Depressed adrenomedullin in the embryonic transforming growth factor-beta1 null mouse becomes elevated postnatally

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and adrenomedullin are multifunctional regulatory proteins which are expressed in developing embryonic and adult tissues. Because of their colocalization, TGF-beta1 and adrenomedullin may be able to coordinately act to influence development and differentiation. In order to learn more about the biology of adrenomedullin in the absence of the effects of TGF-beta1 in vivo, we examined adrenomedullin in the TGF-beta1 null mouse. A generally lower amount of adrenomedullin was detected by immunohistochemical staining analysis in multiple tissues from embryonic TGF-beta1 null mice compared to wildtype animals, including the heart, lung, brain, liver, and kidney, among others. In contrast, immunohistochemical staining for adrenomedullin was more intense in tissues of the postnatal TGF-beta1 null mouse compared to the wildtype mouse. These observations were confirmed by quantitative real time RT-PCR for adrenomedullin in both embryos and postnatal animals, as well as in cultured mouse embryo fibroblasts from TGF-beta1 null and wildtype mice. In addition, when cultured mouse embryo fibroblasts were treated with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against TGF-beta1, the levels of adrenomedullin expression were statistically reduced compared to untreated cells. Our data show that expression of adrenomedullin is reduced in tissues of the developing embryonic TGF-beta1 null mouse compared to the wildtype mouse, but increases during postnatal development in TGF-beta1 null mice. The elevated expression of adrenomedullin which occurs postnatally in the TGF-beta1 null mouse may be a cause or a consequence of the multifocal wasting syndrome which is characteristic of postnatal TGF-beta1 null mice

Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets in Microdissected Clear Cell Ovarian Cancers

Clear cell ovarian cancer is an epithelial ovarian cancer histotype that is less responsive to chemotherapy and carries poorer prognosis than serous and endometrioid histotypes. Despite this, patients with these tumors are treated in a similar fashion as all other ovarian cancers. Previous genomic analysis has suggested that clear cell cancers represent a unique tumor subtype. Here we generated the first whole genomic expression profiling using epithelial component of clear cell ovarian cancers and normal ovarian surface specimens isolated by laser capture microdissection. All the arrays were analyzed using BRB ArrayTools and PathwayStudio software to identify the signaling pathways. Identified pathways validated using serous, clear cell cancer cell lines and RNAi technology. In vivo validations carried out using an orthotopic mouse model and liposomal encapsulated siRNA. Patient-derived clear cell and serous ovarian tumors were grafted under the renal capsule of NOD-SCID mice to evaluate the therapeutic potential of the identified pathway. We identified major activated pathways in clear cells involving in hypoxic cell growth, angiogenesis, and glucose metabolism not seen in other histotypes. Knockdown of key genes in these pathways sensitized clear cell ovarian cancer cell lines to hypoxia/glucose deprivation. In vivo experiments using patient derived tumors demonstrate that clear cell tumors are exquisitely sensitive to antiangiogenesis therapy (i.e. sunitinib) compared with serous tumors. We generated a histotype specific, gene signature associated with clear cell ovarian cancer which identifies important activated pathways critical for their clinicopathologic characteristics. These results provide a rational basis for a radically different treatment for ovarian clear cell patients

Depressed adrenomedullin in the embryonic transforming growth factor-beta1 null mouse becomes elevated postnatally

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and adrenomedullin are multifunctional regulatory proteins which are expressed in developing embryonic and adult tissues. Because of their colocalization, TGF-beta1 and adrenomedullin may be able to coordinately act to influence development and differentiation. In order to learn more about the biology of adrenomedullin in the absence of the effects of TGF-beta1 in vivo, we examined adrenomedullin in the TGF-beta1 null mouse. A generally lower amount of adrenomedullin was detected by immunohistochemical staining analysis in multiple tissues from embryonic TGF-beta1 null mice compared to wildtype animals, including the heart, lung, brain, liver, and kidney, among others. In contrast, immunohistochemical staining for adrenomedullin was more intense in tissues of the postnatal TGF-beta1 null mouse compared to the wildtype mouse. These observations were confirmed by quantitative real time RT-PCR for adrenomedullin in both embryos and postnatal animals, as well as in cultured mouse embryo fibroblasts from TGF-beta1 null and wildtype mice. In addition, when cultured mouse embryo fibroblasts were treated with a neutralizing monoclonal antibody against TGF-beta1, the levels of adrenomedullin expression were statistically reduced compared to untreated cells. Our data show that expression of adrenomedullin is reduced in tissues of the developing embryonic TGF-beta1 null mouse compared to the wildtype mouse, but increases during postnatal development in TGF-beta1 null mice. The elevated expression of adrenomedullin which occurs postnatally in the TGF-beta1 null mouse may be a cause or a consequence of the multifocal wasting syndrome which is characteristic of postnatal TGF-beta1 null mice

A gene signature predicting for survival in suboptimally debulked patients with ovarian cancer

Despite the existence of morphologically indistinguishable disease, patients with advanced ovarian tumors display a broad range of survival end points. We hypothesize that gene expression profiling can identify a prognostic signature accounting for these distinct clinical outcomes. To resolve survival-associated loci, gene expression profiling was completed for an extensive set of 185 (90 optimal/95 suboptimal) primary ovarian tumors using the Affymetrix human U133A microarray. Cox regression analysis identified probe sets associated with survival in optimally and suboptimally debulked tumor sets at a P value of \u3c0.01. Leave-one-out cross-validation was applied to each tumor cohort and confirmed by a permutation test. External validation was conducted by applying the gene signature to a publicly available array database of expression profiles of advanced stage suboptimally debulked tumors. The prognostic signature successfully classified the tumors according to survival for suboptimally (P = 0.0179) but not optimally debulked (P = 0.144) patients. The suboptimal gene signature was validated using the independent set of tumors (odds ratio, 8.75; P = 0.0146). To elucidate signaling events amenable to therapeutic intervention in suboptimally debulked patients, pathway analysis was completed for the top 57 survival-associated probe sets. For suboptimally debulked patients, confirmation of the predictive gene signature supports the existence of a clinically relevant predictor, as well as the possibility of novel therapeutic opportunities. Ultimately, the prognostic classifier defined for suboptimally debulked tumors may aid in the classification and enhancement of patient outcome for this high-risk population

The glucocorticoid receptor associates with the cohesin loader NIPBL to promote long-range gene regulation.

peer reviewedThe cohesin complex is central to chromatin looping, but mechanisms by which these long-range chromatin interactions are formed and persist remain unclear. We demonstrate that interactions between a transcription factor (TF) and the cohesin loader NIPBL regulate enhancer-dependent gene activity. Using mass spectrometry, genome mapping, and single-molecule tracking methods, we demonstrate that the glucocorticoid (GC) receptor (GR) interacts with NIPBL and the cohesin complex at the chromatin level, promoting loop extrusion and long-range gene regulation. Real-time single-molecule experiments show that loss of cohesin markedly diminishes the concentration of TF molecules at specific nuclear confinement sites, increasing TF local concentration and promoting gene regulation. Last, patient-derived acute myeloid leukemia cells harboring cohesin mutations exhibit a reduced response to GCs, suggesting that the GR-NIPBL-cohesin interaction is defective in these patients, resulting in poor response to GC treatment

Epigenetic siRNA and Chemical Screens Identify SETD8 Inhibition as a Therapeutic Strategy for p53 Activation in High-Risk Neuroblastoma

Given the paucity of druggable mutations in high-risk neuroblastoma (NB), we undertook chromatin-focused small interfering RNA and chemical screens to uncover epigenetic regulators critical for the differentiation block in high-risk NB. High-content Opera imaging identified 53 genes whose loss of expression led to a decrease in NB cell proliferation and 16 also induced differentiation. From these, the secondary chemical screen identified SETD8, the H4K20me1 methyltransferase, as a druggable NB target. Functional studies revealed that SETD8 ablation rescued the pro-apoptotic and cell-cycle arrest functions of p53 by decreasing p53K382me1, leading to activation of the p53 canonical pathway. In pre-clinical xenograft NB models, genetic or pharmacological (UNC0379) SETD8 inhibition conferred a significant survival advantage, providing evidence for SETD8 as a therapeutic target in NB

Intracellular Proadrenomedullin-Derived Peptides Decorate the Microtubules and Contribute to Cytoskeleton Function

Adrenomedullin (AM) and proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP) are secretory hormones, but it is not unusual to find them in intracellular compartments. Using yeast-2 hybrid technology, we found interactions between AM and several microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), and between PAMP and tubulin. Expression of fluorescent-tagged AM and PAMP as well as immunofluorescence for the native peptides showed a complete decoration of the microtubules and colocalization with other MAPs. PAMP, but not AM, bound to tubulin in vitro and destabilized tubulin polymerization. Down-regulation of the gene coding for both AM and PAMP through small interfering RNA technology resulted in morphological changes, microtubule stabilization, increase in posttranslational modifications of tubulin such as acetylation and detyrosination, reduction in cell motility, and partial arrest at the G2 phase of the cell cycle, when compared with cells transfected with the same vector carrying a scrambled sequence. These results show that PAMP is a novel MAP, whereas AM may be exerting more subtle effects in regulating cytoskeleton function