AIM. Expression changes of D-type cyclins are thought to be an early event in the genesis of Multiple Myeloma and are associated with distinct cytogenetic aberrations. These aberrations appear with ...different percentages (“clonal” or “subclonal”) in a given patient. We assessed whether the height of CCND expression assessed by gene expression profiling and quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) correlates with the presence of clonal or subclonal aberrations of 11q13, t(11;14) and t(4;14).
PATIENTS AND METHODS. 128 newly diagnosed MM-patients (65 training (TG)/63 independent validation group (VG)) and 14 normal donors (ND) were included. Bone marrow aspirates were CD138-purified by activated magnetic cell sorting. RNA was in-vitro transcribed and hybridised to Affymetrix HG U133 A+B GeneChip (TG) and HG U133 2.0 plus array (VG). CCND1 and CCND2 expression was verified by real time RT-PCR and western blotting. iFISH was performed on purified MM-cells using probesets for chromosomes 1q21, 9q34, 11q23, 11q13, 13q14, 15q22, 17p13, 19q13, 22q11 and the translocations t(4;14) and t(11;14). Clonal aberrations were defined as being present in >60%, subclonal aberrations in 20 to 60% of MMC in a given patient. Expression data were gcrma normalised and a Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test used (Bioconductor).
RESULTS. 11q13+. CCND1 (208711_s_at, 208712_at) is significantly higher (p<0.0001), CCND2 (200953_s_at, 200951_s_at) significantly lower (p<0.0001) expressed in MMC harbouring clonal, compared to subclonal, or no gain of 11q13. t(11;14). CCND1 is significantly higher (p<0.0001), CCND2 significantly lower (p<0.0001) expressed in MMC harbouring clonal, compared to subclonal, or no t(11;14). t(4;14). CCND1 is significantly lower (p<0.0001), CCND2 significantly higher (p<0.0001) expressed in MMC harbouring clonal compared to subclonal, or no t(4;14). The expression of CCND3 (201700_at) is not significantly different between the 3 groups for all aberrations investigated. CCND2 and CCND3, but not CCND1 are expressed by normal plasma cells. Results have been verified by qRT-PCR (n=40) for CCND1 and CCND2. Expression of CCND1, CCND2 and CCND3 has been verified by western blotting on selected samples. The expression of CCND2 correlates with short EFS, but not if patients with t(4;14) are excluded. There is no significant difference in EFS for patients harbouring the respective aberrations in a clonal or subclonal pattern.
CONCLUSION.
An additional copy of 11q13 or t(11;14) correlates with increased CCND1 and decreased CCND2 expression, a t(4;14) is associated with an increase of CCND2 and a decrease of CCND1 expression.In each case, the height of the CCND-expression is significantly different whether the respective aberration is clonal or subclonal.Thus, when interpreting expression data in the context of cytogenetic aberrations, it is important to consider if plasma cells carry a respective aberration in a subclonal/clonal pattern.
Summary Background The ideal closure technique of the pancreas after distal pancreatectomy is unknown. We postulated that standardised closure with a stapler device would prevent pancreatic fistula ...more effectively than would a hand-sewn closure of the remnant. Methods This multicentre, randomised, controlled, parallel group-sequential superiority trial was done in 21 European hospitals. Patients with diseases of the pancreatic body and tail undergoing distal pancreatectomy were eligible and were randomly assigned by central randomisation before operation to either stapler or hand-sewn closure of the pancreatic remnant. Surgical performance was assessed with intraoperative photo documentation. The primary endpoint was the combination of pancreatic fistula and death until postoperative day 7. Patients and outcome assessors were masked to group assignment. Interim and final analysis were by intention to treat in all patients in whom a left resection was done. This trial is registered, ISRCTN18452029. Findings Between Nov 16, 2006, and July 3, 2009, 450 patients were randomly assigned to treatment groups (221 stapler; 229 hand-sewn closure), of whom 352 patients (177 stapler, 175 hand-sewn closure) were analysed. Pancreatic fistula rate or mortality did not differ between stapler (56 32% of 177) and hand-sewn closure (49 28% of 175; OR 0·84, 95% CI 0·53–1·33; p=0·56). One patient died within the first 7 days after surgery in the hand-sewn group; no deaths occurred in the stapler group. Serious adverse events did not differ between groups. Interpretation Stapler closure did not reduce the rate of pancreatic fistula compared with hand-sewn closure for distal pancreatectomy. New strategies, including innovative surgical techniques, need to be identified to reduce this adverse outcome. Funding German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
A novel poxvirus was discovered in
Crocodilurus amazonicus
(Teiidae) presenting with a debilitating skin disease. The generated first genome sequence of a reptilian poxvirus revealed the closest ...phylogenetic relationship to avipoxviruses, highlighting potential virus exchanges between avian and reptilian species.
The development and characterization of biomaterials for bone replacement in case of large defects in preconditioned bone (e.g., osteoporosis) require close cooperation of various disciplines. Of ...particular interest are effects observed in vitro at the cellular level and their in vivo representation in animal experiments. In the present case, the material-based alteration of the ratio of osteoblasts to osteoclasts in vitro in the context of their co-cultivation was examined and showed equivalence to the material-based stimulation of bone regeneration in a bone defect of osteoporotic rats. Gelatin-modified calcium/strontium phosphates with a Ca:Sr ratio in their precipitation solutions of 5:5 and 3:7 caused a pro-osteogenic reaction on both levels in vitro and in vivo. Stimulation of osteoblasts and inhibition of osteoclast activity were proven during culture on materials with higher strontium content. The same material caused a decrease in osteoclast activity in vitro. In vivo, a positive effect of the material with increased strontium content was observed by immunohistochemistry, e.g., by significantly increased bone volume to tissue volume ratio, increased bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP2) expression, and significantly reduced receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratio. In addition, material degradation and bone regeneration were examined after 6 weeks using stage scans with ToF-SIMS and µ-CT imaging. The remaining material in the defects and strontium signals, which originate from areas exceeding the defect area, indicate the incorporation of strontium ions into the surrounding mineralized tissue. Thus, the material inherent properties (release of biologically active ions, solubility and degradability, mechanical strength) directly influenced the cellular reaction in vitro and also bone regeneration in vivo. Based on this, in the future, materials might be synthesized and specifically adapted to patient-specific needs and their bone status.
Malaria, caused by protozoan Plasmodium parasites, remains a prevalent infectious human disease due to the lack of an efficient and safe vaccine. This is directly related to the persisting gaps in ...our understanding of the parasite's interactions with the infected host, especially during the clinically silent yet essential liver stage of Plasmodium development. Previously, we and others showed that genetically attenuated parasites (GAP) that arrest in the liver induce sterile immunity, but only upon multiple administrations. Here, we comprehensively studied hepatic gene and miRNA expression in GAP-injected mice, and found both a broad activation of IFNγ-associated pathways and a significant increase of murine microRNA-155 (miR-155), that was especially pronounced in non-parenchymal cells including liver-resident macrophages (Kupffer cells). Remarkably, ectopic upregulation of this miRNA in the liver of mice using robust hepatotropic adeno-associated virus 8 (AAV8) vectors enhanced GAP's protective capacity substantially. In turn, this AAV8-mediated miR-155 expression permitted a reduction of GAP injections needed to achieve complete protection against infectious parasite challenge from previously three to only one. Our study highlights a crucial role of mammalian miRNAs in Plasmodium liver infection in vivo and concurrently implies their great potential as future immune-augmenting agents in improved vaccination regimes against malaria and other diseases.
During the annual hunt in a privately owned Austrian game population in fall 2019 and 2020, 64 red deer (
), 5 fallow deer (
), 6 mouflon (
), and 95 wild boars (
) were shot and sampled for PCR ...testing. Pools of spleen, lung, and tonsillar swabs were screened for specific nucleic acids of porcine circoviruses. Wild ruminants were additionally tested for herpesviruses and pestiviruses, and wild boars were screened for pseudorabies virus (PrV) and porcine lymphotropic herpesviruses (PLHV-1-3). PCV2 was detectable in 5% (3 of 64) of red deer and 75% (71 of 95) of wild boar samples. In addition, 24 wild boar samples (25%) but none of the ruminants tested positive for PCV3 specific nucleic acids. Herpesviruses were detected in 15 (20%) ruminant samples. Sequence analyses showed the closest relationships to fallow deer herpesvirus and elk gammaherpesvirus. In wild boars, PLHV-1 was detectable in 10 (11%), PLHV-2 in 44 (46%), and PLHV-3 in 66 (69%) of animals, including 36 double and 3 triple infections. No pestiviruses were detectable in any ruminant samples, and all wild boar samples were negative in PrV-PCR. Our data demonstrate a high prevalence of PCV2 and PLHVs in an Austrian game population, confirm the presence of PCV3 in Austrian wild boars, and indicate a low risk of spillover of notifiable animal diseases into the domestic animal population.
During the clinically silent liver stage of a Plasmodium infection the parasite replicates from a single sporozoite into thousands of merozoites. Infection of humans and rodents with large numbers of ...sporozoites that arrest their development within the liver can cause sterile protection from subsequent infections. Disruption of genes essential for liver stage development of rodent malaria parasites has yielded a number of attenuated parasite strains. A key question to this end is how increased attenuation relates to vaccine efficacy. Here, we generated rodent malaria parasite lines that arrest during liver stage development and probed the impact of multiple gene deletions on attenuation and protective efficacy. In contrast to P. berghei strain ANKA LISP2(-) or uis3(-) single knockout parasites, which occasionally caused breakthrough infections, the double mutant lacking both genes was completely attenuated even when high numbers of sporozoites were administered. However, different vaccination protocols showed that LISP2(-) parasites protected better than uis3(-) and double mutants. Hence, deletion of several genes can yield increased safety but might come at the cost of protective efficacy.
Malaria, caused by protozoan Plasmodium parasites, remains one of the most prevalent infectious diseases and a major health burden due to the lack of an efficient, safe and globally applicable ...vaccine. Recent work has demonstrated the induction of sterile immunity in mice through successive triple vaccination with genetically attenuated parasites (GAP) that arrest during liver-stage development. This suggests that a better understanding of the host factors controlling the Plasmodium life cycle in the liver will aid in the design of potent vaccination strategies. Our work provides the first in vivo evidence for a substantial involvement of the mammalian miRNA/RNAi machinery in Plasmodium development and in anti-parasitic immunity. The high compatibility of our new avenues to improve the protective capacity of attenuated parasites by mi/shRNA over-expression from well established hepatotropic AAV vectors brings us one important step closer to the ultimate goal of a globally applicable anti-malarial vaccination regime.
To further develop gene therapy for patients with glioblastomas, an experimental gene therapy protocol was established comprising a series of imaging parameters for (i) noninvasive assessment of ...viable target tissue followed by (ii) targeted application of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) amplicon vectors and (iii) quantification of treatment effects by imaging. We show that viable target tissue amenable for application of gene therapy vectors can be identified by multitracer positron emission tomography (PET) using 2-(18)F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose, methyl-(11)C-L-methionine, or 3'-deoxy-3'-(18)F-fluoro-L-thymidine ((18)FFLT). Targeted application of HSV-1 amplicon vectors containing two therapeutic genes with synergistic antitumor activity (Escherichia coli cytosine deaminase, cd, and mutated HSV-1 thymidine kinase, tk39, fused to green fluorescent protein gene, gfp) leads to an overall response rate of 68%, with 18% complete responses and 50% partial responses. Most importantly, we show that the "tissue dose" of HSV-1 amplicon vector-mediated gene expression can be noninvasively assessed by 9-4-(18)F-fluoro-3-(hydroxymethyl)butylguanine ((18)FFHBG) PET. Therapeutic effects could be monitored by PET with significant differences in (18)FFLT accumulation in all positive control tumors and 72% in vivo transduced tumors (P = 0.01) as early as 4 days after prodrug therapy. For all stably and in vivo transduced tumors, cdIREStk39gfp gene expression as measured by (18)FFHBG-PET correlated with therapeutic efficiency as measured by (18)FFLT-PET. These data indicate that imaging-guided vector application with determination of tissue dose of vector-mediated gene expression and correlation to induced therapeutic effect using multimodal imaging is feasible. This strategy will help in the development of safe and efficient gene therapy protocols for clinical application.
For the development of efficient and safe gene therapy protocols for clinical application it is desirable to determine the tissue dose of vector-mediated therapeutic gene expression noninvasively in ...vivo. The herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase gene (HSV-1-tk) has been shown to function as a marker gene for the direct noninvasive in vivo localization of thymidine kinase (TK) expression by positron emission tomography (PET). Using bicistronic or multicistronic gene-expressing cassettes with tk as the PET marker gene, the quantitative analysis of tk gene expression may indirectly indicate the distribution and the level of expression of linked and proportionally coexpressed genes. Here, we describe the construction and functional evaluation of HSV-1 amplicon vectors mediating proportional coexpression of HSV-1-tk as PET marker gene and the enhanced green fluorescent protein gene (gfp) as proof of principle and cell culture marker gene and the Escherichia coli cytosine deaminase (cd) as therapeutic gene. Several double-/triple-gene constructs expressing HSV-1-tk, gfp, and E. coli cd were engineered based on gene fusion or the use of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Functional analysis in cell culture (green fluorescent protein GFP fluorescence and sensitivity to the prodrugs ganciclovir GCV and 5-fluorocytosine 5-FC) and Western blots were carried out after infection of proliferating rat 9L gliosarcoma and human Gli36 glioma cells with helper virus-free packaged HSV-1 amplicon vectors. To study the ability of PET to differentiate various levels of tk expression noninvasively in vivo, retrovirally transduced and selected populations of rat F98 and human Gli36dEGFR glioma cells with defined levels of proportionally coexpressed tk and gfp genes were grown as subcutaneous tumors in nude rats and nude mice, and tk imaging by PET was performed. To study HSV-1 amplicon vector-mediated gene coexpression in vivo, HSV-1 amplicon vectors bearing coexpression constructs were injected (4 x 10(7) to 1 x 10(8) transducing units) into subcutaneously growing Gli36dEGFR gliomas in nude animals, and tk imaging was performed 24 hr later. All vector constructs mediated GFP expression and sensitized 9L and Gli36 cells toward GCV- and 5-FC-mediated cell killing in a drug dose-dependent manner, respectively. The levels of gene expression varied depending on the location of the genes within the constructs indicating the influence of the IRES on the level of expression of the second gene. Moreover, functional proportional coexpression of the PET marker gene HSV-1-tk and the linked therapeutic E. coli cd gene was observed. In selected tumor cell populations, subtle IRES-dependent differences of tk gene expression could be noninvasively distinguished by PET with good correlation between quantitative assays for IRES-dependent attenuated GFP and TK expression in culture and in vivo. After infection of subcutaneously growing gliomas with HSV-1 amplicon vectors, various levels of TK expression were found ranging from 0.011-0.062 percentage injected dose per gram (%ID/g). These values were 4.0- to 5.7-fold lower than positive control tumor cells. TK expression could be imaged by PET in vivo even with the tk gene located at the weak position downstream from the IRES. In conclusion, these HSV-1 amplicon vectors carrying HSV-1-tk as PET marker gene and any linked therapeutic gene will serve an indirect noninvasive assessment of the distribution of therapeutic gene expression by PET. Monitoring the correlation between primary transduction and therapeutic efficiency of a given vector is highly desirable for the development of safe and efficient gene therapy and vector application protocols in clinical applications.
PDF
