The goal of this study was to compare how accumulation of chromosomal aberrations in human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected cells correlates with the severity of cervical dysplastic lesions. We assessed the frequency of genomic alterations for 35 different loci in a pilot biopsy study and selected two loci (3q26 and 8q24) with the highest frequency of copy number gains found in high-grade dysplasia and cancer. These probes were labeled with gold and red fluorophores and combined with HPV biotin-labeled probes for subsequent detection using a tyramide signal amplification system with a green fluorophore. Cells that were both HPV positive and chromosomally abnormal were designated as "double-positive cells." Cervical cytology specimens from 235 patients were used for this blinded study. In the last decade, the etiological role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the development of cervical dysplasia and cancer has been well established.1-4 The frequency of HPV infection in women with a diagnosis of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS), low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL), or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) is approximately 50, 80, and 95%, respectively. 5-7Still, only a fraction of HPV-infected women will develop high-grade lesions and cervical cancer. 8HPV infections compromise normal cellular proliferation through degradation of the tumor suppressor proteins p53 and pRB by viral proteins E6 and E7, respectively. In addition, HPV infection has been shown to induce abnormal centrosome duplication early in the infection process.9 -12 HPV infection of replicating immature cells prevents epithelial maturation and differentiation, leading to continued replication and accumulation of genetic abnormalities. 2,13,14 Chromosomal instability at a numerical or structural level is a hallmark of malignant tumors.9 Deletion, duplication, and amplification of various genomic regions have been demonstrated in cervical cancer by comparative genomic hybridization and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) methods. [15][16][17][18] In an internal study, we assessed biopsy specimens showing high-grade dysplasia and cancer with FISH probes to 35 unique loci and identified 2 loci, the 3q26 region (comprising H-TERC gene) and the 8q24 region (comprising c-MYC gene), which showed highest frequency of copy number gains in high-grade dysplasia and cancer. Because these loci are frequently altered in cervical cancer tumorigenesis, 16,17,19,20 we hypothesized that they might be useful markers for the detection of cervical dysplasia and carcinoma.To explore this further, we created a fluorescence in situ hybridization assay that allows for the simultaneous Supported by a grant from Abbott Molecular (to K.C.H.).

Objective Many lupus autoantigens contain small, highly structured RNAs, and studies have shown that the RNA components of lupus autoantigens activate production of type I interferon by dendritic cells (DCs) in vitro via the Toll‐like receptor (TLR)–myeloid differentiation factor 88 pathway. This study was undertaken to examine whether U1 RNA possesses adjuvant activity in vivo. Methods U1 RNA was affinity purified from K562 cells. C57BL/6 or OT‐II mice were immunized with 4‐hydroxy‐3‐nitrophenyl acetyl (NP)–conjugated keyhole limpet hemocyanin (NP‐KLH) or ovalbumin323–337 peptide, using either U1 RNA or aluminum hydroxide (alum) as the adjuvant. Activation of DCs and lymphocytes was measured using flow cytometry. NP‐specific antibody responses were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Antigen‐specific T cell proliferation was determined using 3H‐thymidine incorporation. Results Similar to the results with the standard adjuvant, alum, U1 RNA coadministered with NP‐KLH enhanced production of NP‐specific IgM and IgG (on days 8 and 16 postinjection, respectively). Moreover, proliferation of antigen‐specific CD4+ T cells was enhanced to comparable levels in the mice immunized with either U1 RNA or alum. Injection of U1 RNA into the footpad of mice resulted in DC recruitment to draining lymph nodes and induction of DC maturation. U1 RNA, at 24 hours' postinjection, also increased expression of the early activation marker CD69 in both B and T lymphocytes. Pretreatment of U1 RNA with RNase or coadministration with a TLR‐7 antagonist inhibited the effects of this adjuvant. Conclusion A small RNA of cellular origin can drive DC maturation, B and T cell activation/proliferation, and antibody responses to exogenous antigens. These results support the idea that U1 RNA is an endogenous adjuvant, helping to explain the striking predilection of lupus autoantibodies for RNA–protein complexes such as Sm/RNP.

BackgroundCervical dysplasia and tumorigenesis have been linked with numerous chromosomal aberrations. The goal of this study was to evaluate 35 genomic regions associated with cervical disease and to select those which were found to have the highest frequency of aberration for use as probes in fluorescent in-situ hybridization.MethodsThe frequency of gains and losses using fluorescence in-situ hybridization were assessed in these 35 regions on 30 paraffin-embedded cervical biopsy specimens. Based on this assessment, 6 candidate fluorescently labeled probes (8q24, Xp22, 20q13, 3p14, 3q26, CEP15) were selected for additional testing on a set of 106 cervical biopsy specimens diagnosed as Normal, CIN1, CIN2, CIN3, and SCC. The data were analyzed on the basis of signal mean, % change of signal mean between histological categories, and % positivity.ResultsThe study revealed that the chromosomal regions with the highest frequency of copy number gains and highest combined sensitivity and specificity in high-grade cervical disease were 8q24 and 3q26. The cytological application of these two probes was then evaluated on 118 ThinPrep™ samples diagnosed as Normal, ASCUS, LSIL, HSIL and Cancer to determine utility as a tool for less invasive screening. Using gains of either 8q24 or 3q26 as a positivity criterion yielded specificity (Normal +LSIL+ASCUS) of 81.0% and sensitivity (HSIL+Cancer) of 92.3% based on a threshold of 4 positive cells.ConclusionsThe application of a FISH assay comprised of chromosomal probes 8q24 and 3q26 to cervical cytology specimens confirms the positive correlation between increasing dysplasia and copy gains and shows promise as a marker in cervical disease progression.

BackgroundProstate Cancer (PCa) is the second most prevalent cancer among U.S. males. In recent decades many men with low risk PCa have been over diagnosed and over treated. Given significant co-morbidities associated with definitive treatments, maximizing patient quality of life while recognizing early signs of aggressive disease is essential. There remains a need to better stratify newly diagnosed men according to the risk of disease progression, identifying, with high sensitivity and specificity, candidates for active surveillance versus intervention therapy. The objective of this study was to select fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) panels that differentiate non-progressive from progressive disease in patients with low and intermediate risk PCa.MethodsWe performed a retrospective case-control study to evaluate FISH biomarkers on specimens from PCa patients with clinically localised disease (T1c-T2c) enrolled in Watchful waiting (WW)/Active Surveillance (AS). The patients were classified into cases (progressed to clinical intervention within 10 years), and controls (did not progress in 10 years). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to identify the best 3–5 probe combinations. FISH parameters were then combined with the clinical parameters ─ National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NNCN) risk categories ─ in the logistic regression model.ResultsSeven combinations of FISH parameters with the highest sensitivity and specificity for discriminating cases from controls were selected based on the ROC curve analysis. In the logistic regression model, these combinations contributed significantly to the prediction of PCa outcome. The combination of NCCN risk categories and FISH was additive to the clinical parameters or FISH alone in the final model, with odds ratios of 5.1 to 7.0 for the likelihood of the FISH-positive patients in the intended population to develop disease progression, as compared to the FISH-negative group.ConclusionsCombinations of FISH parameters discriminating progressive from non-progressive PCa were selected based on ROC curve analysis. The combination of clinical parameters and FISH outperformed clinical parameters alone, and was complimentary to clinical parameters in the final model, demonstrating potential utility of multi-colour FISH panels as an auxiliary tool for PCa risk stratification. Further studies with larger cohorts are planned to confirm these findings.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-017-3910-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.