Trypsins and their role in carcinoma growth

There are more than 100 distinct types of cancer, and subtypes can be found within specific organs. Cancer progression is a complex multi-step process. These steps reflect alterations that drive the progressive transformation of normal cells into highly malignant ones. One critical step in tumor growth and invasion is the proteolytic processing of the extracellular matrix environment. The degradation of the extracellular matrix not only enables cell migration, invasion, and metastasis formation, but also affects cell behavior in multiple ways; on one hand by cleaving extracellular matrix bound growth factors and on the other hand by inhibiting angiogenesis into the tumor by liberating cryptic endogenous inhibitors of angiogenesis. Serine proteases and matrix metalloproteases are families of proteolytic enzymes involved in physiological and pathological extracellular matrix and basement membrane processing. In this review, we will focus on the role and activation of trypsinogens, a family of serine proteases, in cancer progression.     

Confirmation of quantitative trait loci affecting fatness in chickens

In this report we describe the analysis of an advanced intercross line (AIL) to confirm the quantitative trait locus (QTL) regions found for fatness traits in a previous study. QTL analysis was performed on chromosomes 1, 3, 4, 15, 18, and 27. The AIL was created by random intercrossing in each generation from generation 2 (G₂) onwards until generation 9 (G₉) was reached. QTL for abdominal fat weight (AFW) and/or percentage abdominal fat (AF%) on chromosomes 1, 3 and 27 were confirmed in the G₉ population. In addition, evidence for QTL for body weight at the age of 5 (BW5) and 7 (BW7) weeks and for the percentage of intramuscular fat (IF%) were found on chromosomes 1, 3, 15, and 27. Significant evidence for QTL was detected on chromosome 1 for BW5 and BW7. Suggestive evidence was found on chromosome 1 for AFW, AF% and IF%, on chromosome 15 for BW5, and on chromosome 27 for AF% and IF%. Furthermore, evidence on the chromosome-wise level was found on chromosome 3 for AFW, AF%, and BW7 and on chromosome 27 for BW5. For chromosomes 4 and 18, test statistics did not exceed the significance threshold.     

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in two morphotypes of African large barb Labeobarbus intermedius (Osteichthyes: Cyprinidae) in Lake Hawassa,Ethiopia

Water and muscle tissue samples from two morphotypes of the African large barb Labeobarbus intermedius collected from three sites in Lake Hawassa in 2012–2013 were analysed for eight heavy metals, including Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Five metals (Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni and Zn) were detected in fish muscle samples, whereas only Cr, Cu and Ni were detected in water samples. Of the five metals detected in the muscle samples, Cu and Zn were present in higher concentrations in the golden morphotype, whereas Cr, Mn and Ni were found in higher concentrations in the silver morphotype. Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) values indicated that Cr, Cu and Ni have a tendency to accumulate in fish muscle in amounts exceeding those in water. In both morphotypes the highest concentrations of Zn and Mn were detected at the Hospital site, whereas the concentrations of Cr, Cu and Ni were highest at the Tikur Wuha site. Chromium, Cu and Ni concentrations recorded in fish muscle at all sampling sites exceeded the safe limits recommended by FAO/WHO and UNESCO, suggesting that water and fish from Lake Hawassa are contaminated with heavy metals originating from factories, a hospital and agricultural activities in proximity to the lake.     

Identification of methylation markers for the prediction of nodal metastasis in oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Hypermethylation is an important mechanism for the dynamic regulation of gene expression, necessary for metastasizing tumour cells. Our aim is to identify methylation tumour markers that have a predictive value for the presence of regional lymph node metastases in patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OOSCC). Significantly differentially expressed genes were retrieved from four reported microarray expression profiles comparing pN0 and pN+ head-neck tumours, and one expression array identifying functionally hypermethylated genes. Additional metastasis-associated genes were included from the literature. Thus genes were selected that influence the development of nodal metastases and might be regulated by methylation. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) primers were designed and tested on 8 head-neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines and technically validated on 10 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) OOSCC cases. Predictive value was assessed in a clinical series of 70 FFPE OOSCC with pathologically determined nodal status. Five out of 28 methylation markers (OCLN, CDKN2A, MGMT, MLH1 and DAPK1) were frequently differentially methylated in OOSCC. Of these, MGMT methylation was associated with pN0 status (P = 0.02) and with lower immunoexpression (P = 0.02). DAPK1 methylation was associated with pN+ status (P = 0.008) but did not associate with protein expression. In conclusion, out of 28 candidate genes, two (7%) showed a predictive value for the pN status. Both genes, DAPK1 and MGMT, have predictive value for nodal metastasis in a clinical group of OOSCC. Therefore DNA methylation markers are capable of contributing to diagnosis and treatment selection in OOSCC. To efficiently identify additional new methylation markers, genome-wide methods are needed.