Enhanced expression of retinoic acid-metabolizing enzyme CYP26A1 in sunlight-damaged human skin.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is associated with increased susceptibility to carcinogenesis. CYP26A1, the gene encoding a cytochrome P450 enzyme specifically involved in metabolic inactivation of retinoic acid (RA), the most active vitamin A derivative, has been shown to result in a state of functional VAD of the cell. Recently, we demonstrated that CYP26A1 efficiently promotes cell survival properties and eventually contributes to the carcinogenic process, implying roles as an oncogene.

The tight junction, intercellular seal as a cell signaling player: protocols for examination of its status.

Tight junctions (TJs) are intercellular structures in epithelial and endothelial cells, primarily playing -critical roles in cell-cell adhesion. Among their molecular components, claudins are the main constituents as integral membrane proteins, encoded by at least 24 members of a single gene family. Accumulated -evidence has demonstrated that TJ proteins such as claudins are directly involved in the regulation of -cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, due to their ability to recruit various signaling molecules that have proliferative and differentiative capacities, including transcription factors, lipid phosphatases, and cell cycle regulators.

Nicotine-mediated suppression of the retinoic acid metabolizing enzyme CYP26A1 limits the oncogenic potential of breast cancer.

Tobacco smoke influences cancer development in tissues that are not directly exposed, and epidemiological studies have indicated that smoking women might experience decreased risk of breast cancer as a result of antiestrogenic effects. However, it remains to be clarified whether nicotine, one of the major addictive and best-investigated constituents of tobacco smoke, has any effect on breast cancer. Our recent work demonstrated that the retinoic acid metabolizing enzyme CYP26A1 enhances oncogenic and cell survival properties of breast carcinoma cells, implying a role as an oncogene.

Fascin-1 expression correlates with repression of E-cadherin expression in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and augments their invasiveness in combination with matrix metalloproteinases.

Expression of fascin-1, an actin bundling protein, is a poor prognostic factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its biological role in HCC cells remains unclear. Using human HCC tissues and cell lines HLE, Hep3B, and Huh7, we investigated whether fascin-1 is involved in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and increases invasiveness, thus serving as a promoter of cancer aggressiveness.

[Renal cell carcinoma with rhabdoid features and sarcomatoid change: a case report].

In Feb 2009, a-54-year-old female complained of left flank pain and macrohematuria. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated the left renal tumor. In Mar 2009, she was referred to our hospital.

Emerging novel treatment strategies for diabetic eye diseases.

Endothelial tight junctions (TJs) in the retina are potential therapeutic targets for diabetic complications such as retinopathy. TJs primarily determine the endothelial barrier, regulating vascular permeability to maintain tightly closed circulating homeostasis. Our recent study has demonstrated that glial cell-derived cytokines limit vascular permeability by modulating the TJ function of retinal capillary endothelium and eventually attenuate the breakdown of vascular integrity in diabetic microangiopathy.

Oncogenic and cell survival properties of the retinoic acid metabolizing enzyme, CYP26A1.

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is associated with increased susceptibility to carcinogenesis in animal models and elevated risk for a number of human cancers. Here, we found that CYP26A1, the gene encoding a cytochrome P450 enzyme specifically involved in metabolic inactivation of retinoic acid (RA), the most active vitamin A derivative, is highly expressed in 42% (27/65) of primary breast cancers. We also showed that enhanced expression of CYP26A1 suppresses cellular responses to anoikis and consequently promotes anchorage-independent growth.

Insulin-independent promotion of chemically induced hepatocellular tumor development in genetically diabetic mice.

Diabetes mellitus has been proposed as an epidemiological risk factor for human liver cancer development. One reasonable possibility is that this is attributable to hyperinsulinemia compensatory for obesity-related insulin resistance. However, diabetes mellitus is a complex disease with multiple abnormal conditions essentially caused by hyperglycemia.

The Kras2 oncogene and mouse lung carcinogenesis.

Activating point mutations of the mouse Kras2 oncogene or its human homologue, KRAS, are critical for lung adenocarcinoma genesis, independent of the species. Significantly, in the mouse, several polymorphic Kras2 alleles have been identified, which cosegregate with genetic susceptibility to chemical induction of lung tumors. Moreover, a major lung tumor susceptibility locus, the Pas1 (Pulmonary adenoma susceptibility 1), was found to colocalize with Kras2 on distal chromosome 6 on linkage analysis.

Molecular phylogeny of Trypanosoma cruzi from Central America (Guatemala) and a comparison with South American strains.

Molecular phylogenetic analysis was carried out for 21 strains of Trypanosoma cruzi, nine of which were obtained from Guatemala and 12 from South America. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using the nucleotide sequences of two nuclear gene regions, dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) and trypanothione reductase (TR), and contiguous portions of two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome oxidase subunit II (COII) and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1). Possible genetic exchange between the rather divergent lineages of T.

Helicobacter pylori-associated chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and low molecular weight H. pylori proteins.

We examined the association between Helicobacter pylori infection and chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (cITP) to clarify the development of H. pylori-associated cITP. cITP patients were classified into 3 different groups: Hp-negative (HP-N); Hp-positive, completely or partially responsive to treatment (CR); and Hp-positive and unresponsive to treatment (NR).

Relationship of IL-8 production and the CagA status in AGS cells infected with Helicobacter pylori exposed to low pH and activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3).

We examined the kinetics of IL-8 production and CagA status in AGS infected with Helicobacter pylori, 26695 (Western CagA-type), HPK5 (Eastern CagA-type) and isogenic cagA-disrupted mutants, exposed to different pH (pH 6 and pH 3). IL-8 was produced in the early and late phases after infection in CagA-dependent and -independent manners, respectively, irrespective of CagA-type. The wild-type exposed to low pH tremendously reduced IL-8 level at early phase, but restored with urea, suggesting that low pH exerted the kinetics of H.

Potential foramen to allow communication between the pleural cavity and retroperitoneal space during laparoscopic surgery: a cadaver study of Bochdalek's triangle.

The indications for laparoscopic retroperitoneal surgery have recently been greatly extended and the technique has become popular, but concomitant pleural injury or pneumothorax has been reported from numerous hospitals in Japan. Which anatomical information is useful to avoid surgical injury of the suggested weak portion of the diaphragm? We identified a diaphragm-free triangular area or Bochdalek's triangle in 90.1% of elderly Japanese cadavers (100/111 cadavers), comprising about 622.

[Case of multiple (at least 28 lesions) gastric intramural metastases from gastric cancer].

A 76-year-old man was admitted for treatment of gastric cancer that causing anorexia. Endoscopy showed the stenosis in the antrum of the stomach and multiple small nodules with erosion from the upper body to the corpus of the stomach. Total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y reconstruction was performed.

Genotypes and haplotypes of CCR2 and CCR3 genes in Japanese cedar pollinosis.

Whole genome scan analyses have revealed that the chromosomal region 3p21.3, which contains a gene cluster of the CC chemokine receptor, is possibly critical for the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation. Japanese cedar pollinosis is mediated by a type I allergy and induces seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis in humans as the most common form of hay fever in spring in Japan, although the candidate genes for cedar pollinosis remain to be elucidated.

Primary malignant B-cell-type dural lymphoma: Case report.

Background: The primary malignant dural lymphoma of B-cell type is rare. Our review of the literature (24 cases) indicated that patients with this tumor had female predominance, immunocompetency, and longer survival compared with those with primary malignant intracerebral lymphomas. Based on its clinicopathological features, this dural lymphoma may be classified differently from other types of malignant lymphomas in the central nervous system.

Cell elongation and cell death of helicobacter pylori is modulated by the disruption of cdrA (cell division-related gene A).

The cell division-related gene A (cdrA) of Helicobacter pylori is dispensable in vivo and unique in having a repressive role on cell division and long-term survival. To clarify its role, comparisons of the wildtype HPK5 and isogenic cdrA-disrupted mutant HPKT510 were examined by ultrastructural morphology, PBP profiles, and susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics during long-term cultivation. Ultrastructural analyses revealed that the shorter rods of HPKT510 had a slightly wider periplasmic space between the inner and the outer membrane than those of HPK5.