Oncogenic transformation of Drosophila somatic cells induces a functional piRNA pathway.

Germline genes often become re-expressed in soma-derived human cancers as "cancer/testis antigens" (CTAs), and piRNA (PIWI-interacting RNA) pathway proteins are found among CTAs. However, whether and how the piRNA pathway contributes to oncogenesis in human neoplasms remain poorly understood. We found that oncogenic Ras combined with loss of the Hippo tumor suppressor pathway reactivates a primary piRNA pathway in Drosophila somatic cells coincident with oncogenic transformation. In these cells, Piwi becomes loaded with piRNAs derived from annotated generative loci, which are normally restricted to either the germline or the somatic follicle cells. Negating the pathway leads to increases in the expression of a wide variety of transposons and also altered expression of some protein-coding genes. This correlates with a reduction in the proliferation of the transformed cells in culture, suggesting that, at least in this context, the piRNA pathway may play a functional role in cancer.We thank the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Microscopy Shared Resources for assistance, which are funded in part by Cancer Center Support Grant 5P30CA045508. This work was supported in part by a grant from the STARR Cancer Consortium, grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH MERIT Award, R37GM062534 to G. J.H.), and a generous gift from Kathryn W. Davis to G.J.H. N.P. and G.J.H. are or were Investigators of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Stocks obtained from the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center (NIH P40OD018537) were used in this study. Cell lines have been deposited by A.S. at the Drosophila Genomics Resource Center (NIH 2P40OD010949-10A1). G.J.H. is supported by Cancer Research UK and is a Wellcome Trust Investigator.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Cold Spring Harbor Press at http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/gad.284927.116

A genome-scale shRNA resource for transgenic RNAi in Drosophila

Existing transgenic RNAi resources in Drosophila melanogaster based on long double-stranded hairpin RNAs are powerful tools for functional studies, but they are ineffective in gene knockdown during oogenesis, an important model system for the study of many biological questions. We show that shRNAs, modeled on an endogenous microRNA, are extremely effective at silencing gene expression during oogenesis. We also describe our progress toward building a genome-wide shRNA resource. © 2011 Nature America, Inc. All rights reserved

An endogenous small interfering RNA pathway in Drosophila

Drosophila endogenous small RNAs are categorized according to their mechanisms of biogenesis and the Argonaute protein to which they bind. MicroRNAs are a class of ubiquitously expressed RNAs of 22 nucleotides in length, which arise from structured precursors through the action of Drosha - Pasha and Dicer- 1-Loquacious complexes(1-7). These join Argonaute-1 to regulate gene expression(8,9). A second endogenous small RNA class, the Piwi-interacting RNAs, bind Piwi proteins and suppress transposons(10,11). Piwi- interacting RNAs are restricted to the gonad, and at least a subset of these arises by Piwi- catalysed cleavage of single-stranded RNAs12,13. Here we show that Drosophila generates a third small RNA class, endogenous small interfering RNAs, in both gonadal and somatic tissues. Production of these RNAs requires Dicer- 2, but a subset depends preferentially on Loquacious(1,4,5) rather than the canonical Dicer- 2 partner, R2D2 ( ref. 14). Endogenous small interfering RNAs arise both from convergent transcription units and from structured genomic loci in a tissue- specific fashion. They predominantly join Argonaute- 2 and have the capacity, as a class, to target both protein- coding genes and mobile elements. These observations expand the repertoire of small RNAs in Drosophila, adding a class that blurs distinctions based on known biogenesis mechanisms and functional roles

PET/CT imaging of pancreatic carcinoma targeting the “cancer integrin” αvβ6

Purpose!#!Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) is the standard for staging aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Limited data from prospective studies is available to determine whether initial staging by FDG PET/CT provides treatment-relevant information of bone marrow (BM) involvement (BMI) and thus could spare BM biopsy (BMB).!##!Methods!#!Patients from PETAL (NCT00554164) and OPTIMAL>60 (NCT01478542) with aggressive B-cell NHL initially staged by FDG PET/CT and BMB were included in this pooled analysis. The reference standard to confirm BMI included a positive BMB and/or FDG PET/CT confirmed by targeted biopsy, complementary imaging (CT or magnetic resonance imaging), or concurrent disappearance of focal FDG-avid BM lesions with other lymphoma manifestations during immunochemotherapy.!##!Results!#!Among 930 patients, BMI was detected by BMB in 85 (prevalence 9%) and by FDG PET/CT in 185 (20%) cases, for a total of 221 cases (24%). All 185 PET-positive cases were true positive, and 709 of 745 PET-negative cases were true negative. For BMB and FDG PET/CT, sensitivity was 38% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 32-45%) and 84% (CI: 78-88%), specificity 100% (CI: 99-100%) and 100% (CI: 99-100%), positive predictive value 100% (CI: 96-100%) and 100% (CI: 98-100%), and negative predictive value 84% (CI: 81-86%) and 95% (CI: 93-97%), respectively. In all of the 36 PET-negative cases with confirmed BMI patients had other adverse factors according to IPI that precluded a change of standard treatment. Thus, the BMB would not have influenced the patient management.!##!Conclusion!#!In patients with aggressive B-cell NHL, routine BMB provides no critical staging information compared to FDG PET/CT and could therefore be omitted.!##!Trial registration!#!NCT00554164 and NCT01478542

Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen PET/CT: False-Positive Results due to Sarcoidosis?

We report on a 72-year-old male patient who developed sarcoidosis of the mediastinal lymph nodes, the liver, and the prostate 11 years ago. Seven years later, he underwent transurethral resection of the prostate by laser due to hematuria. Pathology of the resected chips showed a ‘granulomatous prostatitis with epitheloid cells’. Malignancy was histologically excluded at that time. Four years later, he was diagnosed with an undifferentiated prostate carcinoma, with a Gleason score of 5 + 4 = 9. After initiation of antihormonal therapy, he underwent radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy, which revealed a pT3b pN1 carcinoma with infiltrated resection margins. Three months later, the prostate-specific antigen level was 1.4 ng/ml, and a local recurrence was suspected by ultrasound; consequently, a 68Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT was performed. This examination seemed to confirm the local recurrence, a right pelvic lymph node metastasis, and a hepatic metastasis. However, ultrasound with contrast medium could not confirm the metastatic spread to the liver. In palliative intention, radiotherapy of the pelvis was done. After 50 Gy, the supposed recurrence had markedly shrunk, and an additional boost dose with 16.2 Gy was applied. Two years later, the patient is still free of disease. Due to this clinical development, we doubt the diagnosis of a fulminant progression of the prostate cancer as suspected by PSMA-PET/CT. Instead, we suspect a recurrence of the previously proven sarcoidosis leading to false-positive results. Our focus in this report is on the interaction between PSMA-PET/CT and sarcoidosis. Another report on a case of sarcoidosis of the spleen seems to confirm this possibility [Kobe et al: Clin Nucl Med 2015;40: 897–898]

Keimreduktion von getrockneten pfanzlichen Lebensmitteln und Lebensmittelrohstoffen nach dem Dampfverfahren / Keimreduktionsverfahren der Firma Worlee NaturProdukte GmbH.

Dried plant foodstuffs and plant food ingredients like spices, culinary herbs, mushrooms, vegetables, herbal infusions and pharmaceuticals are natural products which are cultivated, harvested and processed by natural, traditional processes. Due to this, these plant materials have a higher level of micro-organisms than most other foodstuffs.Summary in EnglishAvailable from STL, Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi

Depletion of Cognate Charged Transfer RNA Causes Translational Frameshifting within the Expanded CAG Stretch in Huntingtin

SummaryHuntington disease (HD), a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG-encoded polyglutamine (polyQ) repeat in huntingtin (Htt), displays a highly heterogeneous etiopathology and disease onset. Here, we show that the translation of expanded CAG repeats in mutant Htt exon 1 leads to a depletion of charged glutaminyl-transfer RNA (tRNA)Gln-CUG that pairs exclusively to the CAG codon. This results in translational frameshifting and the generation of various transframe-encoded species that differently modulate the conformational switch to nucleate fibrillization of the parental polyQ protein. Intriguingly, the frameshifting frequency varies strongly among different cell lines and is higher in cells with intrinsically lower concentrations of tRNAGln-CUG. The concentration of tRNAGln-CUG also differs among different brain areas in the mouse. We propose that translational frameshifting may act as a significant disease modifier that contributes to the cell-selective neurotoxicity and disease course heterogeneity of HD on both cellular and individual levels