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Haemophilus haemolyticus and nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) are closely related upper airway commensal bacteria that are difficult to distinguish phenotypically. NTHi causes upper and lower airway tract infections in individuals with compromised airways, while H. haemolyticus rarely causes such infections. The lipooligosaccharide (LOS) is an outer membrane component of both species and plays a role in NTHi pathogenesis. In this study, comparative analyses of the LOS structures and corresponding biosynthesis genes were performed. Mass spectrometric and immunochemical analyses showed that NTHi LOS contained terminal sialic acid more frequently and to a higher extent than H. haemolyticus LOS did. Genomic analyses of 10 strains demonstrated that H. haemolyticus lacked the sialyltransferase genes lic3A and lic3B (9/10) and siaA (10/10), but all strains contained the sialic acid uptake genes siaP and siaT (10/10). However, isothermal titration calorimetry analyses of SiaP from two H. haemolyticus strains showed a 3.4- to 7.3-fold lower affinity for sialic acid compared to that of NTHi SiaP. Additionally, mass spectrometric and immunochemical analyses showed that the LOS from H. haemolyticus contained phosphorylcholine (ChoP) less frequently than the LOS from NTHi strains. These differences observed in the levels of sialic acid and ChoP incorporation in the LOS structures from H. haemolyticus and NTHi may explain some of the differences in their propensities to cause disease.

Malignant cells are capable of an unlimited number of cell divisions, either through production of telomerase, or through the alternate lengthening of telomere (ALT) mechanism. Yeast cells with genomic instability have been shown to survive in the absence of telomerase by increased recombination events. We hypothesized that ovarian cancers with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) are more likely to lack telomerase activation.We examined 104 invasive ovarian cancers for MSI with six microsatellite markers (BAT25, BAT26, D5S346, D2S123, D17S250 and NME1). Telomerase activity was determined with ELISA, and its subunits human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) and human telomerase RNA (hTR) by RT-PCR. Statistical analysis was performed with Chi-square and p0.05 was considered significant.Telomerase activity was detected in 79 samples (76%). The hTERT subunit was detected in 85% of samples, and hTR was found in all ovarian cancers. Presence of hTERT was positively associated with telomerase activity (p=0.001). High MSI (MSI-H), defined as two or more positive markers, was detected in 15% of ovarian cancers; low MSI (MSI-L), defined as having only one positive marker, was found in 13%; the remaining 72% were microsatellite stable (MSI-S). Telomerase activity was detected in 83% of MSI-S and 79% of MSI-L tumors, but only 40% of MSI-H tumors (p=0.002). Interestingly, hTERT was similar in all three groups (range 73-84%, p=0.59), demonstrating that the presence of hTERT transcript was not the only determinant of telomerase activity in MSI-H tumors.Ovarian cancers with high MSI are more likely to propagate without the need to produce telomerase.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that is activated by integrin clustering. There are limited data regarding the functional role of FAK in ovarian cancer migration and invasion. In the current study, FAK expression was evaluated in ovarian cell lines (nontransformed and cancer), 12 benign ovarian samples, and in 79 invasive epithelial ovarian cancers. All three ovarian cancer cell lines overexpressed FAK compared to the nontransformed cells. The dominant-negative construct called FAK-related nonkinase (FRNK) was introduced into two ovarian cancer cell lines (SKOV3 and 222). FRNK promoted FAK dephosphorylation without changing total FAK levels in these cell lines. Furthermore, FRNK decreased the in vitro invasive ability of ovarian cancer cells by 56 to 85% and decreased migration by 52 to 68%. FRNK-transfected cells also displayed poor cell spreading. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the surface epithelium from all benign ovarian samples had weak FAK expression. In contrast, 68% of invasive ovarian cancers overexpressed FAK. FAK overexpression was significantly associated with high tumor stage, high tumor grade, positive lymph nodes and presence of distant metastasis (all P values 1 cm were independent predictors of poor survival. These data indicate that FAK is overexpressed in most invasive ovarian cancers and plays a functionally significant role in ovarian cancer migration and invasion. Thus, FAK may be an important therapeutic target in ovarian carcinoma.

Objective We previously demonstrated that aggressive ovarian cancer cells are able to display in vitro vasculogenic mimicry, which is reflected by their ability to form vasculogenic-like networks in 3-dimensional cultures and to express vascular cell-associated markers. The goal of this study was to examine the functional role of specific matrix metalloproteinases in the formation of vasculogenic-like networks and extracellular matrix remodeling in vitro. We also investigated the clinical relevance of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase in human ovarian cancers with evidence of tumor cell-lined vasculature. Study design Ovarian cancer cells (A2780-PAR, SKOV3, and EG) were seeded onto separate 3-dimensional cultures that contained either Matrigel or type I collagen, in the absence of endothelial cells or fibroblasts. These cultures were treated with either chemically modified tetracycline-3 (general matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor), recombinant tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 or -2, or function-blocking antibodies to matrix metalloproteinase-2 or -9 or membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase. In addition, 78 invasive epithelial ovarian cancers were evaluated for expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase and correlated with various clinical parameters. Results The aggressive ovarian cancer cells (SKOV3 and EG) were able to form in vitro vasculogenic-like networks and contract 3-dimensional collagen I gels, whereas the poorly aggressive A2780-PAR cell line did not. Chemically modified tetracycline-3 completely blocked the network formation. Blocking antibodies to matrix metalloproteinase-2 and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase inhibited the formation of the vasculogenic-like networks and collagen gel contraction, but the antibody to matrix metalloproteinase-9 had no effect on network formation and minimal effect on gel contraction. Treatment of 3-dimensional cultures with tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 retarded the network formation and only small, partially developed structures were noted that did not form network connections. Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 had no appreciable effect on the extent or efficiency of network formation. Human invasive ovarian cancers with evidence of tumor cell-lined vasculature were significantly more likely to have strong epithelial and stromal matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase expression (all probability values were Conclusion Matrix metalloproteinase-2 and membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase appear to play a key role in the development of vasculogenic-like networks and matrix remodeling by aggressive ovarian cancer cells. Human ovarian cancers with matrix metalloproteinase overexpression are more likely to have tumor cell-lined vasculature. These results may offer new insights for consideration in ovarian cancer treatment strategies.

Telomerase activation and p53 dysfunction are important events in the development and progression of most cancers including ovarian cancer. However, many cancer cell lines and human tumors have been shown to lack telomerase, and maintain telomerase through the ALT (alternative lengthening of telomeres). It is not known whether specific types of p53 mutations are correlated with telomerase activity in human tumors. Invasive ovarian cancers (109) were analyzed for telomerase by ELISA and its subunits human telomerase RNA (hTR), and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) by RT-PCR. p53 protein was analyzed in the same samples using immunohistochemistry, and p53 exons 2-11 were analyzed using SSCP and sequence analysis. Telomerase activity was detected in 80 (74%) of 109 tumors. The subunit hTR was consistently present in all ovarian cancer samples, and hTERT was expressed in 96 (88%) tumors. Thirteen (16%) tumors were negative for hTERT and none of these expressed telomerase. Fifty-seven (52%) tumors stained positive for p53, and there was no correlation with telomerase activity based on p53 staining (p = 0.08). Eighty-two (75%) tumors were found to have a p53 mutation, and 40 (36%) tumors contained a null mutation. Only 14% of the tumors with wild type or missense p53 were negative for telomerase activity. In contrast, 19 (48%) of 40 tumors with a p53 null mutation were negative for telomerase activity (p

Platinum compounds display clinical activity against a wide variety of solid tumors; however, resistance to these agents is a major limitation in cancer therapy. Reduced platinum uptake and increased platinum export are examples of resistance mechanisms that limit the extent of DNA damage. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of the role of ATP11B, a P-type ATPase membrane protein, in cisplatin resistance. We found that ATP11B expression was correlated with higher tumor grade in human ovarian cancer samples and with cisplatin resistance in human ovarian cancer cell lines. ATP11B gene silencing restored the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cell lines to cisplatin in vitro. Combined therapy of cisplatin and ATP11B-targeted siRNA significantly decreased cancer growth in mice bearing ovarian tumors derived from cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant cells. In vitro mechanistic studies on cellular platinum content and cisplatin efflux kinetics indicated that ATP11B enhances the export of cisplatin from cells. The colocalization of ATP11B with fluorescent cisplatin and with vesicular trafficking proteins, such as syntaxin-6 (STX6) and vesicular-associated membrane protein 4 (VAMP4), strongly suggests that ATP11B contributes to secretory vesicular transport of cisplatin from Golgi to plasma membrane. In conclusion, inhibition of ATP11B expression could serve as a therapeutic strategy to overcome cisplatin resistance.

Vasculogenic mimicry reflects the plasticity of aggressive tumor cells that express vascular cell markers and line tumor vasculature; such has been demonstrated in aggressive ovarian carcinoma. This study measured the clinical significance of tumor cell-lined vasculature in ovarian carcinomas (n = 77), which was detected in 23 (29.8%) tumors. The data show that tumor cell-lined vasculature was associated with aggressive tumor features and with shorter overall survival (p < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards model revealed that tumor cell-lined vasculature (p = 0.002) was independently associated with poor survival. This is the first study demonstrating the clinical implications of tumor cell-lined vasculature in ovarian carcinoma.