Davide Soldini

Wntless, a Conserved Membrane Protein Dedicated to the Secretion of Wnt Proteins from Signaling Cells

Cell-cell communication via Wnt signals represents a fundamental means by which animal development and homeostasis are controlled. The identification of components of the Wnt pathway is reaching saturation for the transduction process in receiving cells but is incomplete concerning the events occurring in Wnt-secreting cells. Here, we describe the discovery of a novel Wnt pathway component, Wntless (Wls/Evi), and show that it is required for Wingless-dependent patterning processes in Drosophila, for MOM-2-governed polarization of blastomeres in C. elegans, and for Wnt3a-mediated communication between cultured human cells. In each of these cases, Wls is acting in the Wnt-sending cells to promote the secretion of Wnt proteins. Since loss of Wls function has no effect on other signaling pathways yet appears to impede all the Wnt signals we analyzed, we propose that Wls represents an ancient partner for Wnts dedicated to promoting their secretion into the extracellular milieu.

Expression of MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 predicts lymph node metastasis in melanoma patients.

MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 are members of the large MAGE family of cancer-testis (CT) antigens. CT antigens are promising targets for immunotherapy in cancer because their expression is restricted to cancer and germ line cells and a proportion of cancer patients presents with immune responses against CT antigens, which clearly demonstrates their immunogenicity. This study investigates the expression of MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 in primary and metastatic melanoma. Immunohistochemical staining of tissue microarrays that consisted of 59 primary malignant melanomas of the skin, 163 lymph node and distant melanoma metastases and 68 melanoma cell lines was performed. We found MAGE-C1/CT7 expression in 15 out of 50 (24%) primary melanomas and 15 out of 50 (24%) cell lines, whereas MAGE-C2/CT10 was detected in 17 out of 51 (33%) primary melanomas and 14 out of 68 (17%) cell lines. MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 were both detected in 40% of melanoma metastases. Patients with MAGE-C1/CT7 or MAGE-C2/CT10 positive primary melanoma had significantly more lymph node metastases (p = 0.005 and p<0.001, resp.). Prediction of lymph node metastasis by MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 was independent of tumor cell proliferation rate (Ki67 labeling index) in a multivariate analysis (p = 0.01). Our results suggest that the expression of MAGE-C1/CT7 and MAGE-C2/CT10 in primary melanoma is a potent predictor of sentinel lymph node metastasis.

Assessment of SOX11 expression in routine lymphoma tissue sections: characterization of new monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma.

The diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) can be difficult, especially when no t(11;14) translocation and cyclin D1 overexpression can be detected. In such cases, the transcription factor SOX11 represents an important diagnostic marker, as it is expressed in most MCLs and, in particular, in all cyclin D1-negative MCLs reported so far. A reliable anti-SOX11 antibody is therefore a very useful tool for routine diagnosis. Here, we characterize the new monoclonal anti-SOX11 antibodies, suitable for Western blot assay and immunohistochemistry (IHC) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue; we tested them on a large series of primary lymphoid tumors and compared these results with those of other routinely used antibodies. Moreover, we show that IHC results depend on transcription levels of SOX11, which suggests that posttranscriptional and posttranslational modifications do not significantly affect cutoff levels for IHC detection of SOX11.

Occupational health risks of pathologists - results from a nationwide online questionnaire in Switzerland

BackgroundPathologists are highly trained medical professionals who play an essential part in the diagnosis and therapy planning of malignancies and inflammatory diseases. Their work is associated with potential health hazards including injuries involving infectious human tissue, chemicals which are assumed to be carcinogenic or long periods of microscope and computer work. This study aimed to provide the first comprehensive assessment of the health situation of pathologists in Switzerland.MethodsPathologists in Switzerland were contacted via the Swiss Society of Pathologists and asked to answer an ethically approved, online anonymous questionnaire comprising 48 questions on occupational health problems, workplace characteristics and health behaviour.Results163 pathologists participated in the study. Forty percent of pathologists reported musculoskeletal problems in the previous month. The overall prevalence was 76%. Almost 90% of pathologists had visual refraction errors, mainly myopia. 83% of pathologists had experienced occupational injuries, mostly cutting injuries, in their professional career; more than one fifth of participants reported cutting injuries in the last year. However, long lasting injuries and infectious diseases were rare. Depression and burnout affected every eighth pathologist. The prevalence of smoking was substantially below that of the general Swiss population.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that more care should be taken in technical and personal protective measures, ergonomic workplace optimisation and reduction of work overload and work inefficiencies. Despite the described health risks, Swiss pathologists were optimistic about their future and their working situation. The high rate of ametropia and psychological problems warrants further study.

Apoptotic enteropathy caused by antimetabolites and TNF-α antagonists.

Aims To investigate whether drugs others than mycophenolic acid and ipilimumab might cause graft-versus-host-like apoptotic enteropathy, the clinicopathological findings in four patients were examined who had developed watery diarrhoea and apoptotic enteropathy (three cases from colon and one case from ileal pouch) after intake of antimetabolites (methotrexate and capecitabine) and/or tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors (etanercept and infliximab). Methods The clinical charts, endoscopy reports and intestinal biopsies from all endoscopies were reviewed for all patients. Biopsies were evaluated semiquantitatively for apoptosis of basal crypts, dilated damaged crypts, defined as cystically dilated crypts with flattened degenerated epithelium containing apoptotic debris and few neutrophils, and mucosal architecture. Further, the presence of intraepithelial lymphocytes, chronic inflammatory cells in the lamina propria and mucosal ulcerations was recorded and immunohistochemical analysis for human cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex virus was performed. Results Endoscopic examination revealed normal mucosa in two patients, whereas the other two showed focal ulcerations. Histological changes included increased apoptosis of basal crypts, the presence of dilated damaged crypts and architecture distortion. In all cases, a temporal association between drug intake and/or dose increase, and onset of diarrhoea, was observed, and no convincing evidence of other potentially underlying causes of colitis/enteritis was found, including infections. Conclusions Pathologists should be aware of the expanding spectrum of drugs that can cause apoptotic enteropathy, including antimetabolites and tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors.

Fine analysis of spontaneous MAGE-C1/CT7–specific immunity in melanoma patients

Cancer/testis (CT) antigens represent prime candidates for immunotherapy in cancer patients, because their expression is restricted to cancer cells and germ cells of the testis. MAGE-C1/CT7 is a CT antigen that is highly expressed in several types of cancers. Spontaneous occurrence of CT7-specific antibodies was previously detected by SEREX screen in a melanoma patient. However, naturally occurring CT7-specific T-cell responses have thus far not been detected. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 26 metastatic melanoma patients expressing CT7 in their tumor lesions (CT7+) were analyzed for CT7-specific T-cell responses using overlapping peptides. CT7-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were detected in three patients (11.5%). These CT7-specific CD4+ T-cell responses were detectable in melanoma patients’ PBMCs exclusively from preexisting CD45RA− memory CD4+ T-cell pool. Additional CT7-specific memory CD4+ T-cell responses were detected in CT7+ melanoma patients after depletion of CD4+CD25high Treg cells showing that Treg cells impact on CT7-specific CD4+ T cells in melanoma patients. CT7-specific CD4+ T-cell clones were generated and used to define minimal epitopes, restriction elements, and confirm the recognition of naturally processed antigen. Surprisingly, these clones were able to secrete perforin and exert cytotoxicity. This study shows that CT7 can induce specific cellular immunity in melanoma patients. Based on these findings, CT7 will be further explored as a potential vaccine for melanoma immunotherapy.

The expression of SPARC in human tumors is consistent with its role during cell competition

In Drosophila, the elimination of viable but suboptimal cells is mediated by cell competition, ensuring that these cells do not accumulate during development. In addition, certain genes such as the Drosophila homologue of human c-myc (dmyc) are able to transform cells into supercompetitors, which eliminate neighboring wild-type cells by apoptosis and overproliferate leaving total cell numbers unchanged. We have recently identified Drosophila SPARC as an early marker transcriptionally upregulated in loser cells that provides a transient protection by inhibiting caspase activation in outcompeted cells. Here, we explore whether the expression of SPARC in human tumors is consistent with a role for cell competition during human cancer and find that, consistent with the existence of competitive interactions between cancer and normal cells, SPARC is upregulated at the tumor-host boundaries in several types of human cancer.

Intraductal Oncocytic Papillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas: A Radio-Pathological Case Study

CONTEXT An intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasm is a rare pancreatic tumor with the potential of developing invasive carcinoma. Its differentiation from other cystic-like neoplasms of the pancreas, such as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, is a challenge for pancreatic imaging. CASE REPORT We present the case of a 76-year-old male with painless jaundice caused by an intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasm of the pancreas. The imaging findings on computed tomography, magnetic resonance including diffusion-weighted imaging, and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography are presented and the radio-pathological correlations are discussed. CONCLUSION An intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasm of the pancreas appears as a cystic tumor communicating with the dilated pancreatic duct featuring intraductal tumor nodules. Intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasms show a high (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-uptake in positron emission tomography and low diffusion values in diffusion-weighted imaging including apparent diffusion coefficient maps which may be a valuable attribute in distinguishing these rare lesions from intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms.

Image-based computational quantification and visualization of genetic alterations and tumour heterogeneity

Recent large-scale genome analyses of human tissue samples have uncovered a high degree of genetic alterations and tumour heterogeneity in most tumour entities, independent of morphological phenotypes and histopathological characteristics. Assessment of genetic copy-number variation (CNV) and tumour heterogeneity by fluorescence in situ hybridization (ISH) provides additional tissue morphology at single-cell resolution, but it is labour intensive with limited throughput and high inter-observer variability. We present an integrative method combining bright-field dual-colour chromogenic and silver ISH assays with an image-based computational workflow (ISHProfiler), for accurate detection of molecular signals, high-throughput evaluation of CNV, expressive visualization of multi-level heterogeneity (cellular, inter- and intra-tumour heterogeneity), and objective quantification of heterogeneous genetic deletions (PTEN) and amplifications (19q12, HER2) in diverse human tumours (prostate, endometrial, ovarian and gastric), using various tissue sizes and different scanners, with unprecedented throughput and reproducibility.

Primary non-small cell lung cancer response upon treatment with denosumab

Here we report the case of a patient with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the lung harboring an ALK gene translocation. In this patient a response of the primary tumor and metastases has been detected upon treatment with denosumab. A possible link between ALK and RANK is postulated.