E. Hannen, J. A. van der Laak, H. Kerstens, V. Cuijpers, A. Hanselaar, J. Manni, P. D. de Wilde
The aims of this study of head and neck tissue samples were to develop an immunohistochemical protocol based on the catalysed reporter deposition (CARD) technique to enhance staining results for use in automated true colour image analysis, to assess the reproducibility of systematic tissue sampling in the angiogenic hot spot selection, and quantification of microvessel density (MVD) and other vessel characteristics. The latter data were compared between six metastasised tongue squamous cell carcinomas, vs. four non-metastasised. In comparison to the standard immunohistochemical protocol with anti-CD34 antibodies, CARD amplification resulted in both more intensely stained and larger numbers of vessels. Averaging the 10 most vascularised fields of the 40 to 60 systematically sampled fields in a tissue section resulted in an overall acceptable interobserver reproducibility for most assessed vessel parameters (r ≧ 0.76 and p ≦ 0.01). The percentage vessels with diameter <5 μm was significantly higher in the non-metastasised tongue carcinomas (p = 0.02). However, for a number of tumours the effect of tissue sampling was significant. We conclude that CARD amplification is needed for reliable segmentation of vessels by image analysis systems, and that tumour heterogeneity is a limiting factor for all procedures in which tumour vascularity is assessed in a single tissue section.
{"title":"Quantification of Tumour Vascularity in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Tongue Using CARD Amplification, a Systematic Sampling Technique, and True Colour Image Analysis","authors":"E. Hannen, J. A. van der Laak, H. Kerstens, V. Cuijpers, A. Hanselaar, J. Manni, P. D. de Wilde","doi":"10.1155/2001/780576","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/780576","url":null,"abstract":"The aims of this study of head and neck tissue samples were to develop an immunohistochemical protocol based on the catalysed reporter deposition (CARD) technique to enhance staining results for use in automated true colour image analysis, to assess the reproducibility of systematic tissue sampling in the angiogenic hot spot selection, and quantification of microvessel density (MVD) and other vessel characteristics. The latter data were compared between six metastasised tongue squamous cell carcinomas, vs. four non-metastasised. In comparison to the standard immunohistochemical protocol with anti-CD34 antibodies, CARD amplification resulted in both more intensely stained and larger numbers of vessels. Averaging the 10 most vascularised fields of the 40 to 60 systematically sampled fields in a tissue section resulted in an overall acceptable interobserver reproducibility for most assessed vessel parameters (r ≧ 0.76 and p ≦ 0.01). The percentage vessels with diameter <5 μm was significantly higher in the non-metastasised tongue carcinomas (p = 0.02). However, for a number of tumours the effect of tissue sampling was significant. We conclude that CARD amplification is needed for reliable segmentation of vessels by image analysis systems, and that tumour heterogeneity is a limiting factor for all procedures in which tumour vascularity is assessed in a single tissue section.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"46 1","pages":"183 - 192"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"81135757","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Nielsen, F. Albregtsen, W. Kildal, H. Danielsen
In order to study the prognostic value of quantifying the chromatin structure of cell nuclei from patients with early ovarian cancer, low dimensionality adaptive fractal and Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix texture feature vectors were extracted from nuclei images of monolayers and histological sections. Each light microscopy nucleus image was divided into a peripheral and a central part, representing 30% and 70% of the total area of the nucleus, respectively. Textural features were then extracted from the peripheral and central parts of the nuclei images. The adaptive feature extraction was based on Class Difference Matrices and Class Distance Matrices. These matrices were useful to illustrate the difference in chromatin texture between the good and bad prognosis classes of ovarian samples. Class Difference and Distance Matrices also clearly illustrated the difference in texture between the peripheral and central parts of cell nuclei. Both when working with nuclei images from monolayers and from histological sections it seems useful to extract separate features from the peripheral and central parts of the nuclei images.
{"title":"Prognostic Classification of Early Ovarian Cancer Based on very Low Dimensionality Adaptive Texture Feature Vectors from Cell Nuclei from Monolayers and Histological Sections","authors":"B. Nielsen, F. Albregtsen, W. Kildal, H. Danielsen","doi":"10.1155/2001/683747","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/683747","url":null,"abstract":"In order to study the prognostic value of quantifying the chromatin structure of cell nuclei from patients with early ovarian cancer, low dimensionality adaptive fractal and Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix texture feature vectors were extracted from nuclei images of monolayers and histological sections. Each light microscopy nucleus image was divided into a peripheral and a central part, representing 30% and 70% of the total area of the nucleus, respectively. Textural features were then extracted from the peripheral and central parts of the nuclei images. The adaptive feature extraction was based on Class Difference Matrices and Class Distance Matrices. These matrices were useful to illustrate the difference in chromatin texture between the good and bad prognosis classes of ovarian samples. Class Difference and Distance Matrices also clearly illustrated the difference in texture between the peripheral and central parts of cell nuclei. Both when working with nuclei images from monolayers and from histological sections it seems useful to extract separate features from the peripheral and central parts of the nuclei images.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"15 1","pages":"75 - 88"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87190752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"7 ESACP Congress in Caen April 1–5, 2001","authors":"","doi":"10.1155/2001/414753","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/414753","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"84 1","pages":"1 - 101"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85834286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Immunoporation is a novel method of cell transfection based upon the use of a new type of beads, Immunofect beads, that can be targeted to make holes in different types of cells depending on the type of bead used. It is known that the efficiency of transfection of cells by some techniques can be affected by the presence of serum and another important factor that appears to affect transfection efficiency and cell viability is the osmolarity of the transfection medium. This report presents studies on the effects of serum and varying osmolarity on the efficiency of transfection using immunoporation. The results clearly indicate that in hypertonic media the presence of serum decreases the efficiency of transfection. In the case of osmolarity, increasing the osmolarity of the immunoporation medium increases the efficiency of transfection but above about 650 mOsm this increasing efficiency is offset by the much lower viability of the cells.
{"title":"Effect of Osmolarity and Presence of Serum on the Efficiency of Cell Transfection Using Immunoporation","authors":"C. Tzavelas, P. Smith, E. Horefti, D. Rickwood","doi":"10.1155/2001/465061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/465061","url":null,"abstract":"Immunoporation is a novel method of cell transfection based upon the use of a new type of beads, Immunofect beads, that can be targeted to make holes in different types of cells depending on the type of bead used. It is known that the efficiency of transfection of cells by some techniques can be affected by the presence of serum and another important factor that appears to affect transfection efficiency and cell viability is the osmolarity of the transfection medium. This report presents studies on the effects of serum and varying osmolarity on the efficiency of transfection using immunoporation. The results clearly indicate that in hypertonic media the presence of serum decreases the efficiency of transfection. In the case of osmolarity, increasing the osmolarity of the immunoporation medium increases the efficiency of transfection but above about 650 mOsm this increasing efficiency is offset by the much lower viability of the cells.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"17 1","pages":"223 - 227"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"79891669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Grote, N. Friedrichs, N. Pomjanski, Helen Friderike Guhde, O. Reich, A. Böcking
Objective: To assess the prognostic value of DNA‐image cytometry in cervical carcinoma of the uterus and its relation to other established prognostic factors. Study design: The study included 116 cases of cervical carcinoma FIGO stages IB and II which were treated with radical abdominal hysterectomy. The median follow‐up was 55 months (range 1–162 months). DNA image cytometry was performed on cytologic specimens prepared by enzymatic cell separation from formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissues. DNA stemline ploidy, DNA stemline aneuploidy, 5c exceeding rate, 9c exceeding rate, 2c deviation index, and DNA malignancy grade were computed. DNA‐variables as well as various clinical and histological variables were related to survival rates. Results: In multivariate statistical analysis DNA stemline ploidy using 2.2c as a cut‐off value and FIGO stage showed to be statistically significant available presurgery predictors of survival, whereas the postsurgical parameters lymphonodal status, tumor size and parametrial involvement were significantly correlated with survival. The synopsis of all parameters in a multivariate Cox model indicated that – with declining relevance – the number of positive pelvic lymph nodes, DNA stemline ploidy using a cut‐off level at a modal value of 2.2c, largest pelvic lymph node, 5c exceeding rate, and ratio of carcinoma area to cervix area, were of predictive value for survival. Conclusions: Our results suggest that prognostic information deducted from classical staging parameters is successfully complemented by DNA image cytometry which can be applied pretherapeutically.
{"title":"Prognostic Significance of DNA Cytometry in Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix FIGO Stage IB and II","authors":"H. Grote, N. Friedrichs, N. Pomjanski, Helen Friderike Guhde, O. Reich, A. Böcking","doi":"10.1155/2001/602976","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/602976","url":null,"abstract":"Objective: To assess the prognostic value of DNA‐image cytometry in cervical carcinoma of the uterus and its relation to other established prognostic factors. Study design: The study included 116 cases of cervical carcinoma FIGO stages IB and II which were treated with radical abdominal hysterectomy. The median follow‐up was 55 months (range 1–162 months). DNA image cytometry was performed on cytologic specimens prepared by enzymatic cell separation from formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissues. DNA stemline ploidy, DNA stemline aneuploidy, 5c exceeding rate, 9c exceeding rate, 2c deviation index, and DNA malignancy grade were computed. DNA‐variables as well as various clinical and histological variables were related to survival rates. Results: In multivariate statistical analysis DNA stemline ploidy using 2.2c as a cut‐off value and FIGO stage showed to be statistically significant available presurgery predictors of survival, whereas the postsurgical parameters lymphonodal status, tumor size and parametrial involvement were significantly correlated with survival. The synopsis of all parameters in a multivariate Cox model indicated that – with declining relevance – the number of positive pelvic lymph nodes, DNA stemline ploidy using a cut‐off level at a modal value of 2.2c, largest pelvic lymph node, 5c exceeding rate, and ratio of carcinoma area to cervix area, were of predictive value for survival. Conclusions: Our results suggest that prognostic information deducted from classical staging parameters is successfully complemented by DNA image cytometry which can be applied pretherapeutically.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"42 1","pages":"97 - 105"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82725999","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T. Mattfeldt, H. Wolter, R. Kemmerling, H. Gottfried, H. Kestler
Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a modern genetic method which enables a genome‐wide survey of chromosomal imbalances. For each chromosome region, one obtains the information whether there is a loss or gain of genetic material, or whether there is no change at that region. Usually it is not possible to evaluate all 46 chromosomes of a metaphase, therefore several (up to 20 or more) metaphases are analyzed per individual, and expressed as average. Mostly one does not study one individual alone but groups of 20–30 individuals. Therefore, large amounts of data quickly accumulate which must be put into a logical order. In this paper we present the application of a self‐organizing map (Genecluster) as a tool for cluster analysis of data from pT2N0 prostate cancer cases studied by CGH. Self‐organizing maps are artificial neural networks with the capability to form clusters on the basis of an unsupervised learning rule, i.e., in our examples it gets the CGH data as only information (no clinical data). We studied a group of 40 recent cases without follow‐up, an older group of 20 cases with follow‐up, and the data set obtained by pooling both groups. In all groups good clusterings were found in the sense that clinically similar cases were placed into the same clusters on the basis of the genetic information only. The data indicate that losses on chromosome arms 6q, 8p and 13q are all frequent in pT2N0 prostatic cancer, but the loss on 8p has probably the largest prognostic importance.
{"title":"Cluster Analysis of Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) Data Using Self-Organizing Maps: Application to Prostate Carcinomas","authors":"T. Mattfeldt, H. Wolter, R. Kemmerling, H. Gottfried, H. Kestler","doi":"10.1155/2001/852674","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/852674","url":null,"abstract":"Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a modern genetic method which enables a genome‐wide survey of chromosomal imbalances. For each chromosome region, one obtains the information whether there is a loss or gain of genetic material, or whether there is no change at that region. Usually it is not possible to evaluate all 46 chromosomes of a metaphase, therefore several (up to 20 or more) metaphases are analyzed per individual, and expressed as average. Mostly one does not study one individual alone but groups of 20–30 individuals. Therefore, large amounts of data quickly accumulate which must be put into a logical order. In this paper we present the application of a self‐organizing map (Genecluster) as a tool for cluster analysis of data from pT2N0 prostate cancer cases studied by CGH. Self‐organizing maps are artificial neural networks with the capability to form clusters on the basis of an unsupervised learning rule, i.e., in our examples it gets the CGH data as only information (no clinical data). We studied a group of 40 recent cases without follow‐up, an older group of 20 cases with follow‐up, and the data set obtained by pooling both groups. In all groups good clusterings were found in the sense that clinically similar cases were placed into the same clusters on the basis of the genetic information only. The data indicate that losses on chromosome arms 6q, 8p and 13q are all frequent in pT2N0 prostatic cancer, but the loss on 8p has probably the largest prognostic importance.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"445 1","pages":"29 - 37"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82894232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
G. Saretzki, H. Fischer, I. Kaufmann, C. Schewe, B. Nadjari, J. Blohmer, S. Hauptmann
It is well known that almost all carcinoma cells including those of the uterine cervix have re‐established their telomerase activity. However, until now there is no conclusive picture on the telomerase activity in cervical dysplasias and about their relationship to HPV infection. To investigate this question, material from 34 patients (15 with normal epithelium, 11 with LGSIL, 8 with HGSIL) obtained by conventional cervical brushing was used and subjected to non‐radioactive TRAP‐ELISA (Boehringer Mannheim). The HPV analysis was performed by PCR on formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded biopsy material obtained after cytological investigation. We could show that telomerase activity is detectable in normal cervical epithelium, and that an gradual increase exists for both telomerase activity and HPV positivity from normal epithelium to HGSIL. However, HPV infection and telomerase activity appear to be independent of each other. The high frequency of telomerase positivity in patients with normal cervical epithelium indicates that telomerase activity is not a useful differential diagnostic aid. Whether patients with telomerase‐positive dysplasias have a higher probability to progress into an invasive carcinoma remains to be clarified by follow‐up studies.
{"title":"Telomerase Activity in Cervical Smears","authors":"G. Saretzki, H. Fischer, I. Kaufmann, C. Schewe, B. Nadjari, J. Blohmer, S. Hauptmann","doi":"10.1155/2001/630972","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/630972","url":null,"abstract":"It is well known that almost all carcinoma cells including those of the uterine cervix have re‐established their telomerase activity. However, until now there is no conclusive picture on the telomerase activity in cervical dysplasias and about their relationship to HPV infection. To investigate this question, material from 34 patients (15 with normal epithelium, 11 with LGSIL, 8 with HGSIL) obtained by conventional cervical brushing was used and subjected to non‐radioactive TRAP‐ELISA (Boehringer Mannheim). The HPV analysis was performed by PCR on formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded biopsy material obtained after cytological investigation. We could show that telomerase activity is detectable in normal cervical epithelium, and that an gradual increase exists for both telomerase activity and HPV positivity from normal epithelium to HGSIL. However, HPV infection and telomerase activity appear to be independent of each other. The high frequency of telomerase positivity in patients with normal cervical epithelium indicates that telomerase activity is not a useful differential diagnostic aid. Whether patients with telomerase‐positive dysplasias have a higher probability to progress into an invasive carcinoma remains to be clarified by follow‐up studies.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"81 1","pages":"39 - 43"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80810469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Macville, J. A. van der Laak, E. Speel, Nir Katzir, Y. Garini, D. Soenksen, G. McNamara, P. D. de Wilde, A. Hanselaar, A. Hopman, T. Ried
We have investigated the use of spectral imaging for multi‐color analysis of permanent cytochemical dyes and enzyme precipitates on cytopathological specimens. Spectral imaging is based on Fourier‐transform spectroscopy and digital imaging. A pixel‐by‐pixel spectrum‐based color classification is presented of single‐, double‐, and triple‐color in situ hybridization for centromeric probes in T24 bladder cancer cells, and immunocytochemical staining of nuclear antigens Ki‐67 and TP53 in paraffin‐embedded cervical brush material (AgarCyto). The results demonstrate that spectral imaging unambiguously identifies three chromogenic dyes in a single bright‐field microscopic specimen. Serial microscopic fields from the same specimen can be analyzed using a spectral reference library. We conclude that spectral imaging of multi‐color chromogenic dyes is a reliable and robust method for pixel color recognition and classification. Our data further indicate that the use of spectral imaging (a) may increase the number of parameters studied simultaneously in pathological diagnosis, (b) may provide quantitative data (such as positive labeling indices) more accurately, and (c) may solve segmentation problems currently faced in automated screening of cell‐ and tissue specimens. Figures on http://www.esacp.org/acp/2001/22‐3/macville.htm.
{"title":"Spectral Imaging of Multi-Color Chromogenic Dyes in Pathological Specimens","authors":"M. Macville, J. A. van der Laak, E. Speel, Nir Katzir, Y. Garini, D. Soenksen, G. McNamara, P. D. de Wilde, A. Hanselaar, A. Hopman, T. Ried","doi":"10.1155/2001/740909","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/740909","url":null,"abstract":"We have investigated the use of spectral imaging for multi‐color analysis of permanent cytochemical dyes and enzyme precipitates on cytopathological specimens. Spectral imaging is based on Fourier‐transform spectroscopy and digital imaging. A pixel‐by‐pixel spectrum‐based color classification is presented of single‐, double‐, and triple‐color in situ hybridization for centromeric probes in T24 bladder cancer cells, and immunocytochemical staining of nuclear antigens Ki‐67 and TP53 in paraffin‐embedded cervical brush material (AgarCyto). The results demonstrate that spectral imaging unambiguously identifies three chromogenic dyes in a single bright‐field microscopic specimen. Serial microscopic fields from the same specimen can be analyzed using a spectral reference library. We conclude that spectral imaging of multi‐color chromogenic dyes is a reliable and robust method for pixel color recognition and classification. Our data further indicate that the use of spectral imaging (a) may increase the number of parameters studied simultaneously in pathological diagnosis, (b) may provide quantitative data (such as positive labeling indices) more accurately, and (c) may solve segmentation problems currently faced in automated screening of cell‐ and tissue specimens. Figures on http://www.esacp.org/acp/2001/22‐3/macville.htm.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"4 1","pages":"133 - 142"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87880475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fractal morphometry was used to investigate the ultrastructural features of the plasma membrane, perinuclear membrane and nuclear chromatin in SK‐BR‐3 human breast cancer cells undergoing apoptosis. Cells were incubated with 1 μM calcimycin (A23187) for 24 h. Cells in the early stage of apoptosis had fractal dimension (FD) values indicating that their plasma membranes were less rough (lower FD) than those of control cells, while their perinuclear membranes were unaffected. Changes of the chromatin texture within the entire nucleus and in selected nuclear domains were more pronounced in treated cells. This confirms that the morphological reorganization imputable to a loss of structural complexity (reduced FD) occurs in the early stage of apoptosis, is accompanied by the inhibition of distinct enzymatic events and precedes the onset of conventional cellular markers, which can only be detected during the active phases of the apoptotic process.
{"title":"Ultrastructural Complexity of Nuclear Components During Early Apoptotic Phases in Breast Cancer Cells","authors":"C. Castelli, G. Losa","doi":"10.1155/2001/828309","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/828309","url":null,"abstract":"Fractal morphometry was used to investigate the ultrastructural features of the plasma membrane, perinuclear membrane and nuclear chromatin in SK‐BR‐3 human breast cancer cells undergoing apoptosis. Cells were incubated with 1 μM calcimycin (A23187) for 24 h. Cells in the early stage of apoptosis had fractal dimension (FD) values indicating that their plasma membranes were less rough (lower FD) than those of control cells, while their perinuclear membranes were unaffected. Changes of the chromatin texture within the entire nucleus and in selected nuclear domains were more pronounced in treated cells. This confirms that the morphological reorganization imputable to a loss of structural complexity (reduced FD) occurs in the early stage of apoptosis, is accompanied by the inhibition of distinct enzymatic events and precedes the onset of conventional cellular markers, which can only be detected during the active phases of the apoptotic process.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"28 1","pages":"1 - 9"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"84509790","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The molecular pathways and the timing of genetic events during human colorectal carcinogenesis are still not fully understood. We have addressed the intratumor heterogeneity of the mutational status of the k-ras oncogene and of the p53 oncosuppressor gene during the adenoma-carcinoma sequence by investigating 26 human colorectal adenomas containing early cancer. An intratumor comparative analysis was obtained among the adenomatous and carcinomatous component pairs. Additionally, we have analyzed 17 adenomas having cancer in the near vicinity. The adenomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer and the adenomas having cancer in the near vicinity had comparable frequencies for k-ras mutations (28 and 47%) but different for p53 mutations (52 and 7%, p-value = 0.01). Interestingly, the adenomatous and carcinomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer were rarely heterogeneous for the k-ras mutational status (only in 13% of the cases) but were characterized by heterogeneity of the p53 status in 59% of the cases (p-value < 0.01). In addition, the mutations of p53 for the adenomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer were statistically significantly associated with severe dysplasia (p-value = 0.01). Intratumor homogeneity of k-ras status during the human colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence suggests that the role of k-ras is more related to tumor initiation than to tumor progression. On the contrary, intratumor heterogeneity of p53 mutations indicates that the type of the p53 mutations may also be relevant for selection and expansion of new subclones leading to tumor progression.
{"title":"Intratumor Heterogeneity of k-ras and p53 Mutations Among Human Colorectal Adenomas Containing Early Cancer","authors":"W. Giaretti","doi":"10.1155/2001/905923","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1155/2001/905923","url":null,"abstract":"The molecular pathways and the timing of genetic events during human colorectal carcinogenesis are still not fully understood. We have addressed the intratumor heterogeneity of the mutational status of the k-ras oncogene and of the p53 oncosuppressor gene during the adenoma-carcinoma sequence by investigating 26 human colorectal adenomas containing early cancer. An intratumor comparative analysis was obtained among the adenomatous and carcinomatous component pairs. Additionally, we have analyzed 17 adenomas having cancer in the near vicinity. The adenomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer and the adenomas having cancer in the near vicinity had comparable frequencies for k-ras mutations (28 and 47%) but different for p53 mutations (52 and 7%, p-value = 0.01). Interestingly, the adenomatous and carcinomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer were rarely heterogeneous for the k-ras mutational status (only in 13% of the cases) but were characterized by heterogeneity of the p53 status in 59% of the cases (p-value < 0.01). In addition, the mutations of p53 for the adenomatous components of the adenomas containing early cancer were statistically significantly associated with severe dysplasia (p-value = 0.01). Intratumor homogeneity of k-ras status during the human colorectal adenoma-carcinoma sequence suggests that the role of k-ras is more related to tumor initiation than to tumor progression. On the contrary, intratumor heterogeneity of p53 mutations indicates that the type of the p53 mutations may also be relevant for selection and expansion of new subclones leading to tumor progression.","PeriodicalId":76996,"journal":{"name":"Analytical cellular pathology : the journal of the European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology","volume":"42 1","pages":"181 - 181"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2001-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86614154","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}