Our functional evaluation of AIP mutations is consistent with a tumor-suppressor role for AIP and its involvement in familial acromegaly. The abnormal expression and subcellular localization of AIP in sporadic pituitary adenomas indicate deranged regulation of this protein during tumorigenesis.

BACKGROUND: The Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signalling pathway has been shown to have oncogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. To demonstrate the role of TLR4 signalling in colon tumourigenesis, we examined the expression of TLR4 and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) in colorectal cancer (CRC). METHODS: The expression of TLR4 and MyD88 in 108 CRC samples, 15 adenomas, and 15 normal mucosae was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, and the correlations between their immunoscores and clinicopathological variables, including disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS), were analysed. RESULTS: Compared with normal mucosae and adenomas, 20% cancers displayed high expression of TLR4, and 23% cancers showed high expression of MyD88. The high expression of TLR4 and MyD88 was significantly correlated with liver metastasis (P ¼ 0.0001, P ¼ 0.0054). In univariate analysis, the high expression of TLR4 was significantly associated with shorter OS (hazard ratio (HR): 2.17; 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.15 -4.07; P ¼ 0.015). The high expression of MyD88 expression was significantly associated with poor DFS and OS (HR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.31 -4.13; P ¼ 0.0038 and HR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.67 -5.48; P ¼ 0.0002). The high combined expression of TLR4 and MyD88 was also significantly associated with poor DFS and OS (HR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.27 -3.99; P ¼ 0.0053 and HR: 2.97; 95% CI: 1.64 -5.38; P ¼ 0.0003). Multivariate analysis showed that high expressions of TLR4 (OS: adjusted HR: 1.88; 95% CI: 0.99 -3.55; P ¼ 0.0298) and MyD88 (DFS: adjusted HR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.01 -3.67; P ¼ 0.0441; OS: adjusted HR: 2.25; 95% CI: 1.17 -4.33; P ¼ 0.0112) were independent prognostic factors of OS. Furthermore, high co-expression of TLR4/MyD88 was strongly associated with both poor DFS and OS. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that high expression of TLR4 and MyD88 is associated with liver metastasis and is an independent predictor of poor prognosis in patients with CRC.

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In primary monolayer cultures of rat mature hepatocytes, many metabolic functions as well as cell growth are regulated by cell density. There are two types of regulatory response of these functions to change of cell density. Growth-related functions, such as DNA synthesis, induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 2-aminoisebutyric acid transport, synthesis of cellular protein, and cholesterogenesis, are stimulated by low cell density. In contrast, functions related to hepatocyte-specific characters, such as the inductions of tyrosine aminotransferase, serine dehydratase, and malic enzyme and synthesis of triglycerides, are stimulated by high cell density. The reciprocal responses of these cellular activities to cell density were mimicked by addition of plasma membranes purified from adult rat liver to hepatocytes cultured at low cell density. The modulator activity was heat labile and trypsin sensitive. The activity was also found in plasma membranes from kidney, brain, and erythrocytes, although the specific activities of these preparations seemed to be different. These results suggest that the reciprocal regulations of cell growth and hepatocyte-specific functions are mediated by some surface components via cell-cell contact.Adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture retain in vivo levels of various liver functions and respond to various hormones (1)(2)(3)(4) Cell Isolation and Monolayer Culture. Parenchymal hepatocytes were isolated from male Wistar rats weighing 150-200 g by in-situ perfusion on the liver with collagenase, essentially as described by Seglen (11). The isolated cells were suspended at 5 X 10' cells per ml in Williams medium E containing 2% calf serum and 2 nM insulin. The cell density at inoculation was varied from 5 X 105 to 2.5 x 106 cells per 5-cm (diameter)Corning plastic culture dish. Over 80% of the cells became attached in 1 hr at 37C under 5% C02/30% 02 in air. After culture for 2 hr. the medium -was changed to hormone-free Williams medium E containing 5% calf serum. In experiments on the effect of addition of plasma membranes, rat hepatocytes were inoculated at a low density (7 x 105 cells per 5-cm dish). After 2 hr. the medium was changed to hormone-free medium containing 5% calf serum and then various amounts of plasma membranes were added to the cultures. Hormones were added to the medium after 22 hr of culture. Incubation was continued for 24 or 45 hr further and then various activities were assayed.Assay of DNA Synthesis. DNA synthesis was assayed by measuring incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA with or without hydroxyurea in 2 hr. Radioactivity in the hot trichloroacetic acid-soluble fraction was measured as described (6). Assays of Enzyme Activities. The cells were harvested with a rubber policeman in 0.2-1.0 ml of 20 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.5) containing 0.1 mM dithiothreitol and 5 mM EDTA for the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (Glc-6-P-DHase) assay, in 0.1-0.5 ml of 5 mM Tris-HCl buffer (pH

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To elucidate the molecular basis for endocrine tumorigenesis, ras mutations in human endocrine tumors were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction‐single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR‐SSCP) analysis. Mutations of the H‐, K‐, N‐ras genes were examined in genomic DNAs from 169 successfully amplified primary endocrine tumors out of 189 samples. Four out of 24 thyroid follicular adenomas analyzed contained mutated N‐ras codon 61, and one contained the mutated H‐ras codon 61. One of the 19 pheochromocytomas revealed mutation of the H‐ras codon 13. No mutations of the ras gene were detected in pituitary adenomas, parathyroid tumors, thyroid cancers, endocrine pancreatic tumors, and adrenocortical tumors. Based on these findings we conclude that activation of the ras gene may play a role in the tumorigenesis of a limited number of thyroid follicular adenomas and pheochromocytomas, and that mutation of the ras gene is not frequent in other human endocrine tumors.

The cribriform-morular variant (C-MV), an unusual and peculiar subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), has been observed frequently in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)-associated thyroid carcinoma and also in sporadic thyroid carcinoma. In this paper, five young women with the C-MV of PTC, aged 22-34 years at cancer diagnosis, are reported; two of them had attenuated FAP. Grossly, one FAP-associated tumour and one sporadic tumour were multicentric and the others were solitary. Histologically, the tumours were encapsulated and exhibited a combination of cribriform, follicular, trabecular, solid, and papillary patterns of growth, with morular areas. Immunohistochemically, the tumour cells showed cytoplasmic expression of thyroglobulin, neuron-specific enolase, epithelial membrane antigen, high- and low-molecular-weight cytokeratins, vimentin, and bcl-2 protein; nuclear expression of oestrogen and progesterone receptors, and retinoblastoma protein; and cytoplasmic and nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin. Germline mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene were investigated using the protein truncation test in four subjects, including two FAP individuals. Germline APC mutation was identified in only one FAP patient with the multicentric C-MV of PTC, who had a thymidine deletion at codon 512, resulting in a frameshift leading to a premature stop codon. No loss of heterozygosity of loci close to the APC gene was detected in tumour tissues from these four patients. Somatic mutation analysis of exon 3 of the beta-catenin gene (CTNNB1) revealed alterations in seven tumours from all five individuals: one at a serine residue (codon 29), three at amino acids adjacent to serine or threonine residues (codons 22, 39, and 44), and three at other amino acids (codons 49, 54, and 56). Moreover, each of two different tumours examined from two patients with the multicentric C-MV of PTC, had different somatic mutations of the CTNNB1 gene. Taken together, these data suggest that accumulation of mutant beta-catenin contributes to the development of the C-MV of PTC.

High-mobility group A2 is highly expressed during embryogenesis and in various benign and malignant tumors. Recent studies report that high-mobility group A2 is negatively regulated by the let-7 microRNAs (miRNAs) family in vitro. The development of pituitary adenomas in high-mobility group A2 transgenic mice showed that high-mobility group A2 may be involved in pituitary tumorigenesis. However, no studies have investigated the clinical significance of high-mobility group A2 and its relationship to the let-7 miRNA family in human pituitary adenomas. Using immunohistochemistry, we analyzed high-mobility group A2 expression with respect to various clinicopathologic factors in 98 pituitary adenomas. Overexpression of high-mobility group A2 was observed in 39% (38/98) of pituitary adenomas compared with normal adenohypophysial tissue and was frequently found in adenomas including prolactin (PRL), adrenocorticotrophic hormone, or follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone and in null cell adenomas, but relatively rare in growth hormone (GH) and mixed GH/PRL adenomas. High-mobility group A2 expression was significantly associated with tumor invasion (Po0.05) and was significantly higher in grade IV than in grades I, II, and III adenomas (Po0.05). High levels of high-mobility group A2 expression were more frequently observed in macroadenomas than in microadenomas (Po0.05). High levels of high-mobility group A2 expression also significantly correlated with the proliferation marker Ki-67 (Po0.0001). Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis was carried out to evaluate the expression of let-7 in 55 pituitary adenomas. Subsequently, decreased expression of let-7 was confirmed in 23 of 55 (42%) adenomas and was correlated with high-grade tumors (Po0.05). An inverse correlation between let-7 and highmobility group A2 expression was evident (R ¼ À0.33, Po0.05). These findings support a causal link between let-7 and high-mobility group A2 whereby loss of let-7 expression induces high-mobility group A2 upregulation that represents an important mechanism in pituitary tumorigenesis and progression.