Search

The CD95/CD95 ligand (CD95L) system plays an important role in the induction of lymphoid apoptosis and has been implicated in the suppression of immune responses. In this system, two murine CD95L-transfected renca clones and a control renca clone transfected only with the vector were implanted into the subcapsule of the left kidney of Balb/c and Balb/c nude mice. Both CD95L-expressing and control renca clones formed macroscopic tumors in all of the Balb/c and Balb/c nude hosts 14 days after implantation. Growth of tumors of murine CD95L-transfected renca cells was significantly better than that of control renca cells in Balb/c mice, while the growth advantage of CD95L transfectants was not observed in Balb/c nude mice. Lymphocytes underwent apoptosis mainly in the periphery of the CD95L-expressing tumors but not in control tumors grown in Balb/c mice, while lymphocytes undergoing apoptosis were not observed in CD95L-expressing tumors or in control tumors grown in Balb/c nude mice. Neutrophilic recruitment was rarely observed in CD95L-expressing or control tumors. CD95L expressed on renca cells possibly suppressed immune responses against renca tumors by inducing apoptosis of the infiltrating lymphocytes. However, CD95L-expressing renca cells did not form tumors in the renal subcapsule of allogeneic C3H/HeJ mice.

BACKGROUND Data supporting the differential activation of T helper (Th) 2 cells in transplantation acceptance/tolerance in rodents have been presented by several investigators. However, the differential activation of Th2 cells may be simply the result of allograft acceptance/tolerance induction instead of a contribution to the maintenance of grafts. METHODS Therefore, we established interleukin (IL)-4 transgenic mice under the control of a cardiac alpha-myosin heavy chain promotor and transplanted IL-4-expressing heart allografts into unmodified recipients to determine the actual contribution of the Th2 bias to allograft acceptance. RESULTS Among 16 newborn C57BL/6J (B6) mice, three were positive for the IL-4 transgene. Serum IL-4 levels of transgenic versus control B6xC3H F1 mice were not statistically different. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction showed that the transgenic B6xC3H F1 mice expressed IL-4 mRNA in the heart and in the lung, whereas control mice did not express IL-4 in any organ. IL-4 mRNA expression in the transgenic but not in the control heart was also confirmed by RNAse protection assay and fluorescence in situ hybridization. The survival of IL-4 transgenic B6xC3H heart grafts heterotopically placed in C3H recipients was prolonged compared with that of nontransgenic grafts (19.0+/-9.1 vs. 6.8+/-2.2 days, P=0.003). Interferon-gamma mRNA expression in IL-4 transgenic heart grafts on the fifth posttransplant day as assessed by Northern blotting was suppressed compared with that in control grafts. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that IL-2 mRNA was suppressed in the IL-4 transgenic grafts compared with that in control grafts, while IL-4 mRNA was observed only in IL-4 transgenic grafts. IL-10 mRNA was detected at similar levels in both transgenic and control grafts. CONCLUSIONS A Th2 bias may contribute to allograft acceptance in part by inducing the down-regulation of Th1-cytokine mRNAs, but it may not be sufficient to induce indefinite graft survival.

Tumor regression in experimental systems has been linked to the activities of Th1 cells. It is, therefore, conceivable that Th2 cells interrupt the expression of tumor immunity since interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-10 inhibit the generation of Th1 from precursors and modulate the competence of antigen-presenting cells to activate this lymphocyte subpopulation. Naive murine renal cell carcinoma (renca) cells (1 x 10(5)) were implanted into the subcapsule of the left kidney of Balb/c and Balb/c nude mice at 6-8 weeks of age. After 14 days, Th2 cytokine (IL-4 and IL-10) mRNAs as well as transforming growth factor beta1 mRNA, assessed by reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction were upregulated in the spleen of hosts upon naive renca tumor acceptance, while Th1 cytokine (IL-2 and interferon gamma) mRNAs were almost undetectable. In the renca tumor, IL-10 mRNA was detected but IL-2, interferon gamma, and IL-4 were not. Intraperitoneal administration of anti-(mouse IL-4) mAb (11B11) reduced the renca tumor size (P = 0.018) and prolonged host survival (P = 0.03), but did not reduce the acceptance rate of the tumor (P = 0.18). However, prior depletion of CD4+ or CD8+ cells with monoclonal antibodies abrogated the antitumor effects of anti-IL-4 mAb. In addition, the significant antitumor effect of anti-IL-4 mAb was not observed in Balb/c nude hosts. Renca cells were transfected with the mammalian expression vector pCAGGS containing murine IL-4 cDNA or vector alone, then stable IL-4 transfectants (RencaL or RencaH, low- or high-IL-4-producing respectively) and control renca cells (RencaC) were obtained. RencaL cells, RencaH cells, or RencaC cells (1 x 10(5) each) were implanted into the subcapsule of the left kidney of Balb/c, Balb/c nude, and allogenic C3H/HeJ mice, then tumor formation was evaluated 14 days later. When RencaH cells were innoculated into syngeneic Balb/c hosts, tumor volume was marginally suppressed (P = 0.03) and tumors tended to be rejected (P = 0.06) compared with RencaC cells. However, those effects were not observed in Balb/c nude mice. RencaC, RencaL, and RencaH cells were not accepted by allogeneic C3H mice with or without FK506 administration or donor-specific transfusion. The administration of anti-(mouse IL-4) mAb to Balb/c mice significantly suppressed renca tumor growth by a CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell-dependent mechanism. By contrast, relatively high levels of IL-4 production by renca cells and T cells seemed to be required to induce the rejection and growth suppression of IL-4-producing renca cells in syngeneic hosts.

A 54-year-old female suffered from repeated flank pain. A large, irregular cystic mass that compressed and distorted the left pelviocalyceal system was found. She underwent left nephrectomy. The cyst arose from the inner zone of the kidney. Although monolocular grossly, it was compatible with the multilocular cystic nephroma on the microscopic examination.

To examine whether or not a part of human parathyroid adenomas have a malignant potential, 15 parathyroid tumors including 13 adenomas, 1 hyperplasia and 1 adenocarcinoma were studied for the amplification of the c-erbB2 proto-oncogene. Eleven adenomas of these tumors were also evaluated for the immunohistochemical expression of the c-erbB2 gene product. The amplification of the c-erbB2 proto-oncogene (2-fold or more greater than control) was recognized in 3 adenomas (23.1% of all adenomas) and 1 adenocarcinoma as compared to a pooled human normal placenta, which serves as control. Six out of 11 parathyroid adenomas (54.5%) revealed the immunohistochemical expression of the c-erbB2 gene product on the cell membrane and in the cytoplasm. Three adenomas (27.2%) showed the strongly positive (_??_) staining and the other 3 adenoma (27.2%) showed the weakly positive (+) staining. The 2 cases having the amplification of the c-erbB2 proto-oncogene also revealed the strongly positive staining. The c-erbB2 proto-oncogene, which has been reported to be amplified or expressed in some adenocarcinomas, might be associated with the initiation and progression of some parathyroid adenomas. The present findings might suggest that some parathyroid adenomas could have a malignant potential.

Using new criteria for histological effects of anti-cancer treatment, the effects of hormono-chemotherapy on 10 patients with prostatic cancer not previously treated were compared with those on 10 patients who received conventional hormone therapy. Marked effects were observed in 4 (40%) patients received hormono-chemotherapy but not observed in patients who received conventional hormone therapy (chi 2 test, p less than 0.05). All four cases who showed marked effects were in stage B at the beginning of treatment. Hormonal effects were more obvious in well differentiated cancer, and the effects of chemotherapy were observed in some cases with moderately and poorly differentiated cancer. Therefore, the addition of chemotherapy is recommended as the initial therapy on prostatic cancer to reduce the relapsing rate, especially for patients with poorly and moderately differentiated cancer.

We molecularly cloned JC polyomavirus DNAs from urine samples of eight nonimmunosuppressed patients and two healthy individuals. The cloned viral DNAs all contained an archetypal regulatory sequence from which various regulatory sequences of JC polyomavirus isolates derived from patients with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy could have evolved by deletion and amplification.

Background: Cancer cells often develop mechanisms to resist apoptosis and the extent of such anti-apoptotic ability has been shown to parallel tumor progression in various malignancies. Among various molecules implicated in regulating apoptosis pathway, bcl-2 and its family members are best characterized. Methods: To investigate the effect of bcl-2-mediated anti-apoptotic ability on tumor growth and progression in prostate cancer, a cell line overexpressing bcl-2 (LNCaP/bcl-2) was established by genetically engineering a prostate cancer cell line LNCaP. Tumor growth of LNCaP/bcl-2 was compared with the parental cell line in vitro and in vivo. Results: LNCaP/bcl-2 cells show resistance to apoptosis caused by nutrient deprivation and did not arrest when cultured in serum-free or androgen-free medium, while parental LNCaP cells or LNCaP cells transfected with the vector only (LNCaP/control) underwent extensive apoptosis on nutrient deprivation and sustained growth suppression in serum-free or androgen-free medium. When injected subcutaneously into nude mice, tumors deriving from LNCaP/bcl-2 cells grew faster compared with LNCaP/control for about 3 weeks (P = 0.02), but this effect was not evident after 5 weeks. Upon castration, the control tumors regressed but LNCaP/bcl-2-derived tumors showed resistance, as was previously reported. Conclusions: These data confirm the notion that anti-apoptotic function of bcl-2 is oncogenic and confers resistance to androgen deprivation and also indicate that it may also play a critical role in earlier stages of tumorigenesis.

The main purpose of this study was to compare semiquantitatively the amount of alpha1a-adrenoceptor subtype mRNA in urethral, central and peripheral areas in benign hypertrophied prostates and non-hypertrophied prostate by the competitive reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Prostates from twenty cases of men with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and 5 cases of bladder tumor without BPH were obtained for this study. The mRNA was extracted from the urethral, central and peripheral areas of each prostate, and quantitative RT-PCR was performed using the ratio of PCR product of alpha1a-adrenoceptor mRNA/beta2-microglobulin mRNA. The ratio for the central area of the hypertrophied prostate was significantly greater than that for the same area of the non-hypertrophied prostate (p0.05). In contrast, the urethral area showed no significant difference between the two prostate conditions. The central area of the hypertrophied prostate showed the tendency to have an increased alpha1a-adrenoceptor mRNA level compared with the urethral area, though no statistical difference was recognized because of the high standard error. Regional differences in the alpha1a-adrenoceptor mRNA in the non-hypertrophied prostate were rarely observed. The present finding demonstrates that the increased alpha1a-adrenoceptor mRNA content found in the hypertrophied prostate (1) was due to that in the central area.

Fas/APO-1 is a cell-surface protein, a member of the TNF-receptor family, and it potentially induces apoptosis. In presence of an apoptosis-inducible anti-human Fas MAb, Fas-negative control PC-3 human prostate-cancer cells did not undergo morphological changes, while PC-3 human Fas transfectants showed apoptotic changes in vitro. However, LNCaP human Fas transfectants, as well as Fas-negative control LNCaP human prostate-cancer cells, were Fas-resistant. The growth of Fas-transfected PC-3 tumor was retarded compared with that of control PC-3 tumor in vivo without stimulation of anti-human Fas MAb. Anti-human Fas MAb administration in vivo caused macroscopic Fas-transfected PC-3 tumors formed in BALB/c nude mice to undergo apoptosis.

The histochemical detection of human papillomavirus (HPV) was performed using the technique of in situ hybridization from the formalin fixed paraffin embedded specimens of penile carcinoma and condylomata+ acuminata . One of 19 penile cancer cases (5.3%) revealed the positive staining on the nuclei of the tumors for HPV type 16/18. However, the positive nuclei were scattered and localized in small part of the tumor which showed no koilocytosis. On the contrary, 11 of 12 condyloma acuminata cases (91.7%) showed positive staining on the nuclei of the tumors for HPV type 6/11, also 5 of the 11 cases (45.5%) revealed cross reaction for other type of HPV. The HPV types 6/11, 16/18 and 31/33/35 may be unrelated to the pathogenesis of the Japanese penile carcinoma. However, further study is necessary to evaluate that the number of HPV-DNA copy in our cases is too small, or the other type of HPV is responsibility.

Last year, we reported that human papilloma virus type 16 genome (HPV 16 genome) was detected in a case (S.Y.) of bladder carcinoma in situ (bladder CIS) (Cancer Res., 1988). Since then, a number of bladder tumors other than CIS were searched for HPV genome. However, no HPV genome was detected in the bladder tumors. From the results, we consider that HPV may not have a relation with all types of bladder tumor but with only a part of it. In the current report, the case (S.Y.) is presented more precisely than before, in particular on the characteristic bladder lesion. The patient was a 40-year-old female with immunodeficiency and anemia who was referred from a hospital with a complaint of asymptomatic pyuria. Cystoscopic examination revealed a bladder tumor, well-demarcated, white and velvety lesion with slight elevation. On November 25, 1987, she underwent total cystectomy, resection of the anterior vaginal wall and of a part of vulval skin, and ileal conduit formation. Postoperative course was stormy because of bleeding from the wounds and thrombophlebitis in the right femoral vein. In spite of the episodes, she eventually recovered and was discharged 2 months later. However she was readmitted 9 months later due to severe anemia which was ascribed to acute myelogenous leukemia. She is now on cancer chemotherapy for leukemia.

Twenty-three patients who underwent conventional total cystectomy were examined regarding postoperative potency. Two patients who were subjected to simple cystectomy and whose partial prostate and whole seminal vesicles were left showed full erection and normal ejaculation 1-2 months after surgery, thus giving 100% potency after simple cystectomy. In contrast, of 12 patients who underwent radical cystectomy alone, only 3 (25%) regained potency postoperatively, and the strength and duration of erection were not satisfactory for 1 of the 3 patients. Nine patients who received radical cystectomy and urethrectomy did not show signs of potency postoperatively. The sum total postoperative potency rate in the 21 patients subjected to radical cystectomy was 14.3% (3/21). The facts may indicate that urethrectomy is harmful for postoperative potency because damage of the cavernous nerves probably takes place during surgery. To avoid nerve damage, the urethra should be left intact during radical cystectomy employing the nerve-sparing technique developed by Walsh and Donker unless the posterior urethra is invaded by bladder carcinoma. In addition, it was demonstrated that pelvic irradiation might cause impotency as neither pelvic lymph node dissection nor cisplatin administration had any influence on postoperative potency.