Citations

Abstract Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a devastating disease. Recent studies suggest that the stem cell properties of GBM contribute to the development of therapy resistance. Experimental Design: The expression of Survivin and Ran was evaluated by immunohistochemistry with GBM tissues, and quantitative reverse transcriptase (qRT)-PCR and immunocytochemistry with patient-derived GBM sphere cultures. With a computational structure-based drug design, 11 small-molecule compounds were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as inhibitor candidates for the molecular interaction of Survivin protein. The molecular mechanism of the lead compound, LLP-3, was determined by Western blot, ELISA, in situ proximity ligation assay, and immunocytochemistry. The effects of LLP-3 treatment on GSCs were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Quantitative immunohistochemistry was carried out to compare Survivin expression in tissues from 44 newly diagnosed and 31 recurrent post-chemoradiation GBM patients. Lastly, the sensitivities of temozolomide-resistant GBM spheres to LLP-3 were evaluated in vitro. Results: Survivin and Ran were strongly expressed in GBM tissues, particularly in the perivasculature, and also in patient-derived GSC cultures. LLP-3 treatment disrupted the Survivin–Ran protein complex in cancer cells and abolished the growth of patient-derived GBM spheres in vitro and in vivo. This inhibition was dependent on caspase activity and associated with p53 status of cells. Immunohistochemistry showed that Survivin expression is significantly increased in recurrent GBM compared with newly diagnosed tumors, and temozolomide-resistant GBM spheres exhibited high sensitivities to LLP-3 treatment. Conclusions: Disruption of the Survivin–Ran complex by LLP-3 abolishes survival and growth of GSCs both in vitro and in vivo, indicating an attractive novel therapeutic approach for GBM. Clin Cancer Res; 19(3); 631–42. ©2012 AACR.

Background Two recent studies identified a mutation (p.Asp620Asn) in the vacuolar protein sorting 35 gene as a cause for an autosomal dominant form of Parkinson disease . Although additional missense variants were described, their pathogenic role yet remains inconclusive. Methods and results We performed the largest multi-center study to ascertain the frequency and pathogenicity of the reported vacuolar protein sorting 35 gene variants in more than 15,000 individuals worldwide. p.Asp620Asn was detected in 5 familial and 2 sporadic PD cases and not in healthy controls, p.Leu774Met in 6 cases and 1 control, p.Gly51Ser in 3 cases and 2 controls. Overall analyses did not reveal any significant increased risk for p.Leu774Met and p.Gly51Ser in our cohort. Conclusions Our study apart from identifying the p.Asp620Asn variant in familial cases also identified it in idiopathic Parkinson disease cases, and thus provides genetic evidence for a role of p.Asp620Asn in Parkinson disease in different populations worldwide.

Abstract The relevance of many BRCA2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) to breast cancer has not been determined due to limited genetic information from families carrying these alterations. Here, we classified six new variants as pathogenic or nonpathogenic by analysis of genetic information from families carrying 64 individual BRCA2 DNA binding domain (DBD) missense mutations using a multifactorial likelihood model of cancer causality. Next, we evaluated the use of a homology-directed DNA break repair (HDR) functional assay as a method for inferring the clinical relevance of VUS in the DBD of BRCA2 using 18 established nonpathogenic missense variants and all 13 established pathogenic missense mutations from the BRCA2 DBD. Compared with the known status of these variants based on the multifactorial likelihood model, the sensitivity of the HDR assay for pathogenic mutations was estimated at 100% [95% confidence interval (CI): 75.3%–100%] and specificity was estimated at 100% (95% CI: 81.5%–100%). A statistical classifier for predicting the probability of pathogenicity of BRCA2 DBD variants was developed using these functional results. When applied to 33 additional VUS, the classifier identified eight with 99% or more probability of nonpathogenicity and 18 with 99% or more probability of pathogenicity. Thus, in the absence of genetic evidence, a cell-based HDR assay can provide a probability of pathogenicity for all VUS in the BRCA2 DBD, suggesting that the assay can be used in combination with other information to determine the cancer relevance of BRCA2 VUS. Cancer Res; 73(1); 265–75. ©2012 AACR.

Background— Mutations in genes including SCN5A encoding the α-subunit of the cardiac sodium channel (hNav1.5) cause Brugada syndrome via altered function of cardiac ion channels, but more than two-thirds of Brugada syndrome remains pathogenetically elusive. T-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum are essential in excitation of cardiomyocytes, and sarcolemmal membrane-associated protein (SLMAP) is a protein of unknown function localizing at T-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum. Methods and Results— We analyzed 190 unrelated Brugada syndrome patients for mutations in SLMAP . Two missense mutations, Val269Ile and Glu710Ala, were found in heterozygous state in 2 patients but were not found in healthy individuals. Membrane surface expression of hNav1.5 in the transfected cells was affected by the mutations, and silencing of mutant SLMAP by small interfering RNA rescued the surface expression of hNav1.5. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings of hNav1.5-expressing cells transfected with mutant SLMAP confirmed the reduced hNav1.5 current. Conclusions— The mutations in SLMAP may cause Brugada syndrome via modulating the intracellular trafficking of hNav1.5 channel.

Purpose To evaluate the prognostic significance of the international European LeukemiaNet (ELN) guidelines for reporting genetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and Methods We analyzed 1,550 adults with primary AML, treated on Cancer and Leukemia Group B first-line trials, who had pretreatment cytogenetics and, for cytogenetically normal patients, mutational status of NPM1, CEBPA, and FLT3 available. We compared complete remission (CR) rates, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) among patients classified into the four ELN genetic groups (favorable, intermediate-I, intermediate-II, adverse) separately for 818 younger (age < 60 years) and 732 older (age ≥ 60 years) patients. Results The percentages of younger versus older patients in the favorable (41% v 20%; P < .001), intermediate-II (19% v 30%; P < .001), and adverse (22% v 31%; P < .001) genetic groups differed. The favorable group had the best and the adverse group the worst CR rates, DFS, and OS in both age groups. Both intermediate groups had significantly worse outcomes than the favorable but better than the adverse group. Intermediate-I and intermediate-II groups in older patients had similar outcomes, whereas the intermediate-II group in younger patients had better OS but not better CR rates or DFS than the intermediate-I group. The prognostic significance of ELN classification was confirmed by multivariable analyses. For each ELN group, older patients had worse outcomes than younger patients. Conclusion The ELN classification clearly separates the genetic groups by outcome, supporting its use for risk stratification in clinical trials. Because they have different proportions of genetic alterations and outcomes, younger and older patients should be reported separately when using the ELN classification.