Association of canine hypothyroidism with a common major histocompatibility complex DLA class II allele.

Dogs exhibit a range of immune-mediated conditions including a lymphocytic thyroiditis which has many similarities to Hashimoto's thyroiditis in man. We have recently reported an association in Doberman Pinschers between canine hypothyroidism and a rare DLA class II haplotype that contains the DLA-DQA1*00101 allele. We now report a further series of 173 hypothyroid dogs in a range of breeds where a significant association with DLA-DQA1*00101 is shown.

High-resolution characterization of the canine DLA-DRB1 locus using reference strand-mediated conformational analysis.

Several methods exist for genotyping class II DLA gene polymorphisms in the dog. The most accurate method is sequence-based typing, which involves direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction products. However, this method is expensive and unsuitable for large-scale studies. Recently, reference strand-mediated conformation analysis (RSCA) has been shown to be effective for characterizing major histocompatibility complex genes in humans, sheep, horse, and cats. RSCA is a cheap and rapid method, ideal for large epidemiological studies. We have developed RSCA for typing DLA-DRB1 in the dog. Control panels including dogs typed by sequence-based typing and cloned major histocompatibility complex class II alleles in plasmids were used to establish migration patterns for each allele using 20 different fluorescent labeled references, of which 5 were selected to allow for clear identification and discrimination of all known DLA-DRB1 alleles. We have compared 168 dogs typed by RSCA for DLA-DRB1 and characterized by sequence-based typing, with less than 1% discrepancy. These differences were due to missing alleles because of a weak polymerase chain reaction. To date, we have RSCA-typed 1,394 dogs. RSCA is likely to become the method of choice for characterizing DLA genes in the dog and will prove a useful tool for dissecting the immune response of dogs in clinical studies.

Association of transforming growth factor beta-1 single nucleotide polymorphisms with radiation-induced damage to normal tissues in breast cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFbeta1) single nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with the susceptibility of breast cancer patients to severe radiation-induced normal tissue damage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: PCR-RFLP assays were performed for TGFbeta1 gene polymorphisms on DNA obtained from 103 breast cancer patients who received radiotherapy. The G-800A, C-509T, T+869C and G+915C polymorphic sites were examined, and genotype and allele frequencies of two subgroups of patients were calculated and compared. RESULTS: The less prevalent -509T and +869C alleles were significantly associated with a subgroup of patients who developed severe radiation-induced normal tissue fibrosis (n=15) when compared with those who did not (n=88) (odds ratio=3.4, p=0.0036, and 2.37, p=0.035, respectively). Furthermore, patients with the -509TT or +869CC genotypes were between seven and 15 times more likely to develop severe fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings imply a role for the -509T and +869C alleles in the pathobiological mechanisms underlying susceptibility to radiation-induced fibrosis. Their predictive value would be limited to patients who are -509TT or +869CC, but if "fibrosis-associated" polymorphic sites in other genes could be identified, it may be possible to detect fibrosis prone individuals before radiotherapy with greater certainty.

Irradiation induced expression of CD31, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in human microvascular endothelial cells.

The adherence and migration of leukocytes through the endothelium of blood vessels is an important early event which occurs in normal tissues following ionizing irradiation but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and CD31 are membrane proteins of endothelial cells, mediate this process when the vasculature is exposed to other inflammatory stimuli. In this study, expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and CD31 on human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs) at 72 hours post-irradiation using flow cytometry and northern analysis was determined. Dose-dependent increases in the surface expression and mRNA of ICAM-1 and CD31 were observed. In contrast VCAM-1 was practically undetectable on both control and irradiated HDMECs but was strongly expressed in TNF-alpha activated positive control HDMECs. The upregulation in ICAM-1 and CD31 was independent of radiation-induced changes in cell size, number and cell cycle stage. We suggest that ICAM-1 is active over a prolonged period whereas VCAM-1 acts only transiently in leukocyte-endothelial interactions in the irradiated microvasculature. The late upregulation of CD31 is a novel finding and may have a function in radiation-induced leukocyte extravasation, platelet adherence to the vascular wall and abnormal endothelial cell proliferation. Both ICAM-1 and CD31 seem to be therapeutic targets for the amelioration of radiation-induced normal tissue damage.

Radiation-induced normal tissue injury: role of adhesion molecules in leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions.

The late onset of necrosis and fibrosis in normal tissues can be a serious consequence of radiotherapy in cancer patients. Because radiation-induced vascular injury precedes the tissue damage, vascular injury is regarded as crucial in the pathogenesis of tissue damage. An understanding of the processes responsible is essential to develop strategies for the amelioration of radiation-induced normal tissue damage. Leukocyte infiltration is commonly observed at sites of irradiation and is likely to lead to the acceleration and/or induction of parenchymal atrophy, fibrosis and necrosis in normal tissues following radiotherapy. The molecular mechanisms mediating leukocyte infiltration of tissues during inflammation have been studied extensively. It is now well established that cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) expressed on leukocytes and endothelial cells control the trafficking of leukocytes from the blood vessel lumen in these conditions. CAMs including E (endothelial), P (platelet) and L (leukocyte)-selectins, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), beta1 and beta2 integrins and CD31 are involved in the cascade of events resulting in rolling, arrest and transmigration of leukocytes through the inflamed endothelium. Whether a similar sequence of molecular events induces leukocyte sequestration in irradiated normal tissues is not known. This review is focussed on the role of CAMs in radiation-induced leukocyte infiltration of normal tissues and the therapeutic implications of these findings.

Irradiation induces upregulation of CD31 in human endothelial cells.

Radiation-induced vascular injury is believed to be a major factor contributing to parenchymal atrophy, fibrosis and necrosis in normal tissue after radiotherapy. In this study irradiation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) significantly increased adherence of U-937 cells in a time-dependent manner. Given the potential multifunctional role of CD31 in the vasculature we have examined the possible effects of irradiation on levels of CD31 expression in HUVECs. Irradiation upregulated CD31 expression on HUVECs, independently of initial plating density and radiation-induced changes such as cell number, cell cycle stage, or cell size. CD31 mRNA levels were raised in irradiated HUVECs relative to controls. Both CD31 mRNA and surface protein showed similar changes, suggesting that the increase in mRNA in irradiated HUVECs is responsible for the elevation in cell surface protein. A semi-quantitative study of tissue specimens from patients who had received radiotherapy indicated that CD31 staining in the blood vessels from irradiated tissues was increased compared with controls. Endothelial CD31 is important in the transmigration of leukocytes. We have demonstrated that the incorporation of monoclonal antibody to CD31 significantly inhibited the transmigration of human peripheral blood leukocytes through a monolayer of irradiated HUVECs. Taken together these data strongly suggest that irradiation induces a marked increase in CD31 expression on endothelial cells as part of a general response to irradiation. Its upregulation may play an important role in the development of radiation-induced normal tissue damage and thus is a possible target for therapeutic intervention.