OBJECTIVES: Hedgehog signalling plays a critical role during the pathogenesis of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Besides canonical hedgehog signalling with smoothened (SMO)-dependent activation of GLI transcription factors, GLI can be activated independently of classical hedgehog ligands and receptors (so-called non-canonical pathways). Here, we aimed to evaluate the role of non-canonical hedgehog signalling in SSc and to test the efficacy of direct GLI inhibitors that target simultaneously canonical and non-canonical hedgehog pathways. METHODS: The GLI inhibitor GANT-61 was used to inhibit canonical as well as non-canonical hedgehog signalling, while the SMO inhibitor vismodegib was used to selectively target canonical hedgehog signalling. Furthermore, GLI2 was selectively depleted in fibroblasts using the Cre-LoxP system. The effects of pharmacological or genetic of GLI2 on transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signalling were analysed in cultured fibroblasts, in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and in mice with overexpression of a constitutively active TGF-β receptor I. RESULTS: TGF-β upregulated GLI2 in a Smad3-dependent manner and induced nuclear accumulation and DNA binding of GLI2. Fibroblast-specific knockout of GLI2 protected mice from TBR(act)-induced fibrosis. Combined targeting of canonical and non-canonical hedgehog signalling with direct GLI inhibitors exerted more potent antifibrotic effects than selective targeting of canonical hedgehog signalling with SMO inhibitors in experimental dermal and pulmonary fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that hedgehog pathways and TGF-β signalling both converge to GLI2 and that GLI2 integrates those signalling to promote tissue fibrosis. These findings may have translational implications as non-selective inhibitors of GLI2 are in clinical use and selective molecules are currently in development.

• MeSH
• anilidy farmakologie   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• fibroblasty účinky léků   metabolismus   MeSH
• fibróza MeSH
• genový knockout MeSH
• inhibitor aktivátoru plazminogenu 1 genetika   MeSH
• kolagen typu I genetika   MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• kůže účinky léků   patologie   MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• messenger RNA metabolismus   MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• myši knockoutované MeSH
• myši transgenní MeSH
• myši MeSH
• plicní fibróza chemicky indukované   metabolismus   MeSH
• protein Smad3 metabolismus   MeSH
• protein-serin-threoninkinasy antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog metabolismus   MeSH
• pteridiny farmakologie   MeSH
• pyridiny farmakologie   MeSH
• pyrimidiny farmakologie   MeSH
• receptor Smoothened antagonisté a inhibitory   MeSH
• receptory transformujícího růstového faktoru beta antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   MeSH
• rekombinantní proteiny farmakologie   MeSH
• růstový faktor pojivové tkáně genetika   MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• signální transdukce účinky léků   MeSH
• systémová sklerodermie genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• transformující růstový faktor beta metabolismus   farmakologie   MeSH
• transkripční faktory Krüppel-like antagonisté a inhibitory   genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• senioři MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

The sonic Hedgehog/GLI signaling pathway (HH) is critical for maintaining tissue polarity in development and contributes to tumor stemness. Transcription factors GLI1⁻3 are the downstream effectors of HH and activate oncogenic targets. To explore the completeness of the expression of HH components in tumor cells, we performed a screen for all HH proteins in a wide spectrum of 56 tumor cell lines of various origin using Western blot analysis. Generally, all HH proteins were expressed. Important factors GLI1 and GLI2 were always expressed, only exceptionally one of them was lowered, suggesting the functionality of HH in all tumors tested. We determined the effect of a GLI inhibitor GANT61 on proliferation in 16 chosen cell lines. More than half of tumor cells were sensitive to GANT61 to various extents. GANT61 killed the sensitive cells through apoptosis. The inhibition of reporter activity containing 12xGLI consensus sites by GANT61 and cyclopamine roughly correlated with cell proliferation influenced by GANT61. Our results recognize the sensitivity of tumor cell types to GANT61 in cell culture and support a critical role for GLI factors in tumor progression through restraining apoptosis. The use of GANT61 in combined targeted therapy of sensitive tumors, such as melanomas, seems to be immensely helpful.

• MeSH
• HeLa buňky MeSH
• jaderné proteiny metabolismus   MeSH
• Jurkat buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• nádorové buněčné linie MeSH
• nádory farmakoterapie   metabolismus   MeSH
• progrese nemoci MeSH
• proliferace buněk účinky léků   MeSH
• protein Gli1 metabolismus   MeSH
• protein Gli2 s motivem zinkových prstů metabolismus   MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog metabolismus   MeSH
• pyridiny farmakologie   MeSH
• pyrimidiny farmakologie   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese u nádorů účinky léků   MeSH
• signální transdukce účinky léků   MeSH
• viabilita buněk účinky léků   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

• MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• fenotyp MeSH
• homeodoménové proteiny genetika   MeSH
• hypofýza růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• hypofyzární nanismus genetika   metabolismus   patofyziologie   MeSH
• jaderné proteiny genetika   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lidský růstový hormon genetika   MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mutace * MeSH
• mutační analýza DNA MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• prospektivní studie MeSH
• protein Gli2 s motivem zinkových prstů genetika   MeSH
• proteiny s homeodoménou LIM genetika   MeSH
• receptory hormonů regulujících hypofyzární hormony MeSH
• receptory neuropeptidů MeSH
• transkripční faktor Pit-1 genetika   MeSH
• transkripční faktory SOXB1 genetika   MeSH
• transkripční faktory genetika   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• pozorovací studie MeSH

Survivin, an important antiapoptotic protein, is expressed in tumors, whereas in normal tissues the expression of this protein is extremely low, defining a role for survivin as a cancer gene. Survivin exhibits multifunctional activity in tumor cells. However, why survivin expression is sharply and invariably restricted to tumor tissue remains unclear. Here, we identified 11 putative consensus binding sites for GLI transcription factors in the survivin promoter and characterized the promoter activity. Inhibitors of the Hedgehog/GLI pathway, cyclopamine and GANT61, decreased the promoter activity in reporter assays. ΔNGLI2 (which lacks the repressor domain) was the most potent vector in activating the survivin promoter-reporter. Moreover, GANT61, a GLI1/2 inhibitor, repressed endogenous survivin protein and mRNA expression in most cells across a large panel of tumor cell lines. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed GLI2 binding to the survivin promoter. The ectopic GLI2-evoked expression of endogenous survivin was observed in normal human fibroblasts. GANT61 decreased survivin level in nude mice tumors, mimicking the activity of GANT61 in cultured cells. The immunohistochemistry and double immunofluorescence of human tumors revealed a correlation between the tissue regions showing high GLI2 and survivin positivity. Thus, these results demonstrated that survivin is a classical transcriptional target of GLI2, a Hedgehog pathway signaling effector. This potentially reflects the high expression of survivin in human tumor cells. As the Hedgehog pathway is upregulated in virtually all types of cancer cells, these findings substantially contribute to the explanation of uniform survivin expression in tumors as a potential target for the development of a more effective treatment of cancers through the inhibition of GLI2 to restrain survivin activity.

• MeSH
• inhibitory apoptózy genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• myši nahé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog metabolismus   MeSH
• represorové proteiny genetika   metabolismus   MeSH
• signální transdukce MeSH
• transfekce MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma encompasses a clinically and molecularly diverse group of cancers of the developing central nervous system. Here, we use unbiased sequencing of the transcriptome across a large cohort of 250 tumors to reveal differences among molecular subtypes of the disease, and demonstrate the previously unappreciated importance of non-coding RNA transcripts. We identify alterations within the cAMP dependent pathway (GNAS, PRKAR1A) which converge on GLI2 activity and show that 18% of tumors have a genetic event that directly targets the abundance and/or stability of MYCN. Furthermore, we discover an extensive network of fusions in focally amplified regions encompassing GLI2, and several loss-of-function fusions in tumor suppressor genes PTCH1, SUFU and NCOR1. Molecular convergence on a subset of genes by nucleotide variants, copy number aberrations, and gene fusions highlight the key roles of specific pathways in the pathogenesis of Sonic hedgehog medulloblastoma and open up opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

• MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genové regulační sítě MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• meduloblastom genetika   MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• nádory mozečku genetika   MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog genetika   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese u nádorů * MeSH
• signální transdukce genetika   MeSH
• transkriptom * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé středního věku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

In melanoma and other cancers, invasion, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, metastasis and cancer stem cell maintenance are regulated by transcription factors including the Snail family. Slug (Snail2) protein generally supports migration and apoptosis resistance. However, its role in melanoma is not completely understood. The present study investigated the transcriptional regulation of the SLUG gene in melanoma. It demonstrated that SLUG is under the control of the Hedgehog/GLI signaling pathway and is activated predominantly by the transcription factor GLI2. The SLUG gene promoter contains a high number of GLI-binding sites. Slug expression is activated by GLI factors in reporter assays and inhibited by GANT61 (GLI inhibitor) and cyclopamine (SMO inhibitor). SLUG mRNA levels are lowered by GANT61 as assessed by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed abundant binding of factors GLI1-3 in the four subregions of the proximal SLUG promoter. Notably, melanoma-associated transcription factor (MITF) is an imperfect activator of the SLUG promoter in reporter assays, and downregulation of MITF had no effect on endogenous Slug protein levels. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the above findings and showed MITF-negative regions in metastatic melanoma that were positive for GLI2 and Slug. Taken together, the results demonstrated a previously unrecognized transcriptional activation mechanism of the SLUG gene, which may represent its main regulation of expression in melanoma cells.

• MeSH
• apoptóza MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• melanom * genetika   MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog * genetika   MeSH
• signální transdukce MeSH
• transkripční faktory genetika   MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

BACKGROUND: In mammals, odontogenesis is regulated by transient signaling centers known as enamel knots (EKs), which drive the dental epithelium shaping. However, the developmental mechanisms contributing to formation of complex tooth shape in reptiles are not fully understood. Here, we aim to elucidate whether signaling organizers similar to EKs appear during reptilian odontogenesis and how enamel ridges are formed. RESULTS: Morphological structures resembling the mammalian EK were found during reptile odontogenesis. Similar to mammalian primary EKs, they exhibit the presence of apoptotic cells and no proliferating cells. Moreover, expression of mammalian EK-specific molecules (SHH, FGF4, and ST14) and GLI2-negative cells were found in reptilian EK-like areas. 3D analysis of the nucleus shape revealed distinct rearrangement of the cells associated with enamel groove formation. This process was associated with ultrastructural changes and lipid droplet accumulation in the cells directly above the forming ridge, accompanied by alteration of membranous molecule expression (Na/K-ATPase) and cytoskeletal rearrangement (F-actin). CONCLUSIONS: The final complex shape of reptilian teeth is orchestrated by a combination of changes in cell signaling, cell shape, and cell rearrangement. All these factors contribute to asymmetry in the inner enamel epithelium development, enamel deposition, ultimately leading to the formation of characteristic enamel ridges.

• MeSH
• aktiny metabolismus   MeSH
• lipidová tělíska metabolismus   MeSH
• odontogeneze fyziologie   MeSH
• plazi anatomie a histologie   růst a vývoj   metabolismus   MeSH
• transmisní elektronová mikroskopie MeSH
• vývojová regulace genové exprese fyziologie   MeSH
• zubní sklovina cytologie   metabolismus   ultrastruktura   MeSH
• zuby MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Because the causes of combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) are complex, the etiology of congenital CPHD remains unknown in most cases. The aim of the study was to identify the genetic etiology of CPHD in a well-defined single-center cohort. In total, 34 children (12 girls) with congenital CPHD (growth hormone (GH) deficiency and impaired secretion of at least one other pituitary hormone) treated with GH in our center were enrolled in the study. Their median age was 11.2 years, pre-treatment height was -3.2 s.d., and maximal stimulated GH was 1.4 ug/L. Of them, 30 had central adrenal insufficiency, 27 had central hypothyroidism, ten had hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and three had central diabetes insipidus. Twenty-six children had a midline defect on MRI. Children with clinical suspicion of a specific genetic disorder underwent genetic examination of the gene(s) of interest via Sanger sequencing or array comparative genomic hybridization. Children without a detected causal variant after the first-tier testing or with no suspicion of a specific genetic disorder were subsequently examined using next-generation sequencing growth panel. Variants were evaluated by the American College of Medical Genetics standards. Genetic etiology was confirmed in 7/34 (21%) children. Chromosomal aberrations were found in one child (14q microdeletion involving the OTX2 gene). The remaining 6 children had causative genetic variants in the GLI2, PROP1, POU1F1, TBX3, PMM2, and GNAO1 genes, respectively. We elucidated the cause of CPHD in a fifth of the patients. Moreover, our study supports the PMM2 gene as a candidate gene for CPHD and suggests pathogenic variants in the GNAO1 gene as a potential novel genetic cause of CPHD.

• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

PURPOSE: Medulloblastoma comprises four distinct molecular subgroups: WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4. Current medulloblastoma protocols stratify patients based on clinical features: patient age, metastatic stage, extent of resection, and histologic variant. Stark prognostic and genetic differences among the four subgroups suggest that subgroup-specific molecular biomarkers could improve patient prognostication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Molecular biomarkers were identified from a discovery set of 673 medulloblastomas from 43 cities around the world. Combined risk stratification models were designed based on clinical and cytogenetic biomarkers identified by multivariable Cox proportional hazards analyses. Identified biomarkers were tested using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on a nonoverlapping medulloblastoma tissue microarray (n = 453), with subsequent validation of the risk stratification models. RESULTS: Subgroup information improves the predictive accuracy of a multivariable survival model compared with clinical biomarkers alone. Most previously published cytogenetic biomarkers are only prognostic within a single medulloblastoma subgroup. Profiling six FISH biomarkers (GLI2, MYC, chromosome 11 [chr11], chr14, 17p, and 17q) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, we can reliably and reproducibly identify very low-risk and very high-risk patients within SHH, Group 3, and Group 4 medulloblastomas. CONCLUSION: Combining subgroup and cytogenetic biomarkers with established clinical biomarkers substantially improves patient prognostication, even in the context of heterogeneous clinical therapies. The prognostic significance of most molecular biomarkers is restricted to a specific subgroup. We have identified a small panel of cytogenetic biomarkers that reliably identifies very high-risk and very low-risk groups of patients, making it an excellent tool for selecting patients for therapy intensification and therapy de-escalation in future clinical trials.

• MeSH
• čipová analýza tkání MeSH
• cytogenetika MeSH
• dítě MeSH
• hodnocení rizik MeSH
• hybridizace in situ fluorescenční MeSH
• jaderné proteiny genetika   MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• lidské chromozomy, pár 11 MeSH
• lidské chromozomy, pár 14 MeSH
• meduloblastom genetika   mortalita   patologie   terapie   MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• nádorové biomarkery genetika   MeSH
• prediktivní hodnota testů MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• prognóza MeSH
• proporcionální rizikové modely MeSH
• proteiny hedgehog * genetika   MeSH
• proteiny Wnt * genetika   MeSH
• protoonkogenní proteiny c-myc genetika   MeSH
• regulace genové exprese u nádorů MeSH
• reprodukovatelnost výsledků MeSH
• rizikové faktory MeSH
• stanovení celkové genové exprese MeSH
• transkripční faktory Krüppel-like genetika   MeSH
• Check Tag
• dítě MeSH
• kojenec MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• předškolní dítě MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural MeSH

The human ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) surround the oocyte and form the proper architecture of the ovarian follicle. The ability of GCs to proliferate and differentiate in the conditions of in vitro culture has been proven. However, there is still a large field for extensive investigation of molecular basics, as well as marker genes, responsible for these processes. This study aimed to find the new marker genes, encoding proteins that regulate human GCs in vitro capability for proliferation and differentiation during long-term primary culture. The human follicular GCs were collected from hyper-stimulated ovarian follicles during IVF procedures and transferred to a long-term in vitro culture. The culture lasted for 30 days, with RNA samples isolated at days 1, 7, 15, 30. Transcriptomic analysis was then performed with the use of Affymetrix microarray. Obtained results were then subjected to bioinformatical evaluation and sorting. After subjecting the datasets to KEGG analysis, three differentially expressed ontology groups "cell differentiation" (GO:0030154), "cell proliferation" (GO:0008283) and "cell-cell junction organization" (GO:0045216) were chosen for further investigation. All three of those ontology groups are involved in human GCs' in vitro lifespan, proliferation potential, and survival capability. Changes in expression of genes of interest belonging to the chosen GOs were validated with the use of RT-qPCR. In this manuscript, we suggest that VCL, PARVA, FZD2, NCS1, and COL5A1 may be recognized as new markers of GC in vitro differentiation, while KAT2B may be a new marker of their proliferation. Additionally, SKI, GLI2, FERMT2, and CDH2 could also be involved in GC in vitro proliferation and differentiation processes. We demonstrated that, in long-term in vitro culture, GCs exhibit markers that suggest their ability to differentiate into different cells types. Therefore, the higher expression profile of these genes may also be associated with the induction of cellular differentiation processes that take place beyond the long-term primary in vitro culture.

• MeSH
• adhezní spoje metabolismus   MeSH
• buněčná adheze genetika   MeSH
• buněčná diferenciace genetika   MeSH
• dospělí MeSH
• folikulární buňky cytologie   metabolismus   MeSH
• kultivované buňky MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• ovarium cytologie   MeSH
• proliferace buněk genetika   MeSH
• upregulace * MeSH
• Check Tag
• dospělí MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• mladiství MeSH
• mladý dospělý MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH