Cytological Assessment of Desmoplastic Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in an Autopsy Case.

Introduction: Desmoplastic malignant pleural mesothelioma (DMPM) is a sarcoma-type mesothelioma, comprising approximately 5% of malignant pleural mesotheliomas. Although effusion cytology is commonly used as the primary diagnostic approach for mesothelioma, it may not be useful for DMPM because of the presence of desmoplasia and bland cellular atypia. We report a case, and previously undescribed cytological features, of DMPM that was diagnosed during autopsy.

Toll‑like receptor 4 plays a tumor‑suppressive role in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.

Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4), a key regulator of the innate immune system, is expressed not only in immune cells, but also in a number of cancer cells. A biological role for TLR4 in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), however, is unclear. In this study, we first examined TLR4 expression and localization in cases of SCC, actinic keratosis (AK) and Bowen's disease (BD) by immunohistochemistry.

2-Deoxy-d-glucose increases GFAT1 phosphorylation resulting in endoplasmic reticulum-related apoptosis via disruption of protein N-glycosylation in pancreatic cancer cells.

The glycolytic inhibitor 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2DG) causes energy starvation, affecting cell viability in a wide range of cancer cell lines. To determine the action of 2DG in pancreatic cancer, we performed proteomic analysis of pancreatic cancer cell line after 2DG treatment. Eighty proteins showed differential expression and among these, proteins involved in phosphohexose metabolism were upregulated.

Expression of MRP1 and ABCG2 is associated with adverse clinical outcomes of papillary thyroid carcinoma with a solid component.

Solid variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterized by a solid component (SC) retaining classical cytological features of PTC. Despite some controversies, PTC with SC (PTCSC) cases have poor prognosis compared with well-differentiated PTC. We investigated if cancer stem cells (CSCs) may have a role in pathogenesis of PTCSC.

Clinicopathological significance of a solid component in papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Aims: Solid variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (SVPTC) is characterized by a solid component (SC) involving more than 50% of the tumour with the preservation of the classical cytological features of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). However, the clinical significance of SC in PTC has been rarely examined. Herein, we investigated retrospectively the clinicopathological features of PTC with various degrees (10-85%) of SC (PTCSC).

Higher expression of EpCAM is associated with poor clinical and pathological responses in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is a standard regimen in treatment of breast cancer patients, but some are resistant to NAC. We hypothesized that breast cancer cells overexpressing epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) could be resistant to NAC, contributing to a poor prognosis. Seventy patients with breast cancer were treated with NAC.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein-3 as a marker for distinguishing between cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and keratoacanthoma.

In the histopathological diagnosis of cutaneous tumors, the differential diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) with crateriform architecture and keratoacanthoma (KA) is often difficult so an accurate understanding of the biological features and the identification of reliable markers of SCC and KA are crucial issues. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein-3 (IGF2BP3, also known as IMP3) is thought of as a bona fide oncofetal protein, which is overexpressed and is involved in cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in several kinds of tumors. However, the role of IMP3 in cutaneous SCC and KA has not been well studied.

Nodular fasciitis in the parotid gland: a case report and review of the literature.

Nodular fasciitis (NF) is a benign, reactive lesion with a self-limiting process. Because NF is rare in the parotid gland and has many cytological similarities to other benign or malignant tumors, cytological misinterpretation is common. The patient, a 30-year-old woman, had a painless mass in her right parotid gland.

Keratinocyte growth factor stimulates growth of MIA PaCa-2 cells through extracellular signal-regulated kinase phosphorylation.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), also known as fibroblast growth factor-7, is mainly synthesized by mesenchymal cells. KGF modulates proliferation, differentiation, migration and adhesion to extracellular matrices of epithelial cells that specifically express the KGF receptor (KGFR). We previously reported that KGF is expressed in cancer cells and adjacent stromal fibroblasts in human pancreatic cancer tissues.

Secreted 70kDa lumican stimulates growth and inhibits invasion of human pancreatic cancer.

Lumican expression in the stromal tissues of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) correlates with tumor invasion, and tends to correlate with poor prognosis. We used gene transfection techniques to examine the biological roles of lumican secreted from PDAC cells. Lumican-transfected PANC-1 cells secreted a 70-kDa lumican protein and had an active ERK pathway.

Overexpressed fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 in the invasive front of colorectal cancer: a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.

Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) is considered a novel therapeutic target for various cancer. We used a silencing strategy to clarify the effect of reduced FGFR2 expression in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. The invasive front of cancer cells exhibited stronger FGFR2 expression than the surface area of the cancers.

Neuroepithelial stem cell marker nestin regulates the migration, invasion and growth of human gliomas.

Nestin, a class VI intermediate filament protein, was originally described as a neuronal stem cell marker during central nervous system development. Nestin is expressed in gliomas, and its expression levels are higher in gliomas with high WHO histopathological classification grades than in those with low grades. In the present study, we examined whether nestin regulates the biological activities of human glioma cells.

Morphological and cytoskeletal changes of pancreatic cancer cells in three-dimensional spheroidal culture.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures are expected to mimic in vivo environments. We used a NanoCulture plate to determine the spheroid-forming ability of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell lines and compared the morphology and expression of cytoskeletal proteins of PDAC cells to those in two-dimensional (2D) cultures. All examined PDAC cells grew as monolayers in 2D culture.

Nestin is a novel target for suppressing pancreatic cancer cell migration, invasion and metastasis.

Nestin, is a class VI intermediate filament (IF) that is expressed in 30% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cases, and its expression in PDAC positively correlates with peripancreatic invasion. An expression vector carrying a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting nestin was stably transfected into PANC-1 and PK-45H human pancreatic cancer cells, which express high nestin levels. Alterations in morphology and alignment of actin filaments and α-tubulin were examined by phase-contrast and immunocytochemistry.

Comparison of fixation methods for preservation of morphology, RNAs, and proteins from paraffin-embedded human cancer cell-implanted mouse models.

Xenograft transplantation of human tumor cells into immunodeficient mice is an important method to clarify the roles of specific molecules or chemicals in vivo. Recently, this method has been reported as a definitive examination to identify tumor stem cells. In this study, the authors compared the morphology and the quality and quantity of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein in paraffin-embedded tissues of nude mice implanted with human uterine cervical cancer cells, followed by fixation with commonly used fixatives, including 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), 10% neutral buffered formalin (NBF), 20% NBF, and 99% ethanol (EtOH).

Enhanced expression of lumican inhibited the attachment and growth of human embryonic kidney 293 cells.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan (SLRP) family and it regulates the assembly and diameter of collagen fibers in the extracellular matrix of various tissues. Lumican expression was reported in various kinds of tumor cells. Lumican inhibits the growth of melanoma cells, but the lumican in pancreatic cancer correlated with an advanced stage and retroperitoneal and duodenal invasion.

Keratinocyte growth factor induces vascular endothelial growth factor-A expression in colorectal cancer cells.

Keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), which is also called fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7, belongs to the FGF family. KGF is not commonly produced by human cancer cells, but the KGF receptor (KGFR) is expressed in most cancer cells and particularly highly expressed in well-differentiated types of cancer. Recently, it has been reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A expression is induced by KGF in pancreatic cancer cells.

Expression and roles of lumican in lung adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan family and is highly expressed in several types of cancer cells and/or stromal tissue. Lumican expression in the cytoplasm in advanced colorectal cancer correlates with poor patient prognosis. The expression of lumican in stromal tissues is associated with a high tumor grade, a low estrogen receptor expression level, and young age in breast cancer and is associated with tumor invasion and advanced stage in pancreatic cancer.

Keratinocyte growth factor-transfection-stimulated adhesion of colorectal cancer cells to extracellular matrices.

The keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) regulates cell growth and behavior in an autocrine or paracrine manner. In colorectal cancer tissues, KGF is expressed in tumor cells and adjacent stromal fibroblasts. We have constructed a KGF-gene-transfected cell line (HCT15-KGF) from a colorectal cancer cell line, HCT-15, that expresses the KGF receptor, and studied the effects of KGF on cell behavior, particularly growth and adhesion to extracellular matrices (ECMs).

Role of lumican in cancer cells and adjacent stromal tissues in human pancreatic cancer.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan family and its overexpression has been reported in carcinoid tumor, breast, colorectal, neuroendocrine cell, uterine cervical and pancreatic cancers. The expression of lumican in stromal tissues in breast cancer is associated with a high tumor grade, a low estrogen receptor expression level and young age. Lumican expression in the cytoplasm in advanced colorectal cancer is correlated with a poor prognosis.

External whole-body image of EGFP gene expression.

Whole-body optical imaging is an external and noninvasive procedure that enables the continuous visual monitoring of malignant growth and spread within intact animals. The human colon adenocarcinoma cell-line HCT-15 was transfected with a pIRES 2-EGFP vector, and stable enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) expression was established (Fig.1).

Transient and ectopic expression of lumican by acinar cells in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan family. We previously found that lumican mRNA and its protein were ectopically and highly expressed in acinar cells in chronic pancreatitis (CP)-like lesions close to pancreatic cancer cells. CP-like lesions are characterized by acinar and ductal-ductular cell proliferation with expanding fibrosis.

Expression of keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR/FGFR2 IIIb) in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Keratinocyte growth factor receptor (KGFR), also known as fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)2 IIIb, is located in many types of epithelial cells and is activated by four known ligands (FGF-1, FGF-3, FGF-7 (also known as KGF) and FGF-10) that are predominantly synthesized by mesenchymal cells. In the early stage of atherosclerosis, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) transform from a contractile to a synthetic phenotype, proliferate and migrate into the intima. Previously, FGF-7 mRNA expression was reported in VSMC, but KGFR mRNA was not detected.

Differential distribution of fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7 and FGF-10 in L-arginine-induced acute pancreatitis.

The regenerative process of the pancreas after acute pancreatitis (AP) is characterized by acinar and ductal cell proliferation with synthesis and transient deposition of extracellular matrices. Various growth factors were reported to be highly expressed in AP, but their regulation has not yet been clarified. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-7, also known as keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and FGF-10 are members of the FGF family and show high structural homology and similar biological characteristics.

Expression of lumican in human colorectal cancer cells.

Lumican is a member of a small leucine-rich proteoglycan family and its overexpression in human breast cancer tissues is reported to influence the growth of cancer cells. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the expression of lumican mRNA and its protein in human colorectal cancer cell lines and their localization in normal and cancerous colorectal tissues. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analysis revealed lumican mRNA and its protein expression in COLO 205, DLD-1, HCT-15, SW 480 and WiDr colorectal cancer cell lines.