We have investigated the regulation of p27 kip1 , a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, in BALB/c 3T3 cells during growth factor-stimulated transition from quiescence (G 0 ) to a proliferative (G 1 ) state. The level of p27 kip1 protein falls dramatically after mitogenic stimulation and is accompanied by a decrease in cyclin E associated p27 kip1, as well as a transient increase in cyclin D1-associated p27 kip1 that later declines concomitantly with the loss of total p27 kip1 . Analysis of metabolically labelled cells revealed that cyclin D2, cyclin D3, and cdk4 were also partnered with p27 kip1 in quiescent BALB/c 3T3 cells and that this association decreased after platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) treatment. Furthermore, the decline in p27 kip1 and reduced association with cyclin D3, initiated by the addition of PDGF but not plasma-derived factors, suggested that these changes are involved in competence, the first step in the exit from G 0 . Synthesis of p27 kip1 as determined by incorporation of [ 35 S]methionine was repressed upon mitogenic stimulation, and PDGF was sufficient to elicit this repression within 2 to 3 h. Pulse-chase experiments demonstrated the reduced rate of synthesis was not the result of an increased rate of degradation. Full repression of p27 kip1 synthesis required the continued presence of PDGF and failed to occur in the presence of the RNA polymerase inhibitor 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside. These characteristics demonstrate that repression was a late effect of PDGF and was consistent with our finding that conditional expression of activated H-ras did not affect synthesis of p27 kip1. Northern (RNA) analysis of p27 kip1 mRNA revealed that the repression was not accompanied by a corresponding decrease in p27 kip1 mRNA, suggesting that the PDGF-regulated decrease in p27 kip1 expression occurred through a translational mechanism.Under normal circumstances, proliferation of mammalian cells is a highly controlled process. This control is achieved, in part, by growth factors and cytokines that exert either mitogenic and/or antiproliferative effects in a cell-specific manner (1). Binding of growth-regulatory ligands results in the activation of signaling pathways that trigger direct alteration of specific metabolic pathways as well as immediate and delayed changes in gene expression (65). Mitogenic stimulation initiates a program of sequential synthesis of proteins, termed cyclins, that complex with and activate cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks) (9, 29-31, 39, 52, 54, 64, 67), enzymes that modulate key regulatory events leading to progression through and transitions between different stages of the cell cycle (7,13,20,21,47,55,64). The order of cyclin synthesis during cell cycle traverse has been examined in a variety of cells, including T cells, macrophages, epithelial cells, and fibroblasts (16,30,31,44,45,50,52). The D-type cyclins, which complex with cdk4 and cdk6, are the first cyclins synthesized during the cell cycle. They are detected in mid-G 1 and are believed to function as Rb ...

Findings strongly suggest abnormal differentiation in the interstitial cystitis urothelium with a loss of barrier function markers and altered differentiation markers being independent and occurring independently of inflammation. Loss of the glycosaminoglycan layer was associated with a loss of biglycan and perlecan on the luminal layer.

Most cancer patients die with metastatic disease, thus, good models that recapitulate the natural process of metastasis including a dormancy period with micrometastatic cells would be beneficial in developing treatment strategies. Herein we report a model of natural metastasis that balances time to complete experiments with a reasonable dormancy period, which can be used to better study metastatic progression. The basis for the model is a 4T1 triple negative syngeneic breast cancer model without resection of the primary tumor. A cell titration from 500 to 15,000 GFP tagged 4T1 cells implanted into fat pad number four of immune proficient eight week female BALB/cJ mice optimized speed of the model while possessing metastatic processes including dormancy and beginning of reactivation. The frequency of primary tumors was less than 50% in animals implanted with 500–1500 cells. Although implantation with over 10,000 cells resulted in 100% primary tumor development, the tumors and macrometastases formed were highly aggressive, lacked dormancy, and offered no opportunity for treatment. Implantation of 7,500 cells resulted in >90% tumor take by 10 days; in 30–60 micrometastases in the lung (with many animals also having 2–30 brain micrometastases) two weeks post-implantation, with the first small macrometastases present at five weeks; many animals displaying macrometastases at five weeks and animals becoming moribund by six weeks post-implantation. Using the optimum of 7,500 cells the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic agent for breast cancer, doxorubicin, given at its maximal tolerated dose (MTD; 1 mg/kg weekly) was tested for an effect on metastasis. Doxorubicin treatment significantly reduced primary tumor growth and lung micrometastases but the number of macrometastases at experiment end was not significantly affected. This model should prove useful for development of drugs to target metastasis and to study the biology of metastasis.