The FUSE binding proteins FBP1 and FBP3 are potential c-myc regulators in renal, but not in prostate and bladder cancer

BACKGROUND: The three far-upstream element (FUSE) binding proteins (FBP1, FBP2, and FBP3) belong to an ancient family of single-stranded DNA binding proteins which are required for proper regulation of the c-myc proto-oncogene. Whereas it is known that c-myc alterations play a completely different role in various carcinomas of the urogenital tract, the relevance of FBPs is unclear. Methods: FBP1, FBP3 and c-myc expression was studied in 105 renal cell, 95 prostate and 112 urinary bladder carcinomas by immunohistochemistry using tissue microarrays. High rates of FBP1 and FBP3 expression were observed in all cancer types. RESULTS: There was a concomitant up-regulation of FBP1 and FBP3 in renal cell and prostate carcinomas (p<0.001 both). C-myc expression was detectable in 21% of prostate, 30% of renal and 34% of urothelial carcinomas. Interestingly, strong FBP1 and FBP3 expression was associated with c-myc up-regulation in clear cell renal cell carcinomas (p<0.001 and 0.05 resp.), but not in bladder or prostate cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The correlation between FBP1/FBP3, c-myc and high proliferation rate in renal cell carcinoma provides strong in vivo support for the suggested role of FBP1 and FBP3 as activators of c-myc. The frequent up-regulation of FBP1 and FBP3 in urothelial and prostate carcinoma suggests that FBPs also have an important function in gene regulation of these tumors

Deficiency of FLCN in Mouse Kidney Led to Development of Polycystic Kidneys and Renal Neoplasia

The Birt–Hogg–Dubé (BHD) disease is a genetic cancer syndrome. The responsible gene, BHD, has been identified by positional cloning and thought to be a novel tumor suppressor gene. BHD mutations cause many types of diseases including renal cell carcinomas, fibrofolliculomas, spontaneous pneumothorax, lung cysts, and colonic polyps/cancers. By combining Gateway Technology with the Ksp-Cre gene knockout system, we have developed a kidney-specific BHD knockout mouse model. BHDflox/flox/Ksp-Cre mice developed enlarged kidneys characterized by polycystic kidneys, hyperplasia, and cystic renal cell carcinoma. The affected BHDflox/flox/Ksp-Cre mice died of renal failure at approximate three weeks of age, having blood urea nitrogen levels over tenfold higher than those of BHD flox/+/Ksp-Cre and wild-type littermate controls. We further demonstrated that these phenotypes were caused by inactivation of BHD and subsequent activation of the mTOR pathway. Application of rapamycin, which inhibits mTOR activity, to the affected mice led to extended survival and inhibited further progression of cystogenesis. These results provide a correlation of kidney-targeted gene inactivation with renal carcinoma, and they suggest that the BHD product FLCN, functioning as a cyst and tumor suppressor, like other hamartoma syndrome–related proteins such as PTEN, LKB1, and TSC1/2, is a component of the mTOR pathway, constituting a novel FLCN-mTOR signaling branch that regulates cell growth/proliferation

Molecular Signatures Reveal Circadian Clocks May Orchestrate the Homeorhetic Response to Lactation

Genes associated with lactation evolved more slowly than other genes in the mammalian genome. Higher conservation of milk and mammary genes suggest that species variation in milk composition is due in part to the environment and that we must look deeper into the genome for regulation of lactation. At the onset of lactation, metabolic changes are coordinated among multiple tissues through the endocrine system to accommodate the increased demand for nutrients and energy while allowing the animal to remain in homeostasis. This process is known as homeorhesis. Homeorhetic adaptation to lactation has been extensively described; however how these adaptations are orchestrated among multiple tissues remains elusive. To develop a clearer picture of how gene expression is coordinated across multiple tissues during the pregnancy to lactation transition, total RNA was isolated from mammary, liver and adipose tissues collected from rat dams (n = 5) on day 20 of pregnancy and day 1 of lactation, and gene expression was measured using Affymetrix GeneChips. Two types of gene expression analysis were performed. Genes that were differentially expressed between days within a tissue were identified with linear regression, and univariate regression was used to identify genes commonly up-regulated and down-regulated across all tissues. Gene set enrichment analysis showed genes commonly up regulated among the three tissues enriched gene ontologies primary metabolic processes, macromolecular complex assembly and negative regulation of apoptosis ontologies. Genes enriched in transcription regulator activity showed the common up regulation of 2 core molecular clock genes, ARNTL and CLOCK. Commonly down regulated genes enriched Rhythmic process and included: NR1D1, DBP, BHLHB2, OPN4, and HTR7, which regulate intracellular circadian rhythms. Changes in mammary, liver and adipose transcriptomes at the onset of lactation illustrate the complexity of homeorhetic adaptations and suggest that these changes are coordinated through molecular clocks

Chromosome instability, chromosome transcriptome, and clonal evolution of tumor cell populations

Chromosome instability and aneuploidy are hallmarks of cancer, but it is not clear how changes in the chromosomal content of a cell contribute to the malignant phenotype. Previously we have shown that we can readily isolate highly proliferative tumor cells and their revertants from highly invasive tumor cell populations, indicating how phenotypic shifting can contribute to malignant progression. Here we show that chromosome instability and changes in chromosome content occur with phenotypic switching. Further, we show that changes in the copy number of each chromosome quantitatively impose a proportional change in the chromosome transcriptome ratio. This correlation also applies to subchromosomal regions of derivative chromosomes. Importantly, we show that the changes in chromosome content and the transcriptome favor the expression of a large number of genes appropriate for the specific tumor phenotype. We conclude that chromosome instability generates the necessary chromosome diversity in the tumor cell populations and, therefore, the transcriptome diversity to allow for environment-facilitated clonal expansion and clonal evolution of tumor cell populations

Mechanism-Based Inactivation of Human Cytochrome P450 3A4 by Two Piperazine-Containing Compounds

ABSTRACT Human cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) is responsible for the metabolism of more than half of pharmaceutic drugs, and inactivation of CYP3A4 can lead to adverse drug-drug interactions. The substi- (EMTPP) have been previously identified as mechanism-based inactivators (MBI) of CYP2D6. The present study shows that both SCH 66712 and EMTPP are also MBIs of CYP3A4. Inhibition of CYP3A4 by SCH 66712 and EMTPP was determined to be concentration, time, and NADPH dependent. In addition, inactivation of CYP3A4 by SCH 66712 was shown to be unaffected by the presence of electrophile scavengers. SCH 66712 displays type I binding to CYP3A4 with a spectral binding constant (K s ) of 42.9 6 2.9 mM. The partition ratios for SCH 66712 and EMTPP were 11 and 94, respectively. Whole protein mass spectrum analysis revealed 1:1 binding stoichiometry of SCH 66712 and EMTPP to CYP3A4 and a mass increase consistent with adduction by the inactivators without addition of oxygen. Heme adduction was not apparent. Multiple monooxygenation products with each inactivator were observed; no other products were apparent. These are the first MBIs to be shown to be potent inactivators of both CYP2D6 and CYP3A4