Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund und Ziele
Bisherige Arbeiten haben gezeigt, dass Hydrochlorothiazid (HCT) aufgrund seiner photokarzinogenen Wirkung einen Risikofaktor für Plattenepithelkarzinome (SCC) ...und Basalzellkarzinome (BCC) darstellt. Atypische Fibroxanthome (AFX) und pleomorphe dermale Sarkome (PDS), beides UV‐induzierte Tumoren, stellen eine seltene, aber zunehmende Tumorentität der Haut dar. In dieser Studie soll untersucht werden, ob die Einnahme von HCT bei Patienten mit AFX/PDS höher ist als bei Patienten mit SCC/BCC und ob dies ein Risikofaktor für die Entwicklung von AFX/PDS sein könnte.
Patienten und Methodik
In einer retrospektiven Studie an vier deutschen Hautkrebszentren wurden AFX/PDS‐Fälle und SCC/BCC‐Kontrollen über einen Zeitraum von sieben Jahren (2013‐2019) geschlechts‐ und alters‐gematcht (1:3) auf die Einnahme von HCT und immunsuppressiven Medikamenten sowie auf Zweitmalignome und Diabetes mellitus untersucht.
Ergebnisse
Insgesamt wurden 146 AFX/PDS und 438 Kontrollen (SCC/BCC) in die Studie eingeschlossen. Die Einnahme von HCT war bei Patienten mit AFX/PDS (44,5%) im Vergleich zu Patienten mit SCC/BCC (25,3%) signifikant häufiger. Außerdem war Diabetes mellitus bei AFX/PDS‐Patienten signifikant häufiger.
Schlussfolgerungen
Diese Studie zeigt eine signifikant höhere Einnahme von HCT bei Patienten mit AFX/PDS im Vergleich zu SCC/BCC. Dies legt nahe, dass HCT ein Risikofaktor für AFX/PDS sein könnte. Darüber hinaus könnten ein Diabetes mellitus oder dessen Begleiterkrankungen mit einem erhöhten Risiko für AFX/PDS assoziiert sein.
In eukaryotic cells, ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) form mesoscale condensates by liquid–liquid phase separation that play essential roles in subcellular dynamic compartmentalization. The formation and ...dissolution of many RNP condensates are finely dependent on the RNA-to-RNP ratio, giving rise to a windowlike phase separation behavior. This is commonly referred to as reentrant liquid condensation (RLC). Here, using ribonucleoprotein-inspired polypeptides with low-complexity RNA-binding sequences as well as an archetypal disordered RNP, fused in sarcoma, as model systems, we investigate the molecular driving forces underlying this nonmonotonous phase transition. We show that an interplay between short-range cation−π attractions and long-range electrostatic forces governs the heterotypic RLC behavior of RNP–RNA complexes. Short-range attractions, which can be encoded by both polypeptide chain primary sequence and nucleic acid base sequence, control the two-phase coexistence regime, regulate material properties of polypeptide–RNA condensates, and oppose condensate reentrant dissolution. In the presence of excess RNA, a competition between short-range attraction and long-range electrostatic repulsion drives the formation of a colloidlike cluster phase. With increasing short-range attraction, the fluid dynamics of the cluster phase is arrested, leading to the formation of a colloidal gel. Our results reveal that phase behavior, supramolecular organization, and material states of RNP–RNA assemblies are controlled by a dynamic interplay between molecular interactions at different length scales.
Izhodišča: Retroperitonealni sarkomi so izredno redki, zato naj zdravljenje bolnikov z retroperitonealnimi sarkomi poteka v referenčnem centru. Temeljno zdravljenje je kirurško. Priporočen tip ...operacije je kompartment resekcija.
Metode: Onkološki inštitut Ljubljana je edini referenčni center za sarkome v Sloveniji. V raziskavo so bili vključeni bolniki s primarnim lokaliziranim retroperitonealnim sarkomom, zdravljeni pri nas v obdobju od januarja 1999 do junija 2020. Opredelili smo preživetje, kakovost kirurškega zdravljenja in zaplete.
Rezultati: Vključenih je bilo 100 bolnikov. Srednja starost je bila 62 let. Srednja velikost tumorja je bila 21,5 cm. Najpogostejši histološki podtip je bil dediferenciran liposarkom (39 %). Kompartment resekcija je bila opravljena v 24 %, multivisceralna resekcija pa v 25 %. Zaplete po posegu je imelo po klasifikaciji Clavien-Dindo stopnje 3a ali višje 29 % bolnikov, pri 58,6 % (17/29) je bila potrebna ponovna operacija. Zgodnja in pozna smrtnost po operaciji sta bili 3 % in 5 %. Srednji čas sledenja je bil 55,1 mesecev. 5-letno celokupno preživetje je bilo 67,8 %. Kumulativna verjetnost za lokalno ponovitev bolezni po 5 letih je bila 16,9 %, za oddaljene zasevke pa 21,4 %. Ocena ASA in izguba krvi med operacijo sta bila neodvisna napovedna dejavnika celokupnega preživetja.
Zaključek: Retroperitonealni sarkomi sodijo med redke vrste raka. Naši rezultati zdravljenja bolnikov z retroperitonealnimi sarkomi so zelo dobri in primerljivi z rezultati drugih referenčnih centrov iz tujine. Potrjujejo tudi ključno vlogo referenčnega centra pri obravnavi in zdravljenju teh bolnikov.
Mutations in epigenetic pathways are common oncogenic drivers. Histones, the fundamental substrates for chromatin-modifying and remodelling enzymes, are mutated in tumours including gliomas, ...sarcomas, head and neck cancers, and carcinosarcomas. Classical 'oncohistone' mutations occur in the N-terminal tail of histone H3 and affect the function of polycomb repressor complexes 1 and 2 (PRC1 and PRC2). However, the prevalence and function of histone mutations in other tumour contexts is unknown. Here we show that somatic histone mutations occur in approximately 4% (at a conservative estimate) of diverse tumour types and in crucial regions of histone proteins. Mutations occur in all four core histones, in both the N-terminal tails and globular histone fold domains, and at or near residues that contain important post-translational modifications. Many globular domain mutations are homologous to yeast mutants that abrogate the need for SWI/SNF function, occur in the key regulatory 'acidic patch' of histones H2A and H2B, or are predicted to disrupt the H2B-H4 interface. The histone mutation dataset and the hypotheses presented here on the effect of the mutations on important chromatin functions should serve as a resource and starting point for the chromatin and cancer biology fields in exploring an expanding role of histone mutations in cancer.
End‐stage liver diseases are an increasing health burden, and liver transplantations are currently the only curative treatment option. Due to a lack of donor livers, alternative treatments are ...urgently needed. Human liver organoids are very promising for regenerative medicine; however, organoids are currently cultured in Matrigel, which is extracted from the extracellular matrix of the Engelbreth‐Holm‐Swarm mouse sarcoma. Matrigel is poorly defined, suffers from high batch‐to‐batch variability and is of xenogeneic origin, which limits the clinical application of organoids. Here, a novel hydrogel based on polyisocyanopeptides (PIC) and laminin‐111 is described for human liver organoid cultures. PIC is a synthetic polymer that can form a hydrogel with thermosensitive properties, making it easy to handle and very attractive for clinical applications. Organoids in an optimized PIC hydrogel proliferate at rates comparable to those observed with Matrigel; proliferation rates are stiffness‐dependent, with lower stiffnesses being optimal for organoid proliferation. Moreover, organoids can be efficiently differentiated toward a hepatocyte‐like phenotype with key liver functions. This proliferation and differentiation potential maintain over at least 14 passages. The results indicate that PIC is very promising for human liver organoid culture and has the potential to be used in a variety of clinical applications including cell therapy and tissue engineering.
Liver organoids are very promising for cell therapy and tissue engineering. However, organoids are cultured in Matrigel, which limits their clinical application. Here, a novel synthetic hydrogel for human liver organoid cultures is described. Organoids efficiently proliferate and differentiate in this polyisocyanopeptides (PIC)‐based hydrogel. As such, PIC is a promising material for human liver organoid culture and enables their clinical translation.
Proteins are manufactured by ribosomes-macromolecular complexes of protein and RNA molecules that are assembled within major nuclear compartments called nucleoli
. Existing models suggest that RNA ...polymerases I and III (Pol I and Pol III) are the only enzymes that directly mediate the expression of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) components of ribosomes. Here we show, however, that RNA polymerase II (Pol II) inside human nucleoli operates near genes encoding rRNAs to drive their expression. Pol II, assisted by the neurodegeneration-associated enzyme senataxin, generates a shield comprising triplex nucleic acid structures known as R-loops at intergenic spacers flanking nucleolar rRNA genes. The shield prevents Pol I from producing sense intergenic noncoding RNAs (sincRNAs) that can disrupt nucleolar organization and rRNA expression. These disruptive sincRNAs can be unleashed by Pol II inhibition, senataxin loss, Ewing sarcoma or locus-associated R-loop repression through an experimental system involving the proteins RNaseH1, eGFP and dCas9 (which we refer to as 'red laser'). We reveal a nucleolar Pol-II-dependent mechanism that drives ribosome biogenesis, identify disease-associated disruption of nucleoli by noncoding RNAs, and establish locus-targeted R-loop modulation. Our findings revise theories of labour division between the major RNA polymerases, and identify nucleolar Pol II as a major factor in protein synthesis and nuclear organization, with potential implications for health and disease.
Traditional drug screening models are often unable to faithfully recapitulate human physiology in health and disease, motivating the development of microfluidic organs-on-a-chip (OOC) platforms that ...can mimic many aspects of human physiology and in the process alleviate many of the discrepancies between preclinical studies and clinical trials outcomes. Linsitinib, a novel anti-cancer drug, showed promising results in pre-clinical models of Ewing Sarcoma (ES), where it suppressed tumor growth. However, a Phase II clinical trial in several European centers with patients showed relapsed and/or refractory ES. We report an integrated, open setting, imaging and sampling accessible, polysulfone-based platform, featuring minimal hydrophobic compound binding. Two bioengineered human tissues - bone ES tumor and heart muscle - were cultured either in isolation or in the integrated platform and subjected to a clinically used linsitinib dosage. The measured anti-tumor efficacy and cardiotoxicity were compared with the results observed in the clinical trial. Only the engineered tumor tissues, and not monolayers, recapitulated the bone microenvironment pathways targeted by linsitinib, and the clinically-relevant differences in drug responses between non-metastatic and metastatic ES tumors. The responses of non-metastatic ES tumor tissues and heart muscle to linsitinib were much closer to those observed in the clinical trial for tissues cultured in an integrated setting than for tissues cultured in isolation. Drug treatment of isolated tissues resulted in significant decreases in tumor viability and cardiac function. Meanwhile, drug treatment in an integrated setting showed poor tumor response and less cardiotoxicity, which matched the results of the clinical trial. Overall, the integration of engineered human tumor and cardiac tissues in the integrated platform improved the predictive accuracy for both the direct and off-target effects of linsitinib. The proposed approach could be readily extended to other drugs and tissue systems.
In a novel, integrated platform, integration of human bone tumor and cardiac tissues improved predictive accuracy of linsitinib efficacy and safety. This platform mimicked clinical trial results, unlike other pre-clinical models.
In genetic screens aimed at understanding drug resistance mechanisms in chronic myeloid leukemia cells, inactivation of the cullin 3 adapter protein-encoding leucine zipper-like transcription ...regulator 1 (
) gene led to enhanced mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activity and reduced sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Knockdown of the
ortholog
resulted in a Ras-dependent gain-of-function phenotype. Endogenous human LZTR1 associates with the main RAS isoforms. Inactivation of
led to decreased ubiquitination and enhanced plasma membrane localization of endogenous KRAS (V-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog). We propose that LZTR1 acts as a conserved regulator of RAS ubiquitination and MAPK pathway activation. Because
disease mutations failed to revert loss-of-function phenotypes, our findings provide a molecular rationale for
involvement in a variety of inherited and acquired human disorders.