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We have applied the representational difference analysis (RDA) to isolate genetic markers for a deletion on the rat chromosome RNO5q22-33. This deletion occurred in anchorage independent sublines of a normal rat fibroblast x mouse hepatoma cell hybrid (BS181) (Islam 1989). Normal rat tissue DNA provided the "tester" and the BS181 hybrid DNA the "driver" in the RDA hybridization/selection reactions. Out of twelve RDA derived DNA sequences that were analyzed in detail using a rat X mouse cell hybrid panel for chromosome mapping, nine (75%) were found to represent RNO5 deletions, whereas the other three were new RFLPs mapping to other chromosomes. In two cases, the RDA sequences were also analyzed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and found to give distinct signals in the RNOq22-33 region. This result emphasizes teh significance of the previous cytogenetic analysis of this hybrid, which indicated the presence of a gene for the suppression of anchorage independence, Sai 1, in this deletion region. The RDA derived sequences isolated by this work will provide a valuable source of new genetic markers for the further detailed analysis of the Sai 1 deletion region.

Background Astatine-211 (211At) is an alpha particle emitting halogen with almost optimal linear energy transfer for creating DNA double-strand breaks and is thus proposed for radionuclide therapy when bound to tumor-seeking agents. Unbound 211At accumulates in the thyroid gland, and the concept of basal radiation-induced biological effects in the thyroid tissue is, to a high degree, unknown and is most valuable. Methods Female BALB/c nude mice were intravenously injected with 0.064 to 42 kBq of 211At, resulting in absorbed doses of 0.05 to 32 Gy in the thyroid gland. Thyroids were removed 24 h after injection; total RNA was extracted from pooled thyroids and processed in triplicate using Illumina MouseRef-8 Whole-Genome Expression Beadchips. Results Thyroids exposed to 211At revealed distinctive gene expression profiles compared to non-irradiated controls. A larger number of genes were affected at low absorbed doses (0.05 and 0.5 Gy) compared to intermediate (1.4 Gy) and higher absorbed doses (11 and 32 Gy). The proportion of dose-specific genes increased with decreased absorbed dose. Additionally, 1.4 Gy often exerted opposite regulation on gene expression compared to the other absorbed doses. Using Gene Ontology data, an immunological effect was detected at 0.05 and 11 Gy. Effects on cellular response to external stress and cell cycle regulation and proliferation were detected at 1.4 and 11 Gy. Conclusions Conclusively, the cellular response to ionizing radiation is complex and differs with absorbed dose. The response acquired at high absorbed doses cannot be extrapolated down to low absorbed doses or vice versa. We also demonstrated that the thyroid - already at absorbed doses similar to those obtained in radionuclide therapy - responds with expression of a high number of genes. Due to the increased heterogeneous irradiation at low absorbed doses, we suggest that this response partly originates from non-irradiated cells in the tissue, i.e., bystander cells.

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the global gene expression response of normal tissues following internal low absorbed dose irradiation of 131I. Methods Balb/c mice were intravenously injected with 13 to 260 kBq of 131I and euthanized 24 h after injection. Kidneys, liver, lungs, and spleen were surgically removed. The absorbed dose to the tissues was 0.1 to 9.7 mGy. Total RNA was extracted, and Illumina MouseRef-8 Whole-Genome Expression BeadChips (Illumina, Inc., San Diego, California, USA) were used to compare the gene expression of the irradiated tissues to that of non-irradiated controls. The Benjamini-Hochberg method was used to determine differentially expressed transcripts and control for false discovery rate. Only transcripts with a modulation of 1.5-fold or higher, either positively or negatively regulated, were included in the analysis. Results The number of transcripts affected ranged from 260 in the kidney cortex to 857 in the lungs. The majority of the affected transcripts were specific for the different absorbed doses delivered, and few transcripts were shared between the different tissues investigated. The response of the transcripts affected at all dose levels was generally found to be independent of dose, and only a few transcripts showed increasing or decreasing regulation with increasing absorbed dose. Few biological processes were affected at all absorbed dose levels studied or in all tissues studied. The types of biological processes affected were clearly tissue-dependent. Immune response was the only biological process affected in all tissues, and processes affected in more than three tissues were primarily associated with the response to stimuli and metabolism. Conclusion Despite the low absorbed doses delivered to the tissues investigated, a surprisingly strong response was observed. Affected biological processes were primarily associated with the normal function of the tissues, and only small deviations from the normal metabolic activity in the tissues were induced.

Summary The rat map was improved by determining the regional chromosome localization of 82 genes, thereby orienting each linkage group. New anonymous markers were also generated on rat chromosome 2.

Background Elevated plant sterol accumulation has been reported in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR), the stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHRSP) and the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat. Additionally, a blood pressure quantitative trait locus (QTL) has been mapped to rat chromosome 6 in a New Zealand genetically hypertensive rat strain (GH rat). ABCG5 and ABCG8 (encoding sterolin-1 and sterolin-2 respectively) have been shown to be responsible for causing sitosterolemia in humans. These genes are organized in a head-to-head configuration at the STSL locus on human chromosome 2p21. Methods To investigate whether mutations in Abcg5 or Abcg8 exist in SHR, SHRSP, WKY and GH rats, we initiated a systematic search for the genetic variation in coding and non-coding region of Abcg5 and Abcg8 genes in these strains. We isolated the rat cDNAs for these genes and characterized the genomic structure and tissue expression patterns, using standard molecular biology techniques and FISH for chromosomal assignments. Results Both rat Abcg5 and Abcg8 genes map to chromosome band 6q12. These genes span ~40 kb and contain 13 exons and 12 introns each, in a pattern identical to that of the STSL loci in mouse and man. Both Abcg5 and Abcg8 were expressed only in liver and intestine. Analyses of DNA from SHR, SHRSP, GH, WKY, Wistar, Wistar King A (WKA) and Brown Norway (BN) rat strains revealed a homozygous G to T substitution at nucleotide 1754, resulting in the coding change Gly583Cys in sterolin-1 only in rats that are both sitosterolemic and hypertensive (SHR, SHRSP and WKY). Conclusions The rat STSL locus maps to chromosome 6q12. A non-synonymous mutation in Abcg5, Gly583Cys, results in sitosterolemia in rat strains that are also hypertensive (WKY, SHR and SHRSP). Those rat strains that are hypertensive, but not sitosterolemic (e.g. GH rat) do not have mutations in Abcg5 or Abcg8. This mutation allows for expression and apparent apical targeting of Abcg5 protein in the intestine. These rat strains may therefore allow us to study the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the human disease of sitosterolemia.

Analysis of chromosome rearrangements in tumors is an important means for revealing genetic pathways underlying tumorigenesis and tumor progression. In a set of 17 rat sarcomas induced by exposure to 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), we had previously found homogeneously staining regions (which are generally accepted as cytogenetic signs of gene amplification) in 5 tumors, using cytogenetic analysis. By employing comparative genomic hybridization, we detected regional increases in DNA copy number of the proximal part of rat chromosome 4 (RNO4) in the tumors harboring homogeneously staining regions. We detected amplification of the Hgfr/Met oncogene, located at RNO4q21.2, by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in all five tumors. In four of them, several flanking genes located in the near vicinity of Hgfr/Met, including Cav1 (q21.1), Wnt2 (q21.2?q21.3) and Cftr (q21.3), were also amplified, although amplification was seen in a smaller fraction of the cells than Hgfr/Met amplification. In the fifth tumor (BL150T), Hgfr/Met was amplified in all cells and was the sole amplified gene of those tested. In addition the Hgfr/Met FISH signals in BL150T were tightly clustered and formed compact and intense spots compared with the signals seen in the other four tumors. Application of the free chromatin FISH technique to BL150T showed that the genomic Hgfr/Met probe stained the extended chromatin fibers of up to 1.5 megabases with an almost uninterrupted signal, indicating that the BL150T amplicon was build up solely from Hgfr/Met gene sequences. Our results indicate that the Hgfr/Met oncogene may be the primary target for amplification in a subset of rat DMBA sarcomas.

Introduction The kidneys are the dose-limiting organs in some radionuclide therapy regimens. However, the biological impact of internal exposure from radionuclides is still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dose rate and time after i.v. injection of 177LuCl3 on changes in transcriptional patterns in mouse kidney tissue. Methods To investigate the effect of dose rate, female Balb/c nude mice were i.v. injected with 11, 5.6, 1.6, 0.8, 0.30, and 0 MBq of 177LuCl3, and killed at 3, 6, 24, 48, 168, and 24 hours after injection, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of time after onset of exposure was analysed using mice injected with 0.26, 2.4, and 8.2 MBq of 177LuCl3, and killed at 45, 90, and 140 days after injection. Global transcription patterns of irradiated kidney cortex and medulla were assessed and enriched biological processes were determined from the regulated gene sets using Gene Ontology terms. Results The average dose rates investigated were 1.6, 0.84, 0.23, 0.11 and 0.028 mGy/min, with an absorbed dose of 0.3 Gy. At 45, 90 and 140 days, the absorbed doses were estimated to 0.3, 3, and 10 Gy. In general, the number of differentially regulated transcripts increased with time after injection, and decreased with absorbed dose for both kidney cortex and medulla. Differentially regulated transcripts were predominantly involved in metabolic and stress response-related processes dependent on dose rate, as well as transcripts associated with metabolic and cellular integrity at later time points. Conclusion The observed transcriptional response in kidney tissue was diverse due to difference in absorbed dose, dose rate and time after exposure. Nevertheless, several transcripts were significantly regulated in all groups despite differences in exposure parameters, which may indicate potential biomarkers for exposure of kidney tissue.

Background It is of great significance to find better markers to correctly distinguish between high-risk and low-risk breast cancer patients since the majority of breast cancer cases are at present being overtreated. Methods 46 tumours from node-negative breast cancer patients were studied with gene expression microarrays. A t-test was carried out in order to find a set of genes where the expression might predict clinical outcome. Two classifiers were used for evaluation of the gene lists, a correlation-based classifier and a Voting Features Interval (VFI) classifier. We then evaluated the predictive accuracy of this expression signature on tumour sets from two similar studies on lymph-node negative patients. They had both developed gene expression signatures superior to current methods in classifying node-negative breast tumours. These two signatures were also tested on our material. Results A list of 51 genes whose expression profiles could predict clinical outcome with high accuracy in our material (96% or 89% accuracy in cross-validation, depending on type of classifier) was developed. When tested on two independent data sets, the expression signature based on the 51 identified genes had good predictive qualities in one of the data sets (74% accuracy), whereas their predictive value on the other data set were poor, presumably due to the fact that only 23 of the 51 genes were found in that material. We also found that previously developed expression signatures could predict clinical outcome well to moderately well in our material (72% and 61%, respectively). Conclusion The list of 51 genes derived in this study might have potential for clinical utility as a prognostic gene set, and may include candidate genes of potential relevance for clinical outcome in breast cancer. According to the predictions by this expression signature, 30 of the 46 patients may have benefited from different adjuvant treatment than they recieved. Trial registration The research on these tumours was approved by the Medical Faculty Research Ethics Committee (Medicinska fakultetens forskningsetikkommitté, Göteborg, Sweden (S164-02)).