Background: Over 200 million people worldwide are affected by thyroid proliferative diseases, including cancer, adenoma, and goiter, annually. The incidences of thyroid malignancies are three to four times higher in women, suggesting the possible involvement of estrogen. Based on this observed sex bias, we hypothesize that estrogen modulates the growth and metastatic propensity of thyroid cancer cells. Methods: In this study, two thyroid cell lines (Nthy-ori 3-1 and BCPAP) were evaluated for the presence of estrogen receptor (ER) by Western blot analysis and estrogen responsiveness by using a cell proliferation assay. In addition, the effect of estradiol (E 2 ) on modulation of metastatic phenotype was determined by using in vitro adhesion, migration, and invasion assays. Results: Thyroid cells expressed a functionally active ER-a and ER-b as evidenced by 50-150% enhancement of proliferation in the presence of E 2 . E 2 also enhanced adhesion, migration, and invasion of thyroid cells in an in vitro experimental model system that, based on our results, is modulated by b-catenin. Conclusion: Our data provide evidence that the higher incidence of thyroid cancer in women is potentially attributed to the presence of a functional ER that participates in cellular processes contributing to enhanced mitogenic, migratory, and invasive properties of thyroid cells. These findings will enable and foster the possible development of antiestrogenic therapy targeting invasion and migration, thus affecting metastatic propensity.

The Ca2+-sensitive K+ channel (maxi-K+) is an important modulator of corporal smooth muscle tone. The goal of these studies was twofold: 1) to determine the feasibility of transfecting corporal smooth muscle cells in vivo with the hSlo cDNA, which encodes for the human smooth muscle maxi-K+channel, and 2) to determine whether transfection of the maxi-K+channel would affect the physiological response to cavernous nerve stimulation in a rat model in vivo. Intracorporal microinjection of pCMVβ/Lac Z DNA in 10-wk-old rats resulted in significant incorporation and expression of β-galactosidase activity in 10 of 12 injected animals for up to 75 days postinjection. Moreover, electrical stimulation of the cavernous nerve revealed that, relative to the responses obtained in age-matched control animals ( N = 12), intracavernous injection of naked pcDNA/ hSlo DNA was associated with a statistically significant elevation in the mean amplitude of the intracavernous pressure response at all levels of current stimulation (range 0.5–10 mA) at both 1 mo ( N= 5) and 2 mo ( N = 8) postinjection. Furthermore, qualitatively similar observations were made at 3 mo ( N = 2) and 4 mo ( N = 2) postinjection. These data indicate that naked hSlo DNA is quite easily incorporated into corporal smooth muscle and, furthermore, that expression is sustained for at least 2 mo in corporal smooth muscle cells in vivo. Finally, after expression, hSlo is capable of measurably altering nerve-stimulated penile erection. Taken together, these data provide compelling evidence for the potential utility of gene therapy in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

The class-I mutants have provided a model system for understanding the generation of diversity of the genes encoding the histocompatibility molecules K, D, and L, and the relationship of their structure to function. The complex nature of the alterations found in Kb molecules from mutant mice has been documented at the nucleic acid level for eight mutants. The clustered changes in the mutant genes are consistent with the hypothesis that genetic recombination between class-I genes generates the Kb mutants. Techniques using synthetic oligonucleotide probes to mutant DNA sequence demonstrated that other class-I genes were available as donors for interaction with the Kb gene to produce the mutations. Intriguingly, donor genes found in the K region (K1) and the D region (Db), as well as the Qa regions (Q4, Q10), were capable of the interactions. The amount of genetic transfer to Kb from other class-I donor genes may range from a potential minimum of 5 nucleotides to a potential maximum of 95 nucleotides. Genealogical analysis of several bm mutants has further indicated that at least some, if not all, of the gene interaction events generating Kb mutations occurred during mitotic amplification of the germ cells. Genetic recombination among class-I genes occurring in nature to the extent observed for the Kbm mutants could readily generate mosaic transplantation genes containing sequences derived from other class-I genes. Thus, it seems likely that genetic interaction plays a major role in the diversification and ongoing evolution of the MHC. The localization of altered amino acids in the in vivo mutant Kb molecules has directed our attention to recognition regions on the Kb product that play a major role in determining alloreactivity and H-2 associative recognition. The replacement of one or a few amino acids in either of the postulated recognition regions located in the alpha 1 domain (residues 70-90) or alpha 2 domain (residues 150-180) can have marked effects on biological function. While the majority of monoclonal antibodies recognize epitopes in one or the other recognition region, CTL recognize determinants dependent on the apparent interaction of amino acids located in both regions. These overall conclusions are supported to a large extent by studies on mutants derived from several sources, i.e. spontaneous mutants, mutagen-induced somatic variants, and products of hybrid H-2 genes. Studies of in vitro variants can provide a more refined approach for analysis of structure-function relationships through the introduction of minimal biochemical changes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Kbm9 sequence is identical to that of another independently arising MHC mutant gene, Kb". As both the Kbm9 and Kb" genes were generated by recombination between the Kb and Q4 genes, our data indicate that the identical genetic interactions have occurred at least twice. The relatively large extent of identity between Q4 and Kb may be responsible for frequent recombination between the two genes. The parents of the original bm9 mutant mice had five identical mutant offspring, which can be explained by mitotic recombination in the germ cells, producing gonadal mosaicism in the C57BL/6 mother.Thus, mitotic recombination, and not meiotic recombination, appears to be responsible for the formation of at least some of the Kb mutants. Such a mechanism probably plays a major role in the generation of diversity in the major histocompatibility complex.

Our data suggest that the effect of PPI on the RSI based on proportion reaching a 6-point reduction in RSI is not significantly better than that of alkaline water, a plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet, and standard reflux precautions, although the difference in the 2 treatments could be clinically meaningful in favor of the dietary approach. The percent reduction in RSI was significantly greater with the dietary approach. Because the relationship between percent change and response to treatment has not been studied, the clinical significance of this difference requires further study. Nevertheless, this study suggests that a plant-based diet and alkaline water should be considered in the treatment of LPR. This approach may effectively improve symptoms and could avoid the costs and adverse effects of pharmacological intervention as well as afford the additional health benefits associated with a healthy, plant-based diet.

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We hypothesize that distinct cell phenotypes are governed by different sets of gene master regulators (GMRs) whose strongly protected (by the homeostatic mechanisms) abundance modulates most cell processes by coordinating the expression of numerous genes from the corresponding functional pathways. Gene Commanding Height (GCH), a composite measure of gene expression control and coordination, is introduced to establish the gene hierarchy in each phenotype. If the hypothesis is true, than one can selectively destroy cancer nodules from a heterogeneous tissue by altering the expression of genes whose GCHs are high in cancer but low in normal cell phenotype. Here, we test the hypothesis and show its utility for the thyroid cancer (TC) gene therapy. First, we prove that malignant and cancer free surrounding areas of a surgically removed papillary TC (PTC) tumor are governed by different GMRs. Second, we show that stable transfection of a gene induces larger transcriptomic alterations in the cells where it has higher GCH than in other cells. For this, we profiled the transcriptomes of the papillary BCPAP and anaplastic 8505C TC cell lines before and after stable transfection with NEMP1, DDX19B, PANK2 or UBALD1. The four genes were selected to have similar expression levels but significantly different GCH scores in the two cell lines before transfection. Indeed, each of the four genes triggered larger alterations in the cells where they had larger GCH. Our results prove the feasibility of a personalized gene therapy approach that selectively targets the cancer cells from a tissue.

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