Pulmonary Cell News Volume 4.30 | Aug 6 2015

Hox5 Genes Regulate the Wnt2/2b-Bmp4-Signaling Axis during Lung Development
Researchers showed that all three Hox5 paralogous genes play redundant roles in the developing lung. Hoxa5;Hoxb5;Hoxc5 triple-mutant embryos develop severely hypoplastic lungs with reduced branching and proximal-distal patterning defects. [Cell Rep] Full Article | Graphical Abstract

A Proteomic Perspective of the Interplay of Staphylococcus aureus and Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells during Infection
The authors infected human alveolar epithelial A549 cells with S. aureus HG001 pMV158GFP and separated intact bacteria from host cell debris or infected from non-infected A549 cells by cell sorting to enable detailed proteome analysis. [J Proteomics] Abstract

Increased Ectodomain Shedding of Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 as a Cause of Type II Alveolar Epithelial Cell Apoptosis in Patients with Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonia
Apoptotic alveolar epithelial cells were detected by immunohistochemistry for single-stranded DNA. NCI-H441 and A549 human lung epithelial cells were transfected with small interfering RNA to silence cell adhesion molecule 1 expression and analyzed by terminal nucleotide nick end labeling assays. [Resp Res] Full Article

LUNG CANCER

Akt2 Knock-Down Reveals Its Contribution to Human Lung Cancer Cell Proliferation, Growth, Motility, Invasion and Endothelial Cell Tube Formation
Scientists investigated the impact of specific silencing of Akt1 and Akt2 on human lung cancer cell proliferation, colony growth, motility, and invasion in vitro as well as tumor growth in vivo using human non-small cell lung cancer cells LNM35, and on the vascular tube formation using HUVEC cells. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Tyr1068-Phosphorylated Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Predicts Cancer Stem Cell Targeting by Erlotinib in Preclinical Models of Wild-Type EGFR Lung Cancer
Scientists investigated erlotinib response of lung cancer stem cells (CSCs) with wild-type-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and identified EGFR phosphorylation at tyrosine1068 as a powerful biomarker associated with erlotinib sensitivity both in vitro and in preclinical CSC-generated xenografts. [Cell Death Dis] Full Article

S-Nitrosylation of Bcl-2 Negatively Affects Autophagy in Lung Epithelial Cells
Researchers report that malignantly transformed lung epithelial cells are resistant to autophagy, and express lower basal levels of autophagic proteins Beclin-1 and LC3-II as compared to non-tumorigenic cells. [J Cell Biochem] Abstract

Nuclear Receptor Expression and Function in Human Lung Cancer Pathogenesis
To understand the relevance of nuclear receptors (NRs) in the oncogene-associated lung cancer pathogenesis, the authors investigated the expression profile of the entire 48 NR members by using QPCR analysis in a panel of human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) that included precancerous and tumorigenic HBECs harboring oncogenic K-ras^V12 and/or p53 alterations. [PLoS One] Full Article

Pachymic Acid Induces Apoptosis via Activating ROS-Dependent JNK and ER Stress Pathways in Lung Cancer Cells
Researchers report the chemotherapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of pachymic acid (PA) against human lung cancer. The anti-proliferative ability of PA on lung cancer cells was assessed by MTT, colony formation and EdU proliferation assays. [Cancer Cell Int] Full Article

Why Has Active Immunotherapy Not Worked in Lung Cancer?
Vaccines which rely on active-specific stimulation of the host immune system have the potential to trigger durable antitumor responses with minimal toxicity. However in non-small cell lung cancer, several large Phase III trials of vaccines reported within the last year have yielded disappointing results. [Ann Oncol] Abstract

The Diverse Roles of Adiponectin in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Current Data and Future Perspectives
The authors summarize and critically discuss the published literature on the diverse roles of adiponectin in non-small-cell lung cancer, including its implication in lung cancer development, its use as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, and its correlation with cancer-related cachexia. [Future Oncol] Abstract

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Mirati Therapeutics and MedImmune Partner on Immuno-Oncology Combination in Lung Cancer
Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. and MedImmune announced they have entered into an exclusive clinical trial collaboration. The Phase I/II study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Mirati’s investigational spectrum-selective histone deacetylase inhibitor, mocetinostat, in combination with MedImmune’s investigational anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor, durvalumab. [Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release

Clovis Oncology Completes U.S. and E.U. Regulatory Submissions for Rociletinib for the Treatment of Advanced EGFR-Mutant T790M⁺ Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Clovis Oncology, Inc. announced that it has submitted its New Drug Application regulatory filing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for rociletinib for the treatment of patients with mutant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) non-small cell lung cancer who have been previously treated with an EGFR-targeted therapy and have the EGFR T790M mutation as detected by an FDA approved test. [Clovis Oncology, Inc.] Press Release

Food and Drug Administration (United States)

Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (United States)

European Medicines Agency (European Union)

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (United Kingdom)

Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia)

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the pulmonary cell community.

Scientist – Pluripotent Stem Cell Biology Endoderm Lineages (STEMCELL Technologies Inc.)

Harry Eagle Scholar Awards for Postdoctoral Candidates (Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Biotechnology (Qu Biologics Inc.)

Postdoctoral Positions – Cancer Research (Rutgers University)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Cancer Research (National University of Singapore)

Postdoctoral Training Fellow – Lung Cancer and Drug Resistance (Institute of Cancer Research)

PhD Studentships – Pulmonary Biology and Medicine (University of Giessen Lung Center)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Pulmonary Fibrosis (University of Colorado School of Medicine)

Assistant Professor – Neonatal Pulmonary Biology and Vascular Biology (Medical College of Wisconsin)

Senior Scientist – Stem Cells (Cystic Fibrosis Foundation)

Faculty Positions (Cleveland Clinic)

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