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Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the worst cancers in terms of prognosis. Standard therapy consists of resection with concomitant chemoradiotherapy. Resistance to nimustine hydrochloride (ACNU), an alkylating agent, has been linked to methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT). Daily administration of procarbazine (PCZ) has been reported to decrease MGMT activity. This study investigated the efficacy of ACNU + PCZ compared to ACNU alone for GBM and anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). Patients (20–69 years) who had newly diagnosed AA and GBM were randomly assigned to receive radiotherapy with ACNU alone or with ACNU + PCZ. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). This was designed as a phase II/III trial with a total sample size of 310 patients and was registered as UMIN-CTR C000000108. After 111 patients from 19 centers in Japan were enrolled, this study was terminated early because temozolomide was newly approved in Japan. The median OS and median progression-free survival (PFS) with ACNU alone (n = 55) or ACNU + PCZ (n = 56) in the intention-to-treat population were 27.4 and 22.4 months (p = 0.75), and 8.6 and 6.9 months, respectively. The median OS and median PFS of the GBM subgroup treated with ACNU alone (n = 40) or ACNU + PCZ (n = 41) were 19.0 and 19.5 months, and 6.2 and 6.3 months, respectively. Grade 3/4 hematologic adverse events occurred in more than 40 % of patients in both arms, and 27 % of patients discontinued treatment because of adverse events. The addition of PCZ to ACNU was not beneficial, in comparison with ACNU alone, for patients with newly diagnosed AA and GBM.

Favorable responses to temozolomide chemotherapy have recently been reported in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) patients who are refractory to high-dose methotrexate therapy. The gene encoding the DNA repair enzyme O (6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) is transcriptionally silenced by promoter methylation in several human tumors, including gliomas and systemic lymphomas. MGMT promoter methylation is also a prognostic marker in glioblastoma patients treated with temozolomide. To validate temozolomide treatment in PCNSL, we applied methylation-sensitive high resolution melting (MS-HRM) analysis to quantitate MGMT methylation in PCNSL. MGMT promoter methylation was detected in tumors from 23 (51%) of 45 PCNSL patients, 11 of which were considered to have high (more than 70.0%) methylation status. Of the five recurrent PCNSLs treated with temozolomide, four cases responded, with three achieving complete response and one, a partial response. All four responsive PCNSLs had methylated MGMT promoters, whereas the non-responsive recurrent PCNSL did not. Thus, the use of quantitative MS-HRM analysis for the detection of MGMT promoter methylation has been suggested in PCNSL for the first time. The assay allows rapid and high-throughput evaluation of the MGMT methylation status, and seems to be promising in clinical settings. MGMT promoter methylation may become a useful marker for predicting the response of PCNSLs to temozolomide.

Introduction: Podoplanin/aggrus is a mucin-like sialoglycoprotein that is highly expressed in malignant gliomas. Podoplanin has been reported to be a novel marker to enrich tumor-initiating cells, which are thought to resist conventional therapies and to be responsible for cancer relapse. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an anti-podoplanin antibody is suitable to target radionuclides to malignant gliomas. Methods: The binding affinity of an anti-podoplanin antibody, NZ-1 (rat IgG2a), was determined by surface plasmon resonance and Scatchard analysis. NZ-1 was radioiodinated with 125 I using Iodogen [ 125 I-NZ-1(Iodogen)] or N-succinimidyl 4-guanidinomethyl 3-[ 131 I] iodobenzoate ([ 131 I]SGMIB-NZ-1), and paired-label internalization assays of NZ-1 were performed. The tissue distribution of 125 I-NZ-1 (Iodogen) and that of [ 131 I]SGMIB-NZ-1 were then compared in athymic mice bearing glioblastoma xenografts. Results: The dissociation constant (KD) of NZ-1 was determined to be 1.2×10 −10 M by surface plasmon resonance and 9.8×10 −10 M for D397MG glioblastoma cells by Scatchard analysis. Paired-label internalization assays in LN319 glioblastoma cells indicated that [ 131 I] SGMIB-NZ-1 resulted in higher intracellular retention of radioactivity (26.3±0.8% of initially bound radioactivity at 8 h) compared to that from the 125 I-NZ-1(Iodogen) (10.0±0.1% of initially bound radioactivity at 8 h). Likewise, tumor uptake of [ 131 I]SGMIB-NZ-1 (39.9±8.8 % ID/g at 24 h) in athymic mice bearing D2159MG xenografts in vivo was significantly higher than that of 125 I-NZ-1(Iodogen) (29.7±6.1 %ID/g at 24 h). Conclusions: The overall results suggest that an anti-podoplanin antibody NZ-1 warrants further evaluation for antibody-based therapy against glioblastoma.

✓ A case of surgically treated pilocytic astrocytoma in the cerebellar vermis is reported in a patient who subsequently demonstrated multiple subarachnoid nodular masses in the cerebrum and spinal cord 6 years after the initial surgery. The nodular tumors did not indicate a growth tendency on computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging over a 2-year observation period. The histology of the nodular masses in the cerebrum and spinal cord was similar to that of the original tumor. The bromodeoxyuridine labeling index indicated low proliferative activity (0.5%). The peculiar pattern of dissemination of the pilocytic astrocytoma is described.

Keratan sulfate (KS) proteoglycans are expressed on a subpopulation of microglia in normal adult brain. We previously showed the up-regulated expression of KS in one of glioblastoma cell lines using anti-KS antibody (5D4). However, it has not been clarified whether KS is expressed in brain tumors and is involved in their malignancy. In this study, 54 astrocytic tumors were investigated about KS-expression using Western-blot with 5D4. In six of 14 anaplastic astrocytomas (43%) and 23 of 34 glioblastomas (68%), KS was detected by 5D4. KS was hardly detected by 5D4 in diffuse astrocytoma, suggesting that KS-expression is significantly expressed in malignant astrocytic tumors. In immunohistochemistry, KS is highly expressed in cell surface of malignant astrocytic tumors. Taken together, KS might be associated with the malignancy of astrocytic tumors, and be useful for a prognostic factor of astrocytic tumors.

The rapid advancement in lithography and continuing shrink in feature dimensions demand tighter overlay tolerances for fabrication of memory circuits with higher yields (Refer to table 1 for ITRS overlay requirements). To meet tight overlay tolerances, sources of alignment errors need to be identified and corrected accurately. Alignment errors can be contributed by 3 factors; wafer induced shift (WIS), tool induced shift (TIS) and WIS-TIS interaction. WIS is introduced by wafer processing while TIS is introduced by the alignment tool (i.e. scanner or metrology). This paper introduces methods for improvement of alignment performance at layers that experience WIS. A study on mark reflectivity was done. A number of various alignment mark designs were evaluated. The most robust mark to Tungsten Chemical Mechanical Polishing (WCMP) process, based on experimental results, will be illustrated. The concept of the 'Alignment Parameter Optimizer' to select the best alignment illumination mode for each mark and the best sample shots for alignment within the wafer, taking throughput into consideration, will be discussed. A new alignment algorithm that is able to compensate for asymmetric alignment marks will also be presented in this paper. Finally, production data from a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) manufacturer with the implementation of the above-mentioned concepts will be illustrated.

The 65nm and the subsequent 45nm node lithography require very stringent CD control. To realize high-accuracy CD control on an exposure tool, it is essential to reduce wavefront aberrations induced by projection optics design and manufacturing errors and then stabilize the aberrations while the exposure tool is in operation. We have developed two types of new hyper-NA ArF projection optics to integrate into our new platform exposure tool: a dry system and a catadioptric system for immersion application. In this paper, aberration measurement results of these projection systems are shown, demonstrating that ultra-low aberration is realized. In addition, a new projection optical system has been developed which incorporates high degree-of-freedom Aberration Controllers and automatic aberration measuring sensors. These controllers and sensors are linked together through Aberration Solver, a software program to determine optimal target values for aberration correction, thereby allowing the projection optics to maintain its best optical properties. The system offers excellent performance in correcting aberrations that come from lens heating, and makes it possible to guarantee extremely low aberrations during operation of the exposure tool.

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is defined as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) confined to the central nervous system. Although PCNSL cannot be histologically distinguished from extracerebral DLBCL, its prognosis is quite poor. To gain insights into the transforming mechanism of PCNSL, we conducted whole-exome sequencing for 44 PCNSL specimens. Genomic DNA was extracted from tumors and their matched normal samples. Exome fragments were captured by using SureSelectXT Human All ExonV5+lncRNA, and subjected to deep sequencing with the HiSeq 2000 system. There were 8 cases with germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) subtype and 34 cases with non-GCB subtype. Whole-exome sequencing of tumor and paired normal yielded sequencing data with a mean coverage of 156X and 80X, with 98% and 99% of the targeted bases covered by ≥20 independent reads, respectively. Of 17,832 somatic mutations identified in the PCNSL specimens, 11,611 (65%) were nonsynonymous single nucleotide variations. Predominant nucleotide substitution was a C>T transition (57%) especially in the context of the sequence GCG. We also identified 798 insertions/deletions. Interestingly, MYD88 mutations were detected in 35 of 44 patients (79.5%), and PIM1 mutations were detected in 42 patients (95.5%). Also, a number of genetic aberrations were shown to activate the NF-κB pathway. These results suggest that MYD88 and PIM1 mutations have important roles in the development of PCNSL and could be the therapeutic targets of this intractable disorder. Citation Format: Motoo Nagane, Kazutaka Fukumura, Toshihide Ueno, Jeunghun Lee, Yukiko Shishido-Hara, Mitsuaki Shirahata, Kazuhiko Mishima, Koichi Ichimura, Akitake Mukasa, Yoshitaka Narita, Ryo Nishikawa, Hiroyuki Mano. Whole-exome sequencing analysis of primary central nervous system lymphoma reveals recurrent MYD88 and PIM1 mutations. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3893. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3893

The mucin-type sialoglycoprotein, podoplanin (aggrus), is a platelet-aggregating factor on cancer cells. We previously described up-regulated expression of podoplanin in malignant astrocytic tumors including glioblastoma. Its expression was associated with tumor malignancy. In the present study, we investigated podoplanin expression and platelet-aggregating activities of glioblastoma cell lines. First, we established a highly reactive anti-podoplanin antibody, NZ-1, which inhibits podoplanin-induced platelet aggregation completely. Of 15 glioblastoma cell lines, LN319 highly expressed podoplanin and induced platelet aggregation. Glycan profiling using a lectin microarray showed that podoplanin on LN319 possesses sialic acid, which is important in podoplanin-induced platelet aggregation. Interestingly, NZ-1 neutralized platelet aggregation by LN319. These results suggest that podoplanin is a main reason for platelet aggregation induced by LN319. We infer that NZ-1 is useful to determine whether platelet aggregation is podoplanin-specific or not. Furthermore, podoplanin might become a therapeutic target of glioblastoma for antibody-based therapy.

Podoplanin, a mucin-like transmembrane sialoglycoprotein, promotes platelet aggregation and may be involved in cancer cell migration, invasion, metastasis, and malignant progression. Podoplanin/aggrus is highly expressed in testicular seminoma, suggesting that it may be a sensitive marker for testicular seminomas. Here we investigated the expression of podoplanin in central nervous system (CNS) germ cell tumors (GCTs) by immunohistochemical staining of tumor samples from 62 patients. In 40 of 41 (98%) germinomas (including germinomatous components in mixed GCTs), podoplanin was diffusely expressed on the surface of germinoma cells; lymphocytes, interstitial cells, and syncytiotrophoblastic giant cells were negative for podoplanin. Except for immature teratomas (12/17; 71%), podoplanin expression was absent in non-germinomatous GCTs, including seven teratomas, seven embryonal carcinomas, seven yolk sac tumors, and seven choriocarcinomas. In immature teratomas, focal podoplanin staining was observed in fewer than 10% of immature squamous and columnar epithelial cells. Thus, podoplanin expression may be a sensitive immunohistochemical marker for germinoma in CNS GCTs. As such, it may be useful for diagnosis, for monitoring the efficacy of treatment, and as a potential target for antibody-based therapy.

Alterations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene are common in some forms of cancer and the most frequent is a deletion of exons 2-7. We have previously shown that this mutant receptor, called DeltaEGFR, confers enhanced tumorigenicity to glioblastoma cells through elevated proliferation and reduced apoptotic rates of the tumor cells in vivo. To understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie DeltaEGFR-enhanced proliferation, we examined the gene products that control cell cycle progression. We found that levels of the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor, p27, were lower in U87MG.DeltaEGFR tumors than in parental U87MG or control U87MG.DK tumors. Consequently, CDK2-cyclin A activity was also elevated, concomitant with the RB protein hyperphosphorylation. In addition, activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) and phosphorylated Akt levels were also elevated in the U87MG.DeltaEGFR tumors. U87MG.DeltaEGFR cells failed to arrest in G(1) in response to serum starvation in vitro and while maintaining high levels of PI3-K activity and hyperphosphorylated RB. Treatment of U87MG.DeltaEGFR cells with LY294002, a PI3-K inhibitor, caused reduced levels of phosphorylated Akt and concomitantly up-regulated levels of p27. Expression of a kinase dead dominant-negative Akt mutant in the U87MG.DeltaEGFR cells similarly resulted in up-regulation of p27 and down-regulation of tumorigenicity in vivo. These results suggest that the constitutively active DeltaEGFR can enhance cell proliferation in part by down-regulation of p27 through activation of the PI3-K/Akt pathway. This pathway may represent another therapeutic target for treatment of those aggressive glioblastomas expressing DeltaEGFR.

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy plays a central part in the treatment of glioblastoma, however, it is not curative due to the high tumor radioresistance. Therefore, increasing the sensitivity of glioblastoma cells to radiation is a promising approach to improve survival in patients with glioblastoma. The Mre11, Rad 50 and Nbs1 proteins form a complex (MRN) that has a critical role in DNA damage detection and signaling. Because defects in MRN enhance radiosensitivity, it has been proposed that small molecule inhibitors targeted to these proteins might be used as radiosensitizers. Here, we investigated the effects of the MRN complex inhibitor, Mirin, on radiation response of human glioma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Glioma cell lines (U251, LN229 and LN428) were irradiated with and without Mirin and then clonogenicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle change were examined. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the relative potency of Mirin to inhibit the radioresistance, through the signaling activity of AKT. We also examined the levels of H2AX phosphorylation (γH2AX), which is a marker of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) using Western blot. RESULTS: Glioblastoma cells pretreated with Mirin demonstrated an enhanced sensitivity to radiation. FACS analysis revealed that Mirin and radiation caused the glioma cells to accumulate in the G2/M-phase of the cell cycle and the combination of these two treatments further increased the G2/M fraction of the glioma cells. Mirin significantly enhanced radiation-induced apoptotic cell death. Also, Mirin blocked the basal and increase of radiation-induced AKT phosphorylation. We observed that the combination of Mirin and radiation increased persistence of γH2AX at 24 h suggesting the inhibition of DNA DSBs repair. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that Mirin can effectively enhance glioma cell radiosensitivity. It suggests that Mirin is a potent radiosensitizer for treating glioma cells.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (iGCTs) are the second most common central nervous system tumors in patients under 14 in Japan. The majority of germinomas respond well to combined chemo- and radiotherapy, however non-germinoma germ cell tumors (NGGCTs) may show resistance to therapy and have a poor clinical outcome. Despite their clinical significance, the biology of iGCTs is mostly unknown. The aim of this study is to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of iGCTs through a comprehensive genomic analysis. A total of 198 germ cell tumors (GCTs) including 133 iGCTs (69 pure germinomas, 56 NGGCTs and 8 metastatic tumors) as well as 65 testicular germ cell tumors (tGCTs) (39 seminomas and 26 non-seminoma GCTs) were collected from 13 centers participating in the Intracranial Germ Cell Tumor Consortium in Japan. Matched normal DNA was available for 70 iGCTs and 4 tGCTs. Somatic mutations in all coding exons were investigated by whole exome sequencing (WES) using SureSelectXT Human All Exon v4 and a GAIIx or HiSeq 2000 system in 41 tumors and the matched normal DNAs. Targeted sequencing with a set of custom made PCR primers was performed using either an IonTorrent PGM or Proton System. The results were integrated with the patients' clinical information that was available for 124 iGCT patients. Mutations in selected candidate genes were further evaluated in an independent tumor cohort using the IonTorrent PGM system. On average, 15.4 non-synonymous somatic mutations were observed in each tumor, ranging from 1 to 140 by WES in 41 iGCTs. Based on the WES data, 41 candidate genes were selected according to the frequency and/or significance of the mutations found. All coding exons of these 41 genes spanning over 160kb were PCR-amplified in a further 157 GCTs using the IonTorrent system. The combined WES and IonTorrent screenings showed that KIT was the most frequently mutated gene in both iGCTs (27%) and tGCTs (18%). MTOR was the second most frequently mutated also in both iGCTs (7%) and tGCTs (6%). RAS mutations (KRAS, HRAS, NRAS) were altogether found in 13% of iGCTs and 12% of tGCTs. These mutations were mutually exclusive to each other and also to KIT mutations. Collectively, the genes involved in the MAPK pathway (e.g., KIT, RAS, NF1) and the PI3K/MTOR pathway (e.g., MTOR, PTEN) were mutated in 44% and 13% of all GCTs. These alterations were significantly more common among pure germinomas than NGGCTs. The mutated MTOR protein was shown to have increased kinase activity, which was suppressed by a specific MTOR inhibitor. Our comprehensive mutational genomic analysis of GCTs revealed that alterations of the MAPK and/or PI3K/MTOR pathways play a critical role in the pathogenesis of both iGCTs and tGCTs, although the extent of their involvement depends on the histopathological subtypes. Our findings will hopefully lead to the development of a targeted therapy for treatment-resistant iGCTs. Citation Format: Koichi Ichimura, Shintaro Fukushima, Yasushi Totoki, Yuko Matsushita, Ayaka Otsuka, Arata Tomiyama, Tohru Niwa, Ryuichi Sakai, Toshikazu Ushijima, Taishi Nakamura, Tomonari Suzuki, Kouhei Fukuoka, Takaaki Yanagisawa, Kazuhiko Mishima, Yoichi Nakazato, Fumie Hosoda, Yoshitaka Narita, Soichiro Shibui, Akihiko Yoshida, Hirokazu Takami, Akitake Mukasa, Koki Aihara, Nobuhito Saito, Toshihiro Kumabe, Masayuki Kanamori, Teiji Tominaga, Keiichi Kobayashi, Saki Shimizu, Motoo Nagane, Toshihiko Iuchi, Masahiro Mizoguchi, Koji Yoshimoto, Kaoru Tamura, Taketoshi Maehara, Kazuhiko Sugiyama, Mitsutoshi Nakada, Keiichi Sakai, Yonehiro Kanemura, Masahiro Nonaka, Kiyotaka Yokogami, Hideo Takeshima, Nobutaka Kawahara, Tatsuya Takayama, Masahiro Yao, Hiromi Nakamura, Natsuko Hama, Masao Matsutani, Tatsuhiro Shibata, Ryo Nishikawa. Whole exome and targeted sequencing identified the MAPK and PI3K pathways as the main targets in intracranial and testicular germ cell tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4264. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4264

BACKGROUND: (blind field). METHODS: DNA extracted in 15 min from glioma tissue collected during surgery was used to test for R132 point mutations of the IDH1 gene by using real-time PCR/high resolution melting analysis method (LightCycler 480 system). Normally, detecting IDH1 mutations requires about 80 min from the start of the PCR cycle. For rapid diagnosis, however, DNA extension and annealing times in the PCR cycle were reduced by half. Our results were compared with those obtained using the regular method. RESULTS: Regular analysis and rapid diagnosis analysis were used to detect IDH1 mutations in 6 glioma cases (diffuse astrocytoma, 2 cases; oligodendroglioma, 2 cases; anaplastic astrocytoma, 1 case; glioblastoma, 1 case). Both methods produced the same results in all cases. CONCLUSIONS: Direct DNA sequencing and immunostaining can be used to identify IDH1 mutations. However, because analyses by using the former method require several hours, it cannot be used in rapid diagnosis. The latter method could not identify all R132 mutations, because the current commercially available antibodies can only detect R132H mutant proteins. This method can detect IDH1 mutation in even 1% of tumor purity, and determine all IDH1 R132 mutation-positive gliomas during surgery in 50–60 min after the tissue is collected. Further, this method could aid in intraoperative pathological diagnoses to differentiate IDH1 mutation-positive low-malignancy gliomas from gliosis and other non-neoplastic tissues. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Clinical Neuro-Oncology.

BACKGROUND: The initial symptoms of pineal region tumors might vary according to histology and era. METHODS: The initial symptoms of 39 pineal region tumors who were treated at the International Medical Center, Saitama Medical University and whose initial clinical symptoms were well documented on charts were analyzed. Those symptoms were compared with those of historical control (HC) of 26 "pienalomas" (1), who were treated at the University of Tokyo in pre-CTera (mostly germ cell tumors, but some without histological confirmation). RESULTS: There were 32 germ cell tumors (germinoma 20, non-germinomatous germ cell tumors (NGGCT) 12) and 6 pineal parenchymal tumors (PPT). Increased intracranial pressure (IICP) was observed in 20 cases (51%) which was slightly less than the HC (66.7%) (P = 0.17), The IICP was observed 40% of cases in germinoma, 83.3% in NGCGCT and 33.3% in PPT. Eye movement disorder was observed in 18 of 39 patients (47%) wheres that was only in 12 (33.3%) in the HC (P= 0.26). Abnormality in pupils was observed in 33.3% in the study cohort and in 25% in HC (P = 0.43). Diabetes insipidus, which suggests the presence of multifocal lesion involving hypothalamus was observed in 25% of GCTs of study cohort and in 19.4% in the HC. CONCLUSIONS: With the advancement of modern imaging modalities and accessibility to neurosurgical practice, the clinical pictures of pineal region tumors have been slightly changed but not significantly. Current pineal region tumors tend to be found a little earlier than the pre-CT era. (1) Fujimaki T. Ryoikibetsu-shoukougun series, 2000 SECONDARY CATEGORY: Epidemiology & Cancer Control.

BACKGROUND: It has long been discussed whether HCG secreting germinomas are more malignant than pure germinomas. The Japanese study group insists of no difference in survival between two kinds of germinomas, whereas the European and American study groups put HCG germinomas into the high risk group. In order to solve the question, we analyzed the treatment results, the titer of a small amount of HCG-β in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and the expression of HCGβ mRNA in germinoma cells. METHODS: (1) We selected 80 germinoma patients with or without HCG secretion for PFS analysis who were treated by proper radiation volume for their tumors developing in/around the third ventricle in the Japanese prospective study. (2) The initial serum and CSF samples were measured for HCG-β with the ultrasensitive technique to detect picogram levels of HCG-β in 36 histologically confirmed germinomas. (3) The expression of HCGβ mRNA was analyzed by qPCR in 76 germ cell tumors. RESULTS: (1) There was no significant difference in 15 year PFS between pure germinomas (93.1%, n = 61) and HCG-germinomas (80.7%, n = 19) in the Japanese prospective study. (2) In 36 germinomas examined, the HCG-β was detectable in both serum and CSF. The serum levels were 3.1–5851 pg/mL (median 44.8), and the CSF levels were 13–13116.3 pg/mL (median 119.5). (3) Most of the germ cell tumors expressed HCG-β mRNA in higher degrees compared with the normal brain tissue (comparative ratio to brain: 0.46 - 7.6 × 107). The expression of HCG-β mRNA in germinomas was highly variable, ranging from 72.6 - 2.1 × 105 to below the brain (0.46 - 1.4 × 103), and the differences of the expression among cases were linear, and not bimodal, suggesting no clear cut-off titer. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that all germinomas can produce HCG-β and fall into the same category in terms of HCG-β productivity. Based on this theory, all germinoma patients should be treated with the same protocol. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Pediatrics.

Object. Activation of signaling by the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) through gene amplification or rearrangement is common in human malignancy, especially in a large fraction of de novo glioblastomas multiforme (GBMs). The most common mutant EGFR, (ΔEGFR, also known as de2–7 EGFR and EGFRvIII) lacks a portion of the extracellular domain, enhances tumorigenicity in vivo, and causes resistance to the chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin (CDDP). This resistance is due to the suppression of CDDP-induced apoptosis by the constitutively active tyrosine kinase activity of the receptor. The authors have investigated whether inhibition of AEGFR signaling by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, tyrphostin AG1478, could sensitize tumor xenografts to CDDP and, thereby, enhance its therapeutic efficacy in animals. Methods. Nude mice were inoculated either subcutaneously or intracerebrally with human GBM cells expressing ΔEGFR and were then systemically treated with CDDP and/or AG1478. Tumor volumes were monitored and tumor sections were analyzed by using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assays or MIB-1 staining. Expression of ΔEGFR, but not wild-type EGFR, conferred CDDP resistance to the cells in vivo. Inhibition of receptor signaling by the EGFR-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor, AG1478, sensitized the xenografts to the cytotoxic effects of CDDP. This combined CDDP/AG1478 treatment significantly suppressed growth of subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice in a synergistic manner (p < 0.01 compared with vehicle control) without causing generalized toxicity, whereas treatments with CDDP or AG1478 alone were ineffective. The synergistic growth suppression by the CDDP/AG1478 combination was not observed in xenografts overexpressing wild-type EGFR or kinase-deficient ΔEGFR. The combined CDDP/AG1478 treatment induced tumor growth suppression, which correlated with increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation. This treatment also extended the life span of mice bearing intracerebral xenografts (p < 0.01 compared with controls). Conclusions. The results of this study may provide the basis for the development of a novel and safe therapeutic strategy for the very aggressive ΔEGFR-expressing GBM.

BACKGROUND Tumor marker-producing germ cell tumors of the central nervous system are malignant and require radiation and/or chemotherapy. Although serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) has been used to monitor the course of treatment, the levels of beta-hCG in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) have not been measured routinely in the clinic. To determine whether they can be used to evaluate parameters of tumor status, such as progression or response to therapy, levels of beta-hCG in the serum and CSF of patients with germ cell tumors were studied. METHODS Fifty-four paired samples of CSF and serum were taken from seven patients with germ cell tumor and their beta-hCG levels were measured. Beta-hCG was negative in both serum and CSF in 11 instances and the levels in the other 43 paired samples were analyzed for any correlation or relationship to therapy. They were also compared with the clinical courses. RESULTS The mean CSF beta-hCG level was 11.5 mIU/ml, which was significantly higher than the level in serum (3.5, p = 0.002). In all the paired samples except for one time point, the level in CSF was higher than that in serum. Out of 43 instances where the beta-hCG level in CSF was elevated, the level in serum was elevated in only 16 (37.2%). Among cases of recurrent malignant germ cell tumor, there were nine instances of recurrence or progression despite therapy. In all five instances where beta-hCG CSF levels were measured, the levels were elevated prior to any increase or detectability of the serum values. CONCLUSION It seems likely that the level of beta-hCG in CSF is a good marker for monitoring tumor recurrence or evaluation of treatment results.

We previously reported that schwannoma-derived growth factor (SDGF), a member of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, participates in autocrine pathways and promotes rat glioma cell growth. To investigate the potential role of similar molecules in human gliomas, we examined 7 human glioma cell lines and 11 glioblastoma specimens for expression of the human homologue of SDGF, amphiregulin (AR), as well as heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF). Northern blot analysis revealed that only one cell line and no tumor specimens expressed AR mRNA. In contrast, HB-EGF mRNA was expressed in all human glioma cell lines and its level of expression was two- to five-fold higher than that of control brain tissues in 8 of 11 glioblastoma cases. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that membrane-anchored HB-EGF (proHB-EGF) and EGFR were co-expressed in 44% of 34 human malignant gliomas. Introduction of exogenous HB-EGF (10 ng/ml) increased human glioma cell proliferation, and anti-HB-EGF blocking antibodies reduced the growth of glioma cells by 30-40%, confirming the presence of an autocrine loop. When added to the medium, transforming growth factor-alpha, basic fibroblast growth factor, or HB-EGF rapidly induced HB-EGF mRNA expression. These results indicate that HB-EGF and proHB-EGF contribute to the growth of human malignant glioma cells, most likely through autocrine and juxtacrine mechanisms.

As the most critical semiconductor device geometries shrink down to the quarter micron order, requirements for overlay accuracy also become increasingly critical in the actual semiconductor manufacturing process. Factors in overlay error (especially, alignment error) originate in the interaction of process and tool. It is therefore necessary to improve alignment accuracy from both the process and the tool sides. In an effort to solve this as a tool supplier, we at Canon must minimize tool factors to reduce alignment errors caused by the interaction of process and tool factors. We though that we needed some evaluation criteria with such interaction take into account, and redefined the concepts of tool induced shift and wafer induced shift as a criterion. This paper introduces these new concepts and discusses validity of the criteria showing experimental results of alignment accuracy implementing the idea in the real process.

Heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a recently described member of the EGF family that binds to and stimulates phosphorylation of the EGF receptor (EGFR). In this study, we examined the cellular localization of HB-EGF gene transcripts and protein in adult rat forebrain. In situ hybridization studies showed that neurons in various regions, including cortex, hippocampus, and deep structures, express HB-EGF mRNA. Positively labeled cells were also present in white matter, which suggests that both neurons and glia express HB-EGF mRNA. Immunohistochemical studies with an antibody specific to proHB-EGF, a transmembrane form of HB-EGF, demonstrated ubiquitous immunoreactivity in neurons and glial cells in white matter. In view of the wide expression of its cognitive receptor, EGFR, in central nervous system neurons, our results suggest that HB-EGF is an endogenous ligand for EGFR in the central nervous system and may play an important role in physiological conditions.

Schwannoma-derived growth factor (SDGF) is a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, having mitogenic activity on rat astrocytes, fibroblasts and Schwann cells. The SDGF gene is significantly expressed in the newborn rat lung and in the adult rat sciatic nerve. However, except for one rat schwannoma cell line, from which SDGF and its cDNA were isolated, nothing is known about SDGF expression in established tumor cell lines. We examined the expression level of the SDGF gene in a variety of rat tumor cell lines by Northern blotting and found that it was increased in 11 of 25 established lines. The most abundant SDGF mRNA, which was about 50-fold higher than in the newborn rat lung, was expressed in rat liver adenoma dRLa74 cells. In rat glioma cell lines, such as C6, 9L and T9, and in the rat hepatoma dRLh84 and H411E cells, the SDGF expression level was about 10-fold higher than in the newborn rat lung. In 8 of 13 cell lines expressing SDGF mRNA, the EGF receptor (EGFR) gene, the product of which is regarded as a functional receptor of SDGF, was co-expressed. In addition, transfected gene-dependent anti-sense SDGF RNA expression under the control of the human metallothionein promoter significantly suppressed the in vitro growth as well as in vivo tumorigenicity of 9L glioma cells. Our results suggest that SDGF acts as an autocrine growth factor in the development and growth of rat tumors such as gliomas.

The s-myc gene is a unique myc family gene without introns that was isolated from a rat genomic library using the –-myc exon 3 region as a probe. Significant expression of the s-myc gene was detected in rat embryo chondrocytes committed to programmed cell death. Gene transfection experiments showed that s-myc expression in rat and human glioma cells killed the cells by apoptosis induction. These obser–a-tions, indicating that s-Myc can act as an apoptosis inducer in –i–o and in –itro, suggest that the s-myc gene might be useful for gene therapy of gliomas. To test this possibility, we introduced the s-myc gene (pCEP4smyc), linked to the cytomegalo–i-rus promoter, into glioma-bearing rats. Surprisingly, injection of pCEP4smyc plasmid DNA together with rat 9L or C6 glioma cells completely pre–ented 9L- or C6-deri–ed tumor formation in the brain or the hind leg of rats. A similar dramatic antitumor effect induced by s-myc gene expression was obser–ed at a site distant from the original site at which the s-myc gene and glioma cells were coinjected. These results indicated that s-myc expression has the potential to elicit a host antitiumor immune response.

[Background and Purpose] 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is one of leading compounds widely used in photodynamic diagnosis and therapy of solid tumors: 5-ALA is metabolically converted to protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), a fluorescent molecule in response to excitation with a laser beam of 405 nm wavelength, that accumulates specifically in tumor lesions. This is found to be very effective for intra-operative detection of malignant brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). On the other hand, we occasionally encountered cancerous lesions that are apparently malignant under a white light, while showing no fluorescence of the PpIX during cyto-reductive operation of the GBM. In order to overcome this problem, we hereby searched for factors associated with either presence or absence of the PpIX fluorescence by means of comprehensive gene expression analysis. [Materials and Methods] Thirty-one patients of brain tumor (21 GBM, 3 pilocytic astrocytoma and 7 oligodendroglial tumors), orally-administrated with 5-ALA followed by operation under a fluorescence-guide, were enrolled in this study. Tumor specimens with or without the 5-ALA induced-fluorescence were collected from these patients and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNAs were extracted from the frozen tissues and were subjected to a comprehensive gene expression analysis using Whole Human Genome 4×44K Oligo Microarray (Agilent). We then compared gene expression levels between specimens with or without the fluorescence among individuals and selected candidate genes of which gene expression levels significantly differ between these. For validation, quantitative gene expression analyses were conducted for the candidates with real-time RT-PCR using gene specific-primers and probes. Knockdown experiments using specific siRNAs were also performed in cell lines derived from GBM to test their biological significance. [Results and Discussion] A total of 14 genes were initially selected as candidates that were associated with PpIX accumulation in GBM in the microarray analysis. Among these, CDH13 (cadherin 13) gene was expressed significantly higher in the fluorescence-positive GBMs than in negative ones. Knockdown of CDH13 gene expression in GBM cells treated with 5-ALA, attenuated the fluorescence intensity, indicating its possible role in PpIX accumulation. Further experiments are underway to elucidate molecular mechanisms of CDH13 in 5-ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence in brain tumor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4144. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-4144

The frequency of an AlGaAs laser diode (LD) was controlled by using a photothermal effect. If intensity-modulated light from a heating LD is focused on the active domain of another LD, a heat spot changes the effective cavity length of the LD and thus modulates the lasting frequency. For frequency stabilization, frequency shift is detected by a Fabry-Perot etalon, and it is compensated for by controlling the intensity of the heating LD via a proportional-integral-derivative controller. The highest stability obtained is 2.6x 10-11 (π = 10 s), which is an improvement of 2 to 3 orders of magnitude over the free-running state. In this method, the concurrent intensity modulation is much smaller than in the current modulation method.

Podoplanin (Aggrus) is a mucin-type sialoglycoprotein that plays a key role in tumor cell-induced platelet aggregation. Podoplanin possesses a platelet aggregation-stimulating (PLAG) domain, and Thr52 in the PLAG domain of human podoplanin is important for its activity. Endogenous or recombinant human podoplanin were purified, and total glycosylation profiles were surveyed by lectin microarray. Analyses of glycopeptides produced by Edman degradation and mass spectrometry revealed that the disialyl-corel (NeuAc alpha2-3Gal beta l-3(NeuAc alpha2-6)GalNAc alpha l-O-Thr) structure was primarily attached to a glycosylation site at residue Thr52. Sialic acid-deficient podoplanin recovered its activity after additional sialylation. These results indicated that the sialylated Corel at Thr52 is critical for podoplanin-induced platelet aggregation.