Altered levels of plasma chemokines in breast cancer and their association with clinical and pathological characteristics.

Chemokines are a family of small, structurally related cytokines with chemoattractant and activation properties. In breast cancer, both epithelial cancer cells and cells within the microenvironment secrete chemokines with either tumor-promoting or anti-malignant potential. The equilibrium between these two chemokine activities plays a key role in the biology of the developing tumor, including its ability to metastasize. Here we evaluated the expression of chemokines in breast tumors and the plasma of breast cancer patients before treatment in order to identify a blood-based signature that could distinguish between malignant and non-malignant processes. We screened the mRNA expression of chemokine genes using cDNA microarray on homogenous, laser-capture microdissected breast cancer specimens. Further, using a protein array approach, we determined the levels of selected chemokines in the plasma of patients with breast cancer, benign breast tumors and healthy women. Finally, we analyzed the association between the levels of chemokines in breast and blood samples with the pathological characteristics of the disease. At mRNA level, 27 chemokines and 11 chemokine receptors were differentially expressed in cancers when compared with normal breast tissue. When compared to benign tumors, the only chemokine significantly upregulated in cancers was CXCL10. At protein level, with the exception of CXCL13, nine out of the ten selected chemokines (CCL2, CCL7, CCL18, CCL22, CXCL8, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11 and osteoprotegerin) were significantly overexpressed in the plasma of breast cancers patients compared to healthy controls. After grouping, CXCL8, CXCL9 and CCL22 proved to be significant predictors for breast cancers as compared to healthy controls in a model of logistic regression. We found upregulation of CXCL8, CXCL11 and CXCL9 in triple negative carcinomas, CXCL9 in low proliferative carcinomas, and CXCL10, CCL7 and osteoprotegerin in poorly differentiated carcinomas. Furthermore, CXCL9 was overexpressed in lymph node negative tumors, whereas CXCL8 and CCL18 were higher in advanced stage carcinomas. We identified a panel of chemokines dysregulated in breast cancer that could be further investigated as prospective novel diagnostic markers or for therapeutic and prognostic applications.

Genotype-phenotype correlation in multiresistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains isolated in Western Romania.

OBJECTIVE: Bacterial multidrug-resistance (MDR) to antimicrobials has become an important public health issue all over the world and it involves both hospital and community-acquired strains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A number of 75 Escherichia coli and 77 Klebsiella pneumoniae (K.) strains identified in biological samples collected from community (CA) and hospital-acquired (HA) infections were found to be resistant to the third generation cephalosporins. Of these, 93 MDR strains were subjected to microarray analysis to detect the expression of 31 antimicrobial resistance genes. RESULTS: We found that all HA extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli strains had at least one resistance gene to third generation cephalosporins, while in 54% of all CA strains genetic substrates justifying their antibiotic resistance were identified. Almost 81% of HA-ESBL (Extended-Spectrum ß Lactamase) K. pneumoniae strains had at least one resistance gene to third generation cephalosporins, while in only 6% of the CA strains a similar genotype was identified. In the HA group, the blaCTX-M-15 genotype proved to be most frequent in multidrug-resistant E. coli strains and second most frequent (after ampC) in K. pneumoniae, while in the CA group, this genotype was the fourth most frequent in ESBL E. coli (after ampC, sul1, tet(R)). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, in 67% of all ESBL producing Enterobacteriaceae strains a genetic substrate justifying the resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics was identified; most of the remaining 33.33% strains were CA with a predominance of K. pneumoniae, in which a different antibiotic resistance genetic substrate (outside the detection limit of the kit used in this study) might have been involved.

Expression of CCL18 and interleukin-6 in the plasma of breast cancer patients as compared with benign tumor patients and healthy controls.

A growing body of laboratory research has shown that pro-inflammatory cytokines can facilitate tumor growth and metastasis. Our goal was to quantify the expression of CCL18 and IL-6 in patients with breast cancer compared with benign breast tumors patients and healthy women, in order to evaluate if these cytokines could serve for breast cancer diagnosis and evaluation. We also correlated the cytokines level of expression with some clinical and pathological characteristics known as prognostic markers for breast cancer. Plasma samples were obtained before treatment from 58 breast cancers, 41 benign breast tumors and 30 healthy women. The quantitative dosage was performed using ELISA. Wilcoxon test was used to compare groups. IL-6 and CCL18 were dramatically upregulated in breast cancers in comparison with healthy controls, but in comparison with benign tumors only CCL18÷PARC was overexpressed at borderline significance in cancers (p=0.05). The plasma from benign breast tumor patients exhibited also significant higher levels of the two cytokines than normal controls. The cytokines profile was not linked to patient age, tumor size, histopathological type, lymph node status or histological grade. IL-6 was significantly upregulated in ER-positive and metastasized cancers. CCL18÷PARC presented a significantly higher expression in advanced stage and highly proliferative carcinomas. In summary, IL-6 and CCL18 could clearly distinguish between women with breast cancers and healthy controls. High expression of IL-6 seems to confer a poor prognosis for ER-positive cancers. CCL18 was associated with worse prognosis parameters like high Ki67.

Molecular profiling of ADAM12 gene in breast cancers.

ADAMs (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family have been associated with the process of proteolytic "shedding" of membrane-associated proteins ectodomain and hence the rapid modulation of key cell signaling pathways in tissues microenvironment. A variety of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors which are initially produced as transmembrane proforms are activated by these sheddase activities. ADAM12 is highly expressed in rapidly growing tissues such as placenta and malignant tumors and it was found as one of the Candidate Cancer Genes in a comprehensive mutational analysis of human breast cancers. Our aim was to determine the gene expression profile of ADAM12 in breast cancers in comparison with normal breast and to correlate their level of expression with the clinical and pathological characteristics of breast cancers. Gene expression of ADAM12 spliced variants (12L and 12S) was evaluated using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR in samples obtained by laser capture microdissection from 38 patients with breast cancers and compared with adjacent healthy breast tissues. Both ADAM12L and 12S expression were significantly up-regulated in breast cancers, while in the normal breast, we found a very low expression. ADAM12L expression was significantly correlated with the histopathological types and, although not statistically significant, ADAM12 both variants were up-regulated in high-grade, highly-proliferative and HER2÷neu positive tumors. From these preliminary results, we found that ADAM12 could be an interesting marker and eventually a therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Estrogen receptor alpha polymorphisms: correlation with clinicopathological parameters in breast cancer.

Polymorphisms in estrogen receptor alpha gene (ESR1) have been previously associated with breast cancer risk; however, the results were not fully consistent. Our purpose was to study interactions between common genotypes in ESR1, breast cancer risk and tumor phenotypes. 6 ESR1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 103 breast cancer patients and 90 controls using hybridization probes; the genotypes were correlated with known prognostic factors for breast cancer and 5 years-follow up data. To assess estrogen and progesterone receptors (ER, PR) and HER2/neu expressions, immunohistochemistry was performed. Our results showed that rs3798577 was significantly associated with the risk of breast cancer, the common allele C conferring susceptibility (p-trend=4 x 10(-5)); rs3798577 was also correlated with PR expression (p=0.01), but not with ER expression; rs2228480 (p=0.047) and rs1801132 (p=0.02) were associated with the age at diagnosis; rs1801132 was correlated with hypercholesterolemia (p=0.003) and increased BMI (body mass index) (p=0.01); rs2234693 showed a low significant association (p=0.042) with the tumor grade; rs3798577 was correlated with disease-free survival (p=0.05), allele C conferring increased risk for relapses, but it reached not statistical significance after adjustments. In conclusions, we identified four genotypes significantly correlated with either the risk or some tumor characteristics, suggesting that the main selection criteria of the investigated SNPs (frequency and the position in modulating domains of the gene) are pertinent instruments for establish correlations between the gene structure and the tumor phenotype.

"False" thymine-1H-Enol guanine base pair. low misinsertion rate by DNA polymerase explained by computational chemistry consideration.

Formation of correct TA and GC and "false" thymine-1H-enol guanine (TGenol) base pairs is here considered to control nucleotide insertion into DNA via low substrate concentration Michaelis-Menten controlled kinetics. Contributions of base pairing to formation of Gibbs free energies in water solution, DeltaDeltaG, are calculated for the correct and false base pairs with the semi-empiric MNDO/PM3 method for base pairing energies in vacuum and the BEM method for hydration effects. The results for DeltaDeltaG indicate equal insertion rates for correct base pairing and a 10(-3)-10(-4) error probability for false insertion controlled by the TGenol false pair.