Although there is increasing evidence that alpha fetoprotein (AFP) may function as regulatory factor in the growth of tumor cells, the precise mechanism is still unclear. In the current study, we investigated the role of the cytoplasmic AFP in caspase-3-mediated signaling of apoptosis. Our results showed that low doses of TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) elevated the activity of caspase-8, but not caspase-3. Caspase-3 colocalized and interacted with AFP in the cytoplasm of Bel 7402 cells, and translocated into nuclei in association with the occurrence of apoptosis while cells were under cotreatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or TRAIL. AFP was able to form complexes with caspase-3 and block onward transmission of signaling from caspase-8. Knockdown of AFP increased the sensitivity of Bel 7402 cells to TRAIL, and thereby, triggered caspase-3 signaling. No intermolecule interaction occurred between AFP and caspase-8, nor was caspase-8 activity altered after AFP knockdown, demonstrating the selectivity of AFP in interfering with the apoptotic signaling pathway. The effect of AFP on caspase-3 was further confirmed by transfection of the AFP gene into HLE cells (AFP negative). We conclude that ATRA or TRAIL resistance in AFP producing hepatoma is at least, in part, attributable to the high level of the cytoplasmic AFP. Therefore, it is possible that the combination of AFP gene silencing together with ATRA/TRAIL cotreatment will benefit the enhancement of the chemotherapeutic efficiency of these agents on tumors. ' 2009 UICC

Despite its well-defined role as a serum growth factor during fetal liver development and hepatic oncogenesis, the biological significance of cytoplasmic alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) remains incompletely understood. Here, we provide evidence to illustrate that cytoplasmic AFP may function as a regulator in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The results demonstrated colocalization and interaction of AFP and phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) in the cytoplasm of AFP-producing Bel 7402 and HepG2 cells, with an interaction distance of 12.6 6 2.7 Å as determined with the fluorescence resonance energy transfer technique. Knockdown of AFP mRNA or inhibition of AFP expression by all trans-retinoic acid resulted in enhancement of the PTEN level with a synchronous decrease in phosphorylated AKT. Transfection of the afp gene into HLE cells (originally AFP negative) led to a significant activation of AKT signaling. The inhibition of PI3K signaling by LY 294002 was simultaneously reversed by transfection, accompanied by diminution of all trans-retinoic acid-induced upregulation of PTEN and enhancement of cell growth. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that cytoplasmic AFP is involved in regulation of hepatocellular growth and tumorigenesis.Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide with approximately 600,000 patients dying from this disease annually. 1 Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is frequently found in HCC (positive in more than 70% of tumors) and is considered to be a diagnostic and prognostic tumor marker for HCC. A vast biomedical literature has been amassed concerning the clinical use of AFP in adults with HCC. These studies have largely addressed the clinical monitoring of AFP levels in the sera of adult patients with HCC and other hepatic disorder, despite the fact that the physiological role of AFP is incompletely defined.In the last decade, great progress has been made in the field of AFP investigation. In addition to its application in diagnosis, AFP has been defined as a kind of growth regulator during ontogenic growth and tumor progression. 2 It has been demonstrated that AFP is involved in pleiotropic activities affecting the processes of cell differentiation, growth regulation and tumorigenesis. 3,4 As shown in previous studies, administration of AFP results in proliferation of both tumor and normal cells, which raises the possibility that overexpression of AFP may be of significance in the development of liver tumors. 5 We recently reported that regulation of AFP in development and growth of malignant hepatic tumor cells was achieved through escape of immune surveillance involving the Fas/FasL pathway. 6 We have also reported that the caspase-3 cascade is the main pathway in TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL)-induced apoptosis, which is virtually abolished in the presence of AFP. 7 Despite its well-defined role in regulation of cell growth, less emphasis has been pl...

Objective-To investigate oxidative stress biomarkers in a cross-sectional pilot study of 50 participants with sporadic ALS (sALS) compared to 46 control subjects.Methods-We measured urinary 8-oxodeoxyguanosine (8-oxodG), urinary 15-F 2t -isoprostane (IsoP), and plasma protein carbonyl by ELISA methods. We also determined if ELISA measurement of 8-oxodG could be validated against measures from high pressure liquid chromatography coupled with electrochemical detection, the current standard method.Results-8-oxodG and IsoP levels adjusted for creatinine were significantly elevated in sALS participants. These differences persisted after age and gender were controlled in regression analyses. These markers are highly and positively correlated with each other. 8-oxodG measured by the two techniques from the same urine sample were positively correlated (P < .0001). Protein carbonyl was not different between sALS participants and controls.Conclusion-Using ELISA we confirmed that certain oxidative stress biomarkers were elevated in sALS participants. ELISA may be reliable and thus useful in epidemiology studies requiring

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Background The long-term effects of arsenic exposure from drinking water at levels < 300 μg/L and the risk of diabetes mellitus remains a controversial topic. Method We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study using baseline data from 11,319 participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study in Araihazar, Bangladesh, to evaluate the associations of well water arsenic and total urinary arsenic concentration and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and glucosuria. We also assessed the concentrations of well water arsenic, total urinary arsenic, and urinary arsenic metabolites in relation to blood glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in subsets of the study population. Results More than 90% of the cohort members were exposed to drinking water with arsenic concentration < 300 μg/L. We found no association between arsenic exposure and the prevalence of diabetes. The adjusted odds ratios for diabetes were 1.00 (referent), 1.35 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.90–2.02], 1.24 (0.82–1.87), 0.96 (0.62–1.49), and 1.11 (0.73–1.69) in relation to quintiles of time-weighted water arsenic concentrations of 0.1–8, 8–41, 41–91, 92–176, and ≥ 177 μg/L, respectively, and 1.00 (referent), 1.29 (0.87–1.91), 1.05 (0.69–1.59), 0.94 (0.61–1.44), and 0.93 (0.59–1.45) in relation to quintiles of urinary arsenic concentrations of 1–36, 37–66, 67–114, 115–204, and ≥ 205 μg/L, respectively. We observed no association between arsenic exposure and prevalence of glucosuria and no evidence of an association between well water arsenic, total urinary arsenic, or the composition of urinary arsenic metabolites and HbA1c level. Conclusions Our findings do not support an association of arsenic exposure from drinking water and a significantly increased risk of diabetes mellitus in the range of levels observed. Further prospective studies would be valuable in confirming the findings.

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Background Environmental exposures to indoor allergens are major contributors to asthma symptoms, particularly in inner cities. The effectiveness of household allergen reduction as an adjunct to National Asthma Education Prevention Program (NAEPP) guideline-based pharmacologic therapy in asthma has not been prospectively studied. Objective We studied the effect of individualized allergen reduction on ability to reduce asthma pharmacologic therapy over 40 weeks. Methods We performed a randomized, controlled trial to determine the effect of multi-faceted indoor allergen avoidance measures on ability to reduce asthma controller therapy in adults and children residing in New York City who were both sensitized and exposed to at least one indoor allergen. Asthma treatment and control were optimized in all subjects prior to randomization. Results 125 subjects were randomized to receive individualized household allergen reduction and 122 received a sham intervention. Subjects in the intervention group significantly reduced all measured allergen levels (cat, dog, dust mite in the bedroom, roach and mouse in the kitchen and bedroom); those in the control group reduced only dust mite and mouse in the bedroom and roach in the kitchen. Participants in the intervention arm reduced NAEPP based therapy from step 4.4 at randomization to 3.50 post intervention (range 0–6); participants in the control arm reduced medication from step 4.4 to 3.4 (p = 0.76). There were no differences in other measured asthma outcomes. Conclusion Targeted allergen avoidance measures do not allow for reduction in asthma pharmacologic therapy compared to usual care in patients already receiving optimal controller therapy.

Activation of Kupffer cells (KCs) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). C57BL/6 mice fed EtOH-containing diet showed a mixed induction of hepatic classical (M1) and alternative (M2) macrophage markers. Since telomerase activation occurs at critical stages of myeloid and lymphoid cell activation, we herein investigated the role of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), the determining factor of telomerase, in macrophage activation during ALD. In our study, TERT expression and telomerase activity (TA) were remarkably increased in liver tissue of EtOH-fed mice. Moreover, EtOH significantly up-regulated TERT in isolated KCs and RAW 264.7 cells and LPS induced TERT production in vitro. These data indicate that up-regulation of TERT may play a critical role in macrophages during ALD. Furthermore, loss- and gain-of-function studies suggested that TERT switched macrophages towards M1 phenotype by regulating NF-κB signaling, but had limited effect on M2 macrophages polarization in vitro. Additionally, PDTC, a chemical inhibitor of NF-κB, could dramatically down-regulate TERT expression and the hallmarks of M1 macrophages. Therefore, our study unveils the role of TERT in macrophage polarization and the cross-talk between TERT and p65, which may provide a possible explanation for the ethanol-mediated hepatic proinflammatory response and M1 macrophage polarization.