Differences in spatial localization and chromatin pattern during different phases of cell cycle between normal and cancer cells.

We studied differences in chromatin patterns and the spatial localization of centromeres of chromosome 11 during the cell cycle between normal peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) and human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) using fluorescence in situ hybridization. The pericentromeres in both cells were located at the periphery during Gq (quiescent) phase, but moved towards the nuclear center in G1 and mid-S phase. During G2, the pericentromeres of PBL continued to move towards the nuclear center whereas those of HL-60 returned to the periphery. The angle defining the spatial location of two pericentromeres, in reference to the center of the nucleus, increased in PBL cells from a mean of 67 degrees during Gq phase to 106 degrees during G1 phase (P < 0.01), and the two pericentromeres remained wide apart throughout the entire cell cycle. In HL-60, the angle also increased during G1, but then decreased during mid-S and G2 phases. Both cells exhibited pericentromeric signals during Gq that were round and compact, and the entire chromatin was loosely condensed. The signal became more loose and dispersed during the G1 and mid-S phases. The pericentromere signal varied during G2 and was generally rod-like or bipartite with condensation of the entire chromatin or chromosome-like. Our results suggest that subtle but important differences in spatial localization of pericentromeres are present during the interphase between normal PBL and HL-60 cells.

Relationship between morphological diversity and AgNORs or cathepsin B expression in colorectal cancers.

The biological characteristics associated with the morphological diversity of colorectal cancers were investigated to elucidate the causes of this diversity. We examined the proliferative and infiltrating activity of tumor cells, indicated by the mean number of Ag nucleolar organizer region associated proteins (NORs) per nucleus (MNA) and the immunohistochemical response to cathepsin B(CB), in various morphological types of early and advanced colorectal cancers. We examined 73 colorectal cancers obtained by endoscopic and surgical resection. MNA values for sessile and flat-elevated cancers were greater than the values for pedunculate, subpedunculate, and flat-or-depressed early cancers (sessile, P < 0.05). In advanced cancers invading the muscularis propria, protruding cancers showed significantly higher MNA values than small ulcerative cancers (P < 0.01). CB expression increased significantly with the progression of colorectal cancers (P < 0.01), but was not related to morphological diversity in early and advanced cancers. In both sessile and flat cancers, CB expression was higher in moderately differentiated than in well differentiated adenocarcinomas. These results indicate that, in colorectal cancers, protruding early cancers without stalks and protruding advanced cancers have higher proliferative activity than pedunculate or flat early cancers and small ulcerative advanced cancers, respectively, and that CB expression is not associated with morphological diversity, but with depth of invasion and histological differentiation.

Gallbladder cancer. A comparative study among clinicopathologic features, AgNORs, and DNA content analysis.

A comparative study among clinicopathologic features, silver-stained nucleolar organizer region associated proteins (AgNORs), and DNA content analysis in 76 patients with gallbladder cancer was performed. The AgNOR count, AgNOR area, and the ration of AgNOR area to nuclear area were significantly higher in patients with a low grade of histological differentiation and deep invasion into the gallbladder wall. Moreover, these parameters were higher in cases with lymph node involvement and distant metastases. DNA ploidy pattern and clinicopathologic features showed to statistical significance. Our results demonstrate that AgNOR parameters are useful indicators to evaluate the malignant behavior of gallbladder cancer. Furthermore, the AgNOR count together with the depth of the neoplastic invasion and lymph node metastases proved to be independent prognostic factors for survival in patients with gallbladder cancer.