Expression of vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor receptors in lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression of two angiogenic factors, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR), in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in relation to tumor stage (TN0, TN1, TN2) and in association with the expression of p53 protein, a potential suppressor of tumor angiogenesis. STUDY DESIGN: The immunohistochemical (IHC) expression of VEGF and FGFR was examined in paraffin sections of 56 NSCLC in relation to the presence of lymph node metastases and p53 expression. Nodal status of NSCLC determined: 27 tumors, N0; 16, N1; and 13, N2 stage. Semiquantitative analysis with a score corresponding to IHC staining intensity and percentage of positive cells was used. Statistical analysis was performed with the chi 2 test. RESULTS: A significant association was noted between VEGF and FGFR expression in NSCLC. No relation was found between VEGF, FGFR expression and lymph node metastasis or p53 expression. CONCLUSION: We assume that VEGF and FGFR act in a synergistic manner in NSCLC and that their expression is not related to lymph node metastases. Angiogenesis is a very complex phenomenon and heterogeneous within tumors. Also, it is affected by microenviromental factors.     

Effects of endophytic Fusarium oxysporum towards Radopholus similis activity in absence of banana

Four endophytic fungi (Fusarium spp.) isolated from the cortical tissue of surface-sterilised banana as well as from tomato roots were tested for their capacity of biological control towards the burrowing nematode Radopholus similis on banana. The pathogenic and parasitic capacities of endophytic fungi towards R. similis were tested in in vitro experiments. No parasitism of fungi on R. similis was observed. However, nematode activity decreased significantly in the presence of all endophytic fungi in vitro when compared to nematodes in the absence of fungi. The effects of fungi on R. similis activities in the soil were tested in the absence of plants. Nematode activities were reduced significantly by 16-30% by endophytic fungi when compared to untreated soil.     

Lipopolysaccharides of Rhizobium etli Strain G12 Act in Potato Roots as an Inducing Agent of Systemic Resistance to Infection by the Cyst Nematode Globodera pallida

Recent studies have shown that living and heat-killed cells of the rhizobacterium Rhizobium etli strain G12 induce in potato roots systemic resistance to infection by the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida. To better understand the mechanisms of induced resistance, we focused on identifying the inducing agent. Since heat-stable bacterial surface carbohydrates such as exopolysaccharides (EPS) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are essential for recognition in the symbiotic interaction between Rhizobium and legumes, their role in the R. etli-potato interaction was studied. EPS and LPS were extracted from bacterial cultures, applied to potato roots, and tested for activity as an inducer of plant resistance to the plant-parasitic nematode. Whereas EPS did not affect G. pallida infection, LPS reduced nematode infection significantly in concentrations as low as 1 and 0.1 mg ml⁻¹. Split-root experiments, guaranteeing a spatial separation of inducing agent and challenging pathogen, showed that soil treatments of one half of the root system with LPS resulted in a highly significant (up to 37%) systemic induced reduction of G. pallida infection of potato roots in the other half. The results clearly showed that LPS of R. etli G12 act as the inducing agent of systemic resistance in potato roots.     

Development of an assay for the estimation of N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid polyglutamates in tumor cells

A method is described herein for the isolation and quantitation of polyglutamates of the thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor N10-propargyl-5,8-dideazafolic acid (CB3717) in tumor cells exposed to the drug in vitro. Cells were incubated with 50 microM 3H-CB3717 for 12 h and then disrupted by sonication. CB3717 and its polyglutamates were extracted by boiling in 0.01 M Tris-HCl pH 10. The extract was concentrated by lyophilization and analyzed by reverse phase HPLC (10 x 0.46-cm Polygosil 5-micron C18 column) using linear gradient elution (5-16% acetonitrile in 0.1 M sodium acetate, pH 5, over 15 min, 2 ml/min). Recovery of radioactivity at each stage of the method was greater than 70%. CB3717 and its polyglutamates were identified by co-chromatography with synthetic standards and by inhibition of partially purified TS. Quantitation was by means of radiochemical analysis. The 3H-CB3717 used in these studies was prepared by catalytic tritiation of diethyl-(2-chloro-4-nitrobenzoyl)-L-glutamate followed by consecutive alkylation with propargyl bromide and 2-amino-6-bromomethyl-3,4-dihydro-4-oxoquinazoline hydrobromide. The free diacid was prepared as required by hydrolysis in sodium hydroxide and purified by HPLC. Tritiation in only one position was confirmed by 3H NMR. Following the exposure of L1210 leukemia cells to 50 microM 3H-CB3717 for 12 h the total cellular radioactivity level was approximately 7 microM, of which 27% was present as polyglutamated metabolites with four and five glutamate residues.     

The In Ovo Chick Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Assay as an Efficient Xenograft Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) begins to develop by day 7 after fertilization and matures by day 12. The CAM is naturally immunodeficient and highly vascularized, making it an ideal system for tumor implantation. Furthermore, the CAM contains extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin, laminin, collagen, integrin alpha(v)beta3, and MMP-2, making it an attractive model to study tumor invasion and metastasis. Scientists have long taken advantage of the physiology of the CAM by using it as a model of angiogenesis. More recently, the CAM assay has been modified to work as an in vivo xenograft model system for various cancers that bridges the gap between basic in vitro work and more complex animal cancer models. The CAM assay allows for the study of tumor growth, anti-tumor therapies, and pro-tumor molecular pathways in a biologically relevant system that is both cost- and time-effective. Here, we describe the development of CAM xenograft model of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with embryonic survival rates of up to 93% and reliable tumor take leading to growth of three-dimensional, vascularized tumors.