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Lack of molecular targets in estrogen receptor-negative (ER- negative) breast cancer is a major therapeutic hurdle. We studied NF-κB activation in human breast tumors and in carcinoma cell lines. Activated NF-κB was detected predominantly in ER-negative vs. ER-positive breast tumors and mostly in ER-negative and ErbB2-positive tumors (86%). These in vivo results demonstrate association of activated NF-κB with a subgroup of human breast tumors and are consistent with previously reported in vitro observations using similar classes of human breast cancer cell lines. Finding such an association suggested functional and biological significance. Immunofluorescence demonstrated increased nuclear p65, a component of the active NF-κB complex, in cytokeratin 19 (CK19)-positive epithelial cells of ER-negative/ErbB2-positive tumor samples. In contrast, nuclear NF-κB was detected mostly in stroma of ER-negative and ErbB2-negative tumors, suggesting a role of activated NF-κB in intercellular signaling between epithelial and stromal cells in this type of breast cancers. To elucidate roles of activated NF-κB, we used an ER-negative and ErbB2-positive human breast tumor cell line (SKBr3). The polypeptide heregulin β1 stimulated, and herceptin, the anti-ErbB2 antibody, inhibited, NE-κB activation in SKBr3 cells. The NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO)-binding domain (NBD) peptide, an established selective inhibitor of IκB-kinase (IKK), blocked heregulin-mediated activation of NF-κB and cell proliferation, and simultaneously induced apoptosis only in proliferating and not resting cells. These results substantiate the hypothesis that certain breast cancer cells rely on NF-κB for aberrant cell proliferation and simultaneously avoid apoptosis, thus implicating activated NF-κB as a therapeutic target for distinctive subclasses of ER-negative breast cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic phase separation in complex oxides is the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of electronic phases, involving length scales much larger than those of structural defects or nonuniform distribution of chemical dopants. While experimental efforts focused on phase separation and established its correlation with nonlinear responses under external stimuli, it remains controversial whether phase separation requires quenched disorder for its realization. Early theory predicted that if perfectly "clean" samples could be grown, both phase separation and nonlinearities would be replaced by a bicritical-like phase diagram. Here, using a layer-by-layer superlattice growth technique we fabricate a fully chemically ordered "tricolor" manganite superlattice, and compare its properties with those of isovalent alloyed manganite films. Remarkably, the fully ordered manganite does not exhibit phase separation, while its presence is pronounced in the alloy. This suggests that chemical-dopinginduced disorder is crucial to stabilize the potentially useful nonlinear responses of manganites, as theory predicted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyclic stretch is an important inducer of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation, which is crucial in vascular remodeling during hypertension. However, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. We studied the effects of emerin and lamin A/C, two important nuclear envelope proteins, on VSMC proliferation in hypertension and the underlying mechano-mechanisms. In common carotid artery of hypertensive rats in vivo and in cultured cells subjected to high (15%) cyclic stretch in vitro, VSMC proliferation was increased significantly, and the expression of emerin and lamin A/C was repressed compared with normotensive or normal (5%) cyclic stretch controls. Using targeted siRNA to mimic the repressed expression of emerin or lamin A/C induced by 15% stretch, we found that VSMC proliferation was enhanced under static and 5%-stretch conditions. Overexpression of emerin or lamin A/C reversed VSMC proliferation induced by 15% stretch. Hence, emerin and lamin A/C play critical roles in suppressing VSMC hyperproliferation induced by hyperstretch. ChIP-on-chip and MOTIF analyses showed that the DNAs binding with emerin contain three transcription factor motifs: CCNGGA, CCMGCC, and ABTTCCG; DNAs binding with lamin A/C contain the motifs CVGGAA, GCCGCYGC, and DAAGAAA. Protein/DNA array proved that altered emerin or lamin A/C expression modulated the activation of various transcription factors. Furthermore, accelerating local expression of emerin or lamin A/C reversed cell proliferation in the carotid artery of hypertensive rats in vivo. Our findings establish the pathogenetic role of emerin and lamin A/C repression in stretch-induced VSMC proliferation and suggest mechanobiological mechanism underlying this process that involves the sequence-specific binding of emerin and lamin A/C to specific transcription factor motifs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammation is a significant player in the progression of heart failure and has detrimental effects on cardiac function. Prostaglandin (PG)E2, a major proinflammatory prostanoid in the cardiovascular system, is a potent stimulus in inducing intracellular CAMP but minimally affects cardiac contractile function. Here, we show that the PGE2 stimulation attenuates the adrenergic-induced cardiac coiitractile response in animal hearts. Stimulation with PGE2 leads to stimulatory G protein (Gs)-dependent production of CAMP. However, the induced CAMP is spatially restricted because of its degradation by phosphodiesterase (PDE)4 and cannot access the intracellular sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) for increasing calcium signaling and myocyte contraction. Moreover, pretreatment with PGE2 significantly inhibits PKA activities at the SR induced by a β-adrenergic agonist, isoproterenol, and subsequently blocks isoproterenol-induced PKA phosphorylation of phospholamban and contractile responses in myocytes. Further analysis reveals that the PGE2-induced cAMP/PKA is sufficient to phosphorylate and activate PDE4D isoforms, which, in turn, spatially inhibits the diffusion of adrenergic-induced CAMP from the plasma membrane to the SR. Inhibition of PDE4 rescues the adrenergic-induced increase in cAMP/PKA activities at the SR. PKA phosphorylation of phospholamban, and contractile responses in PGE2-pretreated myocytes. Thus, this offers an example that one Gs-coupled receptor is able to inhibit the intracellular signaling transduction initiated by another Gs-coupled receptor via controlling the diffusion of CAMP, presenting a paradigm for G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signal transduction. It also provides a mechanism for the integration of signaling initiated by different neurohormonal stimuli, as well as long-term effects of chronically circulating proinflammatory factors in myocardium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]