Project description:Heredity is a major cause of ovarian cancer. Lynch syndrome is associated with 10-12% risk of ovarian cancer, diagnosis at young age and a predilection for endometrioid and clear cell tumors. Global gene expression profiling applied to 25 Lynch syndrome-associated and 42 sporadic ovarian cancers revealed 335 differentially expressed genes and involvement of the mTOR and the MAPK/ERK pathways. The clear cell tumors had distinct expression profiles with upregulation of HER2 and apoptosis signaling pathways. The distinct expression profiles provide clues relevant for hereditary tumorigenesis and may be relevant for therapeutic strategies and refined diagnostics in ovarian cancer linked to Lynch syndrome. Ovarian cancers linked to Lynch syndrome (n=25) were compared to a matched series of sporadic ovarian cancers (n=42), selected from a population-based consecutive series in which hereditary was excluded based on family history, normal MMR protein staining and lack of mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Project description:Rank overexpression attenuates mammary tumorigenesis by inducing senescence in mammary epithelial cells but enhances tumor aggressiveness by increasing stemness.
Project description:Background: NRF2 is an essential cytoprotective transcription factor inducing antioxidant response element (ARE)-bearing genes. However, association of NRF2 with lung development has not been examined. Human lungs are not fully developed until 2-3 years of and they are fully matured at about 8 years. Murine lungs at birth are immature (at saccular stage of lung development) and have been used to study developmental lung disorders. Methods: To investigate (1) the transcriptome changes during lung development and (2) the role of NRF2 in lung development and maturation in mice, lungs were harvested from Nrf2-deficient (Nrf2-/-) and wild-type (Nrf2+/+) mouse embryos, neonates and adults. Microarray and pathway analysis determined NRF2-directed mechanisms underlying lung development and maturation. Results: Nrf2 mRNA expression was peack at embryonic days E17.5-E18.5 (immediately before birth) probably to increase antioxidant apparatus to prepare against high O2 environment after birth. The pseudoglandular phase lungs (E13-E15) are undergoing vigorous cell proliferation under the control of high-fidelity DNA damage repair system. Fetal lungs (E13.5-E17.5) are lack in immune system, xenobiotic metabolism, and tissue damage genes. After birth at postnatal day 1 (PND1), lung cell division is quiescent but transporters and lipid metabolism are activated. When lung enters alveolar phase (PND4), cell proliferation is resumed. Mature lungs (PND14-P42) have heightened networks of host defense systems (immunity, antioxidants) and cellular injury and abnormality (e.g., glucose metabolism disorder). Nrf2 deletion in fetal lung (E13.5-E17.5) altered developmental, immunity, and metabolism genes, and it may have affected lung branching. Nrf2 deletion affected lung transcriptome changes the most at E17.5 when Nrf2 message level is maximum (E17.5-E18.5). Nrf2 deletion in newborn lung (PND0) decreased cell cycle progress and DNA damage repair. Nrf2 deletion in neonatal lung (PND1-4) enhanced tissue injury/cell death and inhibited developmental cell differentiation. Nrf2 deletion in matured mouse lung (PND42) affected not only antioxidant pathway but also immune responses and connective tissue cell migrations. Conclusion: Overall, NRF2 plays multiple roles in underdeveloped lungs and associated with lung morphogenesis, immunity, cell cycle progress, tissue differentiation and metabolism as well as cellular defense. Results provide putative molecular mechanisms of NRF2-directed lung morphogenesis and maturation.
Project description:The rate-limiting step in glutathione (GSH) synthesis is controlled by glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit. GSH is reported to buffer oxidative stress. In the absence of GSH, the antioxidant transcription factor Nrf2 is reported to be stabilized. The liver has the highest levels of GSH, but its impact on liver homeostasis is unclear. To investigate this, we induced a liver-specific deletion of Gclc (Gclc f/f), Nrf2 (Nrf2 f/f), or Gclc-Nrf2 (Gclc f/f Nrf2 f/f) by injecting my via tail-vein with AAV-TBG-Cre, which induces recombination specifically in hepatocytes.
Project description:Heredity is a major cause of ovarian cancer. Lynch syndrome is associated with 10-12% risk of ovarian cancer, diagnosis at young age and a predilection for endometrioid and clear cell tumors. Global gene expression profiling applied to 25 Lynch syndrome-associated and 42 sporadic ovarian cancers revealed 335 differentially expressed genes and involvement of the mTOR and the MAPK/ERK pathways. The clear cell tumors had distinct expression profiles with upregulation of HER2 and apoptosis signaling pathways. The distinct expression profiles provide clues relevant for hereditary tumorigenesis and may be relevant for therapeutic strategies and refined diagnostics in ovarian cancer linked to Lynch syndrome.
Project description:Addition of liver-specific Keap1 deletion to mice harboring mutant K-ras and p53 accelerated cholangiocarcinoma formation, with hallmarks of Nrf2 activation.