Omaveloxolone attenuates squamous cell carcinoma growth and disease severity in an Epidermolysis Bullosa mouse model.

Patients with epidermolysis bullosa (EB) are susceptible to development of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) at sites of chronic inflammation and fibrosis. While triterpenoids such as RTA 408 (Omaveloxolone) have been shown to reduce inflammation and inhibit tumour growth in various cancer models, the utility of this class of drugs in the treatment of SCC has not been investigated. Given the dual anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic properties of triterpenoids, we hypothesized RTA 408 would be an effective treatment for SCCs that arise in the chronic inflammatory setting in EB.

Effect of Hypercapnia, an Element of Obstructive Respiratory Disorder, on Pancreatic Cancer Chemoresistance and Progression.

Background: Chronic obstructive respiratory disorders (ORDs) are linked to increased rates of cancer-related deaths. Little is known about the effects of hypercapnia (elevated CO) on development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and drug resistance.

Study Design: Two PDAC cell lines were exposed to normocapnic (5% CO) and hypercapnic (continuous/intermittent 10% CO) conditions, physiologically similar to patients with active ORD.

T-bet Is Required for the Rapid Clearance of Attenuated Rabies Virus from Central Nervous System Tissue.

Much of our understanding of CNS immunity has been gained from models involving pathological inflammation. Attenuated rabies viruses (RABV) are unique tools to study CNS immunity in the absence of conventional inflammatory mechanisms, as they spread from the site of inoculation to the CNS transaxonally, thereby bypassing the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and are cleared without neutrophil or monocyte infiltration. To better understand the role of CD4 T cell subsets in the clearance of the virus from CNS tissues, we examined the development of antiviral immunity in wild-type (WT) and T-bet knockout mice (T-bet(-/-)), which lack Th1 cells.

Limited brain metabolism changes differentiate between the progression and clearance of rabies virus.

Central nervous system (CNS) metabolic profiles were examined from rabies virus (RABV)-infected mice that were either mock-treated or received post-exposure treatment (PET) with a single dose of the live recombinant RABV vaccine TriGAS. CNS tissue harvested from mock-treated mice at middle and late stage infection revealed numerous changes in energy metabolites, neurotransmitters and stress hormones that correlated with replication levels of viral RNA. Although the large majority of these metabolic changes were completely absent in the brains of TriGAS-treated mice most likely due to the strong reduction in virus spread, TriGAS treatment resulted in the up-regulation of the expression of carnitine and several acylcarnitines, suggesting that these compounds are neuroprotective.

Postexposure treatment with the live-attenuated rabies virus (RV) vaccine TriGAS triggers the clearance of wild-type RV from the Central Nervous System (CNS) through the rapid induction of genes relevant to adaptive immunity in CNS tissues.

Postexposure treatment (PET) of wild-type rabies virus (RV)-infected mice with a live-attenuated triple-glycoprotein RV variant (TriGAS) promotes survival but does not prevent the pathogenic RV from invading and replicating in the brain. Successful PET is associated with the induction of a robust virus-neutralizing antibody response and clearance of the wild-type RV from brain tissues. Comparison of the transcriptomes of normal mouse brain with those of wild-type-RV-infected mice that had received either mock or TriGAS PET treatment revealed that many of the host genes activated in the mock-treated mice represent type I interferon (IFN) response genes.

Akt is required for Stat5 activation and mammary differentiation.

Introduction: The Akt pathway plays a central role in regulating cell survival, proliferation and metabolism, and is one of the most commonly activated pathways in human cancer. A role for Akt in epithelial differentiation, however, has not been established. We previously reported that mice lacking Akt1, but not Akt2, exhibit a pronounced metabolic defect during late pregnancy and lactation that results from a failure to upregulate Glut1 as well as several lipid synthetic enzymes.

Plant-produced hepatitis B core protein chimera carrying anthrax protective antigen domain-4.

The hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) can generate a strong immune response and is recognized as an effective carrier for foreign epitopes. The domain-4 epitope of the anthrax protective antigen (PA-D4) plays an essential role in generating protective immunity against virulent Bacillus anthracis. Here we report the successful production of a recombinant protein comprised of the antigenic PA-D4 integrated into the c/e1 loop of HBcAg in transgenic low-alkaloid Nicotiana tabacum.

Immunogenic properties of plant-derived recombinant smallpox vaccine candidate pB5.

The extracellular virion membrane protein B5 is a potent inducer of immune responses capable of protecting mice and primates against poxvirus infections. Here, we examined the antibody response induced in mice immunized intramuscularly (i.m.

Early blood-brain barrier permeability in cerebella of PLSJL mice immunized with myelin basic protein.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is dramatically but transiently compromised in the cerebella of myelin basic protein immunized mice at least 1 week prior to the development of the paralytic phase of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Treatment of mice with the peroxynitrite-dependent radical scavenger uric acid (UA) during the first week after immunization blocks the early increase in cerebellar BBB permeability and the subsequent development of clinical signs of EAE. These results indicate that the early loss of BBB integrity in the cerebellum is likely to be a necessary step in the development of paralytic EAE.

Plant-derived EpCAM antigen induces protective anti-cancer response.

Immunotherapy holds great promise for treatment of infectious and malignant diseases and might help to prevent the occurrence and recurrence of cancer. We produced a plant-derived tumor-associated colorectal cancer antigen EpCAM (pGA733) at high yields using two modern plant expression systems. The full antigenic domain of EpCAM was efficiently purified to confirm its antigenic and immunogenic properties as compared to those of the antigen expressed in the baculovirus system (bGA733).

Isoform-specific requirement for Akt1 in the developmental regulation of cellular metabolism during lactation.

The metabolic demands and synthetic capacity of the lactating mammary gland exceed that of any other tissue, thereby providing a useful paradigm for understanding the developmental regulation of cellular metabolism. By evaluating mice bearing targeted deletions in Akt1 or Akt2, we demonstrate that Akt1 is specifically required for lactating mice to synthesize sufficient quantities of milk to support their offspring. Whereas cellular proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis are unaffected, loss of Akt1 disrupts the coordinate regulation of metabolic pathways that normally occurs at the onset of lactation.

Effect of long-term oral administration of green tea extract on weight gain and glucose tolerance in Zucker diabetic (ZDF) rats.

There have been some claims that green tea reduces weight and lowers blood glucose in diabetes. Intraperitoneal injections of green tea catechins in diabetic rats have shown beneficial effects. To determine if oral administration of green tea would prevent development of diabetes, young Zucker diabetic rats were dosed with green tea extract containing 50-125 mg/kg of Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) starting at 7 weeks of age, before the appearance of excessive weight gain and glucose elevation.

The transcriptional repressor Snail promotes mammary tumor recurrence.

Breast cancer recurrence is a fundamental clinical manifestation of tumor progression and represents the principal cause of death from this disease. Using a conditional transgenic mouse model for the recurrence of HER2/neu-induced mammary tumors, we demonstrate that the transcriptional repressor Snail is spontaneously upregulated in recurrent tumors in vivo and that recurrence is accompanied by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Consistent with a causal role for Snail in these processes, we show that Snail is sufficient to induce EMT in primary tumor cells, that Snail is sufficient to promote mammary tumor recurrence in vivo, and that high levels of Snail predict decreased relapse-free survival in women with breast cancer.