Essential roles of FoxM1 in Ras-induced liver cancer progression and in cancer cells with stem cell features.

Background & Aims: Overexpression of FoxM1 correlates with poor prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, the Ras-signaling pathway is found to be ubiquitously activated in HCC through epigenetic silencing of the Ras-regulators. We investigated the roles of FoxM1 in Ras-driven HCC, and on HCC cells with stem-like features.

Hemizygous disruption of Cdc25A inhibits cellular transformation and mammary tumorigenesis in mice.

CDC25A phosphatase activates multiple cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) during cell cycle progression. Inactivation of CDC25A by ubiquitin-mediated degradation is a major mechanism of DNA damage-induced S-G(2) checkpoint. Although increased CDC25A expression has been reported in various human cancer tissues, it remains unclear whether CDC25A activation is a critical rate-limiting step of carcinogenesis.

Expression and function of COOH-terminal myosin heavy chain isoforms in mouse smooth muscle.

Isoforms of the smooth muscle myosin motor, SM1 and SM2, differ in length at the carboxy terminal tail region. Their proportion changes with development, hormonal status and disease, but their function is unknown. We developed mice carrying the myosin heavy chain (MyHC) transgenes SM1, cMyc-tagged SM1, SM2, and V5-tagged SM2, and all transgenes corresponded to the SMa NH(2)-terminal isoform.

Reporter expression, induced by a growth hormone promoter-driven Cre recombinase (rGHp-Cre) transgene, questions the developmental relationship between somatotropes and lactotropes in the adult mouse pituitary gland.

This report describes the development and validation of the rGHp-Cre transgenic mouse that allows for selective Cre-mediated recombination of loxP-modified alleles in the GH-producing cells of the anterior pituitary. Initial screening of the rGHp-Cre parental line showed Cre mRNA was specifically expressed in the anterior pituitary gland of adult Cre+/- mice and cephalic extracts of e17 Cre+/- fetuses. Heterozygote rGHp-Cre transgenic mice were crossbred with Z/AP reporter mice to generate Cre+/-,Z/AP+/- offspring.

Deregulated CDC25A expression promotes mammary tumorigenesis with genomic instability.

Checkpoint pathways help cells maintain genomic integrity, delaying cell cycle progression in response to various risks of fidelity, such as genotoxic stresses, compromised DNA replication, and impaired spindle control. Cancer cells frequently exhibit genomic instability, and recent studies showed that checkpoint pathways are likely to serve as a tumor-suppressive barrier in vivo. The cell cycle-promoting phosphatase CDC25A is an activator of cyclin-dependent kinases and one of the downstream targets for the CHK1-mediated checkpoint pathway.

FoxO1 regulates multiple metabolic pathways in the liver: effects on gluconeogenic, glycolytic, and lipogenic gene expression.

FoxO transcription factors are important targets of insulin action. To better understand the role of FoxO proteins in the liver, we created transgenic mice expressing constitutively active FoxO1 in the liver using the alpha1-antitrypsin promoter. Fasting glucose levels are increased, and glucose tolerance is impaired in transgenic (TGN) versus wild type (WT) mice.

Tumor-prone phenotype of the DDB2-deficient mice.

DDB2 is an essential subunit of the damaged-DNA recognition factor DDB, which is involved in global genomic repair in human cells. Moreover, DDB2 is mutated in the repair-deficiency disease xeroderma pigmentosum (Group E). Expression of DDB2 in human cells is induced by P53, BRCA1 and by ionizing radiation.

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors p27Kip1 and p21Cip1 cooperate to restrict proliferative life span in differentiating ovarian cells.

The timing of cellular exit from the cell cycle during differentiation is specific for each cell type or lineage. Granulosa cells in the ovary establish quiescence within several hours after the ovulation-inducing luteinizing hormone surge, whereas they undergo differentiation into corpora lutea. The expression of Cdk inhibitors p21(Cip1/Waf1) and p27(Kip1) is up-regulated during this process, suggesting that these cell cycle inhibitors are involved in restricting proliferative capacity of differentiating granulosa cells.

Intact follicular maturation and defective luteal function in mice deficient for cyclin- dependent kinase-4.

Cell cycle progression of granulosa cells is critical for ovarian function, especially follicular maturation. During follicular maturation, FSH induces cyclin D2, which promotes G1 progression by activating cyclin-dependent kinase-4 (Cdk4). Because cyclin D2-deficient mice exhibit a block in follicular growth, cyclin D2/Cdk4 has been hypothesized to be required for FSH-dependent proliferation of granulosa cells.