Macrophages have a key role in tumor-associated pulmonary inflammation that supports the proliferation of tumor cells and promotes lung tumor growth. Although increased numbers of tumor-associated ...macrophages are linked to poor prognosis in lung cancer patients, little is known regarding the transcriptional mechanisms controlling recruitment of macrophages during lung tumorigenesis. Forkhead Box m1 (Foxm1) transcription factor is induced in multiple cell types within tumor lesions and its increased expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients with lung adenocarcinomas. To determine the role of Foxm1 in recruitment of tumor-associated macrophages, a mouse line with macrophage-specific Foxm1 deletion was generated (macFoxm1(-/-)). Lung tumorigenesis was induced using a 3-methylcholanthrene/butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT; 3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene) tumor initiation/promotion protocol. Ablation of Foxm1 in macrophages reduced the number and size of lung tumors in macFoxm1(-/-) mice. Decreased tumorigenesis was associated with diminished proliferation of tumor cells and decreased recruitment of macrophages during the early stages of tumor formation. The expression levels of the pro-inflammatory genes iNOS, Cox-2, interleukin-1b (IL-1b) and IL-6, as well as the migration-related genes macrophage inflammatory protein-1 (MIP-1α), MIP-2 and MMP-12, were decreased in macrophages isolated from macFoxm1(-/-) mice. Migration of Foxm1-deficient macrophages was reduced in vitro. The chemokine receptors responsible for monocyte recruitment to the lung, CX(3)CR1 and CXCR4, were decreased in Foxm1-deficient monocytes. In co-transfection experiments, Foxm1 directly bound to and transcriptionally activated the CX(3)CR1 promoter. Adoptive transfer of wild-type monocytes to macFoxm1(-/-) mice restored BHT-induced pulmonary inflammation to the levels observed in control mice. Expression of Foxm1 in macrophages is required for pulmonary inflammation, recruitment of macrophages into tumor sites and lung tumor growth.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths in cancer patients in the United States. Identification of new molecular targets is clearly needed to improve therapeutic outcomes of this devastating human ...disease. Activating mutations in K-Ras oncogene and increased expression of FOXM1 protein are associated with poor prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Transgenic expression of activated Kras(G12D) in mouse respiratory epithelium is sufficient to induce lung adenocarcinomas; however, transcriptional mechanisms regulated by K-Ras during the initiation of lung cancer remain poorly understood. Foxm1 transcription factor, a downstream target of K-Ras, stimulates cellular proliferation during embryogenesis, organ repair and tumor growth, but its role in tumor initiation is unknown. In the present study, we used transgenic mice expressing Kras(G12D) under control of Sftpc promoter to demonstrate that Foxm1 was induced in type II epithelial cells before the formation of lung tumors. Conditional deletion of Foxm1 from Kras(G12D)-expressing respiratory epithelium prevented the initiation of lung tumors in vivo. The loss of Foxm1 inhibited expression of K-Ras target genes critical for the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, including Ikbkb, Nfkb1, Nfkb2, Rela, Jnk1, N-Myc, Pttg1 and Cdkn2a. Transgenic overexpression of activated FOXM1 mutant was sufficient to induce expression of these genes in alveolar type II cells. FOXM1 directly bound to promoter regions of Ikbkb, Nfkb2, N-Myc, Pttg1 and Cdkn2a, indicating that these genes are direct FOXM1 targets. FOXM1 is required for K-Ras-mediated lung tumorigenesis by activating genes critical for the NF-κB and JNK pathways.
The forkhead box m1 (Foxm1 or Foxm1b) protein (previously called HFH-11B, Trident, Win or MPP2) is abundantly expressed in human non-small cell lung cancers where it transcriptionally induces ...expression of genes essential for proliferation of tumor cells. In this study, we used Rosa26-Foxm1 transgenic mice, in which the Rosa26 promoter drives ubiquitous expression of Foxm1 transgene, to identify new signaling pathways regulated by Foxm1. Lung tumors were induced in Rosa26-Foxm1 mice using the 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)/butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) lung tumor initiation/promotion protocol. Tumors from MCA/BHT-treated Rosa26-Foxm1 mice displayed a significant increase in the number, size and DNA replication compared to wild-type mice. Elevated tumor formation in Rosa26-Foxm1 transgenic lungs was associated with persistent pulmonary inflammation, macrophage infiltration and increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2), Cdc25C phosphatase, cyclin E2, chemokine ligands CXCL5, CXCL1 and CCL3, cathepsins and matrix metalloprotease-12. Cell culture experiments with A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells demonstrated that depletion of Foxm1 by either short interfering RNA transfection or treatment with Foxm1-inhibiting ARF 26-44 peptide significantly reduced Cox-2 expression. In co-transfection experiments, Foxm1 protein-induced Cox-2 promoter activity and directly bound to the -2566/-2580 bp region of human Cox-2 promoter.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths in cancer patients in the United States. Identification of new molecular targets is clearly needed to improve therapeutic outcomes of this devastating human ...disease. Activating mutations in K-Ras oncogene and increased expression of FOXM1 protein are associated with poor prognosis in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Transgenic expression of activated Kras(G12D) in mouse respiratory epithelium is sufficient to induce lung adenocarcinomas; however, transcriptional mechanisms regulated by K-Ras during the initiation of lung cancer remain poorly understood. Foxm1 transcription factor, a downstream target of K-Ras, stimulates cellular proliferation during embryogenesis, organ repair and tumor growth, but its role in tumor initiation is unknown. In the present study, we used transgenic mice expressing Kras(G12D) under control of Sftpc promoter to demonstrate that Foxm1 was induced in type II epithelial cells before the formation of lung tumors. Conditional deletion of Foxm1 from Kras(G12D)-expressing respiratory epithelium prevented the initiation of lung tumors in vivo. The loss of Foxm1 inhibited expression of K-Ras target genes critical for the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways, including Ikbkb, Nfkb1, Nfkb2, Rela, Jnk1, N-Myc, Pttg1 and Cdkn2a. Transgenic overexpression of activated FOXM1 mutant was sufficient to induce expression of these genes in alveolar type II cells. FOXM1 directly bound to promoter regions of Ikbkb, Nfkb2, N-Myc, Pttg1 and Cdkn2a, indicating that these genes are direct FOXM1 targets. FOXM1 is required for K-Ras-mediated lung tumorigenesis by activating genes critical for the NF-κB and JNK pathways.
Results on rapidly solidified filler metals for brazing W with W and monocrystalline W with EUROFER steel (FS) are presented. Rapidly quenched powder-type filler metals based on Ti
bal–V–Cr–Be were ...developed to braze polycrystalline W with monocrystalline W. In addition, Fe
bal–Ta–Ge–Si–B–Pd alloys were developed to braze monocrystalline W with FS for helium gas cooled divertors and plasma-facing components. The W to FS brazed joints were fabricated under vacuum at 1150
°C, using a Ta spacer of 0.1
mm in thickness to account for the different thermal expansions. The monocrystalline tungsten as well as the related brazed joints withstood 30
cycles between 750
°C/20
min and air cooling/3–5
min.
The role of Forkhead Box F1 (FoxF1) transcription factor in carcinogenesis is not well characterized. Depending on tissue and histological type of cancer, FoxF1 has been shown to be either an ...oncogene or a tumor suppressor. Alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most aggressive pediatric soft-tissue sarcoma. Although FoxF1 is highly expressed in alveolar RMS, the functional role of FoxF1 in RMS is unknown. The present study demonstrates that expression of FoxF1 and its closely related transcription factor FoxF2 are essential for RMS tumor growth. Depletion of FoxF1 or FoxF2 in RMS cells decreased tumor growth in orthotopic mouse models of RMS. The decreased tumorigenesis was associated with reduced tumor cell proliferation. Cell cycle regulatory proteins Cdk2, Cdk4/6, Cyclin D1 and Cyclin E2 were decreased in FoxF1- and FoxF2-deficient RMS tumors. Depletion of either FoxF1 or FoxF2 delayed G1-S cell cycle progression, decreased levels of phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (Rb) and increased protein levels of the CDK inhibitors, p21
and p27
. Depletion of both FoxF1 and FoxF2 in tumor cells completely abrogated RMS tumor growth in mice. Overexpression of either FoxF1 or FoxF2 in tumor cells was sufficient to increase tumor growth in orthotopic RMS mouse model. FoxF1 and FoxF2 directly bound to and repressed transcriptional activity of p21
promoter through -556/-545 bp region, but did not affect p27
transcription. Knockdown of p21
restored cell cycle progression in the FoxF1- or FoxF2-deficient tumor cells. Altogether, FoxF1 and FoxF2 promoted RMS tumorigenesis by inducing tumor cell proliferation via transcriptional repression of p21
gene promoter. Because of the robust oncogenic activity in RMS tumors, FoxF1 and FoxF2 may represent promising targets for anti-tumor therapy.
The proliferation-specific Forkhead Box m1 (Foxm1 or Foxm1b) transcription factor (previously called HFH-11B, Trident, Win, or MPP2) regulates expression of cell cycle genes essential for progression ...into DNA replication and mitosis. Expression of Foxm1 is found in a variety of distinct human cancers including hepatocellular carcinomas, intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas, basal cell carcinomas, ductal breast carcinomas, and anaplastic astrocytomas and glioblastomas. In this study, we show that human Foxm1 protein is abundantly expressed in highly proliferative human non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) as well as in mouse lung tumors induced by urethane. To determine the role of Foxm1 during the development of mouse lung tumors, we used IFN-inducible Mx-Cre recombinase transgene to delete mouse Foxm1 fl/fl-targeted allele before inducing lung tumors with urethane. We show that Mx-Cre Foxm1-/- mice exhibit diminished proliferation of lung tumor cells causing a significant reduction in number and size of lung adenomas. Transient transfection experiments with A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells show that depletion of Foxm1 levels by short interfering RNA caused diminished DNA replication and mitosis and reduced anchorage-independent growth of cell colonies on soft agar. Foxm1-depleted A549 cells exhibit reduced expression of cell cycle-promoting cyclin A2 and cyclin B1 genes. These data show that Foxm1 stimulates the proliferation of tumor cells during progression of NSCLC.
The proliferation-specific Forkhead Box M1 (FoxM1 or FoxM1b) transcription factor is overexpressed in a number of aggressive human carcinomas. Mouse hepatocytes deficient in FoxM1 fail to proliferate ...and are highly resistant to developing carcinogen-induced liver tumors. We previously developed a transgenic (TG) mouse line in which the ubiquitous Rosa26 promoter was used to drive expression of the human FoxM1b cDNA transgene in all mouse cell types. To investigate the role of FoxM1b in prostate cancer progression, we bred Rosa26-FoxM1b mice with both TRAMP and LADY TG mouse models of prostate cancer. We show that increased expression of FoxM1b accelerated development, proliferation, and growth of prostatic tumors in both TRAMP and LADY double TG mice. Furthermore, development of prostate carcinomas in TRAMP/Rosa26-FoxM1b double TG mice required high levels of FoxM1 protein to overcome sustained expression of the alternative reading frame tumor suppressor, a potent inhibitor of FoxM1 transcriptional activity. Depletion of FoxM1 levels in prostate cancer cell lines PC-3, LNCaP, or DU-145 by small interfering RNA transfection caused significant reduction in proliferation and anchorage-independent growth on soft agar. This phenotype was associated with increased nuclear levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor protein p27(Kip1) and diminished expression of S-phase promoting cyclin A2 and M-phase promoting cyclin B1 proteins. Finally, we show that elevated levels of FoxM1 protein correlate with high proliferation rates in human prostate adenocarcinomas. Our results suggest that the FoxM1 transcription factor regulates development and proliferation of prostate tumors, and that FoxM1 is a novel target for prostate cancer treatment.
Obtaining surface with high purity and good roughness is important for increasing the corrosion resistance and wear resistance of products working in corrosion-active environment. Installation ...ILUR-03 with the coaxial ion beam wide energy spectrum source for cleaning, polishing and surface doping of long cylindrical items has been developed. Upgraded installation ILUR-03 provides effective technological defects cleaning (abrasives after mechanical polishing, acid residues after chemical etching, adsorbed gases), surface polishing, film deposition by using magnetrons and surface doping by ion mixing method in one technological cycle.
Results on rapidly solidified filler metals for tungsten brazing are presented. A rapidly quenched foil-type filler metal based on Ni
bal–15Cr–4Mo–4Fe–(0.5–1.0)V–7.5Si–1.5B was developed to braze ...tungsten to ferritic/martensitic Crl3Mo2NbVB steel (FS) for helium gas cooled divertors and plasma facing components. Polycrystalline W–2CeO
2 and monocrystalline pure tungsten were brazed to the steel under vacuum at 1150 °C, using a 0.5 mm thick foil spacer made of a 50Fe–50Ni alloy. As a result of thermocycling tests (100 cycles between 700 °C/20 min and air–water cooling/3–5 min) on brazed joints, tungsten powder metallurgically processed W–2CeO
2 failed due to residual stresses, whereas the brazed joint with zone-melted monocrystalline tungsten withstood the thermocycling tests.