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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 235 records · Page 13

WE-D-BRE-05: Prediction of Late Radiation-Induced Proctitis in Prostate Cancer Patients Using Chromosome Aberration and Cell Proliferation Rate

Purpose: Chromosome damage and cell proliferation rate have been investigated as potential biomarkers for the early prediction of late radiationinduced toxicity. Incorporating these endpoints, we explored the predictive power for late radiation proctitis using a machine learning method. Methods: Recently, Beaton et al. showed that chromosome aberration and cell proliferation rate could be used as biomarkers to predict late radiation proctitis (Beaton et al. (2013) Int J Rad Onc Biol Phys, 85:1346–1352). For the identification of radiosensitive biomarkers, blood samples were collected from 10 patients with grade 3 late proctitis along with 20 control patients with grade 0 proctitis. After irradiation at 6 Gy, statistically significant difference was observed between the two groups, using the number of dicentrics and excess fragments, and the number of cells in metaphase 2 (M2). However, Beaton et al. did not show the usefulness of combining these endpoints. We reanalyzed the dataset to investigate whether incorporating these endpoints can increase the predictive power of radiation proctitis, using a support vector machine (SVM). Results: Using the SVM method with the number of fragments and M2 endpoints, perfect classification was achieved. In addition, to avoid biased estimate of the classification method, leave-one-out cross-validation (LOO-CV) was performed. The best performance was achieved when all three endpoints were used with 87% accuracy, 90% sensitivity, 85% specificity, and 0.85 AUC (the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve). The most significant endpoint was the number of fragments that obtained 83% accuracy, 70% sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 0.82 AUC. Conclusion: We demonstrated that chromosome damage and cell proliferation rate could be significant biomarkers to predict late radiation proctitis. When these endpoints were used together in conjunction with a machine learning method, the better performance was obtained. However, evaluation for other late radiation toxicities is necessary to elucidate these observations.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Interplay between BRCA1 and RHAMM Regulates Epithelial Apicobasal Polarization and May Influence Risk of Breast Cancer

Differentiated mammary epithelium shows apicobasal polarity, and loss of tissue organization is an early hallmark of breast carcinogenesis. In BRCA1 mutation carriers, accumulation of stem and progenitor cells in normal breast tissue and increased risk of developing tumors of basal-like type suggest that BRCA1 regulates stem/progenitor cell proliferation and differentiation. However, the function of BRCA1 in this process and its link to carcinogenesis remain unknown. Here we depict a molecular mechanism involving BRCA1 and RHAMM that regulates apicobasal polarity and, when perturbed, may increase risk of breast cancer. Starting from complementary genetic analyses across families and populations, we identified common genetic variation at the low-penetrance susceptibility HMMR locus (encoding for RHAMM) that modifies breast cancer risk among BRCA1, but probably not BRCA2, mutation carriers: n = 7,584, weighted hazard ratio ( w HR) = 1.09 (95% CI 1.02–1.16), p trend = 0.017; and n = 3,965, w HR = 1.04 (95% CI 0.94–1.16), p trend = 0.43; respectively. Subsequently, studies of MCF10A apicobasal polarization revealed a central role for BRCA1 and RHAMM, together with AURKA and TPX2, in essential reorganization of microtubules. Mechanistically, reorganization is facilitated by BRCA1 and impaired by AURKA, which is regulated by negative feedback involving RHAMM and TPX2. Taken together, our data provide fundamental insight into apicobasal polarization through BRCA1 function, which may explain the expanded cell subsets and characteristic tumor type accompanying BRCA1 mutation, while also linking this process to sporadic breast cancer through perturbation of HMMR/RHAMM.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Hedgehog Signaling Acts with the Temporal Cascade to Promote Neuroblast Cell Cycle Exit

In Drosophila postembryonic neuroblasts, transition in gene expression programs of a cascade of transcription factors (also known as the temporal series) acts together with the asymmetric division machinery to generate diverse neurons with distinct identities and regulate the end of neuroblast proliferation. However, the underlying mechanism of how this ‘‘temporal series’’ acts during development remains unclear. Here, we show that Hh signaling in the postembryonic brain is temporally regulated; excess (earlier onset of) Hh signaling causes premature neuroblast cell cycle exit and underproliferation, whereas loss of Hh signaling causes delayed cell cycle exit and excess proliferation. Moreover, the Hh pathway functions downstream of Castor but upstream of Grainyhead, two components of the temporal series, to schedule neuroblast cell cycle exit. Interestingly, hh is likely a target of Castor. Hence, Hh signaling provides a link between the temporal series and the asymmetric division machinery in scheduling the end of neurogenesis.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Are chromosomal instabilities induced by exposure of cultured normal human cells to low- or high-LET radiation?

Radiation-induced genomic instability has been proposed as a very early, if not an initiating, step in radiation carcinogenesis. Numerous studies have established the occurrence of radiation-induced chromosomal instability in various cells of both human and rodent origin. In many of these studies, however, the cells were not "normal" initially, and in many cases they involved tumor-derived cell lines. The phenomenon clearly would be of even greater interest if it were shown to occur generally in cells that are normal at the outset, rather than cells that may have been "selected" because of a pre-existing susceptibility to induced instability. As a test of the generality of the phenomenon, we studied low-passage normal diploid human fibroblasts (AG1521A) to determine whether they are susceptible to the induction of chromosomal instability in the progeny of surviving cells after exposure in G(0) to low- and high-LET radiation. Cytogenetic assays for instability were performed on both mixed populations of cells and clones of cells surviving exposure. We found no evidence for the induction of such instability as a result of radiation exposure, though we observed a senescence-related chromosomal instability in the progeny of both irradiated and unirradiated cell populations. Copyright 2003 by Radiation Research Society.

Non-NASA Center↗

Muscle regeneration during hindlimb unloading results in a reduction in muscle size after reloading

The hindlimb-unloading model was used to study the ability of muscle injured in a weightless environment to recover after reloading. Satellite cell mitotic activity and DNA unit size were determined in injured and intact soleus muscles from hindlimb-unloaded and age-matched weight-bearing rats at the conclusion of 28 days of hindlimb unloading, 2 wk after reloading, and 9 wk after reloading. The body weights of hindlimb-unloaded rats were significantly (P < 0.05) less than those of weight-bearing rats at the conclusion of hindlimb unloading, but they were the same (P > 0.05) as those of weight-bearing rats 2 and 9 wk after reloading. The soleus muscle weight, soleus muscle weight-to-body weight ratio, myofiber diameter, number of nuclei per millimeter, and DNA unit size were significantly (P < 0.05) smaller for the injured soleus muscles from hindlimb-unloaded rats than for the soleus muscles from weight-bearing rats at each recovery time. Satellite cell mitotic activity was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the injured soleus muscles from hindlimb-unloaded rats than from weight-bearing rats 2 wk after reloading, but it was the same (P > 0.05) as in the injured soleus muscles from weight-bearing rats 9 wk after reloading. The injured soleus muscles from hindlimb-unloaded rats failed to achieve weight-bearing muscle size 9 wk after reloading, because incomplete compensation for the decrease in myonuclear accretion and DNA unit size expansion occurred during the unloading period.

NASA Discipline Musculoskeletal↗