Eph Receptors and Ephrin Ligands: Important Players in Angiogenesis and Tumor Angiogenesis

Eph receptors and their ephrin ligands were identified in the late 1980's. Subsequently, they were linked to different physiological and pathophysiological processes like embryonic development, angiogenesis, and tumorigenesis. In this regard, recent work focused on the distribution and effects of Eph receptors and ephrins on tumor cells and tumor microenvironment. The purpose of this review is to outline the role of these molecules in physiological angiogenesis and pathophysiological tumor angiogenesis. Furthermore, novel therapeutical approaches are discussed as Eph receptors and ephrins represent attractive targets for antiangiogenic therapy

Cell Cycle Regulating Kinase Cdk4 as a Potential Target for Tumor Cell Treatment and Tumor Imaging

The cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-cyclin D/retinoblastoma (pRb)/E2F cascade, which controls the G1/S transition of cell cycle, has been found to be altered in many neoplasias. Inhibition of this pathway by using, for example, selective Cdk4 inhibitors has been suggested to be a promising approach for cancer therapy. We hypothesized that appropriately radiolabeled Cdk4 inhibitors are suitable probes for tumor imaging and may be helpful studying cell proliferation processes in vivo by positron emission tomography. Herein, we report the synthesis and biological, biochemical, and radiopharmacological characterizations of two 124I-labeled small molecule Cdk4 inhibitors (8-cyclopentyl-6-iodo-5-methyl-2-(4-piperazin-1-yl-phenylamino)-8H-pyrido[2,3-d]-pyrimidin-7-one (CKIA) and 8-cyclopentyl-6-iodo-5-methyl-2-(5-(piperazin-1-yl)-pyridin-2-yl-amino)-8H-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7-one (CKIB)). Our data demonstrate a defined and specific inhibition of tumor cell proliferation through CKIA and CKIB by inhibition of the Cdk4/pRb/E2F pathway emphasizing potential therapeutic benefit of CKIA and CKIB. Furthermore, radiopharmacological properties of [124I]CKIA and [124I]CKIB observed in human tumor cells are promising prerequisites for in vivo biodistribution and imaging studies

Neuronal Aneuploidy in Health and Disease: A Cytomic Approach to Understand the Molecular Individuality of Neurons

Structural variation in the human genome is likely to be an important mechanism for neuronal diversity and brain disease. A combination of multiple different forms of aneuploid cells due to loss or gain of whole chromosomes giving rise to cellular diversity at the genomic level have been described in neurons of the normal and diseased adult human brain. Here, we describe recent advances in molecular neuropathology based on the combination of slide-based cytometry with molecular biological techniques that will contribute to the understanding of genetic neuronal heterogeneity in the CNS and its potential impact on Alzheimer's disease and age-related disorders

Effect of [F-18]FMISO stratified dose-escalation on local control in FaDu hSCC in nude mice

Objective: To investigate the effect of radiation dose-escalation on local control in hypoxic versus non-hypoxic hypoxic tumours defined using [F-18]fluoromisonidazole ([F-18]FMISO) PET. Materials and methods: FaDu human squamous cell carcinomas (hSCCs) growing subcutaneously in nude mice were subjected to [F-18]FMISO PET before irradiation with single doses of 25 or 35 Gy under normal blood flow conditions. [F-18]FMISO hypoxic volume (HV) and maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax) were used to quantify tracer uptake. The animals were followed up for at least 120 days after irradiation. The endpoints were permanent local tumour control and time to local recurrence. Results: HV varied between 38 and 291 mm(3) (median 105 mm(3)). Non-hypoxic tumours (HV below median) showed significantly better local control after single dose irradiation than hypoxic tumours (HV above median) (p = 0.046). The effect of dose was significant and not different in non-hypoxic and in hypoxic tumours (HR= 0.82 [95% Cl 0.71; 0.93], p = 0.002 and HR= 0.86 [0.78; 0.95], p = 0.001, respectively). Dose escalation resulted in an incremental increase of local tumour control from low-dose hypoxic, over low-dose non-hypoxic and high-dose hypoxic to high-dose non-hypoxic tumours. SUVmax did not reveal significant association with local control at any dose level. Conclusions: The negative effect of [F-18]FMISO HV on permanent local tumour control supports the prognostic value of the pre-treatment [F-18]FMISO HV. Making the assumption that variable [F-18]FMISO uptake in different FaDu tumours which all have the same genetic background may serve as an experimental model of intratumoural heterogeneity, the data support the concept of dose-escalation with inhomogeneous dose distribution based on pre-treatment [F-18]FMISO uptake. This result needs to be confirmed in other tumour models and using fractionated radiotherapy schedules

Selective Cell Death of Hyperploid Neurons in Alzheimer’s Disease

Aneuploidy, an abnormal number of copies of a genomic region, might be a significant source for neuronal complexity, intercellular diversity, and evolution. Genomic instability associated with aneuploidy, however, can also lead to developmental abnormalities and decreased cellular fitness. Here we show that neurons with a more-than-diploid content of DNA are increased in preclinical stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and are selectively affected by cell death during progression of the disease. Present findings show that neuronal hyperploidy in AD is associated with a decreased viability. Hyperploidy of neurons thus represents a direct molecular signature of cells prone to death in AD and indicates that a failure of neuronal differentiation is a critical pathogenetic event in AD