Fluoranthene-Induced Cytotoxicity and Direct Effect of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Antagonist on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation

No abstract available.

Spectrum of mitochondrial genome instability and implication of mitochondrial haplogroups in Korean patients with acute myeloid leukemia

BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations may regulate the progression and chemosensitivity of leukemia. Few studies regarding mitochondrial aberrations and haplogroups in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and their clinical impacts have been reported. Therefore, we focused on the mtDNA length heteroplasmies minisatellite instability (MSI), copy number alterations, and distribution of mitochondrial haplogroups in Korean patients with AML. METHODS: This study investigated 74 adult patients with AML and 70 controls to evaluate mtDNA sequence alterations, MSI, mtDNA copy number, haplogroups, and their clinical implications. The hypervariable (HV) control regions (HV1 and HV2), tRNA(leu1)gene, and cytochrome b gene of mtDNA were analyzed. Two mtDNA minisatellite markers, 16189 poly-C (¹⁶¹⁸⁴CCCCCTCCCC¹⁶¹⁹³, 5CT4C) and 303 poly-C (³⁰³CCCCCCCTCCCCC³¹⁵, 7CT5C), were used to examine the mtDNA MSI. RESULTS: In AML, most mtDNA sequence variants were single nucleotide substitutions, but there were no significant differences compared to those in controls. The number of mtMSI patterns increased in AML. The mean mtDNA copy number of AML patients increased approximately 9-fold compared to that of controls (P < 0.0001). Haplogroup D4 was found in AML with a higher frequency compared to that in controls (31.0% vs. 15.7%, P=0.046). None of the aforementioned factors showed significant impacts on the outcomes. CONCLUSION: AML cells disclosed more heterogeneous patterns with the mtMSI markers and had increased mtDNA copy numbers. These findings implicate mitochondrial genome instability in primary AML cells. Therefore, mtDNA haplogroup D4 might be associated with AML risk among Koreans.

Inter-alpha Inhibitor H4 as a Potential Biomarker Predicting the Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Early prediction of treatment outcomes represents an essential step towards increased treatment efficacy and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we performed two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by protein profiling to identify biomarkers predictive of therapeutic outcomes in patients with HCC who received liver-directed therapy (LDTx) involving local radiotherapy (RT), and studied the underlying mechanisms of the identified proteins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 2-DE analysis was conducted by pooling sera from patients with a good or poor prognosis; serum proteomic profiles of the two groups were compared and analyzed using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Identified proteins were confirmed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. An invasion assay was performed after overexpression and knockdown of target protein in Huh7 cells. RESULTS: Levels of inter-alpha inhibitor H4 (ITIH4), fibrinogen gamma chain, keratin 9/1 complex, carbonic anhydrase I, and carbonmonoxyhemoglobin S were changed by more than 4-fold in response to LDTx. In particular, pre-LDTx ITIH4 expression was more than 5-fold higher in patients with a good prognosis, compared to patients with a poor prognosis. The migration ability of Huh7 cells was significantly suppressed and enhanced by ITIH4 overexpression and knockdown, respectively. The tumors of patients with HCC and a good prognosis expressed high levels of ITIH4, compared to those of patients with a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Taken together, ITIH4 may be a potential therapeutic target that could inhibit cancer metastasis, as well as a prognostic marker for patients with HCC who are receiving LDTx.