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Query: UMLS:C0027651 (tumor)
 685,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Tenascin (TN) is an extracellular matrix protein that is expressed widely in the fetus and sparingly in the adult, but reappears at high levels in certain areas of tissue insult such as tumor matrices and sites of wound healing. We show here that soluble TN inhibits proliferation of human T cells in response to alpha CD3 Ab co-immobilized with the extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (FN). TN also inhibits proliferation driven by alpha CD3/IL-2 or by phorbol ester/IL-2, and it prevents high level induction of IL-2R. The presence of TN in culture medium does not detectably alter the pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation resulting from T cell triggering with alpha CD3, but at later time points prevents the appearance of functional NF-AT1 transcription factor complexes in T cell nuclear extracts. These findings are consistent with the postulated role for TN as a natural antagonist to FN action, and suggest that T cell responses occurring at tissue sites in which TN is expressed could be influenced by its presence.
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PMID:Inhibition of T cell activation by the extracellular matrix protein tenascin. 751 30

Cells derived from individuals with ataxia telangiectasia (AT) show enhanced spontaneous levels of chromosomal abnormalities and are sensitive to ionizing radiations and radiomimetic drugs, as evidenced by decreased survival and increased chromosome aberration frequencies at mitosis when compared with normal cell lines. The higher base line frequencies of chromosome aberrations in part involve chromosome end-to-end associations as seen at metaphase. Since telomeres of tumor cells and aging tissues are often reduced in length, chromosome end associations may be due to loss of telomeric repeats. We studied the chromosome behavior and telomeres of two ataxia telangiectasia lymphoblastoid cell lines compared to two normal control cell lines. The ataxia telangiectasia cell lines showed higher frequencies of chromosome end associations both at metaphase and in interphase, determined in prematurely condensed chromosomes of G1 and G2 cells. They also showed higher frequencies of chromosomal breaks at metaphase and fewer telomeric signals determined using fluorescent in situ hybridization with a (TTAGGG)n probe. The frequency of telomeric repeats was variable in the ataxia telangiectasia cell lines (4.3 and 8.2 kb) compared to the normal cell lines (9.6 and 12 kb) and an inverse correlation between telomere length and chromosome end associations was observed. Both ataxia telangiectasia cell lines showed more robust telomerase activity than the normal cell lines, precluding defective enzymatic capacity as the basis for the chromosome end associations. It is possible that chromatin structure in the form of telomere-nuclear matrix interactions are variant in ataxia telangiectasia cells negatively influencing telomerase function and contributing to telomere associations.
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PMID:Chromosome end associations, telomeres and telomerase activity in ataxia telangiectasia cells. 760 35

This paper presents an overview of current knowledge on genetic predisposition to cancer and on enhanced sensitivity of cancer-predisposed genotypes to cancers induced by ionizing radiation. It is intended to provide a background and set the stage for the next papers in this series in which we will assess how such heterogeneity (with respect to predisposition to cancer and presence of radiosensitivity genotypes) in a population may affect estimates of the risk of radiation-induced cancers. The main findings and/or conclusions of the present paper are the following: (1) "Cancer-predisposing genes" (i.e. those at which germinal mutations predispose to cancer) are present in the human genome; these genes are responsible not only for the rare familial cancer syndromes but also for a proportion of the common cancers. At least 21 such genes have now been cloned (including 9 tumor suppressor genes, 11 DNA repair genes and 1 proto-oncogene); further, at least 8 putative tumor suppressor genes and a gene involved in ataxia telangiectasia have been localized to specific chromosomes. (2) These genes play crucial roles in the control of cellular proliferation, programmed cell death (apoptosis) and/or one or another DNA repair pathway. Consequently, mutations in these genes are likely to "liberate" the cells from the normal constraints imposed by them, resulting in unconstrained growth characteristic of cancer. (3) At present, the evidence for increased sensitivity of cancer-predisposed genotypes to radiation-induced cancers is limited. However, current knowledge of the known functions of the cancer-predisposing genes and of the consequences of mutations in these provide (a) sufficient grounds for assuming that the genotypes of those predisposed to cancer may be at an increased risk for radiation-induced cancers and (b) the rationale for attempts to estimate quantitatively the impact of genotype-dependent differences in cancer predisposition and radiosensitivity on cancer risks in an irradiated population.
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PMID:Cancer predisposition, radiosensitivity and the risk of radiation-induced cancers. I. Background. 1238 45

Oncoprotein 18 (Op18) is an intracellular phosphoprotein that has been shown to be overexpression in a number of human malignancies. In the present report we have studied the pattern of Op18 expression on normal, hyperplastic, and malignant prostatic tissue as well as in rat prostatic tumor lines. One of the objectives of the present work was to establish whether the level of Op18 expression can be used as a prognostic marker in human prostatic adenocarcinoma. To that end, sections from normal, hyperplastic, and malignant human prostatic tissue were examined by immunohistochemistry for expression of Op18. In the normal and hyperplastic prostate, Op18 expression was observed in basal glandular epithelial cells, whereas the columnar luminal epithelial cells were not stained by the anti Op18 antibodies. In highly differentiated prostatic cancers occasional epithelial cells were stained, while in poorly differentiated tumors most of the epithelial cells contained Op18 immunoreactivity. The staining pattern was similar in the primary prostatic tumor and in the regional lymph node metastases. Most importantly, a limited survey of prostatic cancer patient samples (n = 40) showed a significant correlation between the fraction of Op18 immunoreactive cells and survival. Studies of a rat prostatic tumor model, showed that only a few cells were stained in the highly differentiated Dunning R3327PAP tumor, while most cells were stained in the anaplastic AT1 rat prostatic tumor. Interestingly, castration of rats resulted in an increased Op18 immunoreactivity, within 14 days, in the highly differentiated rat R3327PAP prostatic tumor. In conclusion, the level of Op18 expression seems to be related to cellular differentiation, histological grade, and survival in prostatic cancers. These findings show that Op18 immunoreactivity may be useful as a prognostic marker in prostatic cancer. In addition it may help in the differentiation between highly differentiated prostatic tumors and non-malignant conditions.
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PMID:Differentiation-stage specific expression of oncoprotein 18 in human and rat prostatic adenocarcinoma. 763 82

Several experimental studies point to a potential role of angiotensin II (Ang II) in the progression of glomerulosclerosis even in the absence of glomerular hypertension. We tested the hypothesis that Ang II acts as a growth factor for adult human mesangial cells (AHMC). AHMC were isolated from noninvolved parts of tumor nephrectomy specimens and grown in RPMI medium with the addition of fetal calf serum (FCS). All studies were performed with growth-arrested cells. Proliferation studies were done in serum-free standard growth medium (SF) with the addition of either various concentrations of insulin, plasma-derived serum, or FCS. Ang II (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) dose dependently increased the 3H-thymidine uptake of AHMC up to 57 +/- 13% over solvent controls (p < 0.01). In parallel, the DNA content was 36 +/- 10% higher (p < 0.05) than in solvent controls after 2 days of culture. The cell numbers were higher up to 47 +/- 8% in Ang II (10(-6) M) stimulated cultures after 4 days of incubation (p < 0.01). The effect of Ang II was specific, since it was almost completely obliterated by the AT1 receptor antagonist DuP753. The effect of Ang II was particularly marked when cultures were incubated with SF plus high concentrations (1.7 x 10(-6) M) of insulin or SF plus 10% plasma-derived serum. In contrast, the effect was not significant when cultures were incubated with SF plus 10% FCS. Ang II, when added to platelet-derived growth factor at various concentrations, did not further increase the proliferation. The effect on protein synthesis was assessed in growth-arrested AHMC by 3H-methionine uptake and protein/DNA ratio in cell lysates. Ang II (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) dose dependently increased the 3H-methionine uptake of AHMC up to 47 +/- 10% over solvent controls (p < 0.01). In parallel Ang II (10(-8) to 10(-6) M) dose dependently increased the 3H-methionine uptake of the protein/DNA ratio by 24 +/- 6% after 48 h of incubation. DuP753 obliterated the stimulatory effect of Ang II. Ang II (10(-6) M) also increased the mRNA of the immediate-early growth-related gene Egr-1. We conclude that Ang II induces hypertrophy and proliferation in adult human mesangial cells. This result is of interest with respect to a potential role of Ang II in the pathogenesis of glomerulosclerosis in humans.
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PMID:Angiotensin II induces hypertrophy and hyperplasia in adult human mesangial cells. 771 40

A 70-year-old woman with congenital absence of both radii but preservation of the thumb developed a marked pancytopenia after two i.v. injections of 1 g of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 1 week apart. She developed bloody diarrhoea after nine fractions of 2 Gy to parallel opposed 16 x 15 cm abdominal fields. This unusual response prompted an investigation of the radiosensitivity of the patient's cells by the sensitive G2 assay of transformed lymphocytes. The radiosensitivity of the patient's lymphoblastoid line appeared to be intermediate between that of normal individuals and an ataxia telangiectasia line. The clinical response and in vitro radiosensitivity testing suggest that the thrombocytopenia with absent radii (TAR) syndrome appears to be one of the inherited impaired DNA repair syndromes and is a very newly described radiation sensitivity syndrome. The development of three separate primary cancers in this patient (small bowel, ovary and bladder) suggests there is an increased risk of neoplasia in this condition.
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PMID:Thrombocytopenia with absent radii (TAR) syndrome: a new increased cellular radiosensitivity syndrome. 884 31

The measurement of cavitation events in tissue in vivo would greatly assist us to better understand how pulsed high energy ultrasound (PHEUS) interacts with living tissues, especially with regard to cancer therapy. To accomplish this, we designed and built a fibre-optic hydrophone. The principle was to couple the light of a laser diode into a lightfibre and to register the ultrasound induced modification of the refractive index in tissue. In this manner, the cavitation event could be quantitatively investigated both in water and in vivo. The structure of the bubble dynamic is in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions, and in vitro measurements. With the fibre-optic set-up, the pressure signal can also be detected. PHEUS was generated by an electromagnetic source adapted from a commercial lithotripter (Lithostar Siemens). As biological tissue we used the experimental R3327-AT1 Dunning prostate tumor growing subcutaneously in the thigh of male Copenhagen rats. The lifetime of the cavitation bubble in water increased with the energy level of the ultrasonic pulse from 250 microseconds at 13 kV capacitor voltage to 750 microseconds at 21 kV, while the lifetime inside the tumor tissue in vivo increased only from 100 microseconds at 13 kV to 220 microseconds at 21 kV capacitor voltage.
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PMID:In vivo detection of ultrasonically induced cavitation by a fibre-optic technique. 786 70

Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is an autosomal recessive disease of childhood with several phenotypic characteristics. One of the hallmarks of this syndrome is its hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation, which is believed to be due to defects in DNA repair/processing. In addition to radio-resistant DNA synthesis, both fibroblasts and lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from these patients have been shown to have an impaired G1 arrest and prolonged G2 accumulation of cells indicating a defect in the regulation of cell cycle after irradiation. Since the (tumor suppressor) p53 protein has been reported to participate in the regulation of G1 arrest after irradiation, the possibility of p53 gene mutation and deregulating cell cycle in AT needed to be examined. We used the PCR amplification and DNA sequencing methods to detect mutations in the hypermutable exons (5-8) of germline p53 in fibroblast cells from 3 AT homozygotes. No mutation was found in any of these exons. In order to determine the role of the p53 protein in G1 arrest, its levels were measured before and after gamma-irradiation by flow cytometry in both AT and normal cells. Radiation-induced p53 protein levels in the AT cells varied from 6 to 60% compared to the normal cells, indicating a reduced induction of the protein in AT. These results suggest that mutation in the AT gene affects the p53 induction by irradiation and may, thus, alter the cell cycle regulation in the AT patients.
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PMID:Reduced induction of P53 protein by gamma-irradiation in ataxia telangiectasia cells without constitutional mutations in exons 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the p53 gene. 792 77

Over 5% of the cancer patient population may be radiation sensitive due to genetics, and the sensitive patients may be greatly overrepresented among patients with cancer therapy complications. These individuals include not only rare ataxia telangiectasia (AT) homozygotes with up to three-fold normal radiation sensitivity, but also far more numerous patients with slight radiosensitivity conjectured to be carriers of AT or to have another inherited mutagen sensitivity. Procedures may eventually be used to reliably determine patient tolerance for radiation and antineoplastic agents before initiation or completion of therapy, to have the therapy approach but not exceed the radiation tolerance of the individual patient's irradiated normal tissue. Such procedures could include study of patient's cultured normal cells (e.g., fibroblasts, marrow cells, or lymphocytes) in much the same way that patients' cultured tumor cells may eventually be widely used in the human tumor stem cell assay to predict which course of radiotherapy or chemotherapy should be most useful for treating a cancer. Studies with the normal cells could include cytotoxicity assays, serially determined accumulated genetic damage over the course of therapy, or Southern blot analysis to identify carriers of DNA repair mutations. Such studies could permit more aggressive radiotherapy of most patients due to the noninclusion of a sensitive subpopulation of patients, with less radiotherapy of the relatively few radiation sensitive patients. The patient's tumor cells should have inherited any radiation (or chemotherapy) sensitivity mutations present in the patient's normal cells, so reducing the radiotherapy dose to compensate for the more radiosensitive patients' sensitivity will not necessarily result in undertreatment of the tumor.
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PMID:Genetic susceptibility to radiation and chemotherapy injury: diagnosis and management. 796 Oct 5

Lymphoproliferative disorders and selected carcinomas which occur as complications of primary or secondary immunodeficiencies are frequently fatal. The incidence rates of these cancers vary from 1% to as high as 25% among specific groups of persons with primary (genetically-determined) immunodeficiencies as well as acquired immunodeficiencies, including immunosuppressed organ transplant recipients and individuals infected with HIV. Lymphoproliferative disorders including Epstein Barr virus (EBV) associated B cell lymphoproliferative disease (BLPD) and Hodgkin's disease represent the predominant category of tumors in both primary and acquired immunodeficiencies. EBV is an important cofactor common to many, but not all, B cell "lymphomas." Immunodeficient individuals who are at risk for developing EBV BLPD may demonstrate both inadequate immune responses to the virus as well as generalized immunoregulatory dysfunction reflected as imbalances in cytokine production favoring the proliferation of transformed B lymphocytes. Historically, the success of treatment of lymphoproliferative disorders in immunodeficiencies with conventional multi agent chemotherapies and/or radiation has been limited by unfavorable tumor response rates and high morbidity and mortality related to intercurrent opportunistic infections. With improvements in supportive care and the use of recombinant biologic response modifiers such as alpha interferon and/or other immunotherapies to treat EBV BLPD, survival of immunodeficient hosts following tumor diagnosis may improve. In addition to lymphoproliferative disorders, patients with congenital immunodeficiencies associated with IgA deficiency (including ataxia telangiectasia and Common Variable Immunodeficiency) are at increased risk for gastrointestinal carcinomas. Early detection and surgical excision of such tumors can result in prolonged survival in such patients.
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PMID:Lymphoproliferative disorders and other tumors complicating immunodeficiencies. 803 67


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