Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0596263 (carcinogenesis)
64,820 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Immunodeficiency, centromeric region instability, and facial anomalies (ICF), a rare recessive chromosome instability syndrome, involves the loss of DNA methyltransferase 3B activity and the consequent hypomethylation of a small portion of the genome. We demonstrate for the first time that ICF cells are strongly hypersensitive to a genotoxic agent, namely, ionizing radiation. However, unlike cell lines from patients with ataxia telangiectasia or Nijmegen breakage syndrome, chromosome instability syndromes also associated with unusual sensitivity to ionizing radiation, ICF cells did not show any deficiencies in their cell cycle checkpoints. ICF lymphoblastoid cell lines demonstrated increased apoptosis, long-term cell cycle arrest, and loss of viability in clonogenicity assays after irradiation compared to analogous normal cell lines. Also, the ICF cell lines were subject to high frequencies of rapid non-apoptotic cell death upon irradiation but not to abnormally high levels of radiation-induced, cytogenetically detectable chromosome abnormalities. ICF-associated undermethylation of some regulatory gene(s) might lead to an exaggerated response to radiation-induced breaks in DNA yielding increased rates of cell death and irreversible cell cycle arrest. As a defense against their frequent spontaneous breaks in chromosomes 1 and 16, ICF patients may be abnormally prone to chromosome break-induced apoptosis, non-apoptotic cell death, and permanent cell cycle arrest so as to minimize the number of cycling cells with spontaneous rearrangements. A similarly increased cell death and cycle-arrest response to chromosome breaks due to cancer-linked DNA hypomethylation might occur during carcinogenesis.
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PMID:Hypersensitivity to radiation-induced non-apoptotic and apoptotic death in cell lines from patients with the ICF chromosome instability syndrome. 1108 91

Cancer of the uterine cervix (CaCx) is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. More than 99% of all cervical cancers contain high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs), with type 16 predominating. HPV infection alone is not sufficient for neoplastic progression; the HPV-infected cell must undergo additional genetic changes. Cytogenetic analysis of CaCx has been limited due to difficulties in obtaining good-quality banded chromosome preparations. Oncogenic HPVs immortalise primary genital keratinocytes in vitro, and evidence suggests that the molecular genetic and cytogenetic abnormalities observed in HPV immortalised cells reflect the in vivo changes. Therefore, these lines represent suitable models for HPV-induced carcinogenesis. We have used both spectral karyotyping (SKY) and multiplex-FISH (M-FISH) analysis to identify karyotypic changes in HPV-16 immortalised keratinocyte cell lines and established CaCx lines. SKY and M-FISH identified chromosomal abnormalities in all cell lines examined, with a translocation of chromosome 10 or i(10q) occurring in 9 of the 12 cell lines investigated. Further studies with chromosome 10 band-specific probes identified the translocation event as involving 10q with the breakpoint at 10p11.2 in some cell lines or 10q11.2 in others. The pericentric region of chromosome 10 is known to contain duplicated sequences flanking the centromeric satellites. The duplicated sequences contain many zinc finger transcription factor encoding genes and disruption of these in HPV immortalised cell lines may alter the transcription with consequences for both cellular and viral gene expression.
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PMID:Early genetic events in HPV immortalised keratinocytes. 1110 78

We evaluated the significance of aberrant DNA methyltransferase expression in human carcinogenesis by examining 32 colorectal and 34 stomach cancers. Levels of mRNAs encoding DNA methyltransferases were measured by reverse transcription, followed by real-time quantitative detection of PCR products. The DNA methylation state of CpG islands and peri-centromeric satellite regions was examined by bisulfite modification and Southern blotting, respectively. The average level of mRNA for DNMT1 and DNMT3b in colorectal and stomach cancers was significantly higher than in corresponding non-cancerous mucosae, whereas the average level of mRNA for DNMT2 was significantly lower in colorectal and stomach cancers than in non-cancerous tissue. Over-expression of DNMT3b in stomach cancer was significantly higher in cases with lymph node metastasis than in cases without. DNA hypermethylation on the p16, human Mut L homologue-1 and thrombospondin-1 genes and the methylated in tumor (MINT) 1, 2, 12, 25 and 31 clones was found in 23%, 27%, 9%, 23%, 20%, 23%, 20% and 10% of the colon cancers and in 9%, 19%, 30%, 25%, 34%, 19%, 81% and 3% of the stomach cancers, respectively. Criteria for identification of the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) were met in 23% of colorectal cancers and 31% of stomach cancers. DNA hypomethylation on satellites 2 and 3 was detected in 0% and 8% of colorectal and stomach cancers, respectively. Over-expression of DNMT1 mRNA was significantly associated with CIMP, whereas the level of DNMT3b mRNA was not associated with CIMP or DNA hypomethylation of peri-centromeric satellite regions. These data suggest that both over-expression of the maintenance DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 and over-expression of a newly identified de novo DNA methyltransferase, DNMT3b, are involved in human carcinogenesis, probably at different stages and through different mechanisms.
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PMID:DNA methyltransferase expression and DNA methylation of CPG islands and peri-centromeric satellite regions in human colorectal and stomach cancers. 1114 46

Telomerase activity was measured using a telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), and expressions of the telomerase components, telomerase associated protein 1 (hTEP1), human telomerase RNA component (hTR), and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) were measured by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in cultured normal oral keratinocytes and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells. Telomerase localization was analyzed by in situ hybridization (ISH) in normal, precancerous and cancerous oral tissues. There was a strong correlation of telomerase activity with the expression levels of hTERT but not with hTEP1 or hTR mRNA in the cultured cells. Not only hTEP1 and hTR but also hTERT expression were detected in the basal cells of normal oral mucosa, and the cells expressing these mRNAs were also seen in the upper layer of leukoplakia of gingiva, and a heterogeneous pattern of expression was observed in the oral SCC tissues. These results indicate that there are at least two steps in the increase of telomerase activity during carcinogenesis in oral squamous cells; a change in distribution of cells expressing these telomerase components and the over-expression of hTERT gene in individual cells.
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PMID:Expression of telomerase components in oral keratinocytes and squamous cell carcinomas. 1116 39

Replication of eukaryotic linear chromosomes is incomplete and leaves terminal gaps. The evolutionary widely distributed solution to this "end replication" is twofold: chromosome ends are capped with telomeres, bearing multiple copies of redundant telomeric sequences, and the telomerase enzyme can add (lost) telomeric repeats. Telomerase in humans, as in all mammals, is ubiquitous in all embryonic tissues. In adults, telomerase remains active in germs cells, and, although down-regulated in most somatic tissues, telomerase is active in regenerative tissues and notably, in tumor cells. Telomerase activity is linked to cellular proliferation, and its activation seems to be a mandatory step in carcinogenesis. In contrast to mammals, indeterminately growing multicellular organisms, like fish and crustaceae, maintain unlimited growth potential or 'immortality' in all somatic tissues throughout their entire life. Also this cell immortalization is brought about by maintaining telomerase expression. Disease prognosis for human tumors includes evaluation of cell proliferation, based on the detection of proliferation markers with monoclonal antibodies. The significance of the classical marker Ki-67, and of a novel marker repp-86 are compared with semiquantitative telomerase assays. For tumor therapy, telomerase inhibitors are attractive tools. Results with telomerase knock-out mice have revealed promise, but also risk of this approach. On the other side, telomerase stimulation is attractive for expanding the potential of cellular proliferation in vitro, with possible applications for transplantation of in vitro expanded human cells, for immortalizing primary human cells as improved tissue models, and for the isolation of otherwise intractable products, like genuine human monoclonal antibodies.
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PMID:Telomerase, immortality and cancer. 1119 92

Senescence and genomic integrity are thought to be important barriers in the development of malignant lesions. Human fibroblasts undergo a limited number of cell divisions before entering an irreversible arrest, called senescence. Here we show that human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) do not conform to this paradigm of senescence. In contrast to fibroblasts, HMECs exhibit an initial growth phase that is followed by a transient growth plateau (termed selection or M0; refs 3-5), from which proliferative cells emerge to undergo further population doublings (approximately 20-70), before entering a second growth plateau (previously termed senescence or M1; refs 4-6). We find that the first growth plateau exhibits characteristics of senescence but is not an insurmountable barrier to further growth. HMECs emerge from senescence, exhibit eroding telomeric sequences and ultimately enter telomere-based crisis to generate the types of chromosomal abnormalities seen in the earliest lesions of breast cancer. Growth past senescent barriers may be a pivotal event in the earliest steps of carcinogenesis, providing many genetic changes that predicate oncogenic evolution. The differences between epithelial cells and fibroblasts provide new insights into the mechanistic basis of neoplastic transformation.
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PMID:Normal human mammary epithelial cells spontaneously escape senescence and acquire genomic changes. 1121 24

Allelic loss is an important mutational mechanism in human carcinogenesis. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at an autosomal locus is one outcome of the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and can occur by deletion or by mitotic recombination. We report that mitotic recombination between homologous chromosomes occurred in human lymphoid cells exposed to densely ionizing radiation. We used cells derived from the same donor that express either normal TP53 (TK6 cells) or homozygous mutant TP53 (WTK1 cells) to assess the influence of TP53 on radiation-induced mutagenesis. Expression of mutant TP53 (Met 237 Ile) was associated with a small increase in mutation frequencies at the hemizygous HPRT (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase) locus, but the mutation spectra were unaffected at this locus. In contrast, WTK1 cells (mutant TP53) were 30-fold more susceptible than TK6 cells (wild-type TP53) to radiation-induced mutagenesis at the TK1 (thymidine kinase) locus. Gene dosage analysis combined with microsatellite marker analysis showed that the increase in TK1 mutagenesis in WTK1 cells could be attributed, in part, to mitotic recombination. The microsatellite marker analysis over a 64-cM region on chromosome 17q indicated that the recombinational events could initiate at different positions between the TK1 locus and the centromere. Virtually all of the recombinational LOH events extended beyond the TK1 locus to the most telomeric marker. In general, longer LOH tracts were observed in mutants from WTK1 cells than in mutants from TK6 cells. Taken together, the results demonstrate that the incidence of radi-ation-induced mutations is dependent on the genetic background of the cell at risk, on the locus examined, and on the mechanisms for mutation available at the locus of interest.
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PMID:Different mechanisms of radiation-induced loss of heterozygosity in two human lymphoid cell lines from a single donor. 1122 43

Over-expression of a centrosomal serine/threonine kinase, STK15/BTAK, induces centrosome amplification, which results in chromosomal instability (CIN) in cell culture. In the present study, we investigated the correlation of STK15/BTAK mRNA expression with CIN and various clinicopathological factors in human breast cancer. STK15/BTAK mRNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR, and CIN values were determined by FISH analysis of chromosomes 1, 11 and 17 using centromeric probes. STK15/BTAK mRNA levels (0.310 +/- 0.413, mean +/- SD, n = 47) in breast cancers were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than those in normal breast tissues (0.044 +/- 0.029, n = 9). Furthermore, breast cancers were divided into 3 groups (low, intermediate and high) according to STK15/BTAK mRNA expression levels. CIN values of the low-expression group (27.9 +/- 12.6%, n = 18) were significantly (p < 0.01) higher than those of normal breast tissues (9.2 +/- 2.6%, n = 6), and those of the high-expression group (38.0 +/- 12.7%, n = 14) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those of the low-expression group. STK15/BTAK mRNA expression showed a significant (p < 0.05) correlation with high histological grade and negativity of estrogen and progesterone receptors. Our results demonstrate that STK15/BTAK mRNA is over-expressed in the majority of breast cancers and its over-expression is significantly associated with CIN, implicating STK15/BTAK in carcinogenesis through induction of CIN. STK15/BTAK mRNA levels might be useful as an indicator of poor prognosis and resistance to endocrine therapy.
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PMID:Association of centrosomal kinase STK15/BTAK mRNA expression with chromosomal instability in human breast cancers. 1129 Oct 73

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that stabilizes chromosomes by maintaining their telomeric ends. Although telomerase is normally expressed in reproductive tissues, it is virtually absent in most normal somatic tissues. During carcinogenesis, cells activate telomerase to protect chromosomal ends from the telomere erosion that occurs with replication. Prevention of telomere loss by activation of telomerase allows for the cellular immortalization that is a characteristic of cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that genetic instability arising from critical telomere shortening is a mechanism through which cancer cells attain multiple genetic aberrations that characterize a malignant clone. Thus, the timing of telomerase activation during carcinogenesis is likely to play an important role in modulating the genetic instability that determines the malignant phenotype. Earlier activation of telomerase should minimize genetic aberrations in neoplastic cells and lead to less aggressive tumors, or may prevent carcinogenesis. In this article, we discuss recent data on telomerase expression in prostate cancer, propose a model that relates the dynamics of telomerase activation to the evolution of different prostatic malignancies, and discuss the potential application of telomerase activation as a strategy for the prevention of prostate cancer.
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PMID:Telomerase activity modulation in the prevention of prostate cancer. 1129 15

Telomeres, the physical ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, are important to stabilize the chromosome and have a unique simple repetitive DNA sequence, TTAGGG in humans. In most normal somatic cells, telomere length becomes 50-100 bp shorter with every cell division, and the cells finally go into senescence, while most cancer cells have been reported to maintain the length and thus are immortalized. Telomeres are replicated by a special transcriptase, called telomerase, which is composed of a template RNA (hTR) and at least two component proteins: hTERT (hEST 2/hTRT) and hTEP 1 (hTLP 1/hTP1). In the present paper, I examined the status of telomerase activities in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), precancerous lesions, and also cell lines established from OSCCs, by using a non-radioactive PCR-based TRAP (telomeric repeat amplification protocol) assay. Telomerase activities were detected in 23 of 30 OSCCs, 8 of 17 leukoplakias, 0 of 5 normal tissues, and in 8 of 8 OSCC cell lines and 0 of 5 normal human keratinocyte cultures. These results indicated that telomerase activity might have some association with carcinogenesis and might be used as a tumor marker in OSCC.
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PMID:[Telomerase activity in oral squamous cell carcinoma and leukoplakia]. 1132 1


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