Project description:Neuroendocrine neoplasms of the gallbladder and liver occur rarely in dogs and humans. A recent reclassification of human neuroendocrine neoplasms by the World Health Organization has refined categorization of these tumors by morphology, replicative indices, and molecular signatures. In humans, these factors correlate with survival outcomes. Improved characterization of these tumors is needed in dogs to identify diagnostic biomarkers and determine therapeutic strategies. To achieve this objective, the proteome of 3 canine hepatobiliary neoplasms was compared to normal canine adrenal and liver tissue from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples. Thirty-two upregulated and 121 downregulated differentially expressed proteins were identified in the hepatobiliary neuroendocrine neoplasm samples. Among the upregulated proteins is galectin-1, a multivalent carbohydrate binding protein known to play a role in lung and pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia development and progression in humans. Drugs targeting the galectin family have shown promise as anticancer therapeutics in cervical cancer, prostate cancer, lung and pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasia in human medicine. Galectin-1 may represent a novel treatment target in hepatobiliary neuroendocrine neoplasia in both humans and dogs.
Project description:Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (PNENs) are biologically and clinically heterogeneous neoplasms. We used quantitative global proteomic analysis on 40 PNENs to compliment paired transcriptome data.
Project description:The increased number of pancreatic cyst lesions (PCLs) have been detected through the development of abdominal imaging techniques, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). However, accurate classification of cystic lesions is difficult because of the lack of standardized diagnostic methods, and thus potentially unnecessary surgical resection has been performed on pancreatic cyst patients. Among four most common types of cystic lesions of pancreas, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs), mucinous cystic neoplasms (MCN), serous cystic neoplasms (SCN), and solid pseudopapillary neoplasms (SPNs), IPMNs, the precursor lesion of pancreatic cancer, have been detected most frequently, and are subdivided into low-grade dysplasia (LGD), high-grade dysplasia (HGD), and invasive IPMN in accordance with their malignancy. To discover the potential biomarkers of the histological grades of IPMN, we investigated pancreatic cyst fluid proteins that are differentially expressed in accordance with the IPMN malignancy by LC-MS/MS analysis.
Project description:The hormone calcitonin (CT) is primarily known for its pharmacologic action as an inhibitor of bone resorption, yet CT-deficient mice display increased bone formation. These findings raised the question about the underlying cellular and molecular mechanism of CT action. Here we show that either ubiquitous or osteoclast-specific inactivation of the murine CT receptor (CTR) causes increased bone formation. CT negatively regulates the osteoclast expression of Spns2 gene, which encodes a transporter for the signaling lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P). CTR-deficient mice show increased S1P levels, and their skeletal phenotype is normalized by deletion of the S1P receptor S1P3. Finally, pharmacologic treatment with the non-selective S1P receptor agonist FTY720 causes increased bone formation in wildtype, but not in S1P3-deficient mice. This study redefines the role of CT in skeletal biology, confirms that S1P acts as an osteoanabolic molecule in vivo, and provides evidence for a pharmacologically exploitable crosstalk between osteoclasts and osteoblasts. Osteoclasts of wildtype and Calcr-/- C57Bl/6 mice were treated with Calcitonin and compared to the non-treated osteoclasts of wildtype or Calcr-/- mice, respectively.
Project description:<p>Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), often referred to as "islet cell tumors", are neuroendocrine neoplasms that arise from cells of the endocrine and nervous system within the pancreas. These rare tumors which originate from the pancreatic islet are divided into many categories and are often classified by the hormone most strongly secreted. With the collaboration of the Elkins Pancreatic Center, the Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC) at Baylor College of Medicine had access to approximately 30 untreated tumor specimens and matched normal blood samples. Since the onset and progression of cancer is driven by extensive mutation of the genome, we are combining enrichment of exonic DNA with next generation sequencing to detect and characterize the somatic mutation profile of patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer.</p> <p>This work was done at the Human Genome Sequencing Center (HGSC) in collaboration with the Elkins Pancreatic Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX and was supported by grant number 5U54HG003273 from National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI).</p>
Project description:Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm of pancreas(SPN), ductal adenocarcinoma(PCA), neuroendocrine tumor(NET) and non-neoplastic pancreas. To investigate the specific gene expression of SPN compared to other types of pancreatic tumor, we analyzed large-scale gene expressioin analysis to identify the molecular signature that may affect SPN tumorigenesis. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed on SPNs, PCAs, NETs and Non-neoplastic tissues. Solid-pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN) is an uncommon pancreatic tumor with distinct clinicopathologic features. SPNs are characterized by mutations in exon 3 of CTNNB1. However, little is known about the gene and microRNA expression profiles of SPNs. Thus, we sought to characterize SPN-specific gene expression and identify the signaling pathways activated in these tumors. The mRNA expression profile of 14 SPNs, 6 pancreatic adenocarcinomas (PCAs), 6 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), and five non-neoplastic pancreatic tissues were analyzed.