Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Recent progress in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of this disease has resulted in novel therapeutic strategies targeting specific groups of patients. Further studies are required to provide additional advances in diagnosis and treatment. Animal models are valuable tools for studying oncogenesis in lung cancer, particularly during the early stages of disease where tissues are rarely available from human cases. Mice have traditionally been used for studying lung cancer in vivo, and a variety of spontaneous and transgenic models are available. However, it is recognized that other species may also be informative for studies of cancer. Ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (OPA) is a naturally occurring lung cancer of sheep caused by retrovirus infection and has several features in common with adenocarcinoma of humans, including a similar histological appearance and activation of common cell signaling pathways. Additionally, the size and organization of human lungs are much closer to those of sheep lungs than to those of mice, which facilitates experimental approaches in sheep that are not available in mice. Thus OPA presents opportunities for studying lung tumor development that can complement conventional murine models. Here we describe the potential applications of OPA as a model for human lung adenocarcinoma with an emphasis on the various in vivo and in vitro experimental systems available.

Epidermal barrier acquisition during late murine gestation is accompanied by an increase in Akt kinase activity and cJun dephosphorlyation. The latter is directed by the Ppp2r2a regulatory subunit of the Pp2a phosphatase. This was accompanied by a change of Claudin-1 localisation to the cell surface and interaction between Occludin and Claudin-1 which are thought to be required for tight junction formation.The aim of this study was to determine the nature of the barrier defect caused by the loss of AKT/Ppp2r2a function. There was a paracellular barrier defect in rat epidermal keratinocytes expressing a Ppp2r2a siRNA. In Ppp2r2a knockdown cells, Claudin-1 was located to the cytoplasm and its expression was increased. Inhibiting cJun phosphorylation restored barrier function and plasma membrane localisation of Claudin-1. Expression of the Rab3 GTPase activating protein, Rab3Gap1, was restored in Ppp2r2a siRNA cells when cJun phosphorylation was inhibited. During normal mouse epidermal development, Claudin-1 plasma membrane localisation and Rab3Gap1 cell surface expression were co-incident with Akt activation in mouse epidermis, strongly suggesting a role of Rab3Gap1 in epidermal barrier acquisition. Supporting this hypothesis, siRNA knockdown of Rab3Gap1 prevented plasma membrane Claudin-1 expression and the formation of a barrier competent epithelium. Replacing Rab3Gap1 in Ppp2r2a knockdown cells was sufficient to rescue Claudin-1 transport to the cell surface. Therefore these data suggest Rab3Gap1 mediated exocytosis of Claudin-1 is an important component of epidermal barrier acquisition during epidermal development.

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Cancer stem cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) to drive metastatic dissemination in experimental cancer models. However, tumour cells undergoing EMT have not been observed disseminating into the tissue surrounding human tumour specimens, leaving the relevance to human cancer uncertain. Here, we identify an EMT stem cell state that retains EpCAM and CD24 after undergoing EMT and exhibits enhanced plasticity. This afforded the opportunity to investigate whether retention of EpCAM and CD24 alongside upregulation of the EMT marker Vimentin can identify disseminating EMT stem cells in human oral cancer specimens. Examining disseminating tumour cells in the stromal region of 3500 imaging fields from 24 human oral cancer specimens, evenly 2 divided into metastatic and non-metastatic specimens, we see a significant enrichment of EpCAM, CD24 and Vimentin co-stained cells in metastatic specimens. Through training an artificial neural network on the EpCAM, CD24 and Vimentin co-staining, we predict metastasis with high accuracy (F1 0.91; AUC 0.87). We have observed, for the first time, disseminating EMT stem cells in patient histological specimens and demonstrated their utility for predicting metastatic disease.

Knockdown of filaggrin impairs diffusion barrier function and increases UV sensitivity in a human skin model. J Invest Dermatol 130:2286-94 Reiss Y, Proudfoot AE, Power CA et al. (2001) CC chemokine receptor (CCR)4 and the CCR10 ligand cutaneous T cell-attracting chemokine (CTACK) in lymphocyte trafficking to inflamed skin. J Exp Med 194:1541-7 Schaerli P, Ebert L, Willimann K et al. (2004) A skin-selective homing mechanism for human immune surveillance T cells.

We have identified a ligand-independent mechanism whereby the tumor suppressor, TP53, induces nerve growth factor receptor, NTRK1, phosphorylation at Y674/Y675 (NTRK1-pY674/pY675), via the repression of the NTRK1-phosphatase, PTPN6. This results in suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation. In this investigation, we aimed to establish whether perturbation of the wild-type TP53-NTRK1-pY674/pY675-PTPN6 pathway has an impact on disease-free survival of breast cancer patients without neo-adjuvant treatment. A total of 308 tumor samples were stained for NTRK1, NTRK1-pY674/pY675, PTPN6, and TP53 expression. Association between expression levels and disease-free survival was determined by the univariate/multivariate and Kaplan-Meir methods of analysis. DNA from tumors was sequenced to identify mutant or wild-type TP53. Tumors expressing NTRK1-pY674/pY675 but with undetectable or low levels of PTPN6 and TP53 were associated with prolonged 5, 10, and 15 years' disease-free survival by 48%, 36%, and 37%, respectively, in the multivariate analysis (Po0.05). A similar result was observed in tumors expressing wild-type TP53, NTRK1-pY674/pY675, and low or undetectable levels of PTPN6. Given that estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers encode wild-type TP53, we analyzed this expression pattern in these tumors. Multivariate analysis showed that it was significantly and independently predictive of prolonged survival by 66%, 70%, and 84%, respectively, (Po0.05). The Kaplan-Meir method demonstrated that NTRK1-pY674/pY675 together with undetectable or low levels of PTPN6 correlated with 59% probability of disease-free survival (median survival 15 years), compared with 7% probability of disease-free survival (median survival 4.5 years) when absent. In luminal A tumors, the presence of this pattern was estimated to have a 61% probability of disease-free survival (median survival 15 years), compared with 6% probability of disease-free survival (median survival 3 years) when it was absent. These results strongly suggest that expression of NTRK1-pY674/pY675 together with wild-type TP53 and low levels of PTPN6 expression are predictors of improved disease-free survival and that they could be useful biomarkers to predict clinical outcome. Breast cancer is a leading cause of early mortality among women. 1 The incidence varies worldwide, with developed countries having higher rates than developing countries. 1,2 Although the rate of breast cancer has continued to increase, 3 mortality rates have decreased, partly due to the enhanced use of diagnostic and screening techniques. 4,5

Epidermal barrier acquisition during late mammalian development is a prerequisite for terrestrial existence. Over a 24-h period, the epidermis goes from being a barrier-deficient, dye permeable epithelium to a barrier-competent epithelium. We have previously shown that Akt signalling is necessary for barrier acquisition in the mouse and that the protein phosphatase 2A regulatory subunit Ppp2r2a causes barrier acquisition by dephosphorylation of cJun. Here, we demonstrate that there is transient interaction between the gap junction protein Connexin 43 (Cx43) and Zonula occludins-1 (Zo-1) during epidermal barrier acquisition. Ppp2r2a knockdown prevented plasma membrane co-localisation and interaction between the two proteins. Ppp2r2a knockdown also increased phosphorylation at Serine 368 of Connexin 43. Cx43 phosphorlyation at Serine368 occurred just prior to the interaction between Connexin 43 and Zo-1. We therefore propose a model in which Ppp2r2a is required both for the initial interaction between Zo-1 and Cx43 and the consequent dephosphorylation of Connexin 43, preventing interaction of Zo-1 and allowing Zo-1 to initiate tight junction formation and barrier acquisition.

Background Ichthyosis defines a group of chronic conditions that manifest phenotypically as a thick layer of scales and often affects the entire skin. While the gene mutations that lead to ichthyosis are well documented, the actual signalling mechanisms that lead to scaling are poorly characterised, however recent publications suggest that there are common mechanisms active in ichthyotic tissue, and in analogous models of ichthyosis. Objective To determine common mechanisms of hyperkeratosis that may be easily targeted with small molecule inhibitors. Methods We combined gene expression analysis of gene-specific shRNA knockdowns in rat epidermal keratinocytes of two genes mutated in autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), Transglutaminase 1 (TGM1) and arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase, 12R type (ALOX12B), and proteomic analysis of skin scale from ARCI patients.as well as RNAseq data from rat epidermal keratinocytes treated with the Toll-like receptor-2 agonist PAM3CSK Results we identified a common activation of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 pathway. Exogenous TLR2 activation led to increased expression of important cornified envelope genes and in organotypic culture caused hyperkeratosis. Conversely, blockade of TLR2 signalling in ichthyosis patient keratinocytes and our shRNA models reduced the expression of keratin 1, a structural protein over-expressed in ichthyosis scale. A time-course of Tlr2 activation in rat epidermal keratinocytes revealed that although there was rapid initial activation of innate immune pathways, this was rapidly superseded by widespread up-regulation of epidermal differentiation related proteins. Both NFκβ phosphorylation and Gata3 up-regulation was associated with this switch and Gata3 overexpression was sufficient to increase Keratin 1 expression. Conclusion Taken together, these data define a dual role for Toll-like receptor 2 activation during epidermal barrier repair, that may be a useful therapeutic modality in treating diseases of epidermal barrier dysfunction.