BACKGROUNDAmong patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), MET exon 14 skipping mutations occur in 3 to 4% and MET amplifications occur in 1 to 6%. Capmatinib, a selective inhibitor of the MET receptor, has shown activity in cancer models with various types of MET activation. METHODSWe conducted a multiple-cohort, phase 2 study evaluating capmatinib in patients with MET-dysregulated advanced NSCLC. Patients were assigned to cohorts on the basis of previous lines of therapy and MET status (MET exon 14 skipping mutation or MET amplification according to gene copy number in tumor tissue). Patients received capmatinib (400-mg tablet) twice daily. The primary end point was overall response (complete or partial response), and the key secondary end point was response duration; both end points were assessed by an independent review committee whose members were unaware of the cohort assignments. RESULTSA total of 364 patients were assigned to the cohorts. Among patients with NSCLC with a MET exon 14 skipping mutation, overall response was observed in 41% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29 to 53) of 69 patients who had received one or two lines of therapy previously and in 68% (95% CI, 48 to 84) of 28 patients who had not received treatment previously; the median duration of response was 9.7 months (95% CI, 5.6 to 13.0) and 12.6 months (95% CI, 5.6 to could not be estimated), respectively. Limited efficacy was observed in previously treated patients with MET amplification who had a gene copy number of less than 10 (overall response in 7 to 12% of patients). Among patients with MET amplification and a gene copy number of 10 or higher, overall response was observed in 29% (95% CI, 19 to 41) of previously treated patients and in 40% (95% CI, 16 to 68) of those who had not received treatment previously. The most frequently reported adverse events were peripheral edema (in 51%) and nausea (in 45%); these events were mostly of grade 1 or 2. CONCLUSIONSCapmatinib showed substantial antitumor activity in patients with advanced NSCLC with a MET exon 14 skipping mutation, particularly in those not treated previously. The efficacy in MET-amplified advanced NSCLC was higher in tumors with a high gene copy number than in those with a low gene copy number. Low-grade peripheral edema and nausea were the main toxic effects. (Funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals; GEOMETRY mono-1 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02414139.

Nogo-A is a potent neurite growth inhibitor in vitro and plays a role both in the restriction of axonal regeneration after injury and in structural plasticity in the CNS of higher vertebrates. The regions that mediate inhibition and the topology of the molecule in the plasma membrane have to be defined. Here we demonstrate the presence of three different active sites: (1) an N-terminal region involved in the inhibition of fibroblast spreading, (2) a stretch encoded by the Nogo-A-specific exon that restricts neurite outgrowth and cell spreading and induces growth cone collapse, and (3) a C-terminal region (Nogo-66) with growth cone collapsing function. We show that Nogo-A-specific active fragments bind to the cell surface of responsive cells and to rat brain cortical membranes, suggesting the existence of specific binding partners or receptors. Several antibodies against different epitopes on the Nogo-A-specific part of the protein as well as antisera against the 66 aa loop in the C-terminus stain the cell surface of living cultured oligodendrocytes. Nogo-A is also labeled by nonmembrane-permeable biotin derivatives applied to living oligodendrocyte cultures. Immunofluorescent staining of intracellular, endoplasmic reticulum-associated Nogo-A in cells after selective permeabilization of the plasma membrane reveals that the epitopes of Nogo-A, shown to be accessible at the cell surface, are exposed to the cytoplasm. This suggests that Nogo-A could have a second membrane topology. The two proposed topological variants may have different intracellular as well as extracellular functions.

The A2A adenosine receptor (A2A-AR) transcript and radioligand binding sites have a distinct distribution in rat brain, restricted primarily to the striatum, nucleus accumbens and olfactory tubercles. We describe here the use of purified recombinant human A2A-ARs to generate a monoclonal antibody that has been used to better resolve the distribution of A2A-ARs in rat brain. The antibody can detect 1 ng of purified recombinant receptor by Western blotting and is potent (EC50 = 0.62 microg/ml) and highly selective for the A2A-AR subtype. By Western blotting, the apparent molecular mass of recombinant and rat striatal receptors shifts upon deglycosylation from 43-48 to 42 kilodaltons. Analyses of chimeric A1/A2A-ARs and synthesis of a blocking peptide pinpointed the epitope (SQPLPGER) of the antibody to the center of the third intracellular loop of the receptor. Incubation of rat striatal membranes with antibody reduces receptor coupling to G-proteins. In rat brain, dense A2A-AR-like immunoreactivity that is eliminated by the blocking peptide was found in the neuropil of the striatum, nucleus accumbens (rostral pole, core and shell), cell bridges of the striatum, olfactory tubercles, and areas of extended amygdala with somewhat lighter labeling in the globus pallidus and nucleus of the solitary tract. Light perikaryal labeling was found in other areas of the brain, including the cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, cerebellum, and portions of the hindbrain. The observed distribution of A2A-AR immunoreactivity throughout the neuraxis is consistent with the receptors' role in modulating dopaminergic neurotransmission and central control of cardiovascular function.

The acute-phase reactant rabbit serum amyloid A 3 (SAA3) was identified as the major difference product in Ag-induced arthritis in the rabbit, a model resembling in many aspects the clinical characteristics of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in humans. In Ag-induced arthritis, up-regulated SAA3 transcription in vivo was detected in cells infiltrating into the inflamed joint, in the area where pannus formation starts and, most notably, also in chondrocytes. The proinflammatory cytokine IL-1β induced SAA3 transcription in primary rabbit chondrocytes in vitro. Furthermore, rSAA3 protein induced transcription of matrix metalloproteinases in rabbit chondrocytes in vitro. In the human experimental system, IL-1β induced transcription of acute-phase SAA (A-SSA; encoded by SAA1/SAA2) in primary chondrocytes. Similar to the rabbit system, recombinant human A-SAA protein was able to induce matrix metalloproteinases’ transcription in chondrocytes. Further, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that A-SAA was highly expressed in human RA synovium. A new finding of our study is that A-SSA expression was also detected in cartilage in osteoarthritis. Our data, together with previous findings of SAA expression in RA synovium, suggest that A-SAA may play a role in cartilage destruction in arthritis.

9004 Background: Capmatinib is a highly potent and selective MET inhibitor. Previous data of GEOMETRY mono-1 study showed a clinically meaningful overall response rate (ORR) and manageable toxicity profile in patients (pts) with METΔex14–mutated NSCLC who received 1–2 prior lines of treatment (tx) (Cohort 4) and in particular a high ORR in tx-naïve pts (Cohort 5b). Here we report the results in METΔex14–mutated NSCLC for duration of response (DOR) and progression-free survival (PFS) as well as the updated results for ORR. Methods: GEOMETRY mono-1 is a phase 2, multi-cohort, multicenter study evaluating capmatinib in pts with METΔex14-mutated or MET-amplified advanced NSCLC across 6 cohorts. Pts (≥18 yrs) with ECOG PS 0–1, ALK and EGFR wt, and stage IIIB/IV NSCLC were eligible. Pts with METΔex14 mutation (centrally confirmed) were assigned (regardless of MET amplification status/gene copy number) to Cohorts 4 and 5b and received capmatinib tablets 400 mg BID. Primary endpoint was ORR by Blinded Independent Review Committee (BIRC) per RECIST v1.1. Key secondary endpoint was DOR by BIRC. Results: As of Nov 08, 2018, 97 pts with METΔex14-mutated NSCLC (Cohort 4: 69 pts; Cohort 5b: 28 pts) were evaluable for efficacy. ORR (95% CI) by BIRC was 39.1% (27.6-51.6) in Cohort 4 and 71.4% (51.3-86.8) in Cohort 5b. While still immature at the time of this analysis, data on durability are promising: median DOR (95% CI) by BIRC was 9.72 (4.27-11.14) and 8.41 (5.55-NE) mo for Cohorts 4 and 5b, respectively; median PFS (95% CI) by BIRC was 5.42 (4.17-6.97) and 9.13 (5.52-13.86) mo for Cohorts 4 and 5b, respectively. Safety profile remains favourable and unchanged. Most common AEs (≥25% all grades) across all cohorts (n = 315), were peripheral edema (49.2%), nausea (43.2%), and vomiting (28.3%); majority of the AEs were grade 1/2. Final efficacy analysis (12-mo f-u on DOR) including biomarker data will be presented during meeting. Conclusions: These data confirm capmatinib to be a promising new treatment option for pts with METΔex14-mutated advanced NSCLC regardless of the line of therapy with deep and durable responses and manageable toxicity profile. Clinical trial information: NCT02414139.

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Human ␣ 1A -, ␣ 1B -, and ␣ 1D -adrenergic receptors were tagged at their amino termini with FLAG epitopes and stably expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)293 cells. Tagged receptors demonstrated a wild-type pharmacology and mobilization of intracellular Ca 2ϩ. After solubilization and immunoprecipitation, monomers, dimers, and trimers of each subtype were apparent on Western blots. Further denaturation with 6 M urea reduced most oligomers to monomers. Deglycosylation reduced the molecular size of ␣ 1A -, and to a lesser extent ␣ 1B -and ␣ 1D -adrenergic receptors. Radioligand binding site density was highest for ␣ 1A -and much lower for ␣ 1B -and ␣ 1D -adrenergic receptors, but did not correlate with protein expression. Commercial anti-␣ 1 -adrenergic receptor antibodies did not recognize the tagged receptors in Western blots of cell lysates, and substantial cross-reactivity was still observed after solubilization and immunoprecipitation. Surprisingly, only receptor monomers were apparent after photoaffinity labeling with 125