Tang, Hui Ru

PurposeTo develop and validate a method for measuring murine single‐kidney glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI).MethodsThis prospective study was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. A fast longitudinal relaxation time (T1) measurement method was implemented to capture gadolinium dynamics (1 s/scan), and a modified two‐compartment model was developed to quantify GFR as well as renal perfusion using 16.4T MRI in mice 2 weeks after unilateral renal artery stenosis (RAS, n = 6) or sham (n = 8) surgeries. This approach was validated by comparing model‐derived GFR and perfusion to those obtained by fluorescein isothiocyanante (FITC)‐inulin clearance and arterial spin labeling (ASL), respectively, using the Pearson's and Spearman's rank correlations and Bland‐Altman analysis.ResultsThe compartmental model provided a good fitting to measured gadolinium dynamics in both normal and RAS kidneys. The proposed DCE‐MRI method offered assessment of single‐kidney GFR and perfusion, comparable to the FITC‐inulin clearance (Pearson's correlation coefficient r = 0.95 and Spearman's correlation coefficient ρ = 0.94, P < 0.0001, and mean difference −7.0 ± 11.0 μL/min) and ASL (r = 0.92 and ρ = 0.84, P < 0.0001, and mean difference 4.4 ± 66.1 mL/100 g/min) methods.ConclusionThe proposed DCE‐MRI method may be useful for reliable noninvasive measurements of single‐kidney GFR and perfusion in mice. Magn Reson Med 79:2935–2943, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

AbstractAutologous transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) is a viable option for the treatment of several diseases. Evidence indicates that MSCs release extracellular vesicles (EVs) and that EVs shuttle miRNAs to damaged parenchymal cells to activate an endogenous repair program. We hypothesize that comorbidities may interfere with the packaging of cargo in MSC‐derived EVs. Therefore, we examined whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) modulates the miRNA content packed within MSC‐derived EVs. MSCs were collected from swine abdominal adipose tissue after 16 weeks of lean or obese diet (n = 7 each). Next‐generation RNA sequencing of miRNAs (miRNA‐seq) was performed to identify miRNAs enriched in MSC‐derived EVs and their predicted target genes. Functional pathway analysis of the top 50 target genes of the top 4 miRNAs enriched in each group was performed using gene ontology analysis. Lean‐ and MetS‐EVs were enriched in, respectively, 14 and 8 distinct miRNAs. Target genes of miRNAs enriched in MetS‐EVs were implicated in the development of MetS and its complications, including diabetes‐related pathways, validated transcriptional targets of AP1 family members Fra1 and Fra2, Class A/1 (Rhodopsin‐like receptors), and Peptide ligand‐binding receptors. In contrast, miRNAs enriched in Lean EVs target primarily EphrinA‐EPHA and the Rho family of GTPases. MetS alters the miRNA content of EVs derived from porcine adipose tissue MSCs. These alterations could impair the efficacy and limit the therapeutic use of autologous MSCs in subjects with MetS. Our findings may assist in developing adequate regenerative strategies to preserve the reparative potency of MSCs in individuals with MetS. © 2017 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry

Abstract Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common type of primary lung cancer. Previous studies have shown that gene expression signatures may predict clinical outcome. In this study, we used a systems biology approach, weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), to identify survival related networks and gene signatures. We first analyzed whole genome gene expression profiles in 82 lung adenocarcinoma tumor tissues from never smokers (smoked &lt;100 cigarettes lifetime) and found a significant correlation of an expression module with tumor grade of differentiation (r=0.38, p=4×10−4) and overall survival (OS, p =0.027, HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.06-2.74) after adjusting for potential confounders (age and tumor grade). When this module signature was incorporated and compared to the conventional model consisting of clinical variables only, the survival prediction accuracy was increased from 0.70 to 0.75. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated this module was significantly enriched in biological process GO term “cell cycle” (p = 2.1×10−53). To explore the effect of this network module at germline level, we performed the WGCNA on normal lung tissues derived from 78 of the 82 patients and observed significant association of an expression module with OS (adjusted p=3×10−4, HR=1.98; 95% CI, 1.36-2.87). Interestingly, this module was also significantly enriched in cell cycle-related genes (p=4.1×10−41). To further validate this result, we analyzed an independent microarray gene expression dataset including 442 lung adenocarcinoma patients from NCI Director's Challenge Consortium. We found the same association: the cell cycle-enriched module was correlated with tumor grade of cell differentiation (r=0.55, p-value=5×10−37) and OS (adjusted p=7.4×10−3; HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.05-1.37). We further identified 30 genes in the OS-related module that overlapped between the discovery and validation data sets. Furthermore, all these 30 genes were found to be up-regulated in adenocarcinoma compared to adjacent normal lung tissues in the discovery data set. Of the 30 genes, three key genes, UBE2C, TPX2 and MELK, were identified with highest connectivity in cell cycle-enriched module; their expression levels were significantly associated with OS in both discovery and validation sets. UBE2C and TPX2 have been reported as gene signatures for human lung cancer prognosis in vitro lung carcinogenesis system; MELK was identified as a key regulator of the proliferation of malignant brain tumors and malignant grade in human astrocytomas, and was also associated with breast cancer prognosis. Our results suggest that genes involved in cell-cycle are likely related with tumor aggressiveness and therefore can predict survival in lung adenocarcinoma. Further studies are needed to validate the key genes that could improve survival prediction and provide potential new targets to intervene progression of lung adenocarcinoma. 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 5060. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5060

Abstract Background: ABT-888 is an inhibitor of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase1 (PARP1) and PARP2, two highly conserved enzymes implicated in DNA repair, maintenance of genomic stability, and regulation of transcription. Topotecan (TPT) is a water soluble camptothecin derivative with antitumor activity against ovarian tumors. The combination of ABT-888 with TPT is under investigation in phase I trials because PARP inhibition sensitizes tumors cells to TPT in vitro and in vivo. In those trials, the pharmacokinetics of TPT and ABT-888 are being studied to determine if ABT-888 levels are sufficient to modulate PARP activity and to investigate the potential interaction between TPT and ABT-888. Methods: Advanced cancer patients with ECOG performance scores 0-2, adequate hematological, renal and hepatic function were treated with ABT-888 on days 1-3, 8-10, and 15-17 every 28 days. Topotecan was administered on days 2, 9 and 16 every 28 days. DLTs were defined as grade 4 neutropenia, grade 4 thrombocytopenia, grade 4 anemia or ≥ grade 3 non-hematologic toxicities despite maximal supportive care. ABT-888 and Toptoecan pharmacokinetics were characterized in all patients. Analysis of urinary recovery is ongoing. Results: In this ongoing Phase I trial, 13 female patients with ovarian (n=12) or breast (n=1) cancer have been enrolled to date and pharmacokinetic data is available for 12 of those patients. ABT-888/TPT dose levels are: Level 1- 10 mg/ 2 mg/m2, Level 2- 20 mg/2 mg/m2, Level 3- 10 mg/3 mg/m2, and Level 4- 20 mg/3 mg/m2. The combination of ABT-888 with topotecan has been tolerable, with no dose limiting toxicity, and dose escalation continues at dose level 5. Topotecan t1/2 and clearance values were 3.0 ± 0.5 hrs and 9.50 ± 1.51 L/hr/m2 when administered alone, and were not affected by administration with ABT-888. When administered alone, ABT-888 t1/2, Cmax, AUC0-∞ values after the 10 mg dose were 8.2 ± 2.4 hrs, 432 ± 217 nM, and 2568 ± 1300 nM*hr, respectively. ABT-888 t1/2, Cmax, AUC values after the 20 mg dose were 5.7 ± 3.1 hrs, 600 ± 165 nM, and 3870± 934 respectively. When administered with TPT, ABT-888 t1/2, Cmax, AUC values after the 10 mg dose were 7.2 ± 2.1 hrs, 412 ± 283 nM, and 2705± 1089 nM*hr are: nM*hr respectively. ABT-888 t1/2, Cmax and AUC values after the 20 mg dose combined with TPT were 5.8 ± 2.2 hrs, 664 ± 97.6 nM, and 4283± 936 nM*hr respectively. Conclusions: Plasma clearance of TPT and ABT-888 does not appear to be altered when they are administered together. The effect of co-administration of these agents on renal clearance is presently under investigation and those results will be presented. This work was supported by NIH grants R25 GM75148-04, U01CA069912-16S and MM01-RR00585. 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 1301. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1301