Interleukin-10 (IL-10)-deficient (IL-10؊/؊ ) mice infected with Plasmodium chabaudi (AS) suffer a more severe disease and exhibit a higher rate of mortality than control C57BL/6 mice. Here, we show that a drop in body temperature to below 28°C and pronounced hypoglycemia of below

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Doxorubicin is used extensively for chemotherapy of diverse types of cancer, yet the mechanism through which it inhibits proliferation of cancer cells remains unclear. Here we report that doxorubicin stimulates de novo synthesis of ceramide, which in turn activates CREB3L1, a transcription factor synthesized as a membrane-bound precursor. Doxorubicin stimulates proteolytic cleavage of CREB3L1 by Site-1 Protease and Site-2 Protease, allowing the NH2-terminal domain of CREB3L1 to enter the nucleus where it activates transcription of genes encoding inhibitors of the cell cycle, including p21. Knockdown of CREB3L1 mRNA in human hepatoma Huh7 cells and immortalized human fibroblast SV589 cells conferred increased resistance to doxorubicin, whereas overexpression of CREB3L1 in human breast cancer MCF-7 cells markedly enhanced the sensitivity of these cells to doxorubicin. These results suggest that measurement of CREB3L1 expression may be a useful biomarker in identifying cancer cells sensitive to doxorubicin.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00090.001

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5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (DMXAA) is a small molecule in the flavanoid class that has antitumor activity thought to be due to ability to induce high local levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-A that disrupt established blood vessels within tumors. The drug has completed phase 1 testing in humans and is currently in phase 2 trials in combination with chemotherapy. Although characterized as a ''vascular disrupting agent,'' there are some studies suggesting that DMXAA also has effects on the immune system that are important for its efficacy. The goal of this study was to carefully define the immune effects of DMXAA in a series of murine lung cancer and mesothelioma cell lines with varying immunologic characteristics. We show that DMXAA efficiently activated tumor-associated macrophages to release a variety of immunostimulatory cytokines and chemokines, including TNF-A; IFN-inducible protein-10; interleukin-6; macrophage inflammatory protein-2; monocyte chemotactic protein-1; and regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed, and secreted. DMXAA treatment was highly effective in both small and large flank tumors. Animals cured of tumors by DMXAA generated a systemic memory response and were resistant to tumor cell rechallenge. DMXAA treatment led to initial tumor infiltration with macrophages that was followed by an influx of CD8 + T cells. These CD8 + T cells were required for antitumor efficacy because tumor inhibitory activity was lost in nude mice, mice depleted of CD8 + T cells, and perforin knockout mice, but not in CD4 + T-cell-depleted mice. These data show that activation of tumor-associated macrophages by DMXAA is an efficient way to generate a CD8 + T-cell-dependent antitumor immune response even in animals with relatively nonimmunogenic tumors. Given these properties, DMXAA might also be useful in boosting other forms of immunotherapy. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(24): 11752-61)

Infection of interleukin-10 (IL-10)-nonexpressing (IL-10−/−) mice with Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (AS) leads to exacerbated pathology in female mice and death in a proportion of them. Hypoglycemia, hypothermia, and loss in body weight were significantly greater in female IL-10−/−mice than in male knockout mice and all wild-type (WT) mice during the acute phase of infection. At this time, both female and male IL-10−/− mice produced more gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and IL-12p40 mRNA than their respective WT counterparts. Inactivation of IFN-γ in IL-10−/− mice by the injection of anti-IFN-γ antibodies or by the generation of IL-10−/− IFN-γ receptor−/− double-knockout mice resulted in reduced mortality but did not affect body weight, temperature, or blood glucose levels. The data suggest that IFN-γ-independent pathways may be responsible for these pathological features of P. chabaudimalaria and may be due to direct stimulation of TNF-α by the parasite. Since male and female knockout mice both produce more inflammatory cytokines than their WT counterparts, it is likely that the mortality seen in females is due to the nature or magnitude of the response to these cytokines rather than the amount of IFN-γ or TNF-α produced.

5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid, synthesised in this laboratory, reduces tumour blood flow, both in mice and in patients on Phase I trial. We used TUNEL (TdT-mediated dUTP nick end labelling) assays to investigate whether apoptosis induction was involved in its antivascular effect. 5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid induced dose-dependent apoptosis in vitro in HECPP murine endothelial cells in the absence of up-regulation of mRNA for tumour necrosis factor. Selective apoptosis of endothelial cells was detected in vivo in sections of Colon 38 tumours in mice within 30 min of administration of 5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (25 mg kg −1 ). TUNEL staining intensified with time and after 3 h, necrosis of adjacent tumour tissue was observed. Apoptosis of central vessels in splenic white pulp was also detected in tumour-bearing mice but not in mice without tumours. Apoptosis was not observed in liver tissue. No apoptosis was observed with the inactive analogue 8-methylxanthenone-4-acetic acid. Positive TUNEL staining of tumour vascular endothelium was evident in one patient in a Phase I clinical trial, from a breast tumour biopsy taken 3 and 24 h after infusion of 5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid (3.1 mg m −2 ). Tumour necrosis and the production of tumour tumour necrosis factor were not observed. No apoptotic staining was seen in tumour biopsies taken from two other patients (doses of 3.7 and 4.9 mg m −2 ). We conclude that 5,6-Dimethylxanthenone-4-acetic acid can induce vascular endothelial cell apoptosis in some murine and human tumours. The action is rapid and appears to be independent of tumour necrosis factor induction. British Journal of Cancer (2002) 86 , 1937–1942. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6600368 www.bjcancer.com © 2002 Cancer Research UK

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. Accurate early diagnosis of breast cancer is critical in the management of the disease. Although mammogram screening has been widely used for breast cancer screening, high false-positive and false-negative rates and radiation from mammography have always been a concern. Over the last 20 years, the emergence of “omics” strategies has resulted in significant advances in the search for non-invasive biomarkers for breast cancer diagnosis at an early stage. Circulating carcinoma antigens, circulating tumor cells, circulating cell-free tumor nucleic acids (DNA or RNA), circulating microRNAs, and circulating extracellular vesicles in the peripheral blood, nipple aspirate fluid, sweat, urine, and tears, as well as volatile organic compounds in the breath, have emerged as potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers to supplement current clinical approaches to earlier detection of breast cancer. In this review, we summarize the current progress of research in these areas.