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Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults. GBM displays excessive and unfunctional vascularization which may, among others, be a reason for its devastating prognosis. Pericytes have been identified as the major component of the irregular vessel structure in GBM. In vitro data suggest an epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like activation of glioma-associated pericytes, stimulated by GBM-secreted TGF-β, to be involved in the formation of a chaotic and dysfunctional tumor vasculature. This study investigated whether TGF-β impacts the function of vessel associated mural cells (VAMCs) in vivo via the induction of the EMT transcription factor SLUG and whether this is associated with the development of GBM-associated vascular abnormalities. Upon preventing the TGF-β-/SLUG-mediated EMT induction in VAMCs, the number of PDGFRβ and αSMA positive cells was significantly reduced, regardless of whether TGF-β secretion by GBM cells was blocked or whether SLUG was specifically knocked out in VAMCs. The reduced amount of PDGFRβ + or αSMA + cells observed under those conditions correlated with a lower vessel density and fewer vascular abnormalities. Our data provide evidence that the SLUG-mediated modulation of VAMC activity is induced by GBM-secreted TGF-β¬ and that activated VAMCs are key contributors in neo-angiogenic processes. We suggest that a pathologically altered activation of GA-Peris in the tumor microenvironment is responsible for the unstructured tumor vasculature. There is emerging evidence that vessel normalization alleviates tumor hypoxia, reduces tumor-associated edema and improves drug delivery. Therefore, avoiding the generation of an unstructured and non-functional tumor vasculature during tumor recurrence might be a promising treatment approach for GBM and identifies pericytes as a potential novel therapeutic target., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. All coauthors have reviewed and approved the contents of the manuscript and that the requirements for authorship have been met.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are considered to be valuable candidates for delivering a variety of anti-cancer agents, including oncolytic viruses, to brain tumors. However, owing to the previously reported tumorigenic potential of NSC cell lines after intranasal administration (INA), here we identified the human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 as a cell type capable of longer resistance to replication of oncolytic adenoviruses (OAVs) as a therapeutic cargo, and that is non-tumorigenic after INA. Our data show that LX-2 cells can longer withstand the OAV XVir-N-31 replication and oncolysis than NSCs. By selecting the highly migratory cell population out of LX-2, an offspring cell line with a higher and more stable capability to migrate was generated. Additionally, as a safety backup, we applied genomic herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) integration into LX-2, leading to high vulnerability to ganciclovir (GCV). Histopathological analyses confirmed the absence of neoplasia in the respiratory tracts and brains of immuno-compromised mice 3 months after INA of LX-2 cells. Our data suggest that LX-2 is a novel, robust, and safe cell line for delivering anti-cancer and other therapeutic agents to the brain., (© 2023 The Authors. Molecular Oncology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Federation of European Biochemical Societies.)

The pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) can be an intimidating and frightening place for parents and family members of critically ill children. Most parents experience a loss of control and feelings of utter helplessness. Many PICUs are working with family members to improve the quality of care provided through patient- and family-centered care, which is in fact 1 of the 6 tenets of the Institute of Medicine's definition of quality health care. However, as highlighted by the tragic and very personal experience described by one family, PICUs can and should be doing more to improve the patient and family experience., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

We performed a high-throughput screen to identify compounds with a selective ability to induce apoptosis in Akt-expressing cells without disrupting Bcl-xL-dependent survival. Results showed that a screening strategy based on Alamar Blue underrepresented the viability of Bcl-xL-expressing cells relative to Akt-expressing cells, possibly due to metabolic differences between the two cell survival programs. Using an alternative screen based on plasma membrane integrity, we identified several compounds that target Akt-dependent survival without toxic effect to Bcl-xL-dependent survival. These compounds enhanced the cytotoxic potential of rapamycin, a chemotherapeutic that inhibits survival signaling downstream of Akt. The results demonstrate a screening method and the subsequent identification of two compounds with selective activity in counteracting Akt-dependent cell survival.

Although colonic lumen NH(4)(+) levels are high, 15-44 mM normal range in humans, relatively few studies have addressed the transport mechanisms for NH(4)(+). More extensive studies have elucidated the transport of NH(4)(+) in the kidney collecting duct, which involves a number of transporter processes also present in the distal colon. Similar to NH(4)(+) secretion in the renal collecting duct, we show that the distal colon secretory model, T84 cell line, has the capacity to secrete NH(4)(+) and maintain an apical-to-basolateral NH(4)(+) gradient. NH(4)(+) transport in the secretory direction was supported by basolateral NH(4)(+) loading on NKCC1, Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and the NH(4)(+) transporter, RhBG. NH(4)(+) was transported on NKCC1 in T84 cells nearly as well as K(+) as determined by bumetanide-sensitive (86)Rb-uptake. (86)Rb-uptake and ouabain-sensitive current measurement indicated that NH(4)(+) is transported by Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in these cells to an equal extent as K(+). T84 cells expressed mRNA for the basolateral NH(4)(+) transporter RhBG and the apical NH(4)(+) transporter RhCG. Net NH(4)(+) transport in the secretory direction determined by (14)C-methylammonium (MA) uptake and flux occurred in T84 cells suggesting functional RhG protein activity. The occurrence of NH(4)(+) transport in the secretory direction within a colonic crypt cell model likely serves to minimize net absorption of NH(4)(+) because of surface cell NH(4)(+) absorption. These findings suggest that we rethink the present limited understanding of NH(4)(+) handling by the distal colon as being due solely to passive absorption.

Epidermoid carcinomas of oral mucosa were induced with DMBA in the buccal pouches of hamsters. The well-differentiated primary tumors were allografted into the peritoneal cavities of neonatal hamsters that had been treated with antilymphocyte serum. Solid tumors grew rapidly in the peritoneum and were harvested 6 to 31 days postimplantation. Gross and histopathologic specimens revealed infiltrative masses of tumor that had become more anaplastic than the original tumor. This in vivo model has considerable potential as a means of studying the immunology of oral cancers during tumor progression.

KLE is a cell line derived from a poorly differentiated endometrial carcinoma that is aneuploid with chromosome numbers ranging from 51 to 66 and 6-8 marker chromosomes demonstrated by G banding. Tumors harvested from five of five nude mice bearing an inoculum for more than a month resemble the original specimen, and electron microscopy shows microvilli, many junctional processes, glycogenation, and a prominent nucleolonema. The cell cytosol contains a specific binder for estradiol, but there is no estrogen receptor in the nucleus and in a study reported elsewhere (Raam et al., Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 2, 277 (1982) ) translocation to the nucleus fails to occur. The enzyme phenotype of this cell is human, non-HeLa.

This report presents the results of a study using multiple techniques of the established human cell line, LM, which has been developed in culture medium from a patient with a right temporoparietal glioblastoma. This cell line has human subtetraploid karyotype and has several features of a transformed line in culture. These include continuous propagation for 10 years, ability to form tumor nodules when transplanted into immunologically suppressed hamsters, and pleomorphic appearance. Ultrastructurally, it is characterized by multiple nuclei, few actin cables, and numerous surface-membrane microvilli, as well as abundant 9- to 10-nm cytoplasmic filaments. By its immunological reactivity, the line can be shown to contain glial fibrillary acidic protein at low levels, consistent with its glial origin and continued nature. Dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (db-cAMP) induces formation of long astrocytic-like processes as well. Its membrane electrical characteristics include a low resting membrane potential and short time constant. Used in a microtiter antiglioma antibody cytotoxicity assay, LM yields a positive reaction to antibodies in the sera of 80% of patients with astrocytomas and only 9% of normal blood-bank donors, suggesting that it shares common antigens with other astrocytic tumor lines. The varied characteristics of this glioblastoma-derived line emphasize the "multiforme" nature on the neoplasm and suggest that for characterization of any such line, multiple parameters are necessary to allow comparison with other long-term glioblastoma lines in the literature. The usefulness of the LM line in in vitro cell biological, immunological, chemotherapeutic, and radiobiological studies of gliomas makes such efforts very worthwhile.