TY - JOUR A1 - Grunz, Jan-Peter A1 - Wenig, Andreas Max A1 - Kunz, Andreas Steven A1 - Veyhl-Wichmann, Maike A1 - Schmitt, Rainer A1 - Gietzen, Carsten Herbert A1 - Pennig, Lenhard A1 - Herz, Stefan A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Bley, Thorsten Alexander A1 - Gassenmaier, Tobias T1 - 3D cone-beam CT with a twin robotic x-ray system in elbow imaging: comparison of image quality to high-resolution multidetector CT JF - European Radiology Experimental N2 - Background Elbow imaging is challenging with conventional multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), while cone-beam CT (CBCT) provides superior options. We compared intra-individually CBCT versus MDCT image quality in cadaveric elbows. Methods A twin robotic x-ray system with new CBCT mode and a high-resolution clinical MDCT were compared in 16 cadaveric elbows. Both systems were operated with a dedicated low-dose (LD) protocol (equivalent volume CT dose index [CTDI\(_{vol(16 cm)}\)] = 3.3 mGy) and a regular clinical scan dose (RD) protocol (CTDI\(_{vol(16 cm)}\) = 13.8 mGy). Image quality was evaluated by two radiologists (R1 and R2) on a seven-point Likert scale, and estimation of signal intensity in cancellous bone was conducted. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) statistics were used. Results The CBCT prototype provided superior subjective image quality compared to MDCT scans (for RD, p ≤ 0.004; for LD, p ≤ 0.001). Image quality was rated very good or excellent in 100% of the cases by both readers for RD CBCT, 100% (R1) and 93.8% (R2) for LD CBCT, 62.6% and 43.8% for RD MDCT, and 0.0% and 0.0% for LD MDCT. Single-measure ICC was 0.95 (95% confidence interval 0.91–0.97; p < 0.001). Software-based assessment supported subjective findings with less “undecided” pixels in CBCT than dose-equivalent MDCT (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between LD CBCT and RD MDCT. Conclusions In cadaveric elbow studies, the tested cone-beam CT prototype delivered superior image quality compared to high-end multidetector CT and showed a potential for considerable dose reduction. KW - Cancellous bone KW - Cone-beam computed tomography KW - Elbow KW - Elbow joint KW - Multidetector computed tomography Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229877 VL - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Capetian, Philipp A1 - Müller, Lorenz A1 - Volkmann, Jens A1 - Heckmann, Manfred A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Wagner, Nicole T1 - Visualizing the synaptic and cellular ultrastructure in neurons differentiated from human induced neural stem cells - an optimized protocol JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - The size of the synaptic subcomponents falls below the limits of visible light microscopy. Despite new developments in advanced microscopy techniques, the resolution of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) remains unsurpassed. The requirements of tissue preservation are very high, and human post mortem material often does not offer adequate quality. However, new reprogramming techniques that generate human neurons in vitro provide samples that can easily fulfill these requirements. The objective of this study was to identify the culture technique with the best ultrastructural preservation in combination with the best embedding and contrasting technique for visualizing neuronal elements. Two induced neural stem cell lines derived from healthy control subjects underwent differentiation either adherent on glass coverslips, embedded in a droplet of highly concentrated Matrigel, or as a compact neurosphere. Afterward, they were fixed using a combination of glutaraldehyde (GA) and paraformaldehyde (PFA) followed by three approaches (standard stain, Ruthenium red stain, high contrast en-bloc stain) using different combinations of membrane enhancing and contrasting steps before ultrathin sectioning and imaging by TEM. The compact free-floating neurospheres exhibited the best ultrastructural preservation. High-contrast en-bloc stain offered particularly sharp staining of membrane structures and the highest quality visualization of neuronal structures. In conclusion, compact neurospheres growing under free-floating conditions in combination with a high contrast en-bloc staining protocol, offer the optimal preservation and contrast with a particular focus on visualizing membrane structures as required for analyzing synaptic structures. KW - transmission electron microscopy KW - human neurons KW - induced neural stem cells KW - synapse KW - synaptic vesicles KW - high contrast Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236053 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 21 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - I, Takashi A1 - Ueda, Yuichiro A1 - Wörsdörfer, Philipp A1 - Sumita, Yoshinori A1 - Asahina, Izumi A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - Resident CD34-positive cells contribute to peri-endothelial cells and vascular morphogenesis in salivary gland after irradiation JF - Journal of Neural Transmission N2 - Salivary gland (SG) hypofunction is a common post-radiotherapy complication. Besides the parenchymal damage after irradiation (IR), there are also effects on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which were shown to contribute to regeneration and repair of damaged tissues by differentiating into stromal cell types or releasing vesicles and soluble factors supporting the healing processes. However, there are no adequate reports about their roles during SG damage and regeneration so far. Using an irradiated SG mouse model, we performed certain immunostainings on tissue sections of submandibular glands at different time points after IR. Immunostaining for CD31 revealed that already one day after IR, vascular impairment was induced at the level of capillaries. In addition, the expression of CD44—a marker of acinar cells—diminished gradually after IR and, by 20 weeks, almost disappeared. In contrast, the number of CD34-positive cells significantly increased 4 weeks after IR and some of the CD34-positive cells were found to reside within the adventitia of arteries and veins. Laser confocal microscopic analyses revealed an accumulation of CD34-positive cells within the area of damaged capillaries where they were in close contact to the CD31-positive endothelial cells. At 4 weeks after IR, a fraction of the CD34-positive cells underwent differentiation into α-SMA-positive cells, which suggests that they may contribute to regeneration of smooth muscle cells and/or pericytes covering the small vessels from the outside. In conclusion, SG-resident CD34-positive cells represent a population of progenitors that could contribute to new vessel formation and/or remodeling of the pre-existing vessels after IR and thus, might be an important player during SG tissue healing. KW - salivary gland KW - xerostomia KW - radiation KW - resident CD34-positive cells KW - mesenchymal stem cells Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235613 SN - 0300-9564 VL - 127 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wörsdörfer, Philipp A1 - I, Takashi A1 - Asahina, Izumi A1 - Sumita, Yoshinori A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - Do not keep it simple: recent advances in the generation of complex organoids JF - Journal of Neural Transmission N2 - 3D cell culture models which closely resemble real human tissues are of high interest for disease modelling, drug screening as well as a deeper understanding of human developmental biology. Such structures are termed organoids. Within the last years, several human organoid models were described. These are usually stem cell derived, arise by self-organization, mimic mechanisms of normal tissue development, show typical organ morphogenesis and recapitulate at least some organ specific functions. Many tissues have been reproduced in vitro such as gut, liver, lung, kidney and brain. The resulting entities can be either derived from an adult stem cell population, or generated from pluripotent stem cells using a specific differentiation protocol. However, many organoid models only recapitulate the organs parenchyma but are devoid of stromal components such as blood vessels, connective tissue and inflammatory cells. Recent studies show that the incorporation of endothelial and mesenchymal cells into organoids improved their maturation and might be required to create fully functional micro-tissues, which will allow deeper insights into human embryogenesis as well as disease development and progression. In this review article, we will summarize and discuss recent works trying to incorporate stromal components into organoids, with a special focus on neural organoid models. KW - organoid KW - stroma KW - sasculature KW - neural KW - microglia KW - blood vessel Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235628 SN - 0300-9564 VL - 127 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kleefeldt, Florian A1 - Bömmel, Heike A1 - Broede, Britta A1 - Thomsen, Michael A1 - Pfeiffer, Verena A1 - Wörsdörfer, Philipp A1 - Karnati, Srikanth A1 - Wagner, Nicole A1 - Rueckschloss, Uwe A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - Aging‐related carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 1 signaling promotes vascular dysfunction JF - Aging Cell N2 - Aging is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and therefore of particular interest for the prevention of cardiovascular events. However, the mechanisms underlying vascular aging are not well understood. Since carcinoembryonic antigen‐related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) is crucially involved in vascular homeostasis, we sought to identify the role of CEACAM1 in vascular aging. Using human internal thoracic artery and murine aorta, we show that CEACAM1 is upregulated in the course of vascular aging. Further analyses demonstrated that TNF‐α is CEACAM1‐dependently upregulated in the aging vasculature. Vice versa, TNF‐α induces CEACAM1 expression. This results in a feed‐forward loop in the aging vasculature that maintains a chronic pro‐inflammatory milieu. Furthermore, we demonstrate that age‐associated vascular alterations, that is, increased oxidative stress and vascular fibrosis, due to increased medial collagen deposition crucially depend on the presence of CEACAM1. Additionally, age‐dependent upregulation of vascular CEACAM1 expression contributes to endothelial barrier impairment, putatively via increased VEGF/VEGFR‐2 signaling. Consequently, aging‐related upregulation of vascular CEACAM1 expression results in endothelial dysfunction that may promote atherosclerotic plaque formation in the presence of additional risk factors. Our data suggest that CEACAM1 might represent an attractive target in order to delay physiological aging and therefore the transition to vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis. KW - aging KW - anti‐aging KW - cytokines KW - inflammation KW - mouse KW - reactive oxygen species Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-201231 VL - 2019 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wörsdörfer, Philipp A1 - Dalda, Nahide A1 - Kern, Anna A1 - Krüger, Sarah A1 - Wagner, Nicole A1 - Kwok, Chee Keong A1 - Henke, Erik A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - Generation of complex human organoid models including vascular networks by incorporation of mesodermal progenitor cells JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells are interesting models to study mechanisms of morphogenesis and promising platforms for disease modeling and drug screening. However, they mostly remain incomplete as they lack stroma, tissue resident immune cells and in particular vasculature, which create important niches during development and disease. We propose, that the directed incorporation of mesodermal progenitor cells (MPCs) into organoids will overcome the aforementioned limitations. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the method, we generated complex human tumor as well as neural organoids. We show that the formed blood vessels display a hierarchic organization and mural cells are assembled into the vessel wall. Moreover, we demonstrate a typical blood vessel ultrastructure including endothelial cell-cell junctions, a basement membrane as well as luminal caveolae and microvesicles. We observe a high plasticity in the endothelial network, which expands, while the organoids grow and is responsive to anti-angiogenic compounds and pro-angiogenic conditions such as hypoxia. We show that vessels within tumor organoids connect to host vessels following transplantation. Remarkably, MPCs also deliver Iba1\(^+\) cells that infiltrate the neural tissue in a microglia-like manner. KW - Developmental biology KW - Stem cells Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-202681 VL - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Aktas, Bertal H. A1 - Upcin, Berin A1 - Henke, Erik A1 - Padmasekar, Manju A1 - Qin, Xuebin A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - The Best for the Most Important: Maintaining a Pristine Proteome in Stem and Progenitor Cells JF - Stem Cells International N2 - Pluripotent stem cells give rise to reproductively enabled offsprings by generating progressively lineage-restricted multipotent stem cells that would differentiate into lineage-committed stem and progenitor cells. These lineage-committed stem and progenitor cells give rise to all adult tissues and organs. Adult stem and progenitor cells are generated as part of the developmental program and play critical roles in tissue and organ maintenance and/or regeneration. The ability of pluripotent stem cells to self-renew, maintain pluripotency, and differentiate into a multicellular organism is highly dependent on sensing and integrating extracellular and extraorganismal cues. Proteins perform and integrate almost all cellular functions including signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, metabolism, and cell division and death. Therefore, maintenance of an appropriate mix of correctly folded proteins, a pristine proteome, is essential for proper stem cell function. The stem cells' proteome must be pristine because unfolded, misfolded, or otherwise damaged proteins would interfere with unlimited self-renewal, maintenance of pluripotency, differentiation into downstream lineages, and consequently with the development of properly functioning tissue and organs. Understanding how various stem cells generate and maintain a pristine proteome is therefore essential for exploiting their potential in regenerative medicine and possibly for the discovery of novel approaches for maintaining, propagating, and differentiating pluripotent, multipotent, and adult stem cells as well as induced pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we will summarize cellular networks used by various stem cells for generation and maintenance of a pristine proteome. We will also explore the coordination of these networks with one another and their integration with the gene regulatory and signaling networks. KW - Endoplasmic-Reticulum Stress KW - Heme-regulated inhibitor KW - Human Muse Cells KW - Transcription factor NRF1 KW - ER-Stress KW - Hematopoietic Stem KW - Quality-control KW - Messenger-RNAs KW - Neural Differentiation KW - Translation Initiation Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227769 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Rudolf A1 - Wakabayashi, Hiroshi A1 - Bauer, Jochen A1 - Schütz, Claudia A1 - Zechmeister, Christina A1 - Hayakawa, Nobuyuki A1 - Javadi, Mehrbod S. A1 - Lapa, Constantin A1 - Jahns, Roland A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Jahns, Valerie A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro T1 - Longitudinal \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET imaging in a Rat Model of Autoimmune Myocarditis JF - European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging N2 - Aims: Although mortality rate is very high, diagnosis of acute myocarditis remains challenging with conventional tests. We aimed to elucidate the potential role of longitudinal 2-Deoxy-2-\(^{18}\)F-fluoro-D-glucose (\(^{18}\)F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) inflammation monitoring in a rat model of experimental autoimmune myocarditis. Methods and results: Autoimmune myocarditis was induced in Lewis rats by immunizing with porcine cardiac myosin emulsified in complete Freund’s adjuvant. Time course of disease was assessed by longitudinal \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET imaging. A correlative analysis between in- and ex vivo \(^{18}\)F-FDG signalling and macrophage infiltration using CD68 staining was conducted. Finally, immunohistochemistry analysis of the cell-adhesion markers CD34 and CD44 was performed at different disease stages determined by longitudinal \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET imaging. After immunization, myocarditis rats revealed a temporal increase in 18F-FDG uptake (peaked at week 3), which was followed by a rapid decline thereafter. Localization of CD68 positive cells was well correlated with in vivo \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET signalling (R\(^2\) = 0.92) as well as with ex vivo 18F-FDG autoradiography (R\(^2\) = 0.9, P < 0.001, respectively). CD44 positivity was primarily observed at tissue samples obtained at acute phase (i.e. at peak 18F-FDG uptake), while CD34-positive staining areas were predominantly identified in samples harvested at both sub-acute and chronic phases (i.e. at \(^{18}\)F-FDG decrease). Conclusion: \(^{18}\)F-FDG PET imaging can provide non-invasive serial monitoring of cardiac inflammation in a rat model of acute myocarditis. KW - positron emission tomography KW - Myokarditis KW - myocarditis KW - inflammation KW - 18F-FDG KW - PET KW - personalized treatment Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165601 SN - 2047-2404 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rossow, Leonie A1 - Veitl, Simona A1 - Vorlová, Sandra A1 - Wax, Jacqueline K. A1 - Kuhn, Anja E. A1 - Maltzahn, Verena A1 - Upcin, Berin A1 - Karl, Franziska A1 - Hoffmann, Helene A1 - Gätzner, Sabine A1 - Kallius, Matthias A1 - Nandigama, Rajender A1 - Scheld, Daniela A1 - Irmak, Ster A1 - Herterich, Sabine A1 - Zernecke, Alma A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Henke, Erik T1 - LOX-catalyzed collagen stabilization is a proximal cause for intrinsic resistance to chemotherapy JF - Oncogene N2 - The potential of altering the tumor ECM to improve drug response remains fairly unexplored. To identify targets for modification of the ECM aiming to improve drug response and overcome resistance, we analyzed expression data sets from pre-treatment patient cohorts. Cross-evaluation identified a subset of chemoresistant tumors characterized by increased expression of collagens and collagen-stabilizing enzymes. We demonstrate that strong collagen expression and stabilization sets off a vicious circle of self-propagating hypoxia, malignant signaling, and aberrant angiogenesis that can be broken by an appropriate auxiliary intervention: Interfering with collagen stabilization by inhibition of lysyl oxidases significantly enhanced response to chemotherapy in various tumor models, even in metastatic disease. Inhibition of collagen stabilization by itself can reduce or enhance tumor growth depending on the tumor type. The mechanistical basis for this behavior is the dependence of the individual tumor on nutritional supply on one hand and on high tissue stiffness for FAK signaling on the other. KW - Cancer models KW - Cancer therapeutic resistance KW - Targeted therapies KW - Tumour angiogenesis Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227008 VL - 37 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Werner, Rudolf A1 - Wakabayashi, Hiroshi A1 - Jahns, Roland A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Jahns, Valerie A1 - Higuchi, Takahiro T1 - PET-Guided Histological Characterization of Myocardial Infiltrating Cells in a Rat Model of Myocarditis T2 - European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging N2 - No abstract available. KW - Myokarditis KW - positron emission tomography KW - myocarditis KW - PET KW - 18F-FDG Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-161127 SN - 2047-2404 N1 - This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Imaging following peer review. The version of record . Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging. ISSN: 2047-2404. Supplement, vol. 18, i1-i3, May 2017 is available online at: 10.1093/ehjci/jex071. VL - 18 IS - Supplement PB - Oxford University Press ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wunsch, Marie A1 - Hohmann, Christopher A1 - Milles, Bianca A1 - Rostermund, Christina A1 - Lehmann, Paul V. A1 - Schroeter, Michael A1 - Bayas, Antonios A1 - Ulzheimer, Jochen A1 - Mäurer, Mathias A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Kuerten, Stefanie T1 - The Correlation between the Virus- and Brain Antigen-Specific B Cell Response in the Blood of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis JF - Viruses N2 - There is a largely divergent body of literature regarding the relationship between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and brain inflammation in multiple sclerosis (MS). Here, we tested MS patients during relapse (n = 11) and in remission (n = 19) in addition to n = 22 healthy controls to study the correlation between the EBV- and brain-specific B cell response in the blood by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cytomegalovirus (CMV) was used as a control antigen tested in n = 16 MS patients during relapse and in n = 35 patients in remission. Over the course of the study, n = 16 patients were untreated, while n = 33 patients received immunomodulatory therapy. The data show that there was a moderate correlation between the frequencies of EBV- and brain-reactive B cells in MS patients in remission. In addition we could detect a correlation between the B cell response to EBV and disease activity. There was no evidence of an EBV reactivation. Interestingly, there was also a correlation between the frequencies of CMV- and brain-specific B cells in MS patients experiencing an acute relapse and an elevated B cell response to CMV was associated with higher disease activity. The trend remained when excluding seronegative subjects but was non-significant. These data underline that viral infections might impact the immunopathology of MS, but the exact link between the two entities remains subject of controversy. KW - B cells KW - CMV KW - EBV KW - ELISPOT KW - MS Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146946 VL - 8 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rovituso, Damiano M. A1 - Scheffler, Laura A1 - Wunsch, Marie A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Dörck, Sebastian A1 - Ulzheimer, Jochen A1 - Bayas, Antonios A1 - Steinman, Lawrence A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Kuerten, Stefanie T1 - CEACAM1 mediates B cell aggregation in central nervous system autoimmunity JF - Scientific Reports N2 - B cell aggregates in the central nervous system (CNS) have been associated with rapid disease progression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Here we demonstrate a key role of carcinoembryogenic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule1 (CEACAM1) in B cell aggregate formation in MS patients and a B cell-dependent mouse model of MS. CEACAM1 expression was increased on peripheral blood B cells and CEACAM1\(^+\) B cells were present in brain infiltrates of MS patients. Administration of the anti-CEACAM1 antibody T84.1 was efficient in blocking aggregation of B cells derived from MS patients. Along these lines, application of the monoclonal anti-CEACAM1 antibody mCC1 was able to inhibit CNS B cell aggregate formation and significantly attenuated established MS-like disease in mice in the absence of any adverse effects. CEACAM1 was co-expressed with the regulator molecule T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain −3 (TIM-3) on B cells, a novel molecule that has recently been described to induce anergy in T cells. Interestingly, elevated coexpression on B cells coincided with an autoreactive T helper cell phenotype in MS patients. Overall, these data identify CEACAM1 as a clinically highly interesting target in MS pathogenesis and open new therapeutic avenues for the treatment of the disease. KW - autoimmunity KW - multiple sclerosis KW - neuroimmunology Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147690 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schütze, Friedrich A1 - Röhring, Florian A1 - Vorlová, Sandra A1 - Gätzner, Sabine A1 - Kuhn, Anja A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Henke, Erik T1 - Inhibition of lysyl oxidases improves drug diffusion and increases efficacy of cytotoxic treatment in 3D tumor models JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Tumors are characterized by a rigid, highly cross-linked extracellular matrix (ECM), which impedes homogeneous drug distribution and potentially protects malignant cells from exposure to therapeutics. Lysyl oxidases are major contributors to tissue stiffness and the elevated expression of these enzymes observed in most cancers might influence drug distribution and efficacy. We examined the effect of lysyl oxidases on drug distribution and efficacy in 3D in vitro assay systems. In our experiments elevated lysyl oxidase activity was responsible for reduced drug diffusion under hypoxic conditions and consequently impaired cytotoxicity of various chemotherapeutics. This effect was only observed in 3D settings but not in 2D-cell culture, confirming that lysyl oxidases affect drug efficacy by modification of the ECM and do not confer a direct desensitizing effect. Both drug diffusion and efficacy were strongly enhanced by inhibition of lysyl oxidases. The results from the in vitro experiments correlated with tumor drug distribution in vivo, and predicted response to therapeutics in murine tumor models. Our results demonstrate that lysyl oxidase activity modulates the physical barrier function of ECM for small molecule drugs influencing their therapeutic efficacy. Targeting this process has the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of malignant diseases. KW - human osteosarcoma xenografts KW - factor binding profiles KW - open-access database KW - vascular normalization KW - solid tumors KW - transcapillary pressure gradient KW - hypoxia inducible factor 1 KW - breast cancer cells KW - beta-aminopropionitrile KW - pancreatic cancer Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145109 VL - 5 IS - 17576 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiegering, Armin A1 - Korb, Doreen A1 - Thalheimer, Andreas A1 - Kämmerer, Ulrike A1 - Allmanritter, Jan A1 - Matthes, Niels A1 - Linnebacher, Michael A1 - Schlegel, Nicolas A1 - Klein, Ingo A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Germer, Christoph-Thomas A1 - Otto, Christoph T1 - E7080 (Lenvatinib), a Multi-Targeted Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, Demonstrates Antitumor Activities Against Colorectal Cancer Xenografts N2 - Clinical prognosis of metastasized colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is still not at desired levels and novel drugs are needed. Here, we focused on the multi-tyrosine kinase inhibitor E7080 (Lenvatinib) and assessed its therapeutic efficacy against human CRC cell lines in vitro and human CRC xenografts in vivo. The effect of E7080 on cell viability was examined on 10 humanCRCcell lines and humanendothelial cells (HUVEC). The inhibitory effect of E7080 on VEGF-induced angiogenesis was studied in an ex vivo mouse aortic ring angiogenesis assay. In addition, the efficacy of E7080 against xenografts derived fromCRC cell lines and CRC patient resection specimenswithmutated KRASwas investigated in vivo. Arelatively low cytotoxic effect of E7080 on CRC cell viabilitywas observed in vitro. Endothelial cells (HUVEC)weremore susceptible to the incubation with E7080. This is in line with the observation that E7080 demonstrated an anti-angiogenic effect in a three-dimensional ex vivo mouse aortic ring angiogenesis assay. E7080 effectively disrupted CRC cell-mediated VEGF-stimulated growth of HUVEC in vitro. Daily in vivo treatment with E7080 (5 mg/kg) significantly delayed the growth of KRAS mutated CRC xenografts with decreased density of tumor-associated vessel formations and without tumor regression. This observation is in line with results that E7080 did not significantly reduce the number of Ki67-positive cells in CRC xenografts. The results suggest antiangiogenic activity of E7080 at a dosage thatwas well tolerated by nudemice. E7080 may provide therapeutic benefits in the treatment of CRC with mutated KRAS. KW - Chirurgie Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-111165 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klein, Diana A1 - Meissner, Nicole A1 - Kleff, Veronika A1 - Jastrow, Holger A1 - Yamaguchi, Masahiro A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Jendrossek, Verena T1 - Nestin(+) Tissue-Resident Multipotent Stem Cells Contribute to Tumor Progression by Differentiating into Pericytes and Smooth Muscle Cells Resulting in Blood Vessel Remodeling JF - Frontiers in Oncology N2 - Tumor vessels with resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy are characterized by the normalization of the vascular structures through integration of mature pericytes and smooth muscle cells (SMC) into the vessel wall, a process termed vessel stabilization. Unfortunately, stabilization-associated vascular remodeling can result in reduced sensitivity to subsequent anti-angiogenic therapy. We show here that blockade of VEGF by bevacizumab induces stabilization of angiogenic tumor blood vessels in human tumor specimen by recruiting Nestin-positive cells, whereas mature vessels down-regulated Nestin-expression. Using xenograft tumors growing on bone-marrow (BM) chimera of C57Bl/6 wildtype and Nestin-GFP transgenic mice, we show for first time that Nestin(+) cells inducing the maturation of tumor vessels do not originate from the BM but presumably reside within the adventitia of adult blood vessels. Complementary ex vivo experiments using explants of murine aortas revealed that Nestin(+) multipotent stem cells (MPSCs) are mobilized from their niche and differentiated into pericytes and SMC through the influence of tumor-cell-secreted factors. We conclude that tissue-resident Nestin(+) cells are more relevant than BM-derived cells for vessel stabilization and therefore have to be considered in future strategies for anti-angiogenic therapy. The identification of proteins mediating recruitment or differentiation of local Nestin(+) cells with potential stem cell character to angiogenic blood vessels may allow the definition of new therapeutic targets to reduce tumor resistance against anti-angiogenic drugs. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-120973 SN - 2234-943X VL - 4 IS - 169 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klein, Diana A1 - Benchellal, Mohamed A1 - Kleff, Veronika A1 - Jakob, Heinz Günther A1 - Ergün, Süleyman T1 - Hox genes are involved in vascular wall-resident multipotent stem cell differentiation into smooth muscle cells JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Human vascular wall-resident CD44+ multipotent stem cells (VW-MPSCs) within the vascular adventitia are capable to differentiate into pericytes and smooth muscle cells (SMC). This study demonstrates HOX-dependent differentiation of CD44(+) VW-MPSCs into SMC that involves epigenetic modification of transgelin as a down-stream regulated gene. First, HOXB7, HOXC6 and HOXC8 were identified to be differentially expressed in VW-MPSCs as compared to terminal differentiated human aortic SMC, endothelial cells and undifferentiated pluripotent embryonic stem cells. Silencing these HOX genes in VW-MPSCs significantly reduced their sprouting capacity and increased expression of the SMC markers transgelin and calponin and the histone gene histone H1. Furthermore, the methylation pattern of the TAGLN promoter was altered. In summary, our findings suggest a role for certain HOX genes in regulating differentiation of human VW-MPSC into SMCs that involves epigenetic mechanisms. This is critical for understanding VW-MPSC-dependent vascular disease processes such as neointima formation and tumor vascularization. KW - expression KW - histone H1 KW - progenitor cells KW - probe level data KW - mesenchymal stromal cells KW - in vitro KW - DNA methylation KW - homebox genes KW - chromatin KW - adventitia Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-131496 VL - 3 IS - 2178 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Muturi, Harrison T. A1 - Dreesen, Janine D. A1 - Nilewski, Elena A1 - Jastrow, Holger A1 - Giebel, Bernd A1 - Ergun, Suleyman A1 - Singer, Berhard B. T1 - Tumor and Endothelial Cell-Derived Microvesicles Carry Distinct CEACAMs and Influence T-Cell Behavior JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Normal and malignant cells release a variety of different vesicles into their extracellular environment. The most prominent vesicles are the microvesicles (MVs, 100-1 000 nm in diameter), which are shed of the plasma membrane, and the exosomes (70-120 nm in diameter), derivates of the endosomal system. MVs have been associated with intercellular communication processes and transport numerous proteins, lipids and RNAs. As essential component of immune-escape mechanisms tumor-derived MVs suppress immune responses. Additionally, tumor-derived MVs have been found to promote metastasis, tumor-stroma interactions and angiogenesis. Since members of the carcinoembryonic antigen related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM)-family have been associated with similar processes, we studied the distribution and function of CEACAMs in MV fractions of different human epithelial tumor cells and of human and murine endothelial cells. Here we demonstrate that in association to their cell surface phenotype, MVs released from different human epithelial tumor cells contain CEACAM1, CEACAM5 and CEACAM6, while human and murine endothelial cells were positive for CEACAM1 only. Furthermore, MVs derived from CEACAM1 transfected CHO cells carried CEACAM1. In terms of their secretion kinetics, we show that MVs are permanently released in low doses, which are extensively increased upon cellular starvation stress. Although CEACAM1 did not transmit signals into MVs it served as ligand for CEACAM expressing cell types. We gained evidence that CEACAM1-positive MVs significantly increase the CD3 and CD3/CD28-induced T-cell proliferation. All together, our data demonstrate that MV-bound forms of CEACAMs play important roles in intercellular communication processes, which can modulate immune response, tumor progression, metastasis and angiogenesis. KW - carcinoembryonic anitgen family KW - biliary glycoprotein CD66A KW - adhesion molecule-1 KW - epithelial cells KW - membrane vesicles KW - growth-factor KW - cancer KW - expression KW - proliferation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128373 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Biermann, Daniel A1 - Heilmann, Andreas A1 - Didié, Michael A1 - Schlossarek, Saskia A1 - Wahab, Azadeh A1 - Grimm, Michael A1 - Römer, Maria A1 - Reichenspurner, Hermann A1 - Sultan, Karim R. A1 - Steenpass, Anna A1 - Ergün, Süleyman A1 - Donzelli, Sonia A1 - Carrier, Lucie A1 - Ehmke, Heimo A1 - Zimmermann, Wolfram H. A1 - Hein, Lutz A1 - Böger, Rainer H. A1 - Benndorf, Ralf A. T1 - Impact of AT2 Receptor Deficiency on Postnatal Cardiovascular Development JF - PLoS One N2 - Background: The angiotensin II receptor subtype 2 (AT2 receptor) is ubiquitously and highly expressed in early postnatal life. However, its role in postnatal cardiac development remained unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: Hearts from 1, 7, 14 and 56 days old wild-type (WT) and AT2 receptor-deficient (KO) mice were extracted for histomorphometrical analysis as well as analysis of cardiac signaling and gene expression. Furthermore, heart and body weights of examined animals were recorded and echocardiographic analysis of cardiac function as well as telemetric blood pressure measurements were performed. Moreover, gene expression, sarcomere shortening and calcium transients were examined in ventricular cardiomyocytes isolated from both genotypes. KO mice exhibited an accelerated body weight gain and a reduced heart to body weight ratio as compared to WT mice in the postnatal period. However, in adult KO mice the heart to body weight ratio was significantly increased most likely due to elevated systemic blood pressure. At postnatal day 7 ventricular capillarization index and the density of \(\alpha\)-smooth muscle cell actin-positive blood vessels were higher in KO mice as compared to WT mice but normalized during adolescence. Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac systolic function at postnatal day 7 revealed decreased contractility of KO hearts in response to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Moreover, cardiomyocytes from KO mice showed a decreased sarcomere shortening and an increased peak Ca\(^{2+}\) transient in response to isoprenaline when stimulated concomitantly with angiotensin II. Conclusion: The AT2 receptor affects postnatal cardiac growth possibly via reducing body weight gain and systemic blood pressure. Moreover, it moderately attenuates postnatal vascularization of the heart and modulates the beta adrenergic response of the neonatal heart. These AT2 receptor-mediated effects may be implicated in the physiological maturation process of the heart. KW - mice KW - II type-2 receptor KW - human endothelial cells KW - chronic kidney disease KW - angiotensin II KW - blood pressure KW - in vitro KW - cardiac hyperthrophy KW - tube formation KW - rat heart Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-134902 VL - 7 IS - 10 ER -