RNAscope 2.0 Assay

Telomerase consists of at least two essential elements, an RNA component hTR or TERC that contains the template for telomere DNA addition, and a catalytic reverse transcriptase (TERT). While expression of TERT has been considered the key rate limiting component for telomerase activity, increasing evidence suggests an important role for the regulation of TERC in telomere maintenance and perhaps other functions in human cancer.

The cytoprotective protein clusterin is often dysregulated during tumorigenesis, and in the stomach, upregulation of clusterin marks emergence of the oxyntic atrophy (loss of acid-producing parietal cells)-associated spasmolytic polypeptide-expressing metaplasia (SPEM). The hormone gastrin is important for normal function and maturation of the gastric oxyntic mucosa and hypergastrinemia might be involved in gastric carcinogenesis.

The peptide hormone human relaxin-2 (H2-RLX) has emerged as a potential therapy for cardiovascular and fibrotic diseases, but its short in vivo half-life is an obstacle to long-term administration. The discovery of ML290 demonstrated that it is possible to identify small molecule agonists of the cognate G-protein coupled receptor for H2-RLX (relaxin family peptide receptor-1 (RXFP1)).

The islets of Langerhans are endocrine organs characteristically dispersed throughout the pancreas. During development, endocrine progenitors delaminate, migrate radially, and cluster to form islets. Despite the distinctive distribution of islets, spatially localized signals that control islet morphogenesis have not been discovered. Here we identify a radial signaling axis that instructs developing islet cells to disperse throughout the pancreas.

Dipeptidyl peptidase 9 (DPP9) is an intracellular N-terminal post-proline-cleaving enzyme whose physiological function remains largely unknown.

The canonical notion that type 1 diabetes (T1D) results following a complete destruction of β cells has recently been questioned as small amounts of C-peptide are detectable in patients with long-standing disease.

Abstract

Background

Fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR2) has been proposed as a target in gastric cancer. However, appropriate methods to select patients for anti-FGFR2 therapies have not yet been established.

Methods

We used in situ techniques to investigate FGFR2 mRNA expression and gene amplification in a large cohort of 1036 Japanese gastric cancer patients. FGFR2 mRNA expression was determined by RNAscope. FGFR2 gene amplification was determined by dual-color in situ hybridization (DISH).

Results

Determination of predictive biomarkers by immunohistochemistry (IHC) relies on antibodies with high selectivity. RNA in situ hybridization (RNA ISH) may be used to confirm IHC and may potentially replace it if suitable antibodies are not available or are insufficiently selective to discriminate closely related protein isoforms. We validated RNA ISH as specificity control for IHC and as a potential alternative method for selecting patients for treatment with MET inhibitors.

 Background: ASPM is a newly reported stem cell marker and plays important roles in mitosis, cell cycle and tumorigenesis. It links with poor clinical prognosis in various tumors. However, the clinical significance of ASPM in colonic adenocarcinoma (CA) has not been fully studied. The purpose of this study was to investigate if ASPM is correlated with the clinicopathological features of CA. Methods: Primary CA tissue, adenoma and the matched normal mucosa from 99 patients, were detected using immunohistochemical analysis by primary antibodies against ASPM.

Gametogenetin binding protein 2 (GGNBP2) is an evolutionarily conserved zinc finger protein.