A periodontite produz uma descarga de quimiocinas inflamatórias que pode ser refletida na saliva. Com base nisso, o objetivo desse estudo foi mensurar as concentrações salivares de interleucina-8 (IL-8), RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted), MIG (monokine induced by gamma interferon), IP-10 (interferon &gamma;-inducible protein of 10 kD), e MCP-1 (macrophage chemotactic protein-1) em pacientes com periodontite crônica e saudáveis. 32 indivíduos foram divididos em dois grupos: saudáveis (Controle, n=11) e pacientes com periodontite crônica (DP, n=21). Dados clínicos foram registrados. Amostras de saliva não-estimulada foram analisadas e biomarcadores inflamatórios na saliva foram identificados utilizando a citometria de fluxo em ensaios multiplex. Dos biomarcadores analisados, IL-8, MCP-1, PI e MIG-10 foram encontrados em maior abundância nas amostras da saliva. Verificou-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as proteínas salivares: IL-8 (p=0,0008), MCP-1 (p=0003), e RANTES (p=0,03). Nenhuma diferença estatística entre grupos foi observada para IP-10 (Controle 193,85 ± 64,21; PD 423,78 ± 85,67, p=0,08), e MIG (Controle 173,33 ± 79,28; DP 341,26 ± 77,23. p=0,05). Todos os biomarcadores avaliados estavam mais elevados nos pacientes com DP em comparação com o grupo controle. Os dados sugerem que o aumento dos níveis de quimiocinas MCP-1, IL-8 e RANTES na PD podem ser responsáveis pela manutenção de leucócitos específicos no local. Esse mecanismo pode servir para promover a migração de leucócitos para os sítios de inflamação e a manutenção da cronicidade da periodontite / Objective: Periodontitis produces an inflammatory proteins discharge that can be reflected in saliva. The aim of this study was to measure salivary concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8), RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted), MIG (monokine induced by gamma interferon), IP-10 (interferon &gamma;-inducible protein of 10 kD), e MCP-1 (macrophage chemotactic protein-1) in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy. Material and Methods: A total of 32 subjects was divided in 2 groups: healthy (Control, n=11) and patients with periodontitis (PD, n=21. Clinical data were recorded. Non-stimulated saliva samples were analyzed and identified simultaneously using the human flow cytometry multiplex assays. Results: Of the target biomarkers examined, IL-8, MCP-1, MIG and IP-10 were found in greatest abundance in the saliva samples. It was found statistically significant differences among screened salivary proteins: IL-8 (p = 0.0008), MCP-1 (p = 0.003), and RANTES (p= 0.03). No statistical differences between the groups were observed for IP-10 (Ctrl 193.85 ± 64.21. PD 423.78 ± 85.67, p = 0.08), and MIG (Ctrl 173.33 ± 79.28; PD 341.26 ± 77.23. p = 0.05). All cytokines levels were higher on PD patients in comparison with controls samples. Only samples that stayed within the detection limit for the assay were considered for statistical analysis. For Control group, no correlation was found between clinical parameters and the chemokines levels. In PD group, positive Spearman correlation was observed between total amount of MCP-1 and Age (r 0.648; p<0.001) and negative correlation was observed between MCP-1 with PPD (r -0.462, p = 0.03) and CAL (r -0,461, p = 0.003). Significant negative correlation was found between total amount of RANTES and the percentage of SUP (r -0.457, p = 0.03). Conclusion: The above results suggest that the increased levels of chemokines MCP-1, RANTES and IL-8 in PD individuals may be responsible for maintaining the infiltration of specific leukocytes. This mechanism would serve to promote the migration of leukocytes into the sites of inflammation and the chronicity of inflammation in human periodontitis.

Kindlin-1 (Kin1) is an epithelial focal adhesion protein that plays a key role in integrin-mediated anchorage of cells to the extracellular matrix. Congenital loss of Kin1 leads to Kindler Syndrome (KS), whose symptoms include progressive epidermal atrophy, reduced keratinocyte proliferation, skin blistering and increased incidence of aggressive Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC). Objectives of this study were to examine the role of Kin1 in skin homeostasis and in the development of aggressive SCC in KS, as the molecular aetiologies for these pathologies are yet to be clearly understood. We first examined whether the recently discovered role of Kin1 in mitosis contributes to reduced keratinocyte proliferation observed in KS epidermis. We discovered that short-term loss of Kin1 in adult mouse epidermis reduced keratinocyte proliferation. We also found that Kin1 loss increased mitotic spindle misorientation that, according to the model of cell division in skin homeostasis, decreases cell proliferative potential, and, thus, may account for the reduced proliferation in our model. As spindle misorientation can stem from microtubule instability, we believe that the reduction in acetylated α-tubulin (ac-tub), a known marker of stable microtubules, that we also observed in mouse epidermis following Kin1 loss could account for the defective spindle orientation phenotype. The role of Kin1 in spindle orientation was also evident in vitro. Moreover, data from our lab revealed showed reduction in spindle ac-tub following Kin1 depletion, mirroring our in vivo observation. Additionally to orientation defects, in vitro depletion of Kin1 led to enhanced chromosome missegregation, which is likely to result from reduced microtubule stability due to low levels of ac-tub. We showed that role of Kin1 in spindle orientation and chromosome segregation is dependent on HDAC6, a known inhibitor of ac-tub. Overall, our results uncover an in vitro and in vivo role of Kin1 in mitotic spindle fidelity that could be crucial to skin homeostasis, and, when disturbed, may lead to reduced keratinocyte proliferation. Interestingly, our in vitro studies also revealed that in mitosis Kin1 and Kindlin-2 (Kin2) had overlapping, but also distinct roles, which is in line with various reports that show different biological functions for the two protein isoforms. Our next and final aim was to explore the roles of Kin1 in the development and progression of SCC, which would help us comprehend the reason behind the cancer's aggressive nature in KS. By employing in vitro and in vivo SCC growth assays and tumour immunohistochemical staining we found that absence of Kin1 in SCC cells and tumours enhanced proliferation and growth, and enhanced tumour vascularisation. RNA sequencing of tumour material revealed that lack of Kin1 increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases and chemokines, which have been implicated in tumour progression via promotion of angiogenesis and invasion in a plethora of studies, and of various angiogenesis markers. Together this provides an insight into the mechanisms via which Kin1 controls tumour microenvironment and, ultimately, SCC tumour growth and development. Overall, we report an in vitro and in vivo role for Kin1 in mitotic spindle stability, which affects a variety of mitotic processes and may be linked to reduced keratinocyte proliferation observed in epidermis of KS patients, thus contributing to skin homeostasis. Moreover, we describe a role for Kin1 in regulation of SCC tumour growth and progression, which may ultimately offer an explanation for the aggressive and life-threatening nature of SCC developed in KS.

A periodontite produz uma descarga de quimiocinas inflamatórias que pode ser refletida na saliva. Com base nisso, o objetivo desse estudo foi mensurar as concentrações salivares de interleucina-8 (IL-8), RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted), MIG (monokine induced by gamma interferon), IP-10 (interferon &gamma;-inducible protein of 10 kD), e MCP-1 (macrophage chemotactic protein-1) em pacientes com periodontite crônica e saudáveis. 32 indivíduos foram divididos em dois grupos: saudáveis (Controle, n=11) e pacientes com periodontite crônica (DP, n=21). Dados clínicos foram registrados. Amostras de saliva não-estimulada foram analisadas e biomarcadores inflamatórios na saliva foram identificados utilizando a citometria de fluxo em ensaios multiplex. Dos biomarcadores analisados, IL-8, MCP-1, PI e MIG-10 foram encontrados em maior abundância nas amostras da saliva. Verificou-se diferenças estatisticamente significativas entre as proteínas salivares: IL-8 (p=0,0008), MCP-1 (p=0003), e RANTES (p=0,03). Nenhuma diferença estatística entre grupos foi observada para IP-10 (Controle 193,85 ± 64,21; PD 423,78 ± 85,67, p=0,08), e MIG (Controle 173,33 ± 79,28; DP 341,26 ± 77,23. p=0,05). Todos os biomarcadores avaliados estavam mais elevados nos pacientes com DP em comparação com o grupo controle. Os dados sugerem que o aumento dos níveis de quimiocinas MCP-1, IL-8 e RANTES na PD podem ser responsáveis pela manutenção de leucócitos específicos no local. Esse mecanismo pode servir para promover a migração de leucócitos para os sítios de inflamação e a manutenção da cronicidade da periodontite / Objective: Periodontitis produces an inflammatory proteins discharge that can be reflected in saliva. The aim of this study was to measure salivary concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8), RANTES (Regulated upon Activation, Normal T Cell Expressed and Secreted), MIG (monokine induced by gamma interferon), IP-10 (interferon &gamma;-inducible protein of 10 kD), e MCP-1 (macrophage chemotactic protein-1) in patients with chronic periodontitis and healthy. Material and Methods: A total of 32 subjects was divided in 2 groups: healthy (Control, n=11) and patients with periodontitis (PD, n=21. Clinical data were recorded. Non-stimulated saliva samples were analyzed and identified simultaneously using the human flow cytometry multiplex assays. Results: Of the target biomarkers examined, IL-8, MCP-1, MIG and IP-10 were found in greatest abundance in the saliva samples. It was found statistically significant differences among screened salivary proteins: IL-8 (p = 0.0008), MCP-1 (p = 0.003), and RANTES (p= 0.03). No statistical differences between the groups were observed for IP-10 (Ctrl 193.85 ± 64.21. PD 423.78 ± 85.67, p = 0.08), and MIG (Ctrl 173.33 ± 79.28; PD 341.26 ± 77.23. p = 0.05). All cytokines levels were higher on PD patients in comparison with controls samples. Only samples that stayed within the detection limit for the assay were considered for statistical analysis. For Control group, no correlation was found between clinical parameters and the chemokines levels. In PD group, positive Spearman correlation was observed between total amount of MCP-1 and Age (r 0.648; p<0.001) and negative correlation was observed between MCP-1 with PPD (r -0.462, p = 0.03) and CAL (r -0,461, p = 0.003). Significant negative correlation was found between total amount of RANTES and the percentage of SUP (r -0.457, p = 0.03). Conclusion: The above results suggest that the increased levels of chemokines MCP-1, RANTES and IL-8 in PD individuals may be responsible for maintaining the infiltration of specific leukocytes. This mechanism would serve to promote the migration of leukocytes into the sites of inflammation and the chronicity of inflammation in human periodontitis.

Abstract not available

Copy of author's previously published work inserted. Bibliography: leaves 139-160.

Copy of author's previously published work inserted. / Bibliography: leaves 139-160. / 160, [10] leaves, [41] leaves of plates : ill. (chiefly col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Molecular Biosciences, 2001?

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Au cours de la progression des cancers dorigine épithéliale, on observe une disparition des jonctions intercellulaires et une réorganisation de leurs composants. Par ailleurs, cette progression tumorale saccompagne également dune surexpression de certaines chimiokines par les cellules tumorales. Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes attachés à étudier la régulation potentielle de ces chimiokines par certaines molécules dadhérence. Nous avons plus particulièrement examiné linfluence de la caténine beta et de ZO-1 sur lexpression des chimiokines étant donné leur particularité de pouvoir effectuer la navette entre la membrane et le noyau et leur implication dans des voies de signalisation. Dans un premier chapitre de résultats (chapitre III.1.1), nous rapportons notre étude concernant la régulation de MCP-1/CCL2 par la voie de signalisation caténine beta Publication 1 Nos travaux détaillant la régulation de lIL-8/CXCL8 par ZO-1 font lobjet dun second chapitre de résultats (chapitre III.1.2) Publication 2 Parallèlement à notre axe principal de recherche centré sur la régulation de lexpression des chimiokines, nous avons également participé à des travaux montrant linfluence de la voie de signalisation caténine beta sur la régulation de la vimentine lors de la transition épithélio-mésenchymateuse (TEM) associée à la progression tumorale. Un troisième chapitre de résultats est consacré à lexposé de ces travaux (chapitre III.2). Publications 3, 4, 5

Diss. (sammanfattning) Göteborg : Göteborgs universitet, 2009. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2009.