Xerostomia after radiotherapy and its effect on quality of life in head and neck cancer patients

Background: Xerostomia is one of the one complications following radiotherapy that can affect quality of life (QoL). This study aims to assess the severity of xerostomia in patients with head and neck cancers after radiotherapy and its effect on QoL. Methods: In this longitudinal prospective study, the severity of xerostomia and related QoL was assessed in 63 head and neck cancer patients who referred to the Radiotherapy Ward. Patients completed a xerostomia questionnaire (XQ) at the beginning, and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment over a period of 6 months. Additionally, unstimulated saliva was collected using the spitting method at all 4 visits. Results: QoL significantly worsened with increased time (P = 0.0001); meanwhile, the severity of xerostomia increased significantly (P = 0.0001). However, there was no significant change in the amount of saliva at these 4 time points (P = 0.23). Regression analysis showed that with each milliliter decrease in saliva secretion, the QoL score decreased 2.25. With one score increase in xerostomia, from the QoL mean score there was a 1.65 decrease. Conclusion: The decrease in saliva and xerostomia that resulted from radiotherapy plays an important role in worsening QoL among patients who undergo radiotherapy for head and neck cancers. Although the amount of saliva has a significant association with QoL, the xerostomia score which shows subjects' general feeling also independently impacts QoL. In future studies, we recommend patient assessments for periods longer than 6 months

The function of embryonic stem cell-expressed Ras (E-Ras), a unique Ras family member, correlates with its additional motifs and its structural properties

E-RAS is a member of the RAS family specifically expressed in embryonic stem cells, gastric tumors, and hepatic stellate cells. Unlike classical RAS isoforms (H-, N-, and K-RAS4B), E-RAS has, in addition to striking and remarkable sequence deviations, an extended 38-amino acid-long unique N-terminal region with still unknown functions. We investigated the molecular mechanism of E-RAS regulation and function with respect to its sequence and structural features. We found that N-terminal extension of E-RAS is important for E-RAS signaling activity. E-RAS protein most remarkably revealed a different mode of effector interaction as compared with H-RAS, which correlates with deviations in the effector-binding site of E-RAS. Of all these residues, tryptophan 79 (arginine 41 in H-RAS), in the interswitch region, modulates the effector selectivity of RAS proteins from H-RAS to E-RAS features

Physical Interaction between Embryonic Stem Cell-Expressed Ras (ERas) and Arginase-1 in Quiescent Hepatic Stellate Cells

Embryonic stem cell-expressed Ras (ERas) is an atypical constitutively active member of the Ras family and controls distinct signaling pathways, which are critical, for instance, for the maintenance of quiescent hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Unlike classical Ras paralogs, ERas has a unique N-terminal extension (Nex) with as yet unknown function. In this study, we employed affinity pull-down and quantitative liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analyses and identified 76 novel binding proteins for human and rat ERas Nex peptides, localized in different subcellular compartments and involved in various cellular processes. One of the identified Nex-binding proteins is the nonmitochondrial, cytosolic arginase 1 (ARG1), a key enzyme of the urea cycle and involved in the de novo synthesis of polyamines, such as spermidine and spermine. Here, we show, for the first time, a high-affinity interaction between ERas Nex and purified ARG1 as well as their subcellular colocalization. The inhibition of ARG1 activity strikingly accelerates the activation of HSCs ex vivo, suggesting a central role of ARG1 activity in the maintenance of HSC quiescence

Suppression of dsRNA response genes and innate immunity following Oct4, Stella, and Nanos2 overexpression in mouse embryonic fibroblasts

International audienceThe self-renewal capacity of germline derived stem cells (GSCs) makes them an ideal source for research and use in clinics. Despite the presence of active gene network similarities between embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and GSCs, there are unanswered questions regarding the roles of evolutionary conserved genes in GSCs. To determine the reprogramming potential of germ cell- specific genes, we designed a polycistronic gene cassette expressing Stella, Oct4 and Nanos2 in a lentiviral-based vector. Deep transcriptome analysis showed the activation of a set of pluripotency and germ-cell-specific markers and the downregulation of innate immune system. The global shut down of antiviral genes included MHC class I, interferon response genes and dsRNA 2′-5′-oligoadenylate synthetase are critical pathways that has been affected. Individual expression of each factor highlighted suppressive effect of Nanos2 on genes such as Isg15 and Oasl2. Collectively, to our knowledge this is the first report showing that Nanos2 could be considered as an immunosuppressive factor. Furthermore, our results demonstrate suppression of endogenous retrotransposons that harbor immune response but further analysis require to uncover the correlation between transposon suppression and immune response in germ cell development. © 2018 Elsevier Lt

Molecular and cellular evidence for the impact of a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated RAF1 variant on the structure and function of contractile machinery in bioartificial cardiac tissues

Abstract Noonan syndrome (NS), the most common among RASopathies, is caused by germline variants in genes encoding components of the RAS-MAPK pathway. Distinct variants, including the recurrent Ser257Leu substitution in RAF1, are associated with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Here, we investigated the elusive mechanistic link between NS-associated RAF1S257L and HCM using three-dimensional cardiac bodies and bioartificial cardiac tissues generated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) harboring the pathogenic RAF1 c.770 C > T missense change. We characterize the molecular, structural, and functional consequences of aberrant RAF1–associated signaling on the cardiac models. Ultrastructural assessment of the sarcomere revealed a shortening of the I-bands along the Z disc area in both iPSC-derived RAF1S257L cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissue biopsies. The aforementioned changes correlated with the isoform shift of titin from a longer (N2BA) to a shorter isoform (N2B) that also affected the active force generation and contractile tensions. The genotype-phenotype correlation was confirmed using cardiomyocyte progeny of an isogenic gene-corrected RAF1S257L-iPSC line and was mainly reversed by MEK inhibition. Collectively, our findings uncovered a direct link between a RASopathy gene variant and the abnormal sarcomere structure resulting in a cardiac dysfunction that remarkably recapitulates the human disease

Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia displays mutations in components of the RAS pathway and the PRC2 network

International audienceJuvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) is a rare and severe myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative neoplasm of early childhood initiated by germline or somatic RAS-activating mutations. Genetic profiling and whole-exome sequencing of a large JMML cohort (118 and 30 cases, respectively) uncovered additional genetic abnormalities in 56 cases (47%). Somatic events were rare (0.38 events/Mb/case) and restricted to sporadic (49/78; 63%) or neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1)-associated (8/8; 100%) JMML cases. Multiple concomitant genetic hits targeting the RAS pathway were identified in 13 of 78 cases (17%), disproving the concept of mutually exclusive RAS pathway mutations and defining new pathways activated in JMML involving phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) and the mTORC2 complex through RAC2 mutation. Furthermore, this study highlights PRC2 loss (26/78; 33% of sporadic JMML cases) that switches the methylation/acetylation status of lysine 27 of histone H3 in JMML cases with altered RAS and PRC2 pathways. Finally, the association between JMML outcome and mutational profile suggests a dose-dependent effect for RAS pathway activation, distinguishing very aggressive JMML rapidly progressing to acute myeloid leukemia