As the most frequently diagnosed cancer in North American men, prostate cancer can progress to the androgen independent stage after initial response to androgen ablation therapy. The molecular mechanisms involved in the hormonal progression of prostate cancer are not completely understood. Here, we analyze changes in the transcriptome of prostate cancer cells at different stages of progression to reveal potential mechanisms. Applying Affymetrix GeneChip technology, we identified the transcriptomes in response to stimulation of androgen and PKA pathways in human prostate cancer cells. In addition to PSA, other common target genes were identified. Genes differentially expressed in response to androgen and stimulation of the PKA pathway in vitro were also differentially expressed during hormonal progression in vivo. Upon androgen stimulation, androgen receptor binds to a functional androgen response element within the promoter region of SESN1, a p53 targeted gene, and represses its expression. The expression of SESN1 was induced by castration in LNCaP xenografts, but the expression was eventually suppressed again in the androgen independent stage of prostate cancer. Knockdown of SESN1 promoted the proliferation of prostate cancer cells. Expression patterns of androgen-regulated genes in androgen independent tumours were revealed to be more similar to that from before castration than to the tumors under androgen ablation. The β-catenin, a potent coactivator of the androgen receptor, and Wnt pathway was deregulated in androgen-independent tumours. There was increased nuclear colocalization and interaction of androgen receptor and β-catenin with hormonal progression of prostate cancer. This study provides insight into hormonal effects on prostate cancer and possible pathways involved in the development of androgen independent disease, as well as potential therapeutic targets. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

The mechanism by which prostate cancer progresses from androgen dependence (AD) to androgen independence/castration resistance (AI/CR) is currently a major focus of prostate cancer-related research. Prostate cancers that progress to a state of AI/CR are typically resistant to most standard types of treatments. Due to its primary role in driving normal prostate cell growth and proliferation, the androgen receptor (AR) is believed to play a key role in progression. Coregulators, or any proteins which may either enhance or abrogate AR activity, are considered to be one of the potential mechanisms by which AR function may become impaired. Cyclin G-associated kinase (GAK) was initially identified as a potential coregulator of AR in a Tup 1 repressed transactivation system. A LNCaP cDNA library was screened for proteins which interacted with the NH2-terminus of AR. GAK was isolated from three independent library clones using two different AR baits (AR 1-549 and AR 1-646). This interaction was confirmed via GST pulldown and coimmunoprecipitation experiments, and preliminary luciferase assays suggested that GAK activates AR in a hormone dependent manner. In this study, my objectives were to validate GAK’s role as a coregulator of AR and to determine if overexpressing GAK affects progression to AI. In vitro luciferase assays whereby GAK was either overexpressed or knocked down in both LNCaP and PC3 cells did not significantly affect AR activity. Xenograft experiments utilizing a doxycycline (DOX) inducible lentiviral LNCaP-GAK overexpressing stable cell line demonstrated that while GAK may not play a significant role in modulating AR activity, it may adopt a more subtle role enhancing tumour take and tumour volume growth rate in vivo. While these results could not confirm GAK to be a direct coregulator of AR, it is entirely possible that GAK may influence prostate cancer progression, albeit indirectly. Recent publications report a growing amount of evidence suggesting GAK’s involvement in the critical cellular process of clathrin coated vesicle endocytosis, the dysregulation of which could potentially indirectly affect AR regulated genes. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate

Despite recent advances in early detection, in 2017 prostate cancer is estimated to claim over 26,000 lives in the United States alone. Prostate cancer related morbidity and mortality is a result of secondary skeletal metastasis. Therefore, better understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms of prostate tumor cell migration and subsequent metastasis is vital for improved clinical outcomes. Interestingly, integrin α6, a laminin receptor, is highly expressed in a number of aggressive tumor types including prostate and is associated with increased metastasis and reduced patient survival. Preliminary studies by our group found that α6 integrin undergoes a post-translational modification mediated by the serine protease, uPA and its receptor, uPAR, leading to the cleavage of α6 integrin and production of the tumor specific structural variant integrin α6p. Cleavage of this laminin receptor and production of α6p variant gives rise to an aggressive phenotype, markedly increasing tumor cell migration and invasion. Thus, the work conducted here sought to identify the function and efficacy of these prominent proteins in various aspects of tumor cell migration as well as the factors regulating α6 integrin cleavage. Interestingly, utilization of a co-culture system of prostate tumor cells and macrophages found that a direct and indirect interaction between the two cell populations influenced α6 integrin cleavage. Specifically, prostate tumor cell interactions with macrophages, a known immune cell population that is highly observed in a number of primary tumors, resulted in increased protein levels of uPAR on the surface of prostate tumor cells that led to a significant production of α6p and subsequently increased invasion. Additionally, key downstream effectors of integrin signaling, including FAK, ILK, and actin, were found to regulate production of the tumor specific variant integrin α6p. Depletion of FAK, ILK, or actin, resulted in a significant increase in uPAR protein expression and subsequent α6 integrin cleavage, a regulatory event previously not known of these integrin signaling effector molecules. In addition, silencing of another prominently expressed laminin receptor, integrin α3β1, led to a significant increase in the cohesive collective phenotype exhibited by aggressive prostate tumor cells that was found to be facilitated by α6 integrin cleavage. Depletion of integrin α3β1 resulted in increased surface uPAR expression and increased lateral association with α6 integrin, which resulted in a striking increase in α6p production, a novel finding showing the regulation of one laminin receptor is dependent on the expression of another. Furthermore, the expression of α6 integrin as well as uPAR, was found to be highly expressed in aggressive pancreatic tumor cells. This expression pattern was found to significantly increase in response to the development of drug resistance and increased invasive potential. This finding showed a never before seen efficacy of integrin and uPAR expression in dictating acquired drug resistance in pancreatic tumor cells and demonstrates their potential use as prognostic biomarkers for acquired chemotherapy resistance. Taken together, the work conducted here illustrates the utility in further understanding the role of integrins and their regulation in mediating tumor cell migration and subsequent metastasis in the progression of aggressive epithelial cancers.

La Nucléophosmine (NPM1/B23) est une petite chaperonne moléculaire impliquée dans de nombreux processus cellulaires, tels que la régulation de l’expression génique ou le contrôle du cycle cellulaire. De nombreuses études rapportent une surexpression de NPM1 dans divers types de tumeurs solides incluant les cancers de la prostate, et son rôle proH prolifératif dans des lignées cellulaires tumorales d’origines variées est bien établi. La première partie de notre travail s’est attaché à évaluer le potentiel oncogénique de NPM1 dans l’épithélium prostatique in vivo. Pour cela, nous avons généré un modèle de souris transgéniques qui surexpriment NPM1 spécifiquement dans l’épithélium de la prostate. Ces animaux présentent une hyperplasie prostatique associée à une augmentation de l’index prolifératif de l’épithélium. Nos expériences révèlent que NPM1 pourrait lever la quiescence des cellules épithéliales différenciées en dérégulant l’expression de gènes clés de la régulation du cycle cellulaire, comme la Cycline E ou p27kip1. Bien que ces souris ne développent pas de lésions néoplasiques, ces données suggèrent que NPM1 participe à la carcinogenèse prostatique en association avec d’autres lésions oncogéniques. La seconde partie du travail visait à comprendre la nature des mécanismes qui supportent la surexpression de NPM1 dans les tumeurs prostatiques. Des données récentes de la littérature indiquent un enrichissement de la protéine kinase mTOR au niveau du promoteur proximal de NPM1 dans des foies de souris. Pour déterminer s’il existe un lien fonctionnel entre mTOR et NPM1, nous avons tiré parti d’un modèle de fibroblastes embryonnaires de souris invalidés pour le suppresseur de tumeur PTEN dont l’inactivation mène à une hyperactivité de mTOR. Dans ce contexte, les taux d’ARNm et de protéines NPM1 sont augmentés par rapport aux cellules sauvages. Nos résultats montrent également que mTOR contrôle l’expression de NPM1 i) en se fixant sur son promoteur et en stimulant l’expression du gène et ii) en stabilisant l’ARNm de NPM1. Nous avons confirmé le lien entre NPM1 et mTOR in vivo grâce à notre modèle de souris invalidées pour PTEN dans l’épithélium prostatique. Enfin, nous avons montré que l’expression de NPM1 est nécessaire pour transduire les effets prolifératifs de la voie PI3K/AKT/mTOR. Ces données placent donc NPM1 comme nouvel effecteur en aval de cette voie de signalisation, faisant de cette protéine une potentielle cible thérapeutique dans les tumeurs présentant une perte de PTEN. / Nucleophosmin (NPM1/B23) is a small molecular chaperone involved in a large array of cellular processes, including the regulation of gene expression and the control of the cell cycle. Several studies have reported the overexpression of NPM1 in solid tumors from various histological origin, including prostate cancer, and its proliferative impact on several human cancer cell line is being well described. The first part of our work aimed at assessing the NPM1 oncogenic properties in the prostate gland in vivo. To do so, we generated a new transgenic mouse model that overexpresses NPM1 specifically in the prostatic epithelium. These mice harbor prostatic hyperplasia associated with an increase of the ki67 proliferative index. Our molecular investigations revealed that NPM1 could be an inhibitor of the quiescent state of epithelial cells through a dysregulation of key cell-cycle controlers such as Cyclin E or p27kip1. Although these mice do not develop neoplastic lesions, our data suggest that NPM1 overexpression accelerate prostate cancer progression when associated with other oncogenic alterations. The second part of the work aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying NPM1 overexpression in prostate tumors. The serine/threonine Kinase mTOR was recently shown to bind to the proximal promoter of NPM1 in the mouse liver. In order to characterize a fonctionnal link between NPM1 and mTOR, we took advantage of murine embryonic fibroblast (MEF) deleted for PTEN, since these cells display a constitutive mTOR activity. In such cells, NPM1 protein and mRNA levels are increased compared to wild type MEF. We also demonstrated that mTOR controls NPM1 expression i) through its binding to NPM1 promoter, thus stimulating NPM1 gene expression and ii) by stabilizing NPM1 mRNA. We have confirmed the functional link between NPM1 and mTOR in vivo in a mouse model deleted for PTEN specifically in the prostatic epithelium. Finally, we have shown that NPM1 expression is necessary for the proliferation of PTEN knock-out MEF. These data set NPM1 as a new downstream effector of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, and suggest that it could be a new potential therapeutic target in PTEN negative human prostate cancer.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that tumour cells have the ability to alter immune function to create an immune suppressed environment. This allows tumour cells to escape immune surveillance and consequently the tumour can progress. Dendritic and T cells have critical roles in immune activation and tolerance and are thus major targets of tumour-mediated immune suppression. Understanding the mechanism(s) by which tumour cells modulate the immune system will facilitate the development of immune system-based therapies for cancer treatments. In this study we sought to determine the nature of, and cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying, changes in immune status during tumour progression using mouse models of prostate cancer. Detailed analysis of the immunological status in a mouse prostate dysplasia model (12T-7slow) revealed that immune suppression accompanied tumour progression. We found that T cells isolated from tumour-bearing hosts were hypo-responsive to antigen stimulation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells were responsible, at least in part, for this alteration. Anti-CD25 antibody treatment reduced, but did not prevent, tumour growth in either a transplanted prostate tumour model or a spontaneously developing prostate tumour model. In addition, an altered dendritic cell phenotype and an elevated frequency of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells were observed within the tumour mass. Similar alterations were observed in the prostate-specific Pten knockout mice which develop advanced prostate adenocarcinoma. Interestingly, evidence of immune activation, such as an increased frequency of activated T cells, was detected in the tumour microenvironment in both mouse prostate tumour models. To identify factors that may play critical roles in the altered immune cell phenotype observed in the tumour microenvironment, a global gene expression profiling analysis was carried out to evaluate the changes in immune-related gene expression patterns. This analysis provided additional evidence for the co-existence of immune suppression and immune activation. Moreover, subsequent analyses suggested that one differentially expressed transcript, interferon regulatory factor 7, and its target genes might be involved in modulating immune cells and/or tumour progression. Taken together, these studies have important implications for designing specific and effective anti-tumour immune therapy strategies that involve manipulation of tumour cells, dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. / Medicine, Faculty of / Medicine, Department of / Experimental Medicine, Division of / Graduate

Vinclozolin (VCZ), an antiandrogenic fungicide, is an endocrine disrupting chemical that is known to possess high affinity for the androgen receptor (AR) and modulate expression of critical androgen-dependant genes in the prostate. In this study, viability and expression of AR, NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 genes were measured in androgen-sensitive prostate cells LNCaP after exposure to VCZ and VCZ treated with S9 microsomes in a time and dose dependent manner. NKX3.1 is an androgen regulated gene that plays a vital role in prostate development. CYP3A4 is involved in xenobiotic metabolism. VCZ decreased the viability at high doses after 48 hours which was slightly mitigated by treatment with S9 metabolites. Expression of NKX3.1 and CYP3A4 was upregulated while an initial downregulation of AR was observed. NKX3.1 upregulation corroborates with possibility of antiandrogens to act as androgens in LNCaP. The results illustrate that VCZ can interfere with the expression of critical prostate genes.

This diploma thesis deals with prostate cancer, contains informations about this affection and in the practical part I deal with costs, which are used on treatment for prostate cancer. The theoretical part presents prostate cancer, its symptoms, risky factors and diagnostic. Furthermore introduces treatment methodes of prostate cancer, its classifying and insertion to stages. In the theoretical part are calculated costs on the individual modalities of prostate cancer treatment. These costs are compared with datas received from Hospital in Jihlava during the treatment of this affection. In the end sumarise costs of this treatment and analyse propriety of punctual screening of illness.

Orientadores: Eduardo Tavares Costa, Paulo José Cecílio / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de Computação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T11:03:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Biazotto_Bruna_M.pdf: 4075478 bytes, checksum: 077630eb4f66ca28ec46de7251c31e3f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: A experiência clínica em tratamentos radioterápicos de neoplasia de próstata baseia-se no cálculo de doses em meios homogêneos. Entretanto, o feixe de radiação atravessa tecidos de densidades eletrônicas diferentes como os ossos, que alteram a distribuição de dose. Com o advento da tomografia computadorizada e de algoritmos mais avançados que modelam o feixe de radiação, as heterogeneidades entre os tecidos podem ser incorporadas nos planejamentos de tratamentos radioterápicos. Todavia, não há consenso se as alterações na dose por correções de heterogeneidade são significativas. Por tais razões, pretendeu-se no presente trabalho avaliar a necessidade das correções de heterogeneidade em planejamentos de tratamentos radioterápicos de câncer de próstata. Para isso, analisaram-se as médias das diferenças percentuais nas doses em volume alvo e órgãos de risco obtidas em cálculos com e sem correções de heterogeneidade utilizando imagens tomográficas reais de pacientes que trataram dessa neoplasia. Essa avaliação foi realizada para dois métodos de tratamentos diferentes. O primeiro é o conformacional tridimensional (25 casos), algoritmos de cálculo Convolution, Superposition e Fast Superposition do sistema de planejamento XiO/Elekta, feixes de 6 e 10 MV e 4 campos em box. O segundo por intensidade modulada (14 casos), algoritmo de cálculo Pencil Beam Convolution do sistema de planejamento Eclipse/Varian com dois métodos de correção Batho Modificado e Razão Tecido-Ar Equivalente, feixe de 6 MV e geometria de 5 campos oblíquos. As diferenças percentuais médias resultantes nos volumes estudados foram menores que a incerteza aceita atualmente no cálculo de dose de 3% para as duas modalidades de tratamento. Apesar disso, a variabilidade na anatomia dos pacientes, geometria de campos e energia dos feixes apontam para a necessidade de tais correções e a utilização de métodos ainda mais exatos para a diminuição dessa incerteza no futuro / Abstract: Clinical experience in radiotherapy treatments for prostate cancer is based on the calculation of doses in homogeneous media. However, the radiation beam traverses different electron densities in tissues such as bone, altering the dose distribution. With the advent of computed tomography and more advanced algorithms that model the radiation beam, the heterogeneity between tissues can be incorporated in the planning of radiotherapy treatments. However, there is no consensus whether changes in dose for inhomogeneity corrections are significant. For these reasons, this study intended to evaluate the need for inhomogeneity corrections in treatment planning for radiotherapy of prostate cancer. We have analyzed the average percentage differences in doses in the target volume and organs at risk obtained by calculations with and without heterogeneity corrections using actual CT images of patients treated for this cancer. This evaluation was performed for two different methods of treatments. The first is the three-dimensional conformational (25 cases), calculation algorithms Convolution, Superposition and Fast Superposition from the computerized planning system XiO/Elekta, beams of 6 and 10 MV and 4 fields in box. The second by intensity modulated (14 cases), calculation algorithm Pencil Beam Convolution from the computerized planning system Eclipse/Varian with two correction methods Modified Batho and Equivalent Tissue-Air Ratio, 6 MV beam and geometry of 5 oblique fields. The resulting average percentage differences in volumes studied were smaller than the currently accepted uncertainty in the dose calculation of 3% for both treatment modalities. Nevertheless, variability in anatomy of patients, geometry and field energy beams brings the need for these corrections and the use of more accurate methods to reduce this uncertainty in the future / Mestrado / Engenharia Biomedica / Mestra em Engenharia Elétrica

THE BLIND ARCADE is a collection of poems chronicling several of the pressing conditions of contemporary American life: poverty and class, sex, violence, hunger, longing and mourning, and the inverse of the latter, requited love and emotional ecstasy. The poems are set in crowded markets, on trains and in apartment bedrooms, city squares and campus quads, dentist chairs, bridges, riverbanks, and kitchens. This contemporary and familiar backdrop dictates the form of most of these poems to be free verse, although terza rima, ekphrastic, haiku, and prose forms are also utilized. The book presents its poems in three sections. As if a series of decorative arches in a blind arcade, they are not broken down into themes. Rather, they are each utilized and are ordered around the weight of their individual topics to demonstrate the capriciousness of life.

Orientador: Sebastião Roberto Taboga / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T10:30:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Colleta_SimoneJacovaci_M.pdf: 4304217 bytes, checksum: ec5dd4758c1bcc8948cc085490014e3d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: A próstata é uma glândula acessória do sistema reprodutor que apresenta desenvolvimento e manutenção regulados por andrógenos e estrógenos. Interferências na ação desses hormônios podem predispor esta glândula a desenvolver doenças como hiperplasia prostática benigna e câncer. O bisfenol A (BPA) e cádmio (Cd) são poluentes ambientais que possuem atividade estereogênica. O BPA e Cd entram no corpo humano, principalmente através da ingestão oral. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se a exposição ao BPA e ao Cd durante a puberdade pode causar alterações na morfologia, proliferação e morte celular na próstata ventral de gerbilos normais e castrados. Para cumprir estes propósitos foram realizadas técnicas morfológicas, serológicas e immunocitoquímicas (PCNA para detecção de células proliferativas e TUNEL/ caspase-3 para a detecção de células apoptóticas). Os resultados demonstraram que 7 dias depois da exposição ao BPA e Cd, individualmente ou em combinação sob condições androgênicos normais, houve um aumento na altura do epitélio e na espessura da camada muscular lisa (SML). O BPA e Cd individualmente induziram o aumento expressão celular de PCNA e caspase-3. Em associação, o BPA e Cd causam aumento das células imunomarcados por TUNEL. Nos animais castrados, o Cd, individualmente ou em associação com o BPA causou aumento na altura do epitélio, na espessura SML, na área e perímetro nuclear, além da redução no numero de células epiteliais imunomarcadas com PCNA. Além disso, o BPA e Cd combinados, causaram redução das células imunomarcadas por caspase-3. Após 75 dias depois da exposição ao BPA e Cd individualmente ou em combinação, nos animais não castrados, foi observado um aumento na altura epitelial e na espessura da SMC. Todos animais com 120 dias de idade apresentaram focos de lesões intraepitelial prostática (PIN). O BPA promoveu redução da expressão de PCNA nas células do estroma. O Cd, individualmente ou associado com o BPA, causou um aumento das células epiteliais imunomarcadas por PCNA. Além disso, Cd aumentou o numero de células imunomarcadas por TUNEL e diminuiu as células imunomarcadas por caspase-3. Nos animais castrados, a administração BPA e Cd, individualmente ou em combinação, promoveu aumento das células imunomarcadas por TUNEL. Desta forma, podemos concluir que o BPA e o Cd são importantes desreguladores das atividades normais do tecido prostático, alterando os padrões morfológicos, de proliferação e morte celular / Abstract: The prostate is an accessory reproductive system gland presenting the development and maintenance regulated by androgens and estrogens. Interference in the action of these hormones may predispose this gland to develop diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia and cancer. The Bisphenol A (BPA) and cadmium (Cd) are environmental pollutants that have estrogenic activity. The BPA and Cd enter in human body, mainly through oral ingestion. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether exposure to BPA and the Cd during puberty can cause alterations in morphology, proliferation and cell death in normal and castrated gerbils¿ ventral prostate. For this, morphological, serological and immunocitochemical (PCNA for proliferating cells detection and TUNEL/ caspase-3 for apoptotic cells detection) methods were used. The results demonstrated that 7 days after the exposure to BPA and Cd, individually or in combination under androgenic normal conditions, there was an increase in epithelium height and in smooth muscle layer (SML) thickness. The BPA and Cd individually induced increased in PCNA and caspase-3 cellular expression. In association, the BPA and Cd cause increase in TUNEL immunostained cells. In castrated animals, the Cd, individually or in association with the BPA caused an increase in epithelium height, in SML thickness, in area and nuclear perimeter, in addition caused reduction in PCNA immunostained epithelial cells number. In addition, BPA and Cd combined, caused reduction in caspase-3 immunostained cells. Seventy-five days after BPA and Cd exposure, individually or in combination, in non-castrated animals, we observed an increase in epithelial height and the SMC thickness. All animals with 120 days of age had occurrences of lesions prostatic intraepithelial (PIN). The BPA caused a reduction in PCNA stromal cells expression. The Cd, individually or associated with BPA, caused an increase in PCNA immunostained epithelial cells. In addition, Cd increased the number of immunostained cells by TUNEL and decreased the immunostained cells by caspase-3. In castrated animals, the administration BPA and Cd, individually or in combination, increased the immunostained cells by TUNEL. We can conclude that the BPA and Cd are are important agents in endocrine activities changing of normal prostatic tissue patterns, altering the morphological, proliferation and cell death patterns / Mestrado / Histologia / Mestra em Biologia Celular e Estrutural