Expression and Clinical Significance of CAS in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the expression of cellular apoptosis susceptibility protein （CAS） in acute myeloid leukemia （AML） and its correlation with clinical characteristics.@*METHODS@#The expression of CAS in bone marrow tissue of 54 patients with AML and 24 patients with non-hematological malignant diseases was detected by Western blot and immune-histochemical method, and compared between AML group and control group. Also the relationship of CAS expression in AML and sex, age, WBC count, Hb, platelet count, bone marrow blast cell ratio, ki-67 index, cytogenetic and molecular biological prognostic risk stratification, extramedullary infiltration and other clinical characteristics was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Western blot showed that the expression of CAS protein in bone marrow biopsies of AML patients was significantly higher than that in control group (P<0.05). Immune-histochemical method revealed that CAS was mainly located in the cytoplasm in both AML group and control group. Among 54 AML patients, 14 patients (25.9%) showed high expression of CAS, while all the 24 patients in the control group showed low expression of CAS. The high expression rate of CAS in AML patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in prognostic risk stratification and the remission rate of the first chemotherapy between CAS high expression group and CAS low expression group in AML (P<0.05). The proportion of high risk patients and unremission patients after the first chemotherapy in CAS high expression group were significantly higher than those in CAS low expression group (57.1% vs 27.5%, 30.8% vs 7.9%), while the proportion of low risk patients and complete remission patients after the first chemotherapy were significantly lower than those in CAS low expression group (14.3% vs 37.5%, 53.8% vs 84.2%). In AML patients, the ki-67 index of bone marrow tissue in CAS high expression group was higher than that in CAS low expression group (60% vs 50%) (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#CAS is localized in cytoplasm in both AML and non-hematological malignant diseases, and its expression increases in AML. CAS is related to the risk stratification of cytogenetics and molecular biology, the remission rate after the first chemotherapy and ki-67 index in AML, which suggests that CAS may be involved in the occurrence and development of AML.

Expression of CAS in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and its relationship with HBV infection / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore whether the cellular apoptosis susceptibility (CAS) protein could serve as a pathologic marker for HCC diagnosis and the roles of CAS expression in HBV infection associated HCC.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The expression of CAS protein in HCC and its paracarcinoma tissues, non-tumor liver cirrhosis and hepatitis tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Meanwhile, HBsAg, HBcAg and HBV DNA in HCC tissues with HBV infection were examined by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of CAS protein was significantly higher in HCC than in its paracarcinomas tissues (P < 0.01), and higher in paracarcinomas tissues than in non-tumor liver cirrhosis and hepatitis tissues (P < 0.01). Poorly differentiated tumors immunochemically stained stronger than moderately or well differentiated (P < 0.01). CAS protein expression was significantly higher in HBV-infected HCC tissues than that of in non-HBV infection (P < 0.01). Meanwhile, in HBV-infected HCC tissues, the staining intensity score of CAS protein in HBV DNA positive HCC tissues was significantly higher than HBV DNA negative tissues (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Higher expression of CAS protein is found in HCC tissues,and the intensity of CAS protein expression is related closely to tumor differentiation. We suggested that CAS protein might serve as a marker for HCC diagnosis and differentiation estimation, and deduced that CAS might play an important role in the initiation of HBV infection associated HCC through upregulating expression of CAS.</p>

role of the A2A receptor in cell apoptosis caused by MDMA

Ecstasy, also known as 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [MDMA], is a psychoactive recreational hallucinogenic substance and a major worldwide recreational drug. There are neurotoxic effects observed in laboratory animals and humans following MDMA use. MDMA causes apoptosis in neurons of the central nervous system [CNS]. Withdrawal signs are attenuated by treatment with the adenosine receptor [A2A receptor]. This study reports the effects of glutamyl cysteine synthetase [GCS], as an A2A receptor agonist, and succinylcholine [SCH], as an A2A receptor antagonist, on Sprague Dawley rats, both in the presence and absence of MDMA. In this experimental study, we used seven groups of Sprague Dawley rats [200-250 g each]. Each group was treated with daily intraperitoneal [IP] injections for a period of one week, as follows: i. MDMA [10 mg/kg]; ii. GCS [0.3 mg/kg]; iii. SCH [0.3 mg/kg]; iv. GCS + SCH [0.3 mg/kg each]; v. MDMA [10 mg/kg] + GCS [0.3 mg/kg]; vi. MDMA [10 mg/kg] + SCH [0.3 mg/kg]; and vi. normal saline [1 cc/kg] as the sham group. Bax [apoptotic protein] and Bcl-2 [anti-apoptotic protein] expressions were evaluated by striatum using RT-PCR and Western blot analysis. There was a significant increase in Bax protein expression in the MDMA+SCH group and a significant decrease in Bcl-2 protein expression in the MDMA+SCH group [p<0.05]. A2A receptors have a role in the apoptotic effects of MDMA via the Bax and Bcl-2 pathways. An agonist of this receptor [GCS] decreases the cytotoxcity of MDMA, while the antagonist of this receptor [SCH] increases its cytotoxcity

Expression change of apoptosis-associated genes after hyperthermia, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in human colon cancer-transplanted nude mice / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the expression change of apoptosis-associated genes in human colon cancer cells transplanted into nude mice after hyperthermia, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Human colon cancer cell line HT29 was transplanted into the hind limbs of nude mice. Under the laboratory-simulated condition of hyperthermia(43 degree centigrade, 60 min), actual radiation doses and MMC doses were calculated in reference to the clinical practice. The mice were divided into 6 groups according to the treatment approaches: hyperthermia (group A), chemotherapy (group B), radiotherapy (group D), thermochemotherapy (group C), thermoradiotherapy (group E) and thermochemoradiotherapy (group F). The mice were sacrificed at different time points and the tumor tissues were taken for further procedures. The morphologic changes of P53, Bcl-2 and Bax expression in membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus of tumor cell after treatment were observed by immunohistochemistry stain (SP method).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All of the six approaches of treatment could down-regulate the expression of P53 and Bcl-2, and up-regulate the expression of Bax in different levels. There was no significant difference in the amount of reduction of P53 expression among group A, C and E. The extent of reduction in the above mentioned groups was significantly different as compared to group B and D. By comparing to group D, the extent of reduction of P53 expression was greater in group B. Down-regulation of Bcl-2 could be enhanced when hyperthermia was combined with chemotherapy (group C) or radiation (group E), but more obvious down-regulation was found in group E as compared to group C. Hyperthermia itself could not obviously up-regulate Bax expression, and it occurred at last. Bax expression increased more by chemotherapy treatment (group B) than that by radiation (group D). By comparing to group C, the greater increase occurred in group E.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Hyperthermia enhances the effects of radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity on tumors by changing the expression of apoptosis-associated genes P53, Bcl-2 and Bax. Hyperthermia combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation has a greater effect on down-regulation of P53 and Bcl-2 expression and up-regulation of Bax expression than any single therapy.</p>

CAS role in the brain apoptosis of Bufo arenarum induced by cypermethrin

CAS might have a key role in the apoptosis induced by toxins, acting as anti-apoptotic factor, stimulating the cellular proliferation and the cell contact stabilization. To start to elucidate their role in the brain apoptosis of Bufo arenarum induced by cypermethrin (CY), the expression patterns of CAS and several cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) were established. Bufo arenarum tadpoles of the control and acute bioassay survival at different doses (39, 156, 625 and 2,500 microg CY/L) and times (24, 48, 72 and 96 h) of CY treatment were fixed in Carnoy, embedded in paraffin and sectioned. CAS and CAMs expression was determined by immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry, respectively. When the bioassay starts, CAS increases suggesting a proliferative or regenerative effect, but decreases when the doses and/or the bbiocide exposure time increases, suggesting compromise of the cellular cycle control and trigger of an apoptotic wave. However, these neurotoxic mechanisms should not involve degradation of N-cadherin and alpha-catenin, in contrast of beta-catenin and axonal N-CAM180, at least in the initial apoptotic phase. Additionally, an adhesion compensatory mechanism by N-CAM180 is observed in the neuron cell body. These results suggest a dual role of CAS in the cellular cycle control during the CY-induced apoptosis: induction of cell proliferation and stabilization of the cell-cell junctions by modulating CAMs expression.

Avaliação das proteínas reguladoras do ciclo celular e apoptose nos Linfomas não-Hodgkin agressivos e influência na resposta ao tratamento / Evaluation of cell cycle and apoptosis-regulating proteins in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and influence in response to treatment

Os linfomas não-Hodgkin (LNH) agressivos constituemum grupo heterogêneo de neoplasias hematológicas.Os LNH difusos de grandes células B compreendem cercade 20-25% dos LNH. O tratamento quimioterápico podecurar apenas 40%-50% dos pacientes adultos com linfomasagressivos. São considerados indicadores prognósticos:idade, número de sítios extranodais, LDH, performancestatus e estadiamento clínico.Além desses fatores, anormalidades das proteínasreguladoras do ciclo celular e da apoptose parecem ser umimportante mecanismo de desenvolvimento de neoplasiase podem ter um papel no prognóstico dos linfomas agressivos.A expressão das proteínas reguladoras do ciclo celular,p...Avaliamos também a expressão de proteínas reguladorasda apoptose (p53, Bcl-2, Bax, Bak e Mcl-1) de 33pacientes com LNH difusos de grandes células B e analisamosa relação entre a expressão dessas proteínas comdados clínicos e resposta à quimioterapia.Nossos resultados mostraram que a expressão dap53 foi considerada um parâmetro imunohistoquímico independenterelacionado a um pior prognóstico nesseslinfomas. Apesar da alta expressão observada das proteínasBcl-2, Bax, Bak e Mcl-1, não foi encontrado associaçãocom prognóstico ou resposta ao tratamento.

Aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) forma heterogeneous group in terms of clinical presentation,histology, immunophenotype, response to treatment andprognosis. Diffuse large B-cell NHL (DLCL) constitute upto 20-25% of NHL in many series. Combinationchemotherapy may cure 40-50% of adult patients. Severalclinical prognostic factors have been described to predictclinical outcome, as age, LDH, performance status andstage and are useful for identifying high-risk patients, whowould benefit from a more intensive approach.Abnormalities of cell cycle and apoptosis regulatingproteins seem to be an important mechanism oftumorigenesis and may play a role in the prognosis ofaggressive NHL.The expression of p53, p21/WAF-1, Mdm2 , c-Mycand proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) proteins wereexamined by the immunohistochemistry of paraffinembedded samples of 113 high grade non-Hodgkin’slymphomas (NHL) and in 62 patients with aggressive NHLcorrelated to clinical data. Expression of p53, ....NHL patients with a hyper-expression of p53 protein(n=17). DNA extraction was performed in 15 patients andPCR amplification of exons 5-9 was possible in 7 cases.We found a point mutation in exon 6 (Val→Glu;T→A), ina patient with a p53 hyper-expression and p21 negativeexpression.We also evaluated the expression of apoptosisregulatingproteins (p53, Bcl-2, Bax, Bak and Mcl-1) ofparaffin-embedded samples of 33 patients with diffuse largeB-cell NHL, and assessed the relationship of these proteinsto clinical outcome and response to chemotherapy.Our results showed that p53 expression was anindependent immunohistochemical parameter related to apoor prognosis in these lymphomas. Bcl-2, Bax, Bak andMcl-1 proteins, though highly expressed in almost all caseswere not associated with prognosis or response totreatment.