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Délégation Ile-de-France Villejuif

governmentParis, Île-de-France, France

Research output, citation impact, and the most-cited recent papers from Délégation Ile-de-France Villejuif (France). Aggregated across the NobleBlocks index of 300M+ scholarly works.

Total works
888
Citations
101.3K
h-index
134
i10-index
1.3K
Also known as
Délégation Ile-de-France Villejuif

Top-cited papers from Délégation Ile-de-France Villejuif

Dendritic cell–derived exosomes for cancer therapy
Jonathan M. Pitt, Fabrice André, Sebastián Amigorena, Jean‐Charles Soria +3 more
2016· Journal of Clinical Investigation617doi:10.1172/jci81137

DC-derived exosomes (Dex) are nanometer-sized membrane vesicles that are secreted by the sentinel antigen-presenting cells of the immune system: DCs. Like DCs, the molecular composition of Dex includes surface expression of functional MHC-peptide complexes, costimulatory molecules, and other components that interact with immune cells. Dex have the potential to facilitate immune cell-dependent tumor rejection and have distinct advantages over cell-based immunotherapies involving DCs. Accordingly, Dex-based phase I and II clinical trials have been conducted in advanced malignancies, showing the feasibility and safety of the approach, as well as the propensity of these nanovesicles to mediate T and NK cell-based immune responses in patients. This Review will evaluate the interactions of Dex with immune cells, their clinical progress, and the future of Dex immunotherapy for cancer.

Ferrocifen type anti cancer drugs
Gérard Jaouen, Anne Vessières, Siden Top
2015· Chemical Society Reviews574doi:10.1039/c5cs00486a

Despite current developments in therapeutics focusing on biotechnologically-oriented species, the unflagging utility of small molecules or peptides in medicine is still producing strong results. In 2014 for example, of the 41 new medicines authorized for sale, 33 belonged to the category of small molecules, while in 2013 they represented 24 of 27, according to the FDA. This can be explained as the result of recent forays into new or long-neglected areas of chemistry. Medicinal organometallic chemistry can provide us with an antimalarial against resistant parasitic strains, as attested by the phase II clinical development of ferroquine, with a new framework for conceptual advances based on three-dimensional space-filling, and with redox or indeed catalytic intracellular properties. In this context, bioferrocene species with antiproliferative potential have for several years been the subject of sustained effort, based on some initial successes and on the nature of ferrocene as a stable aromatic, with low toxicity, low cost, and possessing reversible redox properties. We show here the different antitumoral approaches offered by ferrocifen derivatives, originally simple derivatives of tamoxifen, which over the course of their development have proved to possess remarkable structural and mechanistic diversity. These entities act via various targets, some of which have been identified, that are triggered according to the concentration of the products. They also act according to the nature of the cancer cells and their functionality, by mechanistic pathways that can operate either synergistically or not, in successive, concomitant or sequential ways, depending for example on newly identified signaling pathways inducing senescence or apoptosis. Here we present a first attempt to rationalize the behavior of these entities with various anticancer targets.

Evolution of liver transplantation in Europe: Report of the European Liver Transplant Registry
Reneacute Adam, Paul McMaster, John Grady, Denis Castaing +4 more
2003· Liver Transplantation564doi:10.1016/j.lts.2003.09.018

The European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR) currently allows for the analysis of 44,286 liver transplantations (LTs) performed on 39,196 patients in a 13-year period. After an exponential increase, the number of LTs is plateauing due to a lack of organs. To cope with this, alternatives to cadaveric LT, such as split LT, domino LT, or living-related LT (LRLT) are being used increasingly. They now account for 11% of all procedures. One of the most important findings in the evolution of LT is the considerable improvement of results along time with, for the mean time, a one-year survival of 83%, all indications confounded. The improvement is particularly significant for cancers. This improvement is mainly represented by hepatocellular carcinoma, with a gain of 17% for 5-year survival rate from 1990 to 2000. Increasingly, older donors are used to augment the donor pool and older recipients are transplanted due to improved results and a better selection of patients. More than two thirds of deaths and three quarters of retransplantations occurred within the first year of transplantation. Retransplantation is associated with much less optimal results than first LT. One of the prominent features of recent years is the development of LRLT. LRLT is now performed by almost half of the European centers. As with split LT or domino LT, LRLT aims to provide more patients to be transplanted. Special attention is paid to reducing the risk for the donor, which is now estimated to be 0.5% mortality and 21% postoperative morbidity.

Mitochondrial Control of Cellular Life, Stress, and Death
Lorenzo Galluzzi, Oliver Kepp, Christina Trojel‐Hansen, Guido Kroemer
2012· Circulation Research546doi:10.1161/circresaha.112.268946

Since the discovery that mitochondrial membrane permeabilization represents a critical step in the regulation of intrinsic apoptosis, mitochondria have been viewed as pluripotent organelles, controlling cell death as well as several aspects of cell survival. Mitochondria constitute the most prominent source of ATP and are implicated in multiple anabolic and catabolic circuitries. In addition, mitochondria coordinate cell-wide stress responses, such as autophagy, and control nonapoptotic cell death routines, such as regulated necrosis. Thus, mitochondria seem to regulate a continuum of cellular functions, spanning from physiological metabolism to stress responses and death. The involvement of mitochondria in both vital and lethal processes is crucial for both embryonic and postembryonic development, as well as for the maintenance of adult tissue homeostasis. In line with this notion, primary mitochondrial defects or alterations in the signaling pathways that converge on or emanate from mitochondria underpin a large number of human diseases, including premature aging, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular disorders, and cancer. Here, we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms that enable mitochondria to sustain cell survival, coordinate stress responses, and mediate cell death, linking these pathways--whenever relevant--to cardiovascular health and disease.

Mitochondria and programmed cell death: back to the future
Patrice X. Petit, Santos A. Susín, Naoufal Zamzami, Bernard Mignotte +1 more
1996· FEBS Letters506doi:10.1016/0014-5793(96)00988-x

Programmed cell death, or apoptosis, has in the past few years undoubtedly become one of the most intensively investigated biological processes. However, fundamental questions concerning the molecular and biochemical mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The central question concerns the biochemical steps shared by the numerous death induction pathways elicited by different stimuli. Heterogeneous death signals precede a common effector phase during which cells pass a threshold of 'no return' and are engaged in a degradation phase where they acquire the typical onset of late apoptosis. Alterations in mitochondrial permeability transition linked to membrane potential disruption precede nuclear and plasma membrane changes. In vitro induction of permeability transition in isolated mitochondria provokes the release of a protein factor capable of inducing nuclear chromatin condensation and fragmentation. This permeability transition is regulated by multiple endogenous effectors, including members of the bcl-2 gene family. Inhibition of these effects prevents apoptosis.

Timing of Onset of CKD-Related Metabolic Complications
Olivier Moranne, Marc Froissart, Jérôme Rossert, Cédric Gauci +4 more
2008· Journal of the American Society of Nephrology479doi:10.1681/asn.2008020159

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) guidelines recommend evaluating patients with GFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) for complications, but little evidence supports the use of a single GFR threshold for all metabolic disorders. We used data from the NephroTest cohort, including 1038 adult patients who had stages 2 through 5 CKD and were not on dialysis, to study the occurrence of metabolic complications. GFR was measured using renal clearance of (51)Cr-EDTA (mGFR) and estimated using two equations derived from the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study. As mGFR decreased from 60 to 90 to <20 ml/min per 1.73 m(2), the prevalence of hyperparathyroidism increased from 17 to 85%, anemia from 8 to 41%, hyperphosphatemia from 1 to 30%, metabolic acidosis from 2 to 39%, and hyperkalemia from 2 to 42%. Factors most strongly associated with metabolic complications, independent of mGFR, were younger age for acidosis and hyperphosphatemia, presence of diabetes for acidosis, diabetic kidney disease for anemia, and both male gender and the use of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system for hyperkalemia. mGFR thresholds for detecting complications with 90% sensitivity were 50, 44, 40, 39, and 37 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) for hyperparathyroidism, anemia, acidosis, hyperkalemia, and hyperphosphatemia, respectively. Analysis using estimated GFR produced similar results. In summary, this study describes the onset of CKD-related complications at different levels of GFR; anemia and hyperparathyroidism occur earlier than acidosis, hyperkalemia, and hyperphosphatemia.

Dye chemistry with time-dependent density functional theory
Adèle D. Laurent, Carlo Adamo, Denis Jacquemin
2014· Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics399doi:10.1039/c3cp55336a

In this perspective, we present an overview of the determination of excited-state properties of "real-life" dyes, and notably of their optical absorption and emission spectra, performed during the last decade with time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). We discuss the results obtained with both vertical and adiabatic (vibronic) approximations, choosing relevant examples for several series of dyes. These examples include reproducing absorption wavelengths of numerous families of coloured molecules, understanding the specific band shape of amino-anthraquinones, optimising the properties of dyes used in solar cells, mimicking the fluorescence wavelengths of fluorescent brighteners and BODIPY dyes, studying optically active biomolecules and photo-induced proton transfer, as well as improving the properties of photochromes.

Molecular catalysis of CO <sub>2</sub> reduction: recent advances and perspectives in electrochemical and light-driven processes with selected Fe, Ni and Co aza macrocyclic and polypyridine complexes
Etienne Boutin, Lydia Merakeb, Bing Ma, Benjamin Boudy +4 more
2020· Chemical Society Reviews398doi:10.1039/d0cs00218f

Earth-abundant Fe, Ni, and Co aza macrocyclic and polypyridine complexes have been thoroughly investigated for CO2 electrochemical and visible-light-driven reduction. Since the first reports in the 1970s, an enormous body of work has been accumulated regarding the two-electron two-proton reduction of the gas, along with mechanistic and spectroscopic efforts to rationalize the reactivity and establish guidelines for structure-reactivity relationships. The ability to fine tune the ligand structure and the almost unlimited possibilities of designing new complexes have led to highly selective and efficient catalysts. Recent efforts toward developing hybrid systems upon combining molecular catalysts with conductive or semi-conductive materials have converged to high catalytic performances in water solutions, to the inclusion of these catalysts into CO2 electrolyzers and photo-electrochemical devices, and to the discovery of catalytic pathways beyond two electrons. Combined with the continuous mechanistic efforts and new developments for in situ and in operando spectroscopic studies, molecular catalysis of CO2 reduction remains a highly creative approach.

Activation of Mitochondria and Release of Mitochondrial Apoptogenic Factors by Betulinic Acid
Simone Fulda, Carsten Scaffidi, Santos A. Susín, Peter H. Krammer +3 more
1998· Journal of Biological Chemistry374doi:10.1074/jbc.273.51.33942

Different classes of anticancer drugs may trigger apoptosis by acting on different subcellular targets and by activating distinct signaling pathways. Here, we report that betulinic acid (BetA) is a prototype cytotoxic agent that triggers apoptosis by a direct effect on mitochondria. In isolated mitochondria, BetA directly induces loss of transmembrane potential independent of a benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethyl ketone-inhibitable caspase. This is inhibited by bongkrekic acid, an agent that stabilizes the permeability transition pore complex. Mitochondria undergoing BetA-induced permeability transition mediate cleavage of caspase-8 (FLICE/MACH/Mch5) and caspase-3 (CPP32/Yama) in a cell-free system. Soluble factors such as cytochrome c or apoptosis-inducing factor released from BetA-treated mitochondria are sufficient for cleavage of caspases and nuclear fragmentation. Addition of cytochrome c to cytosolic extracts results in cleavage of caspase-3, but not of caspase-8. However, supernatants of mitochondria, which have undergone permeability transition, and partially purified apoptosis-inducing factor activate both caspase-8 and caspase-3 in cytosolic extracts and suffice to activate recombinant caspase-8. These findings show that induction of mitochondrial permeability transition alone is sufficient to trigger the full apoptosis program and that some cytotoxic drugs such as BetA may induce apoptosis via a direct effect on mitochondria.

A dual role of p53 in the control of autophagy
Ezgi Tasdemir, Maria Chiara Maiuri, Eugenia Morselli, Alfredo Criollo +4 more
2008· Autophagy336doi:10.4161/auto.6486

Genotoxic stress can induce autophagy in a p53-dependent fashion and p53 can transactivate autophagy-inducing genes. We have observed recently that inactivation of p53 by deletion, depletion or inhibition can trigger autophagy. Thus, human and mouse cells subjected to knockout, knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of p53 manifest signs of autophagy such as depletion of p62/SQSTM1, LC3 lipidation, redistribution of GFP-LC3 in cytoplasmic puncta, and accumulation of autophagosomes and autolysosomes, both in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of p53 causes autophagy in enucleated cells, indicating that the cytoplasmic, non-nuclear pool of p53 can regulate autophagy. Accordingly, retransfection of p53-/- cells with wild-type p53 as well as a p53 mutant that is excluded from the nucleus (due to the deletion of the nuclear localization sequence) can inhibit autophagy, whereas retransfection with a nucleus-restricted p53 mutant (in which the nuclear localization sequence has been deleted) does not inhibit autophagy. Several distinct autophagy inducers (e.g. starvation, rapamycin, lithium, tunicamycin and thapsigargin) stimulate the rapid degradation of p53. In these conditions, inhibition of the p53-specific E3 ubiquitin ligase HDM2 can avoid p53 depletion and simultaneously prevent the activation of autophagy. Moreover, a p53 mutant that lacks the HDM2 ubiquitinylation site and hence is more stable than wild-type p53 is particularly efficient in suppressing autophagy. In conclusion, p53 plays a dual role in the control of autophagy. On one hand, nuclear p53 can induce autophagy through transcriptional effects. On the other hand, cytoplasmic p53 may act as a master repressor of autophagy. Addendum to: Tasdemir E, Maiuri MC, Galluzzi L, Vitale I, Djavaheri-Mergny M, D'Amelio M, Criollo A, Morselli E, Zhu C, Harper F, Nannmark U, Samara C, Pinton P, Vicencio JM, Carnuccio R, Moll UM, Madeo F, Paterlini-Brechot P, Rizzuto R, Szabadkai G, Pierron G, Blomgren K, Tavernarakis N, Codogno P, Cecconi F, Kroemer G. Regulation of autophagy by cytoplasmic p53. Nat Cell Biol 2008; 10:676-87.

Primary Myeloproliferative Disorder and Hepatic Vein Thrombosis
Dominique Valla, NICOLE CASADEVALL, CATHERINE LACOMBE, BRUNO VARET +4 more
1985· Annals of Internal Medicine308doi:10.7326/0003-4819-103-3-329

We assessed the prevalence of overt and latent primary myeloproliferative disorders in hepatic vein thrombosis. Cultures of bone marrow or peripheral blood mononuclear cells were done in 20 patients with Budd-Chiari syndrome. Erythroid colony formation in the absence of erythropoietin, which is a reliable indicator for a primary myeloproliferative disorder, was seen in 16 patients in whom Budd-Chiari syndrome was due to hepatic vein thrombosis, including 13 women aged 18 to 45 years. Among these 16 patients, the conventional criteria for the diagnosis of a primary myeloproliferative disorder were met in only 2. Primary myeloproliferative disorder, often without peripheral blood changes, is a major cause of hepatic vein thrombosis in young women.

Specifically neuropathic Gaucher's mutations accelerate cognitive decline in Parkinson's
Ganqiang Liu, Brendon Boot, Joseph J. Locascio, Iris E. Jansen +4 more
2016· Annals of Neurology279doi:10.1002/ana.24781

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that specific mutations in the β-glucocerebrosidase gene (GBA) causing neuropathic Gaucher's disease (GD) in homozygotes lead to aggressive cognitive decline in heterozygous Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, whereas non-neuropathic GD mutations confer intermediate progression rates. METHODS: A total of 2,304 patients with PD and 20,868 longitudinal visits for up to 12.8 years (median, 4.1) from seven cohorts were analyzed. Differential effects of four types of genetic variation in GBA on longitudinal cognitive decline were evaluated using mixed random and fixed effects and Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: Overall, 10.3% of patients with PD and GBA sequencing carried a mutation. Carriers of neuropathic GD mutations (1.4% of patients) had hazard ratios (HRs) for global cognitive impairment of 3.17 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60-6.25) and a hastened decline in Mini-Mental State Exam scores compared to noncarriers (p = 0.0009). Carriers of complex GBA alleles (0.7%) had an HR of 3.22 (95% CI, 1.18-8.73; p = 0.022). By contrast, the common, non-neuropathic N370S mutation (1.5% of patients; HR, 1.96; 95% CI, 0.92-4.18) or nonpathogenic risk variants (6.6% of patients; HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 0.89-2.05) did not reach significance. INTERPRETATION: Mutations in the GBA gene pathogenic for neuropathic GD and complex alleles shift longitudinal cognitive decline in PD into "high gear." These findings suggest a relationship between specific types of GBA mutations and aggressive cognitive decline and have direct implications for improving the design of clinical trials. Ann Neurol 2016;80:674-685.

Combined impact of healthy lifestyle factors on colorectal cancer: a large European cohort study
Krasimira Aleksandrova, Tobias Pischon, Mazda Jenab, H. Bas Bueno‐de‐Mesquita +4 more
2014· BMC Medicine261doi:10.1186/s12916-014-0168-4

BACKGROUND: Excess body weight, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and certain dietary factors are individually related to colorectal cancer (CRC) risk; however, little is known about their joint effects. The aim of this study was to develop a healthy lifestyle index (HLI) composed of five potentially modifiable lifestyle factors--healthy weight, physical activity, non-smoking, limited alcohol consumption and a healthy diet, and to explore the association of this index with CRC incidence using data collected within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. METHODS: In the EPIC cohort, a total of 347,237 men and women, 25- to 70-years old, provided dietary and lifestyle information at study baseline (1992 to 2000). Over a median follow-up time of 12 years, 3,759 incident CRC cases were identified. The association between a HLI and CRC risk was evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression models and population attributable risks (PARs) have been calculated. RESULTS: After accounting for study centre, age, sex and education, compared with 0 or 1 healthy lifestyle factors, the hazard ratio (HR) for CRC was 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.44 to 0.77) for two factors, 0.79 (95% CI: 0.70 to 0.89) for three factors, 0.66 (95% CI: 0.58 to 0.75) for four factors and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.54 to 0.74) for five factors; P-trend<0.0001. The associations were present for both colon and rectal cancers, HRs, 0.61 (95% CI: 0.50 to 0.74; P for trend<0.0001) for colon cancer and 0.68 (95% CI: 0.53 to 0.88; P-trend<0.0001) for rectal cancer, respectively (P-difference by cancer sub-site=0.10). Overall, 16% of the new CRC cases (22% in men and 11% in women) were attributable to not adhering to a combination of all five healthy lifestyle behaviours included in the index. CONCLUSIONS: Combined lifestyle factors are associated with a lower incidence of CRC in European populations characterized by western lifestyles. Prevention strategies considering complex targeting of multiple lifestyle factors may provide practical means for improved CRC prevention.

Metabolism dysregulation induces a specific lipid signature of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in patients
Franck Chiappini, Audrey Coilly, Hanane Kadar, Philippe Gual +4 more
2017· Scientific Reports249doi:10.1038/srep46658

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a condition which can progress to cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Markers for NASH diagnosis are still lacking. We performed a comprehensive lipidomic analysis on human liver biopsies including normal liver, nonalcoholic fatty liver and NASH. Random forests-based machine learning approach allowed characterizing a signature of 32 lipids discriminating NASH with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, we validated this signature in an independent group of NASH patients. Then, metabolism dysregulations were investigated in both patients and murine models. Alterations of elongase and desaturase activities were observed along the fatty acid synthesis pathway. The decreased activity of the desaturase FADS1 appeared as a bottleneck, leading upstream to an accumulation of fatty acids and downstream to a deficiency of long-chain fatty acids resulting to impaired phospholipid synthesis. In NASH, mass spectrometry imaging on tissue section revealed the spreading into the hepatic parenchyma of selectively accumulated fatty acids. Such lipids constituted a highly toxic mixture to human hepatocytes. In conclusion, this study characterized a specific and sensitive lipid signature of NASH and positioned FADS1 as a significant player in accumulating toxic lipids during NASH progression.

Hypomethylation of smoking-related genes is associated with future lung cancer in four prospective cohorts
Francesca Fasanelli, Laura Baglietto, Erica Ponzi, Florence Guida +4 more
2015· Nature Communications246doi:10.1038/ncomms10192

DNA hypomethylation in certain genes is associated with tobacco exposure but it is unknown whether these methylation changes translate into increased lung cancer risk. In an epigenome-wide study of DNA from pre-diagnostic blood samples from 132 case-control pairs in the NOWAC cohort, we observe that the most significant associations with lung cancer risk are for cg05575921 in AHRR (OR for 1 s.d.=0.37, 95% CI: 0.31-0.54, P-value=3.3 × 10(-11)) and cg03636183 in F2RL3 (OR for 1 s.d.=0.40, 95% CI: 0.31-0.56, P-value=3.9 × 10(-10)), previously shown to be strongly hypomethylated in smokers. These associations remain significant after adjustment for smoking and are confirmed in additional 664 case-control pairs tightly matched for smoking from the MCCS, NSHDS and EPIC HD cohorts. The replication and mediation analyses suggest that residual confounding is unlikely to explain the observed associations and that hypomethylation of these CpG sites may mediate the effect of tobacco on lung cancer risk.

Genome-Wide Meta-Analyses of Breast, Ovarian, and Prostate Cancer Association Studies Identify Multiple New Susceptibility Loci Shared by at Least Two Cancer Types
Siddhartha Kar, Jonathan Beesley, Ali Amin Al Olama, Kyriaki Michailidou +4 more
2016· Cancer Discovery216doi:10.1158/2159-8290.cd-15-1227

UNLABELLED: Breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers are hormone-related and may have a shared genetic basis, but this has not been investigated systematically by genome-wide association (GWA) studies. Meta-analyses combining the largest GWA meta-analysis data sets for these cancers totaling 112,349 cases and 116,421 controls of European ancestry, all together and in pairs, identified at P < 10(-8) seven new cross-cancer loci: three associated with susceptibility to all three cancers (rs17041869/2q13/BCL2L11; rs7937840/11q12/INCENP; rs1469713/19p13/GATAD2A), two breast and ovarian cancer risk loci (rs200182588/9q31/SMC2; rs8037137/15q26/RCCD1), and two breast and prostate cancer risk loci (rs5013329/1p34/NSUN4; rs9375701/6q23/L3MBTL3). Index variants in five additional regions previously associated with only one cancer also showed clear association with a second cancer type. Cell-type-specific expression quantitative trait locus and enhancer-gene interaction annotations suggested target genes with potential cross-cancer roles at the new loci. Pathway analysis revealed significant enrichment of death receptor signaling genes near loci with P < 10(-5) in the three-cancer meta-analysis. SIGNIFICANCE: We demonstrate that combining large-scale GWA meta-analysis findings across cancer types can identify completely new risk loci common to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. We show that the identification of such cross-cancer risk loci has the potential to shed new light on the shared biology underlying these hormone-related cancers. Cancer Discov; 6(9); 1052-67. ©2016 AACR.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 932.

Monomeric and dimeric coordinatively saturated and substitutionally inert Ru( <scp>ii</scp> ) polypyridyl complexes as anticancer drug candidates
Anna Notaro, Gilles Gasser
2017· Chemical Society Reviews209doi:10.1039/c7cs00356k

Due to the increasing impact of cancer on worldwide mortality, more and more attention is being devoted to the investigation of novel anticancer strategies. Among these, chemotherapy plays a key role in fighting cancer. This explains the increasing engagement of both the pharmaceutical industry and academia towards the discovery of new chemotherapeutic agents. In recent years, metal-based drugs have attracted much attention due to their atypical physico-chemical properties compared to organic molecules. After the approval of cisplatin as a chemotherapeutic agent in 1978, several types of metal-based drugs have been explored. Among them, Ru-based anticancer drug candidates have become a central subject in this research field. However, most of the Ru-based compounds investigated over the last two decades express their cytotoxicity with a mechanism of action involving, among others, a ligand-exchange mechanism. In this Review, we give a complete overview of a specific class of antiproliferative ruthenium complexes, namely coordinatively saturated and substitutionally inert Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes. This implies that the cytotoxicity observed comes from the entire complex and not from ligand-exchange. In this Review, we present monomeric and dimeric Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes, which have been found to be toxic to cancer cells. More specifically, monomeric Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes are analysed considering their direct interaction or not with DNA as the cause of cell death, while dimeric Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes are classified according to their biological targets. Very importantly, the cellular targets of these complexes are discussed in detail. Indeed, several targets were identified and different mechanisms of action were suggested.

Low-frequency and rare exome chip variants associate with fasting glucose and type 2 diabetes susceptibility
Jennifer Wessel, Audrey Y. Chu, Sara M. Willems, Shuai Wang +4 more
2015· Nature Communications201doi:10.1038/ncomms6897

Fasting glucose and insulin are intermediate traits for type 2 diabetes. Here we explore the role of coding variation on these traits by analysis of variants on the HumanExome BeadChip in 60,564 non-diabetic individuals and in 16,491 T2D cases and 81,877 controls. We identify a novel association of a low-frequency nonsynonymous SNV in GLP1R (A316T; rs10305492; MAF=1.4%) with lower FG (β=-0.09±0.01 mmol l(-1), P=3.4 × 10(-12)), T2D risk (OR[95%CI]=0.86[0.76-0.96], P=0.010), early insulin secretion (β=-0.07±0.035 pmolinsulin mmolglucose(-1), P=0.048), but higher 2-h glucose (β=0.16±0.05 mmol l(-1), P=4.3 × 10(-4)). We identify a gene-based association with FG at G6PC2 (pSKAT=6.8 × 10(-6)) driven by four rare protein-coding SNVs (H177Y, Y207S, R283X and S324P). We identify rs651007 (MAF=20%) in the first intron of ABO at the putative promoter of an antisense lncRNA, associating with higher FG (β=0.02±0.004 mmol l(-1), P=1.3 × 10(-8)). Our approach identifies novel coding variant associations and extends the allelic spectrum of variation underlying diabetes-related quantitative traits and T2D susceptibility.

IN VIVO EXPRESSION OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-??1 IN HUMANS
Gyu‐Tae Shin, Ashwani Khanna, Ruchuang Ding, Vijay K. Sharma +3 more
1998· Transplantation192doi:10.1097/00007890-199802150-00003

BACKGROUND: Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is an immunoregulatory and fibrogenic cytokine. In an earlier in vitro study, we demonstrated that cyclosporine (CsA) increases TGF-beta1 transcription rate in human T lymphocytes. Herein, we explored whether CsA augments the in vivo expression of TGF-beta1 in humans. METHODS: The inherent difficulty in studying the in vivo effect of CsA in humans was circumvented by investigating stable end-stage renal disease patients who were preconditioned with CsA before their living donor renal transplantation. Sera and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were obtained from CsA-preconditioned patients and quantified for TGF-beta1 expression at the mRNA (by competitive polymerase chain reaction) and protein (sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) levels. RESULTS: Our studies demonstrated a significant increase in TGF-beta1 expression after CsA therapy. The stimulatory effect was unique to TGF-beta1, and CsA did not increase interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, IL-2, or tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression. CONCLUSIONS: Our first-time demonstration of a TGF-beta1-selective in vivo stimulatory effect of CsA in humans: (1) advances a TGF-beta1-centered hypothesis for the beneficial (immunosuppression) and detrimental (fibrosis, hypertension) effects of CsA use, and (2) broadens the mechanism of immunosuppressive action of CsA to include heightened expression of an endogenous immunosuppressive cytokine.

Genotype–phenotype correlation and course of transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathies in France
Louise‐Laure Mariani, Pierre Lozeron, Marie Théaudin, Zoïa Mincheva +4 more
2015· Annals of Neurology186doi:10.1002/ana.24519

OBJECTIVE: To compare the natural history of familial transthyretin amyloid polyneuropathies (FAP) due to the Val30Met, Ser77Tyr, and Ile107Val mutations in France with the classical Portuguese Val30Met FAP. METHODS: We compared 84 French patients with a control group of 110 Portuguese patients carrying the Val30Met mutation also living in France, all referred to and followed at the French National FAP Reference Center from 1988 to 2010. Clinical examination, functional and walking disability scores, nerve conduction studies, and muscle biopsies are reported. We also conducted a comprehensive literature review to further determine the range of phenotypic expression. RESULTS: By comparison with Portuguese Val30Met FAP, French Ile107Val, Ser77Tyr, and LateVal30Met FAP showed more rapid and severe disease progression; onset of gait disorders was 3 times more rapid (p < 0.0001) and the rate of modified Norris test decline was up to 40 times faster in Ile107Val patients (p < 0.0001). Median survival was much shorter in Ile107Val and in Val30Met mutation with late onset (>50 years; LateMet30) FAP (p = 0.0005). Other distinctive features relative to the Portuguese patients included atypical clinical presentations, demyelination on nerve conduction studies (p = 0.0005), and difficult identification of amyloid deposits in nerve and muscle biopsies. INTERPRETATION: Ile107Val and LateMet30 mutations are associated with the most debilitating and severe FAP ever described, with rapid onset of tetraparesis and shorter median survival. It could be explained by frequent large-fiber involvement and associated demyelination and more severe axonal loss. These findings have major implications for genetic counseling and patient management as new therapeutic options are being assessed in clinical trials (TTR gene silencing).