Recent studies from our laboratory on the aromatic amine carcinogen, 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) have shown a significantly lower prevalence of ABP-induced liver tumors in male mice lacking the N-acetyltransferases, and a dramatically lower prevalence in females than in males, but no association of tumor prevalence with strain or sex differences in levels of acute ABP-induced DNA damage. This thesis aimed to investigate the possible involvement of acute cytotoxic effects of ABP in the development of a tumor-promoting inflammatory environment. We found that wild-type male mice showed higher acute hepatotoxicity to ABP, as well as, a possible trend towards higher serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6. This correspondence between acute ABP cytotoxicity and inflammatory response with ultimate tumor growth is consistent with a model whereby ABP not only initiates cells by damaging DNA but also promotes tumor growth in a gender-selective fashion that may be governed by gonadal hormone influences.

Recent studies from our laboratory on the aromatic amine carcinogen, 4-aminobiphenyl (ABP) have shown a significantly lower prevalence of ABP-induced liver tumors in male mice lacking the N-acetyltransferases, and a dramatically lower prevalence in females than in males, but no association of tumor prevalence with strain or sex differences in levels of acute ABP-induced DNA damage. This thesis aimed to investigate the possible involvement of acute cytotoxic effects of ABP in the development of a tumor-promoting inflammatory environment. We found that wild-type male mice showed higher acute hepatotoxicity to ABP, as well as, a possible trend towards higher serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 6. This correspondence between acute ABP cytotoxicity and inflammatory response with ultimate tumor growth is consistent with a model whereby ABP not only initiates cells by damaging DNA but also promotes tumor growth in a gender-selective fashion that may be governed by gonadal hormone influences.

<p>Cerebral radiation necrosis as a consequence of radiation therapy is often observed in patients several months to years after treatment. Complications include painful headaches, seizures, and in the worst-case death. Radiation necrosis is an irreversible condition with the options available to manage it all having noticeable downsides. As such, there is a critical need for better ways of either preventing the onset of necrosis and/or managing its symptoms. As radiation necrosis cannot be induced in humans for ethical reasons, a mouse model that mirrors the features of radiation necrosis observed in patients would allow for new techniques to be tested before being used in human clinical trials. This thesis will explain how our lab designed a murine model of cerebral radiation necrosis that uses a 320 keV cabinet irradiator to produce radiation necrosis and MRI and histology to evaluate the development of radiation necrosis at multiple time points.</p><p><br></p> <p> </p> <p>Our model required the development of a mouse positioning apparatus that could be used in the cabinet irradiator used as well as the machining of lead shields so that focal semi-hemispheric irradiations could be conducted with other critical structures spared. The MRI scans used as well as the algorithm used to draw radiation necrosis lesions were based off what has been used in previous Gamma Knife models of radiation necrosis. Our initial work showed that since the cabinet irradiator has a relatively flat dose distribution unlike the Gamma Knife, the radiation lesion volumes produced in the former either plateaued or decreased, unlike in the case of the latter where lesion volumes tended to decrease over time. Further work analyzed the effects of fractionation and found minimal sparing using four different fractionation schemes. The effects of strain and sex on the development of radiation necrosis were also analyzed, with strain being found to be a statistically significant parameter while sex was not. Future research should focus on testing the effects of new drugs and techniques for better dealing with radiation necrosis.<b></b></p>

La réponse immunitaire de type humorale se déclenche suivant certaines infections virales et bactériennes de même que suivant une immunisation. Au niveau cellulaire, ce type de réponse favorise la formation de petites structures, nommées centres germinatifs (CG), qui se développeront dans les organes lymphoïdes secondaires (OLS) tels que la rate et les ganglions. Ces CG sont orchestrés par la présentation des antigènes étrangers par les cellules dendritiques et les cellules dendritiques folliculaires (FDC), aux cellules T et B respectivement, ainsi que par des interactions complexes survenant entre ces lymphocytes T et B. Suivant ce processus, les lymphocytes B quittant les CG se différencieront soient en plasmocytes sécréteurs d’anticorps de fortes affinités ou en cellules B mémoires qui assureront une protection lors d’une seconde exposition face à un antigène étranger ayant précédemment été rencontré. Plusieurs évidences suggèrent que la qualité de la réponse humorale est influencée par des variants génétiques. Par exemple, des études quantifiant les titres d’anticorps suivant la vaccination ont observé que ces titres variaient en fonction de différents groupes ethniques. Toutefois, malgré ces évidences, la contribution de la génétique quant à la variation des aspects cellulaires de la réponse humorale demeure incomplète. En utilisant douze lignées de souris génétiquement éloignées, nous avons donc évalué l'impact de la variabilité génétique sur les aspects cellulaires de cette réponse humorale, et ce, à l'état d'équilibre et suivant l’immunisation avec un antigène étranger. Pour ces deux conditions, nous avons quantifié, par cytométrie en flux, le nombre ainsi que la composition cellulaire (cellules B, plasmocytes et cellules T auxiliaires folliculaires) des CG contenus dans plusieurs OLS ainsi que dans la moelle osseuse des différentes lignées de souris. Après immunisation, le positionnement cellulaire au sein des CG de la rate a également été évalué par immunofluorescence. Nos résultats indiquent que le nombre et la taille des CG après immunisation ainsi que la composition cellulaire de ces CG à l’état d’équilibre et suivant l’immunisation varient entre les différentes lignées de souris à l’étude. Comme les douze lignées de souris ont été soumises aux mêmes conditions, ces résultats suggèrent que les variants génétiques, étant différents d’une lignée de souris à une autre, sont responsables des variations que nous avons observées au niveau des aspects cellulaires de la réponse humorale. Ce projet permettant de mieux comprendre l’impact de la variabilité génétique sur certains aspects de la réponse humorale pourrait ultimement mener à une amélioration des approches vaccinales chez les individus répondant moins bien à un certain type de vaccination. / The humoral immune response is triggered following certain viral and bacterial infections as well as following immunization. At the cellular level, this type of response promotes the formation of small structures, called germinal centers (GC), which develop into secondary lymphoid organs such as the spleen and lymph nodes. These GC are orchestrated by the presentation of foreign antigens by dendritic cells and follicular dendritic cells (FDC), to T and B cells respectively, and by subsequent interactions between these T and B lymphocytes. Following this process, B cells leaving the GC will differentiate into high-affinity antibody-secreting plasma cells or memory B cells that will provide protection upon a second exposure to a previously encountered foreign antigen. There is some evidence to suggest that the quality of the humoral response is influenced by genetic variants. For example, studies quantifying antibody titers following vaccination have observed that these titers vary across different ethnic groups. However, despite this evidence, the contribution of genetics to the variation of the cellular aspects of the humoral responses remains incomplete. Using twelve genetically divergent mouse strains, we therefore evaluated the impact of genetic variability on the cellular aspects of this humoral response at steady state and following immunization with a foreign antigen. For these two conditions, we quantified, by flow cytometry, the number as well as the cellular composition (B cells, plasma cells and T follicular helper cells) of the GC contained in several SLO and in the bone marrow of the different mouse strains. After immunization, cell positioning within the GC of the spleen was also assessed by immunofluorescence. Our results indicate that the number and size of GC after immunization as well as the cellular composition of these GC at steady state and following immunization vary between the different mouse strains studied. As the twelve mouse strains were subjected to the same conditions, these results suggest that the genetic variants, being different from one mouse strain to another, are responsible for the variations that we observed in the cellular aspects of the humoral response. This project, which allows us to better understand the impact of genetic variability on some aspects of the humoral response, could ultimately lead to an improvement in vaccine approaches in individuals who respond less well to a certain type of vaccination.