Human breast cancer: correlation of relapse and survival with amplification of the HER-2/neu oncogene

The HER-2/neu oncogene is a member of the erbB-like oncogene family, and is related to, but distinct from, the epidermal growth factor receptor. This gene has been shown to be amplified in human breast cancer cell lines. In the current study, alterations of the gene in 189 primary human breast cancers were investigated. HER-2/neu was found to be amplified from 2- to greater than 20-fold in 30% of the tumors. Correlation of gene amplification with several disease parameters was evaluated. Amplification of the HER-2/neu gene was a significant predictor of both overall survival and time to relapse in patients with breast cancer. It retained its significance even when adjustments were made for other known prognostic factors. Moreover, HER-2/neu amplification had greater prognostic value than most currently used prognostic factors, including hormonal-receptor status, in lymph node-positive disease. These data indicate that this gene may play a role in the biologic behavior and/or pathogenesis of human breast cancer.     

人类表皮生长因子受体2蛋白在宫颈癌组织中的表达及意义

目的观察宫颈癌组织中人类表皮生长因子受体2（HER-2/neu）蛋白表达及其在宫颈癌发生发展中的作用。方法应用免疫组织化学方法检测20例正常宫颈组织、30例宫颈上皮内瘤样病变（CINⅠ-Ⅲ）和50例宫颈癌组织中HER-2/neu蛋白表达。结果宫颈癌组织中HER-2/neu蛋白表达显著高于宫颈上皮内瘤样病变（P〈0.01）,正常宫颈组织未见阳性表达;宫颈癌组织中HER-2/neu蛋白表达与肿瘤浸润深度、淋巴结转移、临床分期密切相关（P〈0.05）。结论 HER-2/neu蛋白表达上调可能在宫颈癌发生发展中起重要作用。     

人乳腺良恶性病变组织中端粒酶活性的检测

目的：探讨端粒酶活性与人乳腺良、恶性病变组织之间的关系。方法：用ＴＲＡＰ－ＥＬＩＳＡ检测法,对１５例乳腺良性病变和７种乳腺癌组织进行端粒酶活性水平检测。结果：７例乳腺浸润性导管癌中,５例端粒酶阳性,而１５例乳腺良性疾病中仅２例端粒酶阳性,两组差异有显著性（Ｐ〈０．０５）。此外,有淋巴结转移与无淋巴结转移的乳腺癌组织中端粒酶活性水平差异无显著性（Ｐ〉０．０５）。结论：端粒酶的激活在人类乳腺癌的发生过     

Retinoblastoma: clues to human oncogenesis

The retinoblastoma gene can be considered a model for a class of recessive human cancer genes that have a "suppressor" or "regulatory" function. The loss or inactivation of both alleles of this gene appears to be a primary mechanism in the development of retinoblastoma. Such a mechanism is in direct contrast to that of putative human oncogenes which are thought to induce tumorigenesis following activation or alteration. The high incidence of second primary tumors among patients who inherit one inactive retinoblastoma allele also suggests that this cancer gene plays a key role in the etiology of several other primary malignancies. Finally, the observation that extra nonrandom copies of specific chromosomal regions occur in some of these tumors provides circumstantial evidence that an "expressor" gene (possibly an oncogene) may be involved in retinoblastoma development.     

Mutational analysis of the tyrosine phosphatome in colorectal cancers

Tyrosine phosphorylation, regulated by protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) and kinases (PTKs), is important in signaling pathways underlying tumorigenesis. A mutational analysis of the tyrosine phosphatase gene superfamily in human cancers identified 83 somatic mutations in six PTPs (PTPRF, PTPRG, PTPRT, PTPN3, PTPN13, PTPN14), affecting 26% of colorectal cancers and a smaller fraction of lung, breast, and gastric cancers. Fifteen mutations were nonsense, frameshift, or splice-site alterations predicted to result in truncated proteins lacking phosphatase activity. Five missense mutations in the most commonly altered PTP (PTPRT) were biochemically examined and found to reduce phosphatase activity. Expression of wild-type but not a mutant PTPRT in human cancer cells inhibited cell growth. These observations suggest that the mutated tyrosine phosphatases are tumor suppressor genes, regulating cellular pathways that may be amenable to therapeutic intervention.     

Identification and characterization of the protein encoded by the human N-myc oncogene

The human N-myc gene is related to the c-myc proto-oncogene, and has been shown to have transforming potential in vitro. Many studies have reported amplification of N-myc in human neuroblastoma and retinoblastoma cell lines. In primary tumors, amplification of the gene was found to correlate directly with behavior of the tumor. Specific restriction fragments of a partial complementary DNA clone of N-myc from LA-N-5 human neuroblastoma cells were placed into a bacterial expression vector for the purpose of producing antigens representative of the N-myc protein. Rabbits immunized with these antigens produced antisera that recognized a protein of 62-64 kilodaltons in neuroblastoma cells. By several criteria, this protein appears to be part of the same proto-oncogene family as the c-myc protein. Moreover, the antisera to fragments of this protein were capable of histochemically identifying malignant cells in clinical specimens.     

MET amplification leads to gefitinib resistance in lung cancer by activating ERBB3 signaling

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors gefitinib and erlotinib are effective treatments for lung cancers with EGFR activating mutations, but these tumors invariably develop drug resistance. Here, we describe a gefitinib-sensitive lung cancer cell line that developed resistance to gefitinib as a result of focal amplification of the MET proto-oncogene. inhibition of MET signaling in these cells restored their sensitivity to gefitinib. MET amplification was detected in 4 of 18 (22%) lung cancer specimens that had developed resistance to gefitinib or erlotinib. We find that amplification of MET causes gefitinib resistance by driving ERBB3 (HER3)-dependent activation of PI3K, a pathway thought to be specific to EGFR/ERBB family receptors. Thus, we propose that MET amplification may promote drug resistance in other ERBB-driven cancers as well.     

Prevention of Brca1-mediated mammary tumorigenesis in mice by a progesterone antagonist

Women with mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 are predisposed to breast and ovarian cancers. Why the BRCA1 protein suppresses tumor development specifically in ovarian hormone-sensitive tissues remains unclear. We demonstrate that mammary glands of nulliparous Brca1/p53-deficient mice accumulate lateral branches and undergo extensive alveologenesis, a phenotype that occurs only during pregnancy in wild-type mice. Progesterone receptors, but not estrogen receptors, are overexpressed in the mutant mammary epithelial cells because of a defect in their degradation by the proteasome pathway. Treatment of Brca1/p53-deficient mice with the progesterone antagonist mifepristone (RU 486) prevented mammary tumorigenesis. These findings reveal a tissue-specific function for the BRCA1 protein and raise the possibility that antiprogesterone treatment may be useful for breast cancer prevention in individuals with BRCA1 mutations.     

Transfection of v-rasH DNA into MCF-7 human breast cancer cells bypasses dependence on estrogen for tumorigenicity

The natural history of estrogen-responsive breast cancers often involves a phenotypic change to an estrogen-unresponsive, more aggressive tumor. The human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, which requires estradiol for tumor formation in vivo and shows growth stimulation in response to estradiol in vitro, is a model for hormone-responsive tumors. The v-rasH onc gene was transfected into MCF-7 cells. The cloned MCF-7ras transfectants, which expressed the v-rasH messenger RNA and v-rasH p21 protein (21,000 daltons), were characterized. In contrast to the parental cell line, MCF-7ras cells no longer responded to exogenous estrogen in culture and their growth was minimally inhibited by exogenous antiestrogens. When tested in the nude mouse, the MCF-7ras cells were fully tumorigenic in the absence of estrogen supplementation. Thus, cells acquiring an activated onc gene can bypass the hormonal regulatory signals that trigger the neoplastic growth of a human breast cancer cell line.     

Tyrosine kinase receptor with extensive homology to EGF receptor shares chromosomal location with neu oncogene

A novel potential cell surface receptor of the tyrosine kinase gene family has been identified and characterized by molecular cloning. Its primary sequence is very similar to that of the human epidermal growth factor receptor and the v-erbB oncogene product; the chromosomal location of the gene for this protein is coincident with the neu oncogene, which suggests that the two genes may be identical.     

Ubiquitin-binding protein RAP80 mediates BRCA1-dependent DNA damage response

Mutations in the breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) are associated with an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA1 participates in the cellular DNA damage response. We report the identification of receptor-associated protein 80 (RAP80) as a BRCA1-interacting protein in humans. RAP80 contains a tandem ubiquitin-interacting motif domain, which is required for its binding with ubiquitin in vitro and its damage-induced foci formation in vivo. Moreover, RAP80 specifically recruits BRCA1 to DNA damage sites and functions with BRCA1 in G2/M checkpoint control. Together, these results suggest the existence of a ubiquitination-dependent signaling pathway involved in the DNA damage response.     

The neu gene: an erbB-homologous gene distinct from and unlinked to the gene encoding the EGF receptor

The neu oncogene, identified in ethylnitrosourea-induced rat neuroglioblastomas, had strong homology with the erbB gene that encodes the epidermal growth factor receptor. This homology was limited to the region of erbB encoding the tyrosine kinase domain. It was concluded that the neu gene is a distinct novel gene, as it is not coamplified with sequences encoding the EGF receptor in the genome of the A431 tumor line and it maps to human chromosome 17.     

Medicine. DNA arrays reveal cancer in its many forms

The use of microarrays--slides or chips systematically dotted with DNA from thousands of genes--to determine gene expression patterns is providing a wealth of new information that should aid in cancer diagnosis and ultimately in therapy. In the past several months, researchers in several labs have used microarray technology to identify specific subtypes of a variety of cancers, including leukemias and lymphomas, the dangerous skin cancer melanoma, and breast cancer. In some cases, they can determine which cancers are likely to respond to current therapies and which aren't. In addition, the studies are giving researchers a fix on which genes are important for the development, maintenance, and spread of the various cancers, and are thus possible drug targets.     

Identification of a chromosome 18q gene that is altered in colorectal cancers

Allelic deletions involving chromosome 18q occur in more than 70 percent of colorectal cancers. Such deletions are thought to signal the existence of a tumor suppressor gene in the affected region, but until now a candidate suppressor gene on this chromosomal arm had not been identified. A contiguous stretch of DNA comprising 370 kilobase pairs (kb) has now been cloned from a region of chromosome 18q suspected to reside near this gene. Potential exons in the 370-kb region were defined by human-rodent sequence identities, and the expression of potential exons was assessed by an "exon-connection" strategy based on the polymerase chain reaction. Expressed exons were used as probes for cDNA screening to obtain clones that encoded a portion of a gene termed DCC; this cDNA was encoded by at least eight exons within the 370-kb genomic region. The predicted amino acid sequence of the cDNA specified a protein with sequence similarity to neural cell adhesion molecules and other related cell surface glycoproteins. While the DCC gene was expressed in most normal tissues, including colonic mucosa, its expression was greatly reduced or absent in most colorectal carcinomas tested. Somatic mutations within the DCC gene observed in colorectal cancers included a homozygous deletion of the 5' end of the gene, a point mutation within one of the introns, and ten examples of DNA insertions within a 0.17-kb fragment immediately downstream of one of the exons. The DCC gene may play a role in the pathogenesis of human colorectal neoplasia, perhaps through alteration of the normal cell-cell interactions controlling growth.     

绵羊Nanog基因部分编码序列的克隆及分析

利用NCBI中GenBank里查询到已登录的人、猪、牛和山羊的NanogmRNA序列,通过多重同源比较,获得高度保守区域序列,设计了同源引物,并首次对绵羊Nanog部分编码序列进行了分子克隆。经过PCR扩增,获得绵羊Nanog基因第二外显子168 bp(GenBank Accession:EF436277)、第四外显子124 bp(GenBank Acces-sion:EF596905)和第二外显子至第四外显子498 bp(GenBank Accession:EU016097)三个序列片段。经测序,三个序列已登录GenBank。绵羊Nanog第二显子168 bp与山羊相应序列相似性最高达97%,与人相应序列相似性最低达84%;绵羊Nanog第四显子124 bp与山羊相应序列相似性最高达100%,与人相应氨基酸序列相似性最低达73%;经判断,绵羊Nanog第二外显子至第四外显子498 bp序列片段应该是一段假基因序列,与山羊mRNA相应序列相似性最高达98%,与人mRNA相应序列相似性最低达83%。本研究为进一步研究绵羊Nanog基因表达谱提供了序列信息。     

BRCA2 function in DNA binding and recombination from a BRCA2-DSS1-ssDNA structure

Mutations in the BRCA2 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 2) tumor suppressor lead to chromosomal instability due to defects in the repair of double-strand DNA breaks (DSBs) by homologous recombination, but BRCA2's role in this process has been unclear. Here, we present the 3.1 angstrom crystal structure of a approximately 90-kilodalton BRCA2 domain bound to DSS1, which reveals three oligonucleotide-binding (OB) folds and a helix-turn-helix (HTH) motif. We also (i) demonstrate that this BRCA2 domain binds single-stranded DNA, (ii) present its 3.5 angstrom structure bound to oligo(dT)9, (iii) provide data that implicate the HTH motif in dsDNA binding, and (iv) show that BRCA2 stimulates RAD51-mediated recombination in vitro. These findings establish that BRCA2 functions directly in homologous recombination and provide a structural and biochemical basis for understanding the loss of recombination-mediated DSB repair in BRCA2-associated cancers.     

静原鸡肌肉组织肌苷酸特异性沉积相关LNC_003828- gga-miR-107-3p-MINPP1的关联分析

【目的】探究静原鸡肌肉组织肌苷酸沉积过程中关键调控因子的调节作用,利用lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA关联分析鉴定与肌苷酸特异性沉积相关的LNC_003828、gga-miR-107-3p和MINPP1,其作为肉质研究的候选基因,为分子辅助育种提高肌肉品质提供理论基础。【方法】测定15只静原鸡胸肌和腿肌的肌苷酸含量,筛选高肌苷酸含量的胸肌和低肌苷酸含量的腿肌各3个样本提取总RNA,质量检测合格后构建cDNA文库、PCR扩增,利用Agilent 2100对文库质量进行评价,库检合格后送Illumina-Hiseq平台进行转录组测序。利用生物信息学方法筛选出静原鸡肌肉组织不同部位差异表达的MINPP1、gga-miR-107-3p和LNC_003828,进行GO注释和蛋白互作网络分析MINPP1的功能。采用qRT-PCR方法检测LNC_003828、gga-miR-107-3p和MINPP1在静原鸡胸肌和腿肌组织中的表达情况,并分析其与肌苷酸含量的相关性。【结果】测序样品间基因表达水平相关性R²>0.9,即试验样本之间基因表达可用于后续的差异基因分析。参与肌苷酸合成和代谢的糖酵解/糖异生途径中检测出3个差异表达基因MINPP1、PKM和ALDH9A1。互作分析发现lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA网络图中共有17个miRNA（9个上调,8个下调）、44个mRNA（16个上调,28个下调）和155个lncRNA（68个上调、87个下调）,核心节点gga-miR-107-3p互作的靶基因有MINPP1、靶lncRNA有LNC_003828。GO富集分析发现MINPP1基因具有磷酸酶活性、双磷酸甘油酸酯磷酸酶活性等功能;蛋白互作网络中MINPP1基因与参与糖酵解/糖异生和氨基酸生物合成通路中的PGAM1、ENO1、BPGM基因均有互作关系。qRT-PCR结果表明,静原鸡胸肌LNC_003828和gga-miR-107-3p的相对表达量低于腿肌,但差异不显著;胸肌MINPP1的相对表达量显著低于腿肌（P<0.05）。静原鸡胸肌和腿肌组织中gga-miR-107-3p的表达量与LNC_003828表达量均呈正相关,与MINPP1的表达量均呈负相关。胸肌和腿肌组织中LNC_003828、gga-miR-107-3p的表达量与肌苷酸含量均呈正相关,且差异均不显著;胸肌MINPP1表达量与肌苷酸含量呈负相关,腿肌MINPP1表达量与肌苷酸含量呈显著负相关（P<0.05）。综上所述,推测静原鸡肌肉组织中gga-miR-107-3p作为核心调节因子吸附LNC_003828,影响MINPP1基因调控肌肉肌苷酸特异性沉积,从而改善肉质。【结论】筛选出LNC_003828、gga-miR-107-3p和MINPP1为影响肌苷酸特异性沉积的候选调控因子。