Citations

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether it is possible to achieve truly systemic delivery of oncolytic reovirus, in immunocompetent hosts, using cyclophosphamide to overcome some of the barriers to effective intratumoral delivery and replication of i.v. injected virus. Experimental Design: I.v. delivery of reovirus was combined with different regimens of i.p. administered cyclophosphamide in C57Bl/6 mice bearing established s.c. B16 tumors. Intratumoral viral replication, tumor size, and survival were measured along with levels of neutralizing antibody (NAb) in the blood. Finally, differential toxicities of the virus/cyclophosphamide regimens were monitored through viral replication in systemic organs, survival, and cardiac damage. Results: Repeated i.v. injection of reovirus was poorly effective at seeding intratumoral viral replication/oncolysis. However, by combining i.v. virus with cyclophosphamide, viral titers of between 107 and 108 plaque-forming units per milligram were recovered from regressing tumors. Doses of cyclophosphamide that ablated NAb were associated with severe toxicities, characterized by viral replication in systemic organs—toxicities that are mirrored by repeated reovirus injections into B-cell knockout mice. Next, we restructured the dosing of cyclophosphamide and i.v. virus such that a dose of 3 mg cyclophosphamide was administered 24 h before reovirus injection, and this schedule was repeated every 6 days. Using this protocol, high levels of intratumoral viral access and replication (∼107 plaque-forming units per milligram tumor) were maintained along with systemically protective levels of NAb and only very mild, non–life-threatening toxicity. Conclusion: NAb to oncolytic viruses play a dual role in the context of systemic viral delivery; on one hand, they hinder repeated administration of virus but on the other, they provide an important safety mechanism by which virus released from vigorous intratumoral replication is neutralized before it can disseminate and cause toxicity. These data support the use of cyclophosphamide to modulate, but not ablate, patient NAb, in development of carefully controlled clinical trials of the systemic administration of oncolytic viruses.

Abstract Contractility of airway smooth muscle requires elevation of intracellular calcium concentration. Under resting conditions, airway smooth muscle cells maintain a relatively low intracellular calcium concentration, and activation of the surface receptors by contractile agonists results in an elevation of intracellular calcium, culminating in contraction of the cell. The pattern of elevation of intracellular calcium brought about by agonists is a dynamic process and involves the coordinated activities of ion channels located in the plasma membrane and the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Among the signaling molecules involved in this dynamic calcium regulation in airway smooth muscle cells are inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cyclic ADP-ribose, which mobilize calcium from the sarcoplasmic reticulum by acting via the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and ryanodine receptors, respectively. In addition, calcium influx from the extracellular space is critical for the repletion of the intracellular calcium stores during activation of the cells by agonists. Calcium influx can occur via voltage- and receptor-gated channels in the plasma membrane, as well as by influx that is triggered by depletion of the intracellular stores (i.e., store-operated calcium entry mechanism). Transient receptor potential proteins appear to mediate the calcium influx via receptor- and store-operated channels. Recent studies have shown that proinflammatory cytokines regulate the expression and activity of the pathways involved in intracellular calcium regulation, thereby contributing to airway smooth muscle cell hyperresponsiveness. In this review, we will discuss the specific roles of cyclic ADP-ribose/ryanodine receptor channels and transient receptor potential channels in the regulation of intracellular calcium in airway smooth muscle cells.

AbstractA close connectivity between autoimmune and tumor rejection responses is known to exist in the case of melanoma immunotherapy. However, relatively little is known about self-antigens on other types of normal cells, their relation to the development of autoimmune disease, and their possible coexistence as potential tumor rejection antigens on associated tumors. In the current study, we induced inflammatory killing of normal prostate tissue in situ using a fusogenic membrane glycoprotein along with the immune adjuvant hsp70. We show here that, in the prostate, hsp70 induces interleukin (IL)-6, which triggers a CD4- and CD8-dependent progressive autoimmune reactivity, associated with IL-17 expression. This autoimmune response was also able to induce the rejection of established prostate tumors, but not other histologic types of tumors, growing elsewhere in the animal. These data show that the intimate connectivity between autoimmune and tumor rejection responses extends beyond the classic melanoma paradigm and may be clinically valuable for the treatment of established metastatic disease of the prostate. [Cancer Res 2007;67(24):11970–9]

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Office of Rare Diseases at the National Institutes of Health organized a workshop (September 14 to 15, 2006, in Bethesda, Md) to advise on new research directions needed for improved identification and treatment of rare inherited arrhythmias. These included the following: (1) Na + channelopathies; (2) arrhythmias due to K + channel mutations; and (3) arrhythmias due to other inherited arrhythmogenic mechanisms. Another major goal was to provide recommendations to support, enable, or facilitate research to improve future diagnosis and management of inherited arrhythmias. Classifications of electric heart diseases have proved to be exceedingly complex and in many respects contradictory. A new contemporary and rigorous classification of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies is proposed. This consensus report provides an important framework and overview to this increasingly heterogeneous group of primary cardiac membrane channel diseases. Of particular note, the present classification scheme recognizes the rapid evolution of molecular biology and novel therapeutic approaches in cardiology, as well as the introduction of many recently described diseases, and is unique in that it incorporates ion channelopathies as a primary cardiomyopathy in consensus with a recent American Heart Association Scientific Statement.

Abstract Purpose: This phase I study was undertaken to define the maximum tolerated dose, safety, and pharmacokinetic profile of CP-751,871. Experimental Design: Using a rapid dose escalation design, patients with advanced nonhematologic malignancies were treated with CP-751,871 in four dose escalation cohorts. CP-751,871 was administered i.v. on day 1 of each 21-day cycle. Pharmacokinetic evaluation was done in all treatment cohorts during cycles 1 and 4. Results: Twenty-four patients received 110 cycles at four dose levels. The maximum tolerated dose exceeded the maximal feasible dose of 20 mg/kg and, thus, was not identified. Treatment-related toxicities were generally mild. The most common adverse events were hyperglycemia, anorexia, nausea, elevated aspartate aminotransferase, elevated γ-glutamyltransferase, diarrhea, hyperuracemia, and fatigue. At 20 mg/kg, 10 of 15 patients experienced stability of disease. Two of these patients experienced long-term stability. There were no objective responses. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed a dose-dependent increase in CP-751,871 exposure and ∼2-fold accumulation on repeated dosing in 21-day cycles. Plasma concentrations of CP-751,871 attained were several log-fold greater than the biologically active concentration. Treatment with CP-751,871 increased serum insulin and human growth hormone levels, with modest increases in serum glucose levels. Conclusions: CP-751,871 has a favorable safety profile and was well tolerated when given in continuous cycles. At the maximal feasible dose of 20 mg/kg, there was a moderate accumulation in plasma exposure, and most of the treated patients experienced stability of disease.

Abstract —Tissue factor (TF) is a low-molecular-weight glycoprotein that initiates the extrinsic clotting cascade and is considered a major regulator of arterial thrombogenicity. TF pathway inhibitor (TFPI) is a major physiological inhibitor of TF-initiated coagulation. The aim of this study was to define the complex interplay between TF and TFPI and the regulation of vascular thrombogenicity in a model of vascular remodeling. To determine the levels and pattern of vascular expression of TF and TFPI associated with vascular remodeling, a murine model of flow cessation was studied. TF activity of the arteries increased after ligation ( P <0.05). Quantitative analysis of homogenates of remodeled carotid arteries revealed increased TF expression but unchanged TFPI expression compared with normal carotid arteries, resulting in enhanced TF activity. To determine the potential therapeutic role of TFPI in this thrombogenic state, mice were treated with intravascular adenoviral delivery of either murine TFPI (Ad-mTFPImyc) or a control adenovirus (Ad-ΔE1). Overexpression of TFPI decreased vascular TF activity compared with viral control ( P <0.01). Overexpression of TFPI inhibited neointimal formation ( P =0.038), resulting in enhanced luminal area ( P =0.001) 4 weeks after flow cessation. In this murine model of vascular remodeling, an imbalance between TF and TFPI expression is generated, resulting in increased TF activity. Overexpression of TFPI in this model inhibits vascular TF activity and results in attenuation of vascular remodeling associated with flow interruption.

Smaller-scale evaluations suggest that common genetic variation in candidate genes related to immune function may predispose to the development of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). We report an analysis of variants within genes associated with immunity and inflammation and risk of NHL using a panel of 9412 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 1253 genes in a study of 458 patients with NHL and 484 frequency-matched controls. We modeled haplotypes and risk of NHL, as well as the main effects for all independent SNPs from a gene in multivariate logistic regression models; we separately report results for nonsynonymous (ns) SNPs. In gene-level analyses, the strongest findings (P ≤ .001) were for CREB1, FGG, MAP3K5, RIPK3, LSP1, TRAF1, DUSP2, and ITGB3. In nsSNP analyses, the strongest findings (P ≤ .01) were for ITGB3 L59P (odds ratio [OR] = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.85), TLR6 V427A (OR = 5.20; CI 1.77-15.3), SELPLG M264V (OR = 3.20; CI 1.48-6.91), UNC84B G671S (OR = 1.50; CI 1.12-2.00), B3GNT3 H328R (OR = 0.74; CI 0.59-0.93), and BAT2 V1883L (OR = 0.64; CI 0.45-0.90). Our results suggest that genetic variation in genes associated with immune response (TRAF1, RIPK3, BAT2, and TLR6), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling (MAP3K5, DUSP2, and CREB1), lymphocyte trafficking and migration (B3GNT3, SELPLG, and LSP1), and coagulation pathways (FGG and ITGB3) may be important in the etiology of NHL, and should be prioritized in replication studies.

The proteasome is responsible for the degradation of oxidized proteins, and proteasome inhibition has been shown to generate oxidative stress in vitro. Atherosclerosis is thought to be initiated as a consequence of increased endogenous oxidative stress. The current study was designed to assess whether chronic proteasome inhibition is associated with early coronary atherosclerosis. Female pigs, 3 months of age, were randomized to a normal (N) or high-cholesterol (HC) diet (2% cholesterol, 15% lard) without or with twice weekly subcutaneous injections of the proteasome inhibitor (PSI) MLN-273 (0.08 mg/kg, N+PSI and HC+PSI) for a period of 12 weeks (n=5 per group). Coronary vasorelaxation to bradykinin (10 −10.5 to 10− 6.5 mol/L) and sodium nitroprusside (10 −9 to 10 −5 mol/L) was assessed by in vitro organ chamber experiments, intima–media ratio by morphometric analysis of Elastica–van Gieson–stained slides, and intima superoxide production by dihydroethidium fluorescence. Vasorelaxation to 10 −6.5 mol/L bradykinin was reduced in HC compared with N (69±7 versus 90±2%, P <0.05) and further reduced in N+PSI and HC+PSI (57±6 and 48±13%, P <0.05 versus N and HC for each). Compared with N (0.03±0.01), intima–media ratio was higher in N+PSI (0.09±0.04, P <0.01) and HC+PSI (0.15±0.06, P <0.05). Compared with N (0.6±0.9% of intima area), dihydroethidium fluorescence was higher in HC, N+PSI, and HC+PSI (8.9±1.6, 6.0±3.5, and 7.2±3.9% of intima area, P <0.05 for all). Thus, chronic proteasome inhibition is associated with increased coronary artery oxidative stress and early atherosclerosis. These findings support the significance of the proteasome and related protein quality control for vascular biology and pathology.

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders display familial aggregation. To identify a susceptibility gene for CLL, we assembled families from the major European (ICLLC) and American (GEC) consortia to conduct a genome-wide linkage analysis of 101 new CLL pedigrees using a high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array and combined the results with data from our previously reported analysis of 105 families. Here, we report on the combined analysis of the 206 families. Multipoint linkage analyses were undertaken using both nonparametric (model-free) and parametric (model-based) methods. After the removal of high linkage disequilibrium SNPs, we obtained a maximum nonparametric linkage (NPL) score of 3.02 (P = .001) on chromosome 2q21.2. The same genomic position also yielded the highest multipoint heterogeneity LOD (HLOD) score under a common recessive model of disease susceptibility (HLOD = 3.11; P = 7.7 × 10−5), which was significant at the genome-wide level. In addition, 2 other chromosomal positions, 6p22.1 (corresponding to the major histocompatibility locus) and 18q21.1, displayed HLOD scores higher than 2.1 (P < .002). None of the regions coincided with areas of common chromosomal abnormalities frequently observed in CLL. These findings provide direct evidence for Mendelian predisposition to CLL and evidence for the location of disease loci.

Abstract B7 coregulatory ligands can be aberrantly expressed in human disease. In the context of cancer, these ligands may act as antigen-specific inhibitors of T-cell–mediated antitumoral immunity. We recently reported that B7-H1 expression by carcinomas of the kidney and bladder portends aggressive disease and diminished survival. The expression of these proteins in prostate cancer, however, has not been investigated. We evaluated B7-H3 and B7-H1 protein expression in the pathologic specimens of 338 men treated for clinically localized prostate cancer between 1995 and 1998 with radical retropubic prostatectomy. Expression levels of B7-H3 in prostate cancer were correlated with pathologic indicators of aggressive cancer as well as clinical outcome. We report that B7-H3 is uniformly and aberrantly expressed by adenocarcinomas of the prostate, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, and four prostate cancer cell lines, whereas B7-H1 is rarely expressed. B7-H3 is expressed by benign prostatic epithelia, although at a more reduced level relative to neoplastic tissue. Increasing levels of B7-H3 intensity correlate with worsening clinicopathologic features of prostate cancer. Marked B7-H3 intensity, present in 67 (19.8%) specimens, confers a &gt;4-fold increased risk of cancer progression after surgery (risk ratio, 4.42; P &lt; 0.001). A survey of normal tissues revealed that B7-H3 is expressed within the liver, urothelium, and fetal kidney. In summary, B7-H3 is aberrantly expressed in all prostate cancers and represents an independent predictor of cancer progression following surgery. Moreover, B7-H3 encompasses a novel diagnostic and potential therapeutic target for the clinical management of prostate cancer and, perhaps, other malignancies as well. [Cancer Res 2007;67(16):7893–900]