Histology and histopathology Vol.33, nº5 (2018)

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  • Publication
    Open Access
    1p36 deletion results in a decrease in glycosaminoglycans which is associated with aggressiveness in neuroblastic tumors
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Tadeo, Irene; Gamero Sandemetrio, Esther; Berbegall, Ana P.; Navarro, Samuel; Cañete, Adela; Noguera, Rosa
    Despite our deep understanding of neuroblastic tumors, some patients still suffer treatment failure, so pre-treatment risk stratification still requires improvement and the search for new therapeutic targets must continue. Here we correlated prognostic clinical and biological features of neuroblastic tumors with the density of extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans (the main components of the extracellular matrix ‘ground substance’), in nearly 400 primary samples. We also studied the relationship between the density of extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans and the expression of B3GALT6, an enzyme required for their synthesis. We associated a decrease in glycosaminoglycans with neuroblastomas that were histopathologically poorly-differentiated or undifferentiated, as well as with metastatic disease, and 1p36 deleted tumors. This decrease in glycosaminoglycans was also related to abnormal nuclear B3GALT6 expression in neuroblastic cells. These findings point towards the importance of the ground substance in the aggressiveness of neuroblastic tumors, which should therefore be considered when developing novel therapies for treating neuroblastomas.
  • Publication
    Open Access
    Histopathological, immunohistochemical, and stereological analysis of the effect of Ginkgo biloba (Egb761) on the hippocampus of rats exposed to long-term cellphone radiation
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Gevrek, Fikret
    Cellular phones are major sources of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) that can penetrate the human body and pose serious health hazards. The increasingly widespread use of mobile communication systems has raised concerns about the effects of cellphone radiofrequency (RF) on the hippocampus because of its close proximity to radiation during cellphone use. The effects of cellphone EMR exposure on the hippocampus of rats and the possible counteractive effects of Ginkgo biloba (Egb761) were aimed to investigate. Rats were divided into three groups: Control, EMR, and EMR+Egb761. The EMR and EMR+Egb761 groups were exposed to cellphone EMR for one month. Egb761 was also administered to the EMR+Egb761 group. Specifically, we evaluated the effect of RF exposure on rat hippocampi at harmful EMR levels (0.96 W/kg specific absorption rate [SAR]) for one month and also investigated the possible impact of Egb761 using stereological, TUNEL-staining, and immunohistochemical methods. An increase in apoptotic proteins (Bax, Acas-3) and a decrease in anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) immuno-reactivity along with a decrease in the total granule and pyramidal cell count were noted in the EMR group. A decrease in Bax and Acas-3 and an increase in Bcl-2 immunoreactivity were observed in rats treated with Egb761 in addition to a decrease in TUNEL-stained apoptotic cells and a higher total viable cell number. In conclusion, chronic cellphone EMR exposure may affect hippocampal cell viability, and Egb761 may be used to mitigate some of the deleterious effects.
  • Publication
    Open Access
    MiRNAs participate in the diagnosis, pathogenesis and therapy of Parkinson's disease
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Lu, Xuexin; Cui, Zhijie; Liu, Shuang; Yin, Feng
    MicroRNAs (miRNAs), one kind of posttranscriptional modification, mediate transcriptional silencing of various metabolic enzymes that are involved in various life processes, including Parkinson’s disease. At present, the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease is not clear, although many studies suggest that miRNAs play a very important role in the progress of Parkinsonism. This paper reviews the biological characteristics of miRNAs and summarizes the progress of miRNAs in reference to the diagnosis and pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. It even considers miRNAs as a potential target for Parkinson’s disease therapy
  • Publication
    Open Access
    Regulation and function of sphingosine kinase 2 in diseases
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Song, Dan Dan; Zhou, Jun Hao; Sheng, Rui
    Sphingosine kinase functions to phosphorylate sphingosine to sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) to keep balance in the metabolites of sphingolipids. There are two isoforms of sphingosine kinase, sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) and sphingosine kinase 2 (SphK2). Although SphK1 and SphK2 share high sequence similarity, SphK2 has distinct distribution, regulation and function. SphK2 is involved in the pathological processes of varieties of diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, stroke, cardiovascular diseases and inflammation. SphK2 may promote the proliferation of cancer cells and the progression of inflammation. The SphK2/S1P pathway is also involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and stroke. S1P produced by SphK2 in the nucleus binds to HDACs, which then inhibits histone acetylation and regulates memory. The SphK2 pathway mediates platelet aggregation, thrombosis, cardioprotection and helps to ameliorate hepatic steatosis. This review focuses on the recent advances in research on SphK2 regulation and its potential roles in diseases, highlighting SphK2 may be a novel therapeutic strategy for diseases.
  • Publication
    Open Access
    Ex vivo 3D human corneal stroma model for Schnyder corneal dystrophy - role of autophagy in its pathogenesis and resolution
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Szabó, Dóra Júlia; Nagymihály, Richárd; Veréb, Zoltán; Josifovska, Natasha; Noer, Agate; Liskova, Petra; Facskó, Andrea; Moe, Morten C.; Petrovski, Goran
    Introduction. Multilamellar bodies (MLBs) are concentric cytoplasmic membranes which form through an autophagy-dependent mechanism. In the cornea, the presence of MLBs is associated with Schnyder corneal dystrophy (SCD). Ex vivo 3D modelling of the corneal stroma and SCD can help study pathogenesis and resolution of the disorder. Methods. Corneal stroma explants were isolated from cadavers and cultivated long-term for more than 3 months to achieve spontaneous 3D outgrowth of corneal stromaderived mesenchymal stem-like cells (CSMSCs). The 3D tissues were then examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for presence of MLBs, and by immunofluorescent labelling against markers for autophagy (p62, LC3). Autophagy was induced by classical serum starvation or rapamycin (RAP) treatment (50nM), and inhibited by the autophagy inhibitor 3- methyladenine (3-MA, 10 mM) for 24 hours. Results. CSMSCs can form spontaneously 3D outgrowths over a 3-4 weeks period, depositing their own extracellular matrix containing collagen I. TEM confirmed the presence of MLBs in the long-term (>3 months) 3D cultures, which became more abundant under starvation and RAP treatment, and decreased in number under autophagy inhibition with 3-MA. The presence of autophagy and its disappearance could be confirmed by an inversely related increase and decrease in the expression of LC3 and p62, respectively. Conclusions. MLB formation in long-standing CSMSC cultures could serve as a potential ex vivo model for studying corneal stroma diseases, including SCD. Inhibition of autophagy can decrease the formation of MLBs, which may lead to a novel treatment of the disease in the future.