No description available.

Les cysteinyl-leucotriènes (cysLTs) ont des rôles majeurs dans la pathophysiologie de l'asthme et sont impliqués dans le remodelage des voies respiratoires, un processus caractérisé par plusieurs changements structuraux incluant entre autre [i.e. autres] la fibrogenèse et l'hyperplasie des cellules musculaires lisses. Dans cette étude, nous avons investigué le rôle potentiel des cysLTs dans la modulation du « vascular endothelial growth factor » (VEGF), un facteur de croissance connu pour être important dans une autre facette du remodelage, c'est-à-dire l'angiogenèse. Nous avons montré que le LTD[indice inférieur 4] induit l'expression du VEGF chez les monocytes humains et les cellules musculaires lisses bronchiques humaines avec une inhibition complète par un antagoniste spécifique du récepteur CysLT1. De plus, des cellules de reins embryonnaires humaines (HEK-293) transfectées d'une façon stable avec CysLT1 ont été utilisées pour étudier la régulation transcriptionnelle du promoteur du VEGF. La stimulation de ces cellules avec des cysLTs mène à l'activation du promoteur du VEGF d'une façon dépendante de la concentration et résistante à la Bordetella pertussis toxin (PTX). Aussi, il en résulte une augmentation de l'expression de l'ARNm et de la protéine du VEGF d'une façon dépendante du temps de stimulation. L'utilisation de mutants tronqués en 5' de la construction du promoteur du VEGF de type sauvage démontre que la région en amont de -90 Pb n'est pas requise pour sa régulation transcriptionnelle par les cysLTs. De plus, un prétraitement avec des inhibiteurs pharmacologiques des MAPKs suggère l'implication de JNK et ERK, mais pas de p38 dans l'activation du promoteur du VEGF par LTD[indice inférieur 4]. Également, l'inhibition partielle de l'activation du promoteur du VEGF via la surexpression des formes dominantes négatives des protéines JunD, FosB et Ras suggère un rôle actif pour le complexe AP-1. Cependant, puisqu'un mutant du promoteur avec des substitutions dans le site de liaison d'AP-1 maintient toujours sa transactivation par LTD[indice inférieur 4], le complexe AP-1 semble agir d'une façon indirecte. En fait, l'inhibition complète de l'activation du promoteur du VEGF et de l'augmentation subséquente de son ARNm par un prétraitement avec la mithramycine, un inhibiteur de la transcription Sp1-dépendante, suggère que AP-1 pourrait agir indirectement sur Sp1 pour la modulation du VEGF par les cysLTs. Par surcroît, des expériences utilisant un promoteur du VEGF (-123 +50 pb) avec tous ses sites Sp1 mutés (4) ont montré que ces régions étaient nécessaires à la transactivation du VEGF par LTD[indice inférieur 4]. Bref, nos résultats indiquent pour la première fois que les cysLTs peuvent activer transcriptionnellement la production du VEGF via le récepteur CysLT1, avec l'implication de JNK, ERK, AP-1 et Sp1. Ces résultats proposent que les cysLTs pourraient être importants dans le processus d'angiogenèse associé au remodelage des voies respiratoires et indiquent un possible bénéfice jusqu'à maintenant insoupçonné dans l'utilisation des antagonistes des récepteurs CysLT1 dans la prévention ou le traitement du remodelage dans l'asthme.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) aptamers are oligonucleotides with high specificity and affinity for non-nucleotide targets ranging from molecular species to cellular proteins. Their high affinity, rapid synthesis, and the ease with which they can be chemically modified to include convenient chemical groups (e.g. amine group on 5’ end) make them excellent adaptable ligands for use in colloidal drug delivery vehicles for both uptake and release of therapeutic agents. This work uses pre-identified aptamers for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to investigate the design of one such vehicle for controlled uptake and release of target therapeutics and analyzes the ability of particle-immobilized aptamers to bind both nucleotide and non-nucleotide targets. Aptamer sequences are immobilized on colloidal microspheres and binding activity of both the primary DNA and protein targets are directly monitored using flow cytometry. Additionally, the dual nature of aptamer-target binding is further investigated by evaluating the effects of simultaneous and serial incubation of the primary targets. Finally, the ability to recover the functionality of the aptamer is evaluated after displacement of the primary DNA target through DNA mediated interactions. It has been shown that the nature of aptamer-target interactions are complex in nature, requiring optimization for each species incorporated into a delivery vehicle; however, partial recovery of aptamer functionality was achieved after hybridization with the primary DNA target.

No description available.

No description available.

Au cours de ce travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'impact de l'exposition à la ciclosporine A (CsA) sur la signalisation angiogénique dans le carcinome à cellules rénales (renal cell carcinoma – RCC) qui représente la deuxième cause de cancer chez les patients transplantés rénaux. Nous avons examiné in vitro l'impact de l'exposition à la CsA sur la réponse UPR (Unfolded Protein Response) et la régulation des protéines sécrétées en portant un intérêt particulier à la régulation du VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth factor). Nous confirmons l'effet de la CsA sur la protéostase et montrons que l'activation de l'UPR par la CsA, conduisant à une augmentation de la production de VEGF en hypoxie, pourrait participer à l'agressivité des tumeurs. Nous proposons de rechercher certains biomarqueurs de l'UPR chez les patients ayant développé un RCC post-transplantation afin d'examiner de façon plus approfondie l'altération de la protéostase et la régulation de l'UPR dans ce contexte. Dans le domaine de la médecine personnalisée, d'autres approches comme la pharmacogénétique sont désormais utilisées dans la pratique médicale. Dans ce contexte, nous avons évalué l'intérêt du génotypage du VEGF dans une cohorte de patients transplantés rénaux. Nous montrons que le polymorphisme VEGF 936 C>T est associé de façon significative au risque de développer un RCC post-transplantation. Même s'il est évident que des études supplémentaires doivent être menées, nos résultats indiquent que le génotypage de VEGF 936 C>T pourrait être envisagé pour améliorer la gestion des traitements immunosuppresseurs chez les patients identifiés comme étant à risque de développer un RCC post-transplantation / In this work, we investigated the impact of cyclosporine A (CsA) exposure on angiogenic signalling in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), the second mostly observed cancer in renal transplanted patients. We examined in vitro the effect of CsA exposure on the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and the regulation of secreted proteins with a focus on VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) regulation. We confirm the effect of CsA on proteostasis and we show that the activation of UPR by CsA, leading to an increased VEGF hypoxic expression, could contribute to the aggressiveness of tumours. We propose to investigate a list of candidate UPR biomarkers in patients who have developed a post-transplant RCC in order to confirm the alteration of proteostasis and the UPR activation in this context. In the field of personalized medicine, other approaches such as pharmacogenetics are now used in medical practice. In this context, we evaluated the VEGF genotyping in a cohort of renal transplanted patients. We show that VEGF 936 C>T is significantly associated with the risk of developing a post-transplant RCC. Although it is evident that additional studies need to be conducted, our results indicate that VEGF 936 C>T genotypes might be useful to classify patients according to their post-transplant RCC risk in order to improve immunosuppressive drugs management

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a role in neuroprotection after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in addition to being a regulator of angiogenesis. Gene therapy using an adenovirus carrying an engineered zinc-finger protein (Adv-ZFP) and transcription factor construct targeted to the VEGF gene, has been shown to upregulate genomic expression of VEGF-A isoforms in skeletal muscle. Our objective was to use this gene therapy to explore cell survival in TBI. Rats were subjected to a unilateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in the cortex. Groups consisted of control, injured and injured-treated animals. Adv-ZFP-VEGF was injected into the cortex and hippocampus. Engineered ZFP-VEGF increases VEGF-A protein levels and correlates with increased CA2 hippocampal cell survival and reduction in apoptotic cell death following TBI. NF200 expression in TBI+VEGF animals was comparable to levels in naive animals. This study suggests a therapeutic strategy to treat delayed cell death in a model of TBI.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may play a role in neuroprotection after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in addition to being a regulator of angiogenesis. Gene therapy using an adenovirus carrying an engineered zinc-finger protein (Adv-ZFP) and transcription factor construct targeted to the VEGF gene, has been shown to upregulate genomic expression of VEGF-A isoforms in skeletal muscle. Our objective was to use this gene therapy to explore cell survival in TBI. Rats were subjected to a unilateral fluid percussion injury (FPI) in the cortex. Groups consisted of control, injured and injured-treated animals. Adv-ZFP-VEGF was injected into the cortex and hippocampus. Engineered ZFP-VEGF increases VEGF-A protein levels and correlates with increased CA2 hippocampal cell survival and reduction in apoptotic cell death following TBI. NF200 expression in TBI+VEGF animals was comparable to levels in naive animals. This study suggests a therapeutic strategy to treat delayed cell death in a model of TBI.

Abstract PURPOSE: Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) is a unique nuclear/growth factor and plays an important role in the development and progression of cancer. The current study aimed to elucidate the correlation between HDGF expression, clinic-pathologic parameters, and associated molecular factors of oral cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The surgically resected samples from a total of 95 patients with oral cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) were enrolled to construct the tissues microarray (TMA) in this retrospective study. The HDGF expression in TMA of oral cancer was determined by immunohistochemistry. HDGF and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) immunostaining in tumor samples was scored and the labeling index were correlated with various clinic-pathologic parameters by statistic analysis. RESULTS: Expression of nuclear HDGF and VEGF was highly correlated with primary T stage (P=0.004 and P=0.038, respectively) and histological grade (P=0.013 and P=0.017, respectively). VEGF expression also associated with nodal status (P=0.021). Moreover, expression of nuclear HDGF and VEGF were highly correlated to each other (P=0.006). On the other hand, expression of HDGF in cytoplasm only associated with tumor necrosis (P=0.002) and showed no impact on survival. In univariate analysis, high expression of nuclear HDGF and VEGF significantly affected disease-specific, metastasis-free, and local recurrence-free survival. Multivariate analysis also indicated that expression level of nuclear HDGF is an independent prognostic factor for disease-specific and local recurrence-free survival (P=0.028; P=0.0285). Indeed, high expression of VEGF is also an independent factor in disease-specific, local recurrence-free, and metastasis free survival (P=0.0183; P=0.0461; P=0.0153). CONCLUSION: The data showed that high expression of nuclear HDGF and VEGF in squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity might identify patients at risk of aggressive disease and predict poor prognosis. HDGF might play as key of regulation of tumorigenesis. Therefore, HDGF could be a candidate gene for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for oral cancer. Further studies are still need to determine the precise role of HDGF in the biological behavior of oral caner and the regulatory mechanism with other associated molecular factors.

Abstract Angiogenesis is essential for the replacement of cartilage by bone during skeletal growth and regeneration. Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is a key regulator of angiogenesis whereas endostatin, a potent inhibitor of endothelial cell proliferation and migration, is a natural antagonist of VEGF-A. The regulatory roles of these peptides in angiogenesis, bone formation and bone cells were investigated in this study. In the present work we studied the effects of VEGF-A, delivered with an adenoviral vector, on the recovery of bone drilling defects in rat femur. Our data confirm the important role of VEGF in bone healing and that adenoviral VEGF gene transfer may modify bone defect healing in a rodent model. We studied the effects of VEGF-A and endostatin on bone resorption activity. It was found that VEGF-A is a potent stimulator of bone resorption and osteoclast differentiation in vitro and endostatin can antagonize this stimulatory effect when acting directly on bone cells. This suggests that endostatin is indeed a regulator of bone resorption, but not a critical one. In the present study we induced ectopic bone formation in the hamstring muscles of adult mice. The effects of VEGF-A and endostatin in the ectopic bone formation assay were evaluated by the simultaneous delivery of both peptides with recombinant adenoviral vectors. It was found that endostatin retards the cartilage phase in endochondral ossification that subsequently reduces bone formation. We conclude that bone growth and healing, which share features with ectopic bone formation, may be regulated by endostatin. To confirm in vivo effects on bone formation we further investigated the effects of endostatin and VEGF-A on mouse pre-osteoblastic cells in vitro. Finally the effects of endostatin on bone were studied in transgenic mouse lines overexpressing endostatin, and mice lacking collagen XVIII.