| 1. |
- Bodén, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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C-reactive Protein and Future Risk of Clinical and Molecular Subtypes of Colorectal Cancer
- 2020
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Ingår i: Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1055-9965 .- 1538-7755. ; 29:7, s. 1482-1491
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Inflammation has been implicated in colorectal cancer etiology, but the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) and colorectal cancer risk is unclear. We aimed to investigate the association between prediagnostic plasma CRP concentrations and the risk of clinical and molecular colorectal cancer subtypes.Methods: We used prospectively collected samples from 1,010 matched colorectal cancer case-control pairs from two population-based cohorts in Northern Sweden, including 259 with repeated samples. Conditional logistic regression and linear mixed models were used to estimate relative risks of colorectal cancer, including subtypes based on BRAF and KRAS mutations, microsatellite instability status, tumor location, stage, lag time, and (using unconditional logistic regression) body mass index.Results: CRP was not associated with colorectal cancer risk, regardless of clinical or molecular colorectal cancer subtype. For participants with advanced tumors and blood samples <5 years before diagnosis, CRP was associated with higher risk [OR per 1 unit increase in natural logarithm (In) transformed CRP, 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01-1.73]. CRP levels increased over time, but average time trajectories were similar for cases and controls (P-interaction = 0.19).Conclusions: Our results do not support intertumoral heterogeneity as an explanation for previous inconsistent findings regarding the role of CRP in colorectal cancer etiology. The possible association in the subgroup with advanced tumors and shorter follow-up likely reflects undiagnosed cancer at baseline. Impact: Future efforts to establish the putative role of chronic, low-grade inflammation in colorectal cancer development will need to address the complex relationship between systemic inflammatory factors and tumor microenvironment, and might consider larger biomarker panels than CRP alone.
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| 2. |
- Bodén, Stina, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma concentrations of gut hormones acyl ghrelin and peptide YY and subsequent risk of colorectal cancer and molecular tumor subtypes
- 2023
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Ingår i: Cancer Prevention Research. - : American Association for Cancer Research. - 1940-6207 .- 1940-6215. ; 16:2, s. 75-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity and metabolic dysfunction are implicated in colorectal cancer development. Appetite-regulating gut hormones might have a role in colorectal cancer risk. We investigated whether circulating levels of the gut hormones ghrelin (analyzed as acyl ghrelin) and Peptide YY (PYY) were associated with subsequent colorectal cancer risk, including clinical and molecular tumor subtypes. We also provide descriptive data on these hormones in relation to background participant characteristics and metabolic biomarkers. This population-based study included 1,010 matched case-control pairs with a median of 12.3 years of follow-up. Acyl ghrelin and PYY were measured by multiplex immunoassay. Data on KRAS and BRAF mutations and microsatellite instability (MSI) status were available for 704 and 708 cases, respectively. Conditional logistic regression models estimated association to colorectal cancer risk. Partial correlation and linear regression were used to investigate relationships between background and metabolic variables and variation in plasma gut hormone concentrations. Acyl ghrelin was not clearly associated with colorectal cancer risk (multivariable OR per 1 SD increase: 1.11; 95% CI, 1.00-1.23). Positive associations were observed for specific subtypes, in particular BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer and right-sided colon cancer, although with nonsignificant heterogeneity. PYY was not related to colorectal cancer risk (multivariable OR per 1 SD: 1.04; 95% CI, 0.95-1.14) or any tumor subtype. In the control participants, ghrelin was inversely correlated with BMI, and PYY was positively correlated with C-peptide and insulin levels. These findings provide limited support for a possible role for ghrelin in colorectal cancer development, primarily in specific anatomical and molecular tumor subtypes.PREVENTION RELEVANCE: The findings of this study do not support a major role for the metabolic gut hormones ghrelin and PYY in colorectal cancer development but suggest the possibility of an involvement for ghrelin in specific tumor subtypes. Elucidating subtype-specific risk factors and mechanisms of carcinogenesis may have implications for precision prevention.
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| 3. |
- Conlan, J Wayne, et al.
(författare)
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Differential ability of novel attenuated targeted deletion mutants of Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis strain SCHU S4 to protect mice against aerosol challenge with virulent bacteria : effects of host background and route of immunization
- 2010
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Ingår i: Vaccine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0264-410X .- 1873-2518. ; 28:7, s. 1824-1831
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Francisella tularensis subspecies tularensis is a highly virulent facultative intracellular pathogen of humans and a potential biological weapon. A live vaccine strain, F. tularensis LVS, was developed more than 50 years ago by pragmatic attenuation of a strain of the less virulent holarctica subspecies. LVS was demonstrated to be highly effective in human volunteers who were exposed to intradermal challenge with fully virulent subsp. tularensis, but was less effective against aerosol exposure. LVS faces regulatory hurdles that to date have prevented its licensure for general use. Therefore, a better defined and more effective vaccine is being sought. To this end we have created gene deletion mutants in the virulent subsp. tularensis strain and tested them for their ability to elicit a protective immune response against systemic or aerosol challenge with the highly virulent wild-type subsp. tularensis strain, SCHU S4. Both oral and intradermal (ID) primary vaccination routes were assessed in BALB/c and C3H/HeN mice as was oral boosting. One SCHU S4 mutant missing the heat shock gene, clpB, was significantly more attenuated than LVS whereas a double deletion mutant missing genes FTT0918 and capB was as attenuated as LVS. In general mice immunized with SCHU S4DeltaclpB were significantly better protected against aerosol challenge than mice immunized with LVS. A single ID immunization of BALB/c mice with SCHU S4DeltaclpB was at least as effective as any other regimen examined. Mice immunized with SCHU S4Delta0918DeltacapB were generally protected to a similar degree as mice immunized with LVS. A preliminary examination of immune responses to vaccination with LVS, SCHU S4DeltaclpB, or SCHU S4Delta0918DeltacapB provided no obvious correlate to their relative efficacies.
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| 4. |
- Edin, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Opposing roles by KRAS and BRAF mutation on immune cell infiltration in colorectal cancer : possible implications for immunotherapy
- 2024
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Ingår i: British Journal of Cancer. - : Springer Nature. - 0007-0920 .- 1532-1827. ; 130
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The immune response has important clinical value in colorectal cancer (CRC) in both prognosis and response to immunotherapy. This study aims to explore tumour immune cell infiltration in relation to clinically well-established molecular markers of CRC.Methods: Multiplex immunohistochemistry and multispectral imaging was used to evaluate tumour infiltration of cytotoxic T cells (CD8+), Th1 cells (T-bet+), T regulatory cells (FoxP3+), B cells (CD20+), and macrophages (CD68+) in a cohort of 257 CRC patients.Results: We found the expected association between higher immune-cell infiltration and microsatellite instability. Also, whereas BRAF-mutated tumours displayed increased immune-cell infiltration compared to BRAF wild-type tumours, the opposite was seen for KRAS-mutated tumours, differences that were most prominent for cytotoxic T cells and Th1 cells. The opposing relationships of BRAF and KRAS mutations with tumour infiltration of cytotoxic T cells was validated in an independent cohort of 608 CRC patients. A positive prognostic importance of cytotoxic T cells was found in wild-type as well as KRAS and BRAF-mutated CRCs in both cohorts.Conclusion: A combined evaluation of MSI status, KRAS and BRAF mutational status, and immune infiltration (cytotoxic T cells) may provide important insights to prognosis and response to immunotherapy in CRC.
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| 5. |
- Eklöf, Vincy, 1984-, et al.
(författare)
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Cancer-associated fecal microbial markers in colorectal cancer detection
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 141:12, s. 2528-2536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer death in the western world. An effective screening program leading to early detection of disease would severely reduce the mortality of CRC. Alterations in the gut microbiota have been linked to CRC, but the potential of microbial markers for use in CRC screening has been largely unstudied. We used a nested case-control study of 238 study subjects to explore the use of microbial markers for clbA+ bacteria harboring the pks pathogenicity island, afa-C+ diffusely adherent Escherichia coli harboring the afa-1 operon, and Fusobacterium nucleatum in stool as potential screening markers for CRC. We found that individual markers for clbA+ bacteria and F. nucleatum were more abundant in stool of patients with CRC, and could predict cancer with a relatively high specificity (81.5% and 76.9%, respectively) and with a sensitivity of 56.4% and 69.2%, respectively. In a combined test of clbA+ bacteria and F. nucleatum, CRC was detected with a specificity of 63.1% and a sensitivity of 84.6%. Our findings support a potential value of microbial factors in stool as putative noninvasive biomarkers for CRC detection. We propose that microbial markers may represent an important future screening strategy for CRC, selecting patients with a "high-risk" microbial pattern to other further diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopy.
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| 6. |
- Eneslätt, Kjell, et al.
(författare)
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Signatures of T cells as correlates of immunity to Francisella tularensis
- 2012
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:3, s. e32367-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tularemia or vaccination with the live vaccine strain (LVS) of Francisella tularensis confers long-lived cell-mediated immunity. We hypothesized that this immunity depends on polyfunctional memory T cells, i.e., CD4(+) and/or CD8(+) T cells with the capability to simultaneously express several functional markers. Multiparametric flow cytometry, measurement of secreted cytokines, and analysis of lymphocyte proliferation were used to characterize in vitro recall responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) to killed F. tularensis antigens from the LVS or Schu S4 strains. PBMC responses were compared between individuals who had contracted tularemia, had been vaccinated, or had not been exposed to F. tularensis (naive). Significant differences were detected between either of the immune donor groups and naive individuals for secreted levels of IL-5, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IFN-gamma, MCP-1, and MIP-1 beta. Expression of IFN-gamma, MIP-1 beta, and CD107a by CD4(+)CD45RO(+) or CD8(+) CD45RO(+) T cells correlated to antigen concentrations. In particular, IFN-gamma and MIP-1 beta strongly discriminated between immune and naive individuals. Only one cytokine, IL-6, discriminated between the two groups of immune individuals. Notably, IL-2- or TNF-alpha-secretion was low. Our results identify functional signatures of T cells that may serve as correlates of immunity and protection against F. tularensis.
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| 7. |
- Kadzhaev, Konstantin, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of genes contributing to the virulence of Francisella tularensis SCHU S4 in a mouse intradermal infection model
- 2009
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 4:5, s. e5463-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Francisella tularensis is a highly virulent human pathogen. The most virulent strains belong to subspecies tularensis and these strains cause a sometimes fatal disease. Despite an intense recent research effort, there is very limited information available that explains the unique features of subspecies tularensis strains that distinguish them from other F. tularensis strains and that explain their high virulence. Here we report the use of targeted mutagenesis to investigate the roles of various genes or pathways for the virulence of strain SCHU S4, the type strain of subspecies tularensis.METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The virulence of SCHU S4 mutants was assessed by following the outcome of infection after intradermal administration of graded doses of bacteria. By this route, the LD(50) of the SCHU S4 strain is one CFU. The virulence of 20 in-frame deletion mutants and 37 transposon mutants was assessed. A majority of the mutants did not show increased prolonged time to death, among them notably Delta pyrB and Delta recA. Of the remaining, mutations in six unique targets, tolC, rep, FTT0609, FTT1149c, ahpC, and hfq resulted in significantly prolonged time to death and mutations in nine targets, rplA, wbtI, iglB, iglD, purL, purF, ggt, kdtA, and glpX, led to marked attenuation with an LD(50) of > 10(3) CFU. In fact, the latter seven mutants showed very marked attenuation with an LD(50) of > or = 10(7) CFU.CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results demonstrate that the characterization of targeted mutants yielded important information about essential virulence determinants that will help to identify the so far little understood extreme virulence of F. tularensis subspecies tularensis.
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| 8. |
- Kerdreux, Maïwenn, et al.
(författare)
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Porphyromonas gingivalis in colorectal cancer and its association to patient prognosis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Cancer. - : Ivyspring International Publisher. - 1837-9664. ; 14:9, s. 1479-1485
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microbiota dysbiosis may affect both the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Large metagenomic studies have highlighted specific oral bacteria linked to CRC including Porphyromonas gingivalis. Few studies have however analysed the implications of this bacterium in CRC progression and survival. In this study, we investigated the intestinal presence of P. gingivalis by qPCR in both faecal and mucosal samples from two different patient cohorts, including patients with precancerous dysplasia or CRC, as well as controls. P. gingivalis was detected in 2.6-5.3% of CRC patients and significantly different levels of P. gingivalis were found in faeces of CRC patients compared to controls (P = 0.028). Furthermore, an association was found between the presence of P. gingivalis in faeces and tumour tissue (P < 0.001). Our findings further suggested a potential link between mucosal P. gingivalis and tumours of MSI subtype (P = 0.040). Last but not least, patients with faecal P. gingivalis were found to have a significantly decreased cancer-specific survival (P = 0.040). In conclusion, P. gingivalis could be linked to patients with CRC and to a worse patient prognosis. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of P. gingivalis in CRC pathogenesis.
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| 9. |
- Lampe, E. O., et al.
(författare)
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A study of virulence factors in the fish pathogen F. noatunensis ssp noatunensis
- 2013
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Ingår i: Fish and Shellfish Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 1050-4648 .- 1095-9947. ; 34:6, s. 1716-1716
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The bacterium Francisella noatunensis ssp. noatunensis (in text: F. noatunensis) is the ethiological agent of the disease francisellosis in Atlantic cod. Francisellosis has been one of the major limiting factors in the development of Norwegian aquaculture industry based on Atlantic cod. Lacking an effective treatment or vaccine there is urgent need for studies related to the pathogenesis of the disease.The closely related human pathogen F. tularensis is more extensively studied and due to relatively high sequence similarity with F. noatunensis, indirect evidence on important virulence factors can be obtained by reverse genetics. The Francisella Pathogenicity Island (FPI) has been identified in all sequenced genomes of Francisella sp. and contains genes associated with the ability of the bacterium to survive and replicate within macrophages.To elucidate the pathogenesis of F. noatunensis, infection assays have been performed on primary cells extracted from the head kidney of Atlantic cod. Disruptive mutations of the potential virulence factors IglC, IglD (important for intracellular growth in F. tularensis subsp.) and ClpB (a heat shock protein identified in F. tularensis), have been constructed in F. noatunensis and the infection pattern is in the process of characterization. Model systems that are utilized in the characterization are the amoebae and professional phagocyte Dictyostelium discoideum, zebrafish and macrophages extracted from head kidney of Atlantic cod.
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| 10. |
- Lampe, Elisabeth O., et al.
(författare)
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Dissection of Francisella-Host Cell Interactions in Dictyostelium discoideum
- 2016
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Ingår i: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. - : American Society for Microbiology. - 0099-2240 .- 1098-5336. ; 82:5, s. 1586-1598
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Francisella bacteria cause severe disease in both vertebrates and invertebrates and include one of the most infectious human pathogens. Mammalian cell lines have mainly been used to study the mechanisms by which Francisella manipulates its host to replicate within a large variety of hosts and cell types, including macrophages. Here, we describe the establishment of a genetically and biochemically tractable infection model: the amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum combined with the fish pathogen Francisella noatunensis subsp. noatunensis. Phagocytosed F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis interacts with the endosomal pathway and escapes further phagosomal maturation by translocating into the host cell cytosol. F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis lacking IglC, a known virulence determinant required for Francisella intracellular replication, follows the normal phagosomal maturation and does not grow in Dictyostelium. The attenuation of the F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis Delta iglC mutant was confirmed in a zebrafish embryo model, where growth of F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis Delta iglC was restricted. In Dictyostelium, F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis interacts with the autophagic machinery. The intracellular bacteria colocalize with autophagic markers, and when autophagy is impaired (Dictyostelium Delta atg1), F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis accumulates within Dictyostelium cells. Altogether, the Dictyostelium-F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis infection model recapitulates the course of infection described in other host systems. The genetic and biochemical tractability of the system allows new approaches to elucidate the dynamic interactions between pathogenic Francisella and its host organism.
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