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Male Nude Mice (male + nude_mouse)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Hormone escape is associated with genomic instability in a human prostate cancer model

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, Issue 5 2009
Marie-Emmanuelle Legrier
Abstract Lack of hormone dependency in prostate cancers is an irreversible event that occurs through generation of genomic instability induced by androgen deprivation. Indeed, the cytogenetic profile of hormone-dependent (HD) prostate cancer remains stable as long as it received a hormone supply, whereas the profile of hormone-independent (HID) variants acquired new and various alterations. This is demonstrated here using a HD xenografted model of a human prostate cancer, PAC120, transplanted for 11 years into male nude mice and 4 HID variants obtained by surgical castration. Cytogenetic analysis, done by karyotype, FISH, CGH and array-CGH, shows that PAC120 at early passage presents numerous chromosomal alterations. Very few additional alterations were found between the 5th and 47th passages, indicating the stability of the parental tumor. HID variants largely maintained the core of chromosomal alterations of PAC120 , losses at 6q, 7p, 12q, 15q and 17q sites. However, each HID variant displayed a number of new alterations, almost all being specific to each variant and very few shared by all. None of the HID had androgen receptor mutations. Our study indicates that hormone castration is responsible for genomic instability generating new cytogenetic abnormalities susceptible to alter the properties of cancer cell associated with tumor progression, such as increased cell survival and ability to metastasize. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

bcl-2-specific siRNAs restore Gemcitabine sensitivity in human pancreatic cancer cells

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 2 2007
Kinya Okamoto
Abstract Gemcitabine has been shown to ameliorate disease related symptoms and to prolong overall survival in pancreatic cancer.Yet, resistance to Gemcitabine is commonly observed in this tumour entity and has been linked to increased expression of anti-apoptotic bcl-2. We therefore investigated if and to what extend silencing of bcl-2 by specific siRNAs (siBCL2) might enhance Gemcitabine effects in human pancreatic carcinoma cells. siBCL2 was transfected into the pancreatic cancer cell line YAP C alone and 72 hrs before co-incubation with different concentrations of Gemcitabine. Total protein and RNA were extracted for Western-blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Pancreatic cancer xenografts in male nude mice were treated intraperitoneally with siBCL2 alone, Gemcitabine and control siRNA or Gemcitabine and siBCL2 for 21 days. Combination of both methods lead to a synergistic induction of apoptosis at otherwise ineffective concentrations of Gemcitabine. Tumour growth suppression was also potentiated by the combined treatment with siBCL2 and Gemcitabine in vivo and lead to increased TUNEL positivity. In contrast, non-transformed human foreskin fibroblasts showed only minor responses to this treatment. Our results demonstrate that siRNA-mediated silencing of anti-apoptotic bcl-2 enhances chemotherapy sensitivity in human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and might lead to improved therapy responses in advanced stages of this disease. [source]

NF-,B2/p52 enhances androgen-independent growth of human LNCaP cells via protection from apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest induced by androgen-deprivation

THE PROSTATE, Issue 16 2008
Nagalakshmi Nadiminty
Abstract PURPOSE Androgen-deprivation therapy only causes a temporary regression of prostate cancer, as all tumors will eventually progress to refractory to hormonal therapy after 1,3 years of treatment. The underlying mechanisms of prostate cancer androgen refractory progression are incompletely understood. In this study, we employed in vitro as well as in vivo models to examine the role of NF-,B2/p52 in prostate cancer growth and androgen independent progression. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The effects of NF-,B2/p52 on cell growth, androgen responsiveness, cell cycle and apoptosis were examined in androgen sensitive LNCaP cells. The effect of NF-,B2/p52 on tumor growth was examined in intact and castrated male mice. RESULTS Overexpression of NF-,B2/p52 enhances androgen-sensitive LNCaP human prostate cancer cell growth and clonogenic ability in androgen-deprived condition in vitro. NF-,B2/p52 induced androgen-independent growth is through protecting LNCaP cells from apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest induced by androgen-deprivation. In addition, NF-,B2/p52 stimulates Cyclin D1 expression and knock down of Cyclin D1 expression by siRNA abolished NF-,B2/p52-induced cell growth in vitro. Adenoviral mediated NF-,B2/p52 expression in LNCaP cells enhances tumor growth in intact male nude mice and induces tumor growth in castrated male nude mice, suggesting that overexpression of NF-,B2/p52 induces androgen-independent growth of androgen-sensitive LNCaP cells. CONCLUSIONS Overexpression of NF-,B2/p52 protects androgen sensitive LNCaP cells from apoptotic cell death and cell cycle arrest induced by androgen-deprivation. NF-,B2/p52 activation induces androgen-independent growth in vitro and in vivo. Prostate © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Angiogenic gene modification of skeletal muscle cells to compensate for ageing-induced decline in bioengineered functional muscle tissue

BJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 7 2008
Dawn M. Delo
OBJECTIVE To explore the effects of ageing on the viability of bioengineered striated muscle tissue in vivo, and if this viability can be enhanced by concurrent neovascularization, as its utility for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) might be reduced if muscle cells are derived from old patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS Myoblasts were obtained and expanded in culture from young (2 weeks), mature (3 months) and old (24 months) mice, and were engineered to express vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to stimulate neovascularization. Myoblasts were injected subcutaneously into male nude mice and after 2 and 4 weeks, the engineered muscle tissues were harvested. RESULTS Bioengineered muscle tissues were formed in all groups, but the engineered muscles formed by myoblasts from old mice were smaller and less contractile. However, the bioengineered muscles expressing VEGF had a greater mass and better contractility in all age groups. CONCLUSION This pilot study showed that there was an age-related decline in the size and function of bioengineered muscle; however, there was an improvement in volume and function when the muscle cells were expressing VEGF. [source]