Pallave Dasari

Expression of Toll-like receptors by neonatal leukocytes.

To cite this article: Dasari P, Zola H, Nicholson IC. Expression of Toll‐like receptors by neonatal leukocytes. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: 221–228.

Hormonal regulation of the immune microenvironment in the mammary gland.

The mammary gland is a unique organ that undergoes hormone-driven developmental changes over the course of the ovarian cycle during adult life. Macrophages play a role in regulating cellular turnover in the mammary gland and may affect cancer susceptibility. However, the immune microenvironment that regulates macrophage function has not been described. Hormonal regulation of the cytokine microenvironment across the ovarian cycle was explored using microbead multiplex assay for 15 cytokines in mammary glands from C57Bl/6 mice at different stages of the oestrous cycle, and in ovariectomised mice administered oestradiol and progesterone. The cytokines that were found to fluctuate over the course of the oestrous cycle were colony-stimulating factor (CSF)1, CSF2, interferon gamma (IFNG) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFA), all of which were significantly elevated at oestrus compared with other phases. The concentration of serum progesterone during the oestrus phase negatively correlated with the abundance of cytokines CSF3, IL12p40, IFNG and leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF). In ovariectomised mice, exogenous oestradiol administration increased mammary gland CSF1, CSF2, IFNG and LIF, compared with ovariectomised control mice. Progesterone administration together with oestradiol resulted in reduced CSF1, CSF3 and IFNG compared with oestradiol administration alone. This study suggests that the cytokine microenvironment in the mammary gland at the oestrus phase of the ovarian cycle is relatively pro-inflammatory compared with other stages of the cycle, and that the oestradiol-induced cytokine microenvironment is significantly attenuated by progesterone. A continuously fluctuating cytokine microenvironment in the mammary gland presumably regulates the phenotypes of resident leukocytes and may affect mammary gland cancer susceptibility.

Cytoskeletal protein flightless (Flii) is elevated in chronic and acute human wounds and wound fluid: Neutralizing its activity in chronic but not acute wound fluid improves cellular proliferation

Chronic non-healing wounds form a medical need which will expand as the population ages and the obesity epidemic grows. Whilst the complex mechanisms underlying wound repair are not fully understood, remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton plays a critical role. Elevated expression of the actin cytoskeletal protein Flightless I (Flii) is known to impair wound outcomes. To determine if Flii is involved in the impaired healing observed in chronic wounds, its expression in non-healing human wounds from patients with venous leg ulcers was determined and compared to its expression in acute wounds and unwounded skin. Increased expression of Flii was observed in both chronic and acute wounds with wound fluid and plasma also containing secreted Flii protein. Inflammation is a key aspect of wound repair and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis revealed Flii was located in neutrophils within the blood and that it co-localised with CD16+ neutrophils in chronic wounds. The function of secreted Flii was investigated as both chronic wound fluid and Flii have previously been shown to inhibit fibroblast proliferation. To determine if the inhibitory effect of wound fluid was due in part to the presence of Flii, wound fluids were depleted of Flii using Flii-specific neutralizing antibodies (FnAb). Flii depleted chronic wound fluid no longer inhibited fibroblast proliferation, suggesting that Flii may contribute to the inhibitory effect of chronic wound fluid on fibroblast function. Application of FnAbs to chronic wounds may therefore be a novel approach used to improve the local environment of non-healing wounds and potentially improve healing outcomes.

Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor and an In Vitro Whole Blood Model of Melioidosis

The study reported here was conducted in order to explore the mechanism of action of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the treatment of Burkholderia pseudomallei infections (otherwise known as melioidosis). Use of G-CSF as an adjunct to antibiotics has been associated with decreasing mortality among patients with melioidosis in the tropical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. However, using an in vitro whole blood assay, no significant difference was detected in the bactericidal activity of samples obtained from dialysis patients, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and healthy controls, and there was no improvement following coincubation with G-CSF.

Hormonal Modulation of Breast Cancer Gene Expression: Implications for Intrinsic Subtyping in Premenopausal Women

Clinics are increasingly adopting gene-expression profiling to diagnose breast cancer subtype, providing an intrinsic, molecular portrait of the tumor. For example, the PAM50-based Prosigna test quantifies expression of 50 key genes to classify breast cancer subtype, and this method of classification has been demonstrated to be superior over traditional immunohistochemical methods that detect proteins, to predict risk of disease recurrence. However, these tests were largely developed and validated using breast cancer samples from postmenopausal women. Thus, the accuracy of such tests has not been explored in the context of the hormonal fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone that occur during the menstrual cycle in premenopausal women. Concordance between traditional methods of subtyping and the new tests in premenopausal women is likely to depend on the stage of the menstrual cycle at which the tissue sample is taken and the relative effect of hormones on expression of genes versus proteins. The lack of knowledge around the effect of fluctuating estrogen and progesterone on gene expression in breast cancer patients raises serious concerns for intrinsic subtyping in premenopausal women, which comprise about 25% of breast cancer diagnoses. Further research on the impact of the menstrual cycle on intrinsic breast cancer profiling is required if premenopausal women are to benefit from the new technology of intrinsic subtyping.

Dissecting the Biology of Menstrual Cycle-Associated Breast Cancer Risk

Fluctuations in circulating estrogen and progesterone across the menstrual cycle lead to increased breast cancer susceptibility in women; however, the biological basis for this increased risk is not well understood. Estrogen and progesterone have important roles in normal mammary gland development, where they direct dynamic interactions among the hormonally regulated mammary epithelial, stromal, and immune cell compartments. The continuous fluctuations of estrogen and progesterone over a woman’s reproductive lifetime affect the turnover of mammary epithelium, stem cells, and the extracellular matrix, as well as regulate the phenotype and function of mammary stromal and immune cells, including macrophages and regulatory T cells. Collectively, these events may result in genome instability, increase the chance of random genetic mutations, dampen immune surveillance, and promote tolerance in the mammary gland, and thereby increase the risk of breast cancer initiation. This article reviews the current status of our understanding of the molecular and the cellular changes that occur in the mammary gland across the menstrual cycle and how continuous menstrual cycling may increase breast cancer susceptibility in women.

InforMD: a new initiative to raise public awareness about breast density

On a mammogram, breast density (also known as mammographic density) is shown as white and bright regions and is associated with reduced sensitivity in cancer detection and increased breast cancer risk. However, many Australian women are unaware of the significance of breast density as it is not routinely reported or discussed. In order to address this lack of knowledge, Australian breast cancer researchers with expertise in mammographic density formed the InforMD alliance (INformation FORum on Mammographic Density) in 2016. The alliance is working to raise awareness of breast density with the goal of improving breast cancer diagnosis and health outcomes for women. The InforMD website (www.InforMD.org.au) was launched in October 2016, coinciding with a major nationwide public awareness campaign by the alliance during breast cancer awareness month. The website contains unbiased, accurate, updated information on breast density. The website also provides summaries of major research articles in layperson language, recent news items related to breast density, links to relevant information for health professionals, events, and feature articles. Members of the public and health professionals can also subscribe for news updates. The interactive online Forum section facilitates discussion between health professionals, scientists and members of the public. To increase online traffic to the website, Facebook (www.facebook.com/BeInforMD) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/BeInforMD_) pages were launched in December 2016. Since its launch, InforMD has generated considerable interest. The public awareness campaign reached over 7 million Australians through a combination of newspaper, TV, radio, and online news. The website has attracted 13,058 unique visitors and 30,353 page views (data as of 19/12/2017). Breast cancer researchers have a significant role to play in disseminating information to the public on breast density. A combination of mainstream and social media, together with a well-informed and updated website, has laid the groundwork for the InforMD alliance to reach a wide audience.