Induction of testis development in mammals requires the presence of the Y-chromosome gene SRY. This gene must exert its effect by interacting with other genes in the sex-determination pathway. Cloning of a translocation chromosome breakpoint from a sex-reversed patient with campomelic dysplasia, followed by mutation analysis of an adjacent gene, indicates that SOX9, an SRY-related gene, is involved in both bone formation and control of testis development.

Tumor cells can grow in an anchorage-independent manner. This is mediated in part through survival signals that bypass normal growth restraints controlled by integrin cell surface receptors. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinase that associates with integrins and modulates various cellular processes including growth, survival, and migration. As increased FAK expression and tyrosine phosphorylation are associated with tumor progression, inhibitors of FAK are being tested for anti-tumor effects. Here, we analyze PND-1186, a substituted pyridine reversible inhibitor of FAK activity with a 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 1.5 nM in vitro. PND-1186 has an IC50 of ~100 nM in breast carcinoma cells as determined by anti-phospho-specific immunoblotting to FAK Tyr-397. PND-1186 did not alter c-Src or p130Cas tyrosine phosphorylation in adherent cells, yet functioned to restrain cell movement. Whereas 1.0 µM PND-1186 (>5-fold above IC50) had limited effects on cell proliferation, under non-adherent conditions or when grown as spheroids or colonies in soft agar, 0.1 µM PND-1186 blocked FAK and p130Cas tyrosine phosphorylation, promoted caspase-3 activation, and triggered cell apoptosis. PND-1186 inhibited 4T1 breast carcinoma subcutaneous tumor growth correlated with elevated tumor cell apoptosis and caspase 3 activation. Addition of PND-1186 to the drinking water of mice was well tolerated and inhibited ascites-associated ovarian carcinoma tumor growth associated with the inhibition of FAK tyrosine phosphorylation. Our results with low-level PND-1186 treatment support the conclusion that FAK activity selectively promotes tumor cell survival in three-dimensional environments.

Tumor metastasis is a leading cause of cancer-related death. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase recruited to integrin-mediated matrix attachment sites where FAK activity is implicated in the control of cell survival, migration, and invasion. Although genetic studies support the importance of FAK activity in promoting tumor progression, it remains unclear whether pharmacological FAK inhibition prevents tumor metastasis. Here, we show that the FAK inhibitor PND-1186 blocks FAK Tyr-397 phosphorylation in vivo and exhibits anti-tumor efficacy in orthotopic breast carcinoma mouse tumor models. PND-1186 (100 mg/kg intraperitoneal, i.p.) showed promising pharmacokinetics (PK) and inhibited tumor FAK Tyr-397 phosphorylation for 12 hours. Oral administration of 150 mg/kg PND-1186 gave a more sustained PK profile verses i.p., and when given twice daily, PND-1186 significantly inhibited sygeneic murine 4T1 orthotopic breast carcinoma tumor growth and spontaneous metastasis to lungs. Moreover, low-level 0.5 mg/ml PND-1186 ad libitum administration in drinking water prevented oncogenic KRAS- and BRAF-stimulated MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma tumor growth and metastasis with inhibition of tumoral FAK and p130Cas phosphorylation. Although PND-1186 was not cytotoxic to cells in adherent culture, tumors from animals receiving PND-1186 exhibited increased TUNEL staining, decreased leukocyte infiltrate and reduced tumor-associated splenomegaly. In vitro, PND-1186 reduced tumor necrosis factor-α triggered interleukin-6 cytokine expression, indicating that FAK inhibition may impact tumor progression via effects on both tumor and stromal cells. As oral administration of PND-1186 also decreased experimental tumor metastasis, PND-1186 may therefore be useful clinically to curb breast tumor progression.

Radiation hybrid panels are already available for genome mapping in human and mouse. In this study we have used two model organisms (chicken and zebrafish) to show that hybrid panels that contain a full complement of the donor genome can be generated by fusion to hamster cells. The quality of the resulting hybrids has been assessed using PCR and FISH. We confirmed the utility of our panels by establishing the percentage of donor DNA present in the hybrids. Our hybrid resources will allow inexpensive gene mapping and we expect that this technology can be transferred to many other species. Such successes are providing the basis for a new era of mapping tools, in the form of whole genome radiation hybrid panels, and are opening new possibilities for systematic genome analysis in the animal genetics community.

Approximately 15% of subjects diagnosed as having XY complete gonadal dysgenesis harbour mutations in SRY7 The majority of these patients are therefore mutant for unknown genes in the testis determining pathway or have mutations affecting the regulation of SRY.To date 24 mutations in SRY have been described. All but two cause complete gonadal dysgenesis.' One patient is a true hermaphrodite. The phenotype in this case was caused by a postzygotic somatic mutation, so that the patient is mosaic.9 The other patient has one streak gonad and one "normal looking" gonad.'0 Surprisingly, seven of the 24 SRY mutations are inherited. In some cases the fathers are likely to be germline mosaics. In three cases, however, the fathers were shown not to be mosaic and the mutations are familial.'"'5 How normal males can carry and transmit mutations in SRY is unclear.In this study we investigated if SRY regulatory mutations might account for XY females who do not harbour mutations in the coding region of SRY. Two kilobases of 5' flanking DNA sequences were screened for mutations in 49 subjects with a spectrum of XY sex reversal phenotypes using the single strand conformation technique (SSCP). This region was chosen because it includes the postulated transcription initiation sites and is the region in which the major regulatory elements are most likely to be concentrated. 1 '8 Part of this region is disrupted by a deletion of at least 33 kb which begins not less than 1-7 kb 5' to SRY in one XY female patient.'9 In addition, a 31 0 bp DNA sequence upstream from the first ATG is capable of supporting CAT reporter gene expression in heterologous cell lines. 17 We chose not to limit this study to patients with complete gonadal dysgenesis, as it is conceivable that SRY regulatory mutations might reduce the levels of SRY expression rather than abolishing it altogether, possibly permitting some degree of testis differentiation. We identified two variant bases, one of which was determined to be a polymorphism, and the other was not found on any control Y chromosome. Materials and methods PATIENTS