Expression of Lamin A/C in early-stage breast cancer and its prognostic value

Purpose: Lamins A/C, a major component of the nuclear lamina, plays key roles in maintaining nuclear integrity, regulation of gene expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis. Reduced lamin A/C expression in cancer has been reported to be a sign of poor prognosis. However, its clinical significance in breast cancer remains to be defined. This study aimed to evaluate expression and prognostic significance of lamin A/C in early-stage breast cancer.Methods: Using immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays, expression of lamin A/C was evaluated in a large well-characterised series of early-stage operable breast cancer (n=938) obtained from Nottingham Primary Breast Carcinoma Series. Association of lamin A/C expression with clinicopathological parameters and outcome was evaluated.Results: Positive expression rate of lamin A/C in breast cancer was 42.2% (n=398). Reduced/loss of expression of lamin A/C was significantly associated with high histological grade (p [less than] 0.001), larger tumour size (p=0.004), poor Nottingham Prognostic Index (NPI) score (p [less than] 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (p=0.014) and development of distant metastasis (p=0.027). Survival analysis showed that reduced/loss of expression of lamin A/C was significantly associated with shorter breast cancer specific survival (p=0.008).Conclusion: This study suggests lamin A/C plays a role in breast cancer and loss of its expression is associated with variables of poor prognosis and shorter outcome

Nottingham Prognostic Index Plus (NPI+): a modern clinical decision making tool in breast cancer

Current management of breast cancer (BC) relies on risk stratification based on well-defined clinicopathologic factors. Global gene expression profiling studies have demonstrated that BC comprises distinct molecular classes with clinical relevance. In this study, we hypothesized that molecular features of BC are a key driver of tumour behaviour and when coupled with a novel and bespoke application of established clinicopathologic prognostic variables, can predict both clinical outcome and relevant therapeutic options more accurately than existing methods. In the current study, a comprehensive panel of biomarkers with relevance to BC was applied to a large and well-characterised series of BC, using immunohistochemistry and different multivariate clustering techniques, to identify the key molecular classes. Subsequently, each class was further stratified using a set of well-defined prognostic clinicopathologic variables. These variables were combined in formulae to prognostically stratify different molecular classes, collectively known as the Nottingham Prognostic Index Plus (NPI+). NPI+ was then used to predict outcome in the different molecular classes with.Seven core molecular classes were identified using a selective panel of 10 biomarkers. Incorporation of clinicopathologic variables in a second stage analysis resulted in identification of distinct prognostic groups within each molecular class (NPI+). Outcome analysis showed that using the bespoke NPI formulae for each biological breast cancer class provides improved patient outcome stratification superior to the traditional NPI. This study provides proof-of-principle evidence for the use of NPI+ in supporting improved individualised clinical decision making

The combined expression of solute carriers is associated with a poor prognosis in highly proliferative ER+ breast cancer

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease characterised by variant biology, metabolic activity, and patient outcome. Glutamine availability for growth and progression of BC is important in several BC subtypes. This study aimed to evaluate the biological and prognostic role of the combined expression of key glutamine transporters, SLC1A5, SLC7A5 and SLC3A2 in BC with emphasis on the intrinsic molecular subtypes. Methods: SLC1A5, SLC7A5 and SLC3A2 were assessed at the protein level, using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays constructed from a large well characterised BC cohort (n=2,248). Patients were stratified into accredited clusters based on protein expression and correlated with clinicopathological parameters, molecular subtypes, and patient outcome. Results: Clustering analysis of SLC1A5, SLC7A5 and SLC3A2 identified three clusters Low SLCs (SLC1A5-/SLC7A5-/SLC3A2-), High SLC1A5 (SLC1A5+/SLC7A5-/SLC3A2-) and High SLCs (SLC1A5+/SLC7A5+/SLC3A2+) which had distinct correlations to known prognostic factors and patient outcome (p<0.001). The key regulator of tumour cell metabolism, c-MYC, was significantly expressed in tumours in the High SLCs cluster (p<0.001). When different BC subtypes were considered, the association with the poor outcome was observed in the ER+ high proliferation/luminal B class only (p= 0.003). In multivariate analysis, SLC clusters were independent risk factor for shorter breast cancer specific survival (p= 0.001). Conclusion: The co-operative expression of SLC1A5, SLC7A5 and SLC3A2 appears to play a role in the aggressive subclass of ER+ high proliferation/ luminal BC, driven by c-MYC, and therefore have the potential to act as therapeutic targets, particularly in synergism

FOXP1 expression correlates with better prognosis in invasive breast cancer including the ER-positive luminal subtype

Background: Fork head box P1 (FOXP1) is a FOX family transcription factor influencing ERα;-regulated transcription by interaction with the ERα; related pioneer factor FOXA1. Altered FOXP1 expression is seen in breast and prostate cancers. This study investigated FOXP1 at the protein level in breast cancer (BC) and examined associations with clinicopathological and molecular features. Methods: FOXP1 mRNA expression was investigated in the METABRIC BC cohort (n=1980) and validated using online expression datasets [bc-GenExMiner v4.0]. Protein expression was studied in a well characterised BC primary series (n=621) using immunohistochemistry and correlations made with clinicopathological parameters and outcome. Results: High FOXP1 mRNA and protein expression was significantly associated with low grade, low NPI, positive ER/PR status, lobular BCs, low Ki67 and negative Her2 status (p<0.001). Within PAM50 subtypes, high FOXP1 expression was associated with Luminal A BCs and good prognosis integrative clusters (IC3 and IC8). Nuclear FOXP1 (n-FOXP1) protein positively associated with luminal markers: CARM1, RERG and FOXA1 (p<0.05). Negative association with PIK3 (p=0.023) indicates a possible dual role whereby n-FOXP1 reduces EGFR-mediated ligand-independent ER activation, but enhances AKT mediated activation. Positive correlations with GATA3, STAT3 and CDC42 (p<0.001), suggest interacting pathways. On univariate analysis, n-FOXP1 overexpression showed better long term outcome in the whole cohort and ER+ subgroups (p<0.05). Pooled FOXP1 gene expression data in the ER+ external validation cohort showed similar association with better outcome even when adjusted for NPI/proliferation (p<0.001). Conclusions: Higher n-FOXP1 correlated with low grade ER positive BCs and spelt better prognosis with increased long-term survival. The marker may be helpful to distinguish between good versus poor prognosis luminal A tumours

FOXP1 expression correlates with better prognosis in invasive breast cancer including the ER-positive luminal subtype

Background: Fork head box P1 (FOXP1) is a FOX family transcription factor influencing ERα;-regulated transcription by interaction with the ERα; related pioneer factor FOXA1. Altered FOXP1 expression is seen in breast and prostate cancers. This study investigated FOXP1 at the protein level in breast cancer (BC) and examined associations with clinicopathological and molecular features. Methods: FOXP1 mRNA expression was investigated in the METABRIC BC cohort (n=1980) and validated using online expression datasets [bc-GenExMiner v4.0]. Protein expression was studied in a well characterised BC primary series (n=621) using immunohistochemistry and correlations made with clinicopathological parameters and outcome. Results: High FOXP1 mRNA and protein expression was significantly associated with low grade, low NPI, positive ER/PR status, lobular BCs, low Ki67 and negative Her2 status (p<0.001). Within PAM50 subtypes, high FOXP1 expression was associated with Luminal A BCs and good prognosis integrative clusters (IC3 and IC8). Nuclear FOXP1 (n-FOXP1) protein positively associated with luminal markers: CARM1, RERG and FOXA1 (p<0.05). Negative association with PIK3 (p=0.023) indicates a possible dual role whereby n-FOXP1 reduces EGFR-mediated ligand-independent ER activation, but enhances AKT mediated activation. Positive correlations with GATA3, STAT3 and CDC42 (p<0.001), suggest interacting pathways. On univariate analysis, n-FOXP1 overexpression showed better long term outcome in the whole cohort and ER+ subgroups (p<0.05). Pooled FOXP1 gene expression data in the ER+ external validation cohort showed similar association with better outcome even when adjusted for NPI/proliferation (p<0.001). Conclusions: Higher n-FOXP1 correlated with low grade ER positive BCs and spelt better prognosis with increased long-term survival. The marker may be helpful to distinguish between good versus poor prognosis luminal A tumours

Search For Trapped Antihydrogen

We present the results of an experiment to search for trapped antihydrogen atoms with the ALPHA antihydrogen trap at the CERN Antiproton Decelerator. Sensitive diagnostics of the temperatures, sizes, and densities of the trapped antiproton and positron plasmas have been developed, which in turn permitted development of techniques to precisely and reproducibly control the initial experimental parameters. The use of a position-sensitive annihilation vertex detector, together with the capability of controllably quenching the superconducting magnetic minimum trap, enabled us to carry out a high-sensitivity and low-background search for trapped synthesised antihydrogen atoms. We aim to identify the annihilations of antihydrogen atoms held for at least 130 ms in the trap before being released over ~30 ms. After a three-week experimental run in 2009 involving mixing of 10^7 antiprotons with 1.3 10^9 positrons to produce 6 10^5 antihydrogen atoms, we have identified six antiproton annihilation events that are consistent with the release of trapped antihydrogen. The cosmic ray background, estimated to contribute 0.14 counts, is incompatible with this observation at a significance of 5.6 sigma. Extensive simulations predict that an alternative source of annihilations, the escape of mirror-trapped antiprotons, is highly unlikely, though this possibility has not yet been ruled out experimentally.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Constraints on Dark Matter Annihilation in Clusters of Galaxies with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Nearby clusters and groups of galaxies are potentially bright sources of high-energy gamma-ray emission resulting from the pair-annihilation of dark matter particles. However, no significant gamma-ray emission has been detected so far from clusters in the first 11 months of observations with the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We interpret this non-detection in terms of constraints on dark matter particle properties. In particular for leptonic annihilation final states and particle masses greater than ~200 GeV, gamma-ray emission from inverse Compton scattering of CMB photons is expected to dominate the dark matter annihilation signal from clusters, and our gamma-ray limits exclude large regions of the parameter space that would give a good fit to the recent anomalous Pamela and Fermi-LAT electron-positron measurements. We also present constraints on the annihilation of more standard dark matter candidates, such as the lightest neutralino of supersymmetric models. The constraints are particularly strong when including the fact that clusters are known to contain substructure at least on galaxy scales, increasing the expected gamma-ray flux by a factor of ~5 over a smooth-halo assumption. We also explore the effect of uncertainties in cluster dark matter density profiles, finding a systematic uncertainty in the constraints of roughly a factor of two, but similar overall conclusions. In this work, we focus on deriving limits on dark matter models; a more general consideration of the Fermi-LAT data on clusters and clusters as gamma-ray sources is forthcoming.Comment: accepted to JCAP, Corresponding authors: T.E. Jeltema and S. Profumo, minor revisions to be consistent with accepted versio

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

The On-orbit Calibrations for the Fermi Large Area Telescope

The Large Area Telescope (LAT) on--board the Fermi Gamma ray Space Telescope began its on--orbit operations on June 23, 2008. Calibrations, defined in a generic sense, correspond to synchronization of trigger signals, optimization of delays for latching data, determination of detector thresholds, gains and responses, evaluation of the perimeter of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA), measurements of live time, of absolute time, and internal and spacecraft boresight alignments. Here we describe on orbit calibration results obtained using known astrophysical sources, galactic cosmic rays, and charge injection into the front-end electronics of each detector. Instrument response functions will be described in a separate publication. This paper demonstrates the stability of calibrations and describes minor changes observed since launch. These results have been used to calibrate the LAT datasets to be publicly released in August 2009.Comment: 60 pages, 34 figures, submitted to Astroparticle Physic