Inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 elicits chemopreventive and therapeutic effects in solid tumors that are coupled with the induction of apoptosis in tumor cells. We investigated the mechanisms by which COX-2 inhibition induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. COX-2 inhibition triggered expression of the CD95, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-R, and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL)-R1 and TRAIL-R2 death receptors. Addition of the respective specific ligands further increased apoptosis, indicating that COX-2 inhibition induced the expression of functional death receptors. Overexpression of a dominant-negative Fas-associated death domain mutant reduced COX-2 inhibitor-mediated apoptosis. Furthermore, our findings showed a link between COX-2 inhibition and the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. COX-2 inhibition led to a rapid down-regulation of myeloid cell leukemia-1 (Mcl-1), an antiapoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family, followed by translocation of Bax to mitochondria and cytochrome c release from mitochondria. Consequently, overexpression of Mcl-1 led to inhibition of COX-2 inhibitormediated apoptosis. Furthermore, blocking endogenous Mcl-1 function using a small-interfering RNA approach enhanced COX-2 inhibitor-mediated apoptosis. It is of clinical importance that celecoxib acted synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs in the induction of apoptosis in HCC cells. The clinical relevance of these results is further substantiated by the finding that COX-2 inhibitors did not sensitize primary human hepatocytes toward chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, COX-2 inhibition engages different apoptosis pathways in HCC cells stimulating death receptor signaling, activation of caspases, and apoptosis originating from mitochondria. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(14): 7059-66)
H epatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents more than 4% of all cancer cases worldwide and causes at least 315,000 deaths each year. 1 The prognosis of HCC is generally poor, and even after surgery, the 5-year survival rate is limited to 25% to 29%. 2 No effective chemotherapeutic or chemopreventive treatments are available, and currently there is a lack of promising molecular therapeutic target structures.Recent studies have shown that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit growth of colon cancer cells and have chemopreventive potential during colon carcinogenesis. [3][4][5] The key step in the enzymatic conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins is catalyzed by cyclooxygenases and represents the specific target of NSAIDs. At least 2 cyclooxygenases are present in humans: cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). COX-1 is expressed constitutively in many human tissues, like stomach, kidneys, and the central nervous system and is important for the maintenance of homeostatic functions including synthesis of cytoprotective gastrointestinal prostaglandins and the modulation of platelet aggregation. [6][7][8] In contrast, COX-2 is inducible (e.g., during pathologic conditions, such as inflammation and cancer). 9,10 It is involved in the regulation of cell
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly malignant skin cancer characterized by early metastases and poor survival. Although MCC is a rare malignancy, its incidence is rapidly increasing in the U.S. and Europe. The discovery of the Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) has enormously impacted our understanding of its etiopathogenesis and biology. MCCs are characterized by trilinear differentiation, comprising the expression of neuroendocrine, epithelial and B-lymphoid lineage markers. To date, it is generally accepted that the initial assumption of MCC originating from Merkel cells (MCs) is unlikely. This is owed to their post-mitotic character, absence of MCPyV in MCs and discrepant protein expression pattern in comparison to MCC. Evidence from mouse models suggests that epidermal/dermal stem cells might be of cellular origin in MCC. The recently formulated hypothesis of MCC originating from early B-cells is based on morphology, the consistent expression of early B-cell lineage markers and the finding of clonal immunoglobulin chain rearrangement in MCC cells. In this review we elaborate on the cellular ancestry of MCC, the identification of which could pave the way for novel and more effective therapeutic regimens.
Introduction Although the molecular genetics possibly underlying the pathogenesis of human thymoma have been extensively studied, its etiology remains poorly understood. Since murine polyomavirus consistently induces thymomas in mice, we assessed the presence of the novel human polyomavirus 7 (HPyV7) in human thymic epithelial tumors. Methods HPyV7-DNA Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), DNA-PCR and immuno-histochemistry (IHC) were performed in 37 thymomas. Of these, 26 were previously diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG). In addition, 20 thymic hyperplasias and 20 fetal thymic tissues were tested. Results HPyV7-FISH revealed specific nuclear hybridization signals within the neoplastic epithelial cells of 23 thymomas (62.2%). With some exceptions, the HPyV7-FISH data correlated with the HPyV7-DNA PCR. By IHC large T antigen (LTAg) expression of HPyV7 was detected, and double staining confirmed its expression in the neoplastic epithelial cells. Eighteen of the 26 MG-positive and 7 of the 11 MG-negative thymomas were HPyV7-positive. 40% of the 20 hyperplastic thymi were HPyV7-positive by PCR as confirmed by FISH and IHC in the follicular lymphocytes. All 20 fetal thymi tested HPyV7-negative. Conclusions The presence of HPyV7-DNA and LTAg expression in the majority of thymomas possibly link HPyV7 to human thymomagenesis. Further investigations are needed to elucidate the possible associations of HPyV7 and MG.
BackgroundThe recent discovery of the Merkel cell polyomavirus and its consistent association with Merkel cell carcinoma has drawn attention to the numerous recently discovered polyomaviruses and their possible involvement in the etiopathogenesis of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Data on the recently discovered human polyomavirus 6 (HPyV6) and its role in NMSC are sparse and in part controversial.MethodsIn the present study we tested a large number (n = 299) of NMSC specimens for the presence of human polyomavirus 6 (HPyV6) by DNA PCR and HPyV6 fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In detail, 59 keratoacanthomas (KA), 109 basal cell carcinomas (BCC), 86 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) and 45 trichoblastomas (TB) were tested for the presence of HPyV6.ResultsHPyV6 DNA PCR and subsequent sequence analysis revealed that 25 KAs (42.3 %), 23 BCCs (21.1 %), 8 SCCs (9.3 %) and 10 TBs (22.2 %) were HPyV6 positive. The presence of HPyV6 DNA was visualized and validated on the single cell level within the histomorphological context by HPyV6 fluorescence in situ hybridization.ConclusionsThe high frequency of HPyV6 DNA in 42.3 % of KA possibly points to a role for HPyV6 in the etiopathogenesis of KAs. Although the detection rate of HPyV6 DNA in BCCs and TBs is within the previously reported detection range in normal skin, it does not exclude a possible role for HPyV6 in the carcinogenesis in a significant subset of these skin tumors.
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