The ras genes, including Harvey ras (H-ras) and Kirsten ras (K-ras), were among the first oncogenes discovered, and are the most commonly mutated oncogenes in human cancer. The H-ras and K-ras proteins are 85% identical and share considerable functional overlap. However, there is increasing evidence for functional differences between the two proteins that may impart different properties to tumors arising from mutations in these two genes. To study the functional differences between H-ras and K-ras in an in vivo setting, we used two different transgenic mouse tumor models, MMTV-H-ras and MMTV-K-ras mice. The MMTV-H-ras mice were originally developed in Dr. Leder's lab and have been well characterized with regard to tumor properties. We created a similar line of transgenic mice expressing mutant K-ras (G12V) under the control of the MMTV promoter. Female mice of both lines develop primarily mammary tumors. We compared differences between the H-ras and K-ras lines with regard to age of tumor onset, rate of tumor growth, and rates of tumor proliferation and apoptosis. The tumors were also characterized by microarray analysis to look for genes that are differentially expressed in the two tumor types. Finally, the response of tumors to two common chemotherapeutic agents, doxorubicin and taxol, was also measured. We found that tumors in the MMTV-H-ras and MMTV-K-ras mice were similar with respect to several tumor properties, including age of onset, histopathology, and proliferation and apoptotic indices. While tumors from mice of these two genotypes clustered separately in an unsupervised analysis of gene expression profiles, the differentially expressed genes did not fall within any well-defined signaling pathways. However, drug studies indicated differences in response to doxorubicin between the two isoforms, with H-ras tumors responding better than K-ras tumors. In conclusion, our studies point to specific differences between H-ras and K-ras that may represent novel signaling pathways not currently known to be regulated by Ras. In spite of the few differences in properties of tumors arising from H-ras and K-ras mutation, there might be differences in response to chemotherapeutic agents that could have clinical significance.

p53 is an important tumor suppressor gene which is mutated in ~50% of all human cancers. Some of the p53 mutants appear to have acquired novel functions beyond merely losing wild-type functions. To investigate these gain-of-function effects in vivo, we interbred MMTV-v-Ha-ras transgenic mice to either p53-/- knock-out mice or p53R172H/+ knock-in mice to generate mice of three different genotypes: MMTV-ras, MMTV-ras/p53-/-, and MMTV-ras/p53R172H/R172H. Male mice of each of these genotypes were characterized with regard to age of salivary tumor onset and the tumors were characterized with regard to mean growth rates, proliferation fraction, apoptotic levels, and tumor histopathology, as well as responses to doxorubicin treatment. Microarray analysis was also performed to profile gene expression.The MMTV-ras/p53-/- and MMTV-ras/p53R172H/R172H mice display similar properties in age of tumor onset, tumor growth rates, and tumor histopathology, as well as response to doxorubicin. However, a subset of genes show differential expression between the two groups of tumor , and do not appear to be regulated by wild-type p53. At the same time, the MMTV-ras/p53R172H/R172H and MMTV-ras/p53+/+ tumors share similar expression levels of a group of genes that are differentially expressed in the MMTV-ras/p53-/- tumors. Thus, the gain-of-function effects may be caused in part by perturbed regulation of genes not normally regulated by wild-type p53, in addition to imbalances in the regulation of normal p53 target genes.

Le paludisme est une maladie tropicale causée par un parasite du genre Plasmodium. Chez l’Homme, un niveau élevé de phospholipase A2 sécrétée de groupe IIA humaine (hGIIA) est mesuré dans le plasma des patients impaludés. Cette enzyme est connue pour son rôle antibactérien et pro-inflammatoire. Cependant, son rôle dans le paludisme n’a jamais été exploré. Pour comprendre le rôle in vivo de la hGIIA dans cette pathologie, nous avons entrepris la caractérisation hématologique, histopathologique et immunohistochimique de l’infection de souris C57BL/6, transgéniques (Tg+) pour l’enzyme humaine, par l’espèce murine Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi 864VD. Ce modèle reproduit un paludisme non létal. Nos résultats ont permis d’établir que les souris Tg+ ont un meilleur contrôle de l’infection au moment du pic de crise parasitaire (J14 post-inoculation), avec une diminution de 27% de la parasitémie, comparé aux souris « littermates » non transgéniques (Tg-). L’injection de hGIIA recombinante aux jours 12, 13 et 14 p.i. (0,125 mg/kg deux fois par jour) à des souris C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) infectées par P. c. chabaudi 864VD provoque une diminution d’environ 19% de la parasitémie à J14 p.i., démontrant un rôle direct de la hGIIA dans la diminution de la population parasitaire. Les données hématologiques montrent que l’infection chez la souris Tg+ provoque une anémie plus durable que chez la souris Tg- et une élévation nettement plus importante du nombre de leucocytes, en particulier des polynucléaires neutrophiles. Chez la souris Tg+ parasitée, on observe aussi l’activation d’un nombre important de lymphocytes et une activation spécifique des monocytes avant le pic de crise. Chez la souris Tg- infectée, les données histologiques mettent en avant une meilleure récupération des lésions histopathologiques du foie et une hyperplasie des lymphocytes B dans la rate, tandis que les souris Tg+ infectées présentent des lésions hépatiques tardives et une hématopoïèse extramédullaire splénique. Les résultats des analyses par RT-qPCR suggèrent que l’ARNm de la hGIIA augmente au pic parasitaire dans le foie des souris Tg+ infectées, mais diminue dans la rate et les cellules sanguines. L’injection de hGIIA recombinante au début de la phase patente est sans effet sur la parasitémie, ce qui laisse supposer que des événements plus tardifs dans l’infection sont nécessaires à l’activité antiparasitaire de l’enzyme. L’étude du rôle des lipoprotéines oxydées comme substrat potentiel de l’activité antiparasitaire de l’enzyme, basée sur des résultats in vitro, est abordée. En conclusion, nos études ont permis de dresser un tableau large de l’infection à Plasmodium chez la souris exprimant la hGIIA, et ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives dans l’analyse du rôle de l’enzyme dans la physiopathologie du paludisme. / Malaria is a tropical disease caused by a parasite of the Plasmodium genus. High levels of circulating human group IIA secreted phospholipase A2 (hGIIA) have been reported in malaria patients. The enzyme is well known for its bactericidal and pro-inflammatory actions. However, so far its role in malaria is unknown. In order to address the in vivo role of hGIIA in malaria, we performed a hematological, histopathological and immunohistochemical characterization of C57BL/6 hGIIA transgenic mice (Tg+ mice) infected with P. chabaudi chabaudi (864VD strain), a murine Plasmodium species and strain which causes non-lethal chronic malaria. Infected Tg+ mice present a 27% reduction of parasitaemia at the peak of infection (D14 post-inoculation, p.i.) compared to infected non-transgenic littermates (Tg- mice). Intraperitoneal injection of recombinant hGIIA at D12, D13 and D14 p.i. (0.125 mg/kg twice a day) into P. chabaudi 864VD-infected WT C57BL/6 mice leads to a 19% reduction of the parasitaemia at D14 p.i., demonstrating the direct and acute role of hGIIA in lowering parasite population and presumably ruling out a potential effect linked to chronic overexpression of hGIIA in Tg+ mice. Hematological data show a durable anemia in Tg+ mice compared to Tg- mice during the infection and an important increase of leucocytes, especially of polynuclear neutrophils. The parasitized Tg+ mouse also presents a higher activation of lymphocytes and a specific activation of monocyte cells at the pic of crisis. In the infected Tg- mouse, histological data show a better histopathological recovery in the liver and B cells hyperplasia in the spleen, whereas the infected Tg+ mouse presents late hepatic injuries and splenic extra-medullar hematopoiesis. RT-qPCR analyses suggest that hGIIA mRNA increases at the pic of infection in the liver of infected Tg+ mice, but decreases in spleen and blood. Intraperitoneal injection of recombinant hGIIA at the patent phase is without effect on parasitaemia, which suggests that later infection events are needed for the enzyme antiparasitic activity. Involvement of oxidized-lipoproteins as potential hGIIA substrates, based on in vitro studies, is discussed. In conclusion, our studies allowed us to elaborate a larger picture of the infection of Plasmodium in the mice expressing hGIIA and open new perspectives in the analysis of the role of the enzyme in malaria pathophysiology.

Le cancer du sein est le cancer est le plus fréquent chez la femme. Les patientes traitées par chirurgie, radiothérapie et/ou chimiothérapie peuvent souffrir de rechute et de métastases à plus ou moins long terme. Il est à présent admis qu’une sous-population de cellules particulières dénommées cellules souches cancéreuses (CSC) jouent un rôle important dans ces événements. Il est donc crucial d’isoler et de caractériser ces cellules pour comprendre leurs propriétés particulières d’autorenouvellement et de résistance aux traitements, ce qui permettra de les cibler pour obtenir des traitements plus efficaces. C’est dans ce contexte que s’inscrit ma thèse. Au laboratoire, j’ai mis en place un modèle de souris bi-transgéniques (bi-Tg) en croisant les souris C3(1)-Tag qui est un modèle de tumorigenèse mammaire (et prostatique) bien établi, avec les souris Tg s-SHIP-GFP qui ont déjà permis l’isolement de CS normales mammaires (et prostatiques). Dans ces souris, le promoteur de s-SHIP contrôle l’expression de la protéine fluorescente GFP ce qui permet de marquer et d’isoler les cellules. Dans les tumeurs mammaires développées par ces souris biTg, j’ai isolé une population rare de cellules s-SHIP/GFP+ possédant des propriétés de CSC, surtout une capacité à former des sphères en culture non adhérente et à générer des tumeurs par transplantation en série très supérieure à celle des autres cellules de la tumeur. Une analyse transcriptomique globale qui compare les gènes dérégulés dans les cellules GFP+ et GFP- a mise en évidence le rôle d’un composant de la voie Notch dans le maintien de la pluripotence.Nous avons également dérivé plusieurs lignées cellulaires dénommées MAM (pour mammary) à partir des tumeurs mammaires. L’une d’entre, MAM326 est une lignée de cellules épithéliales cancéreuses avec environ 10 % de cellules GFP+ et j’ai démontré que les cellules GFP+ sont plus résistantes à différentes drogues anti-cancéreuses ainsi qu’à l’irradiation. Une analyse transcriptomique a été réalisée pour déterminer la signature moléculaire de cette résistance. Cette analyse a mis en évidence une vingtaine de gènes significativement surexprimés dans les cellules GFP+, et dont la nature et/ou la fonction est pertinente dans le contexte d’une résistance aux traitements antitumoraux. L'un de ces gènes est la synucléine-gamma dont le rôle dans la radiorésistance du cancer du sein a été suggéré mais non démontré expérimentalement. Par la surexpression ectopique et l’inhibition par siRNA, nous avons démontré que la synucléine gamma peut induire la radiorésistance dans plusieurs lignées cellulaires de cancer du sein. En conclusion, ces résultats démontrent que l’expression de s-SHIP est un marqueur de CSC mammaires chez la souris et son intérêt dans l’étude du cancer du sein. / Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. The isolation and characterization of breast cancer stem cells (CSC) are crucial for understanding cancer biology and revealing potential therapeutic targets. One of the major issues in the study of CSC is the lack of reliable markers. A transgenic mouse model (Tg 11.5kb–GFP) was generated using the 11.5kb s-SHIP (stem-SH2-containing 5’-Inositol Phosphatase) promoter that specifically expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) in embryonic and various tissue stem cells. In the mammary gland, previous experiments showed that GFP labels puberty cap cells and pregnancy basal alveolar bud cells, and it has been demonstrated that these mammary GFP+ cells are activated tissue stem cells. In order to determine if s-SHIP promoter expression could also mark mammary cancer stem cells, we generated a bi-transgenic mouse model by crossing Tg 11.5kb-GFP mice with Tg C3(1)/Tag mice. Tg C3(1)/Tag mice express SV40 T antigen under the regulatory control of the rat prostatic steroid binding protein C3(1) gene. In female mice, the transgene is expressed primarily in the mammary gland. Mice develop mammary hyperplasia by 3 months of age with subsequent development of mammary adenocarcinoma by 6 months of age.Here we show the presence of a rare population of GFP+ cells, which are also CD24+/CD49f+/CD29+ in mammary tumors of female bi-transgenic mice. As compared to GFP- cells, GFP+ cells exhibit both a higher tumor sphere-forming potential, and a higher tumorigenicity when transplanted into SCID and FVB recipient mice. Moreover, upon subsequent transplantation, the GFP+ cells generated heterogeneous tumors that displayed properties similar to the primary tumor. Transcriptomic analysis of these GFP+ vs GFP- cells revealed several differentially expressed genes including one protein implicated in the Notch pathway. In addition, from the murine mammary tumor, I have derived a cell line containing a s-SHIP/GFP+ subpopulation that shows resistance to chemotherapy and radiation. I have further studied this subpopulation and found that synuclein gamma could confer radiation resistance to breast cancer cells. Altogether, these results demonstrate that s-SHIP promoter expression is a marker of mammary CSC that enables their identification and isolation via a single consistent parameter.

<p>Stem cells are endowed with unique qualities: they can both self-renew and give rise to new mature cell types. Central nervous system (CNS) stem cells can give rise to neurons and glia. What factors regulate stem cell fate decisions? Identifying signals that are involved in the regulation of CNS stem cell proliferation, survival, differentiation and migration is fundamental to the understanding of CNS development. In addition, this knowledge hopefully will contribute to more efficient therapies of CNS damages and diseases.</p><p>The focus of this thesis was to investigate mechanisms of CNS stem cell proliferation and differentiation. We have studied the role for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in these cellular events both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>. Previous reports have shown that PDGF are implicated in brain tumorigenesis and also supports neuronal differentiation of CNS stem cells. We have found that PDGF promotes survival and proliferation of immature neurons, thereby supporting neuronal differentiation. The intracellular Ras/ERK signaling pathway probably mediates the mitogenic activity of PDGF. In contrast, neuronal differentiation is not dependent on the Ras/ERK pathway. A genetic expression profile of stem cells during their differentiation was obtained. This microarray analysis suggests that PDGF-treated stem cells are at an intermediate stage between proliferation and differentiation. Furthermore, we generated transgenic mice that overexpress <i>Pdgf-b</i> in neural stem cells. Preliminary data indicate no signs of enhanced proliferation of immature neurons. Instead, increased apoptosis was detected in the developing striatum.</p><p>The results presented in this thesis show how CNS stem cells are regulated by PDGF. PDGFs are widely expressed in the developing CNS and also in some brain tumors, which are thought to arise from CNS stem cells. Thus, this knowledge may contribute to an increased understanding of brain tumorigenesis in addition to normal CNS development.</p>

In the era of personalized cancer treatment, adoptive T cell therapy (ACT) shows promise for the treatment of solid cancers. However, partial or mixed responses remain common clinical outcomes due to the heterogeneity of tumours. Indeed, in many patients it is typical to see a response to ACT in one tumour nodule, while others show little or no response. Thus, defining the tumour features that distinguish those that respond to ACT from those that do not would be a significant advance, allowing clinicians to identify patients that might benefit from this treatment approach. The first chapter of this thesis provides the necessary background to understand the principals behind and components of ACT. This chapter also offers selected historical advances contributing to the current state of the field. The second chapter introduces a novel murine model of breast cancer developed to investigate the tumour-specific mechanisms associated with immune evasion in an ACT setting. The third chapter describes the in vivo characterization of mammary tumour cell lines derived from our mouse model that reliably showed complete, partial or no response to ACT. Using these cell lines, we were able to characterize in vivo tumour-specific differences in cytotoxic T cell trafficking, infiltration, activation, and proliferation associated with response to ACT. In the fourth chapter, we used bioinformatics approaches to develop a preliminary predictive gene signature associated with response to ACT in our mammary tumour model. We used this signature to predict outcome and then test a number of murine mammary tumours in vivo, with promising results, wherein 50% of tumours responded to ACT as predicted based upon gene expression. Thus, using an innovative model for breast cancer, these results suggest that there are tumour-specific features that can be used a priori to predict how a tumour will respond to adoptive T cell therapy. Importantly, these findings might facilitate the design of immunotherapy trials for human breast cancer. / Graduate

Display of thousands of self-antigens in the thymus is fundamental for the establishment of central tolerance as its failure can lead to the development of autoimmunity. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) and thymic dendritic cells (DCs) constitute essential populations of antigen presenting cells (APCs) which present these self-antigens to developing T cells. While mTECs produce and present antigens in self-autonomous manner, DCs can hijack mTEC-derived antigens by the process of cooperative antigen transfer (CAT). It is well found that CAT is essential for working central tolerance, however, the overall heterogeneity of thymic APCs participating in CAT remains unclear. Using transgenic mouse models and multicolor flow cytometry analysis, we determined that APCs involved in CAT are exclusively of CD11c+ phenotype. Within these cells, we identified previously unrecognized CX3CR1+ subset of migratory DCs (mDCs) exhibiting monocyte/macrophage markers. These CX3CR1+ mDCs are more efficient in CAT than their CX3CR1- counterparts and reveal robust antigen presenting properties with the capability to present CAT-acquired antigen. Genetic ablation of CX3CR1+ mDCs resulted in increased cellularity of CD8+ and CD4+ thymocytes, indicating importance of this mDC subset for negative selection of...

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京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第19177号 / 医博第4019号 / 新制||医||1010(附属図書館) / 32169 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 武藤 学, 教授 武田 俊一, 教授 小川 誠司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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