Project description:Gene expression was assessed with Nanostring in the surgical specimens obtained from a Window of Opportunity trial with MK-2206 in early stage breast cancer. Tumor biopsies and surgical specimens were compared for patients who received MK-2206 along with a prospective untreated control group of patients. Greater expression of interferon related genes was seen in surgical specimens following MK-2206 and compared to untreated controls.
Project description:Gene expression was assessed with Nanostring in the surgical specimens obtained from a Window of Opportunity trial with MK-2206 in early stage breast cancer. Tumor biopsies and surgical specimens were compared for patients who received MK-2206 along with a prospective untreated control group of patients. Greater expression of interferon related genes was seen in surgical specimens following MK-2206 and compared to untreated controls.
Project description:Whether DNA methylation in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), measured in core biopsy and surgical specimens are similar, remains unclear. Here, we compared genome-scale DNA methylation measured in matched core biopsy and surgical specimens from DCIS, including specific DNA methylation biomarkers of subsequent invasive cancer. This study aims to compare genome-scale DNA methylation between core biopsies (in this GEO accession) and surgical specimens (previously published in GSE66313; see Overall Design below). Within-subject variability in DNA methylation was significantly lower than between-subject variability (all P < 2.20E-16). In 641 CpGs whose methylation was related with increased hazard of invasive breast cancer, lower within-subject than between-subject variability was observed in 92.3% of the study participants (P < 0.05). Between patient-matched core biopsy and surgical specimens, < 0.6% of CpGs measured had changes in median DNA methylation > 15%, and a pathway analysis of these CpGs indicated enrichment for genes related with wound healing. Our results indicate that DNA methylation measured in core biopsies are representative of the matched surgical specimens and suggest that DCIS biomarkers measured in core biopsies can inform clinical decision-making.
Project description:1,322 morphologically unidentified fragmentary bone specimens were analyzed using MALDI-TOF and a subset of 341 bone specimens with LC-MS/MS in order to characterize their proteome for species identification and potential hominin specimens related to the LRJ transitional period derived from the site Ilsenhöhle Ranis, Germany (50°39.7563’N, 11°33.9139’E).
Project description:Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of CMS4 colon cancer treated with Imatinib in the ImPACCT study. Fresh-frozen biopsies were taken during diagnostic colonoscopy for CMS4 identification. Five patients gave informed consent for two week of neoadjuvant Imatinib therapy prior to removal of the primary tumor. Fresh-frozen samples were taken from surgically resected colon cancer specimens.
