Colon carcinoma cell lines stimulate monocytes and lamina propria mononuclear cells to produce IL-10

Cytokines released from tumour cells may have function as signals to neighbouring immune and inflammatory cells. Several studies have shown that the immunoregulatory cytokines IL-10 and transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) as well as prostaglandin-E₂ (PGE₂) play an important role in tumour-induced immunosuppression. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of colon carcinoma cell lines on IL-10 production in peripheral monocytes (PBMC) and lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMC). We examined four colon carcinoma cell lines (HT-29, Caco-2, Colo-320 and HCT-116) and determined their production of TGF-β1, IL-10 and PGE₂. Peripheral monocytes were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and LPMC were isolated from surgical specimens using a collagenase digestion method. Monocytes and LPMC were cultured with colon carcinoma cell conditioned medium or in co-culture with colon carcinoma cells. Supernatants were then determined for the production of IL-10 by ELISA assays. All colon carcinoma cell lines stimulated peripheral monocytes as well as LPMC to produce markedly increased levels of IL-10. Colon cancer cells secreted negligible levels of IL-10, but high amounts of TGF-β1 and PGE₂. Neutralization of TGF-β1 by administration of anti-TGF-β as well as neutralization of PGE₂ with anti-PGE₂ antisera reduced the IL-10 production of monocytes markedly, indicating that tumour cell-derived TGF-β1 and PGE₂ are major factors for IL-10 stimulation. In vitro stimulation of monocytes with TGF-β1 and PGE₂ could confirm that TGF-β1 as well as PGF₂ at picogram concentrations were able to prime monocytes for enhanced IL-10 production. Our results demonstrate that colon carcinoma cell lines enhance the ability of monocytes and intestinal macrophages to produce IL-10. The stimulation of monocyte IL-10 by colon cancer cell-derived TGF-β1 and PGE₂ may act as a tumour-protecting mechanism by impairing the activation of anti-tumour cytokines.     

A case of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the thymus

A 57-year-old woman presented with a 10×10 cm anterior mediations mass. The tumor had Invaded the pericardium, both lungs and the left brachiocephallc vein, and was treated by partial resection and postoperative radiation therapy. Pathological examination of the tumor revealed squamous cell carcinoma with a spindle cell sarcomatous component. Immunohistochemically, keratin and epithelial membrane antlgen were posltive In both the spindle cell sarcomatous areas and the squamous cell carcinomatous area and thus, a diagnosis of thymic carcinoma of sarcomatoid type was made. The patient died of recurrent disease 1 year after surgery. This case is the seventh reported In the English literature Because of the poor outcome, adjuvant therapy is recommended.     

膨胀型肝癌光镜,电镜和免疫组化观察

对３０例膨胀型肝癌和２０例浸润型肝癌作病理组织学分析，并对２０例膨胀型和浸润型肝癌进行超微结构和免疫组化研究。结果显示，膨胀型肝癌的生物学特性和浸润型肝癌显著不同。膨胀型肝癌癌组织分化较好、侵袭性较小、增殖程度较低、癌巢周围基膜发育良好、瘤结节周围均有包膜而呈膨胀性生长，但包膜内浸润的微癌灶十分常见，多达７０％。提示此型有潜在的较强侵袭性和向浸润型肝癌转化的倾向。     

Molecular pathology of well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas

The newly discovered molecular features of well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas derived from follicular cells are reviewed, within the frame of the 2004 WHO classification of thyroid tumours, under the following headings: “Follicular carcinoma”, “Papillary carcinoma”, “Follicular variant of papillary carcinoma” and “Hürthle cell tumours”. A particular emphasis is put on the meaning of PAX8–PPARγ rearrangements, RAS and BRAF mutations, and deletions and mutations of mitochondrial genes and of nuclear genes encoding for mitochondrial enzymes, for thyroid tumorigenesis.     

乳腺富糖原透明细胞癌2例报道及文献复习

目的 探讨乳腺富糖原透明细胞癌临床病理特点及鉴别诊断要点。方法 对2例乳腺富糖原透明细胞癌进行临床资料及光镜和免疫组化标记观察。结果 组织学特点：癌细胞为多边形或柱状，胞界清楚，胞质透明，呈实性巢状、片状排列，可有乳头形成。表现为导管内癌和浸润性癌结构。免疫组化染色显示：癌细胞呈上皮性免疫表型，CK(AE1)、CEA强阳性，不表达S-100蛋白、肌动蛋白。PAS染色阳性。结论 富含糖原透明细胞癌是上皮性特殊类型乳腺癌，其诊断主要依靠组织病理学和免疫组化标记。     

Urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder with a component of acinar/tubular type differentiation simulating prostatic adenocarcinoma

We report a case of an 83-year-old man with a high-grade carcinoma of the urinary bladder who underwent cystoprostatectomy. The invasive carcinoma showed mixed, morphologically distinct patterns consisting of conventional high-grade urothelial carcinoma, glandular differentiation resembling enteric type adenocarcinoma, and acinar/tubular type differentiation, morphologically similar to Gleason grade 3 prostatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical studies revealed the acinar/tubular component of the tumor to be negative for prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase, but positive for cytokeratin 7, cytokeratin 20, high molecular weight cytokeratin (34 beta E12), and thrombomodulin, consistent with origin from the bladder rather than the prostate. Although bladder carcinomas composed of mixed morphologic patterns are not uncommon, to our knowledge, the presence of acinar/tubular type features simulating prostatic adenocarcinoma in such tumors has not been described elsewhere.     

Involvement of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in germ cell tumours and in normal male fetal germ cell development

Intercellular contacts, mediated by E-cadherin, are essential for germ cell migration and maturation. Furthermore, it has been suggested that decrease or loss of E-cadherin correlates with tumour progression and invasive behaviour. beta-catenin is involved in a number of different processes, including cell--cell interaction when bound to cadherins, and determination of cell fate in pluripotent cells when activated via the Wnt signal-transduction pathway. To shed more light on the role of these factors in normal fetal germ cell development and the pathogenesis of germ cell tumours (GCTs), the present study investigated the presence and localization of E-cadherin and beta-catenin by immunohistochemistry. E-cadherin was only weakly expressed in or absent from fetal germ cells of the second and third trimesters, and was not expressed in carcinoma in situ/intratubular germ cell neoplasia unclassified (CIS/ITGCNU) and gonadoblastoma, the precursor of an invasive GCT in dysgenetic gonads. In GCTs, it was generally not expressed in seminoma and dysgerminoma, but was found in the vast majority of non-seminoma cells. beta-catenin was found in the cytoplasm of fetal germ cells at all gestational ages and in spermatogenesis in post-pubertal testes. It was also present in CIS/ITGCNU and gonadoblastoma. Whereas seminomas and dysgerminoma were negative, non-seminoma cells were frequently found to express beta-catenin. Expression of both factors therefore reflects the degree of differentiation of these tumours. No differences for either E-cadherin or beta-catenin were observed between samples of tumours resistant or sensitive to chemotherapy, and E-cadherin expression did not correlate with vascular invasion. E-cadherin and beta-catenin therefore play a role in both normal and malignant germ cell development and differentiation that warrants further investigation, but they seem to be of limited value as predictive or prognostic factors in GCTs.     

Argyrophil cell carcinoma (apudoma) of the esophagus

Summary In a series of 79 cases of primary esophageal carcinoma resected at The Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, there were six tumors with specific histopathologic features valid for the diagnosis of argyrophil cell carcinoma. Of the 6 tumors, 3 were studied electron microscopically and assay for ACTH content was performed on 4 tumors.Clinically, the ages of the 6 patients ranged from 56 to 71 years; two were women and four men. Four of the 6 patients died with widespread tumor recurrences within 9 months of operation.Microscopically, the 6 tumors were composed largely or almost entirely of small, spindle-shaped cells resembling those of oat cell carcinoma of the lung, and were characterized by the arrangement of tumor cells in solid sheets or anastomosing cords, the presence of argyrophil tumor cells, and the deposits of amyloid. Electron microscopically, the three tumors contained neurosecretory-type granules. Using bioassay or radioimmunoassay ACTH activity in the tumor tissues was detected in 3 out of the 4 tumors determined.From the light and electron microscopic characteristics and the assay evidence, it seems reasonable to conclude that the 6 tumors are endocrine polypeptide producing tumors (apudomas) that arise from argyrophil cells normally found among the basal cells of the esophageal mucosa, and that they represent a distinct histopathologic entity clearly distinguishable from other types of esophageal carcinomas.Supported in part by a Grant-in Aid for Cancer Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, JapanThe authors are grateful to Prof. H. Imura and Dr. Y. Hirate, Department of Internal Medicine, Kobe University School of Medicine for their interest and performing the assays for ACTH on the tumor tissues.     

Evaluation of the Interaction Between TGF <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis> and Nitric Oxide in the Mechanisms of Progression of Colon Carcinoma

It is recognised that stromal cells determine cancer progression. We have previously shown that active TGFβ produced by rat colon carcinoma cells modulated NO production in rat endothelial cells. To elucidate the role of TGFβ and NO in the mechanisms of interaction of colon carcinoma cells with stromal cells and in cancer progression, we transfected REGb cells, a regressive colon carcinoma clone secreting latent TGFβ, with a cDNA encoding for a constitutively-secreted active TGFβ. Out of 20 injected rats only one tumour progressed, which was resected and sub-cultured (ReBeta cells). ReBeta cells secreted high levels of active TGFβ. The adhesive properties of REGb and Rebeta cells to endothelial cells were similar, showing that the secretion of active TGFβ is not involved in tumour cell adhesion to endothelial cells. ReBeta, but not REGb, cell culture supernatants inhibited cytokine-dependent NO secretion by endothelial cells, but inhibition of NO production was similar in co-cultures of REGb or ReBeta cells with endothelial cells. Therefore, secretion of active TGFβ regulated endothelial NO synthase activity when tumour cells were distant from, but not in direct contact with, endothelial cells. However, only ReBeta cells inhibited cytokine-dependent secretion of NO in coculture with macrophages, indicating that the active-TGFβ–NO axis confers an advantage for tumour cells in their interaction with macrophages rather than endothelial cells in cancer progression.     

抗人卵巢癌×抗人CD3×抗CD28VH单链三特异抗体的胞内可溶表达、纯化及体外活性测定

目的　研究抗人卵巢癌 (ovariancarcinoma ,oc)×抗人CD3×抗CD2 8VH 单链三特异抗体(singlechaintrispecificantibody,scTsAb)在大肠杆菌中的可溶表达与纯化及纯化后产物的活性测定 ,从而为其应用于卵巢癌治疗的临床研究打下基础。方法　将已构建的scTsAb表达载体转化大肠杆菌BL2 1(DE3)Star菌株 ,采用低温 (30℃ )、低剂量IPTG(0 .2mmol L)诱导 ,进行胞内可溶表达。根据抗卵巢癌三特异抗体 (ocTsAb)等电点较高 (pI9.0 ) ,而菌体蛋白大多为酸性蛋白的特点 ,利用DEAE弱阴离子交换层析(pH8.0 )进行一步纯化 ,并利用ELISA及FACS的方法检测纯化后抗卵巢癌三特异抗体的活性。结果　(1)SDS PAGE鉴定低温诱导时可溶比例达到 5 6 %。 (2 )绝大多数菌体蛋白被DEAE层析柱吸附 ,而抗卵巢癌三特异抗体在穿透液中流出 ,SDS PAGE检测纯度达到 90 %。 (3)ELISA结果显示纯化后的抗卵巢癌三特异抗体与重组CD2 8纯抗原 ,Jurkat(CD3 )细胞膜提取抗原 ,SKOV3细胞膜提取抗原均有特异性结合。 (4 )FACS结果证明纯化后的抗卵巢癌三特异抗体与Jurkat(CD3 )活细胞、SKOV3活细胞有特异性结合。结论　低温诱导胞内可溶表达的抗人卵巢癌×抗人CD3×抗CD2 8VH 单链三特异抗体经弱阴离子交换层析一步纯化后仍保持原有免疫学活性 ,这