Heterogeneous phenotype of human glioblastoma: In vitro study

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most lethal primary brain tumours. Increasing evidence shows that brain tumours contain the population of stem cells, so‐called cancer stem cells (CSCs). Stem cell marker CD133 was reported to identify CSC population in GBM. Further studies have indicated that CD133 negative cells exhibiting similar properties and are able to initiate the tumour, self‐renew and undergo multilineage differentiation. GBM is a highly heterogeneous tumour and may contain different stem cell populations with different functional properties. We characterized five GBM cell lines, established from surgical samples, according to the marker expression, proliferation and differentiation potential. CD133 positive cell lines showed increased proliferation rate in neurosphere condition and marked differentiation potential towards neuronal lineages. Whereas two cell lines low‐expressing CD133 marker showed mesenchymal properties in vitro, that is high proliferation rate in serum condition and differentiation in mesenchymal cell types. Further, we compared therapy resistance capacity of GBM cell lines treated with hydroxyurea. Our results suggest that CSC concept is more complex than it was believed before, and CD133 could not define entire stem cell population within GBM. At least two different subtypes of GBM CSCs exist, which may have different biological characteristics and imply different therapeutic strategies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changes in cellular gene expression in rat thyroid epithelial cells transformed by the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus

We have exploited a recently characterized system of rat thyroid epithelial cells transformed by the wild-type (wt) and a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant strain of the Kirsten murine sarcoma virus (Ki-MSV) in order to study the effects of the K-ras oncogene on the gene expression of differentiated thyroid epithelial cells. By using cDNAs isolated from normal thyroid glands as probes, we were able to identify three sets of cellular sequences whose expression is influenced by the v-K-ras oncogene. The first set of genes is irreversibly repressed by transformation with both the wt and the ts viruses. The second set of genes is repressed in the ts-Ki-MSV-transformed cells but not in the same cells grown at the nonpermissive temperature. A third set of genes is present at higher levels at the nonpermissive temperature than at the permissive temperature. This system has allowed us to isolate and characterize a number of cDNA clones belonging to each of these three sets of genes. These specific cDNAs are suitable probes to study phenotypical changes during transformation of epithelial cells.     

Genomic distribution of copia-like transposable elements in somatic tissues and during development of Drosophila melanogaster

The genomic distribution of elements of the copia, 412, B 104, mdg 1, mdg 4 and 1731 transposon families was compared by the Southern technique in DNA preparations extracted from brains, salivary glands and adult flies of two related Drosophila lines. The copia, 412 and mdg 1 sequences were also probed in DNA from sperm, embryos, and 1st and 2nd instar larvae. The homogeneity of the patterns observed shows that somatic transposition is unlikely to occur frequently. A correlation between mobility and the euchromatic or heterochromatic location of transposable elements is discussed. In addition, an explanation of the variable band intensities of transposable elements in Southern autoradiographs is proposed.     

Alterations in cardiac membrane Ca2+ transport during oxidative stress

Although cardiac dysfunction due to ischemia-reperfusion injury is considered to involve oxygen free radicals, the exact manner by which this oxidative stress affects the myocardium is not clear. As the occurrence of intracellular Ca²⁺ overload has been shown to play a critical role in the genesis of cellular damage due to ischemia-reperfusion, this study was undertaken to examine whether oxygen free radicals are involved in altering the sarcolemmal Ca²⁺-transport activities due to reperfusion injury. When isolated rat hearts were made globally ischemic for 30 min and then reperfused for 5 min, the Ca²⁺ -pump and Na⁺-Ca²⁺ exchange activities were depressed in the purified sarcolemmal fraction; these alterations were prevented when a free radical scavenger enzymes (superoxide dismutase plus catalase) were added to the reperfusion medium. Both the Ca²⁺- pump and Na⁺- Ca²⁺ exchange activities in control heart sarcolemmal preparations were depressed by activated oxygen-generating systems containing xanthine plus xanthine oxidase and H₂O₂; these changes were prevented by the inclusion of superoxide dismutase and catalase in the incubation medium. These results support the view that oxidative stress during ischemia-reperfusion may contribute towards the occurrence of intracellular Ca²⁺ overload and subsequent cell damage by depressing the sarcolemmal mechanisms governing the efflux of Ca²⁺ from the cardiac cell.     

Binding of flunitrazepam to differentiating neurons cultured in a chemically defined,hormone-supplemented medium

[³H]Flunitrazepam (FNZ) binding to cortical neurons from fetal rat brain was investigated in vitro. The use of a synthetic medium specific for neurons made it possible to plot a developmental curve of³H-FNZ binding in an almost pure neuronal culture. Detectable specific binding was present in vitro at time 0 (that is, the 16th gestational day). A progressive increase of binding, due to an increment in the number of recognition sites, was observed on the subsequent days. The affinity of the specific binding sites to³H-FNZ was enhanced by the addition of exogenous GABA, whereas the density was not affected.     

Cryptosporidiosis in ferrets

The diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis in two ferrets who died from unrelated causes prompted a survey to determine the prevalence and incidence of the infection in ferrets at our facility. The survey of the existing ferret population and all new arrivals indicated cryptosporidiosis occurred as a subclinical disease in a high percentage of young ferrets: 40% of the ferret population and 38 to 100% of the new arrivals had cryptosporidial oocysts in their feces. The infection was found to persist for several weeks in both immunocompetent and immunosuppressed ferrets. The interspecies transmission of Cryptosporidium implies that infected ferrets should be considered a potential source of infection for the general population.     

Photocatalyzed Anaerobic Oxidation of Nicotinamide Coenzyme Dimers to NAD+ by Adriamycin

The nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dimers (NAD)₂ obtained by electrochemical reduction of NAD⁺ are oxidized by adriamycin in anaerobic photocatalyzed reaction yielding NAD⁺ and 7-deoxyadriamyci-none. Under the same conditions NADH is not oxidized.     

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate induces resistance of human melanoma cells to natural-killer-and lymphokine-activated-killer-mediated cytotoxicity

Summary Human melanoma cells are sensitive to the lytic activity of natural killer (NK) and lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells in vitro. The events resulting in tumour cell killing by lymphocytic effectors have not been completely clarified, and the same target cell determinants regulating responsiveness to immune cytolysis have not yet been identified. Indeed, changes in the differentiative status of leukemia cells as well as in the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens have been described to modulate sensitivity to cytotoxic effectors; moreover surface expression of adhesion factors or extracellular matrix proteins by the cancer cells can promote the activation of the cytolytic effectors and has been described to correlate with tumour cell sensitivity to cytolytic cells. We reasoned that treatment with differentiation inducers could modulate melanoma cell sensitivity to NK and LAK cells. The present study demonstrates that human melanoma GLL-19 cells, when treated with the phorbol diester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in vitro, undergo growth inhibition and neuron-like differentiation. Moreover PMA treatment induces an evident inhibition of GLL-19 cell sensitivity to NK- and LAK-mediated cytotoxicity. GLL-19 cells express constitutively MHC class I antigens. PMA treatment, however, does not modify the expression of MHC class I and class II DR antigens in human melanoma GLL-19 cells. We have finally evaluated the effects of PMA on the expression at the cell surface of adhesion factors such as ICAM-1, and extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen IV, laminin and fibronectin; we have also studied the expression of the integrin vitronectin receptor, a membrane receptor for adhesive proteins. While adhesion factors and extracellular matrix proteins appear to play an important role in the interaction between immune effector and tumour target, it can be supposed that the modulation of such membrane-associated proteins or glycoproteins induces NK and LAK resistance in cancer cells. We indeed found that PMA treatment induced in GLL-19 a marked reduction of membrane expression of collagen IV and ICAM-1; moreover PMA reduced the cell membrane expression of the integrin vitronectin receptor. On the other hand, membrane expression of fibronectin and laminin was not affected by PMA. These data indicate that the acquisition of a NK- and LAK-resistant phenotype by GLL-19 cells occurs together with cell differentiation, down-regulation of membrane expression of collagen IV, ICAM-1 and vitronectin receptor, but in the absence of changes in MHC antigens.This work has been supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (A. I. R. C.) and by Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Italy-USA joint program on New Therapies on Neoplasia.