review, we highlight the findings concerning these processes, focusing in particular on extracellular molecules, including extracellular matrix proteins and their receptors, growth factors and their receptors, matrix metalloproteinases and extracellular chaperones. We report the molecular mechanisms underlying the important contribution of this pool of molecules to the complex, multi-step phenomenon of cancer cell invasion.

  4. Epidemiologic characteristics and risk factors for renal cell cancer

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    Loren Lipworth

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Loren Lipworth1,2, Robert E Tarone1,2, Lars Lund2,3, Joseph K McLaughlin1,21International Epidemiology Institute, Rockville, MD, USA; 2Department of Medicine (JKM, RET and Preventive Medicine (LL, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN, USA; 3Department of Urology, Viborg Hospital, Viborg, DenmarkAbstract: Incidence rates of renal cell cancer, which accounts for 85% of kidney cancers, have been rising in the United States and in most European countries for several decades. Family history is associated with a two- to four-fold increase in risk, but the major forms of inherited predisposition together account for less than 4% of renal cell cancers. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and hypertension are the most consistently established risk factors. Analgesics have not been convincingly linked with renal cell cancer risk. A reduced risk of renal cell cancer among statin users has been hypothesized but has not been adequately studied. A possible protective effect of fruit and vegetable consumption is the only moderately consistently reported dietary finding, and, with the exception of a positive association with parity, evidence for a role of hormonal or reproductive factors in the etiology of renal cell cancer in humans is limited. A recent hypothesis that moderate levels of alcohol consumption may be protective for renal cell cancer is not strongly supported by epidemiologic results, which are inconsistent with respect to the categories of alcohol consumption and the amount of alcohol intake reportedly associated with decreased risk. For occupational factors, the weight of the evidence does not provide consistent support for the hypotheses that renal cell cancer may be caused by asbestos, gasoline, or trichloroethylene exposure. The established determinants of renal cell cancer, cigarette smoking, obesity, and hypertension, account for less than half of these cancers. Novel epidemiologic approaches

  5. Differential Cell Adhesion of Breast Cancer Stem Cells on Biomaterial Substrate with Nanotopographical Cues

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    Kenneth K.B. Tan

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Cancer stem cells are speculated to have the capability of self-renewal and re-establishment of tumor heterogeneity, possibly involved in the potential relapse of cancer. CD44+CD24−/lowESA+ cells have been reported to possess tumorigenic properties, and these biomarkers are thought to be highly expressed in breast cancer stem cells. Cell behavior can be influenced by biomolecular and topographical cues in the natural microenvironment. We hypothesized that different cell populations in breast cancer tissue exhibit different adhesion characteristics on substrates with nanotopography. Adhesion characterizations were performed using human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC, breast cancer cell line MCF7 and primary invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC cells obtained from patients’ samples, on micro- and nano-patterned poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA films. Topography demonstrated a significant effect on cell adhesion, and the effect was cell type dependent. Cells showed elongation morphology on gratings. The CD44+CD24−/lowESA+ subpopulation in MCF7 and IDC cells showed preferential adhesion on 350-nm gratings. Flow cytometry analysis showed that 350-nm gratings captured a significantly higher percentage of CD44+CD24− in MCF7. A slightly higher percentage of CD44+CD24−/lowESA+ was captured on the 350-nm gratings, although no significant difference was observed in the CD44+CD24−ESA+ in IDC cells across patterns. Taken together, the study demonstrated that the cancer stem cell subpopulation could be enriched using different nanopatterns. The enriched population could subsequently aid in the isolation and characterization of cancer stem cells.

  6. Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent against Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Asmari, Abdulrahman Khazim; Albalawi, Sulaiman Mansour; Athar, Md Tanwir; Khan, Abdul Quaiyoom; Al-Shahrani, Hamoud; Islam, Mozaffarul

    2015-01-01

    In this study we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Moringa oleifera leaves, bark and seed extracts. When tested against MDA-MB-231 and HCT-8 cancer cell lines, the extracts of leaves and bark showed remarkable anti-cancer properties while surprisingly, seed extracts exhibited hardly any such properties. Cell survival was significantly low in both cells lines when treated with leaves and bark extracts. Furthermore, a striking reduction (about 70-90%) in colony formation as well as cell motility was observed upon treatment with leaves and bark. Additionally, apoptosis assay performed on these treated breast and colorectal cancer lines showed a remarkable increase in the number of apoptotic cells; with a 7 fold increase in MD-MB-231 to an increase of several fold in colorectal cancer cell lines. However, no significant apoptotic cells were detected upon seeds extract treatment. Moreover, the cell cycle distribution showed a G2/M enrichment (about 2-3 fold) indicating that these extracts effectively arrest the cell progression at the G2/M phase. The GC-MS analyses of these extracts revealed numerous known anti-cancer compounds, namely eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester, all of which possess long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring. This suggests that the anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the extracts from this plant. This is a novel study because no report has yet been cited on the effectiveness of Moringa extracts obtained in the locally grown environment as an anti-cancer agent against breast and colorectal cancers. Our study is the first of its kind to evaluate the anti-malignant properties of Moringa not only in leaves but also in bark. These findings suggest that both the leaf and bark extracts of Moringa collected from the Saudi Arabian region possess anti-cancer activity that can be used to develop new drugs for treatment of breast

  7. Establishment and Analysis of Cancer Stem-Like and Non-Cancer Stem-Like Clone Cells from the Human Colon Cancer Cell Line SW480.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akari Takaya

    Full Text Available Human cancer stem-like cells (CSCs/cancer-initiating cells (CICs can be isolated as side population (SP cells, aldehyde dehydrogenase high (ALDHhigh cells or cell surface marker-positive cells including CD44+ cells and CD133+ cells. CSCs/CICs and non-CSCs/CICs are unstable in in vitro culture, and CSCs/CICs can differentiate into non-CSCs/CICs and some non-CSCs/CICs can dedifferentiate into CSCs/CICs. Therefore, experiments using a large amount of CSCs/CICs are technically very difficult. In this study, we isolated single cell clones from SP cells and main population (MP cells derived from the human colon cancer cell line SW480. SP analysis revealed that SP clone cells had relatively high percentages of SP cells, whereas MP clone cells showed very few SP cells, and the phenotypes were sustainable for more than 2 months of in vitro culture. Xenograft transplantation revealed that SP clone cells have higher tumor-initiating ability than that of MP clone cells and SP clone cell showed higher chemo-resistance compared with MP clone cells. These results indicate that SP clone cells derived from SW480 cells are enriched with CSCs/CICs, whereas MP clone cells are pure non-CSCs/CICs. SP clone cells and MP clone cells are a very stable in vitro CSC/CIC-enriched and non-CSC/CIC model for further analysis.

  8. Establishment and Analysis of Cancer Stem-Like and Non-Cancer Stem-Like Clone Cells from the Human Colon Cancer Cell Line SW480.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaya, Akari; Hirohashi, Yoshihiko; Murai, Aiko; Morita, Rena; Saijo, Hiroshi; Yamamoto, Eri; Kubo, Terufumi; Nakatsugawa, Munehide; Kanaseki, Takayuki; Tsukahara, Tomohide; Tamura, Yasuaki; Takemasa, Ichiro; Kondo, Toru; Sato, Noriyuki; Torigoe, Toshihiko

    2016-01-01

    Human cancer stem-like cells (CSCs)/cancer-initiating cells (CICs) can be isolated as side population (SP) cells, aldehyde dehydrogenase high (ALDHhigh) cells or cell surface marker-positive cells including CD44+ cells and CD133+ cells. CSCs/CICs and non-CSCs/CICs are unstable in in vitro culture, and CSCs/CICs can differentiate into non-CSCs/CICs and some non-CSCs/CICs can dedifferentiate into CSCs/CICs. Therefore, experiments using a large amount of CSCs/CICs are technically very difficult. In this study, we isolated single cell clones from SP cells and main population (MP) cells derived from the human colon cancer cell line SW480. SP analysis revealed that SP clone cells had relatively high percentages of SP cells, whereas MP clone cells showed very few SP cells, and the phenotypes were sustainable for more than 2 months of in vitro culture. Xenograft transplantation revealed that SP clone cells have higher tumor-initiating ability than that of MP clone cells and SP clone cell showed higher chemo-resistance compared with MP clone cells. These results indicate that SP clone cells derived from SW480 cells are enriched with CSCs/CICs, whereas MP clone cells are pure non-CSCs/CICs. SP clone cells and MP clone cells are a very stable in vitro CSC/CIC-enriched and non-CSC/CIC model for further analysis.

  9. Bioluminescence : the potential of a non-invasive bio-optical imaging technique and improvement of animal research

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hesselink, J. W.; van Dam, G. M.

    2007-01-01

    Bioluminescence is an optical imaging technique that exploits the emission of photons at specific wavelengths based on energy-dependent reactions catalysed by luciferases. The technique makes it possible to monitor measure, and track biological processes in living animals. A short review is

  10. Nanoscale mapping and organization analysis of target proteins on cancer cells from B-cell lymphoma patients

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Mi [State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049 (China); Xiao, Xiubin [Department of Lymphoma, Affiliated Hospital of Military Medical Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100071 (China); Liu, Lianqing, E-mail: lqliu@sia.cn [State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); Xi, Ning, E-mail: xin@egr.msu.edu [State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); Department of Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China); Wang, Yuechao; Dong, Zaili [State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); Zhang, Weijing, E-mail: zhangwj3072@163.com [Department of Lymphoma, Affiliated Hospital of Military Medical Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100071 (China)

    2013-11-01

    CD20, a membrane protein highly expressed on most B-cell lymphomas, is an effective target demonstrated in clinical practice for treating B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody against CD20. In this work, we applied atomic force microscopy (AFM) to map the nanoscale distribution of CD20 molecules on the surface of cancer cells from clinical B-cell NHL patients under the assistance of ROR1 fluorescence recognition (ROR1 is a specific cell surface marker exclusively expressed on cancer cells). First, the ROR1 fluorescence labeling experiments showed that ROR1 was expressed on cancer cells from B-cell lymphoma patients, but not on normal cells from healthy volunteers. Next, under the guidance of ROR1 fluorescence, the rituximab-conjugated AFM tips were moved to cancer cells to image the cellular morphologies and detect the CD20-rituximab interactions on the cell surfaces. The distribution maps of CD20 on cancer cells were constructed by obtaining arrays of (16×16) force curves in local areas (500×500 nm{sup 2}) on the cell surfaces. The experimental results provide a new approach to directly investigate the nanoscale distribution of target protein on single clinical cancer cells. - Highlights: • Cancer cells were recognized from healthy cells by ROR1 fluorescence labeling. • The nanoscale distribution of CD20 on cancer cells was characterized. • The distribution of CD20 was non-uniform on the surface of cancer cells.

  11. Downregulation of Akt1 Inhibits Anchorage-Independent Cell Growth and Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuesong Liu

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available The serine/threonine kinases, Akti/PKBα, Akt2/PKBβ, and Akt3/PKBγ, play a critical role in preventing cancer cells from undergoing apoptosis. However, the function of individual Akt isoforms in the tumorigenicity of cancer cells is still not well defined. In the current study, we used an AM antisense oligonucleotide (AS to specifically downregulate Akti protein in both cancer and normal cells. Our data indicate that AM AS treatment inhibits the ability of MiaPaCa-2, H460, HCT-15, and HT1080 cells to grow in soft agar. The treatment also induces apoptosis in these cancer cells as demonstrated by FRCS analysis and a caspase activity assay. Conversely, Akti AS treatment has little effect on the cell growth and survival of normal human cells including normal human fibroblast (NHF, fibroblast from muscle (FBM, and mammary gland epithelial 184135 cells. In addition, AM AS specifically sensitizes cancer cells to typical chemotherapeutic agents. Thus, Akti is indispensable for maintaining the tumorigenicity of cancer cells. Inhibition of AM may provide a powerful sensitization agent for chemotherapy specifically in cancer cells.

  12. Specific expression of bioluminescence reporter gene in cardiomyocyte regulated by tissue specific promoter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nguyen, Vu Hong; Tae, Seong Ho; Le, Nguyen Uyen Chi; Min, Jung Joon [Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

    2007-07-01

    As the human heart is not capable of regenerating the great numbers of cardiac cells that are lost after myocardial infarction, impaired cardiac function is the inevitable result of ischemic disease. Recently, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have gained popularity as a potentially ideal cell candidate for tissue regeneration. In particular, hESCs are capable of cardiac lineage-specific differentiation and confer improvement of cardiac function following transplantation into animal models. Although such data are encouraging, the specific strategy for in vivo and non-invasive detection of differentiated cardiac lineage is still limited. Therefore, in the present study, we established the gene construction in which the optical reporter gene Firefly luciferase was controlled by Myosin Heavy Chain promoter for specific expressing in heart cells. The vector consisting of - MHC promoter and a firefly luciferase coding sequence flanked by full-length bovine growth hormone (BGH) 3'-polyadenylation sequence based on pcDNA3.1- vector backbone. To test the specific transcription of this promoter in g of MHC-Fluc or CMV-Flue (for control) plasmid DNA in myocardial tissue, 20 phosphate-buffered saline was directly injected into mouse myocardium through a midline sternotomy and liver. After 1 week of injection, MHC-Fluc expression was detected from heart region which was observed under cooled CCD camera of in vivo imaging system but not from liver. In control group injected with CMV-Flue, the bioluminescence was detected from all these organs. The expression of Flue under control of Myosin Heavy Chain promoter may become a suitable optical reporter gene for stem cell-derived cardiac lineage differentiation study.

  13. Acetylcholine release by human colon cancer cells mediates autocrine stimulation of cell proliferation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Kunrong; Samimi, Roxana; Xie, Guofeng; Shant, Jasleen; Drachenberg, Cinthia; Wade, Mark; Davis, Richard J; Nomikos, George; Raufman, Jean-Pierre

    2008-09-01

    Most colon cancers overexpress M3 muscarinic receptors (M3R), and post-M3R signaling stimulates human colon cancer cell proliferation. Acetylcholine (ACh), a muscarinic receptor ligand traditionally regarded as a neurotransmitter, may be produced by nonneuronal cells. We hypothesized that ACh release by human colon cancer cells results in autocrine stimulation of proliferation. H508 human colon cancer cells, which have robust M3R expression, were used to examine effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and choline transport inhibitors on cell proliferation. A nonselective muscarinic receptor antagonist (atropine), a selective M3R antagonist (p-fluorohexahydro-sila-difenidol hydrochloride), and a choline transport inhibitor (hemicholinum-3) all inhibited unstimulated H508 colon cancer cell proliferation by approximately 40% (P<0.005). In contrast, two acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (eserine-hemisulfate and bis-9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine) increased proliferation by 2.5- and 2-fold, respectively (P<0.005). By using quantitative real-time PCR, expression of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), a critical enzyme for ACh synthesis, was identified in H508, WiDr, and Caco-2 colon cancer cells. By using high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection, released ACh was detected in H508 and Caco-2 cell culture media. Immunohistochemistry in surgical specimens revealed weak or no cytoplasmic staining for ChAT in normal colon enterocytes (n=25) whereas half of colon cancer specimens (n=24) exhibited moderate to strong staining (P<0.005). We conclude that ACh is an autocrine growth factor in colon cancer. Mechanisms that regulate colon epithelial cell production and release of ACh warrant further investigation.

  14. Comparison of monocyte-derived dendritic cells from colorectal cancer patients, non-small-cell-lung-cancer patients and healthy donors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kvistborg, P; Bechmann, C M; Pedersen, A W

    2009-01-01

    Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone marrow-derived professional antigen presenting cells. Due to their role as potent inducers of immune responses, these cells are widely used as adjuvant in experimental clinical settings for cancer immune therapy. We have developed a DC-based vaccine using autologous......-small-cell-lung-cancer (NSCLC). In the present paper we retrospectively compare the maturation profile based on surface marker expression on DCs generated from the three patient cohorts and between cancer patient cohorts and a cohort of healthy donors. Vaccines were generated under cGMP conditions and phenotypic profiles of DC...

  15. Nonequilibrium population dynamics of phenotype conversion of cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joseph Xu Zhou

    Full Text Available Tumorigenesis is a dynamic biological process that involves distinct cancer cell subpopulations proliferating at different rates and interconverting between them. In this paper we proposed a mathematical framework of population dynamics that considers both distinctive growth rates and intercellular transitions between cancer cell populations. Our mathematical framework showed that both growth and transition influence the ratio of cancer cell subpopulations but the latter is more significant. We derived the condition that different cancer cell types can maintain distinctive subpopulations and we also explain why there always exists a stable fixed ratio after cell sorting based on putative surface markers. The cell fraction ratio can be shifted by changing either the growth rates of the subpopulations (Darwinism selection or by environment-instructed transitions (Lamarckism induction. This insight can help us to understand the dynamics of the heterogeneity of cancer cells and lead us to new strategies to overcome cancer drug resistance.

  16. Capsaicin induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in human KB cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Chia-Han; Lu, Wei-Cheng; Wang, Che-Wei; Chan, Ya-Chi; Chen, Mu-Kuan

    2013-02-25

    Capsaicin, a pungent phytochemical in a variety of red peppers of the genus Capsicum, has shown an anti-proliferative effect on various human cancer cell lines. In contrast, capsaicin has also been considered to promote the growth of cancer cells. Thus, the effects of capsaicin on various cell types need to be explored. The anti-proliferative effects of capsaicin on human KB cancer cells are still unknown. Therefore, we examined the viability, cell cycle progression, and factors associated with apoptosis in KB cells treated with capsaicin. The cell proliferation/viability and cytotoxicity of KB cells exposed to capsaicin were determined by a sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay and trypan blue exclusion. Apoptosis was detected by Hoechst staining and confirmed by western blot analysis of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Cell cycle distribution and changes of the mitochondrial membrane potential were analyzed by flow cytometry. Furthermore, the expression of caspase 3, 8 and 9 was evaluated by immunoblotting. We found that treatment of KB cells with capsaicin significantly reduced cell proliferation/viability and induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner compared with that in the untreated control. Cell cycle analysis indicated that exposure of KB cells to capsaicin resulted in cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase. Capsaicin-induced growth inhibition of KB cells appeared to be associated with induction of apoptosis. Moreover, capsaicin induced disruption of the mitochondrial membrane potential as well as activation of caspase 9, 3 and poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase in KB cells. Our data demonstrate that capsaicin modulates cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis in human KB cancer cells through mitochondrial membrane permeabilization and caspase activation. These observations suggest an anti-cancer activity of capsaicin.

  17. 3D cancer cell migration in a confined matrix

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alobaidi, Amani; Sun, Bo

    Cancer cell migration is widely studied in 2D motion, which does not mimic the invasion processes in vivo. More recently, 3D cell migration studies have been performed. The ability of cancer cells to migrate within the extracellular matrix depends on the physical and biochemical features of the extracellular matrix. We present a model of cell motility in confined matrix geometry. The aim of the study is to study cancer migration in collagen matrix, as a soft tissue, to investigate their motility within the confined and surrounding collagen environment. Different collagen concentrations have been used to show the ability of these cancer cells to move through such a complex structure by measuring Cancer cell migration velocity as well as the displacement. Graduate student physics department.

  18. Bioengineering Embryonic Stem Cell Microenvironments for the Study of Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yubing Xie

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Breast cancer is the most prevalent disease amongst women worldwide and metastasis is the main cause of death due to breast cancer. Metastatic breast cancer cells and embryonic stem (ES cells display similar characteristics. However, unlike metastatic breast cancer cells, ES cells are nonmalignant. Furthermore, embryonic microenvironments have the potential to convert metastatic breast cancer cells into a less invasive phenotype. The creation of in vitro embryonic microenvironments will enable better understanding of ES cell-breast cancer cell interactions, help elucidate tumorigenesis, and lead to the restriction of breast cancer metastasis. In this article, we will present the characteristics of breast cancer cells and ES cells as well as their microenvironments, importance of embryonic microenvironments in inhibiting tumorigenesis, convergence of tumorigenic and embryonic signaling pathways, and state of the art in bioengineering embryonic microenvironments for breast cancer research. Additionally, the potential application of bioengineered embryonic microenvironments for the prevention and treatment of invasive breast cancer will be discussed.

  19. Combination Effect of Nimotuzumab with Radiation in Colorectal Cancer Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Hye Kyung; Kim, Mi Sook; Jeong, Jae Hoon

    2010-01-01

    To investigate the radiosensitizing effect of the selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor nimotuzumab in human colorectal cancer cell lines. Four human colorectal cancer cell lines, HCT-8, LoVo, WiDr, and HCT-116 were treated with nimotuzumab and/or radiation. The effects on cell proliferation, viability, and cell cycle progression were measured by MTT, clonogenic survival assay, flow cytometry, and Western blot. An immunoblot analysis revealed that EGFR phosphorylation was inhibited by nimotuzumab in colorectal cancer cell lines. Under these experimental conditions, pre-treatment with nimotuzumab increased radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer cell lines, except for cell line HCT-116. However, cell proliferation or cell cycle progression was not affected by the addition of nimotuzumab, irrespective of irradiation. Nimotuzumab enhanced the radiosensitivity of colorectal cancer cells in vitro by inhibiting EGFR-mediated cell survival signaling. This study provided a rationale for the clinical application of the selective EGFR inhibitor, nimotuzumab in combination with radiation in colorectal cancer cells.

  20. Uptake of DNA by cancer cells without a transfection reagent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanping Kong

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Cancer cells exhibit elevated levels of glucose uptake and may obtain pre-formed, diet-derived fatty acids from the bloodstream to boost their rapid growth; they may also use nucleic acid from their microenvironment. The study of processing nucleic acid by cancer cells will help improve the understanding of the metabolism of cancer. DNA is commonly packaged into a viral or lipid particle to be transferred into cells; this process is called transfection in laboratory. Cancer cells are known for having gene mutations and the evolving ability of endocytosis. Their uptake of DNAs might be different from normal cells; they may take in DNAs directly from the environment. In this report, we studied the uptake of DNAs in cancer cells without a transfection reagent. Methods A group of DNA fragments were prepared with PCR and labeled with isotope phosphorous-32 to test their uptake by Huh 7 (liver cancer and THLE3 (normal liver cells after incubation overnight by counting radioactivity of the cells’ genomic DNA. Multiple cell lines including breast cancer and lung cancer were tested with the same method. DNA molecules were also labeled with fluorescence to test the location in the cells using a kit of “label it fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH” from Mirus (USA. Results The data demonstrated that hepatocellular carcinoma cells possess the ability to take in large DNA fragments directly without a transfection reagent whereas normal liver cells cannot. Huh7 and MDA-MB231 cells displayed a significantly higher Rhodamine density in the cytoplasmic phagosomes and this suggests that the mechanism of uptake of large DNA by cancer cells is likely endocytosis. The efficacy of uptake is related to the DNA’s size. Some cell lines of lung cancer and breast cancer also showed similar uptake of DNA. Conclusions In the present study, we have revealed the evidence that some cancer cells, but not nontumorigenic cells, can take DNA

  1. Targeting therapy-resistant cancer stem cells by hyperthermia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oei, A L; Vriend, L E M; Krawczyk, P M

    2017-01-01

    Eradication of all malignant cells is the ultimate but challenging goal of anti-cancer treatment; most traditional clinically-available approaches fail because there are cells in a tumour that either escape therapy or become therapy-resistant. A subpopulation of cancer cells, the cancer stem cells...... are limited. Here, we argue that hyperthermia - a therapeutic approach based on local heating of a tumour - is potentially beneficial for targeting CSCs in solid tumours. First, hyperthermia has been described to target cells in hypoxic and nutrient-deprived tumour areas where CSCs reside and ionising...

  2. NSAIDs and Cell Proliferation in Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raj Ettarh

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Colon cancer is common worldwide and accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in patients. Fortunately, epidemiological studies have demonstrated that continuous therapy with NSAIDs offers real promise of chemoprevention and adjunct therapy for colon cancer patients. Tumour growth is the result of complex regulation that determines the balance between cell proliferation and cell death. How NSAIDs affect this balance is important for understanding and improving treatment strategies and drug effectiveness. NSAIDs inhibit proliferation and impair the growth of colon cancer cell lines when tested in culture in vitro and many NSAIDs also prevent tumorigenesis and reduce tumour growth in animal models and in patients, but the relationship to inhibition of tumour cell proliferation is less convincing, principally due to gaps in the available data. High concentrations of NSAIDs are required in vitro to achieve cancer cell inhibition and growth retardation at varying time-points following treatment. However, the results from studies with colon cancer cell xenografts are promising and, together with better comparative data on anti-proliferative NSAID concentrations and doses (for in vitro and in vivo administration, could provide more information to improve our understanding of the relationships between these agents, dose and dosing regimen, and cellular environment.

  3. Cancer stem cells in solid tumors: is 'evading apoptosis' a hallmark of cancer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enderling, Heiko; Hahnfeldt, Philip

    2011-08-01

    Conventional wisdom has long held that once a cancer cell has developed it will inevitably progress to clinical disease. Updating this paradigm, it has more recently become apparent that the tumor interacts with its microenvironment and that some environmental bottlenecks, such as the angiogenic switch, must be overcome for the tumor to progress. In parallel, attraction has been drawn to the concept that there is a minority population of cells - the cancer stem cells - bestowed with the exclusive ability to self-renew and regenerate the tumor. With therapeutic targeting issues at stake, much attention has shifted to the identification of cancer stem cells, the thinking being that the remaining non-stem population, already fated to die, will play a negligible role in tumor development. In fact, the newly appreciated importance of intercellular interactions in cancer development also extends in a unique and unexpected way to interactions between the stem and non-stem compartments of the tumor. Here we discuss recent findings drawn from a hybrid mathematical-cellular automaton model that simulates growth of a heterogeneous solid tumor comprised of cancer stem cells and non-stem cancer cells. The model shows how the introduction of cell fate heterogeneity paradoxically influences the tumor growth dynamic in response to apoptosis, to reveal yet another bottleneck to tumor progression potentially exploitable for disease control. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Murraya koenigii leaf extract inhibits proteasome activity and induces cell death in breast cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noolu, Bindu; Ajumeera, Rajanna; Chauhan, Anitha; Nagalla, Balakrishna; Manchala, Raghunath; Ismail, Ayesha

    2013-01-09

    Inhibition of the proteolytic activity of 26S proteasome, the protein-degrading machine, is now considered a novel and promising approach for cancer therapy. Interestingly, proteasome inhibitors have been demonstrated to selectively kill cancer cells and also enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, polyphenols/flavonoids have been reported to inhibit proteasome activity. Murraya koenigii Spreng, a medicinally important herb of Indian origin, has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Here we show that Murraya koenigii leaves (curry leaves), a rich source of polyphenols, inhibit the proteolytic activity of the cancer cell proteasome, and cause cell death. Hydro-methanolic extract of curry leaves (CLE) was prepared and its total phenolic content [TPC] determined by, the Folin-Ciocalteau's method. Two human breast carcinoma cell lines: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and a normal human lung fibroblast cell line, WI-38 were used for the studies. Cytotoxicity of the CLE was assessed by the MTT assay. We studied the effect of CLE on growth kinetics using colony formation assay. Growth arrest was assessed by cell cycle analysis and apoptosis by Annexin-V binding using flow cytometry. Inhibition of the endogenous 26S proteasome was studied in intact cells and cell extracts using substrates specific to 20S proteasomal enzymes. CLE decreased cell viability and altered the growth kinetics in both the breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. It showed a significant arrest of cells in the S phase albeit in cancer cells only. Annexin V binding data suggests that cell death was via the apoptotic pathway in both the cancer cell lines. CLE treatment significantly decreased the activity of the 26S proteasome in the cancer but not normal cells. Our study suggests M. koenigii leaves to be a potent source of proteasome inhibitors that lead to cancer cell death. Therefore, identification of active component(s) from the leaf

  5. Magnetic Nanowires as Materials for Cancer Cell Destruction

    KAUST Repository

    Contreras, Maria F.

    2015-12-01

    Current cancer therapies are highly cytotoxic and their delivery to exclusively the affected site is poorly controlled, resulting in unavoidable and often severe side effects. In an effort to overcome such issues, magnetic nanoparticles have been recently gaining relevance in the areas of biomedical applications and therapeutics, opening pathways to alternative methods. This led to the concept of magnetic particle hyperthermia in which magnetic nano beads are heated by a high power magnetic field. The increase in temperature kills the cancer cells, which are more susceptible to heat in comparison to healthy cells. In this dissertation, the possibility to kill cancer cells with magnetic nanowires is evaluated. The idea is to exploit a magnetomechanical effect, where nanowires cause cancer cell death through vibrating in a low power magnetic field. Specifically, the magnetic nanowires effects to cells in culture and their ability to induce cancer cell death, when combined with an alternating magnetic field, was investigated. Nickel and iron nanowires of 35 nm diameter and 1 to 5 μm long were synthesized by electrodeposition into nanoporous alumina templates, which were prepared using a two-step anodization process on highly pure aluminum substrates. For the cytotoxicity studies, the nanowires were added to cancer cells in culture, varying the incubation time and the concentration. The cell-nanowire interaction was thoroughly studied at the cellular level (mitochondrial metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity and, apoptosis/necrosis assay), and optical level (transmission electron and confocal microscopy). Furthermore, to investigate their therapeutic potential, an alternating magnetic field was applied varying its intensity and frequency. After the magnetic field application, cells health was measured at the mitochondrial activity level. Cytotoxicity results shed light onto the cellular tolerance to the nanowires, which helped in establishing the appropriate

  6. Danshen extract circumvents drug resistance and represses cell growth in human oral cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Cheng-Yu; Hsieh, Cheng-Chih; Lin, Chih-Kung; Lin, Chun-Shu; Peng, Bo; Lin, Gu-Jiun; Sytwu, Huey-Kang; Chang, Wen-Liang; Chen, Yuan-Wu

    2017-12-29

    Danshen is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat neoplastic and chronic inflammatory diseases in China. However, the effects of Danshen on human oral cancer cells remain relatively unknown. This study investigated the antiproliferative effects of a Danshen extract on human oral cancer SAS, SCC25, OEC-M1, and KB drug-resistant cell lines and elucidated the possible underlying mechanism. We investigated the anticancer potential of the Danshen extract in human oral cancer cell lines and an in vivo oral cancer xenograft mouse model. The expression of apoptosis-related molecules was evaluated through Western blotting, and the concentration of in vivo apoptotic markers was measured using immunohistochemical staining. The antitumor effects of 5-fluorouracil and the Danshen extract were compared. Cell proliferation assays revealed that the Danshen extract strongly inhibited oral cancer cell proliferation. Cell morphology studies revealed that the Danshen extract inhibited the growth of SAS, SCC25, and OEC-M1 cells by inducing apoptosis. The Flow cytometric analysis indicated that the Danshen extract induced cell cycle G0/G1 arrest. Immunoblotting analysis for the expression of active caspase-3 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein indicated that Danshen extract-induced apoptosis in human oral cancer SAS cells was mediated through the caspase pathway. Moreover, the Danshen extract significantly inhibited growth in the SAS xenograft mouse model. Furthermore, the Danshen extract circumvented drug resistance in KB drug-resistant oral cancer cells. The study results suggest that the Danshen extract could be a potential anticancer agent in oral cancer treatment.

  7. Proteomics in studying cancer stem cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kranenburg, Onno; Emmink, Benjamin L; Knol, Jaco; van Houdt, Winan J; Rinkes, Inne H M Borel; Jimenez, Connie R

    2012-06-01

    Normal multipotent tissue stem cells (SCs) are the driving force behind tissue turnover and repair. The cancer stem cell theory holds that tumors also contain stem-like cells that drive tumor growth and metastasis formation. However, very little is known about the regulation of SC maintenance pathways in cancer and how these are affected by cancer-specific genetic alterations and by treatment. Proteomics is emerging as a powerful tool to identify the signaling complexes and pathways that control multi- and pluri-potency and SC differentiation. Here, the authors review the novel insights that these studies have provided and present a comprehensive strategy for the use of proteomics in studying cancer SC biology.

  8. Controversial role of mast cells in skin cancers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varricchi, Gilda; Galdiero, Maria R; Marone, Giancarlo; Granata, Francescopaolo; Borriello, Francesco; Marone, Gianni

    2017-01-01

    Cancer development is a multistep process characterized by genetic and epigenetic alterations during tumor initiation and progression. The stromal microenvironment can promote tumor development. Mast cells, widely distributed throughout all tissues, are a stromal component of many solid and haematologic tumors. Mast cells can be found in human and mouse models of skin cancers such as melanoma, basal and squamous cell carcinomas, primary cutaneous lymphomas, haemangiomas and Merkel cell carcinoma. However, human and animal studies addressing potential functions of mast cells and their mediators in skin cancers have provided conflicting results. In several studies, mast cells play a pro-tumorigenic role, whereas in others, they play an anti-tumorigenic role. Other studies have failed to demonstrate a clear role for tumor-associated mast cells. Many unanswered questions need to be addressed before we understand whether tumor-associated mast cells are adversaries, allies or simply innocent bystanders in different types and subtypes of skin cancers. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Mathematical models in cell biology and cancer chemotherapy

    CERN Document Server

    Eisen, Martin

    1979-01-01

    The purpose of this book is to show how mathematics can be applied to improve cancer chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most drugs used in treating cancer kill both normal and abnormal cells. However, more cancer cells than normal cells can be destroyed by the drug because tumor cells usually exhibit different growth kinetics than normal cells. To capitalize on this last fact, cell kinetics must be studied by formulating mathematical models of normal and abnormal cell growth. These models allow the therapeutic and harmful effects of cancer drugs to be simulated quantitatively. The combined cell and drug models can be used to study the effects of different methods of administering drugs. The least harmful method of drug administration, according to a given criterion, can be found by applying optimal control theory. The prerequisites for reading this book are an elementary knowledge of ordinary differential equations, probability, statistics, and linear algebra. In order to make this book self-contained, a chapter on...

  10. Carboplatin treatment of antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Mathilde S; Yde, Christina Westmose; Christensen, Ib J

    2012-01-01

    Antiestrogen resistance is a major clinical problem in current breast cancer treatment. Therefore, biomarkers and new treatment options for antiestrogen-resistant breast cancer are needed. In this study, we investigated whether antiestrogen‑resistant breast cancer cell lines have increased...... sensitivity to carboplatin, as it was previously shown with cisplatin, and whether low Bcl-2 expression levels have a potential value as marker for increased carboplatin sensitivity. Breast cancer cells resistant to the pure antiestrogen fulvestrant, and two out of four cell lines resistant...... to the antiestrogen tamoxifen, were more sensitive to carboplatin treatment compared to the parental MCF-7 cell line. This indicates that carboplatin may be an advantageous treatment in antiestrogen‑resistant breast cancer; however, a marker for increased sensitivity would be needed. Low Bcl-2 expression...

  11. Cancer cell metabolism: one hallmark, many faces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cantor, Jason R; Sabatini, David M

    2012-10-01

    Cancer cells must rewire cellular metabolism to satisfy the demands of growth and proliferation. Although many of the metabolic alterations are largely similar to those in normal proliferating cells, they are aberrantly driven in cancer by a combination of genetic lesions and nongenetic factors such as the tumor microenvironment. However, a single model of altered tumor metabolism does not describe the sum of metabolic changes that can support cell growth. Instead, the diversity of such changes within the metabolic program of a cancer cell can dictate by what means proliferative rewiring is driven, and can also impart heterogeneity in the metabolic dependencies of the cell. A better understanding of this heterogeneity may enable the development and optimization of therapeutic strategies that target tumor metabolism.

  12. Treatment Option Overview (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Common Cancer Types Recurrent Cancer Common Cancer Types Bladder Cancer Breast Cancer Colorectal Cancer Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer ... certain genes, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene or the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) ...

  13. General Information about Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Common Cancer Types Recurrent Cancer Common Cancer Types Bladder Cancer Breast Cancer Colorectal Cancer Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer ... certain genes, such as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene or the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) ...

  14. Targeting regulatory T cells in cancer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Byrne, William L

    2012-01-31

    Infiltration of tumors by regulatory T cells confers growth and metastatic advantages by inhibiting antitumor immunity and by production of receptor activator of NF-kappaB (RANK) ligand, which may directly stimulate metastatic propagation of RANK-expressing cancer cells. Modulation of regulatory T cells can enhance the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. Strategies include depletion, interference with function, inhibition of tumoral migration, and exploitation of T-cell plasticity. Problems with these strategies include a lack of specificity, resulting in depletion of antitumor effector T cells or global interruption of regulatory T cells, which may predispose to autoimmune diseases. Emerging technologies, such as RNA interference and tetramer-based targeting, may have the potential to improve selectivity and efficacy.

  15. Chemical dissection of the cell cycle: probes for cell biology and anti-cancer drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Senese, S; Lo, Y C; Huang, D; Zangle, T A; Gholkar, A A; Robert, L; Homet, B; Ribas, A; Summers, M K; Teitell, M A; Damoiseaux, R; Torres, J Z

    2014-10-16

    Cancer cell proliferation relies on the ability of cancer cells to grow, transition through the cell cycle, and divide. To identify novel chemical probes for dissecting the mechanisms governing cell cycle progression and cell division, and for developing new anti-cancer therapeutics, we developed and performed a novel cancer cell-based high-throughput chemical screen for cell cycle modulators. This approach identified novel G1, S, G2, and M-phase specific inhibitors with drug-like properties and diverse chemotypes likely targeting a broad array of processes. We further characterized the M-phase inhibitors and highlight the most potent M-phase inhibitor MI-181, which targets tubulin, inhibits tubulin polymerization, activates the spindle assembly checkpoint, arrests cells in mitosis, and triggers a fast apoptotic cell death. Importantly, MI-181 has broad anti-cancer activity, especially against BRAF(V600E) melanomas.

  16. Human Nanog pseudogene8 promotes the proliferation of gastrointestinal cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uchino, Keita; Hirano, Gen; Hirahashi, Minako; Isobe, Taichi; Shirakawa, Tsuyoshi; Kusaba, Hitoshi; Baba, Eishi; Tsuneyoshi, Masazumi; Akashi, Koichi

    2012-01-01

    There is emerging evidence that human solid tumor cells originate from cancer stem cells (CSCs). In cancer cell lines, tumor-initiating CSCs are mainly found in the side population (SP) that has the capacity to extrude dyes such as Hoechst 33342. We found that Nanog is expressed specifically in SP cells of human gastrointestinal (GI) cancer cells. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that NanogP8 but not Nanog was expressed in GI cancer cells. Transfection of NanogP8 into GI cancer cell lines promoted cell proliferation, while its inhibition by anti-Nanog siRNA suppressed the proliferation. Immunohistochemical staining of primary GI cancer tissues revealed NanogP8 protein to be strongly expressed in 3 out of 60 cases. In these cases, NanogP8 was found especially in an infiltrative part of the tumor, in proliferating cells with Ki67 expression. These data suggest that NanogP8 is involved in GI cancer development in a fraction of patients, in whom it presumably acts by supporting CSC proliferation. -- Highlights: ► Nanog maintains pluripotency by regulating embryonic stem cells differentiation. ► Nanog is expressed in cancer stem cells of human gastrointestinal cancer cells. ► Nucleotide sequencing revealed that Nanog pseudogene8 but not Nanog was expressed. ► Nanog pseudogene8 promotes cancer stem cells proliferation. ► Nanog pseudogene8 is involved in gastrointestinal cancer development.

  17. Rhein Induces Apoptosis in Human Breast Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ching-Yao Chang

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Human breast cancers cells overexpressing HER2/neu are more aggressive tumors with poor prognosis, and resistance to chemotherapy. This study investigates antiproliferation effects of anthraquinone derivatives of rhubarb root on human breast cancer cells. Of 7 anthraquinone derivatives, only rhein showed antiproliferative and apoptotic effects on both HER2-overexpressing MCF-7 (MCF-7/HER2 and control vector MCF-7 (MCF-7/VEC cells. Rhein induced dose- and time-dependent manners increase in caspase-9-mediated apoptosis correlating with activation of ROS-mediated activation of NF-κB- and p53-signaling pathways in both cell types. Therefore, this study highlighted rhein as processing anti-proliferative activity against HER2 overexpression or HER2-basal expression in breast cancer cells and playing important roles in apoptotic induction of human breast cancer cells.

  18. Role of the Microenvironment in Ovarian Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer Pasquier

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Despite recent progresses in cancer therapy and increased knowledge in cancer biology, ovarian cancer remains a challenging condition. Among the latest concepts developed in cancer biology, cancer stem cells and the role of microenvironment in tumor progression seem to be related. Indeed, cancer stem cells have been described in several solid tumors including ovarian cancers. These particular cells have the ability to self-renew and reconstitute a heterogeneous tumor. They are characterized by specific surface markers and display resistance to therapeutic regimens. During development, specific molecular cues from the tumor microenvironment can play a role in maintaining and expanding stemness of cancer cells. The tumor stroma contains several compartments: cellular component, cytokine network, and extracellular matrix. These different compartments interact to form a permissive niche for the cancer stem cells. Understanding the molecular cues underlying this crosstalk will allow the design of new therapeutic regimens targeting the niche. In this paper, we will discuss the mechanisms implicated in the interaction between ovarian cancer stem cells and their microenvironment.

  19. From gametogenesis and stem cells to cancer: common metabolic themes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pereira, Sandro L; Rodrigues, Ana Sofia; Sousa, Maria Inês; Correia, Marcelo; Perestrelo, Tânia; Ramalho-Santos, João

    2014-01-01

    Both pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and cancer cells have been described as having similar metabolic pathways, most notably a penchant for favoring glycolysis even under aerobiosis, suggesting common themes that might be explored for both stem cell differentiation and anti-oncogenic purposes. A search of the scientific literature available in the PubMed/Medline was conducted for studies on metabolism and mitochondrial function related to gametogenesis, early development, stem cells and cancers in the reproductive system, notably breast, prostate, ovarian and testicular cancers. Both PSCs and some types of cancer cells, particularly reproductive cancers, were found to obtain energy mostly by glycolysis, often reducing mitochondrial activity and oxidative phosphorylation. This strategy links proliferating cells, allowing for the biosynthesis reactions necessary for cell division. Interventions that affect metabolic pathways, and force cells to change their preferences, can lead to shifts in cell status, increasing either pluripotency or differentiation of stem cells, and causing cancer cells to become more or less aggressive. Interestingly metabolic changes in many cases seemed to lead to cell transformation, not necessarily follow it, suggesting a direct role of metabolic choices in influencing the (epi)genetic program of different cell types. There are uncanny similarities between PSCs and cancer cells at the metabolic level. Furthermore, metabolism may also play a direct role in cell status and targeting metabolic pathways could therefore be a promising strategy for both the control of cancer cell proliferation and the regulation of stem cell physiology, in terms of manipulating stem cells toward relevant phenotypes that may be important for tissue engineering, or making cancer cells become less tumorigenic. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For

  20. Selectivity of Pinus sylvestris extract and essential oil to estrogen-insensitive breast cancer cells Pinus sylvestris against cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoai, Nguyen Thi; Duc, Ho Viet; Thao, Do Thi; Orav, Anne; Raal, Ain

    2015-10-01

    So far, the anticancer action of pine tree extracts has mainly been shown for the species distributed widely around the Asian countries. Therefore, this study was performed to examine the potential cytotoxicity of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) native also to the European region and growing widely in Estonia. The cytotoxic activity of methanol extract and essential oil of Scots pine needles was determined by sulforhodamine B assay in different human cancer cell lines. This needle extract was found to suppress the viability of several human cancer cell lines showing some selectivity to estrogen receptor negative breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231(half maximal inhibitory concentration [IC50] 35 μg/ml) in comparison with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells, MCF-7 (IC50 86 μg/ml). It is the strongest cytotoxic effect at all measured, thus far for the needles and leaves extracts derived from various pine species, and is also the first study comparing the anticancer effects of pine tree extracts on molecularly different human breast cancer cells. The essential oil showed the stronger cytotoxic effect to both negative and positive breast cancer cell lines (both IC50 29 μg/ml) than pine extract (IC50 42 and 80 μg/ml, respectively). The data from this report indicate that Scots pine needles extract and essential oil exhibits some potential as chemopreventive or chemotherapeutic agent for mammary tumors unresponsive to endocrine treatment.

  1. Natural Killer T Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nair, Shiny; Dhodapkar, Madhav V.

    2017-01-01

    Natural killer T (NKT) cells are specialized CD1d-restricted T cells that recognize lipid antigens. Following stimulation, NKT cells lead to downstream activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. This has impelled the development of NKT cell-targeted immunotherapies for treating cancer. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the stimulatory and regulatory functions of NKT cells in tumor immunity as well as highlight preclinical and clinical studies based on NKT cells. Finally, we discuss future perspectives to better harness the potential of NKT cells for cancer therapy. PMID:29018445

  2. Clinical perspectives of cancer stem cell research in radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bütof, Rebecca; Baumann, Michael; Dubrovska, Anna

    2013-01-01

    Radiotherapy has a proven potential to eradicate cancer stem cells which is reflected by its curative potential in many cancer types. Considerable progress has been made in identification and biological characterisation of cancer stem cells during the past years. Recent biological findings indicate significant inter- and intratumoural and functional heterogeneity of cancer stem cells and lead to more complex models which have potential implications for radiobiology and radiotherapy. Clinical evidence is emerging that biomarkers of cancer stem cells may be prognostic for the outcome of radiotherapy in some tumour entities. Perspectives of cancer stem cell based research for radiotherapy reviewed here include their radioresistance compared to the mass of non-cancer stem cells which form the bulk of all tumour cells, implications for image- and non-image based predictive bio-assays of the outcome of radiotherapy and a combination of novel systemic treatments with radiotherapy

  3. Cell-to-cell signaling through light: just a ghost of chance?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kučera, Ondřej; Cifra, Michal

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 11, č. 1 (2013), Article number 87 ISSN 1478-811X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP102/11/0649; GA ČR GA13-29294S Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : cell communication * bioluminescence * electromagnetic field Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 4.672, year: 2013

  4. Evaluating human cancer cell metastasis in zebrafish

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teng, Yong; Xie, Xiayang; Walker, Steven; White, David T; Mumm, Jeff S; Cowell, John K

    2013-01-01

    In vivo metastasis assays have traditionally been performed in mice, but the process is inefficient and costly. However, since zebrafish do not develop an adaptive immune system until 14 days post-fertilization, human cancer cells can survive and metastasize when transplanted into zebrafish larvae. Despite isolated reports, there has been no systematic evaluation of the robustness of this system to date. Individual cell lines were stained with CM-Dil and injected into the perivitelline space of 2-day old zebrafish larvae. After 2-4 days fish were imaged using confocal microscopy and the number of metastatic cells was determined using Fiji software. To determine whether zebrafish can faithfully report metastatic potential in human cancer cells, we injected a series of cells with different metastatic potential into the perivitelline space of 2 day old embryos. Using cells from breast, prostate, colon and pancreas we demonstrated that the degree of cell metastasis in fish is proportional to their invasion potential in vitro. Highly metastatic cells such as MDA231, DU145, SW620 and ASPC-1 are seen in the vasculature and throughout the body of the fish after only 24–48 hours. Importantly, cells that are not invasive in vitro such as T47D, LNCaP and HT29 do not metastasize in fish. Inactivation of JAK1/2 in fibrosarcoma cells leads to loss of invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo, and in zebrafish these cells show limited spread throughout the zebrafish body compared with the highly metastatic parental cells. Further, knockdown of WASF3 in DU145 cells which leads to loss of invasion in vitro and metastasis in vivo also results in suppression of metastasis in zebrafish. In a cancer progression model involving normal MCF10A breast epithelial cells, the degree of invasion/metastasis in vitro and in mice is mirrored in zebrafish. Using a modified version of Fiji software, it is possible to quantify individual metastatic cells in the transparent larvae to correlate with

  5. Tumor microenvironment derived exosomes pleiotropically modulate cancer cell metabolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Hongyun; Yang, Lifeng; Baddour, Joelle; Achreja, Abhinav; Bernard, Vincent; Moss, Tyler; Marini, Juan C; Tudawe, Thavisha; Seviour, Elena G; San Lucas, F Anthony; Alvarez, Hector; Gupta, Sonal; Maiti, Sourindra N; Cooper, Laurence; Peehl, Donna; Ram, Prahlad T; Maitra, Anirban; Nagrath, Deepak

    2016-02-27

    Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major cellular component of tumor microenvironment in most solid cancers. Altered cellular metabolism is a hallmark of cancer, and much of the published literature has focused on neoplastic cell-autonomous processes for these adaptations. We demonstrate that exosomes secreted by patient-derived CAFs can strikingly reprogram the metabolic machinery following their uptake by cancer cells. We find that CAF-derived exosomes (CDEs) inhibit mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, thereby increasing glycolysis and glutamine-dependent reductive carboxylation in cancer cells. Through 13C-labeled isotope labeling experiments we elucidate that exosomes supply amino acids to nutrient-deprived cancer cells in a mechanism similar to macropinocytosis, albeit without the previously described dependence on oncogenic-Kras signaling. Using intra-exosomal metabolomics, we provide compelling evidence that CDEs contain intact metabolites, including amino acids, lipids, and TCA-cycle intermediates that are avidly utilized by cancer cells for central carbon metabolism and promoting tumor growth under nutrient deprivation or nutrient stressed conditions.

  6. [Activation of the bioluminescence of the sensor Escherichia coli strains used for detecting N-acyl-homoserine lactones in the presence of nitrofurans and NO generators].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaĭtseva, Iu V; Granik, V G; Belik, A S; Koksharova, O A; Khmel', I A

    2010-01-01

    Nitrofurans (nitrofurazone, nitrofurantoin, furazidin, nifuroxazide), and nitric oxide generators (sodium nitroprusside and isosorbide mononitrate) in subinhibitory concentrations were shown to significantly increase the bioluminescence of the sensor Escherichia coli strains used for detecting N-acyl-homoserine lactones, signaling molecules of Quorum Sensing (QS) regulatory systems. The highest activation of bioluminescence (up to 250-400 fold) was observed in the presence of nitrofurazone on E. coli DH5alpha biosensors containing lux-reporter plasmids pSB401 or pSB536. However, this activation was not specifically associated with the functioning of QS systems. We suggest that the effect observed results from a direct action of nitrofurans and NO donors on the process of bioluminescence. The data indicate the necessity of using the biosensors that make it possible to detect specific effects of substances tested on QS regulation.

  7. Cancer Progenitor Cells: The Result of an Epigenetic Event?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lapinska, Karolina; Faria, Gabriela; McGonagle, Sandra; Macumber, Kate Morgan; Heerboth, Sarah; Sarkar, Sibaji

    2018-01-01

    The concept of cancer stem cells was proposed in the late 1990s. Although initially the idea seemed controversial, the existence of cancer stem cells is now well established. However, the process leading to the formation of cancer stem cells is still not clear and thus requires further research. This article discusses epigenetic events that possibly produce cancer progenitor cells from predisposed cells by the influence of their environment. Every somatic cell possesses an epigenetic signature in terms of histone modifications and DNA methylation, which are obtained during lineage-specific differentiation of pluripotent stem cells, which is specific to that particular tissue. We call this signature an epigenetic switch. The epigenetic switch is not fixed. Our epigenome alters with aging. However, depending on the predisposition of the cells of a particular tissue and their microenvironment, the balance of the switch (histone modifications and the DNA methylation) may be tilted to immortality in a few cells, which generates cancer progenitor cells. Copyright© 2018, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  8. Cancer stem cells revisited

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Batlle, Eduard; Clevers, Hans

    2017-01-01

    The cancer stem cell (CSC) concept was proposed four decades ago, and states that tumor growth, analogous to the renewal of healthy tissues, is fueled by small numbers of dedicated stem cells. It has gradually become clear that many tumors harbor CSCs in dedicated niches, and yet their

  9. CDDO-Me protects normal lung and breast epithelial cells but not cancer cells from radiation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariam El-Ashmawy

    Full Text Available Although radiation therapy is commonly used for treatment for many human diseases including cancer, ionizing radiation produces reactive oxygen species that can damage both cancer and healthy cells. Synthetic triterpenoids, including CDDO-Me, act as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant modulators primarily by inducing the transcription factor Nrf2 to activate downstream genes containing antioxidant response elements (AREs. In the present series of experiments, we determined if CDDO-Me can be used as a radioprotector in normal non-cancerous human lung and breast epithelial cells, in comparison to lung and breast cancer cell lines. A panel of normal non-cancerous, partially cancer progressed, and cancer cell lines from both lung and breast tissue was exposed to gamma radiation with and without pre-treatment with CDDO-Me. CDDO-Me was an effective radioprotector when given ∼18 hours before radiation in epithelial cells (average dose modifying factor (DMF = 1.3, and Nrf2 function was necessary for CDDO-Me to exert these radioprotective effects. CDDO-Me did not protect cancer lines tested from radiation-induced cytotoxicity, nor did it protect experimentally transformed human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs with progressive oncogenic manipulations. CDDO-Me also protected human lymphocytes against radiation-induced DNA damage. A therapeutic window exists in which CDDO-Me protects normal cells from radiation by activating the Nrf2 pathway, but does not protect experimentally transformed or cancer cell lines. This suggests that use of this oral available, non-toxic class of drug can protect non-cancerous healthy cells during radiotherapy, resulting in better outcomes and less toxicity for patients.

  10. Enlightening the malaria parasite life cycle: bioluminescent Plasmodium in fundamental and applied research

    OpenAIRE

    Siciliano, Giulia; Alano, Pietro

    2015-01-01

    The unicellular protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium impose on human health worldwide the enormous burden of malaria. The possibility to genetically modify several species of malaria parasites represented a major advance in the possibility to elucidate their biology and is now turning laboratory lines of transgenic Plasmodium into precious weapons to fight malaria. Amongst the various genetically modified plasmodia, transgenic parasite lines expressing bioluminescent reporters have bee...

  11. Targeting cancer stem cells: emerging role of Nanog transcription factor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang ML

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Mong-Lien Wang,1 Shih-Hwa Chiou,2,3 Cheng-Wen Wu1,4–61Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; 3Department of Medical Research and Education, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; 4Institute of Microbiology and Immunology, 5Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan; 6Institute of Biomedical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, TaiwanAbstract: The involvement of stemness factors in cancer initiation and progression has drawn much attention recently, especially after the finding that introducing four stemness factors in somatic cells is able to reprogram the cells back to an embryonic stem cell-like state. Following accumulating data revealing abnormal elevated expression levels of key stemness factors, like Nanog, Oct4, and Sox2, in several types of cancer stem cells; the importance and therapeutic potential of targeting these stemness regulators in cancers has turned to research focus. Nanog determines cell fate in both embryonic and cancer stem cells; activating Nanog at an inappropriate time would result in cancer stem cells rather than normal pluripotent stem cells or differentiated somatic cells. Upregulated Nanog is correlated with poor survival outcome of patients with various types of cancer. The discoveries of downstream regulatory pathways directly or indirectly mediated by Nanog indicate that Nanog regulates several aspects of cancer development such as tumor cell proliferation, self-renewal, motility, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, immune evasion, and drug-resistance, which are all defined features for cancer stem cells. The current review paper illustrates the central role of Nanog in the regulatory networks of cancer malignant development and stemness acquirement, as well as in the communication between cancer cells and the surrounding stroma. Though a more defined model is needed to test the

  12. Reprogramming cancer cells: a novel approach for cancer therapy or a tool for disease-modeling?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmazer, Açelya; de Lázaro, Irene; Taheri, Hadiseh

    2015-12-01

    Chromatin dynamics have been the major focus of many physiological and pathological processes over the past 20 years. Epigenetic mechanisms have been shown to be reshaped during both cellular reprogramming and tumorigenesis. For this reason, cancer cell reprogramming can provide a powerful tool to better understand both regenerative and cancer-fate processes, with a potential to develop novel therapeutic approaches. Recent studies showed that cancer cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state by the overexpression of reprogramming transcription factors. Activation of transcription factors and modification of chromatin regulators may result in the remodeling of epigenetic status and refueling of tumorigenicity in these reprogrammed cancer cells. However, studies focusing on cancer cell reprogramming are contradictory; some studies reported increased tumor progression whereas others showed that cellular reprogramming has a treatment potential for cancer. In this review, first, the current knowledge on the epigenetic mechanisms involved during cancer development and cellular reprogramming will be presented. Later, different reports and key factors about pluripotency-based reprogramming of cancer cells will be reviewed in detail. New insights will be provided on cancer biology and therapy in the light of cellular reprogramming. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Laminins and cancer stem cells: Partners in crime?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Yan; Rodin, Sergey; Simonson, Oscar E; Hollande, Frédéric

    2017-08-01

    As one of the predominant protein families within the extracellular matrix both structurally and functionally, laminins have been shown to be heavily involved in tumor progression and drug resistance. Laminins participate in key cellular events for tumor angiogenesis, cell invasion and metastasis development, including the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition and basement membrane remodeling, which are tightly associated with the phenotypic characteristics of stem-like cells, particularly in the context of cancer. In addition, a great deal of studies and reports has highlighted the critical roles of laminins in modulating stem cell phenotype and differentiation, as part of the stem cell niche. Stemming from these discoveries a growing body of literature suggests that laminins may act as regulators of cancer stem cells, a tumor cell subpopulation that plays an instrumental role in long-term cancer maintenance, metastasis development and therapeutic resistance. The accumulating evidence in this emerging research area suggests that laminins represent potential therapeutic targets for anti-cancer treatments against cancer stem cells, and that they may be used as predictive and prognostic markers to inform clinical management and improve patient survival. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Emerging Evidence for MicroRNAs as Regulators of Cancer Stem Cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sethi, Aisha [Department of Pathology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202 (United States); Sholl, Lynette M., E-mail: lmsholl@partners.org [Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women' s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115 (United States)

    2011-10-24

    Cancer stem cells are defined as a subpopulation of cells within a tumor that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into the heterogeneous cell lineages that comprise the tumor. Many studies indicate that cancer stem cells may be responsible for treatment failure and relapse in cancer patients. The factors that regulate cancer stem cells are not well defined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate translational repression and transcript degradation. miRNAs play a critical role in embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cell regulation and emerging evidence supports their role in cancer stem cell evolution. To date, miRNAs have been shown to act either as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes in driving critical gene expression pathways in cancer stem cells in a wide range of human malignancies, including hematopoietic and epithelial tumors and sarcomas. miRNAs involved in cancer stem cell regulation provide attractive, novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. This review attempts to summarize progress to date in defining the role of miRNAs in cancer stem cells.

  15. Emerging Evidence for MicroRNAs as Regulators of Cancer Stem Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sethi, Aisha; Sholl, Lynette M.

    2011-01-01

    Cancer stem cells are defined as a subpopulation of cells within a tumor that are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into the heterogeneous cell lineages that comprise the tumor. Many studies indicate that cancer stem cells may be responsible for treatment failure and relapse in cancer patients. The factors that regulate cancer stem cells are not well defined. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate translational repression and transcript degradation. miRNAs play a critical role in embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cell regulation and emerging evidence supports their role in cancer stem cell evolution. To date, miRNAs have been shown to act either as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes in driving critical gene expression pathways in cancer stem cells in a wide range of human malignancies, including hematopoietic and epithelial tumors and sarcomas. miRNAs involved in cancer stem cell regulation provide attractive, novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. This review attempts to summarize progress to date in defining the role of miRNAs in cancer stem cells

  16. Application de la bioluminescence au dénombrement des microorganismes vivants dans les vins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Lonvaud-Funel

    1982-12-01

    Bioluminescence was applied to enumerate the microorganisms present in wine. An excellent correlation is obtained by counting colonies grown in Petri dishes. The simplicity of the manipulations and the rapid obtention of results are the principal benefits of this method. Research is still necessary both in the differentiation of yeasts and bacteria and the reduction of the threshold of detection.

  17. Cell mediated therapeutics for cancer treatment: Tumor homing cells as therapeutic delivery vehicles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balivada, Sivasai

    Many cell types were known to have migratory properties towards tumors and different research groups have shown reliable results regarding cells as delivery vehicles of therapeutics for targeted cancer treatment. Present report discusses proof of concept for 1. Cell mediated delivery of Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and targeted Magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) as a cancer treatment by using in vivo mouse cancer models, 2. Cells surface engineering with chimeric proteins for targeted cancer treatment by using in vitro models. 1. Tumor homing cells can carry MNPs specifically to the tumor site and tumor burden will decrease after alternating magnetic field (AMF) exposure. To test this hypothesis, first we loaded Fe/Fe3O4 bi-magnetic NPs into neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which were previously shown to migrate towards melanoma tumors. We observed that NPCs loaded with MNPs travel to subcutaneous melanoma tumors. After alternating magnetic field (AMF) exposure, the targeted delivery of MNPs by the NPCs resulted in a mild decrease in tumor size (Chapter-2). Monocytes/macrophages (Mo/Ma) are known to infiltrate tumor sites, and also have phagocytic activity which can increase their uptake of MNPs. To test Mo/Ma-mediated MHT we transplanted Mo/Ma loaded with MNPs into a mouse model of pancreatic peritoneal carcinomatosis. We observed that MNP-loaded Mo/Ma infiltrated pancreatic tumors and, after AMF treatment, significantly prolonged the lives of mice bearing disseminated intraperitoneal pancreatic tumors (Chapter-3). 2. Targeted cancer treatment could be achieved by engineering tumor homing cell surfaces with tumor proteases cleavable, cancer cell specific recombinant therapeutic proteins. To test this, Urokinase and Calpain (tumor specific proteases) cleavable; prostate cancer cell (CaP) specific (CaP1 targeting peptide); apoptosis inducible (Caspase3 V266ED3)- rCasp3V266ED3 chimeric protein was designed in silico. Hypothesized membrane anchored chimeric protein (rCasp3V

  18. Synthetic biology in cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravarti, Deboki; Wong, Wilson W

    2015-08-01

    The adoptive transfer of genetically engineered T cells with cancer-targeting receptors has shown tremendous promise for eradicating tumors in clinical trials. This form of cellular immunotherapy presents a unique opportunity to incorporate advanced systems and synthetic biology approaches to create cancer therapeutics with novel functions. We first review the development of synthetic receptors, switches, and circuits to control the location, duration, and strength of T cell activity against tumors. In addition, we discuss the cellular engineering and genome editing of host cells (or the chassis) to improve the efficacy of cell-based cancer therapeutics, and to reduce the time and cost of manufacturing. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Cancer stem cells and chemoradiation resistance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishii, Hideshi; Mori, Masaki; Iwatsuki, Masaaki; Ieta, Keisuke; Ohta, Daisuke; Haraguchi, Naotsugu; Mimori, Koshi

    2008-01-01

    Cancer is a disease of genetic and epigenetic alterations, which are emphasized as the central mechanisms of tumor progression in the multistepwise model. Discovery of rare subpopulations of cancer stem cells (CSCs) has created a new focus in cancer research. The heterogeneity of tumors can be explained with the help of CSCs supported by antiapoptotic signaling. CSCs mimic normal adult stem cells by demonstrating resistance to toxic injuries and chemoradiation therapy. Moreover, they might be responsible for tumor relapse following apparent beneficial treatments. Compared with hematopoietic malignancies, conventional therapy regimes in solid tumors have improved the overall survival marginally, illustrating the profound impact of treatment resistance. This implies that the present therapies, which follow total elimination of rapidly dividing and differentiated tumor cells, need to be modified to target CSCs that repopulate the tumor. In this review article, we report on recent findings regarding the involvement of CSCs in chemoradiation resistance and provide new insights into their therapeutic implications in cancer. (author)

  20. Cancer Stem Cells: From Identification To Eradication

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    KASSEM, N.M.

    2008-01-01

    A fundamental problem in cancer research is identification of the cells within a tumor that sustain the growth of the neoplastic clone. The concept that only a subpopulation of rare cancer stem cells (CSCs) is responsible for maintenance of the neoplasm emerged nearly 50 years ago: however, conclusive proof for the existence of a CSC was obtained only relatively recently. As definition, cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a sub-population of cancer cells (found within solid tumors or hematological malignancies) that possess characteristics normally associated with stem cells as high self-renewal potential. These cells are believed to be tumorige forming) in contrast to the bulk of cancer cells, which are thought to be non-tumorigenic. The first conclusive evidence for CSCs was published in 1997 in Nature Medicine by Bonnet and Dick who isolated a subpopulation of leukemic cells in AML that express a specific surface marker CD34 but lacks the CD38 marker. The authors established that the CD34+/CD38– subpopulation is capable of initiating leukemia in NOD/SCID mice that is histologically similar to the donor [1]. This subpopulation of cells is termed SCID Leukemia-initiating cells (SLIC). A theory suggests that such cells act as a reservoir for disease recurrence, are the origin of metastasis and exert resistance towards classical antitumor regimens. This resistance was attributed to a combination of several factors [2], suggesting that conventional antitumor regimens are targeting the bulk of the tumor not the dormant stubborn CSCs. Purpose Better understanding of the leukemogenic process and the biology of CSCS to define the most applicable procedures for their identification and isolation in order to design specific targeted therapies aiming at reducing disease burden to very low levels .. up to eradication of the tumor

  1. Endothelial cells activate the cancer stem cell-associated NANOGP8 pathway in colorectal cancer cells in a paracrine fashion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui; Bhattacharya, Rajat; Ye, Xiangcang; Fan, Fan; Boulbes, Delphine R; Xia, Ling; Ellis, Lee M

    2017-08-01

    In colorectal cancer (CRC), cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been hypothesized to mediate cell survival and chemoresistance. Previous studies from our laboratory described a role for liver parenchymal endothelial cells (LPECs) in mediating the CSC phenotype in CRC cells in a paracrine/angiocrine fashion. The objectives of this study were to determine whether endothelial cells (ECs) from different organs can induce the CSC phenotype in CRC cells and to elucidate the signaling pathways involved. We treated a newly developed CRC cell line (HCP-1) and established CRC cell lines (HT29 and SW480) with conditioned medium (CM) from primary ECs isolated from nonmalignant liver, lung, colon mucosa, and kidney. Our results showed that CM from ECs from all organs increased the number of CSCs, as determined by sphere formation, and protein levels of NANOG and OCT4 in CRC cells. With the focus of further elucidating the role of the liver vascular network in mediating the CSC phenotype, we demonstrated that CM from LPECs increased resistance to 5-fluorouracil in CRC cells. Moreover, we showed that LPEC CM specifically induced NANOGP8 expression in CRC cells by specific enzyme digestion and a luciferase reporter assay using a vector containing the NANOGP8 promoter. Lastly, we found that LPEC CM-induced NANOGP8 expression and sphere formation were mediated by AKT activation. Our studies demonstrated a paracrine role for ECs in regulating the CSC phenotype and chemoresistance in CRC cells by AKT-mediated induction of NANOGP8. These studies suggest a more specific approach to target CSCs by blocking the expression of NANOGP8 in cancer cells. © 2017 The Authors. Published by FEBS Press and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. In vivo bioluminescence imaging validation of a human biopsy-derived orthotopic mouse model of glioblastoma multiforme.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarzabek, Monika A; Huszthy, Peter C; Skaftnesmo, Kai O; McCormack, Emmet; Dicker, Patrick; Prehn, Jochen H M; Bjerkvig, Rolf; Byrne, Annette T

    2013-05-01

    Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive brain malignancy, is characterized by extensive cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and single-cell infiltration into the brain. We have previously shown that a xenograft model based on serial xenotransplantation of human biopsy spheroids in immunodeficient rodents maintains the genotype and phenotype of the original patient tumor. The present work further extends this model for optical assessment of tumor engraftment and growth using bioluminescence imaging (BLI). A method for successful lentiviral transduction of the firefly luciferase gene into multicellular spheroids was developed and implemented to generate optically active patient tumor cells. Luciferase-expressing spheroids were injected into the brains of immunodeficient mice. BLI photon counts and tumor volumes from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were correlated. Luciferase-expressing tumors recapitulated the histopathologic hallmarks of human GBMs and showed proliferation rates and microvessel density counts similar to those of wild-type xenografts. Moreover, we detected widespread invasion of luciferase-positive tumor cells in the mouse brains. Herein we describe a novel optically active model of GBM that closely mimics human pathology with respect to invasion, angiogenesis, and proliferation indices. The model may thus be routinely used for the assessment of novel anti-GBM therapeutic approaches implementing well-established and cost-effective optical imaging strategies.

  3. In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging Validation of a Human Biopsy–Derived Orthotopic Mouse Model of Glioblastoma Multiforme

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Monika A. Jarzabek

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM, the most aggressive brain malignancy, is characterized by extensive cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, and single-cell infiltration into the brain. We have previously shown that a xenograft model based on serial xenotransplantation of human biopsy spheroids in immunodeficient rodents maintains the genotype and phenotype of the original patient tumor. The present work further extends this model for optical assessment of tumor engraftment and growth using bioluminescence imaging (BLI. A method for successful lentiviral transduction of the firefly luciferase gene into multicellular spheroids was developed and implemented to generate optically active patient tumor cells. Luciferase-expressing spheroids were injected into the brains of immunodeficient mice. BLI photon counts and tumor volumes from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI were correlated. Luciferase-expressing tumors recapitulated the histopathologic hallmarks of human GBMs and showed proliferation rates and microvessel density counts similar to those of wild-type xenografts. Moreover, we detected widespread invasion of luciferase-positive tumor cells in the mouse brains. Herein we describe a novel optically active model of GBM that closely mimics human pathology with respect to invasion, angiogenesis, and proliferation indices. The model may thus be routinely used for the assessment of novel anti-GBM therapeutic approaches implementing well-established and cost-effective optical imaging strategies.

  4. [Cancer stem cells as the therapeutic target of tomorrow].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatina, Jiří

    2017-02-01

    The concept of hierarchical organization of tumour cell population, with cancer stem cells positioned at the apex of the cell hierarchy, can explain at least some crucial aspects of biological and clinical behaviour of cancer, like its propensity to relapse as well as the development of therapeutic resistance. The underlying biological properties of cancer stem cells are crucially dependent on various signals, inhibition of which provides an attractive opportunity to attack pharmacologically cancer stem cells. Currently, a lot of such stemness-inhibitors undergo various phases of clinical testing. Interestingly, numerous old drugs that are in routine use in human and veterinary medicine for non-oncological indications appear to be able to specifically target cancer stem cells as well. As cancer stem cells, at least for most tumours, represent usually only a minor tumour cell fraction, it is quite probable that the main focus of the clinical use of the stemness inhibitors would consist in their rational combinations with traditional anticancer treatment modalities. A highly important goal for the future research is to identify reliable and clinically applicable predictive markers that would allow to apply these novel anticancer drugs on the individual basis within the context of personalized medicine.

  5. Cytokines in immunogenic cell death: Applications for cancer immunotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Showalter, Anne; Limaye, Arati; Oyer, Jeremiah L; Igarashi, Robert; Kittipatarin, Christina; Copik, Alicja J; Khaled, Annette R

    2017-09-01

    Despite advances in treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, metastatic cancer remains a leading cause of death for cancer patients. While many chemotherapeutic agents can efficiently eliminate cancer cells, long-term protection against cancer is not achieved and many patients experience cancer recurrence. Mobilizing and stimulating the immune system against tumor cells is one of the most effective ways to protect against cancers that recur and/or metastasize. Activated tumor specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) can seek out and destroy metastatic tumor cells and reduce tumor lesions. Natural Killer (NK) cells are a front-line defense against drug-resistant tumors and can provide tumoricidal activity to enhance tumor immune surveillance. Cytokines like IFN-γ or TNF play a crucial role in creating an immunogenic microenvironment and therefore are key players in the fight against metastatic cancer. To this end, a group of anthracyclines or treatments like photodynamic therapy (PDT) exert their effects on cancer cells in a manner that activates the immune system. This process, known as immunogenic cell death (ICD), is characterized by the release of membrane-bound and soluble factors that boost the function of immune cells. This review will explore different types of ICD inducers, some in clinical trials, to demonstrate that optimizing the cytokine response brought about by treatments with ICD-inducing agents is central to promoting anti-cancer immunity that provides long-lasting protection against disease recurrence and metastasis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Premature aging/senescence in cancer cells facing therapy: good or bad?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Llilians Calvo; Ghadaouia, Sabrina; Martinez, Aurélie; Rodier, Francis

    2016-02-01

    Normal and cancer cells facing their demise following exposure to radio-chemotherapy can actively participate in choosing their subsequent fate. These programmed cell fate decisions include true cell death (apoptosis-necroptosis) and therapy-induced cellular senescence (TIS), a permanent "proliferative arrest" commonly portrayed as premature cellular aging. Despite a permanent loss of proliferative potential, senescent cells remain viable and are highly bioactive at the microenvironment level, resulting in a prolonged impact on tissue architecture and functions. Cellular senescence is primarily documented as a tumor suppression mechanism that prevents cellular transformation. In the context of normal tissues, cellular senescence also plays important roles in tissue repair, but contributes to age-associated tissue dysfunction when senescent cells accumulate. Theoretically, in multi-step cancer progression models, cancer cells have already bypassed cellular senescence during their immortalization step (see hallmarks of cancer). It is then perhaps surprising to find that cancer cells often retain the ability to undergo TIS, or premature aging. This occurs because cellular senescence results from multiple signalling pathways, some retained in cancer cells, aiming to prevent cell cycle progression in damaged cells. Since senescent cancer cells persist after therapy and secrete an array of cytokines and growth factors that can modulate the tumor microenvironment, these cells may have beneficial and detrimental effects regarding immune modulation and survival of remaining proliferation-competent cancer cells. Similarly, while normal cells undergoing senescence are believed to remain indefinitely growth arrested, whether this is true for senescent cancer cells remains unclear, raising the possibility that these cells may represent a reservoir for cancer recurrence after treatment. This review discusses our current knowledge on cancer cell senescence and highlight questions

  7. Hydroxychavicol, a betel leaf component, inhibits prostate cancer through ROS-driven DNA damage and apoptosis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gundala, Sushma Reddy; Yang, Chunhua [Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Mukkavilli, Rao [Advinus Therapeutics, Karnataka (India); Paranjpe, Rutugandha; Brahmbhatt, Meera; Pannu, Vaishali; Cheng, Alice [Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States); Reid, Michelle D. [Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); Aneja, Ritu, E-mail: raneja@gsu.edu [Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303 (United States)

    2014-10-01

    Dietary phytochemicals are excellent ROS-modulating agents and have been shown to effectively enhance ROS levels beyond toxic threshold in cancer cells to ensure their selective killing while leaving normal cells unscathed. Here we demonstrate that hydroxychavicol (HC), extracted and purified from Piper betel leaves, significantly inhibits growth and proliferation via ROS generation in human prostate cancer, PC-3 cells. HC perturbed cell-cycle kinetics and progression, reduced clonogenicity and mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to activation of several pro-apoptotic molecules. In addition, HC treatment elicited a novel autophagic response as evidenced by the appearance of acidic vesicular organelles and increased expression of autophagic markers, LC3-IIb and beclin-1. Interestingly, quenching of ROS with tiron, an antioxidant, offered significant protection against HC-induced inhibition of cell growth and down regulation of caspase-3, suggesting the crucial role of ROS in mediating cell death. The collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential by HC further revealed the link between ROS generation and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Our data showed remarkable inhibition of prostate tumor xenografts by ∼ 72% upon daily oral administration of 150 mg/kg bw HC by quantitative tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. HC was well-tolerated at this dosing level without any observable toxicity. This is the first report to demonstrate the anti-prostate cancer efficacy of HC in vitro and in vivo, which is perhaps attributable to its selective prooxidant activity to eliminate cancer cells thus providing compelling grounds for future preclinical studies to validate its potential usefulness for prostate cancer management. - Highlights: • HC perturbs cell-cycle progression by induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). • HC mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to

  8. Hydroxychavicol, a betel leaf component, inhibits prostate cancer through ROS-driven DNA damage and apoptosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gundala, Sushma Reddy; Yang, Chunhua; Mukkavilli, Rao; Paranjpe, Rutugandha; Brahmbhatt, Meera; Pannu, Vaishali; Cheng, Alice; Reid, Michelle D.; Aneja, Ritu

    2014-01-01

    Dietary phytochemicals are excellent ROS-modulating agents and have been shown to effectively enhance ROS levels beyond toxic threshold in cancer cells to ensure their selective killing while leaving normal cells unscathed. Here we demonstrate that hydroxychavicol (HC), extracted and purified from Piper betel leaves, significantly inhibits growth and proliferation via ROS generation in human prostate cancer, PC-3 cells. HC perturbed cell-cycle kinetics and progression, reduced clonogenicity and mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to activation of several pro-apoptotic molecules. In addition, HC treatment elicited a novel autophagic response as evidenced by the appearance of acidic vesicular organelles and increased expression of autophagic markers, LC3-IIb and beclin-1. Interestingly, quenching of ROS with tiron, an antioxidant, offered significant protection against HC-induced inhibition of cell growth and down regulation of caspase-3, suggesting the crucial role of ROS in mediating cell death. The collapse of mitochondrial transmembrane potential by HC further revealed the link between ROS generation and induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis in PC-3 cells. Our data showed remarkable inhibition of prostate tumor xenografts by ∼ 72% upon daily oral administration of 150 mg/kg bw HC by quantitative tumor volume measurements and non-invasive real-time bioluminescent imaging. HC was well-tolerated at this dosing level without any observable toxicity. This is the first report to demonstrate the anti-prostate cancer efficacy of HC in vitro and in vivo, which is perhaps attributable to its selective prooxidant activity to eliminate cancer cells thus providing compelling grounds for future preclinical studies to validate its potential usefulness for prostate cancer management. - Highlights: • HC perturbs cell-cycle progression by induction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). • HC mediated cytotoxicity by ROS-induced DNA damage leading to

  9. Human Nanog pseudogene8 promotes the proliferation of gastrointestinal cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uchino, Keita, E-mail: uchino13@intmed1.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp [Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Hirano, Gen [Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Hirahashi, Minako [Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan); Isobe, Taichi; Shirakawa, Tsuyoshi; Kusaba, Hitoshi; Baba, Eishi [Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan); Tsuneyoshi, Masazumi [Department of Anatomic Pathology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan); Akashi, Koichi [Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582 (Japan)

    2012-09-10

    There is emerging evidence that human solid tumor cells originate from cancer stem cells (CSCs). In cancer cell lines, tumor-initiating CSCs are mainly found in the side population (SP) that has the capacity to extrude dyes such as Hoechst 33342. We found that Nanog is expressed specifically in SP cells of human gastrointestinal (GI) cancer cells. Nucleotide sequencing revealed that NanogP8 but not Nanog was expressed in GI cancer cells. Transfection of NanogP8 into GI cancer cell lines promoted cell proliferation, while its inhibition by anti-Nanog siRNA suppressed the proliferation. Immunohistochemical staining of primary GI cancer tissues revealed NanogP8 protein to be strongly expressed in 3 out of 60 cases. In these cases, NanogP8 was found especially in an infiltrative part of the tumor, in proliferating cells with Ki67 expression. These data suggest that NanogP8 is involved in GI cancer development in a fraction of patients, in whom it presumably acts by supporting CSC proliferation. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog maintains pluripotency by regulating embryonic stem cells differentiation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog is expressed in cancer stem cells of human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nucleotide sequencing revealed that Nanog pseudogene8 but not Nanog was expressed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog pseudogene8 promotes cancer stem cells proliferation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nanog pseudogene8 is involved in gastrointestinal cancer development.

  10. Vitamin D compounds inhibit cancer stem-like cells and induce differentiation in triple negative breast cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shan, Naing Lin; Wahler, Joseph; Lee, Hong Jin; Bak, Min Ji; Gupta, Soumyasri Das; Maehr, Hubert; Suh, Nanjoo

    2017-10-01

    Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the least responsive breast cancer subtypes to available targeted therapies due to the absence of hormonal receptors, aggressive phenotypes, and the high rate of relapse. Early breast cancer prevention may therefore play an important role in delaying the progression of triple-negative breast cancer. Cancer stem cells are a subset of cancer cells that are thought to be responsible for tumor progression, treatment resistance, and metastasis. We have previously shown that vitamin D compounds, including a Gemini vitamin D analog BXL0124, suppress progression of ductal carcinoma in situ in vivo and inhibit cancer stem-like cells in MCF10DCIS mammosphere cultures. In the present study, the effects of vitamin D compounds in regulating breast cancer stem-like cells and differentiation in triple-negative breast cancer were assessed. Mammosphere cultures, which enriches for breast cancer cells with stem-like properties, were used to assess the effects of 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 and BXL0124 on cancer stem cell markers in the triple-negative breast cancer cell line, SUM159. Vitamin D compounds significantly reduced the mammosphere forming efficiency in primary, secondary and tertiary passages of mammospheres compared to control groups. Key markers of cancer stem-like phenotype and pluripotency were analyzed in mammospheres treated with 1α,25(OH) 2 D 3 and BXL0124. As a result, OCT4, CD44 and LAMA5 levels were decreased. The vitamin D compounds also down-regulated the Notch signaling molecules, Notch1, Notch2, Notch3, JAG1, JAG2, HES1 and NFκB, which are involved in breast cancer stem cell maintenance. In addition, the vitamin D compounds up-regulated myoepithelial differentiating markers, cytokeratin 14 and smooth muscle actin, and down-regulated the luminal marker, cytokeratin 18. Cytokeratin 5, a biomarker associated with basal-like breast cancer, was found to be significantly down-regulated by the vitamin D compounds. These results suggest

  11. Human beta-cell precursors mature into functional insulin-producing cells in an immunoisolation device: implications for diabetes cell therapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seung-Hee; Hao, Ergeng; Savinov, Alexei Y; Geron, Ifat; Strongin, Alex Y; Itkin-Ansari, Pamela

    2009-04-15

    Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human beta-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human beta-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine beta-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary beta-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. We demonstrate for the first time that human beta-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of beta-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells.

  12. Human β-cell Precursors Mature Into Functional Insulin-producing Cells in an Immunoisolation Device: Implications for Diabetes Cell Therapies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Seung-Hee; Hao, Ergeng; Savinov, Alexei Y.; Geron, Ifat; Strongin, Alex Y.; Itkin-Ansari, Pamela

    2009-01-01

    Background Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human β-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human β-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine β-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Methods Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Results Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary β-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that human β-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of β-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells. PMID:19352116

  13. Murraya koenigii leaf extract inhibits proteasome activity and induces cell death in breast cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noolu Bindu

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Inhibition of the proteolytic activity of 26S proteasome, the protein-degrading machine, is now considered a novel and promising approach for cancer therapy. Interestingly, proteasome inhibitors have been demonstrated to selectively kill cancer cells and also enhance the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents. Recently, polyphenols/flavonoids have been reported to inhibit proteasome activity. Murraya koenigii Spreng, a medicinally important herb of Indian origin, has been used for centuries in the Ayurvedic system of medicine. Here we show that Murraya koenigii leaves (curry leaves, a rich source of polyphenols, inhibit the proteolytic activity of the cancer cell proteasome, and cause cell death. Methods Hydro-methanolic extract of curry leaves (CLE was prepared and its total phenolic content [TPC] determined by, the Folin-Ciocalteau’s method. Two human breast carcinoma cell lines: MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and a normal human lung fibroblast cell line, WI-38 were used for the studies. Cytotoxicity of the CLE was assessed by the MTT assay. We studied the effect of CLE on growth kinetics using colony formation assay. Growth arrest was assessed by cell cycle analysis and apoptosis by Annexin-V binding using flow cytometry. Inhibition of the endogenous 26S proteasome was studied in intact cells and cell extracts using substrates specific to 20S proteasomal enzymes. Results CLE decreased cell viability and altered the growth kinetics in both the breast cancer cell lines in a dose-dependent manner. It showed a significant arrest of cells in the S phase albeit in cancer cells only. Annexin V binding data suggests that cell death was via the apoptotic pathway in both the cancer cell lines. CLE treatment significantly decreased the activity of the 26S proteasome in the cancer but not normal cells. Conclusions Our study suggests M. koenigii leaves to be a potent source of proteasome inhibitors that lead to cancer cell death

  14. Light Emission Requires Exposure to the Atmosphere in Ex Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yusuke Inoue

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available The identification of organs bearing luciferase activity by in vivo bioluminescence imaging (BLI is often difficult, and ex vivo imaging of excised organs plays a complementary role. This study investigated the importance of exposure to the atmosphere in ex vivo BLI. Mice were inoculated with murine pro-B cell line Ba/F3 transduced with firefly luciferase and p190 BCR-ABL. They were killed following in vivo BLI, and whole-body imaging was done after death and then after intraperitoneal air injection. In addition, the right knee was exposed and imaged before and after the adjacent bones were cut. Extensive light signals were seen on in vivo imaging. The luminescence disappeared after the animal was killed, and air injection restored the light emission from the abdomen only, suggesting a critical role of atmospheric oxygen in luminescence after death. Although no substantial light signal at the right knee was seen before bone cutting, light emission was evident after cutting. In conclusion, in ex vivo BLI, light emission requires exposure to the atmosphere. Bone destruction is required to demonstrate luciferase activity in the bone marrow after death.

  15. IL-4-mediated drug resistance in colon cancer stem cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Todaro, Matilde; Perez Alea, Mileidys; Scopelliti, Alessandro; Medema, Jan Paul; Stassi, Giorgio

    2008-01-01

    Cancer stem cells are defined as cells able to both extensively self-renew and differentiate into progenitors. Cancer stem cells are thus likely to be responsible for maintaining or spreading a cancer, and may be the most relevant targets for cancer therapy. The CD133 glycoprotein was recently

  16. Primary Patient-Derived Cancer Cells and Their Potential for Personalized Cancer Patient Care

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David P. Kodack

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Personalized cancer therapy is based on a patient’s tumor lineage, histopathology, expression analyses, and/or tumor DNA or RNA analysis. Here, we aim to develop an in vitro functional assay of a patient’s living cancer cells that could complement these approaches. We present methods for developing cell cultures from tumor biopsies and identify the types of samples and culture conditions associated with higher efficiency of model establishment. Toward the application of patient-derived cell cultures for personalized care, we established an immunofluorescence-based functional assay that quantifies cancer cell responses to targeted therapy in mixed cell cultures. Assaying patient-derived lung cancer cultures with this method showed promise in modeling patient response for diagnostic use. This platform should allow for the development of co-clinical trial studies to prospectively test the value of drug profiling on tumor-biopsy-derived cultures to direct patient care.

  17. Inhibition of Cell Survival by Curcumin Is Associated with Downregulation of Cell Division Cycle 20 (Cdc20) in Pancreatic Cancer Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu; Xue, Ying-Bo; Li, Hang; Qiu, Dong; Wang, Zhi-Wei; Tan, Shi-Sheng

    2017-02-04

    Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive human tumors in the United States. Curcumin, a polyphenol derived from the Curcuma longa plant, has been reported to exert its antitumor activity in pancreatic cancer. However, the molecular mechanisms of curcumin-mediated tumor suppressive function have not been fully elucidated. In the current study, we explore whether curcumin exhibits its anti-cancer function through inhibition of oncoprotein cell division cycle 20 (Cdc20) in pancreatic cancer cells. We found that curcumin inhibited cell growth, enhanced apoptosis, induced cell cycle arrest and retarded cell invasion in pancreatic cancer cells. Moreover, we observed that curcumin significantly inhibited the expression of Cdc20 in pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that overexpression of Cdc20 enhanced cell proliferation and invasion, and abrogated the cytotoxic effects induced by curcumin in pancreatic cancer cells. Consistently, downregulation of Cdc20 promoted curcumin-mediated anti-tumor activity. Therefore, our findings indicated that inhibition of Cdc20 by curcumin could be useful for the treatment of pancreatic cancer patients.

  18. Ginkgo Biloba Extract Kaempferol Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuqing; Chen, Aaron Y.; Li, Min; Chen, Changyi; Yao, Qizhi

    2010-01-01

    Background Kaempferol is one of the most important constituents in ginkgo flavonoids. Recent studies indicate kaempferol may have anti-tumor activities. The objective in this study was to determine the effect and mechanisms of kaempferol on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. Materials and Methods Pancreatic cancer cell lines MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 were treated with Kampferol, and the inhibitory effects of kaempferol on pancreatic cancer cell proliferation were examined by direct cell counting, 3H-thymidine incorporation and MTS assay. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release from cells was determined as an index of cytotoxicity. Apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL assay. Results Upon the treatment with 70 μM kaempferol for 4 days, MIA PaCa-2 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by 79% and 45.7% as determined by direct cell counting and MTS assay, respectively, compared with control cells (Pkaempferol significantly inhibited Panc-1 cell proliferation. Kaempferol treatment also significantly reduced 3H-thymidine incorporation in both MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells. Combination treatment of low concentrations of kaempferol and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) showed an additive effect on the inhibition of MIA PaCa-2 cell proliferation. Furthermore, kaempferol had a significantly less cytotoxicity than 5-FU in normal human pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (P=0.029). In both MIA PaCa-2 and Panc-1 cells, apoptotic cell population was increased when treated with kaempferol in a concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions Ginkgo biloba extract kaempferol effectively inhibits pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and induces cancer cell apoptosis, which may sensitize pancreatic tumor cells to chemotherapy. Kaempferol may have clinical applications as adjuvant therapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. PMID:18570926

  19. Potential Therapeutic Roles of Tanshinone IIA in Human Bladder Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sheng-Chun Chiu

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Tanshinone IIA (Tan-IIA, one of the major lipophilic components isolated from the root of Salviae Miltiorrhizae, has been found to exhibit anticancer activity in various cancer cells. We have demonstrated that Tan-IIA induces apoptosis in several human cancer cells through caspase- and mitochondria-dependent pathways. Here we explored the anticancer effect of Tan-IIA in human bladder cancer cell lines. Our results showed that Tan-IIA caused bladder cancer cell death in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Tan-IIA induced apoptosis through the mitochondria-dependent pathway in these bladder cancer cells. Tan-IIA also suppressed the migration of bladder cancer cells as revealed by the wound healing and transwell assays. Finally, combination therapy of Tan-IIA with a lower dose of cisplatin successfully killed bladder cancer cells, suggesting that Tan-IIA can serve as a potential anti-cancer agent in bladder cancer.

  20. Drug-resistant colon cancer cells produce high carcinoembryonic antigen and might not be cancer-initiating cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Hsin-chung; Ling, Qing-Dong; Yu, Wan-Chun; Hung, Chunh-Ming; Kao, Ta-Chun; Huang, Yi-Wei; Higuchi, Akon

    2013-01-01

    Purpose We evaluated the higher levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) secreted by the LoVo human colon carcinoma cells in a medium containing anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells were analyzed by subcutaneously xenotransplanting them into mice. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the drug-resistant cells isolated in this study were cancer-initiating cells, known also as cancer stem cells (CSCs). Methods The production of CEA was investigated in LoVo cells that were cultured with 0–10 mM of anticancer drugs, and we evaluated the increase in CEA production by the LoVo cells that were stimulated by anticancer drug treatment. The expression of several CSC markers in LoVo cells treated with anticancer drugs was also evaluated. Following anticancer drug treatment, LoVo cells were injected subcutaneously into the flanks of severe combined immunodeficiency mice in order to evaluate the CSC fraction. Results Production of CEA by LoVo cells was stimulated by the addition of anticancer drugs. Drug-resistant LoVo cells expressed lower levels of CSC markers, and LoVo cells treated with any of the anticancer drugs tested did not generate tumors within 8 weeks from when the cells were injected subcutaneously into severe combined immunodeficiency mice. These results suggest that the drug-resistant LoVo cells have a smaller population of CSCs than the untreated LoVo cells. Conclusion Production of CEA by LoVo cells can be stimulated by the addition of anticancer drugs. The drug-resistant subpopulation of LoVo colon cancer cells could stimulate the production of CEA, but these cells did not act as CSCs in in vivo tumor generation experiments. PMID:23818760