The current studies were carried out to determine the expression of Fas ligand and Bax in kidneys from lupus nephritis as possible indicators of apoptosis. Twenty-four kidney biopsies from patients with lupus nephritis and 30 normal controls were studied for FasL and Bax gene expression by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Seventy percent of the lupus biopsies displayed FasL or Bax mRNAs. These genes were mainly expressed in biopsies with higher activity indices. In contrast, neither of these mediators was detected in normal glomeruli. These data suggest that FasL and Bax are up-regulated in lupus nephritis and may play a pathogenic role through apoptotic cascades.

Background/Aims: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is an epitheliotropic, double-stranded DNA virus, and its high-risk genotypes are associated with human cancer. HPV genome has been detected in lung carcinomas in certain places around the world, including Mexico; however, the prevalence of this is unclear. In this study, we examine the frequency of high-risk HPV 16/18 in lung cancer tissues from a Mexican population. Methods: 39 lung cancer specimens were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using HPV GP5+/GP6+ primers and then were genotyped using specific primers to HPV 16/18. Additionally, in situ hybridization (ISH) was performed using BIO-labeled oligonucleotide probes. Results: Our results identified 15 positive cases (38.46%) for HPV 16 and 1 positive case (2.56%) for HPV 18 by PCR. ISH showed the presence of HPV DNA in 13 of 16 (81%) samples, in agreement with the PCR results. Conclusions: In this study, we detected HPV 16/18 gene sequences in lung cancer samples obtained from Mexican patients by PCR and ISH. We found the highest prevalence of HPV 16 infection in lung adenocarcinomas, suggesting that HPV infection may be associated with lung cancer. However, further studies are needed to elucidate the role of HPV in lung carcinogenesis.

The present studies investigated whether FasL and Bax genes are expressed in pleuro-pulmonary biopsies from patients with lung cancer. FasL, Bax, and TNFalpha mRNAs were detected in 19 biopsies of primary or metastasic lung cancer by fluorescent in situ hybridization assays. Fluorescent probes were produced by polymerase chain reaction using a human spleen lambda gt11 library and specific primers for FasL, Bax, and TNFalpha. Proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry using monoclonal anti- FasL, anti-Bax, and anti-TNFalpha antibodies. Chromatin fragmentation was detected by TUNEL. Seven negative samples from subjects without lung pathology were obtained during legal autopsies and 12 positive control biopsies from patients with lung infections were also included. Sixty-eight percent of lung cancer biopsies exhibited FasL; Bax was expressed in 68% and TNFalpha in 63%. FasL protein was detected in 21%, Bax protein in 26%, and TNFalpha was present in 31% of cancer biopsies. A low degree of apoptosis in lung cancer was demonstrated by TUNEL assays. A defect in FasL, Bax, and TNFalpha gene expression was found in lung cancer biopsies. Some tumors normally expressed the mRNA of FasL, Bax, or TNFalpha, but their proteins were absent, or were non-functional, since TUNEL assays were negative. Such a failure would contribute to cancer cell survival and dissemination.

BackgroundPrevious studies have reported on the presence of Murine Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV)-like gene sequences in human cancer tissue specimens. Here, we search for MMTV-like gene sequences in lung diseases including carcinomas specimens from a Mexican population. This study was based on our previous study reporting that the INER51 lung cancer cell line, from a pleural effusion of a Mexican patient, contains MMTV-like env gene sequences.ResultsThe MMTV-like env gene sequences have been detected in three out of 18 specimens studied, by PCR using a specific set of MMTV-like primers. The three identified MMTV-like gene sequences, which were assigned as INER6, HZ101, and HZ14, were 99%, 98%, and 97% homologous, respectively, as compared to GenBank sequence accession number AY161347. The INER6 and HZ-101 samples were isolated from lung cancer specimens, and the HZ-14 was isolated from an acute inflammatory lung infiltrate sample. Two of the env sequences exhibited disruption of the reading frame due to mutations.ConclusionIn summary, we identified the presence of MMTV-like gene sequences in 2 out of 11 (18%) of the lung carcinomas and 1 out of 7 (14%) of acute inflamatory lung infiltrate specimens studied of a Mexican Population.