Abstract
Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of regulated necrosis associated with lipid peroxidation. Despite its key role in the inflammatory outcome of ferroptosis, little is known about the ...molecular events leading to the disruption of the plasma membrane during this type of cell death. Here we show that a sustained increase in cytosolic Ca
2+
is a hallmark of ferroptosis that precedes complete bursting of the cell. We report that plasma membrane damage leading to ferroptosis is associated with membrane nanopores of a few nanometers in radius and that ferroptosis, but not lipid peroxidation, can be delayed by osmoprotectants. Importantly, Ca
2+
fluxes during ferroptosis induce the activation of the ESCRT-III-dependent membrane repair machinery, which counterbalances the kinetics of cell death and modulates the immunological signature of ferroptosis. Our findings with ferroptosis provide a unifying concept that sustained increase of cytosolic Ca
2+
prior to plasma membrane rupture is a common feature of regulated types of necrosis and position ESCRT-III activation as a general protective mechanism in these lytic cell death pathways.
Background:
Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is one of the most aggressive human cancers, with a median survival of only three to six months. Standard treatment options and even targeted therapies ...have so far failed to improve long-term overall survival. Thus, novel treatment modalities for ATC, such as immunotherapy, are urgently needed. CD47 is a “don't eat me” signal, which prevents cancer cells from phagocytosis by binding to signal regulatory protein alpha on macrophages. So far, the role of macrophages and the CD47–signal regulatory protein alpha signaling axis in ATC is not well understood.
Methods:
This study analyzed 19 primary human ATCs for macrophage markers, CD47 expression, and immune checkpoints by immunohistochemistry. ATC cell lines and a fresh ATC sample were assessed by flow cytometry for CD47 expression and macrophage infiltration, respectively. CD47 was blocked in phagocytosis assays of co-cultured macrophages and ATC cell lines. Anti-CD47 antibody treatment was administered to ATC cell line xenotransplanted immunocompromised mice, as well as to tamoxifen-induced ATC double-transgenic mice.
Results:
Human ATC samples were heavily infiltrated by CD68- and CD163-expressing tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and expressed CD47 and calreticulin, the dominant pro-phagocytic molecule. In addition, ATC tissues expressed the immune checkpoint molecules programmed cell death 1 and programmed death ligand 1. Blocking CD47 promoted the phagocytosis of ATC cell lines by macrophages
in vitro
. Anti-CD47 antibody treatment of ATC xenotransplanted mice increased the frequency of TAMs, enhanced the expression of macrophage activation markers, augmented tumor cell phagocytosis, and suppressed tumor growth. In double-transgenic ATC mice, CD47 was expressed on tumor cells, and blocking CD47 increased TAM frequencies.
Conclusions:
Targeting CD47 or CD47 in combination with programmed cell death 1 may potentially improve the outcomes of ATC patients and may represent a valuable addition to the current standard of care.
The tall cell (TC) variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has an unfavorable prognosis. The diagnostic criteria remain inconsistent, and the role of a minor TC component is unclear. Molecular ...diagnostic markers are not available; however, there are two potential candidates: BRAF V600E and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations. Using a novel approach, we enriched a collective with PTCs that harbored an adverse outcome, which overcame the limited statistical power of most studies. This enabled us to review 125 PTC patients, 57 of which had an adverse outcome. The proportion of TCs that constituted a poor prognosis was assessed. All of the tumors underwent sequencing for TERT promoter and BRAF V600E mutational status and were stained with an antibody to detect the BRAF V600E mutation. A 10% cutoff for TCs was significantly associated with advanced tumor stage and lymph node metastasis. Multivariate analysis showed that TCs above 10% were the only significant factor for overall, tumor-specific, and relapse-free survival. Seven percent of the cases had a TERT promoter mutation, whereas 61% demonstrated a BRAF mutation. The presence of TC was significantly associated with TERT promoter and BRAF mutations. TERT predicted highly significant tumor relapse (P<0.001). PTCs comprised of at least 10% TCs are associated with an adverse clinical outcome and should be reported accordingly. BRAF did not influence patient outcome. Nevertheless, a positive status should encourage the search for TCs. TERT promoter mutations are a strong predictor of tumor relapse, but their role as a surrogate marker for TCs is limited.
The human insulin gene enhancer-binding protein islet-1 (ISL1) is a transcription factor involved in the differentiation of the neuroendocrine pancreatic cells. Recent studies identified ISL1 as a ...marker for pancreatic well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms. However, little is known about ISL1 expression in pancreatic poorly differentiated and in extrapancreatic well and poorly differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms. We studied the immunohistochemical expression of ISL1 in 124 neuroendocrine neoplasms. Among pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms, 12/13 with poor differentiation were negative, whereas 5/7 with good differentiation but a Ki67 >20% were positive. In extrapancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms, strong positivity was found in Merkel cell carcinomas (25/25), pulmonary small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas (21/23), medullary thyroid carcinomas (9/9), paragangliomas/pheochromocytomas (6/6), adrenal neuroblastomas (8/8) and head and neck neuroendocrine carcinomas (4/5), whereas no or only weak staining was recorded in pulmonary carcinoids (3/15), olfactory neuroblastomas (1/4) and basaloid head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (0/15). ISL1 stained the neuroendocrine carcinoma component of 5/8 composite carcinomas and also normal neuroendocrine cells in the thyroid, adrenal medulla, stomach and colorectum. Poorly differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms, regardless of their ISL1 expression, were usually TP53 positive. Our results show the almost ubiquitous expression of ISL1 in extrapancreatic poorly differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms and neuroblastic malignancies and its common loss in pancreatic poorly differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms. These findings modify the role of ISL1 as a marker for pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms and suggest that ISL1 has a broader involvement in differentiation and growth of neuroendocrine neoplasms than has so far been assumed.
Mutations in caspase recruitment domain-containing protein 14(CARD14) have been linked to susceptibility to psoriasis. CARD14 is an intracellular scaffold protein that regulates proinflammatory gene ...expression. Recent studies have offered novel insights into the mechanisms of CARD14-mediated signaling in keratinocytes and the molecular impact of psoriasis-associated CARD14 mutations. CARD14 forms a signaling complex with BCL10 and the paracaspase MALT1, and this process is enhanced upon pathogenic CARD14 mutation, culminating in the activation of MALT1 protease activity and psoriasis-associated gene expression. This review summarizes the current knowledge of CARD14/MALT1-mediated signaling in keratinocytes and its therapeutic implications in psoriasis.
Most mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in the cytosol prior to their import into the organelle. It is commonly accepted that cytosolic factors are required for delivering precursor proteins to ...the mitochondrial surface and for keeping newly synthesized proteins in an import‐competent conformation. However, the identity of such factors and their defined contribution to the import process are mostly unknown. Using a presequence‐containing model protein and a site‐directed photo‐crosslinking approach in yeast cells we identified the cytosolic chaperones Hsp70 (Ssa1) and Hsp90 (Hsp82) as well as their cochaperones, Sti1 and Ydj1, as putative cytosolic factors involved in mitochondrial protein import. Deletion of STI1 caused both alterations in mitochondrial morphology and lower steady‐state levels of a subset of mitochondrial proteins. In addition, double deletion of STI1 with the mitochondrial import factors, MIM1 or TOM20, showed a synthetic growth phenotype indicating a genetic interaction of STI1 with these genes. Moreover, recombinant cytosolic domains of the import receptors Tom20 and Tom70 were able to bind in vitro Sti1 and other cytosolic factors. In summary, our observations point to a, direct or indirect, role of Sti1 for mitochondrial functionality.
Most mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in the cytosol prior to their import into the organelle. We identified the cytosolic chaperones Hsp70 and Hsp90 as well as their cochaperones, Sti1 and Ydj1, as factors involved in mitochondrial protein import. Deletion of STI1 caused alterations in mitochondrial morphology and biogenesis, and the protein appears to play a role in mitochondrial functionality.
Histopathology of NET: current concepts and new developments Schmitt, Anja M., Dr; Blank, Annika, Dr; Marinoni, Ilaria, Dr ...
Best Practice & Research Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,
2016, January 2016, 2016-Jan, 2016-01-00, Letnik:
30, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Abstract The diagnosis of neuroendocrine tumours is based on their histopathologic appearance and immunohistochemical profile. With the WHO 2010 classification formal staging and grading was ...introduced for gastro-entero-pancreatic NET, however, the nomenclature for lung neuroendocrine tumors still relies on the carcinoid term. In this review we also focus on the situation of neuroendocrine carcinoma of unknown primary, tissue biomarkers and actual controversies in the histopathology of NEN.
Cutaneous melanoma represents one of the most aggressive human tumor entities possessing a high tendency to metastasize. Cancer cells frequently exploit a highly conserved developmental program, the ...epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), to gain migratory and invasive properties promoting their metastatic spread. Cytoplasmic localization of the oncogenic transcription and translation factor Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) is a powerful inducer of EMT in breast carcinoma cells. Interestingly, EMT-like processes have also been observed in cutaneous melanoma despite its neural crest origin. Here, increased expression of YB-1 negatively affects patient survival in malignant melanoma and promotes melanoma cell tumorigenicity both
and
Intriguingly, this effect seems to be mainly mediated by cytoplasmic YB-1 that does not exhibit phosphorylation at serine-102 (S102). Moreover, S102 unphosphorylated YB-1 enhances the migratory and invasive potential of human melanoma cells in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) culture systems and facilitates acquisition of a mesenchymal-like invasive phenotype in the chick embryo model. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the cytoplasmic activity of YB-1 stimulates tumorigenicity and metastatic potential of melanoma cells by promoting EMT-like properties.
This study reveals for the first time that YB-1 efficiently drives tumorigenicity and invasiveness of melanoma cells in its S102 unphosphorylated cytoplasmic state and that YB-1 expression represents a negative prognostic factor in primary melanoma patients.
.
To systematically assess the effects of a Lean management intervention in an academic cytopathology service.
We monitored outcomes including specimen turnaround times during stepwise implementation ...of a lean cytopathology workflow for gynaecological and non-gynaecological cytology.
The intervention resulted in a major reduction of turnaround times for both gynaecological (3rd quartile 4.1 vs 2.3 working days) and non-gynaecological cytology (3rd quartile 1.9 vs. 1.2 working days). Introduction of fully electronic reporting had additional effect over continuous staining of slides alone. The rate of non-gynaecological specimens reported the same day increased from 4.5% to 56.5% of specimens received before noon.
Lean management principles provide a useful framework for organization of a cytopathology workflow. Stepwise implementation beginning with a simplified gynaecological cytology workflow allowed involved staff to monitor the effects of individual changes and allowed for a smooth transition.
Clinical and molecular studies have implicated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), insulin-like growth factor (IGF) and target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways in the regulation of ...pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PanNET) growth. Interpretation and comparison of these studies is complex due to clinical and molecular tumor heterogeneity. We therefore focused in this study on insulinomas, which we examined for mRNA and protein expression of EGFR, IGF and mTOR signaling pathway components by quantitative real-time PCR (n = 48) and immunohistochemistry (n = 86). Findings were compared with normal pancreatic islets and correlated with histopathological data and clinical outcome. Insulinomas showed low EGFR and high IGF2 expression. IGFBP2, IGFBP3 and IGFBP6 mRNA levels were 2- to 4-folds higher than those in islets. High protein expression of IGF2, IGF1R and INSR (in 51–92% of the tumors) and low-to-moderate expression of mTORC1 pathway proteins p-S6k and p-4EBP1 (7–28% of the tumors) were observed. Correlations were found between (1) ERK1 mRNA expression and that of numerous IGF pathway genes, (2) p-ERK and IGF1R protein expression and (3) decrease of IGF pathway components and both metastatic disease and shorter 10-year disease-free survival. In conclusion, our observations suggest that high expression of IGF signaling pathway components is a hallmark of insulinomas, but does not necessarily lead to increased mTOR signaling. Reduced expression of IGF pathway components may be an adverse prognostic factor in insulinomas.