The karyotype of the Middle-African hedgehog Atelerix albiventris Wagner, 1841 and its cytotaxonomical relationships to other Erinaceinae (Insectivora: Erinaceidae)

Like other hedgehog species investigated hitherto, also the Middle African species Atelerix albiventris has a diploid number of 48 chromosomes. However, Aethechinus and Atelerix display quite distinct cytogenetic characteristics compared to the hedgehog genera Erinaceus, Hemiechinus and Paraechinus. Individual chromosome structures and reactivities permit the recognition of similarities to the Algerian hedgehog Aethechinus algirus and indicate their close relationship.Nevertheless, the proposal by Corbet (1988) to merge the two taxa into one genus, which is contrary to Robbins and Setzer (1985), remains to be clarified by further investigations.     

Ringworm of the African hedgehog (erinaceus albiventris) in the ivory coast due to arthroderma benhamiae

Isolates of the conidial state of Arthroderma benhamiae (+ mating strain) were obtained from dry, scaly lesions on the ears of 3 hedgehogs in the Ivory Coast. This is a new record for this country.     

Ectoparasites of the African hedgehog Atelerix albiventris, (Wagner) in the Kainji Lake area of Nigeria

Investigation of ectoparasites of African hedgehogs revealed Amblyomma variegatum, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Haemaphysalis leachi leachi, Sarcoptes scabiei and Ctenocephalides crataepus. A significant finding is the occurrence of ticks of domestic livestock.     

Arthroderma benhamiae infection in the Central African hedgehog,Erinaceus albiventris,and a report of a human case

The occurrence of ringworm caused by Arthroderma benhamiae Ajello & Cheng is reported in Central African hedgehogs (Erinaceus albiventris Wagner), caught near Nairobi, Kenya. Of the 45 animals examined, 10 were positive on culture, including a litter of 4 young. Six infected animals were without lesions, and 2 littermates showed scaly areas similar to those described in E. europaeus L. caused by Trichophyton erinacei (Smith & Marples) Padhye & Carmichael. No correlation with mite infestation or mange lesions was evident. Ringworm-like lesions were found which were repeatedly negative on culture. A human infection by A. benhamiae was contracted from the hedgehogs.     

Oral squamous cell carcinoma in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella). Report of two cases.

Two neoplasms were observed in two feral male Cebus apella monkeys of approximately 12 and 14 years of age. Histologically, the tumors were well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas, one affecting the soft and hard palates reaching the nasal cavity and the other involving the oral cavity floor and the inferior maxillar.     

A role of activated Sonic hedgehog signaling for the cellular proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cell line

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a secreted morphogen crucial for appropriate cellular proliferation during mammalian development. The activated Shh signaling is known to predispose to human tumors such as medulloblastoma and basal cell carcinoma, while a role of Shh signaling in the other common tumors is still controversial. Here we showed the overexpression of Shh in five cell lines among 14 human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell lines. One of the Shh-expressing OSCC cell lines HSQ-89 showed the inhibition of G1/S transition and apoptotic cell death by treatment with Cyclopamine, a steroidal alkaloid that blocks the intracellular Shh signaling. Furthermore, we found that treatment with Y-27632, a specific inhibitor of Rho-associated kinase, mimicked the effect of Cyclopamine on the cell cycle progression of HSQ-89. Our study revealed the involvement of activated Shh signaling in the cellular proliferation of OSCC cells, indicating Shh signaling might be a good therapeutic target for OSCC.     

Characterization of a spontaneous undifferentiated carcinoma from an African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops).

An adult male African green monkey (Cercopithecus aethiops) with an undifferentiated carcinoma, probably originating from the nasal mucosa, was received from the Akron, Ohio zoo. Cultivation of this tumor in vitro resulted in a mixture of fibroblastic and epithelial cells which was subsequently separated using differential trypsinization. The neoplastic nature of the cultured epithelial cells was verified by their ability to transplant into athymic nude, or antithymocyte serum-treated mice, where poorly differentiated carcinomas were produced, and cultures of the tumors that arose in nude mice were morphologically similar to pretransplantation cultures. Early cultures showed a normal male karyotype characteristic of the species; however, in long-term cultures, a clearly defined, small submetacentric Y chromosome was not observed. Electron microscopic examination of tumor tissue and cultured tumor cells revealed desmosomes and the presence of cytoplasmic (keratin-type) fibrils, which tended to be organized around the nucleus. In addition to the keratin-type fibrils, the cultured tumor cells also contained a large amount of cytoplasmic inclusion material that may represent keratohyalin granules. There was no evidence of a viral association with tumor material or cultured cells. The cultures were susceptible to infection by vesicular stomatitis virus, Herpesvirus hominis type 1, and H. saimiri, but were resistant to the Epstein-Barr virus.     

Expression pattern of squamous cell carcinoma antigen in oesophageal dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the tissue expression of squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCCA) in oesophageal dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with reference to its clinico-pathologic and prognostic significance. Immunohistochemistry using SCCA polyclonal antibody was performed on SCCs from 61 surgical oesophagectomies. Fifteen cases of low-grade dysplasia (LGD) and 37 non-coexistent high-grade dysplasia (HGD) were also sampled from these materials, together with sixteen chronic cases of oesophagitis. SCCA immunoreactivity was present in the maturative compartments of all normal epithelia and oesophagitis. LGDs showed no SCCA immunoreactivity in the dysplastic proliferative component but only in the superficial normal layers. In 94.6% of HGDs, no SCCA immunoreactivity was detected throughout the thickness of the epithelium. In SCCs, SCCA expression higher than 25% was found in 54% of cases. SCCA positivity showed an inverse correlation with histological grade, whereas no statistically significant correlation was found with TNM classifications, stage, or survival. SCCA is not expressed in early oesophageal carcinogenesis but, in SCC, it represents an indicator of histologic differentiation. In differentiated SCC, SCCA may represent a negative factor for cancer invasiveness, through inhibition of proteases.     

Establishment and characterization of an osteopontin-null cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line

Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted glycoprotein implicated to function in cancer development and metastasis. Although elevated expression of OPN are observed in cancer cells of various types, in some cases, only the cells in the stromal region surrounding the tumor express OPN, suggesting distinct functional roles for this protein derived from host cells and from cancer cells. To provide a model for addressing the functions and mechanisms of host-derived OPN in cancer progression and metastasis, a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line (ONSC) that lacks the OPN gene, Spp1, was established. This line of cells was derived from a squamous cell carcinoma that developed in a female, OPN-null mouse subjected to two-stage skin carcinogenesis. Morphologically, ONSC cells resemble epithelial cells, and they express the epithelial markers, K1, K14, and p63, as confirmed by immunohistochemical analyses. Genomic analyses indicate the presence of mutated H-Ras and p53 genes. ONSC cells form colonies in soft agar and, subcutaneously injected into athymic nude mice, develop into squamous cell carcinomas that metastasize to the lungs. Lacking OPN expression, these squamous cell carcinoma cells provide a model to address the function of host OPN in the context of cancer progression and metastasis.     

Matrix metalloproteinases in squamous cell carcinoma

Controlled degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential in many physiological situations including developmental tissue remodeling, angiogenesis, tissue repair, and normal turnover of ECM. In addition, degradation of matrix components is an important feature of tumor growth, invasion, metastasis, and tumor-induced angiogenesis. Matrix metallo-proteinases (MMPs) are a family of zinc-dependent neutral endopeptidases, which are collectively capable of degrading essentially all ECM components. MMPs apparently play an important role in all the above mentioned aspects of tumor development. In addition, there is recent evidence that MMP activity is required for tumor cell survival. At present, several MMP inhibitors are in clinical trials of malignant tumors of different histogenetic origin. In this review we discuss the current view on the role of MMPs and their inhibitors in development and invasion of squamous cell carcinomas, as a basis for prognostication and therapeutic intervention in these tumors.     

Sox2, a marker for stem‐like tumor cells in skin squamous cell carcinoma and hedgehog subgroup medulloblastoma

Heterogeneity within tumors is becoming increasingly recognized as an important cause of treatment failure in cancer. Two recent studies use fate‐mapping and limiting dilution transplantation assays to identify SRY (sex determining region Y)‐box 2 (Sox2) as cancer stem‐cell marker and driver of cancer stemness.     

Cancer stem cell model in oral squamous cell carcinoma

The concept of "field cancerization" describes the presence of histological abnormal tissue surrounding oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Molecular model of multistep carcinogenesis indicates that an accumulation of genetic alterations forms the basis for the OSCC progression with genetic heterogeneity. Furthermore, we reviewed cancer stem cell (CSC) model, which suggests functional heterogeneity in the tumor mass and current supporting evidence in OSCC. According to CSC model, prevention from carcinogen exposure and eliminating the particular CSCs instead of targeting tumor mass could help obtain a more long-lasting therapeutic effect.