No abstract

Background Predicting susceptibility to multiple sclerosis may have important clinical applications either as part of a diagnostic algorithm or as a tool with which to identify high-risk individuals for prospective studies. Here, we examine the utility of an aggregate measure of risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) based on genetic susceptibility loci. Secondarily, we assess the added effect of environmental risk factors that have been associated with susceptibility for MS. Methods We created a weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) that includes 16 MS susceptibility loci. We tested our model using data from (1) 2215 MS cases and 2189 controls (derivation samples), (2) a validation set of 1340 cases and 1109 controls taken from several MS therapeutic trials (TT samples), and (3) a second validation set of 143 cases and 281 controls from the U.S. Nurses’ Health Studies I and II (NHS) for whom we also have information regarding exposure to smoking and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Findings . Patients with wGRS > 1.25 standard deviations from the mean had a significantly higher odds ratio for MS in all datasets. The area under the curve for a purely genetic model was 0.70 and for a gender + genetic model was 0.74 in the derivation samples (P <0.0001), 0.64 and 0.72 in the TT cohort (P <0.0001). Similarly, consideration of smoking and immune response to EBV enhanced the AUC of 0.64 for the genetic model to 0.68 in the NHS cohort (P =0.02). The wGRS does not appear to be correlated with conversion of a clinically isolated syndrome to MS. Interpretation The current combination of 16 susceptibility alleles into a wGRS modestly predicts MS risk and shows consistent discriminatory ability in independent subject samples and is enhanced by considering non-genetic risk factors.

Wnt/β-catenin signalling has been suggested to be active in basal-like breast cancer. However, in highly aggressive metastatic triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) the role of β-catenin and the underlying mechanism(s) for the aggressiveness of TNBC remain unknown. We illustrate that WNT10B induces transcriptionally active β-catenin in human TNBC and predicts survival-outcome of patients with both TNBC and basal-like tumours. We provide evidence that transgenic murine Wnt10b-driven tumours are devoid of ERα, PR and HER2 expression and can model human TNBC. Importantly, HMGA2 is specifically expressed during early stages of embryonic mammogenesis and absent when WNT10B expression is lost, suggesting a developmentally conserved mode of action. Mechanistically, ChIP analysis uncovered that WNT10B activates canonical β-catenin signalling leading to up-regulation of HMGA2. Treatment of mouse and human triple-negative tumour cells with two Wnt/β-catenin pathway modulators or siRNA to HMGA2 decreases HMGA2 levels and proliferation. We demonstrate that WNT10B has epistatic activity on HMGA2, which is necessary and sufficient for proliferation of TNBC cells. Furthermore, HMGA2 expression predicts relapse-free-survival and metastasis in TNBC patients.

We show that activation of Wnt/b-catenin and attenuation of Bmp signals, by combined gain-and loss-of-function mutations of b-catenin and Bmpr1a, respectively, results in rapidly growing, aggressive squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) in the salivary glands of mice. Tumours contain transplantable and hyperproliferative tumour propagating cells, which can be enriched by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Single mutations stimulate stem cells, but tumours are not formed. We show that b-catenin, CBP and Mll promote self-renewal and H3K4 tri-methylation in tumour propagating cells. Blocking b-catenin-CBP interaction with the small molecule ICG-001 and small-interfering RNAs against b-catenin, CBP or Mll abrogate hyperproliferation and H3K4 tri-methylation, and induce differentiation of cultured tumour propagating cells into acini-like structures. ICG-001 decreases H3K4me3 at promoters of stem cell-associated genes in vitro and reduces tumour growth in vivo. Remarkably, high Wnt/b-catenin and low Bmp signalling also characterize human salivary gland SCC and head and neck SCC in general. Our work defines mechanisms by which b-catenin signals remodel chromatin and control induction and maintenance of tumour propagating cells. Further, it supports new strategies for the therapy of solid tumours.

These results demonstrate that nicotine alone causes acute endothelial dysfunction, although to a lesser extent than smoking a cigarette of the same nicotine yield. However, the precise mechanisms by which nicotine leads to this altered vascular reactivity remain unclear.