Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment is challenging because the mechanisms underlying tumor progression are still largely unknown. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-1 is considered a crucial molecule in HCC tumorigenesis because increased levels of patients' serum and urine are associated with disease progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the inhibition of TGF- signaling and its impact on HCC progression. Human HCC cell lines were treated with a TGF- receptor kinase inhibitor (LY2109761) whose selectivity was determined in a kinase assay. Exogenous TGF-1 phosphorylates the TGF- receptor, consequently activating Smad-2, whereas the drug selectively blocks this effect and dephosphorylates autocrine p-Smad-2 at concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.1 M. A cytotoxic effect documented by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), trypan blue, and propidium iodide staining assays was observed at 10 M, whereas the drug inhibits (P < 0.001) the migration of HCC cells on fibronectin, laminin-5, and vitronectin and invasion through Matrigel (P < 0.001) at concentrations up to 0.1 M. LY2109761 up-regulates (P < 0.001) E-cadherin mRNA and protein levels. This increase was localized at the cellular membrane where E-cadherin mediates anchorage that is cell-cell dependent. Consistently, a functional monoclonal antibody that inhibits E-cadherin-dependent cell-cell contact restores the migratory and invasive activity. Finally, nonmetastatic HCC tissues from 7 patients were cultured with TGF-1 in the presence or absence of LY2109761. E-cadherin expression was reduced by TGF-1 and was significantly (P < 0.0001) increased by LY2109761 treatment, measured by quantitative real-time PCR on microdissected tissues and by immunohistochemistry on serial sections. In 72 patients, E-cadherin tissue expression was more weakly expressed in metastatic than in nonmetastatic HCC (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: LY2109761 blocks migration and invasion of HCC cells by upregulating E-cadherin, suggesting that there could be a mechanistic use for this molecule in clinical trials. (HEPATOLOGY 2008;47:1557-1566 H epatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly malignant cancer that is the third most frequent cause of tumor-related death in the United States and Europe. 1 Current therapeutic options are invasive and aim to physically remove or destroy the tumor mass. However, later recurrence and/or metastatic spread are common and negatively affect survival. The overall prognosis is still unsatisfactory, and little progress has been made in finding new treatment options. However, a recent study with sorafenib suggests that targeting the vasculature may provide additional insights into how to develop future treatment options for patients with HCC. 2 Based on the recent clinical observations with sorafenib, the focus for developing new treatments in HCC has shifted from targeting the cancer to targeting the tissue microenvironment and its role in modulating the biological behavior of HCC. 3 Transforming grow...
Background: This study aimed to investigate squamous cellular carcinoma antigen (SCCA) in serum and in tumoral and paired peritumoral tissues. We studied 27 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 55 with HCC: 20 with a single nodule < 3 cm (s-HCC) and 35 with a single nodule > 3 cm or multifocal (l-HCC).
Our data suggest different patterns of infections between females and male and the importance of an increased vigilance of sexually transmitted pathogens to reduce the burden on general population and the sequelae or the complications on reproductive organs.
BackgroundLichen planopilaris (LPP) is an inflammatory disease characterized by a lymphomononuclear infiltrate surrounding the isthmus and infundibulum of the hair follicle of the scalp, that evolves into atrophic/scarring alopecia. In the active phase of the disease hairs are easily plucked with anagen-like hair-roots. In this study we focused on the expression of integrins and basement membrane components of the hair follicle in active LPP lesions.MethodsScalp biopsies were taken in 10 patients with LPP and in 5 normal controls. Using monoclonal antibodies against α3β1 and α6β4 integrins we showed the expression of these integrins and of the basement membrane components of the hair follicle in active LPP lesions and in healthy scalp skin.ResultsIn the LPP involved areas, α3β1 was distributed in a pericellular pattern, the α6 subunit was present with a basolateral distribution while the β4 subunit showed discontinuous expression at the basal pole and occasionally, basolateral staining of the hair follicle. Conclusion: An altered distribution of the integrins in active LPP lesions can explain the phenomenon of easy pulling-out of the hair with a "gelatinous" root-sheath.
Endometriosis is an estrogen-correlated benign disease characterized by a marked ability of endometrial-like cells to invade and proliferate outside uterine cavity, resembling for some invasive aspect the cancer growth. The molecular mechanisms regulating endometrial cell invasiveness are mostly unknown, although interactions between extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and their transmembrane receptors, integrins, are likely to play a central role. In particular, laminin (Ln)-5 could be closely involved, as it is in cancer. We have investigated the expression of Ln-1, Ln-5, and collagen IV (Coll IV) ECM proteins and their receptors, alpha3beta1 and alpha6beta4 integrins, in atrophic, proliferative, and secretive endometrium and in endometriosis. The results show that Ln-5, but not Ln-I and Coll IV, is altered in secretive endometrium as well as in endometriosis tissues. No alterations are observed in atrophic or proliferative endometrium. Consistently, the polarization of both integrin subunits alpha3 and beta1, but not alpha6 and beta4, is altered in secretive endometrium and endometriosis tissues, but not in atrophic and proliferative endometrium. These results seem to suggest that Ln-5 and alpha3beta1 could be involved in the invasive mechanism of endometriosis. The altered expression of Ln-5, by upregulating matrix metalloproteases activity, suggest an invading process similar to that of many cancer processes.
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