Biosafety Oversight and Compliance: What do you Mean, I have to Fill Out Another Form?!

This unit is an overview of biosafety compliance and oversight in the United States. Specific attention is given to the oversight of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and how the purview of the IBC may overlap with other local committees, such as the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for animal research and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for research on human subjects. Requirements for the Federal Select Agent Program and Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) are also briefly reviewed for those working with materials and experiments covered under these regulations.

Interleukin-1β mediates metalloproteinase-dependent renal cell carcinoma tumor cell invasion through the activation of CCAAT enhancer binding protein β.

Effective treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains a major medical concern, as these tumors are refractory to standard therapies and prognosis is poor. Although molecularly targeted therapies have shown some promise in the treatment of this disease, advanced RCC tumors often develop resistance to these drugs. Dissecting the molecular mechanisms underlying the progression to advanced disease is necessary to design alternative and improved treatment strategies.

Interleukin-1 beta and transforming growth factor-beta 3 cooperate to activate matrix metalloproteinase expression and invasiveness in A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells.

Cytokines present in the tumor microenvironment can promote the invasiveness and metastatic potential of cancer cells. We therefore investigated the effects of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1B) and transforming growth factor beta-3 (TGFB3) on the non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell line A549. We found that these cytokines synergistically activated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1, MMP-3, and MMP-10 gene expression in these cells through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-dependent pathways.

AUF1/hnRNP D represses expression of VEGF in macrophages.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a regulator of vascularization in development and is a key growth factor in tissue repair. In disease, VEGF contributes to vascularization of solid tumors and arthritic joints. This study examines the role of the mRNA-binding protein AUF1/heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D (AUF1) in VEGF gene expression.

Orphan nuclear receptor NR4A2 induces synoviocyte proliferation, invasion, and matrix metalloproteinase 13 transcription.

Objective: To address the role of the nuclear receptor 4A (NR4A) family of orphan nuclear receptors in synoviocyte transformation, hyperplasia, and regulation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in models of inflammatory arthritis.

Methods: NR4A messenger RNA levels in synovial tissue and primary synoviocytes were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). NR4A2 was stably overexpressed in normal synoviocytes, and cell proliferation, survival, anchorage-independent growth, migration, and invasion were monitored in vitro.

CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein beta activation of MMP-1 gene expression in SW1353 cells: independent roles of extracellular signal-regulated and p90/ribosomal S6 kinases.

CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein beta (CEBPB) is a pluripotent transcription factor that controls inflammation, proliferation, and differentiation. We recently reported a role for CEBPB during matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) gene expression, but the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. To address this we interrogated CEBPB-dependent MMP-1 and MMP-13 gene activation in the SW1353 chondrosarcoma cell line, a well-established model of MMP gene regulation in mesenchymal cells.

PTEN suppression of YY1 induces HIF-2 activity in von-Hippel-Lindau-null renal-cell carcinoma.

Despite recent advances in cancer therapies, metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains difficult to treat. Most RCCs result from inactivation of the von Hippel Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor, leading to stable expression of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-alpha (HIF-1alpha, -2alpha, -3alpha) and the induction of downstream target genes, including those responsible for angiogenesis and metastasis. While VHL is inactivated in the majority of RCC cases, expression of the PTEN tumor suppressor is reduced in about 30% of cases.

Assessment of local proteolytic milieu as a factor in tumor invasiveness and metastasis formation: in vitro collagen degradation and invasion assays.

Matrix invasion by a tumor cell requires the degradation of components in the extracellular matrix (ECM) as one of the initial steps in the metastatic process. Tumors cells achieve ECM invasion primarily through the overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a family of enzymes that function to degrade ECM proteins. In this chapter, an in vitro collagen degradation assay and a modified collagen invasion assay system are described.

Tumor cell invasion of von Hippel Lindau renal cell carcinoma cells is mediated by membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase.

Background: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains the leading cause of mortality in patients with clear cell RCC arising from mutations in the von Hippel Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor. Successful RCC tumor suppression by VHL requires the negative regulation of hypoxia inducible factor alpha (HIF alpha) protein and its downstream targets. Thus, identification of HIF target genes responsible for RCC tumor progression will aid in the development of therapies for this disease.

Identification of membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase as a target of hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alpha in von Hippel-Lindau renal cell carcinoma.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) resulting from the hereditary loss of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene is the leading cause of death in VHL patients due to the deleterious effects of the metastatic tumor(s). VHL functions in the destruction of the alpha subunits of the heterodimeric transcription factor, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1 alpha and HIF-2 alpha), in normoxic conditions. When VHL function is lost, HIF-alpha protein is stabilized, and target hypoxia-inducible genes are transcribed.