Reduced risk of synovial sarcoma in females: X-chromosome inactivation?

Synovial sarcoma shows a characteristic t(X;18) translocation but not the expected female predominance in incidence. We speculate that, among females, one X-chromosome is inactivated and that only the translocation to an active X-chromosome leads to development of synovial sarcoma. Population-based cancer registry data from the SEER program support this hypothesis

Clinical usefulness of microsatellite instability for the prediction of gastric adenoma or adenocarcinoma in patients with chronic gastritis

To assess a role of microsatellite instability (MSI) in the development of gastric adenocarcinoma or adenoma from chronic gastritis, we analysed mutations of five microsatellite loci in gastritis, adenoma and adenocarcinoma retrospectively. Gastric mucosa was biopsied from the same area in each patient at different periods and examined for MSI. Only one of 55 patients with chronic gastritis revealed MSI-H phenotype and the other 54 patients showed microsatellite stable (MSS) phenotypes. In six of 17 patients with gastric adenoma or well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, MSI-positive phenotypes were demonstrated. Interestingly, all of six patients showing MSI, including three high-level MSI (MSI-H) cases and three low-level (MSH-L) cases, had already revealed MSI at the stage of chronic gastritis. In two of three MSI-H cases, the identical MSI patterns had been observed at the stage of gastritis 1.5–7 years before the final diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. The adjacent gastritis mucosa within 10 mm from the carcinoma demonstrated MSI as well. MSI was not found in any of 35 patients with Helicobacter pylori infection, but found in one of 30 patients without infection. Moreover, two of three cases of gastric adenoma or well-differentiated adenocarcinoma with MSI-H at the stage of chronic gastritis showed no evidence of Helicobacter pylori infection throughout the observation periods. These results indicate that MSI in biopsy specimens at the stage of chronic gastritis may predict the risk of the progression to adenoma and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and that Helicobacter pylori infection itself may not induce MSI directly in the gastric mucosa. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaig

RASSF2, a potential tumour suppressor, is silenced by CpG island hypermethylation in gastric cancer

RASSF2, a member of the RASSF1 family, has recently been identified as a potential tumour suppressor. We examined methylation status in multiple regions which included the CpG island and spanned the transcription start site of RASSF2 in 10 gastric cancer cell lines, as well as 78 primary gastric cancers and corresponding non-neoplastic gastric epithelia. Hypermethylation of RASSF2 in at least one of the regions examined was detected in seven (70%) of the 10 cell lines; two (20%) exhibited hypermethylation in all the regions examined including the transcription start site and lost expression of RASSF2 mRNA, which could, however, be restored by 5-aza-2′ deoxycytidine treatment, while the other five (50%) cell lines exhibited hypermethylation at the 5′- and/or 3′- edge, with four of them expressing RASSF2 mRNA. In primary gastric cancers and corresponding non-neoplastic gastric epithelia, frequencies of RASSF2 methylation ranged from 29% (23 out of 78) to 79% (62 out of 78) and 3% (two out of 78) to 60% (47 out of 78), respectively, at different CpG sites examined. Methylation was frequently observed at the 5′- and 3′- edges, and became less frequent near the transcription start site in both the primary gastric cancers and corresponding non-neoplastic gastric epithelia. Hypermethylation near the transcription start site was mostly cancer-specific. We thus showed that RASSF2 is silenced by hypermethylation near the transcription start site in gastric cancer. Hypermethylation was found initially to occur at the 5′- and 3′- furthest regions of the CpG island in non-neoplastic gastric epithelia, to gradually spreads near the transcription start site to shut down RASSF2 expression, and ultimately to constitute a field-defect placing tissue increased risk for development of gastric cancer

Microglia/Astrocytes-Glioblastoma Crosstalk: Crucial Molecular Mechanisms and Microenvironmental Factors

In recent years, the functions of glial cells, namely, astrocytes and microglia, have gained prominence in several diseases of the central nervous system, especially in glioblastoma (GB), the most malignant primary brain tumor that leads to poor clinical outcomes. Studies showed that microglial cells or astrocytes play a critical role in promoting GB growth. Based on the recent findings, the complex network of the interaction between microglial/astrocytes cells and GB may constitute a potential therapeutic target to overcome tumor malignancy. In the present review, we summarize the most important mechanisms and functions of the molecular factors involved in the microglia or astrocytes–GB interactions, which is particularly the alterations that occur in the cell’s extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. We overview the cytokines, chemokines, neurotrophic, morphogenic, metabolic factors, and non-coding RNAs actions crucial to these interactions. We have also discussed the most recent studies regarding the mechanisms of transportation and communication between microglial/astrocytes – GB cells, namely through the ABC transporters or by extracellular vesicles. Lastly, we highlight the therapeutic challenges and improvements regarding the crosstalk between these glial cells and GB

The gene-reduction effect of chromosomal losses detected in gastric cancers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The level of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) that reduces a gene dose and exerts a cell-adverse effect is known to be a parameter for the genetic staging of gastric cancers. This study investigated if the cell-adverse effect induced with the gene reduction was a rate-limiting factor for the LOH events in two distinct histologic types of gastric cancers, the diffuse- and intestinal-types.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The pathologic specimens obtained from 145 gastric cancer patients were examined for the level of LOH using 40 microsatellite markers on eight cancer-associated chromosomes (3p, 4p, 5q, 8p, 9p, 13q, 17p and 18q).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most of the cancer-associated chromosomes were found to belong to the gene-poor chromosomes and to contain a few stomach-specific genes that were highly expressed. A baseline-level LOH involving one or no chromosome was frequent in diffuse-type gastric cancers. The chromosome 17 containing a relatively high density of genes was commonly lost in intestinal-type cancers but not in diffuse-type cancers. A high-level LOH involving four or more chromosomes tended to be frequent in the gastric cancers with intestinal and mixed differentiation. Disease relapse was common for gastric cancers with high-level LOH through both the hematogenous (38%) and non-hematogenous (36%) routes, and for the baseline-level LOH cases through the non-hematogenous route (67%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The cell-adverse effect of gene reduction is more tolerated in intestinal-type gastric cancers than in diffuse-type cancers, and the loss of high-dose genes is associated with hematogenous metastasis.</p