O carcinoma mucoepidermoide (CME) é a neoplasia maligna de glândula salivar mais comum, e com maior frequência de metástase linfonodal. Alterações genéticas estão intimamente associadas à carcinogênese e, também, aos processos de metástase tumoral. Para o CME o tratamento de escolha mais aplicado hoje é a cirurgia seguida de radioterapia, pois a quimioterapia não tem mostrado muita eficiência para o tratamento destas neoplasias. Entre os quimioterápicos mais prescritos para o tratamento de cânceres encontra-se a cisplatina, à base de platina, que atua no DNA da célula, induzindo a apoptose. Pouco se sabe a respeito de seu mecanismo de ação sobre o CME, inclusive sobre os genes homeobox. Estes genes compreendem uma família grande e essencial de reguladores do desenvolvimento que são vitais para o crescimento e diferenciação celular, e a expressão anômala destes genes têm sido implicados na carcinogênese. Assim, este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a expressão dos genes homeobox em células derivadas de carcinoma mucoepidermoide tratadas com cisplatina. Os genes avaliados neste trabalho foram: PROX1, MEIS1, HOXB5, HOXB7 e HOXB9 por RT-qPCR. Previamente, as linhagens celulares derivadas de carcinoma mucoepidermoide UM-HMC1 UM-HMC2 e UM-HMC3A foram tratadas com a cisplatina por 24h e posteriormente submetidas aos ensaios de RT-qPCR. Adicionalmente, as amostras tratadas e sem tratamento foram analisadas pelo ensaio de formação de esferas e ensaio de ferida para verificar o efeito da cisplatina sobre propriedades relacionadas às células quimiorresistentes (putativas células tronco tumorais). Como resultados, entre os genes analisados foram expressos PROX1, MEIS1 e HOXB7. A UM-HMC3A apresentou maior expressão destes genes que as demais linhagens. Os genes HOXB5 e HOXB9 não foram expressos nas linhagens analisadas. A cisplatina reduziu a expressão de MEIS1 e aumentou a expressão de HOXB7, em todas as linhagens. O gene PROX1 apresentou expressão variável entre as linhagens, sendo expresso na UM-HMC1 apenas quando são tratadas com cisplatina e reduzido nas UM-HMC2 e UM-HMC3A tratadas. O número de esferas formadas não apresentou diferença significativa para UM-HMC1 e UM-HMC3A, o número de esferas aumentou na linhagem UM-HMC2 tratada com cisplatina. No ensaio de ferida, a cisplatina foi capaz de reduzir a migração celular em todas as linhagens quando comparadas com seus controles. Os resultados sugerem que o PROX1 e HOXB7 podem estar relacionados com carcinomas mucoepidermoides mais invasivos, enquanto que o MEIS1 pode estar relacionado à carcinogênese e autorrenovação tumoral. A cisplatina é capaz de afetar a expressão dos genes homeobox PROX1, MEIS1 e HOXB7, os quais foram encontrados nas linhagens de carcinoma mucoepidermoide analisados. A cisplatina não afeta as células formadoras de esferas, mas reduzir a migração das linhagens de carcinoma mucoepidermoide. / Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of salivary gland and presents higher frequency of lymph node metastasis. Genetic alterations are closely associated with carcinogenesis and also with processes of tumor metastasis. For MEC the treatment of choice most applied today is surgery followed by radiotherapy, since chemotherapy has not shown much efficiency for the treatment of these neoplasms. Among the most commonly prescribed chemotherapic drugs for cancer treatment is platinum-based cisplatin, which acts on the cell\'s DNA, inducing apoptosis. There is no information in the literature regarding its action mechanism on MEC including homeobox genes. These genes comprise a large and essential family of developmental regulators that are vital for cell growth and differentiation and the anomalous expression of these genes have been implicated in carcinogenesis. Therefore, this work aimed to evaluate the expression of the homeobox genes in cells derived from mucoepidermoid carcinoma treated with cisplatin. The genes evaluated in this work were: PROX1, MEIS1, HOXB5, HOXB7 and HOXB9 by RT-qPCR. Previously, cell lines derived from mucoepidermoid carcinoma UM-HMC1 UM-HMC2 and UM-HMC3A were treated with cisplatin for 24h and subsequently subjected to the RT-qPCR assays. In addition, treated and untreated samples were analyzed by the sphere-forming assay and wound assay to verify the effect of cisplatin on chemo resistant cell-related (putative tumor stem cell) properties. As results, PROX1, MEIS1 and HOXB7 were expressed among the analyzed genes. UM-HMC3A showed higher expression of these genes than the other lineages. The HOXB5 and HOXB9 genes were not expressed in the analyzed lineages. Cisplatin reduced MEIS1 expression and increased HOXB7 expression in all lineages. The PROX1 gene showed variable expression between the lineages, being expressed in UM-HMC1 only when treated with cisplatin and reduced in treated UM-HMC2 and UM-HMC3A. The number of spheres formed did not show significant difference for UM-HMC1 and UM-HMC3A, the number of spheres increased in the cisplatin-treated UM-HMC2 lineage. In the wound assay, cisplatin was able to reduce cell migration in all lineages when compared to their controls. The results suggested that PROX1 and HOXB7 may be related to more invasive mucoepidermoid carcinoma, while MEIS1 be related to its carcinogenesis and selfrenew tumoral capacity. Cisplatin is capable to affect the expression of the homeobox genes PROX1, MEIS1 and HOXB7, which were found in the mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell lines analyzed. Cisplatin does not affect sphere formation of cells, but seems to reduce the migration of mucoepidermoid carcinoma lineages.

Le cancer colorectal (CCR) représente la 2ème cause de mortalité par cancer dans les pays industrialisés. De nouveaux traitements permettant de bloquer l’évolution de la maladie sont nécessaires. Il est donc important de mieux connaitre les acteurs impliqués dans la cancérogenèse. Lors du développement du cancer, des gènes suppresseurs de tumeur sont inhibés et des oncogènes sont activés, perturbant ainsi l’équilibre des cellules et les transformant. Au cours de ma thèse, je me suis intéressée à deux gènes homéotiques qui possèdent des rôles opposés dans les CCR. Cdx2 exerce un rôle suppresseur de tumeur, alors que HoxB7 agit comme un oncogène. Mon travail de thèse a permis (i) de mettre en évidence une nouvelle fonction non-transcriptionnelle de Cdx2 : inhibiteur de la réparation des cassures de l'ADN spécifiquement dans le côlon, (ii) et de révéler que le niveau d'expression des gènes Cdx2 et Hoxb7 au sein de la tumeur peut avoir une importance pour le choix du traitement des CCR. / Colorectal cancer is the 2nd cause of mortality by cancer in industrialized countries. New treatments allowing to prevent the evolution of the disease are needed. It is important to better understand the actors implicated in carcinogenesis. During cancer development, tumor suppressor genes are inhibited and oncogenes are activated, thus disrupting the homeostasis of the tissue and transforming the cells. During my thesis, I have been interested in two genes having two opposite functions in CCR : Cdx2 is a tumor suppressor while Hoxb7 acts as an oncogene. My work allows to highlight (i) a new non-transcriptional function of Cdx2 : inhibitor of the reparation of DNA breaks specifically in the colon, (ii) and that the expression level of Cdx2 and Hoxb7 genes inside the tumor can have an importance in the choice of the CCR treatment.

O adenocarcinoma pancreático ductal representa a quarta causa de morte por câncer, visto que as taxas de incidência são praticamente idênticas às taxas de mortalidade, o que justifica a natureza altamente agressiva do tumor. Em uma análise preliminar realizada por nosso grupo, avaliou-se a expressão do gene homeobox HOXB7 nas linhagens celulares MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 e Capan-1, bem como em tecidos pancreáticos normais, detectando-se o aumento significativo da expressão nas células derivadas de adenocarcinoma pancreático. Alterações na expressão de HOXB7 foram relatadas na formação e progressão de outros cânceres. Nessas condições, este estudo visou não somente avaliar a expressão deste gene em uma série de 29 adenocarcinomas pancreáticos ductais, 6 tecidos metastáticos e 24 tecidos peritumorais, comparando-os aos tecidos normais, mas também averiguar o efeito de sua inibição sobre o perfil de expressão das células citadas. A análise da expressão gênica demonstrou a hiperregulação do transcrito do gene HOXB7 nos tecidos tumorais, corroborando os resultados observados nas linhagens celulares MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 e Capan-1. A inibição realizada com RNA de interferência promoveu a modulação de diferentes processos biológicos nas três linhagens celulares pesquisadas, bem como a indução de apoptose e diminuição da proliferação das células MIA PaCa-2. Nesse contexto, o homeobox neste estudo investigado representa mais um componente associado à ampla rede de moléculas envolvidas na caracterização do câncer pancreático e um promissor alvo para futuras terapias biológicas / The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, whereas the incidence rates are practically identical to mortality rates, which explains the highly aggressive tumor. In a preliminary analysis performed by our group, we evaluated the expression of the homeobox gene HOXB7 in cell lineages MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 and Capan-1, as well as in normal pancreatic tissue, detecting a significant increase in expression in cells derived from pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Changes in expression of HOXB7 were reported in the formation and progression of other cancers. Under these conditions, this study aimed to not only evaluate the expression of this gene in a series of 29 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, 6 metastatic tissues and 24 peritumoral tissues, comparing them to normal tissues, but also examined the effect of its inhibition on the expression profile of the cells mentioned. The analysis of gene expression showed the hyper-regulation of HOXB7 gene transcript in the tumor tissues, confirming the results observed in cell lineages MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 and Capan-1. The inhibition performed with RNA interference promoted the modulation of different biological processes in all three cell lines investigated, as well as the induction of apoptosis and decreased in proliferation of the MIA PaCa-2 cells. In this context, the homeobox investigated in this study represents another component associated with the extensive network of molecules involved in the characterization of pancreatic cancer and a promising target for future biologic therapies

O adenocarcinoma pancreático ductal representa a quarta causa de morte por câncer, visto que as taxas de incidência são praticamente idênticas às taxas de mortalidade, o que justifica a natureza altamente agressiva do tumor. Em uma análise preliminar realizada por nosso grupo, avaliou-se a expressão do gene homeobox HOXB7 nas linhagens celulares MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 e Capan-1, bem como em tecidos pancreáticos normais, detectando-se o aumento significativo da expressão nas células derivadas de adenocarcinoma pancreático. Alterações na expressão de HOXB7 foram relatadas na formação e progressão de outros cânceres. Nessas condições, este estudo visou não somente avaliar a expressão deste gene em uma série de 29 adenocarcinomas pancreáticos ductais, 6 tecidos metastáticos e 24 tecidos peritumorais, comparando-os aos tecidos normais, mas também averiguar o efeito de sua inibição sobre o perfil de expressão das células citadas. A análise da expressão gênica demonstrou a hiperregulação do transcrito do gene HOXB7 nos tecidos tumorais, corroborando os resultados observados nas linhagens celulares MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 e Capan-1. A inibição realizada com RNA de interferência promoveu a modulação de diferentes processos biológicos nas três linhagens celulares pesquisadas, bem como a indução de apoptose e diminuição da proliferação das células MIA PaCa-2. Nesse contexto, o homeobox neste estudo investigado representa mais um componente associado à ampla rede de moléculas envolvidas na caracterização do câncer pancreático e um promissor alvo para futuras terapias biológicas / The pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer death, whereas the incidence rates are practically identical to mortality rates, which explains the highly aggressive tumor. In a preliminary analysis performed by our group, we evaluated the expression of the homeobox gene HOXB7 in cell lineages MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 and Capan-1, as well as in normal pancreatic tissue, detecting a significant increase in expression in cells derived from pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Changes in expression of HOXB7 were reported in the formation and progression of other cancers. Under these conditions, this study aimed to not only evaluate the expression of this gene in a series of 29 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas, 6 metastatic tissues and 24 peritumoral tissues, comparing them to normal tissues, but also examined the effect of its inhibition on the expression profile of the cells mentioned. The analysis of gene expression showed the hyper-regulation of HOXB7 gene transcript in the tumor tissues, confirming the results observed in cell lineages MIA PaCa-2, BxPC-3 and Capan-1. The inhibition performed with RNA interference promoted the modulation of different biological processes in all three cell lines investigated, as well as the induction of apoptosis and decreased in proliferation of the MIA PaCa-2 cells. In this context, the homeobox investigated in this study represents another component associated with the extensive network of molecules involved in the characterization of pancreatic cancer and a promising target for future biologic therapies

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. Despite significant declines in the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Canada, it remains the 4th most common cancer in women aged 20-29 years. In order to gain novel insights into cervical cancer tumourigenesis and clinical outcome, we investigated and characterized the alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression in this disease. Firstly, we performed global miRNA expression profiling of cervical cancer cell lines (n=3), and patient specimens (n=79). From this analysis, we identified miR-196b to be significantly down-regulated in cervical cancer, and characterized its role in regulating the HOXB7~VEGF axis. The global miRNA expression data also led to the development of a candidate 9-miRNA signature that was prognostic for disease-free survival in patients with cervical cancer, although we were unable to validate this signature in an independent cohort. This report describes important considerations concerning the development and validation of microRNA signatures for cervical cancer. Our investigations also led us to a comparison of three methods for measuring miRNA abundance: the TaqMan Low Density Array, the NanoString nCounter assay, and single-well quantitative real-time PCR. Our findings demonstrated limited concordance between the TLDA and NanoString platforms, although each platform correlated well with PCR, which is considered the gold standard for nucleic acid quantification. Furthermore, we examined biases created by amplification protocols for microarray studies. Our analysis demonstrated that performing a correction using the LTR-method (linear transformation of replicates) could help mitigate, but not completely eliminate such biases. Overall, this report presents insights into the role of miRNAs in cervical cancer, as well as an evaluation of technical considerations concerning miRNA and mRNA expression profiling studies.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. Despite significant declines in the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Canada, it remains the 4th most common cancer in women aged 20-29 years. In order to gain novel insights into cervical cancer tumourigenesis and clinical outcome, we investigated and characterized the alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression in this disease. Firstly, we performed global miRNA expression profiling of cervical cancer cell lines (n=3), and patient specimens (n=79). From this analysis, we identified miR-196b to be significantly down-regulated in cervical cancer, and characterized its role in regulating the HOXB7~VEGF axis. The global miRNA expression data also led to the development of a candidate 9-miRNA signature that was prognostic for disease-free survival in patients with cervical cancer, although we were unable to validate this signature in an independent cohort. This report describes important considerations concerning the development and validation of microRNA signatures for cervical cancer. Our investigations also led us to a comparison of three methods for measuring miRNA abundance: the TaqMan Low Density Array, the NanoString nCounter assay, and single-well quantitative real-time PCR. Our findings demonstrated limited concordance between the TLDA and NanoString platforms, although each platform correlated well with PCR, which is considered the gold standard for nucleic acid quantification. Furthermore, we examined biases created by amplification protocols for microarray studies. Our analysis demonstrated that performing a correction using the LTR-method (linear transformation of replicates) could help mitigate, but not completely eliminate such biases. Overall, this report presents insights into the role of miRNAs in cervical cancer, as well as an evaluation of technical considerations concerning miRNA and mRNA expression profiling studies.