@phdthesis{Fender2015, author = {Fender, Hendrik Eike}, title = {NFATc1 as a Therapeutic Target in Burkitt's Lymphoma}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133098}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is a very aggressive, germinal center-derived B cell lymphoma. It mostly occurs in children from equatorial Africa who carry both the Epstein-Barr virus and the pathogens for malaria. Aside from this endemic form, there are also sporadic and immunosuppressive forms of BL. The most important characteristics are both the "starry sky" macrophages - from a histological point of view - and the translocation of MYC to one of the immunoglobulin enhancers at the molecular level. In addition to MYC overexpression several mutations, e.g. in p53 or cyclin D3, or constitutive active PI3-kinase signaling contribute to lymphoma genesis. Furthermore, NFAT factors seem also to play a crucial role. In human BL cell lines and murine Myc-driven tumors, the pro survival factor NFATc1 is highly expressed and present in the nuclei. To interfere with the NFAT pathway in lymphoma formation, I tested the "classical" way by inhibition of calcineurin (CN) with CsA, FK506 or VIVIT. Surprisingly, CN inhibition was not sufficient to induce a complete cytoplasmic translocation of NFATc1. Furthermore, CN inhibitors affected cellular survival and proliferation only at atypical high concentrations. Investigation of other pathways, like the PI3-kinase or JAK3, excluded the possibility that they promote NFATc1 activity. Finally, I treated NFATc1 over-expressing BL and pancreatic cancer cell lines with gallium nitrate that turned out to be a very potent inhibitor of cell survival. Gallium nitrate suppressed NFATc1 and MYC transcription though protein stability was not affected. Regarding the regulation of NFATc1 by MYC-overexpression, the data obtained in my work suggested that (1) NFATc1 mRNA level is down-regulated in murine cells, (2) NFATc1 protein level is up-regulated in both human and murine cells, and (3) MYC supports NFATc1's nuclear residence. Finally, I discovered Myc-driven tumor cells as potential "starry sky" macrophages. Under certain conditions, mainly concerning calcium signaling, they change their outward appearance, surface marker expression, and gain the ability for phagocytosis. For the future, the discovery that gallium acts through NFATc1 in BL and probably numerous other cancer types opens up new strategies for therapeutic interventions.}, subject = {Burkitt}, language = {en} } @article{RascheDuellMorgneretal.2013, author = {Rasche, Leo and Duell, Johannes and Morgner, Charlotte and Chatterjee, Manik and Hensel, Frank and Rosenwald, Andreas and Einsele, Hermann and Topp, Max S. and Br{\"a}ndlein, Stephanie}, title = {The Natural Human IgM Antibody PAT-SM6 Induces Apoptosis in Primary Human Multiple Myeloma Cells by Targeting Heat Shock Protein GRP78}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0063414}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130125}, pages = {e63414}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In contrast to other haematological malignancies, targeted immunotherapy has not entered standard treatment regimens for de novo or relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) yet. While a number of IgG-formatted monoclonal antibodies are currently being evaluated in clinical trials in MM, our study aimed to investigate whether the fully human IgM monoclonal antibody PAT-SM6 that targets a tumour-specific variant of the heat shock protein GRP78 might be an attractive candidate for future immunotherapeutic approaches. We here show that GRP78 is stably and consistently expressed on the surface on tumour cells from patients with de novo, but also relapsed MM and that binding of PAT-SM6 to MM cells can specifically exert cytotoxic effects on malignant plasma cells, whereas non-malignant cells are not targeted. We demonstrate that the induction of apoptosis and, to a lesser extent, complement dependent cytotoxicity is the main mode of action of PAT-SM6, whereas antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity does not appear to contribute to the cytotoxic properties of this antibody. Given the favourable safety profile of PAT-SM6 in monkeys, but also in a recent phase I trial in patients with malignant melanoma, our results form the basis for a planned phase I study in patients with relapsed MM.}, language = {en} } @article{HuangBelharazemLietal.2013, author = {Huang, Bei and Belharazem, Djeda and Li, Li and Kneitz, Susanne and Schnabel, Philipp A. and Rieker, Ralf J. and K{\"o}rner, Daniel and Nix, Wilfried and Schalke, Berthold and M{\"u}ller-Hermelink, Hans Konrad and Ott, German and Rosenwald, Andreas and Str{\"o}bel, Philipp and Marx, Alexander}, title = {Anti-apoptotic signature in thymic squamous cell carcinomas - functional relevance of anti-apoptotic BIRC3 expression in the thymic carcinoma cell line 1889c}, series = {Frontiers in Oncology}, volume = {3}, journal = {Frontiers in Oncology}, number = {316}, doi = {10.3389/fonc.2013.00316}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132214}, year = {2013}, abstract = {The molecular pathogenesis of thymomas and thymic arcinomas (TCs) is poorly understood and results of adjuvant therapy are unsatisfactory in case of metastatic disease and tumor recurrence. For these clinical settings, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Recently, limited sequencing efforts revealed that a broad spectrum of genes that play key roles in various common cancers are rarely affected in thymomas and TCs, suggesting that other oncogenic principles might be important.This made us re-analyze historic expression data obtained in a spectrumof thymomas and thymic squamous cell carcinomas (TSCCs) with a custom-made cDNA microarray. By cluster analysis, different anti-apoptotic signatures were detected in type B3 thymoma and TSCC, including overexpression of BIRC3 in TSCCs. This was confirmed by qRT-PCR in the original and an independent validation set of tumors. In contrast to several other cancer cell lines, the BIRC3-positive TSCC cell line, 1889c showed spontaneous apoptosis after BIRC3 knock-down. Targeting apoptosis genes is worth testing as therapeutic principle in TSCC.}, language = {en} } @article{WolfahrtHermanScholzetal.2013, author = {Wolfahrt, Sonja and Herman, Sandra and Scholz, Claus-J{\"u}rgen and Sauer, Georg and Deissler, Helmut}, title = {Identification of alternative transcripts of rat CD9 expressed by tumorigenic neural cell lines and in normal tissues}, series = {Genetics and Molecular Biology}, volume = {36}, journal = {Genetics and Molecular Biology}, number = {2}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-131801}, pages = {276-281}, year = {2013}, abstract = {CD9 is the best-studied member of the tetraspanin family of transmembrane proteins. It is involved in various fundamental cellular processes and its altered expression is a characteristic of malignant cells of different origins. Despite numerous investigations confirming its fundamental role, the heterogeneity of CD9 or other tetraspanin proteins was considered only to be caused by posttranslational modification, rather than alternative splicing. Here we describe the first identification of CD9 transcript variants expressed by cell lines derived from fetal rat brain cells. Variant mRNA-B lacks a potential translation initiation codon in the alternative exon 1 and seems to be characteristic of the tumorigenic BT cell lines. In contrast, variant mRNA-C can be translated from a functional initiation codon located in its extended exon 2, and substantial amounts of this form detected in various tissues suggest a contribution to CD9 functions. From the alternative sequence of variant C, a different membrane topology ( 5 transmembrane domains) and a deviating spectrum of functions can be expected.}, language = {en} } @article{RonchiLeichSbieraetal.2012, author = {Ronchi, Cristina L. and Leich, Ellen and Sbiera, Silviu and Weismann, Dirk and Rosenwald, Andreas and Allolio, Bruno and Fassnacht, Martin}, title = {Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Microarray Analysis in Cortisol-Secreting Adrenocortical Adenomas Identifies New Candidate Genes and Pathways}, series = {Neoplasia}, volume = {14}, journal = {Neoplasia}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1593/neo.111758}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-134953}, pages = {206}, year = {2012}, abstract = {The genetic mechanisms underlying adrenocortical tumor development are still largely unknown. We used high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism microarrays (Affymetrix SNP 6.0) to detect copy number alterations (CNAs) and copy-neutral losses of heterozygosity (cnLOH) in 15 cortisol-secreting adrenocortical adenomas with matched blood samples. We focused on microalterations aiming to discover new candidate genes involved in early tumorigenesis and/or autonomous cortisol secretion. We identified 962 CNAs with a median of 18 CNAs per sample. Half of them involved noncoding regions, 89\% were less than 100 kb, and 28\% were found in at least two samples. The most frequently gained regions were 5p15.33, 6q16.1, 7p22.3-22.2, 8q24.3, 9q34.2-34.3, 11p15.5, 11q11, 12q12, 16q24.3, 20p11.1-20q21.11, and Xq28 (>= 20\% of cases), most of them being identified in the same three adenomas. These regions contained among others genes like NOTCH1, CYP11B2, HRAS, and IGF2. Recurrent losses were less common and smaller than gains, being mostly localized at 1p, 6q, and 11q. Pathway analysis revealed that Notch signaling was the most frequently altered. We identified 46 recurrent CNAs that each affected a single gene (31 gains and 15 losses), including genes involved in steroidogenesis (CYP11B1) or tumorigenesis (CTNNB1, EPHA7, SGK1, STIL, FHIT). Finally, 20 small cnLOH in four cases affecting 15 known genes were found. Our findings provide the first high-resolution genome-wide view of chromosomal changes in cortisol-secreting adenomas and identify novel candidate genes, such as HRAS, EPHA7, and SGK1. Furthermore, they implicate that the Notch1 signaling pathway might be involved in the molecular pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors.}, language = {en} } @article{deVreezeCoevordenBoerrigteretal.2011, author = {de Vreeze, Ronald S. A. and Coevorden, Frits van and Boerrigter, Lucie and Nederlof, Petra M. and Haas, Rick L. and Bras, Johannes and Rosenwald, Andreas and Mentzel, Thomas and de Jong, Daphne}, title = {Delineation of Chondroid Lipoma: An Immunohistochemical and Molecular Biological Analysis}, series = {Sarcoma}, volume = {2011}, journal = {Sarcoma}, number = {Article ID 638403}, doi = {10.1155/2011/638403}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135103}, pages = {5}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Aims Chondroid lipoma (CL) is a benign tumor that mimics a variety of soft tissue tumors and is characterized by translocation (11;16). Here, we analyze CL and its histological mimics. Methods CL ( ) was compared to a variety of histological mimics ( ) for morphological aspects and immunohistochemical features including cyclinD1(CCND1). Using FISH analysis, CCND1 and FUS were investigated as potential translocation partners. Results All CLs were strongly positive for CCND1. One of 4 myoepitheliomas, CCND1, was positive. In well-differentiated lipomatous tumors and in chondrosarcomas, CCND1 was frequently expressed, but all myxoid liposarcomas were negative. FISH analysis did not give support for direct involvement of CCND1 and FUS as translocation partners. Conclusions Chondroid lipoma is extremely rare and has several and more prevalent histological mimics. The differential diagnosis of chondroid lipomas can be unraveled using immunohistochemical and molecular support.}, language = {en} } @article{CarmelaVeglianteRoyoPalomeroetal.2011, author = {Carmela Vegliante, Maria and Royo, Cristina and Palomero, Jara and Salaverria, Itziar and Balint, Balazs and Martin-Guerrero, Idoia and Agirre, Xabier and Lujambio, Amaia and Richter, Julia and Xargay-Torrent, Silvia and Bea, Silvia and Hernandez, Luis and Enjuanes, Anna and Jose Calasanz, Maria and Rosenwald, Andreas and Ott, German and Roman-Gomez, Jose and Prosper, Felipe and Esteller, Manel and Jares, Pedro and Siebert, Reiner and Campo, Elias and Martin-Subero, Jose I. and Amador, Virginia}, title = {Epigenetic Activation of SOX11 in Lymphoid Neoplasms by Histone Modifications}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {6}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0021382}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135325}, pages = {e21382}, year = {2011}, abstract = {Recent studies have shown aberrant expression of SOX11 in various types of aggressive B-cell neoplasms. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms leading to such deregulation, we performed a comprehensive SOX11 gene expression and epigenetic study in stem cells, normal hematopoietic cells and different lymphoid neoplasms. We observed that SOX11 expression is associated with unmethylated DNA and presence of activating histone marks (H3K9/14Ac and H3K4me3) in embryonic stem cells and some aggressive B-cell neoplasms. In contrast, adult stem cells, normal hematopoietic cells and other lymphoid neoplasms do not express SOX11. Such repression was associated with silencing histone marks H3K9me2 and H3K27me3. The SOX11 promoter of non-malignant cells was consistently unmethylated whereas lymphoid neoplasms with silenced SOX11 tended to acquire DNA hypermethylation. SOX11 silencing in cell lines was reversed by the histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA but not by the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor AZA. These data indicate that, although DNA hypermethylation of SOX11 is frequent in lymphoid neoplasms, it seems to be functionally inert, as SOX11 is already silenced in the hematopoietic system. In contrast, the pathogenic role of SOX11 is associated with its de novo expression in some aggressive lymphoid malignancies, which is mediated by a shift from inactivating to activating histone modifications.}, language = {en} } @article{LiuHuNiemannetal.2013, author = {Liu, Dan and Hu, Kai and Niemann, Markus and Herrmann, Sebastian and Cikes, Maja and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Beer, Meinrad and Gaudron, Philipp Daniel and Morbach, Caroline and Knop, Stefan and Geissinger, Eva and Ertl, Georg and Bijnens, Bart and Weidemann, Frank}, title = {Impact of Regional Left Ventricular Function on Outcome for Patients with AL Amyloidosis}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0056923}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130293}, pages = {e56923}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Objectives The aim of this study was to explore the left ventricular (LV) deformation changes and the potential impact of deformation on outcome in patients with proven light-chain (AL) amyloidosis and LV hypertrophy. Background Cardiac involvement in AL amyloidosis patients is associated with poor outcome. Detecting regional cardiac function by advanced non-invasive techniques might be favorable for predicting outcome. Methods LV longitudinal, circumferential and radial peak systolic strains (Ssys) were assessed by speckle tracking imaging (STI) in 44 biopsy-proven systemic AL amyloidosis patients with LV hypertrophy (CA) and in 30 normal controls. Patients were divided into compensated (n = 18) and decompensated (n = 26) group based on clinical assessment and followed-up for a median period of 345 days. Results Ejection fraction (EF) was preserved while longitudinal Ssys (LSsys) was significantly reduced in both compensated and decompensated groups. Survival was significantly reduced in decompensated group (35\% vs. compensated 78\%, P = 0.001). LSsys were similar in apical segments and significantly reduced in basal segments between two patient groups. LSsys at mid-segments were significantly reduced in all LV walls of decompensated group. Patients were further divided into 4 subgroups according to the presence or absence of reduced LSsys in no (normal), only basal (mild), basal and mid (intermediate) and all segments of the septum (severe). This staging revealed continuously worse prognosis in proportion to increasing number of segments with reduced LSsys (mortality: normal 14\%, mild 27\%, intermediate 67\%, and severe 64\%). Mid-septum LSsys<11\% suggested a 4.8-fold mortality risk than mid-septum LSsys≥11\%. Multivariate regression analysis showed NYHA class and mid-septum LSsys were independent predictors for survival. Conclusions Reduced deformation at mid-septum is associated with worse prognosis in systemic amyloidosis patients with LV hypertrophy.}, language = {en} } @article{KimGrimmigGrimmetal.2013, author = {Kim, Mia and Grimmig, Tanja and Grimm, Martin and Lazariotou, Maria and Meier, Eva and Rosenwald, Andreas and Tsaur, Igor and Blaheta, Roman and Heemann, Uwe and Germer, Christoph-Thomas and Waaga-Gasser, Ana Maria and Gasser, Martin}, title = {Expression of Foxp3 in Colorectal Cancer but Not in Treg Cells Correlates with Disease Progression in Patients with Colorectal Cancer}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0053630}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-130340}, pages = {e53630}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background Measles virus (MV) causes T cell suppression by interference with phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) activation. We previously found that this interference affected the activity of splice regulatory proteins and a T cell inhibitory protein isoform was produced from an alternatively spliced pre-mRNA. Hypothesis Differentially regulated and alternatively splice variant transcripts accumulating in response to PI3K abrogation in T cells potentially encode proteins involved in T cell silencing. Methods To test this hypothesis at the cellular level, we performed a Human Exon 1.0 ST Array on RNAs isolated from T cells stimulated only or stimulated after PI3K inhibition. We developed a simple algorithm based on a splicing index to detect genes that undergo alternative splicing (AS) or are differentially regulated (RG) upon T cell suppression. Results Applying our algorithm to the data, 9\% of the genes were assigned as AS, while only 3\% were attributed to RG. Though there are overlaps, AS and RG genes differed with regard to functional regulation, and were found to be enriched in different functional groups. AS genes targeted extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and focal adhesion pathways, while RG genes were mainly enriched in cytokine-receptor interaction and Jak-STAT. When combined, AS/RG dependent alterations targeted pathways essential for T cell receptor signaling, cytoskeletal dynamics and cell cycle entry. Conclusions PI3K abrogation interferes with key T cell activation processes through both differential expression and alternative splicing, which together actively contribute to T cell suppression.}, language = {en} } @article{LeichWeissbachKleinetal.2013, author = {Leich, E. and Weißbach, S. and Klein, H.-U. and Grieb, T. and Pischimarov, J. and St{\"u}hmer, T. and Chatterjee, M. and Steinbrunn, T. and Langer, C. and Eilers, M. and Knop, S. and Einsele, H. and Bargou, R. and Rosenwald, A.}, title = {Multiple myeloma is affected by multiple and heterogeneous somatic mutations in adhesion- and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling molecules}, series = {Blood Cancer Journal}, volume = {3}, journal = {Blood Cancer Journal}, number = {e102}, doi = {10.1038/bcj.2012.47}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128663}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Multiple myeloma (MM) is a largely incurable plasma cell malignancy with a poorly understood and heterogeneous clinical course. To identify potential, functionally relevant somatic mutations in MM, we performed whole-exome sequencing of five primary MM, corresponding germline DNA and six MM cell lines, and developed a bioinformatics strategy that also integrated published mutational data of 38 MM patients. Our analysis confirms that identical, recurrent mutations of single genes are infrequent in MM, but highlights that mutations cluster in important cellular pathways. Specifically, we show enrichment of mutations in adhesion molecules of MM cells, emphasizing the important role for the interaction of the MM cells with their microenvironment. We describe an increased rate of mutations in receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and associated signaling effectors, for example, in EGFR, ERBB3, KRAS and MAP2K2, pointing to a role of aberrant RTK signaling in the development or progression of MM. The diversity of mutations affecting different nodes of a particular signaling network appears to be an intrinsic feature of individual MM samples, and the elucidation of intra- as well as interindividual redundancy in mutations that affect survival pathways will help to better tailor targeted therapeutic strategies to the specific needs of the MM patient.}, language = {en} } @article{DmochewitzFoertschZwergeretal.2013, author = {Dmochewitz, Lydia and F{\"o}rtsch, Christina and Zwerger, Christian and Vaeth, Martin and Felder, Edward and Huber-Lang, Markus and Barth, Holger}, title = {A Recombinant Fusion Toxin Based on Enzymatic Inactive C3bot1 Selectively Targets Macrophages}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0054517}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-131189}, pages = {e54517}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background: The C3bot1 protein (~23 kDa) from Clostridium botulinum ADP-ribosylates and thereby inactivates Rho. C3bot1 is selectively taken up into the cytosol of monocytes/macrophages but not of other cell types such as epithelial cells or fibroblasts. Most likely, the internalization occurs by a specific endocytotic pathway via acidified endosomes. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we tested whether enzymatic inactive C3bot1E174Q serves as a macrophage-selective transport system for delivery of enzymatic active proteins into the cytosol of such cells. Having confirmed that C3bot1E174Q does not induce macrophage activation, we used the actin ADP-ribosylating C2I (~50 kDa) from Clostridium botulinum as a reporter enzyme for C3bot1E174Q-mediated delivery into macrophages. The recombinant C3bot1E174Q-C2I fusion toxin was cloned and expressed as GST-protein in Escherichia coli. Purified C3bot1E174Q-C2I was recognized by antibodies against C2I and C3bot and showed C2I-specific enzyme activity in vitro. When applied to cultured cells C3bot1E174Q-C2I ADP-ribosylated actin in the cytosol of macrophages including J774A.1 and RAW264.7 cell lines as well as primary cultured human macrophages but not of epithelial cells. Together with confocal fluorescence microscopy experiments, the biochemical data indicate the selective uptake of a recombinant C3-fusion toxin into the cytosol of macrophages. Conclusions/Significance: In summary, we demonstrated that C3bot1E174Q can be used as a delivery system for fast, selective and specific transport of enzymes into the cytosol of living macrophages. Therefore, C3-based fusion toxins can represent valuable molecular tools in experimental macrophage pharmacology and cell biology as well as attractive candidates to develop new therapeutic approaches against macrophage-associated diseases.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Stoecklein2007, author = {St{\"o}cklein, Heike}, title = {Charakterisierung der Deletionsregion in Chromosom 17p und Identifikation von HIC1 als neues Tumorsuppressorgen in diffusen großzelligen B-Zell Lymphomen}, isbn = {xxx}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-25406}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2007}, abstract = {Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde eine detaillierte Analyse des Chromosom 17p-Status in DLBCL durchgef{\"u}hrt, welches das TSG TP53 beinhaltet. Eine monoallelische Deletion dieses Gens fand sich in 16\% der Patienten (28/172), dar{\"u}ber hinaus lag in 3\% (6/172) der Patienten ein Verlust in Chromosom 17p ohne Alteration des TP53-Lokus vor. Zur Untersuchung des zweiten TP53-Allels wurden an allen 28 Patienten mit sowie an 27 Patienten ohne TP53-Deletion Mutationsanalysen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Eine vollst{\"a}ndige Inaktivierung des TP53-Gens durch Deletion und Mutation konnte in 46\% der 17p-deletierten F{\"a}lle (13/28) gezeigt werden. In 54\% der 17p-deletierten DLBCL (15/28) lag lediglich eine monoallelische TP53-Deletion ohne gleichzeitige Mutation des zweiten Allels vor. 26\% der DLBCL mit nicht-deletiertem TP53 (7/27) zeigten eine monoallelische Mutation des TP53-Gens. Diese Ergebnisse deuteten auf weitere TSG in der chromosomalen Region 17p13 hin. Mit der Durchf{\"u}hrung einer detaillierten Deletionsanalyse von Chromosom 17p13.1 bis 17p13.3 wurden folgende Ergebnisse erzielt. In insgesamt 41\% der DLBCL mit nicht-deletiertem TP53-Gen (11/27) konnte eine minimal deletierte Region identifiziert werden, welche die chromosomale Bande 17p13.3 einschließlich des genetischen Lokus des TSG HIC1 betraf. Eine Deletion von TP53 war in allen untersuchten F{\"a}llen mit einem subtotalen Verlust des kurzen Armes von 17p einschließlich der o.g. minimal deletierten Region verbunden. Mehrere Hinweise deuten darauf hin, dass die Inaktivierung von HIC1 eine entscheidende Rolle in der Pathogenese von DLBCL einnimmt. In 55\% der untersuchten DLBCL (30/55) wurde eine Hypermethylierung des HIC1-Promoters nachgewiesen. In 90\% der HIC1-hypermethylierten DLBCL (27/30) lag zudem eine gleichzeitige Deletion des HIC1-Lokus vor, was eine biallelische Inaktivierung des TSG, analog der „two-hit"-Hypothese nach Knudson, nahe legte. Eine vollst{\"a}ndige durch Hypermethylierung und Deletion verursachte HIC1-Inaktivierung konnte auch in sieben F{\"a}llen mit Wildtyp TP53-Status gezeigt werden. Die {\"U}berlebenszeit von Patienten mit einer gleichzeitigen HIC1- und TP53-Inaktivierung war im Vergleich zu Patienten mit alleiniger Inaktivierung von TP53 deutlich verk{\"u}rzt. Es konnte somit gezeigt werden, dass in den untersuchten DLBCL, {\"u}ber die klinisch bedeutsame und prognostisch relevante Inaktivierung von TP53 hinaus, ein weiteres TSG unabh{\"a}ngig von oder in Kombination mit TP53 alteriert ist, und einen Einfluss auf die {\"U}berlebenszeit der Patienten hat.}, subject = {xxx}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Erk2007, author = {Erk, Steffen}, title = {Angeborene Immunit{\"a}t des Menschen : Kreuzreaktionen tumorspezifischer monoklonaler IgM-Antik{\"o}rper}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-25013}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2007}, abstract = {Die von CD5-positiven B-Zellen produzierten nat{\"u}rlichen Antik{\"o}rper sind humorale Bestandteile des angeborenen Immunsystems. Sie kommen im K{\"o}rper bereits vor, ohne dass ein Antigen-Kontakt stattgefunden hat und dienen dazu, den Organismus schnell und effektiv vor eindringenden Pathogenen zu sch{\"u}tzen, m{\"o}glichst noch bevor die erworbene Immunabwehr aktiviert werden muss. Zudem werden k{\"o}rpereigene Molek{\"u}le erkannt, die normalerweise gesch{\"u}tzt intrazellul{\"a}r vorliegen und erst bei Zellnekrose freigesetzt und so dem Immunsystem zug{\"a}nglich gemacht werden. Außerdem konnten mit Hilfe der humanen Hybridoma Technologie aus Krebspatienten und gesunden Probanden nat{\"u}rliche Antik{\"o}rper isoliert werden, die transformierte Zellen erkennen und beseitigen. Die nat{\"u}rlichen Antik{\"o}rper sind keimbahncodiert und erh{\"o}hen im Gegensatz zu Antik{\"o}rpern der erworbenen Immunabwehr nicht ihre Variabilit{\"a}t durch Mutationsereignisse und Reifung. In fr{\"u}heren Studien wurde beobachtet, dass nat{\"u}rliche Antik{\"o}rper nicht spezifisch ein Antigen binden, sondern dass bestimmte h{\"a}ufig vorkommende und in der Evolution konservierte Antigen-Muster erkannt werden. Daraus folgerte man, dass nat{\"u}rliche Antik{\"o}rper ihre Antigene „unspezifisch" binden, so dass sich eine Vielzahl von Kreuzreaktionen mit verschiedenen Antigenen ergibt. Derartige Kreuzreaktionen der nat{\"u}rlichen Antik{\"o}rper wurden bereits 1986 beschrieben. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war zu zeigen, dass es innerhalb der nat{\"u}rlichen Antik{\"o}rper verschiedene Pools mit unterschiedlichen Aufgaben gibt und dass nat{\"u}rliche Antik{\"o}rper nicht wahllos beliebige Antigene binden, sondern dass sich ihr Reaktionsmuster aus ihrer Aufgabe innerhalb des menschlichen Immunsystems ergibt. Es wurden anhand des ELISA-Verfahrens Kreuzreaktionen der nat{\"u}rlichen Antik{\"o}rper mit humaner DNA, k{\"o}rpereigenen Zytoskelettproteinen (Actin, Myosin, Keratin, Desmin, Vimentin) und Molek{\"u}len untersucht, die die innate Immunabwehr {\"u}ber Toll-like-Rezeptoren aktivieren k{\"o}nnen (LPS, LTS, PGN, Flagellin, HSP 70, bakterielle DNA, H.pylori-CagA und -VacA). Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass den 17 untersuchten Antik{\"o}rpern CM-1, CM-2, LM-1, M6, NORM-1, NORM-2, NORM-3, NORM-4, PAM-1, PM-1, PM-2, SAM-1, SAM-3, SAM-4, SAM-5, SAM-6, SC-1 haupts{\"a}chlich die Aufgabe zukommt, transformierte Zellen zu beseitigen. Ihre Reaktionsweise ist also nicht „unspezifisch", sondern „oligospezifisch" innerhalb ihres Aufgabenbereichs. Zudem fiel in fr{\"u}heren Studien eine deutliche Korrelation zwischen der Anzahl durchgemachter Mutationen und dem Reaktionsmuster der Antik{\"o}rper mit Tumorzellen auf: keimbahncodierte Antik{\"o}rper ohne Mutationen reagierten immer mit einem breiten Spektrum verschiedener Tumore oder sogar Vorl{\"a}uferl{\"a}sionen, wohingegen das Spektrum der Reaktionen mit steigender Zahl von Mutationen abnahm. Bei den in dieser Arbeit untersuchten Antigen-Antik{\"o}rper-Reaktionen konnte kein eindeutiger Zusammenhang zwischen der Reaktionsweise und dem genetischen Ursprung oder der Anzahl durchgemachter Mutationen hergestellt werden.}, subject = {Immunglobulin M}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Lohr2007, author = {Lohr, Andreas}, title = {Risikostratifikation grosszelliger B-Zell Non-Hodgkin Lymphome anhand immunhistochemischer Parameter}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-23654}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2007}, abstract = {Die diffusen großzelligen B-Zell-Lymphome (DLBCL) stellen den h{\"a}ufigsten Typ aller Non-Hodgkin-Lymphome dar, sind aber morphologisch, immunologisch, genetisch und klinisch eine sehr heterogene Gruppe. Aufgrund dieser Heterogenit{\"a}t von DLBCL wurde in mehreren Studien untersucht, ob eine molekulare Heterogenit{\"a}t der Tumoren vorl{\"a}ge, bzw. versucht, eine molekulare Reklassifikation zu erreichen. Resultat dieser Bem{\"u}hungen war eine Unterscheidung bzw. Definition einer Keimzentrums- {\"a}hnlichen (GCB-cell-like) Gruppe und einer aktivierten B-Zellen-{\"a}hnlichen (ABC-like) Gruppe, die sich in ihrem Ansprechen auf {\"u}bliche Therapieschemata, mit einer deutlich besseren Prognose f{\"u}r die GCB-like-Gruppe, unterschieden. Die hierbei angewendete Microarray-Technologie hat den entscheidenden Nachteil, dass hierf{\"u}r qualitativ hochwertige RNA zur Verf{\"u}gung stehen muss. Neu ist der Ansatz, unterschiedliche Proteinexpressionsmuster am Paraffinmaterial zur Unterscheidung prognostisch relevanter Gruppen heranzuziehen. Die hierbei erzielten Daten sind allerdings in Ihren Aussagen hinsichtlich der prognostischen Wertigkeiten widerspr{\"u}chlich. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden zun{\"a}chst verschiedene biologische Parameter am Paraffinmaterial hinsichtlich ihrer prognostischen Wertigkeit in der Risikostratifikation von DLBCL untersucht. In einem ersten Schritt wurden klinische Daten von 99 de novo entstandenen großzelligen B-Zell-Lymphomen erhoben, bei denen es sich um 84 DLBCL und um elf DLBCL mit einer weiteren Komponente eines follikul{\"a}ren Lymphoms Grad 3B bzw. auch um vier F{\"a}lle mit ausschließlich follikul{\"a}rem Wachstumsmuster handelte. Die Klassifikation der F{\"a}lle nach dem Internationalen Prognostischen Index (IPI) sowie der einzelnen klinischen Parameter des IPI zeigte eine deutliche prognostische Relevanz. In einem zweiten Schritt wurden immunhistochemische F{\"a}rbungen mit verschiedenen Antik{\"o}rpern durchgef{\"u}hrt und auf ihre prognostische Bedeutung {\"u}berpr{\"u}ft. Als negative prognostische Parameter erwiesen sich die Negativit{\"a}t f{\"u}r CD10 sowie BCL-6, also Antigene, die mit einer Keimzentrumszell-Differenzierung assoziiert werden, sowie eine {\"U}berexpression von MUM-1, das mit einer postfollikul{\"a}ren Differenzierung assoziiert wird. Weiterhin konnte gezeigt werden, dass einer Expression von BCL-2 und einem Ki67-Index von unter 80 \% eine negative prognostische Bedeutung zukommt. Die Stratifikation der F{\"a}lle in einen GCB- und einen ABC- Typ anhand des Hans-Klassifikators zeigte nur eine schwache Korrelation zur {\"U}berlebenswahrscheinlichkeit. In einem dritten Schritt wurde gezeigt, dass die kombinierte Analyse jeweils zweier Parameter eine relative Abh{\"a}ngigkeit ihrer Expression von der Expression weiterer Marker erkennen ließ. Aus diesem Grunde wurde ein Modell einer sequentiellen Addition negativer prognostischer Indikatoren entwickelt, in der bei Anwesenheit einer negativen Variable (CD10-Negativit{\"a}t, BCL-6 < 20\%, BCL-2 positiv, MUM-1\&\#8805; 50\% und Ki67 < 80\%) ein negativer Faktor gewertet und die Summe dieser als Risiko-Score angegeben wurde. Die Stratifikation der Patienten anhand dieses „kombinierten immunhistochemischen Risiko-Scores" zeigte drei prognostisch deutlich unterschiedliche Gruppen: In der Gruppe von Patienten ohne Risikofaktoren verstarb lediglich eine Patientin (die eine Behandlung abgelehnt hatte); in der Hochrisikogruppe (Score 5) verstarben alle Patienten innerhalb eines Jahres. Die multivariate Analyse des Scores ergab dabei eine Unabh{\"a}ngigkeit von den Parametern des IPI. In der intermedi{\"a}ren Gruppe mit einem Risiko-Score von 1-4 zeigten sich der IPI sowie eine LDH-Erh{\"o}hung und das Vorhandensein einer B-Symptomatik als geeignete Parameter, um hier eine weitere Stratifizierung durchzuf{\"u}hren. Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt somit eine Erweiterung der publizierten Ans{\"a}tze einer Erfassung prognostischer Indikatoren in kombinierten Algorithmen dar. Eine Verifizierung der gezeigten Ergebnisse in einer homogen behandelten Patientengruppe innerhalb einer klinischen Studie muss Ziel weiterer Untersuchungen sein.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Kraus2008, author = {Kraus, Alexander}, title = {H{\"a}ufige Aberrationen auf Chromosom 18 bei gastralen MALT-Lymphomen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-32889}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Die prim{\"a}ren genetischen Ver{\"a}nderungen gastraler MALT-Lymphome zeigen verschiedene Pathogenesen auf. In 20 bis 30 Prozent der DLBCL kann eine Translokation t(14;18)(q32;q21) nachgewiesen werden, bei der das antiapoptotisch wirkende Bcl-2-Gen transloziert wird. Dies f{\"u}hrt zu einer {\"U}berexpression von Bcl-2. Die Translokation t(11;18)(q21;q21) wurde in bis zu 50 Prozent der MZBZL vom MALT-Typ und wenigen DLBZL nachgewiesen. Dabei werden unterschiedlich lange Teile des MALT1-Gens in BIRC3 (ehemals: Apoptose- Inhibitor- Gen API2) auf 11q21 integriert. Mit den Translokationen scheint man bei einem Teil der gastrointestinalen Lymphome die prim{\"a}re genetische Ver{\"a}nderung entdeckt zu haben. Bei Lymphomen, bei denen die Pathogenese nicht durch Translokationen vorangetrieben wird, k{\"o}nnten die gleichen, von Translokationen betroffen Gene durch Amplifikationen/ Mutationen {\"u}berexprimiert/ aktiviert werden. Im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit wurden die Gene MALT1 und Bcl-2 hinsichtlich Amplifikationen der genomischen DNA untersucht. Amplifikationen des Bcl-2-Gens konnten k{\"u}rzlich bei einigen t(14;18)(q32;q21)-negativen DLBCL und follikul{\"a}ren Lymphomen nachgewiesen und auch im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit gezeigt werden. Mittels semiquantitativer PCR konnte in vier von 30 untersuchten DLBCL-F{\"a}llen (13,3 Prozent) eine Amplifikation des Bcl-2-Gens nachgewiesen werden. Die Hypothese, dass Bcl-2-Amplifikation mit folgender {\"U}berexpression des Bcl-2-Proteins (neben Bcl-2-Translokation) eine wichtige Rolle in der Pathogenese bei DLBCL spielt, wird mit diesen Ergebnissen gest{\"u}tzt. Zudem zeigten zwei von 14 MZBZL-F{\"a}llen (14,3 Prozent) eine Bcl-2-Amplifikation. Hieraus ergibt sich die Vermutung, dass Bcl-2 auch eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entstehung der MZBZL vom MALT-Typ spielen k{\"o}nnte. Bisher konnten Bcl-2-Gen-Beteiligungen (zum Beispiel t(14;18)(q32;q21)) nicht nachgewiesen werden. Amplifikationen des MALT1-Gens wurden k{\"u}rzlich als m{\"o}gliche prim{\"a}re Ursache f{\"u}r die Entstehung von Lymphomen beschrieben. In vier der 30 untersuchten DLBCL-F{\"a}llen (13,3 Prozent) und einem t(11;18)(q21;q21)-negativem MZBZL-Fall konnten mittels semiquantitativer PCR Amplifikationen von MALT1 detektiert werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass MALT1 als dominantes Onkogen in der Pathogenese von gastralen MZBZL vom MALT-Typ und prim{\"a}r gastralen DLBCL zu agieren scheint. Es kann sowohl durch Translokationen, wie auch durch genomische Amplifikationen dysreguliert werden.}, subject = {Lymphom}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Hepping2006, author = {Hepping, Nico}, title = {Untersuchungen {\"u}ber den inhibitorischen Effekt des Transkriptionsfaktors C/EBPß auf die Aktivit{\"a}t des Interleukin 2-Promotors}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-21784}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2006}, abstract = {Untersuchungen {\"u}ber den inhibitorischen Effekt des Transkriptionsfaktors C/EBPß auf die Aktivit{\"a}t des Interleukin 2-Promotors}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Laufer2008, author = {Laufer, Antje}, title = {Kombinierte zytogenetische und morphologische Analyse follikul{\"a}rer Non-Hodgkin Lymphome : Eine neue rekurrente chromosomale Aberration bei pr{\"a}dominant diffusen follikul{\"a}ren Lymphomen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-29701}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Das follikul{\"a}re Lymphom ist eines der h{\"a}ufigsten Non-Hodgkin Lymphome und {\"u}berwiegend eine Erkrankung des erwachsenen Menschen. In der WHO-Klassifikation ist es als ein Lymphom von Keimzentrumszellen definiert, das follikul{\"a}r und/oder diffus wachsen kann. Zur Subklassifikation follikul{\"a}rer Lymphome empfiehlt die WHO-Klassifikation eine Unterscheidung der Grade 1, 2 und 3 durch Ausz{\"a}hlen der Zentroblasten pro zehn Gesichtsfelder in starker Vergr{\"o}ßerung. Beim Grad 3A liegen neben Zentroblasten auch Zentrozyten vor. FL Grad 3B bestehen ausschließlich aus Zentroblasten. Hinsichtlich der Zytomorphologie, Immunhistologie und Genetik bestehen deutliche Unterschiede zwischen FL Grad 1, 2 und 3A gegen{\"u}ber FL Grad 3B. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass die weit {\"u}berwiegende Zahl der follikul{\"a}ren Lymphome Grad 1, 2 und 3A ein pr{\"a}dominant follikul{\"a}res Wachstumsmuster aufwies. Ein follikul{\"a}rer und diffuser Wuchstyp lag seltener vor. Noch seltener war ein {\"u}berwiegend bzw. „rein" diffuses Wachstumsmuster. Die mitotische und proliferative Aktivit{\"a}t stieg mit dem Tumorgrad linear an. Hinsichtlich der CD10 Reaktivit{\"a}t, der BCL-2 und p53 Expression sowie des Nachweises einer sekretorischen Differenzierung ergaben sich beim Vergleich der FL Grad 1 bis 3A keine statistisch signifikanten Unterschiede. Die BCL-2 Expression nahm allerdings bei den FL1-3A mit zunehmendem Grad ab. In zytogenetischen Untersuchungen wurden in allen follikul{\"a}ren Lymphomen Grad 1 bis 3A prim{\"a}re bzw. sekund{\"a}re Chromosomenaberrationen gefunden. Unter den rekurrenten chromosomalen Alterationen trat die Translokation t(14;18)(q32;q21) am h{\"a}ufigsten auf und war insbesondere bei follikul{\"a}ren Lymphomen Grad 1 und 2, in etwas geringerem Maße auch bei FL Grad 3A anzutreffen. Diese Translokation scheint also in einem fr{\"u}hen Stadium der B-Zell-Entwicklung aufzutreten und f{\"u}hrt prim{\"a}r zu einem h{\"o}her differenzierten (zentrozytenreichen) Lymphom. Die t(14;18) bedingt zumeist eine {\"U}berexpression des BCL-2 Gens, die sich auch immunhistochemisch nachweisen l{\"a}sst und diagnostische Verwendung findet. Das BCL-2 Protein ist daher von Nutzen f{\"u}r die Unterscheidung neoplastischer von reaktiven Follikeln, nicht aber, um follikul{\"a}re von anderen „low grade" B-Zell Lymphomen zu unterscheiden. Die sekund{\"a}ren Alterationen charakterisieren bestimmte undifferenzierte Stadien mit hohem Blastenanteil und einer hohen mitotischen und proliferativen Aktivit{\"a}t. In zytogenetischen Untersuchungen von {\"u}berwiegend diffus wachsenden FL konnte keine Translokation t(14;18)(q32;q21) nachgewiesen werden. Die identische Morphologie dieser Lymphome und die identischen Ver{\"a}nderungen auch auf genetischer Ebene deuten auf die nahe Verwandtschaft der {\"u}berwiegend diffus wachsenden FL mit den typischen Keimzentrums-lymphomen hin. Es handelt sich jedoch um eine eigenst{\"a}ndige Identit{\"a}t, die differenzierten Keimzentrumslymphome, die wahrscheinlich aufgrund des Fehlens einer t(14;18)(q32;q21) ein prim{\"a}r und ausgepr{\"a}gt diffuses Wachstumsmuster aufweisen.}, subject = {Lymphdr{\"u}se}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Rasche2008, author = {Rasche, Leo}, title = {Tumortherapie mit Cocktails aus humanen monoklonalen Antik{\"o}rpern}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-35809}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2008}, abstract = {Humane oder humanisierte monoklonale Antik{\"o}rper haben sich in den letzten zehn Jahren als Arzneimittel etabliert. Sie sind hochspezifisch und zeigen in ihrer Anwendung im Vergleich zu konventionellen Therapeutika viel weniger Nebenwirkungen. In den 80er Jahren gelang es am Pathologischen Institut der Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg eine Reihe von humanen Antik{\"o}rpern aus Patienten zu isolieren, die hochspezifisch mit malignen Zellen reagieren und diese sowohl in vitro als auch im experimentellen Tiermodel selektiv durch Induktion von Apoptose t{\"o}ten. Um die Wirkungsweise von monoklonalen Antik{\"o}rpern in der Krebstherapie zu erh{\"o}hen, werden die meisten in Kombination mit herk{\"o}mmlichen Methoden, wie Chemotherapie, eingesetzt. Die ideale Therapieform sind hinsichtlich der Nebenwirkungen sog. Cocktails aus verschiedenen monoklonalen Antik{\"o}rpern. Allerdings sind die Studien hierzu noch wenig fortgeschritten. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, in pr{\"a}klinischen Versuchsreihen den Einsatz verschiedener tumorspezifischer humaner monoklonaler Antik{\"o}rper als Cocktail und in Kombination mit Chemotherapie zu evaluieren. Hierzu wurden neun Antik{\"o}rper in 32 verschiedenen Antik{\"o}rperkombinationen hinsichtlich ihrer Auswirkungen auf die in vitro Proliferation einer Pankreaskarzinom-Zellinie untersucht. In Immunfluoreszenz-Aufnahmen ließ sich zeigen, dass kombinierte Antik{\"o}rper an unterschiedlichen Stellen an der Zelle binden, was eindeutig auf verschiedene Zielstrukturen hinweist. Einige werden dabei endozytiert, w{\"a}hrend andere auf der Zellmembran bleiben. Interessanterweise ließen sich Kombinationen identifizieren, deren antiproliferative Wirkung sowohl additiv als auch synergistisch ist, das heißt gr{\"o}ßer als die Summe ihrer Einzelaktivit{\"a}ten. Wurden Antik{\"o}rper mit Zytostatika (5-Flurouracil) kombiniert, so ließen sich ebenfalls synergistische Effekte beobachten. In FACS-Analysen zeigt sich ein gesteigertes Bindungsverhalten der Antik{\"o}rper, wenn die Zellen mit 5-FU vorinkubiert wurden. Zusammenfassend best{\"a}tigen die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit die Beobachtung, dass die Wirkung humaner monoklonaler Antik{\"o}rper in Kombination mit Chemotherapie erh{\"o}ht werden kann. F{\"u}r die Zukunft humaner Antik{\"o}rper als Therapiemittel gegen maligne Erkrankungen mag allerdings noch wichtiger sein, dass Antik{\"o}per in Cocktails tats{\"a}chlich synergistische Wirkung zeigen k{\"o}nnen.}, subject = {Monoklonaler Antik{\"o}rper}, language = {de} } @article{HornBausingerStaigeretal.2014, author = {Horn, Heike and Bausinger, Julia and Staiger, Annette M. and Sohn, Maximilian and Schmelter, Christopher and Gruber, Kim and Kalla, Claudia and Ott, M. Michaela and Rosenwald, Andreas and Ott, German}, title = {Numerical and Structural Genomic Aberrations Are Reliably Detectable in Tissue Microarrays of Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tumor Samples by Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization}, series = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, number = {4}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0095047}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-116706}, pages = {e95047}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Few data are available regarding the reliability of fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), especially for chromosomal deletions, in high-throughput settings using tissue microarrays (TMAs). We performed a comprehensive FISH study for the detection of chromosomal translocations and deletions in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor specimens arranged in TMA format. We analyzed 46 B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL) specimens with known karyotypes for translocations of IGH-, BCL2-, BCL6- and MYC-genes. Locus-specific DNA probes were used for the detection of deletions in chromosome bands 6q21 and 9p21 in 62 follicular lymphomas (FL) and six malignant mesothelioma (MM) samples, respectively. To test for aberrant signals generated by truncation of nuclei following sectioning of FFPE tissue samples, cell line dilutions with 9p21-deletions were embedded into paraffin blocks. The overall TMA hybridization efficiency was 94\%. FISH results regarding translocations matched karyotyping data in 93\%. As for chromosomal deletions, sectioning artefacts occurred in 17\% to 25\% of cells, suggesting that the proportion of cells showing deletions should exceed 25\% to be reliably detectable. In conclusion, FISH represents a robust tool for the detection of structural as well as numerical aberrations in FFPE tissue samples in a TMA-based high-throughput setting, when rigorous cut-off values and appropriate controls are maintained, and, of note, was superior to quantitative PCR approaches.}, language = {en} } @article{SanderdeJongRosenwaldetal.2014, author = {Sander, Brigitta and de Jong, Daphne and Rosenwald, Andreas and Xie, Wanling and Balagu{\´e}, Olga and Calaminici, Maria and Carreras, Joaquim and Gaulard, Philippe and Gribben, John and Hagenbeek, Anton and Kersten, Marie Jos{\´e} and Molina, Thierry Jo and Lee, Abigail and Montes-Moreno, Santiago and Ott, German and Raemaekers, John and Salles, Gilles and Sehn, Laurie and Thorns, Christoph and Wahlin, Bjorn E. and Gascoyne, Randy D. and Weller, Edie}, title = {The reliability of immunohistochemical analysis of the tumor microenvironment in follicular lymphoma: a validation study from the Lunenburg Lymphoma Biomarker Consortium}, series = {Haematologica}, volume = {99}, journal = {Haematologica}, number = {4}, issn = {1592-8721}, doi = {10.3324/haematol.2013.095257}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-116875}, pages = {715-725}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The cellular microenvironment in follicular lymphoma is of biological and clinical importance. Studies on the clinical significance of non-malignant cell populations have generated conflicting results, which may partly be influenced by poor reproducibility in immunohistochemical marker quantification. In this study, the reproducibility of manual scoring and automated microscopy based on a tissue microarray of 25 follicular lymphomas as compared to flow cytometry is evaluated. The agreement between manual scoring and flow cytometry was moderate for CD3, low for CD4, and moderate to high for CD8, with some laboratories scoring closer to the flow cytometry results. Agreement in manual quantification across the 7 laboratories was low to moderate for CD3, CD4, CD8 and FOXP3 frequencies, moderate for CD21, low for MIB1 and CD68, and high for CD10. Manual scoring of the architectural distribution resulted in moderate agreement for CD3, CD4 and CD8, and low agreement for FOXP3 and CD68. Comparing manual scoring to automated microscopy demonstrated that manual scoring increased the variability in the low and high frequency interval with some laboratories showing a better agreement with automated scores. Manual scoring reliably identified rare architectural patterns of T-cell infiltrates. Automated microscopy analyses for T-cell markers by two different instruments were highly reproducible and provided acceptable agreement with flow cytometry. These validation results provide explanations for the heterogeneous findings on the prognostic value of the microenvironment in follicular lymphoma. We recommend a more objective measurement, such as computer-assisted scoring, in future studies of the prognostic impact of microenvironment in follicular lymphoma patients.}, language = {en} } @article{AukemaKreuzKohleretal.2014, author = {Aukema, Sietse M. and Kreuz, Markus and Kohler, Christian W. and Rosolowski, Maciej and Hasenclever, Dirk and Hummel, Michael and K{\"u}ppers, Ralf and Lenze, Diddo and Ott, German and Pott, Christiane and Richter, Julia and Rosenwald, Andreas and Szczepanowski, Monika and Schwaenen, Carsten and Stein, Harald and Trautmann, Heiko and Wessendorf, Swen and Tr{\"u}mper, Lorenz and Loeffler, Markus and Spang, Rainer and Kluin, Philip M. and Klapper, Wolfram and Siebert, Reiner}, title = {Biological characterization of adult MYC-translocation-positive mature B-cell lymphomas other than molecular Burkitt lymphoma}, series = {Haematologica}, volume = {99}, journal = {Haematologica}, number = {4}, issn = {1592-8721}, doi = {10.3324/haematol.2013.091827}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-116882}, pages = {726-735}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Chromosomal translocations affecting the MYC oncogene are the biological hallmark of Burkitt lymphomas but also occur in a subset of other mature B-cell lymphomas. If accompanied by a chromosomal break targeting the BCL2 and/or BCL6 oncogene these MYC translocation-positive (MYC+) lymphomas are called double-hit lymphomas, otherwise the term single-hit lymphomas is applied. In order to characterize the biological features of these MYC+ lymphomas other than Burkitt lymphoma we explored, after exclusion of molecular Burkitt lymphoma as defined by gene expression profiling, the molecular, pathological and clinical aspects of 80 MYC-translocation-positive lymphomas (31 single-hit, 46 double-hit and 3 MYC+-lymphomas with unknown BCL6 status). Comparison of single-hit and double-hit lymphomas revealed no difference in MYC partner (IG/non-IG), genomic complexity, MYC expression or gene expression profile. Double-hit lymphomas more frequently showed a germinal center B-cell-like gene expression profile and had higher IGH and MYC mutation frequencies. Gene expression profiling revealed 130 differentially expressed genes between BCL6(+)/MYC+ and BCL2(+)/MYC+ double-hit lymphomas. BCL2(+)/MYC+ double-hit lymphomas more frequently showed a germinal center B-like gene expression profile. Analysis of all lymphomas according to MYC partner (IG/non-IG) revealed no substantial differences. In this series of lymphomas, in which immunochemotherapy was administered in only a minority of cases, single-hit and double-hit lymphomas had a similar poor outcome in contrast to the outcome of molecular Burkitt lymphoma and lymphomas without the MYC break. Our data suggest that, after excluding molecular Burkitt lymphoma and pediatric cases, MYC+ lymphomas are biologically quite homogeneous with single-hit and double-hit lymphomas as well as IG-MYC and non-IG-MYC+ lymphomas sharing various molecular characteristics.}, language = {en} } @article{RouhigharabaeiFerreiroTousseynetal.2014, author = {Rouhigharabaei, Leila and Ferreiro, Julio Finalet and Tousseyn, Thomas and van der Krogt, Jo-Anne and Put, Natalie and Haralambieva, Eugenia and Graux, Carlos and Maes, Brigitte and Vicente, Carmen and Vandenberghe, Peter and Cools, Jan and Wlodarska, Iwona}, title = {Non-IG Aberrations of FOXP1 in B-Cell Malignancies Lead to an Aberrant Expression of N-Truncated Isoforms of FOXP1}, series = {PLOS ONE}, volume = {9}, journal = {PLOS ONE}, number = {1}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0085851}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117679}, pages = {e85851}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The transcription factor FOXP1 is implicated in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas through chromosomal translocations involving either immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) locus or non-IG sequences. The former translocation, t(3; 14)(p13; q32), results in dysregulated expression of FOXP1 juxtaposed with strong regulatory elements of IGH. Thus far, molecular consequences of rare non-IG aberrations of FOXP1 remain undetermined. Here, using molecular cytogenetics and molecular biology studies, we comprehensively analyzed four lymphoma cases with non-IG rearrangements of FOXP1 and compared these with cases harboring t(3; 14)(p13; q32)/IGH-FOXP1 and FOXP1-expressing lymphomas with no apparent structural aberrations of the gene. Our study revealed that non-IG rearrangements of FOXP1 are usually acquired during clinical course of various lymphoma subtypes, including diffuse large B cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and correlate with a poor prognosis. Importantly, these aberrations constantly target the coding region of FOXP1, promiscuously fusing with coding and non-coding gene sequences at various reciprocal breakpoints (2q36, 10q24 and 3q11). The non-IG rearrangements of FOXP1, however, do not generate functional chimeric genes but commonly disrupt the full-length FOXP1 transcript leading to an aberrant expression of N-truncated FOXP1 isoforms (FOXP1NT), as shown by QRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. In contrast, t(3; 14)(p13; q32)/IGH-FOXP1 affects the 59 untranslated region of FOXP1 and results in overexpress the full-length FOXP1 protein (FOXP1FL). RNA-sequencing of a few lymphoma cases expressing FOXP1NT and FOXP1FL detected neither FOXP1-related fusions nor FOXP1 mutations. Further bioinformatic analysis of RNA-sequencing data retrieved a set of genes, which may comprise direct or non-direct targets of FOXP1NT, potentially implicated in disease progression. In summary, our findings point to a dual mechanism through which FOXP1 is implicated in B-cell lymphomagenesis. We hypothesize that the primary t(3; 14)(p13; q32)/IGH-FOXP1 activates expression of the FOXP1FL protein with potent oncogenic activity, whereas the secondary non-IG rearrangements of FOXP1 promote expression of the FOXP1NT proteins, likely driving progression of disease.}, language = {en} } @article{HeideggerBeerGeissingeretal.2014, author = {Heidegger, Simon and Beer, Ambros J. and Geissinger, Eva and Rosenwald, Andreas and Peschel, Christian and Ringshausen, Ingo and Keller, Ulrich}, title = {Combination therapy with brentuximab vedotin and cisplatin/cytarabine in a patient with primarily refractory anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma}, series = {Oncotargets and Therapy}, volume = {7}, journal = {Oncotargets and Therapy}, doi = {10.2147/OTT.S59795}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117901}, pages = {1123-1127}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) is a common subtype of the heterogeneous group of peripheral T-cell lymphomas, which is characterized by large pleomorphic cells with strong expression of CD30. Translocations involving ALK, the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene, are associated with a favorable clinical outcome. Such ALK-positive ALCLs are usually responsive to a multidrug chemotherapy with CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone). However, there is no general consensus on the optimal therapy for relapsed or refractory ALCL. We report the case of a 24-year-old male suffering from ALK-positive ALCL with an uncommon manifestation of only extranodal disease in the gastric cardia region that showed primary refractoriness to standard CHOP chemotherapy. A combination therapy consisting of the anti-CD30 drug conjugate, brentuximab vedotin, and classical lymphoma salvage regimen DHAP (cisplatin, high-dose cytarabine and dexamethasone) was administered. Following two treatment cycles in 21-day intervals, the lymphoma showed considerable regression based on imaging diagnostics and no evidence of vital lymphoma in a subsequent biopsy. We did not observe any increase in toxicity; in particular, polyneuropathy and febrile neutropenia were not observed. In summary, we report that the antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin and a classical regimen used for aggressive lymphoma, DHAP, could be combined as salvage therapy in a case of refractory ALK-positive ALCL. Phase I/II studies will be required for safety and efficacy analysis.}, language = {en} } @article{WeissHaasLessneretal.2014, author = {Weiss, B. and Haas, S. and Lessner, G. and Mikkat, S. and Kreutzer, M. and Glocker, M. O. and Wree, A. and Schmitt, O.}, title = {The Proteome of the Differentiating Mesencephalic Progenitor Cell Line CSM14.1 In Vitro}, series = {BioMed Research International}, journal = {BioMed Research International}, number = {351821}, issn = {2314-6141}, doi = {10.1155/2014/351821}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117992}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The treatment of Parkinson's disease by transplantation of dopaminergic (DA) neurons from human embryonic mesencephalic tissue is a promising approach. However, the origin of these cells causes major problems: availability and standardization of the graft. Therefore, the generation of unlimited numbers of DA neurons from various types of stem or progenitor cells has been brought into focus. A source for DA neurons might be conditionally immortalized progenitor cells. The temperature-sensitive immortalized cell line CSM14.1 derived from the mesencephalon of an embryonic rat has been used successfully for transplantation experiments. This cell line was analyzed by unbiased stereology of cell type specific marker proteins and 2D-gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometry to characterize the differentially expressed proteome. Undifferentiated CSM14.1 cells only expressed the stem cell marker nestin, whereas differentiated cells expressed GFAP or NeuN and tyrosine hydroxylase. An increase of the latter cells during differentiation could be shown. By using proteomics an explanation on the protein level was found for the observed changes in cell morphology during differentiation, when CSM14.1 cells possessed the morphology of multipolar neurons. The results obtained in this study confirm the suitability of CSM14.1 cells as an in vitro model for the study of neuronal and dopaminergic differentiation in rats.}, language = {en} } @article{MuellerThomasRudeliusRondaketal.2014, author = {M{\"u}ller-Thomas, Catharina and Rudelius, Martina and Rondak, Ina-Christine and Haferlach, Torsten and Schanz, Julie and Huberle, Christina and Schmidt, Burkard and Blaser, Rainer and Kremer, Marcus and Peschel, Christian and Germing, Ulrich and Platzbecker, Uwe and Goetze, Katharina}, title = {Response to azacitidine is independent of p53 expression in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and secondary acute myeloid leukemia}, series = {HAEMATOLOGICA}, volume = {99}, journal = {HAEMATOLOGICA}, number = {10}, issn = {1592-8721}, doi = {10.3324/haematol.2014.104760}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-115313}, pages = {E179-E181}, year = {2014}, abstract = {No abstract available.}, language = {en} } @article{GewiesGorkaBergmannetal.2014, author = {Gewies, Andreas and Gorka, Oliver and Bergmann, Hanna and Pechloff, Konstanze and Petermann, Franziska and Jeltsch, Katharina M. and Rudelius, Martina and Kriegsmann, Mark and Weichert, Wilko and Horsch, Marion and Beckers, Johannes and Wurst, Wolfgang and Heikenwalder, Mathias and Korn, Thomas and Heissmeyer, Vigo and Ruland, Juergen}, title = {Uncoupling Malt1 Threshold Function from Paracaspase Activity Results in Destructive Autoimmune Inflammation}, series = {Cell Reports}, volume = {9}, journal = {Cell Reports}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2014.10.044}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114627}, pages = {1292-1305}, year = {2014}, abstract = {The paracaspase Malt1 is a central regulator of antigen receptor signaling that is frequently mutated in human lymphoma. As a scaffold, it assembles protein complexes for NF-kappa B activation, and its proteolytic domain cleaves negative NF-kappa B regulators for signal enforcement. Still, the physiological functions of Malt1-protease are unknown. We demonstrate that targeted Malt1-paracaspase inactivation induces a lethal inflammatory syndrome with lymphocyte-dependent neurodegeneration in vivo. Paracaspase activity is essential for regulatory T cell (Treg) and innate-like B cell development, but it is largely dispensable for overcoming Malt1-dependent thresholds for lymphocyte activation. In addition to NF-kappa B inhibitors, Malt1 cleaves an entire set of mRNA stability regulators, including Roquin-1, Roquin-2, and Regnase-1, and paracaspase inactivation results in excessive interferon gamma (IFN gamma) production by effector lymphocytes that drive pathology. Together, our results reveal distinct threshold and modulatory functions of Malt1 that differentially control lymphocyte differentiation and activation pathways and demonstrate that selective paracaspase blockage skews systemic immunity toward destructive autoinflammation.}, language = {en} } @article{VerghoKneitzKalogirouetal.2014, author = {Vergho, Daniel Claudius and Kneitz, Susanne and Kalogirou, Charis and Burger, Maximilian and Krebs, Markus and Rosenwald, Andreas and Spahn, Martin and L{\"o}ser, Andreas and Kocot, Arkadius and Riedmiller, Hubertus and Kneitz, Burkhard}, title = {Impact of miR-21, miR-126 and miR-221 as Prognostic Factors of Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma with Tumor Thrombus of the Inferior Vena Cava}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0109877}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113633}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) characterized by a tumor thrombus (TT) extending into the inferior vena cava (IVC) generally indicates poor prognosis. Nevertheless, the risk for tumor recurrence after nephrectomy and thrombectomy varies. An applicable and accurate prediction system to select ccRCC patients with TT of the IVC (ccRCC/TT) at high risk after nephrectomy is urgently needed, but has not been established up to now. To our knowledge, a possible role of microRNAs (miRs) for the development of ccRCC/TT or their impact as prognostic markers in ccRCC/TT has not been explored yet. Therefore, we analyzed the expression of the previously described onco-miRs miR-200c, miR-210, miR-126, miR-221, let-7b, miR-21, miR-143 and miR-141 in a study collective of 74 ccRCC patients. Using the expression profiles of these eight miRs we developed classification systems that accurately differentiate ccRCC from non-cancerous renal tissue and ccRCC/TT from tumors without TT. In the subgroup of 37 ccRCC/TT cases we found that miR-21, miR-126, and miR-221 predicted cancer related death (CRD) accurately and independently from other clinico-pathological features. Furthermore, a combined risk score based on the expression of miR-21, miR-126 and miR-221 was developed and showed high sensitivity and specificity to predict cancer specific survival (CSS) in ccRCC/TT. Using the combined risk score we were able to classify ccRCC/TT patients correctly into high and low risk cases. The risk stratification by the combined risk score (CRS) will benefit from further cohort validation and might have potential for clinical application as a molecular prediction system to identify high- risk ccRCC/TT patients.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Scheuerlein2014, author = {Scheuerlein, Gabriele Marianne}, title = {C/EBPβ und seine proapoptotische Wirkung in murinen T-Zellen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113429}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Der Transkriptionsfaktor C/EBPβ besitzt sehr vielgestaltige Funktionen und ist an Wachstums-und Differenzierungsvorg{\"a}ngen verschiedener Gewebe beteiligt. So f{\"o}rdert es in T-Lymphozyten {\"u}ber Transaktivierung des Il4-Promotors und Repression der TH1-Zytokine IL-2 und IFN-γ die Bildung eines TH2-Ph{\"a}notyps [Berberich-Siebelt et al. 2000]. Durch Herabregulation von c-Myc bewirkt es einen Zellzyklusarrest in G1 und vermehrte Differenzierung der Zellen auch {\"u}ber eine reziproke Steigerung von Differenzierungsfaktoren wie Mad4 [Berberich-Siebelt et al. 2006]. In einer den G1-Arrest nachweisenden Zellzyklusanalyse von mit C/EBPβ transduzierten EL-4 Zellen zeigte sich daneben ein kleiner Sub-G1-Peak, der auf eine apoptotische Zellpopulation hinweist [Berberich-Siebelt et al. 2006]. Aufgabe dieser Arbeit war es, den m{\"o}glichen Zusammenhang zwischen der Aktivierung von C/EBPβ und Ausl{\"o}sung von Apoptose in EL-4 Zellen hinsichtlich seiner Spezifit{\"a}t und dabei favorisierter Signalwege zu untersuchen. Gegenstand der Untersuchungen waren mit dem C/EBPβ-ERTM-Konstrukt alleine und in Kombination mit dominant-negativen Mutanten der Caspase-3 und der Caspase-9 transduzierte EL-4 Kulturzellen. Durch Einbringen der Caspasemutanten sollte eine kompetitive Hemmung der entsprechenden endogenen Caspasen bewirkt werden. Methodisch erfolgten Apoptosenachweise mittels durchflusszytometrischer Analysen von mit Annexin V-PE und 7-Amino-Actinomycin (7-AAD) gef{\"a}rbten EL-4 Zellen sowie die Detektion von gespaltener PARP (Poly-ADP-Ribose-Polymerase), einem Substrat der Caspase-3 im Western Blot. Des Weiteren erfolgten mittels Ribonuklease-Protektionsanalysen Untersuchungen der RNA-Expression von Zytokinen, Caspasen und von Mitgliedern der Myc- und der Bcl-2-Proteinfamilien, um das Verhalten der Zellen unter Hemmung von Apoptosewegen bzw. Caspasen bei Aktivierung von C/EBPβ n{\"a}her betrachten zu k{\"o}nnen. In Annexin V-PE- und 7-AAD-F{\"a}rbungen sowie durch Nachweis der spezifischen Spaltung von PARP konnte gezeigt werden, dass C/EBPβ Zelluntergang und Apoptose f{\"o}rdert. Diese war durch den Pancaspaseinhibitor Z-VAD fmk hemmbar, was, wie auch die PARP-Spaltung, auf einen caspaseabh{\"a}ngigen Signalweg hinweist. Hemmung der Caspase-3 durch Transduktion der Zellen mit einer Caspase-3-Mutante besaß kaum Einfluss auf die durch C/EBPβ ver{\"a}nderte Zytokinexpression und die Repression von c-Myc, doch erschien eine vermehrte Hochregulation des Differenzierungsfaktors Mad4, der endogenen Caspase3- und der Caspase11-RNA. Die Steigerung von Caspase-3 unter Aktivierung von C/EBPβ fand sich auch auf Proteinebene. Allerdings konnte eine Hemmung der Caspase-3 bei den untersuchten EL-4 Zellen die durch C/EBPβ vermittelte Apoptose nicht verhindern, was auf andere Apoptosewege oder kompensatorischer Effekte verwies. Durch Beeinflussung des intrinsischen Signalweges mit Hemmung der Caspase-9 zeigten sich ebenfalls kaum Auswirkungen auf die Zytokinexpression der untersuchten Zellen. Hier fanden sich Hochregulationen sowohl der pro- als auch antiapoptotischen Mitglieder der Bcl-2-Familie. Funktionell konnte auch eine Hemmung von Caspase-9 die Zellen nicht vor der Apoptose durch Aktivierung von C/EBPβ bewahren. So konnte hier gezeigt werden, dass Aktivierung von C/EBPβ in den untersuchten EL-4 Zellen Apoptose f{\"o}rdern kann, dies {\"u}ber eine Aktivierung der Caspasekaskade zu geschehen scheint und mit einer Steigerung endogener Caspase-3-Expression einhergeht. Aus den Untersuchungen dieser Arbeit konnte eine Favorisierung eines bestimmten Apoptosesignalweges nicht abgeleitet werden, da eine Hemmung des intrinsischen Weges die Zellen nicht vor dem Zelltod sch{\"u}tzen konnte. Insgesamt l{\"a}sst sich aber, obwohl nicht alle Details gekl{\"a}rt werden konnten, festhalten, dass C/EBPβLAP in T-Zellen neben Proliferationshemmung und Differenzierungsinduktion auch f{\"u}r Caspase vermittelten Zelltod verantwortlich ist.}, subject = {Transkriptionsfaktor info}, language = {de} } @article{SerflingRudolfBuschetal.2014, author = {Serfling, Edgar and Rudolf, Ronald and Busch, Rhoda and Patra, Amiya K. and Muhammad, Khalid and Avots, Andris and Andrau, Jean-Christophe and Klein-Hessling, Stefan}, title = {Architecture and expression of the Nfatc1 gene in lymphocytes}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2014.00021}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112718}, year = {2014}, abstract = {In lymphocytes, the three NFAT factors NFATc1 (also designated as NFAT2), NFATc2 (NFAT1), and NFATc3 (NFAT4 or NFATx) are expressed and are the targets of immune receptor signals, which lead to a rapid rise of intracellular Ca++, the activation of phosphatase calcineurin, and to the activation of cytosolic NFATc proteins. In addition to rapid activation of NFAT factors, immune receptor signals lead to accumulation of the short NFATc1/αA isoform in lymphocytes which controls their proliferation and survival. In this mini-review, we summarize our current knowledge on the structure and transcription of the Nfatc1 gene in lymphocytes, which is controlled by two promoters, two poly A addition sites and a remote downstream enhancer. The Nfatc1 gene resembles numerous primary response genes (PRGs) induced by LPS in macrophages. Similar to the PRG promoters, the Nfatc1 promoter region is organized in CpG islands, forms DNase I hypersensitive sites, and is marked by histone tail modifications before induction. By studying gene induction in lymphocytes in detail, it will be important to elucidate whether the properties of the Nfatc1 induction are not only typical for the Nfatc1 gene but also for other transcription factor genes expressed in lymphocytes.}, language = {en} } @article{LueckerathLapaSpahmannetal.2013, author = {L{\"u}ckerath, Katharina and Lapa, Constantin and Spahmann, Annika and J{\"o}rg, Gerhard and Samnick, Samuel and Rosenwald, Andreas and Einsele, Herrmann and Knop, Stefan and Buck, Andreas}, title = {Targeting Paraprotein Biosynthesis for Non-Invasive Characterization of Myeloma Biology}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0084840}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-111319}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Purpose Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy originating from clonal plasma cells. Despite effective therapies, outcomes are highly variable suggesting marked disease heterogeneity. The role of functional imaging for therapeutic management of myeloma, such as positron emission tomography with 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18F-FDG-PET), remains to be determined. Although some studies already suggested a prognostic value of 18F-FDG-PET, more specific tracers addressing hallmarks of myeloma biology, e.g. paraprotein biosynthesis, are needed. This study evaluated the amino acid tracers L-methyl-[11C]-methionine (11C-MET) and [18F]-fluoroethyl-L-tyrosine (18F-Fet) for their potential to image myeloma and to characterize tumor heterogeneity. Experimental Design To study the utility of 11C-MET, 18F-Fet and 18F-FDG for myeloma imaging, time activity curves were compared in various human myeloma cell lines (INA-6, MM1.S, OPM-2) and correlated to cell-biological characteristics, such as marker gene expression and immunoglobulin levels. Likewise, patient-derived CD138+ plasma cells were characterized regarding uptake and biomedical features. Results Using myeloma cell lines and patient-derived CD138+ plasma cells, we found that the relative uptake of 11C-MET exceeds that of 18F-FDG 1.5- to 5-fold and that of 18F-Fet 7- to 20-fold. Importantly, 11C-MET uptake significantly differed between cell types associated with worse prognosis (e.g. t(4;14) in OPM-2 cells) and indolent ones and correlated with intracellular immunoglobulin light chain and cell surface CD138 and CXCR4 levels. Direct comparison of radiotracer uptake in primary samples further validated the superiority of 11C-MET. Conclusion These data suggest that 11C-MET might be a versatile biomarker for myeloma superior to routine functional imaging with 18F-FDG regarding diagnosis, risk stratification, prognosis and discrimination of tumor subtypes.}, language = {en} } @article{BeilhackChopraKrausetal.2013, author = {Beilhack, Andreas and Chopra, Martin and Kraus, Sabrina and Schwinn, Stefanie and Ritz, Miriam and Mattenheimer, Katharina and Mottok, Anja and Rosenwald, Andreas and Einsele, Hermann}, title = {Non-Invasive Bioluminescence Imaging to Monitor the Immunological Control of a Plasmablastic Lymphoma-Like B Cell Neoplasia after Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0081320}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-111341}, year = {2013}, abstract = {To promote cancer research and to develop innovative therapies, refined pre-clinical mouse tumor models that mimic the actual disease in humans are of dire need. A number of neoplasms along the B cell lineage are commonly initiated by a translocation recombining c-myc with the immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene locus. The translocation is modeled in the C.129S1-Ighatm1(Myc)Janz/J mouse which has been previously engineered to express c-myc under the control of the endogenous IgH promoter. This transgenic mouse exhibits B cell hyperplasia and develops diverse B cell tumors. We have isolated tumor cells from the spleen of a C.129S1-Ighatm1(Myc)Janz/J mouse that spontaneously developed a plasmablastic lymphoma-like disease. These cells were cultured, transduced to express eGFP and firefly luciferase, and gave rise to a highly aggressive, transplantable B cell lymphoma cell line, termed IM380. This model bears several advantages over other models as it is genetically induced and mimics the translocation that is detectable in a number of human B cell lymphomas. The growth of the tumor cells, their dissemination, and response to treatment within immunocompetent hosts can be imaged non-invasively in vivo due to their expression of firefly luciferase. IM380 cells are radioresistant in vivo and mice with established tumors can be allogeneically transplanted to analyze graft-versus-tumor effects of transplanted T cells. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation of tumor-bearing mice results in prolonged survival. These traits make the IM380 model very valuable for the study of B cell lymphoma pathophysiology and for the development of innovative cancer therapies.}, language = {en} } @article{RonchiSbieraVolanteetal.2014, author = {Ronchi, Cristina L. and Sbiera, Silviu and Volante, Marco and Steinhauer, Sonja and Scott-Wild, Vanessa and Altieri, Barbara and Kroiss, Matthias and Bala, Margarita and Papotti, Mauro and Deutschbein, Timo and Terzolo, Massimo and Fassnacht, Martin and Allolio, Bruno}, title = {CYP2W1 Is Highly Expressed in Adrenal Glands and Is Positively Associated with the Response to Mitotane in Adrenocortical Carcinoma}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0105855}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-113096}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Adrenocortical tumors comprise frequent adenomas (ACA) and rare carcinomas (ACC). Human cytochrome P450 2W1 (CYP2W1) is highly expressed in some cancers holding the potential to activate certain drugs into tumor cytotoxins. Objective To investigate the CYP2W1 expression in adrenal samples and its relationship with clinical outcome in ACC. Material and Methods CYP2W1 expression was investigated by qRT-PCR in 13 normal adrenal glands, 32 ACA, 25 ACC, and 9 different non-adrenal normal tissue samples and by immunohistochemistry in 352 specimens (23 normal adrenal glands, 33 ACA, 239 ACC, 67 non-adrenal normal or neoplastic samples). Results CYP2W1 mRNA expression was absent/low in normal non-adrenal tissues, but high in normal and neoplastic adrenal glands (all P<0.01 vs non-adrenal normal tissues). Accordingly, CYP2W1 immunoreactivity was absent/low (H-score 0-1) in 72\% of non-adrenal normal tissues, but high (H-score 2-3) in 44\% of non-adrenal cancers, in 65\% of normal adrenal glands, in 62\% of ACAs and in 50\% of ACCs (all P<0.001 vs non-adrenal normal tissues), being significantly increased in steroid-secreting compared to non-secreting tumors. In ACC patients treated with mitotane only, high CYP2W1 immunoreactivity adjusted for ENSAT stage was associated with longer overall survival and time to progression (P<0.05 and P<0.01, respectively), and with a better response to therapy both as palliative (response/stable disease in 42\% vs 6\%, P<0.01) or adjuvant option (absence of disease recurrence in 69\% vs 45\%, P<0.01). Conclusion CYP2W1 is highly expressed in both normal and neoplastic adrenal glands making it a promising tool for targeted therapy in ACC. Furthermore, CYP2W1 may represent a new predictive marker for the response to mitotane treatment.}, language = {en} } @article{BuschTschernitzThurneretal.2013, author = {Busch, Albert and Tschernitz, Sebastian and Thurner, Anette and Kellersmann, Richard and Lorenz, Udo}, title = {Fatal Paraneoplastic Embolisms in Both Circulations in a Patient with Poorly Differentiated Neuroendocrine Tumour}, series = {Case Reports in Vascular Medicine}, journal = {Case Reports in Vascular Medicine}, doi = {10.1155/2013/739427}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97335}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Arterial embolism with lower limb ischemia is a rare manifestation of paraneoplastic hypercoagulability in cancer patients. We report a unique case of fatal thromboembolism involving both circulations associated with a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine tumor of the lung with rapid progress despite high doses of unfractioned heparin and review the current literature on anticoagulative regimen in tumour patients.}, language = {en} } @article{LinsenmannMonoranuKessleretal.2013, author = {Linsenmann, Thomas and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Kessler, Almuth F. and Ernestus, Ralf I. and Westermaier, Thomas}, title = {Bone chips, fibrin glue, and osteogeneration following lateral suboccipital craniectomy: a case report}, series = {BMC Research Notes}, journal = {BMC Research Notes}, doi = {10.1186/1756-0500-6-523}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97346}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Background Suboccipital craniectomy is a conventional approach for exploring cerebellopontine angle lesions. A variety of techniques have been successfully employed to reconstruct a craniectomy. This is the first report about the histological findings after performing a cranioplasty by using a mixture of autologous bone chips and human allogenic fibrin glue. Case presentation A 53-year-old German woman underwent left lateral suboccipital retrosigmoidal craniectomy for treatment of trigeminal neuralgia in 2008. Cranioplasty was perfomed by using a mixture of autologous bone chips and human allogenic fibrin glue. Due to recurrent neuralgia, a second left lateral suboccipital craniectomy was performed in 2012. The intraoperative findings revealed a complete ossification of the former craniotomy including widely mature trabecular bone tissue in the histological examination. Conclusion A mixture of autologous bone chips and human allogenic fibrin glue seems to provide sufficient bone-regeneration revealed by histological and neuroradiological examinations.}, language = {en} } @article{SbieraRonchiLeichetal.2013, author = {Sbiera, Silviu and Ronchi, Cristina L. and Leich, Ellen and Henzel, Katharina and Rosenwald, Andreas and Allolio, Bruno and Fassnacht, Martin}, title = {Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Array Profiling of Adrenocortical Tumors - Evidence for an Adenoma Carcinoma Sequence?}, series = {PLoS ONE}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0073959}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97218}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Adrenocortical tumors consist of benign adenomas and highly malignant carcinomas with a still incompletely understood pathogenesis. A total of 46 adrenocortical tumors (24 adenomas and 22 carcinomas) were investigated aiming to identify novel genes involved in adrenocortical tumorigenesis. High-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism arrays (Affymetrix) were used to detect copy number alterations (CNAs) and copy neutral losses of heterozygosity (cnLOH). Genomic clustering showed good separation between adenomas and carcinomas, with best partition including only chromosome 5, which was highly amplified in 17/22 malignant tumors. The malignant tumors had more relevant genomic aberrations than benign tumors, such as a higher median number of recurrent CNA (2631 vs 94), CNAs >100 Kb (62.5 vs 7) and CN losses (72.5 vs 5.5), and a higher percentage of samples with cnLOH (91\% vs 29\%). Within the carcinoma cohort, a precise genetic pattern (i.e. large gains at chr 5, 7, 12, and 19, and losses at chr 1, 2, 13, 17, and 22) was associated with a better prognosis (overall survival: 72.2 vs 35.4 months, P=0.063). Interestingly, >70\% of gains frequent in beningn were also present in malignant tumors. Notch signaling was the most frequently involved pathway in both tumor entities. Finally, a CN gain at imprinted "IGF2" locus chr 11p15.5 appeared to be an early alteration in a multi-step tumor progression, followed by the loss of one or two alleles, associated with increased IGF2 expression, only in carcinomas. Our study serves as database for the identification of genes and pathways, such as Notch signaling, which could be involved in the pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors. Using these data, we postulate an adenoma-carcinoma sequence for these tumors.}, language = {en} } @article{VerghoKneitzRosenwaldetal.2014, author = {Vergho, Daniel and Kneitz, Susanne and Rosenwald, Andreas and Scherer, Charlotte and Spahn, Martin and Burger, Maximilian and Riedmiller, Hubertus and Kneitz, Burkhard}, title = {Combination of expression levels of miR-21 and miR-126 is associated with cancer-specific survival in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2407-14-25}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110061}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is marked by high mortality rate. To date, no robust risk stratification by clinical or molecular prognosticators of cancer-specific survival (CSS) has been established for early stages. Transcriptional profiling of small non-coding RNA gene products (miRNAs) seems promising for prognostic stratification. The expression of miR-21 and miR-126 was analysed in a large cohort of RCC patients; a combined risk score (CRS)-model was constructed based on expression levels of both miRNAs. Methods Expression of miR-21 and miR-126 was evaluated by qRT-PCR in tumour and adjacent non-neoplastic tissue in n = 139 clear cell RCC patients. Relation of miR-21 and miR-126 expression with various clinical parameters was assessed. Parameters were analysed by uni- and multivariate COX regression. A factor derived from the z-score resulting from the COX model was determined for both miRs separately and a combined risk score (CRS) was calculated multiplying the relative expression of miR-21 and miR-126 by this factor. The best fitting COX model was selected by relative goodness-of-fit with the Akaike information criterion (AIC). Results RCC with and without miR-21 up- and miR-126 downregulation differed significantly in synchronous metastatic status and CSS. Upregulation of miR-21 and downregulation of miR-126 were independently prognostic. A combined risk score (CRS) based on the expression of both miRs showed high sensitivity and specificity in predicting CSS and prediction was independent from any other clinico-pathological parameter. Association of CRS with CSS was successfully validated in a testing cohort containing patients with high and low risk for progressive disease. Conclusions A combined expression level of miR-21 and miR-126 accurately predicted CSS in two independent RCC cohorts and seems feasible for clinical application in assessing prognosis.}, language = {en} } @article{NeubauerHassoldWarmuthMetzetal.2014, author = {Neubauer, Henning and Hassold, Nicole and Warmuth-Metz, Monika and Winkler, Beate and Kreissl, Michael C. and Ernestus, Karen and Beer, Meinrad}, title = {Hit the mark with diffusion-weighted imaging: metastases of rhabdomyosarcoma to the extraocular eye muscles}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2431-14-57}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110106}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most frequent malignant intraorbital tumour in paediatric patients. Differentiation of tumour recurrence or metastases from post-therapeutic signal alteration can be challenging, using standard MR imaging techniques. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI) is increasingly considered a helpful supplementary imaging tool for differentiation of orbital masses. Case presentation We report on a 15-year-old female adolescent of Caucasian ethnicity who developed isolated bilateral thickening of extraocular eye muscles about two years after successful multimodal treatment of orbital alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. Intramuscular restricted diffusion was the first diagnostic indicator suggestive of metastatic disease to the eye muscles. DWI subsequently showed signal changes consistent with tumour progression, complete remission under chemoradiotherapy and tumour recurrence. Conclusions Restricted diffusivity is a strong early indicator of malignancy in orbital tumours. DWI can be the key to correct diagnosis in unusual tumour manifestations and can provide additional diagnostic information beyond standard MRI and PET/CT. Diffusion-weighted MRI is useful for monitoring therapy response and for detecting tumour recurrence.}, language = {en} } @article{LinsenmannMonoranuVinceetal.2014, author = {Linsenmann, Thomas and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Vince, Giles H. and Westermaier, Thomas and Hagemann, Carsten and Kessler, Almuth F. and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and L{\"o}hr, Mario}, title = {Long-term tumor control of spinal dissemination of cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme by combined adjuvant bevacizumab antibody therapy: a case report}, doi = {10.1186/1756-0500-7-496}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110536}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Glioblastoma multiforme located in the posterior fossa is extremely rare with a frequency up to 3.4\%. Compared with glioblastoma of the hemispheres the prognosis of infratentorial glioblastoma seems to be slightly better. Absence of brainstem invasion and low expression rates of epidermal growth factor receptor are described as factors for long-time survival due to the higher radiosensitivity of these tumors. Case presentation In this case study, we report a German female patient with an exophytic glioblastoma multiforme arising from the cerebellar tonsil and a secondary spinal manifestation. Furthermore, the tumor showed no O (6)-Methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promotor-hypermethylation and no isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 mutations. All these signs are accompanied by significantly shorter median overall survival. A long-term tumor control of the spinal metastases was achieved by a combined temozolomide/bevacizumab and irradiation therapy, as part of a standard care administered by the treating physician team. Conclusion To our knowledge this is the first published case of a combined cerebellar exophytic glioblastoma with a subsequent solid spinal manifestation. Furthermore this case demonstrates a benefit undergoing this special adjuvant therapy regime in terms of overall survival. Due to the limited overall prognosis of the disease, spinal manifestations of glioma are rarely clinically relevant. The results of our instructive case, however, with a positive effect on both life quality and survival warrant treating future patients in the frame of a prospective clinical study.}, language = {en} } @article{BalaRonchiPichletal.2014, author = {Bala, Margarita and Ronchi, Cristina L. and Pichl, Josef and Wild, Vanessa and Kircher, Stefan and Allolio, Bruno and Hahner, Stefanie}, title = {Suspected metastatic adrenocortical carcinoma revealing as pulmonary Kaposi sarcoma in adrenal Cushing's syndrome}, doi = {10.1186/1472-6823-14-63}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110553}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a malignant disease most commonly diagnosed in the setting of a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and in patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment. Pulmonary KS has never been reported in association with endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS). Case presentation A 60-year-old woman presented with symptoms and signs of CS. Adrenal CS was confirmed by standard biochemical evaluation. Imaging revealed a right adrenal lesion (diameter 3.5 cm) and multiple pulmonary nodules, suggesting a cortisol-secreting adrenal carcinoma with pulmonary metastases. The patient underwent right adrenalectomy with a pathohistological diagnosis of an adrenal adenoma. Subsequent thoracoscopic wedge resection of one lung lesion revealed pulmonary KS with positive immunostaining for human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8). HIV-serology was negative. Hydrocortisone replacement was initiated for secondary adrenal insufficiency after surgery. Post-operative follow up imaging showed complete remission of all KS-related pulmonary nodules solely after resolution of hypercortisolism. Conclusion KS may occur in the setting of endogenous CS and may go into remission after cure of hypercortisolism without further specific treatment.}, language = {en} } @article{HartmannLessnerMentzeletal.2014, author = {Hartmann, Stefan and Lessner, Grit and Mentzel, Thomas and K{\"u}bler, Alexander C. and M{\"u}ller-Richter, Urs}, title = {An adult spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma in the head and neck region with long-term survival: a case report}, doi = {10.1186/1752-1947-8-208}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-110362}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Introduction Spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck is a very rare tumor in adults. We report on one case with long-term survival. Case presentation A 41-year-old nonsmoking Caucasian man presented in June 2007 with a painless swelling under his tongue. A diagnosis of a soft tissue sarcoma, and a myofibrosarcoma in particular, was made via biopsy. After multimodal treatment, including local and systemic therapy, our patient remained disease-free until September 2010. The local recurrence was treated unsuccessfully with various chemotherapy regimens. In September 2011, our patient underwent surgical resection again, and a spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma was diagnosed. To analyze the mismatch between the original diagnosis of a myofibrosarcoma and the second diagnosis, the two specimens were reassessed, and a final diagnosis of a spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma was made. In 2012 and 2013, our patient suffered further recurrences that were surgically treated, and he is still alive with disease six years and 10 months after the initial diagnosis in June 2007. Conclusions In adults, the spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma tumor is very rare in the head and neck region. In contrast to childhood tumors, spindle cell rhabdomyosarcoma in adulthood is often associated with a poor prognosis. In the present case, the radical surgical treatment might have helped to prolong the patient's overall survival, which has lasted more than six years. To our knowledge, this is the longest overall survival reported so far for this tumor entity in the head and neck region.}, language = {en} } @article{WeichWernerBucketal.2021, author = {Weich, Alexander and Werner, Rudolf A. and Buck, Andreas K. and Hartrampf, Philipp E. and Serfling, Sebastian E. and Scheurlen, Michael and Wester, Hans-J{\"u}rgen and Meining, Alexander and Kircher, Stefan and Higuchi, Takahiro and Pomper, Martin G. and Rowe, Steven P. and Lapa, Constantin and Kircher, Malte}, title = {CXCR4-Directed PET/CT in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Neuroendocrine Carcinomas}, series = {Diagnostics}, volume = {11}, journal = {Diagnostics}, number = {4}, issn = {2075-4418}, doi = {10.3390/diagnostics11040605}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234231}, year = {2021}, abstract = {We aimed to elucidate the diagnostic potential of the C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4)-directed positron emission tomography (PET) tracer \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor in patients with poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinomas (NEC), relative to the established reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/computed tomography (CT). In our database, we retrospectively identified 11 treatment-na{\"i}ve patients with histologically proven NEC, who underwent \(^{18}\)F-FDG and CXCR4-directed PET/CT for staging and therapy planning. The images were analyzed on a per-patient and per-lesion basis and compared to immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of CXCR4 from PET-guided biopsies. \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor visualized tumor lesions in 10/11 subjects, while \(^{18}\)F-FDG revealed sites of disease in all 11 patients. Although weak to moderate CXCR4 expression could be corroborated by IHC in 10/11 cases, \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT detected significantly more tumor lesions (102 vs. 42; total lesions, n = 107; p < 0.001). Semi-quantitative analysis revealed markedly higher 18F-FDG uptake as compared to \(^{68}\)Ga-Pentixafor (maximum and mean standardized uptake values (SUV) and tumor-to-background ratios (TBR) of cancerous lesions, SUVmax: 12.8 ± 9.8 vs. 5.2 ± 3.7; SUVmean: 7.4 ± 5.4 vs. 3.1 ± 3.2, p < 0.001; and, TBR 7.2 ± 7.9 vs. 3.4 ± 3.0, p < 0.001). Non-invasive imaging of CXCR4 expression in NEC is inferior to the reference standard \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET/CT.}, language = {en} } @misc{SerflingAvotsKleinHesslingetal.2012, author = {Serfling, Edgar and Avots, Andris and Klein-Hessling, Stefan and Rudolf, Ronald and Vaeth, Martin and Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike}, title = {NFATc1/alphaA: The other Face of NFAT Factors in Lymphocytes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-75748}, year = {2012}, abstract = {In effector T and B cells immune receptor signals induce within minutes a rise of intracellular Ca++, the activation of the phosphatase calcineurin and the translocation of NFAT transcription factors from cytosol to nucleus. In addition to this first wave of NFAT activation, in a second step the occurrence of NFATc1/αA, a short isoform of NFATc1, is strongly induced. Upon primary stimulation of lymphocytes the induction of NFATc1/αA takes place during the G1 phase of cell cycle. Due to an auto-regulatory feedback circuit high levels of NFATc1/αA are kept constant during persistent immune receptor stimulation. Contrary to NFATc2 and further NFATc proteins which dampen lymphocyte proliferation, induce anergy and enhance activation induced cell death (AICD), NFATc1/αA supports antigenmediated proliferation and protects lymphocytes against rapid AICD. Whereas high concentrations of NFATc1/αA can also lead to apoptosis, in collaboration with NF-κB-inducing co-stimulatory signals they support the survival of mature lymphocytes in late phases after their activation. However, if dysregulated, NFATc1/αA appears to contribute to lymphoma genesis and - as we assume - to further disorders of the lymphoid system. While the molecular details of NFATc1/αA action and its contribution to lymphoid disorders have to be investigated, NFATc1/αA differs in its generation and function markedly from all the other NFAT proteins which are expressed in lymphoid cells. Therefore, it represents a prime target for causal therapies of immune disorders in future.}, subject = {Medizin}, language = {en} } @article{BenkertDietzHartmannetal.2012, author = {Benkert, Thomas F. and Dietz, Lena and Hartmann, Elena M. and Leich, Ellen and Rosenwald, Andreas and Serfling, Edgar and Buttmann, Mathias and Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike}, title = {Natalizumab Exerts Direct Signaling Capacity and Supports a Pro-Inflammatory Phenotype in Some Patients with Multiple Sclerosis}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-77905}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Natalizumab is a recombinant monoclonal antibody raised against integrin alpha-4 (CD49d). It is approved for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the CNS. While having shown high therapeutic efficacy, treatment by natalizumab has been linked to progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) as a serious adverse effect. Furthermore, drug cessation sometimes induces rebound disease activity of unknown etiology. Here we investigated whether binding of this adhesion-blocking antibody to T lymphocytes could modulate their phenotype by direct induction of intracellular signaling events. Primary CD4+ T lymphocytes either from healthy donors and treated with natalizumab in vitro or from MS patients receiving their very first dose of natalizumab were analyzed. Natalizumab induced a mild upregulation of IL-2, IFN-c and IL-17 expression in activated primary human CD4+ T cells propagated ex vivo from healthy donors, consistent with a pro-inflammatory costimulatory effect on lymphokine expression. Along with this, natalizumab binding triggered rapid MAPK/ERK phosphorylation. Furthermore, it decreased CD49d surface expression on effector cells within a few hours. Sustained CD49d downregulation could be attributed to integrin internalization and degradation. Importantly, also CD4+ T cells from some MS patients receiving their very first dose of natalizumab produced more IL-2, IFN-c and IL-17 already 24 h after infusion. Together these data indicate that in addition to its adhesion-blocking mode of action natalizumab possesses mild direct signaling capacities, which can support a pro-inflammatory phenotype of peripheral blood T lymphocytes. This might explain why a rebound of disease activity or IRIS is observed in some MS patients after natalizumab cessation.}, subject = {Medizin}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Stein2012, author = {Stein, Roland Gregor}, title = {Immunhistochemische Marker f{\"u}r die Prognose und Proliferation in Ependymomen bei Kindern und Erwachsenen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-71082}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2012}, abstract = {Zur Identifizierung geeigneter Routinemarker f{\"u}r die Prognose von Ependymompatienten f{\"u}hrten wir immunhistochemische Untersuchungen und statistische Auswertungen an Ependymomen und Daten von 32 Erwachsenen und 23 p{\"a}diatrischen Patienten durch. Davon wurden bei drei Tumoren auch Rezidive untersucht, so dass insgesamt 59 Ependymome in die Untersuchung eingeschlossen wurden. Im Einzelnen handelte es sich um 11 myxopapill{\"a}re Ependymome, 6 Subependymome, 19 Ependymome und 23 anaplastische Ependymome. Die gr{\"o}ßten Fallgruppen bildeten p{\"a}diatrische Patienten unter drei Jahren und Erwachsene zwischen 50 und 70 Jahren. Bei Kindern war mit 45,8\% die infratentorielle, bei Erwachsenen mit 65\% die spinale Tumorlokalisation am h{\"a}ufigsten. Die untersuchten spinalen Ependymome entsprachen zu gleichen Teilen myxopapill{\"a}ren Ependymomen WHO Grad I und Ependymomen WHO Grad II. In supratentorieller Lage fanden sich mit 67\% {\"u}berwiegend anaplastische Ependymome WHO Grad III. Auch bei den infratentoriell gelegenen Ependymomen waren mit 63\% die Mehrzahl anaplastische Ependymome, daneben fanden sich 29,6\% Ependymome WHO Grad II. Beim Vergleich des von uns definierten und bestimmten Ki67-Scores als Zeichen f{\"u}r die Ependymomproliferation und der immunhistochemischen Positivit{\"a}t f{\"u}r HCK fiel nach Anwendung des Chi-Quadrat-Tests mit p=0,067 ein deutlicher Trend zu schw{\"a}cherer punktf{\"o}rmiger Positivit{\"a}t bei h{\"o}herem Ki67-Score auf. Dieser Trend setzte sich in der Erwachsenengruppe separat fort, w{\"a}hrend er in der Kindergruppe allein nicht nachweisbar war. In der Erwachsenengruppe war mit 28\% ein deutlicher Anteil myxopapill{\"a}rer Ependymome vorhanden, welche bei den Kindern nur 8\% ausmachten.M{\"o}glicherweise spielt die ver{\"a}nderte HCK-Expression in der Subgruppe der myxopapill{\"a}ren Ependymome eine Rolle. Unsere Untersuchungen zeigten außerdem mit p=0,057 einen deutlichen Trend zu l{\"a}ngerem {\"U}berleben bei immunohistochemischer DBC1-Negativit{\"a}t. Die Multivarianzanalyse mittels Cox-Regression wies eine Positivit{\"a}t f{\"u}r DBC1 als unabh{\"a}ngigen Risikofaktor f{\"u}r eine k{\"u}rzere {\"U}berlebenszeit nach. Des Weiteren konnte eine mit p=0,013 signifikante Korrelation zwischen immunhistochemischer Positivit{\"a}t f{\"u}r DBC1 und h{\"o}herem Ki67-Score gezeigt werden. Auch mit h{\"o}herem WHO-Grad korrelierte die DBC1-Positivit{\"a}t mit p=0,009. Besonders infratentoriell gelegene Ependymome zeigten DBC1-Reaktivit{\"a}t. Hier treten bekannterweise h{\"a}ufiger anaplastische Ependymome mit h{\"o}herem Proliferationsindex auf. Unsere Ergebnisse legen somit die Eignung des Markers DBC1 als immunhistochemische Routineuntersuchung f{\"u}r die Beurteilung der vom Resektionsstatus unabh{\"a}ngigen Prognose und {\"U}berlebenszeit von Ependymompatienten nahe.}, subject = {Ependymom}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Strack2010, author = {Strack, Johanna}, title = {Morphologische Studie zur altersabh{\"a}ngigen Expression von Autoimmunregulator AIRE im gesunden und entz{\"u}ndlich ver{\"a}nderten Thymus}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48017}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Die Entdeckung der Autoimmunkrankheit APECED f{\"u}hrte zur Entdeckung des verantwortlichen Gens AIRE (autoimmune regulator), das einen Einblick in die Verhinderung oder Entstehung von Autoreaktivit{\"a}t im Thymus bietet. Durch Aktivierung des AIRE-Gens und Expression des AIRE-Proteins werden organspezifische Selbstantigene in medull{\"a}ren Thymusepithelzellen exprimiert und entweder direkt oder nach Transfer auf dendritsche Zellen unreifen T-Zellen pr{\"a}sentiert. Durch Elimination autoreaktiver Zellen entsteht Toleranz gegen{\"u}ber den k{\"o}rpereigenen Geweben. Da das Immunsystem bei steigendem Alter tiefgreifende Ver{\"a}nderungen erf{\"a}hrt, die zum Teil durch die Thymusinvolution bedingt sind, ist es von Interesse, den Verlauf von AIRE {\"u}ber verschiedene Altersstufen hinweg zu untersuchen. Zielsetzungen dieser Arbeit waren daher die quantitative und r{\"a}umliche Untersuchung der AIRE+ -Zellen im Alter und im Kontext einer prototypischen organspezifischen Autoimmunerkrankung, der Myasthenia gravis. Diese Fragestellungen wurden bei Normalthymi, entz{\"u}ndlich ver{\"a}nderten Thymi mit assoziierter Myasthenie und an B1-Thymomen untersucht. Als Ergebnis konnte erarbeitet werden, dass der Gehalt an AIRE+ -Zellen mit dem Alter abnimmt, wobei bis in die neunte Lebensdekade noch AIRE+ -Zellen vorhanden waren. Der Gehalt an AIRE+ Zellen stellte sich als st{\"a}rker mit dem Lebensalter korreliert dar als beispielsweise die Thymusfl{\"a}che. AIRE scheint damit ein mit der Thymusinvolution eng assoziiertes Gen zu sein. Es fand sich eine hochsignifikante Co-Lokalisation von AIRE+ Zellen und Hassall-K{\"o}rperchen, die besonders durch die Untersuchungen von Typ B1 Thymomen mit und ohne Hassall-K{\"o}rperchen best{\"a}tigt werden konnte. In {\"U}bereinstimmung mit aktuellen Forschungsergebnissen in Mausmodellen fand sich kein Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl oder der r{\"a}umlichen Anordnung regulatorischer T-Zellen und AIRE+ -Zellen. Myoidzellen nahmen mit zunehmendem Alter ebenfalls ab. Ihre Rolle in der Entstehung der Myasthenie ist bei Patienten mit early und late onset wahrscheinlich unterschiedlich; die abnehmende Zahl an Myoidzellen stellt m{\"o}glicherweise vor allem bei Patienten mit late onset einen Risikofaktor dar.}, subject = {Thymus}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Dax2009, author = {Dax, Svenja}, title = {Histomorphologische Charakteristika klinisch gesicherter Bisphosphonat-assoziierter Kiefernekrosen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-43842}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Bisphosphonate finden seit mehr als 25 Jahren klinischen Einsatz. Ihre Verabreichung ist mittlerweile fester Bestandteil der medikament{\"o}sen Therapie von Osteoporose, Morbus Paget, Plasmozytomen und tumorbedingten Osteolysen. Auf eine dabei f{\"u}r den Patienten sehr schwerwiegende und aufgrund der Therapieresistenz oftmals schwierig zu behandelnde Nebenwirkung wurde im Jahr 2003 erstmals aufmerksam gemacht. Als sicher gilt heute, dass es unter Bisphosphonat-Therapie zu Osteonekrosen im Kieferbereich kommen kann. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden 24 F{\"a}lle (14 Frauen, 10 M{\"a}nner; Durchschnittsalter 66 Jahre) Bisphosphonat-assoziierter Kiefernekrosen untersucht. Die Patienten erhielten alle Aminobisphosphonate - in mehr als der H{\"a}lfte der F{\"a}lle handelte es sich dabei um das hochwirksame Zometa® (Zolendronat; Novartis). In 91,6\% der F{\"a}lle waren oss{\"a}r metastasierende Malignome (Mamma- und Prostata-CAs) sowie Plasmozytome/multiple Myelome Grund der Applikation. Klinisch waren freiliegender Knochen, ulzerierende Schleimhautver{\"a}nderungen, Wundheilungsst{\"o}rungen nach zahn{\"a}rztlichen Eingriffen, Abszessbildung, Fistelung, Par{\"a}sthesien, rezidivierende bzw. zunehmende Schmerzen und gelockerte Z{\"a}hne zu beobachten. Die dabei auftretenden Symptome besitzen jedoch keine ausreichende Spezifit{\"a}t, so dass es dem Kliniker nur {\"u}ber die genaue Kenntnis der Anamnese m{\"o}glich ist eine Bisphosphonat-assoziierte Kiefernekrose zu diagnostizieren. Die licht- und elektronenmikroskopischen Untersuchungen ergaben variable Auspr{\"a}gungsmuster der Nekrose. In der Mehrheit der F{\"a}lle lag dabei eine eitrige Nekrose, in 20,8\% der F{\"a}lle hingegen eine aseptische Nekrose vor. In 79,2\% der F{\"a}lle trat ein Actinomyces-Befall unterschiedlicher Befallsst{\"a}rke auf. In 33,3\% konnten Epithelproliferate und in seltenen F{\"a}llen Anzeichen eines reaktiven Knochenumbaus (16,7\%) beobachtet werden. Insgesamt besitzen die histopathologischen Ver{\"a}nderungen wenig Spezifit{\"a}t, so dass der Pathologe ohne Kenntnis des klinischen Gesamtaspektes nicht eindeutig eine Bisphosphonat-assoziierte Kiefernekrose diagnostizieren kann und zur Diagnose klinisch-anamnestische Daten und histologische Befund zusammengef{\"u}hrt werden m{\"u}ssen. Ein hinsichtlich formalpathogenetischer {\"U}berlegungen wichtiges histomorphologisches Ergebnis stellte die signifikante Zunahme der Trabekeldicken (p < 0.04) Bisphosphonat behandelten Knochens im Vergleich zu gesundem dar. Die Sklerosierung f{\"u}hrt konsekutiv zu einer Verschlechterung der Durchblutungs- und Ern{\"a}hrungssituation und damit auch der Abwehrlage des Kieferknochens und stellt den entscheidenden Ausgangspunkt f{\"u}r die Entstehung von Osteonekrosen dar. Konsens besteht aufgrund der bisherigen Forschungsergebnisse dar{\"u}ber, dass zur Entwicklung der unter Bisphosphonat-Therapie beobachteten Kiefernekrosen jedoch eine Reihe zus{\"a}tzlicher Risikofaktoren im Sinne eines multifaktoriellen Geschehens bedeutsam sind. In {\"U}bereinstimmungen zu anderen Forschungsarbeiten konnte in der eigenen Arbeit der zahn{\"a}rztliche Eingriff als ein wichtiger Risikofaktor identifiziert werden.}, subject = {Histopathologie}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Schmitt2021, author = {Schmitt, Dominik}, title = {Genexpressionsanalysen der tumor-/metastasierungsassoziierten Proteine ATF5, KiSS1, RPS27, BRMS1 und TTK in neuroglialen Hirntumoren}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-22287}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222873}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Hirntumoren werden nach histologischen und molekulargenetischen Gesichtspunkten unterteilt. Neben dem Krankheitsverlauf unterscheiden sich LGA auch genetisch von GBM. Wie die mRNA der Proteine ATF5, KiSS1, RPS27, BRMS1 und TTK in LGA exprimiert ist bzw. sich im Verlauf ver{\"a}ndert, war in dieser Form noch nicht in einem Patientenpanel untersucht worden. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die mRNA-Expressionsraten zu bestimmen sowie Korrelationen und Kointegrationen mit klinischen Daten zu analysieren. Außerdem wurden Besonderheiten der Verteilung innerhalb des Patientenpanels beschrieben. Quantitative-PCR-Analysen wurden durchgef{\"u}hrt. Die Expressionswerte wurden auf die Expression des Haushaltsgens GAPDH normalisiert. Die resultierenden ∆CTm - bzw. ∆∆CT-Werte sowie die klinischen Patientendaten waren Basis f{\"u}r Kointegrations-, Korrelations-, Expressions-, {\"A}hnlichkeits- und Verlaufsanalysen. KiSS1 schien generell kaum oder nicht in der Vielzahl der Tumoren exprimiert zu sein, Aussagen zur klinischen Korrelation erwiesen sich als schwierig. F{\"u}r RPS27 konnten tendenziell niedrigere Werte in den Verlaufstumoren im Vergleich zu den LGA gefunden werden. Auch f{\"u}r BRMS1 war in der Mehrzahl der F{\"a}lle die mRNA der Vorl{\"a}ufertumoren in Relation zu den Rezidiven st{\"a}rker exprimiert. ATF5 korrelierte nach Kendall RE und PFS (-0,324; p=0,077) in der Gruppe der IDH1-mutierten LGA, f{\"u}r TTK nach Kendall OS und RE (-0,444; p=0,097) im Gesamtpanel und nach Pearson auch RE und PFS (-0,43; p=0,096) in der Gruppe der IDH1-mutierten LGA.}, subject = {Genexpression}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Seeberger2000, author = {Seeberger, Harald Bruno Gustav}, title = {Fr{\"u}he Entwicklungsschritte in der Pathogenese der B-Zell-Lymphome vom mukosa-assoziierten lymphatischen Gewebe (MALT)-Typ}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-2286}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2000}, abstract = {B-Zell-Lymphome vom mukosa-assoziierten lymphatischen Gewebe (MALT)-Typ sind die gr{\"o}ßte Gruppe der extranodalen Lymphome. Sie enstehen vor dem Hintergrund einer chronischen Entz{\"u}ndung, wie etwa einer Helicobacter pylori-assoziierten Gastritis im Magen. Die Mechanismen der Lymphomgenese sind weitgehend unverstanden. Der Befund, dass die malignen B-Zellen der MALT-Typ Lymphome autoreaktiv sind und durch Antigen oder T-Zell-vermittelte Signale stimuliert werden, weist auf ein m{\"o}gliches Ver-sagen der T-Zell-Kontrolle hin. Zur Pr{\"u}fung dieser Hypothese wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit sowohl tumor-infiltrierende T-Zellen als auch maligne B-Zellen aus MALT-Typ Lymphomen untersucht. Mit Hilfe von Expressionsanalysen der Vb -Kette des T-Zell-Rezeptors (TCR) wurden antigen-induzierte klonale Expansionen in den tumor-infiltrierenden T-Zellen nachgewiesen. Weiterhin wurden {\"a}hnliche antigen-erkennende Regionen (CDR3) des TCR in tumor-infiltrierenden T-Zellen aus zwei verschiedenen MALT-Typ Lymphomen gefunden. Diese Ergebnisse charakterisieren die T-Zellen als funktionell und auch als potenziell tumor-reaktiv. Um m{\"o}gliche Defekte bei malignen B-Zellen zu untersuchen, wurde eine in vitro T/B-Zell-Kokultur entwickelt. Damit war es m{\"o}glich, die Interaktion des apoptose-induzierenden Oberfl{\"a}chenmolek{\"u}ls FasL auf aktivierten T-Zellen mit dem entsprechenden Todesrezeptor Fas auf malignen B-Zellen zu untersuchen. Drei von sieben MALT-Typ Lymphomen und vier von f{\"u}nf DLBL erwiesen sich als resistent gegen FasL-vermittelte Apoptose. Meine Untersuchungen deuten darauf hin, dass hierf{\"u}r eine mutationsbedingte funktionelle Inaktivierung des Fas-Rezeptors verantwortlich ist. In Fas-Transkripten aller untersuchten malignen B-Zellen wurden insgesamt 14 verschiedene Punktmutationen gefunden, die zu Aminos{\"a}ureaustauschen bei der Translation f{\"u}hren. Zehn dieser Mutationen waren mit der Apoptose-Resistenz maligner B-Zellen assoziiert. Durch erg{\"a}nzende Untersuchungen konnten alternative Mechanismen der Apoptose-Resistenz wie etwa reduzierte Fas-Expression, Produktion von l{\"o}slichem Fas (sFas) oder St{\"o}rungen in der Fas-Signalkaskade weitgehend ausgeschlossen werden. Aus diesen Ergebnissen l{\"a}sst sich folgender Schluss ziehen: Resistenz gegen FasL/Fas-vermittelte Apoptose ist ein Mechanismus der fr{\"u}hen MALT-Typ Lymphomgenese und m{\"o}glicherweise auf bestimmte Fas-Mutationen zur{\"u}ckzuf{\"u}hren. Durch Apoptose-Resistenz entkommen die malignen B-Zellen der MALT-Typ Lymphome der vorhandenen T-Zell-Kontrolle. Gleichzeitig nehmen sie die parakrin angebotene T-Zell-Hilfe solange in Anspruch, bis sie v{\"o}llige Autonomie erreicht haben. Durch das abnorm verl{\"a}ngerte {\"U}berleben der B-Zellen steigt dann die Wahrscheinlichkeit, weitere Aberrationen wie etwa die in 50 Prozent aller F{\"a}lle auftretende Chromosomentranslokation t(11;18)(q21;q21) zu erwerben.}, subject = {MALT}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{SoutoCarneiro2000, author = {Souto-Carneiro, Maria Margarida}, title = {Molecular and functional analyses of human synovial B-lymphocytes in rheumatoid arthritis}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-2308}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2000}, abstract = {B-cells of the rheumatoid synovial tissue are a constant part of and, in some histopathological subtypes, the dominant population of the inflammatory infiltrate, located in the region of tissue destruction. The pattern of B-cell distribution and the relationship to the corresponding antigen-presenting cells (follicular dendritic reticulum cells: FDCs) show a great variety. B-cells may exhibit (i) a follicular organization forming secondary follicles; (ii) follicle-like patterns with irregularly formed FDC networks, and (iii) a diffuse pattern of isolated FDCs. Molecular analysis of immunoglobulin VH and VL genes from human synovial B-cell hybridomas and synovial tissue demonstrates somatic mutations due to antigen activation. The FDC formations in the synovial tissue may therefore serve as an environment for B-cell maturation, which is involved in the generation of autoantibodies. An autoantibody is defined as "pathogenic" if it fulfills the Witebsky-Rose-Koch criteria for classical autoimmune diseases: definition of the autoantibody; induction of the disease by transfer of the autoantibody; and isolation of the autoantibody from the disease-specific lesion. B-cells from rheumatoid synovial tissue show specificity for FcIgG, type II collagen, COMP, sDNA, tetanus toxoid, mitochondrial antigens (M2), filaggrin and bacterial HSPs. The contributions of these antigens to the pathogenesis of RA are still hypothetical. A possible contribution could derive from crossreactivity and epitope mimicry: due to crossreaction, an antibody directed originally against a foreign infectious agent could react with epitopes from articular tissues, perpetuating the local inflammatory process. The characteristic distribution pattern, the localisation within the area of tissue destruction, the hypermutated IgVH and IgVL genes, and their exclusive function to recognize conformation-dependent antigens suggest a central role for B-cells in the inflammatory process of rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, the analysis of synovial B-cell hybridomas and experimental expression of synovial IgVH and IgVL genes will help to characterise the antigens responsible for the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. In the present study 55 IgVH genes amplified from 3 different anatomical regions of a RA patient were analysed adding further information on synovial B-cell maturation and recirculation in RA. This analysis demonstrated somatically mutated IgVh genes in all different regions with amino acid deletions and mixed IgVh molecules, suggesting the existence of a novel pathway to generate (auto)antibody specificities. The comparison of amino acid sequences of amplified genes belonging to the VH1 family (with predominantly the same germline counterpart) exhibited a strong homology, indicating an apparently conserved mutational pattern. This suggests that the number of antigens activating B-cells in the different locations is restricted. The most striking result was the finding of clonally related sequences in different anatomical regions indicating a recirculation of activated B-cells between the different affected joints. Also in the present study a synovial B-cell hybridoma was analyzed for its specific recognition of cartilage antigens. A heptameric peptide of cartilage oligomeric protein (COMP) could be defined as the target structure. The IgVH-gene (IgHV4-59*01) of the IgG2l hybridoma has somatically mutated genes with high R/S values in the CDR regions (9:2). Thus, indicating that this hybridoma originates from a synovial B-cell which has been antigen activated/selected for its affinity. To analyse the presence of the clonotypic IgHV4-59*01 sequences in other cases of RA and osteoarthritis (OA) synovitis, primers specific for the CDR3 rearrangement of this hybridoma were used. The clonotypic and clone related sequences (98 per cent ± 1 per cent homology) could only be detected in synovitis of RA cases but not in OA cases indicating that this B-cell is specific to RA synovitis. The identified heptameric peptide of COMP was used in a peptide ELISA to analyse whether there is a specific binding in RA serum samples. Serum samples (IgG) from RA patients (n=22) showed a significant higher efficiency to the COMP heptamer than the OA sera (n=24) and the age matched healthy controls (n=20) (for both p<1x10-4, Students t-test). The specificity of this B-cell hybridoma may therefore be defined as RA specific. Since COMP is restricted to cartilage and tendons which are organs specifically affected in RA this COMP specific autoantibody represents the first organ specific autoantibody in RA. The IgG2 COMP specific autoantibody with somatically mutated IgVH genes is different from germline encoded, antigen clearing IgM autoantibodies and may therefore be directly involved as an "arthritogenic autoantibody" in cartilage and tendons destruction by complement activation.}, subject = {Rheumatoide Arthritis}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Schmidt2004, author = {Schmidt, Arthur}, title = {Die Interaktion der Transkriptionsfaktoren NF-ATc und GATA-3 in T-Helfer-Zellen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-11664}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2004}, abstract = {Interleukin-5 ist ein Th2-Cytokin, das eosinophile Granulozyten aktiviert und B-Zellen zur Produktion von IgE stimuliert. Bei der Entstehung von allergischen (wie z.B. Asthma) und atopischen Reaktionen spielt die erh{\"o}hte Aussch{\"u}ttung von IL-5 eine wichtige Rolle. Der Interleukin-5-Promoter weist unter anderem Bindestellen f{\"u}r NF-AT-Faktoren und GATA-3 auf. NF-ATc ist ein Mitglied der NF-AT („Nuclear Factor of Activated T-cells")-Transkriptionsfaktoren, die an den verschiedensten immunologischen Funktionen beteiligt sind, vor allem aber an der Steuerung der Cytokingene. GATA-3 ist ein wichtiger Th2-spezifischer Zinkfinger-Transkriptionsfaktor aus der Familie der GATA-Faktoren, die an eine gemeinsame WGATAR-Sequenz der DNA binden. Molkentin et al. zeigten 1998, daß NF-AT3 und GATA-4 in Herzmuskelzellen physikalisch interagieren und daß ihre funktionelle Kooperation bei der Aktivierung verschiedener Promotoren letztendlich zur Entwicklung einer Herzhypertrophie beitr{\"a}gt. In dieser Arbeit sollte untersucht werden, ob eine {\"a}hnliche physikalische Interaktion zwischen NF-ATc und GATA-3 in T-Zellen stattfindet. Zu diesem Zweck wurden im ersten Teil der Arbeit Coimmunopr{\"a}zipitationen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Dabei konnte in mit NF-ATc und GATA-3 cotransfizierten 293T Zellen eine spezifische in vivo Interaktion der beiden Transkriptionsfaktoren nachgewiesen werden. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit sollten mittels GST-„pulldown"-Experimenten die f{\"u}r die Interaktion wichtigen Proteindom{\"a}nen von NF-ATc und GATA-3 bestimmt werden. Im ersten Schritt wurden die daf{\"u}r ben{\"o}tigten Plasmide konstruiert. Im zweiten Schritt erfolgte die bakterielle Expression und nachfolgende Aufreinigung der GST-Fusionsproteine. Mit GST wurde jeweils eine N- und C-terminale H{\"a}lfte von NF-ATc und GATA-3 fusioniert. Mit diesen rekombinanten Proteinen wurden die „pulldown"-Experimente durchgef{\"u}hrt. Dabei konnte eine Interaktion des C-terminalen Anteils (enth{\"a}lt den zweiten Zinkfinger) von GATA-3 mit NF-ATc detektiert werden. Nachfolgende Ergebnisse deuteten auf eine Interaktion des C-terminalen Anteils (enth{\"a}lt die „Rel-Similarity-Domain") von NF-ATc mit GATA-3 hin. Analog zeigten Molkentin et al., daß die RSD von NF-AT3 mit dem C-terminalen Zinkfinger von GATA-4 in Herzmuskelzellen interagiert. Die Interaktion von NF-ATc und GATA-3 scheint nicht nur physikalisch zu existieren, sondern auch funktionell von Bedeutung zu sein. In Luciferase-Reporteressays, die in unserem Labor durchgef{\"u}hrt wurden, zeigte sich bei Cotransfektion von NF-ATc und GATA-3 im Vergleich zu Einzeltranfektionen eine drastische Aktivit{\"a}tssteigerung des IL-5 Promoters. Diese Ergebnisse weisen - wiederum analog zu den Vorg{\"a}nge im Herzen - auf eine funktionelle Kooperation der beiden Transkriptionsfaktoren bei der Steuerung des IL-5 Promoters hin.}, language = {de} }