Thyroid growth and function is partly regulated by growth factors binding to receptors on the cell surface. In the present thesis, the transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) superfamily members have been studied for their role in regulation of growth and differentiation of both normal and neoplastic thyroid epithelial cells. TGF-β1 is a negative regulator of thyrocyte growth and function. However, the importance of other TGF-β superfamily members has not been fully investigated. TGF-β1, activin A, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-7 and their receptors were found to be expressed in porcine thyrocytes. In addition to TGF-β1, activin A was also found to be a negative regulator of thyroid growth and function, and both stimulated phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of Smad proteins. Furthermore, TGF-β1 and epidermal growth factor (EGF) demonstrated a synergistic negative effect on thyrocyte differentiation. Simultaneous addition of the two factors resulted in a loss of the transepithelial resistance and expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin. This was followed by a transient expression of N-cadherin. Despite the extremely malignant character of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) tumor cells, established cell lines are still responsive to TGF-β1. A majority of the cell lines were also found to be growth inhibited by BMP-7. BMP-7 induced cell cycle arrest of the ATC cell line HTh 74 in a dose- and cell density-dependent manner. This was associated with upregulation of p21CIP1 and p27KIP1, decreased cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) activity and hypophosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb). TGF-β1, and to some extent also BMP-7, induced the expression of N-cadherin and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and -9. Stimulation of HTh 74 cells with TGF-β1 increased the migration through a reconstituted basement membrane indicating an increased invasive phenotype of the cells. Taken together, these data show that TGF-β superfamily members not only affect growth and function of normal thyroid follicle cells but may also, in combination with EGF, play a role in cell dedifferentiation. This study additionally suggests that the TGF-β superfamily members may be important for the invasive properties of ATC cells.

La transició Epiteli-Mesènquima es dóna durant el desenvolupament embrionari i en els estadis tardans de la progressió tumoral permetent que es produeixi la metàstasi. Aquestes transicions necessiten una repressió de l'E-Cadherina i es pot reproduir en cèl·lules en cultiu amb l'expressió ectòpica de Snail1, un repressor de l'E-Cadherina. Durant la transició produïda per Snail es produeix la ràpida activació de gens mesenquimals com Fibronectina i LEF1. L'expressió forçada d'E-Cadherina fa disminuir els nivells de RNA de Fibronectina i LEF1, indicant que en l'activació d'aquests dos gens està implicat un cofactor sensible a l'E-Cadherina. En concordança, la transcripció de Fibronectina i LEF1 és depenent de -Catenina i NFB. La sobreexpressió d'E-Cadherina inhibeix l'activitat transcripcional d'aquests dos factors i disminueix la seva interacció amb el promotor de Fibronectina. De manera similar a la -Catenina, NFB es detecta associat a l'E-Cadherina i altres components dels contactes intercel·lulars. Quan es trenquen les unions adherents, com quan es sobreexpressa Snail, la interacció E-Cadherina-NFB disminueix i augmenta l'activitat transcripcional de NFB i-Catenina. / Epithelial to mesenchymal transitions takes place during embryo development and in the late stages of tumorigenesis allowing metastasis formation. These transitions require E-Cadherin downregulation and can be reproduced in cell culture by ectopic expression of Snail1, an E-Cadherin gene repressor. During Snail-induced transition a rapid upregulation of mesenchymal genes such as Fibronectin and LEF1 has been characterized. Forced expression of E-Cadherin strongly down-regulates Fibronectin and LEF1 RNA levels, indicating that an E-Cadherin sensitive cofactor is involved in the activation of these genes. Accordingly, transcription of Fibronectin and LEF1 was dependent on -Catenin and NFB. E-Cadherin over-expression downregulated the transcriptional activity of both factors and decreased their interaction to Fibronectin promoter. Similarly to -Catenin, NFB was detected associated to E-Cadherin and other cell adhesion components. Association of NFB to E-Cadherin required the integrity of this complex; conditions that disrupts adherens junctions, such as Snail over-expression, decreased E-Cadherin-NFB interaction and up-regulates NFB and -Catenin transcriptional activity. Therefore, -Catenin and NFB transcriptional activities are required for expression of the studied mesenchymal genes and these activities are inactivated by immobilizing -Catenin and NFB to functional E-Cadherin structures.

Depuis la découverte de la première protéine possédant une activité tyrosine kinase (protein tyrosine kinase [PTK]) dans les années 1980, l’importance des PTKs et de la phosphorylation sur résidu tyrosine dans la régulation des événements de signalisation intracellulaire est bien établie. Quant aux protéines qui possèdent une activité tyrosine phosphatase (protein tyrosine phosphatase [PTP]), dont l’existence n’a été dévoilée qu’une dixaine d’années plus tard, elles ont longtemps été perçues comme des enzymes dont le rôle ne se résumait qu'à contrecarrer passivement les activités des PTKs. Il est maintenant clair que les activités des PTPs sont spécifiques, hautement régulées, et qu’elles doivent être coordonnées avec celles des PTKs pour une régulation adéquate des événements de signalisation intracellulaire. En dépit de cette évidence, la contribution des PTPs à la régulation des différents processus physiologiques fondamentaux demeure encore peu caractérisée. C’est le cas, notamment, de l’angiogenèse, le processus par lequel de nouveaux vaisseaux sanguins sont formés à partir de ceux préexistants. Le VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), un des facteurs angiogéniques les plus importants, est connu pour induire majoritairement ses effets biologiques via l’activation du récepteur à activité tyrosine kinase VEGFR2 (Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2). Puisque l’angiogenèse est impliquée dans le développement d’une multitude de pathologies, dont la progression tumorale, une meilleure caractérisation des PTPs qui assurent la qualité de la réponse angiogénique en agissant de pair avec le VEGFR2 s’avère cruciale et ce, afin de raffiner les outils thérapeutiques actuels. L’expression de la PTP DEP-1 corrèle avec la déphosphorylation du récepteur VEGFR2 localisé au niveau des jonctions cellules-cellules et contribue à l’inhibition de la prolifération des cellules endothéliales en réponse au VEGF lorsque les cellules sont à confluence. Par contre, la contribution spécifique de DEP-1 à la régulation des voies de signalisation et des réponses biologiques induites par le VEGF demeurait toujours inconnue. Les travaux de recherche présentés dans cette thèse démontrent tout d’abord que DEP-1 régule négativement l’activité tyrosine kinase de VEGFR2 en déphosphorylant spécifiquement les résidus tyrosine Y1054/Y1059 de sa boucle d’activation. Cette déphosphorylation mène par conséquent à une diminution générale de la phosphorylation du récepteur et à une atténuation de la plupart des voies de signalisation induites par le VEGF, incluant la voie mitogénique PLCγ-ERK1/2. Par ailleurs, malgré ce rôle négatif global, nos travaux révèlent étonnement, et pour la première fois, que DEP-1 contribue d’une manière positive à la promotion de la survie des cellules endothéliales via l’activation de la voie Src-Gab1-Akt en aval du récepteur VEGFR2. Ce pouvoir pro-survie de DEP-1 dans les cellules endothéliales réside avant tout dans sa capactié à déphosphoryler la tyrosine inhibitrice de Src (Y529). Au cours de notre étude, nous avons pu identifier deux résidus tyrosine au niveau de l’extrémité carboxy-terminale de DEP-1, Y1311 et Y1320, dont la phosphorylation est dépendante de Src. Nos travaux révèlent par ailleurs que ces deux résidus tyrosine phosphorylés lient le domaine SH2 de Src et que la Y1320 est principalement requise pour l’activation de Src et d’Akt en réponse au VEGF dans les cellules endothéliales. Ces résultats constituent donc une avancée majeure dans la compréhension des mécanismes moléculaires par lesquels DEP-1 peut réguler le programme angiogénique dépendant du VEGF. De plus, cette découverte d’un rôle positif pour DEP-1 dans la survie des cellules endothéliales pourrait mener à l’élaboration de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques visant à inhiber cette fonction spécifique de DEP-1 pour bloquer l'angiogenèse pathologique. / Since the discovery of the first protein tyrosine kinase [PTK] in 1980, the importance of these proteins and of tyrosine phosphorylation cascades in the regulation of intracellular signaling events has been well-established. The protein tyrosine phosphatases [PTPs], whose existence was only revealed ten years later, have been regarded for a long time as passive PTKs conteracting enzymes. It is now evident that PTPs activities are specific, exquisitely regulated, and that they have to be coordinated with PTKs activities for an appropriate regulation of intracellular signaling events. Despite these findings, the contribution of PTPs to the regulation of many fundamental physiological processes is not well-characterized. This is the case of angiogenesis, the process whereby new vessels are generated from pre-existing ones. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), one of the most important angiogenic factors, is known to induce its biological effects mainly by activating VEGFR2 (Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2). As angiogenesis is involved in the development of a multitude of pathologies, including tumoral progression, a better characterization of PTPs, which ensure the quality of the angiogenic response by acting together with VEGFR2, is crucial to refine current therapeutic tools. Expression of a PTP called DEP-1 correlates with dephosphorylation of VEGFR2, and contributes to the inhibition of VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation at high cell confluence. However, the specific contribution of DEP-1 to the regulation of signaling pathways and biological responses induced by VEGF remained unknown. The research presented in this thesis demonstrates that DEP-1 negatively regulates the tyrosine kinase activity of VEGFR2 by dephosphorylating the specific tyrosine residues Y1054/Y1059 in its activation loop. Consequently, this leads to a global decrease in the phosphorylation of the receptor and to a reduced activation of most of the signaling cascades induced by VEGF, including the mitogenic PLCγ- ERK1/2 pathway. Moreover, despite this negative role, our work reveals for the first time that DEP-1 contributes in a positive way to promote the survival of endothelial cells via the activation of the Src-Gab1-Akt pathway downstream of VEGFR2. This survival function of DEP-1 in endothelial cells is accomplished by the dephosphorylation of the Src inhibitory tyrosine (Y529). During our study, we identified two residues in the carboxy-terminal tail of DEP-1, Y1311 and Y1320, whose phosphorylation is dependent on Src. These two phosphorylated tyrosine residues bind to the SH2 domain of Src, and our work also revealed that mostly Y1320 is required for Src and Akt activation upon VEGF stimulation of endothelial cells. These findings represent a major step forward in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which DEP-1 may regulate the VEGF-dependent angiogenic program. Moreover, the discovery of a positive role for DEP-1 in the survival of endothelial cells could lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches to inhibit this specific function of DEP-1 in order to block pathological angiogenesis.

Les autotransporteurs monomériques représentent le système de sécrétion le plus simple et le plus utilisé chez les bactéries à Gram négatif. Les autotransporteurs monomériques sont des protéines modulaires qui contiennent toute l’information pour leur sécrétion dans leur séquence. Les phénotypes associés à l’expression d’un autotransporteur peuvent être très variés et, souvent, les autotransporteurs sont des protéines multifonctionnelles. C’est le cas notamment des autotransporteurs AIDA-I, TibA et Ag43 d’Escherichia coli qui promouvoient l’adhésion et l’invasion de cellules épithéliales, l’auto-agrégation des bactéries et la formation de biofilm. Ces trois autotransporteurs ont d’ailleurs été regroupés dans une même famille, appelée les autotransporteurs auto-associatifs (SAATs). À cause de leur fonctionnalité, les SAATs sont considérés comme étant d’importants facteurs de virulence d’Escherichia coli. Toutefois, il existe plusieurs différences entre les SAATs qui ne sont pas bien comprises, si bien que leur rôle pour les bactéries n’est toujours pas bien compris. Nous avons donc d’abord caractérisé TibA, le membre des SAATs le moins bien étudié à l’aide d’une étude structure-fonction. Nous avons observé que TibA était une protéine modulaire et que son domaine fonctionnel était composé de deux modules : un module d’auto-agrégation en N-terminal et un module d’adhésion en C-terminal. En comparant nos résultats avec ceux obtenus pour les autres SAATs, nous avons réalisé que l’organisation des trois SAATs était très variée, c’est-à-dire que les trois SAATs sont composés de modules différents. Nous avons par ailleurs observé cet arrangement en modules lorsque nous avons analysé plusieurs séquences d’aidA, suggérant qu’un mécanisme d’échange et d’acquisition de modules était à la base de l’évolution des SAATs. Sans surprise, nous avons aussi observé que la famille des SAATs ne se limitait pas à AIDA-I, TibA et Ag43 et ne se limitait pas à Escherichia coli. La comparaison a aussi révélé l’importance du phénotype d’auto-agrégation dans la fonctionnalité des SAATs. Nous avons donc entrepris une étude du mécanisme d’auto-agrégation. Nos résultats on montré que l’auto-agrégation était le résultat d’une interaction directe SAAT/SAAT et ont mis en évidence un mécanisme similaire à celui utilisé par les cadhérines eucaryotes. De plus, nous avons observé que, comme les cadhérines, les SAATs étaient impliqués dans des interactions homophiliques; un SAAT interagit donc spécifiquement avec lui-même et non avec un différent SAAT. Finalement, les SAATs font parties des quelques protéines qui sont glycosylées chez Escherichia coli. Nous avons déterminé que le rôle de la glycosylation de TibA était de stabiliser la protéine et de lui donner la flexibilité nécessaire pour moduler sa conformation et, ainsi, être pleinement fonctionnelle. Globalement, nos résultats suggèrent que les SAATs sont des molécules « cadhérines-like » qui permettent la reconnaissance de soi chez les bactéries. Une telle habilité à discriminer entre le soi et le non-soi pourrait donc être utilisée par les bactéries pour organiser les communautés bactériennes. / Autotransporters are versatile virulence factors of Gram-negative bacteria and use one of the simplest and most widespread secretion system in bacteria. The name autotransporter originate from the observation that all the information needed for the secretion of the protein is encoded in its own sequence, meaning that autotransporters do not need a specialized secretion apparatus. Many autotransporters are multifunctional proteins and can perform a large variety of functions. The self-associating autotransporters (SAATs), represented by AIDA-I, TibA and Ag43, are such multifunctional proteins and can mediate the adhesion and invasion of epithelial cells, the auto-aggregation of bacteria and the formation of biofilm. Because of these functionalities, SAATs are considered important virulence factors of Escherichia coli. However, there are many differences between the SAATs and we still do not know their exact role for the bacteria. Therefore, we have realized a structure-function study of TibA, the least studied SAAT. Our study showed that TibA is a modular protein and that the functional domain of TibA is composed of two modules: an N-terminal module responsible for auto-aggregation and a C-terminal module responsible for adhesion. Our results showed that the organization of AIDA-I, TibA and Ag43 is different and that the SAATs represent different assemblies of modules. We also observed the modular organization when we analyzed various sequence of aidA, suggesting that the SAATs have evolved by a mechanism of domain shuffling. Not surprisingly, we have found new SAATs in Escherichia coli and in other proteobacteria. Our results also highlighted the importance of auto-aggregation in the functionality of the SAATs. We therefore assessed the mechanism of SAAT-mediated auto-aggregation of bacteria. Our results showed that SAATs mediate auto-aggregation of bacteria through direct SAAT/SAAT interactions and that these interactions were reminiscent of the interactions made by cadherin molecules in eukaryotes. We further observed that the SAATs were involved in homophilic interactions, as it is the case with cadherin molecules. SAATs are part of the few proteins that are glycosylated in Escherichia coli. We therefore characterized the glycosylation of TibA and found that glycosylation of TibA stabilized the protein and allowed the protein to modulate its conformation, resulting in a fully functional protein. Taken together, our results suggest that the SAATs may be cadherin-like molecules by bacteria in order to discriminate between self and non-self. Such an ability to discriminate self from non-self is rarely evoked in bacteria, but could play a role in the organization of multicellular communities.

L’adrénomédulline (AM) est un des principaux facteurs de croissance impliqués dans la formations de nouveaux vaisseaux. L’AM est responsable de la formation de jonctions adhérentes stables entre cellules endothéliales vasculaires via le maintien d’un état déphosphorylé du complexe d’adhésion VE-cadhérine/caténines. La phosphorylation de tyrosines est un évènement régulé par un équilibre entre protéine tyrosine kinases et protéine tyrosine phosphatases (PTP). Peu de choses sont encore connues sur le rôle des PTPs dans les voies de signalisation de l’AM au niveau des cellules endothéliales. La SHP2 a été décrite comme étant capable de déphosphoryler le complexe d’adhésion. Son association avec la β-caténine lui permet de contrôler le niveau de phosphorylation du complexe et de maintenir l’association entre VE-cadhérine et caténines. Nous avons ainsi émis l’hypothèse selon laquelle l’AM puisse agir sur la SHP2 permettant ainsi le contrôle de la formation du complexe d’adhésion VE-cadhérine-β-caténine. Nos travaux ont mis en évidence une augmentation de l’activation de la SHP2 induite par l’AM dans les cellules endothéliales entrainant sa localisation au niveau de la membrane et la stabilisation de l'adhésion cellulaire induite par la VE-cadhérine en réduisant le niveau de phosphorylation de cette dernière. Le blocage de la SHP2 entraine des effets opposés avec une inhibition de la déphosphorylation induite par l’AM de la VE-cadhérine sur les tyrosines 731 et 658. En résumé, l’AM régule l’activité de la SHP2 via sa phosphorylation sur la tyrosine 542 ce qui entraine une stabilisation des contacts cellules-cellules via une diminution de la phosphorylation de la VE-cadhérine. / Adrenomedullin (AM) is one of the main factors in the formation of tumor neo-vessels. It's responsible for stable adherent junction formation between vascular endothelial (VE) cells by maintaining VE-cadherin/catenins adhesion complex in a dephosphorylated status. Indeed, AM blockade induces phosphorylation of VE-cadherin in tyrosine 731, which is followed by disruption of VE-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts of endothelial cells (ECs), thereby leading to EC adhesion loss and tumor vessels disruption. Tyrosine phosphorylation events are controlled by the balance of activation of protein tyrosine kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). Little is known about the role of endogenous PTPs in AM signaling in ECs. SHP2 is capable of dephosphorylating the complex. Its association with β-catenin allows it to control the dephosphorylated steady state of the complex and to maintain the VE-cadherin/β-catenin association. To study the mechanism of AM on the inter-endothelial junction stabilization, we hypothesized that AM may act on SHP2 allowing a control upon formation of VE-cadherin-β-catenin complex. In this study, we found that SHP2 activity is markedly increased by AM. In ECs, AM-induced phospho-SHP2 Y542 activity to localize at the human umbilical vein endothelial cell membrane and stabilizes VE-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesions by reducing VE-cadherin tyrosine phosphorylation. SHP2 inhibition causes opposite effects with inhibiting AM-induced dephosphorylation of VE-cadherin at Y731 and Y658. In summary, AM regulates SHP2 activity through phosphorylation of Y542, which stabilizes cell-cell adhesions through reducing tyrosine phosphorylation of VE-cadherin.

Le facteur de transcription homéotique Cdx2 est un suppresseur de tumeurs et son expression est réduite de manière hétérogène dans les tumeurs coliques. Or, le cancer colorectal demeure un problème de santé publique par sa fréquence et sa gravité. Au travers de 3 sous-projets, cette thèse visait à comprendre le mode d’action de Cdx2. Premièrement, la cadhérine Mucdhl a été identifiée et caractérisée en tant que nouvelle cible de Cdx2 : Mucdhl inhibe la croissance des cellules cancéreuses coliques et s’oppose à l’activité de la -caténine. Deuxièmement, un effet inattendu de Cdx2 sur le cytosquelette et la rigidité cellulaire a été montré. Ceci pourrait expliquer comment Cdx2 intervient dans l’organisation structurale des entérocytes ou la migration. En parallèle, une lignée cellulaire rapportrice de l’expression de Cdx2 a été créé qui, après validation, sera un outil précieux pour l’étude des mécanismes moléculaires qui conditionnent l’hétérogénéité tumorale. Par la mise en évidence de nouvelles fonctions et cibles de Cdx2, cette thèse permet de mieux appréhender son rôle physiologique et son action de suppresseur de tumeurs dans l’intestin. / Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem because of its frequency and propensity to metastasize. Cdx2 plays the role of a tumor suppressor and its expression is frequently but heterogeneously reduced in colon tumors. Through three sub-projects, this thesis aimed to better understand the mode of action of Cdx2. First, the Cadherin Mucdhl was identified and characterized as a new direct target gene of Cdx2. Mucdhl was also shown to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells and to oppose -catenin activity. Second, an unexpected effect of Cdx2 on the cell cytoskeleton and rigidity of a cancer cell monolayer was uncovered. This gives new clues about how Cdx2 contributes to the structural organization and differentiation of enterocytes but also nhibits cell migration. In parallel, a reporter cell line for Cdx2 expression was created. After its validation, this cell line will be a precious tool to study the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor heterogeneity in vivo. Altogether, this thesis unraveled new functions and target genes of Cdx2 that permit to better apprehend its physiological function and its action as a tumor suppressor in the intestine.

LIMA, Marcos Antonio Pereira de. Carcinoma de células escamosas oral: relevância do Papiloma vírus humano (HPV) e do vírus Epstein-Barr (EBV) na expressão de proteinas p16INK4a, E-caderina, COX-2, MLH1, p53 e MYC. 2013. 180 f. : Tese (doudorado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biotecnologia, Rede Nordestes de Biotecnologia -Renorbio, Fortaleza-CE, 2013. / Submitted by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-05-27T13:30:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_maplima.pdf: 16584856 bytes, checksum: 9b25880d41a42f87ebcd6222528b072e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by demia Maia (demiamlm@gmail.com) on 2016-05-27T13:30:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_maplima.pdf: 16584856 bytes, checksum: 9b25880d41a42f87ebcd6222528b072e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-27T13:30:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2013_tese_maplima.pdf: 16584856 bytes, checksum: 9b25880d41a42f87ebcd6222528b072e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / The oral cancer represents a serious world public health problem. The oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) account for up to 94% of the tumors of this anatomic site. The molecular mechanisms involved in the genesis and progression are still not well elucidated. Some evidences have suggested the involvement of viruses in this process. Also, these tumors still lack of reliable markers to determine the aggressiveness profile. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of the proteins p53, E-cadherin, COX-2, p16, MLH1 and MYC in a serie of OSCC, including the cytoplasmic staining eventually observed for the latter three proteins, confronting the results between them and with demographic and clinico-pathological features. Besides evaluating the prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the sample and compare them with the expression of the referred proteins. Materials and Methods – One hundred formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded OSCC specimens were submitted to immunohistochemistry for detection of the referred proteins, and to in situ hybridization for HPV and EBV detection. Results – OSCC was associated with a concomitant lack of expression of p16 and MLH1 (p=0.029) and coexpression of p53 and COX-2 (p=0.045). Additionally, COX-2 and nuclear MYC were found to be related to exclusively cytoplasmic staining of MLH1 (p=0.060 and p=0.018, respectively). The combination analyses of the markers revealed five main groups of altered protein expression, which were mostly of the more aggressive tumors, mainly the MLH1(-)/COX-2(+)/p16(-) group. The cases with cytoplasmic staining for p16, MLH1 and/or MYC were more frequent in advanced tumors (p=0.009) and in those with lymph node metastasis (p=0.001). Thirty-one cases showed staining for HPV in tumor tissue. The EBV was not detected in any case investigated, neither in the tumor tissue nor in the non-neoplastic epithelium. The HPV(+) group demonstrated high positivity for nuclear p16 (p=0,029) and cytoplasmic MYC (p=0,039), and an increase of the lack of MLH1 nuclear expression (p=0,031). There was also a trend related to the increase of the COX-2 positivity in the HPV(+) group (p=0,084). Conclusions – The significance between p16 and MLH1 suggests that the lack of this member of mismatch repair system also favors the occurrence of mutations in the p16 gene, culminating in inactivation of this tumor suppressor. The associations of COX-2 and MYC with cytoplasmic MLH1 suggest a blocking mechanism for the entry of MLH1 into the nucleus. The combined analyses of the proteins investigated, as well as the cytoplasmic staining of p16, MLH1 and MYC, may be useful in the evaluation of the aggressive profile and probably prognosis of OSCC. Regarding the viruses, our findings suggest that the HPV is involved in an important portion of OSCC cases and that may promote the expression of the nuclear p16, cytoplasmic MYC and COX-2, and suppress the nuclear expression of MLH1. About EBV, it was not detected the EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) in the sample. / O câncer oral representa um sério problema de saúde pública mundial. Entre os tumores deste sítio anatômico, os carcinomas de células escamosas orais (CCEO) respondem por até 94% do total. Os mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na gênese e desenvolvimento tumoral ainda não estão completamente elucidados. Algumas evidências têm sugerido a participação viral neste processo. Além disso, estes tumores ainda carecem de marcadores confiáveis para determinar o perfil de agressividade. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a expressão das proteínas p53, E-caderina, COX-2, p16, MLH1 e MYC numa série de CCEO, considerando também a marcação citoplasmática eventualmente observada para as últimas três proteínas, confrontando os resultados entre elas e com as características demográficas e clínico-patológicas. Além de avaliar a prevalência do Papilomavírus Humano (HPV) e do Vírus Epstein-Barr (EBV) na amostra e compará-las com a expressão das referidas proteínas. Materiais e Métodos – Cem espécimes de CCEO, fixados em formalina e incluídos em blocos de parafina, foram submetidos à imunohistoquímica para a detecção das referidas proteínas e à hibridação in situ para detecaçõ de HPV e EBV. Resultados – Foi observada associação referente à perda de expressão concomitante de p16 e MLH1 (p=0,029) e na coexpressão de p53 e COX-2 (p=0,045). Ademais, foi verificado que a COX-2 e o MYC nuclear estavam relacionados com a marcação citoplasmática de MLH1 (p=0,060 e p=0,018; respectivamente). A análise combinada dos marcadores revelou cinco grupos principais de expressão alterada que eram constituídos, em sua maioria, de tumores mais agressivos, principalmente o grupo MLH1(-)/COX-2(+)/p16(-). Os casos com marcação citoplasmática para p16, MLH1 e/ou MYC foram mais frequentes em tumores avançados (p=0,009) e naqueles com metástases em linfonodos (p=0,001). Trinta e um casos demonstraram marcação para HPV em tecido tumoral. O EBV não foi detectado em nenhum dos casos investigados, nem no tecido tumoral nem no epitélio não neoplásico. O grupo HPV(+) exibiu elevada positividade para o p16 nuclear (p=0,029) e MYC cytoplasmático (p=0,039), também uma maior perda de expressão nuclear de MLH1 (p=0,031). Houve ainda uma tendência referente ao aumento da positividade de COX-2 no grupo infectado (p=0,084). Conclusões – As significâncias verificadas entre p16 e MLH1 sugerem que a ausência do membro do sistema de reparo de encaixe (MMR) também favoreça a ocorrência de mutações no gene p16, culminando na inativação deste supressor tumoral. As associações de COX-2 e MYC com o MLH1 de expressão citoplasmática suscitam um mecanismo de bloqueio de entrada de MLH1 no núcleo. A análise combinada das proteínas, bem como, a marcação citoplasmática de p16, MLH1 e MYC, podem representar indicadores úteis na avaliação do perfil de agressividade e, provavelmente, de prognóstico em CCEO. Acerca dos vírus, nossos achados sugerem que o HPV esteja envolvido em uma importante parcela de casos de CCEO e que possa promover a expressão de p16 nuclear, MYC citoplasmático e COX-2, e suprimir a expressão nuclear de MLH1. Quanto ao EBV, não foram detectados EBERs (EBV-encoded small RNAs) na amostra.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:32:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RobertaBC.pdf: 1065704 bytes, checksum: 6e6f9aa3d97c1150d7b5fd4167469597 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-30 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Pleomorphic adenoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma represent a benign and malignant salivary gland neoplasm, respectively, that shares the same histological origin, however with distinct biological behavior. The aim of the present study was identify the -160 C/A polymorphism in the gene CDH1, mutational analysis of CTNNB1 gene and evaluation the expression of the E-cadherin and ?-catenin in pleomorphic adenomas and adenoid cystic carcinomas. Furthermore, it was proposed correlate the immunochemistry staining patterns with the polymorphism and mutations. Twenty-four pleomorphic adenomas and 24 adenoid cystic carcinomas were retrieved. The polymorphism analysis was performed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), using the restriction enzymes HphI or AflIII and the mutational screening was performed by PCR-single strand conformational polymorphism (PCR-SSCP). The immunohistochemical analysis was taken by the counting of cells, recorded as the Hscore index, and considering the presence or absence, intensity, distribution and localization of proteins expression. Comparing the two neoplasms, the results demonstrated statistically significant difference for the E-cadherin and ?-catenin expression, with pleomorphic adenoma presenting weaker immunostaining. Was observed statistical correlation between E-cadherin and ?-catenin expression. CDH1 heterozigotic polymorphism was seen in two cases and 13 cases displayed abnormal mobility electrophoretic shifts, suggesting CTNNB1 gene mutation. The immunohistochemical expression was not statistically correlated with the polymorphism or suggested mutations. In conclusion this study supports that the E-cadherin/?-catenin complex immunohistochemical expression might be related with the myoepithelial component amount and differentiation neither the tumor biological behavior. The cases that showed E-cadherin gene polymorphism presented reduced protein expression and, moreover, CTNNB1 suggested mutations seem not influence in the ?-catenin protein expression / O adenoma pleom?rfico e o carcinoma aden?ide c?stico representam neoplasias de gl?ndula salivar benigna e maligna, respectivamente, que compartilham a mesma origem histol?gica, por?m com comportamentos biol?gicos distintos. O prop?sito deste estudo consistiu na identifica??o do polimorfismo -160 C/A da regi?o promotora do gene CDH1 (E-caderina), na triagem de muta??es no gene CTNNB1 (?-catenina), e ainda na an?lise da express?o imuno-histoqu?mica das prote?nas E-caderina e ?-catenina em adenomas pleom?rficos e carcinomas aden?ides c?sticos. Al?m disso, objetivou-se correlacionar os achados imuno-histoqu?micos com as poss?veis muta??es e polimorfismo. Foram selecionados 24 casos de adenoma pleom?rfico e 24 casos de carcinoma aden?ide c?stico. Para a identifica??o do polimorfismo no gene da E-caderina empregou-se a t?cnica RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) utilizando-se enzimas de restri??o HphI e AflIII. A triagem de muta??es no exon 3 do gene da ?-catenina foi realizada por meio de SSCP (single strand conformational polymorphism). Para a an?lise imuno-histoqu?mica, procedeu-se contagem de c?lulas, por meio do ?ndice HScore e verificou-se presen?a ou aus?ncia, intensidade, padr?o de distribui??o e localiza??o celular e tecidual das prote?nas. Os resultados demonstraram diferen?a estatisticamente significativa quando a marca??o imuno-histoqu?mica, tanto da E-caderina quanto ?-catenina, foi comparada entre as duas neoplasias estudadas, apresentando o adenoma pleom?rfico express?o reduzida. Observou-se correla??o estatisticamente significativa entre a imuno-marca??o da E-caderina e ?-catenina. Dois casos (1 adenoma pleom?rfico e 1 carcinoma aden?ide c?stico) apresentaram polimorfismo heterozig?tico no gene CDH1 e 13 casos (6 adenomas pleom?rficos e 7 carcinomas aden?ides c?sticos) exibiram varia??o no padr?o de corrida eletrofor?tica, sugerindo muta??o do gene CTNNB1. N?o houve correla??o estatisticamente significativa entre a marca??o imuno-histoqu?mica e presen?a de polimorfismo ou poss?veis muta??es. Conclui-se que a express?o imuno-histoqu?mica do complexo E-caderina/?-catenina pode estar relacionada com a quantidade e diferencia??o do componente mioepitelial e n?o ao comportamento biol?gico dos tumores. Os casos que exibiram polimorfismo no gene da E-caderina apresentaram redu??o na express?o prot?ica e, por fim, as poss?veis muta??es no gene CTNNB1 parecem n?o influenciar na express?o da prote?na ?-catenina

FundaÃÃo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Cearà / O cÃncer oral representa um sÃrio problema de saÃde pÃblica mundial. Entre os tumores deste sÃtio anatÃmico, os carcinomas de cÃlulas escamosas orais (CCEO) respondem por atà 94% do total. Os mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na gÃnese e desenvolvimento tumoral ainda nÃo estÃo completamente elucidados. Algumas evidÃncias tÃm sugerido a participaÃÃo viral neste processo. AlÃm disso, estes tumores ainda carecem de marcadores confiÃveis para determinar o perfil de agressividade. Neste contexto, o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a expressÃo das proteÃnas p53, E-caderina, COX-2, p16, MLH1 e MYC numa sÃrie de CCEO, considerando tambÃm a marcaÃÃo citoplasmÃtica eventualmente observada para as Ãltimas trÃs proteÃnas, confrontando os resultados entre elas e com as caracterÃsticas demogrÃficas e clÃnico-patolÃgicas. AlÃm de avaliar a prevalÃncia do PapilomavÃrus Humano (HPV) e do VÃrus Epstein-Barr (EBV) na amostra e comparÃ-las com a expressÃo das referidas proteÃnas. Materiais e MÃtodos â Cem espÃcimes de CCEO, fixados em formalina e incluÃdos em blocos de parafina, foram submetidos à imunohistoquÃmica para a detecÃÃo das referidas proteÃnas e à hibridaÃÃo in situ para detecaÃà de HPV e EBV. Resultados â Foi observada associaÃÃo referente à perda de expressÃo concomitante de p16 e MLH1 (p=0,029) e na coexpressÃo de p53 e COX-2 (p=0,045). Ademais, foi verificado que a COX-2 e o MYC nuclear estavam relacionados com a marcaÃÃo citoplasmÃtica de MLH1 (p=0,060 e p=0,018; respectivamente). A anÃlise combinada dos marcadores revelou cinco grupos principais de expressÃo alterada que eram constituÃdos, em sua maioria, de tumores mais agressivos, principalmente o grupo MLH1(-)/COX-2(+)/p16(-). Os casos com marcaÃÃo citoplasmÃtica para p16, MLH1 e/ou MYC foram mais frequentes em tumores avanÃados (p=0,009) e naqueles com metÃstases em linfonodos (p=0,001). Trinta e um casos demonstraram marcaÃÃo para HPV em tecido tumoral. O EBV nÃo foi detectado em nenhum dos casos investigados, nem no tecido tumoral nem no epitÃlio nÃo neoplÃsico. O grupo HPV(+) exibiu elevada positividade para o p16 nuclear (p=0,029) e MYC cytoplasmÃtico (p=0,039), tambÃm uma maior perda de expressÃo nuclear de MLH1 (p=0,031). Houve ainda uma tendÃncia referente ao aumento da positividade de COX-2 no grupo infectado (p=0,084). ConclusÃes â As significÃncias verificadas entre p16 e MLH1 sugerem que a ausÃncia do membro do sistema de reparo de encaixe (MMR) tambÃm favoreÃa a ocorrÃncia de mutaÃÃes no gene p16, culminando na inativaÃÃo deste supressor tumoral. As associaÃÃes de COX-2 e MYC com o MLH1 de expressÃo citoplasmÃtica suscitam um mecanismo de bloqueio de entrada de MLH1 no nÃcleo. A anÃlise combinada das proteÃnas, bem como, a marcaÃÃo citoplasmÃtica de p16, MLH1 e MYC, podem representar indicadores Ãteis na avaliaÃÃo do perfil de agressividade e, provavelmente, de prognÃstico em CCEO. Acerca dos vÃrus, nossos achados sugerem que o HPV esteja envolvido em uma importante parcela de casos de CCEO e que possa promover a expressÃo de p16 nuclear, MYC citoplasmÃtico e COX-2, e suprimir a expressÃo nuclear de MLH1. Quanto ao EBV, nÃo foram detectados EBERs (EBV-encoded small RNAs) na amostra. / The oral cancer represents a serious world public health problem. The oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) account for up to 94% of the tumors of this anatomic site. The molecular mechanisms involved in the genesis and progression are still not well elucidated. Some evidences have suggested the involvement of viruses in this process. Also, these tumors still lack of reliable markers to determine the aggressiveness profile. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the expression of the proteins p53, E-cadherin, COX-2, p16, MLH1 and MYC in a serie of OSCC, including the cytoplasmic staining eventually observed for the latter three proteins, confronting the results between them and with demographic and clinico-pathological features. Besides evaluating the prevalence of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the sample and compare them with the expression of the referred proteins. Materials and Methods â One hundred formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded OSCC specimens were submitted to immunohistochemistry for detection of the referred proteins, and to in situ hybridization for HPV and EBV detection. Results â OSCC was associated with a concomitant lack of expression of p16 and MLH1 (p=0.029) and coexpression of p53 and COX-2 (p=0.045). Additionally, COX-2 and nuclear MYC were found to be related to exclusively cytoplasmic staining of MLH1 (p=0.060 and p=0.018, respectively). The combination analyses of the markers revealed five main groups of altered protein expression, which were mostly of the more aggressive tumors, mainly the MLH1(-)/COX-2(+)/p16(-) group. The cases with cytoplasmic staining for p16, MLH1 and/or MYC were more frequent in advanced tumors (p=0.009) and in those with lymph node metastasis (p=0.001). Thirty-one cases showed staining for HPV in tumor tissue. The EBV was not detected in any case investigated, neither in the tumor tissue nor in the non-neoplastic epithelium. The HPV(+) group demonstrated high positivity for nuclear p16 (p=0,029) and cytoplasmic MYC (p=0,039), and an increase of the lack of MLH1 nuclear expression (p=0,031). There was also a trend related to the increase of the COX-2 positivity in the HPV(+) group (p=0,084). Conclusions â The significance between p16 and MLH1 suggests that the lack of this member of mismatch repair system also favors the occurrence of mutations in the p16 gene, culminating in inactivation of this tumor suppressor. The associations of COX-2 and MYC with cytoplasmic MLH1 suggest a blocking mechanism for the entry of MLH1 into the nucleus. The combined analyses of the proteins investigated, as well as the cytoplasmic staining of p16, MLH1 and MYC, may be useful in the evaluation of the aggressive profile and probably prognosis of OSCC. Regarding the viruses, our findings suggest that the HPV is involved in an important portion of OSCC cases and that may promote the expression of the nuclear p16, cytoplasmic MYC and COX-2, and suppress the nuclear expression of MLH1. About EBV, it was not detected the EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) in the sample.

O cÃncer do colo do Ãtero à um dos mais preocupantes problemas de saÃde pÃblica do planeta. SÃo esperados para 2013, no Brasil, 17.540 casos novos. Acredita-se atualmente que a maior parte dos cÃnceres cervicais se desenvolve a partir das neoplasias intraepiteliais cervicais. A aquisiÃÃo de propriedades invasivas dos tumores malignos està associada ao desequilÃbrio nas adesÃes intercelulares. As molÃculas de adesÃo tÃm papel fundamental nestas uniÃes e a caderina-E à uma das mais importantes. Està comprovada a sua presenÃa na membrana celular de tecidos epiteliais normais e foi demonstrado que esta proteÃna tem sua expressÃo diminuÃda na maioria dos tumores sÃlidos, o que favorece o processo de invasÃo. O objetivo, neste estudo, foi investigar a imunoexpressÃo da caderina-E nas Cervicites, nas LesÃes Intraepiteliais Escamosas (LIE) e no Carcinoma Invasivo do colo uterino. A amostra consistiu de 83 casos de biÃpsias e cones de colo do Ãtero obtidos dos arquivos do Departamento de Patologia e Medicina Legal da Universidade Federal do CearÃ, em 2007 e 2010, com os seguintes diagnÃsticos: Cervicite = 8 casos; LesÃo Intraepitelial Escamosa de Baixo Grau (LIEBG) = 24 casos; LesÃo Intraepitelial Escamosa de Alto Grau (LIEAG) = 28 casos; Carcinoma Invasor = 23 casos. A imunohistoquÃmica (IHQ) foi efetuada com o anticorpo monoclonal anti-caderina-E, tendo sido considerada positiva a presenÃa de expressÃo membranar, e negativa, a ausÃncia de expressÃo. O teste exato de Fisher foi utilizado para os cÃlculos das tabelas de contingencias. Os resultados da imunomarcaÃÃo foram: Cervicites = 1/8 (12%) negativos e 7/8 (88%) casos positivos para caderina-E; LIEBG = 7/24 (29%) casos negativos e 17/24 (71%) positivos; LIEAG = 7/28 (25%) negativos e 21/28 (75%) positivos; Carcinoma Invasor = 19/23 (83%) negativos e 4/23 (17%) positivos. A expressÃo negativa foi muito mais frequente nas LIEs (27%), comparadas com as Cervicites (12%) apesar de diferenÃa nÃo significante (p = 0,6657). Nas LIEs, uma maior perda da caderina-E foi notada nas cÃlulas menos diferenciadas do 1/3 basal da espessura epitelial. Finalmente, observou-se que a ausÃncia de expressÃo membranar da caderina-E foi muito mais frequente no carcinoma epidermÃide invasor do que nas lesÃes intraepiteliais escamosas do colo do Ãtero. Estes dados mostraram a importÃncia da caderina-E na carcinogÃnese do colo uterino, no entanto, muitos aspectos permanecem sem explicaÃÃo e novos estudos sÃo necessÃrios. / Cervical cancer is one of the most important public health problems around the world. About 17.540 new cases are expected, in Brazil, for 2013. Actually, itâs believed that the majority of cervical cancers begin with non invasive dysplastic lesions, the cervical intraepithelial neoplasias. The acquisition of invasive properties, in epithelial malignancies, is associated to the disruption of intercellular adhesions. The adhesion molecules play a pivotal role in these intercellular bindings and E-cadherin is considered one of the most important among them. In normal epithelial tissues its presence in cell membrane is recognized and it was shown that a down regulation of these proteins in the majority of solid tumors may contribute to facilitate the invasive process. The aim, of this research, was to investigate the E-cadherin immunoexpression in cervicitis, in SILs and in the invasive carcinomas of the uterine cervix. Samples specimens consisted of 83 cases of uterine cervical biopsies and conizations retrieved from the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine files of the Federal University of Cearà (Brazil) in 2007 and 2010, distributed, by diagnostic, as follows: Cervicitis = 8 cases; Low Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (LSIL) = 24 cases; High Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion (HSIL) = 28 cases; and Invasive Carcinoma = 23 cases. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed with the anti-E-cadherin monoclonal antibody and it was considered positive the membranar expression, and, negative, the absence of membranar expression. The Fisherâs exact test was the choice for the contingency tables calculations. The immunostaining results were: Cervicitis = (12%) negative and 7/8 (88%) positive cases to E-cadherin; LSILs = 7/24 (29%) negative cases and 17/24 (71%) positive; HSILs = 7/28 (25%) negative and 21/28 (75%) positive; Invasive Carcinoma = 19/23 (83%) negative and 4/23 (17%) positive. The negative expression was much more frequent in SILs (27%) when compared to cervicitis (12%), although no significant difference (p = 0,6657). In SILs, a bigger E-cadherin loss was noted in undifferentiated cells at the basal third of epithelial thickness. Finally it was shown that the absence of E-cadherin membranar expression was much more frequent in the uterine cervix invasive carcinoma when compared to LSILs and HSILs. These data showed the E-cadherin importance in cervical carcinogenesis, nonetheless, several aspects remain without explication and new researches are to be performed.