| 1. |
- Erlandson, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Epigenetic mutations in CDKN2A in western Swedish families with hereditary malignant melanoma
- 2008
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In: Molecular Medicine Reports. - Athens, Greece : Spandidos Publications. - 1791-2997 .- 1791-3004. ; 1:1, s. 89-91
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study aimed to identify the molecular genetic variations associated with an increased risk of hereditary malignant melanoma (HMM) in the western Swedish population. In 68 families with increased hereditary susceptibility to malignant melanoma, we previously reported a low frequency of alterations in the CDKN2A gene, which is regarded as the major melanoma predisposition gene. Among these alterations, we identified a novel mutation in 3 families (Asp108Tyr). In the present study, we focused on the possible role of heritable epimutations as a cause of the silencing of the CDKN2A gene. We used two different technical approaches to detect changes in CpG methylation in the promoter region of the CDKN2A gene; methylation-specific PCR (MSP) analysis of bisulfite-converted DNA and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA). From families who tested negative for germ-line CDKN2A mutations, 64 unrelated patients with hereditary melanoma were included in the study. We showed a consistent lack of hypermethylation in the promoter region of CDKN2A in patients with HMM in our western Swedish population. A putative germ-line methylation of the CDKN2A, if any, is therefore likely to be a rare event in hereditary melanoma. This study demonstrates that there are probably additional and as yet unknown genetic factors present in western Swedish HMM families.
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| 2. |
- Wågsäter, Dick, et al.
(author)
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Quantification of the chemokines CCL17 and CCL22 in human colorectal adenocarcinomas
- 2008
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In: Molecular Medicine Reports. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1791-2997 .- 1791-3004. ; 1:2, s. 211-217
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chemokines are believed to play a crucial role in local immunoresponse by regulating leukocyte movement in various tissues, including the intestinal mucosa. It has been suggested that they are key players in cancer biology, and several studies have identified leukocyte infiltration as a hallmark of most cancers. The chemokines CCL17 and CCL22 attract CCR4-bearing cells, which are especially polarised to Th2-type cells and regulatory T cells (Treg). Recent studies have revealed the participation of the CCL17 and CCL22 proteins in diseases such as atopic dermatitis and lymphoma. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of CCL17 and CCL22 protein expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) and to ascertain whether an association exists between promoter -431Cgreater thanT CCL17 and -961Ggreater thanA CCL22 gene polymorphisms in CRC versus non-CRC subjects. Using the ELISA assay, we noted a significantly higher expression of CCL22 in tumour tissue with a 2.3-fold up-regulation (tumour vs. paired normal tissue, n=78) but no significant difference in CCL17 protein expression. Immunohistochemistry revealed protein expression of CCL22 and CCL17 in the epithelial compartment of cancer tissue, in epithelial cells at the resection border that reflects normal tissue, and in some stromal cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts. Using a TaqMan system we screened for -431Cgreater thanT CCL17 and -961Ggreater thanA CCL22 gene variants in 245 CRC patients and 256 controls, but could not find any significant difference in genotype distribution or in allelic frequencies between the two groups. The genotype and allelic distributions of CRC patients were not related to tissue levels of CCL17 and CCL22 protein, and none of the variables were associated with plasma levels or clinical characteristics. To ascertain whether the tissue expression of CCL17 and CCL22 exerts an influence oil the pathogenesis of CRC, a forthcoming study oil the 5-year survival rate of CRC patients will be conducted.
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| 4. |
- Mattsson, Niklas, 1979, et al.
(author)
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Novel cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of axonal degeneration in frontotemporal dementia.
- 2008
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In: Molecular medicine reports. - : Spandidos Publications. - 1791-2997. ; 1:5, s. 757-61
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a heterogeneous disease with substantial interpersonal variance in aggressiveness. Novel biomarkers for rapidly progressive FTD could improve diagnosis and provide clues regarding its pathogenesis. In this study, surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (SELDI-TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) was used to analyze peptide profiles in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from 24 FTD patients. Thirteen patients had rapidly progressive FTD with distinct pathology in a brain MRI after less than 3 years of disease duration. Eleven patients had slowly progressive FTD with a normal brain MRI, but had abnormal findings in SPECT/PET after more than 5 years of disease duration. The axonal damage marker CSF neurofilament light-chain (NF-L) was measured in all subjects to evaluate the amount of axonal degeneration. A CSF NF-L level of 150 ng/l was used as a cut-off point for high NF-L expression. SELDI-TOF analysis of peptides in the range of 2000-20000 m/z revealed one peak with m/z of 6378 that was expressed at a significantly different level (p<0.01) when rapidly versus slowly progressive cases of FTD were compared. Eleven peaks were expressed at different levels when high versus low CSF NF-L were compared. Using chromatographic purification followed by tandem mass spectrometric analysis, five of these peaks were identified as follows: C-terminal fragment of neuroendocrine protein 7B2 (3512.84 Da), C-terminal fragment of osteopontin (7658.19 Da) as well as its mono- and diphosphorylated forms (7738.16 Da and 7818.13 Da, respectively) and pancreatic ribonuclease (14566.33 Da). The peak intensity of pancreatic ribonuclease was higher in patients with low NF-L expression, while the other peptides had a lower peak intensity in this group. Altered levels of these peptides have also been described in other neurodegenerative diseases. Taken together, these data suggest that differentially-expressed peptides are general markers of axonal degeneration. Further studies are needed to verify their prognostic value in FTD.
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