NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

Schwann cells, our data indicate that Nf1 mutant cranial neural crest cell populations are more invasive through laminin and
fibronectin matrices.
DTIC
Diseases; Genetics; Locomotion; Tumors
20040073574 Minnesota Univ., Duluth, MN
Coordinate Expression of the PDK4 Gene: a Means of Regulating Fuel Selection in a Hibernating Mammal
Buck, Michael J.; Squire, Teresa L.; Andrews, Matthew T.; Jan. 2002; 10 pp.; In English
Contract(s)/Grant(s): DAAD19-01-1-0014
Report No.(s): AD-A422404; ARO-41650.3-LS; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
Hibernation in mammals requires a metabolic shift away from the oxidation of carbohydrates and toward the combustion
of stored fatty acids as the primary source of energy during torpor. A key element involved in this fuel selection is pyruvate
dehydrogenase kinase isoenzyme 4 (PDK4). PDK4 inhibits pyruvate dehydrogenase and thus minimizes carbohydrate
oxidation by preventing the flow of glycolytic products into the tricarboxylic acid cycle. This paper examines expression of
the PDK4 gene during hibernation in heart, skeletal muscle, and white adipose tissue (WAT) of the 13-lined ground squirrel,
Spermophilus tridecemlineatus. During hibernation PDK4 mRNA levels increase 5-fold in skeletal muscle and 15-fold in WAT
compared with summer-active levels. Similarly, PDK4 protein is increased threefold in heart, fivefold in skeletal muscle, and
eightfold in WAT. High levels of serum insulin, likely to have an inhibitory effect on PDK4 gene expression, are seen during
fall when PDK4 mRNA levels are low. Coordinate upregulation of PDK4 in three distinct tissues suggests a common signal
that regulates PDK4 expression and fuel selection during hibernation.
DTIC
Hibernation; Mammals
20040073575 Pittsburgh Univ., Pittsburgh, PA
The Pittsburgh Breast Cancer Consortium
Brufsky, Adam M.; Aug. 2003; 8 pp.; In English
Contract(s)/Grant(s): DAMD17-01-1-0374
Report No.(s): AD-A422407; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A02, Hardcopy
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, the Magee-Women’s Hospital, the Hematology Oncology Associates of the
UPCI (HOA), the Pittsburgh Clinical Research Network, Inc. (PCRN), the Magee Woman care Breast Cancer Volunteer
Program, and the Pittsburgh Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) have
collaborated to form the Pittsburgh Breast Cancer Consortium (PBCC). The focus of this partnership is the rapid clinical
development of new agents for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). The PBVV id conducting innovative phase
I and phase II clinical trials testing new approaches in the treatment of MBC.
DTIC
Cancer; Mammary Glands; Organizations
20040073581 Evanston Northwestern Healthcare Research Inst., Evanston, IL
Role of Heregulin in the Neovascularization of Breast Carcinoma Cancer
Menendez, Javier A.; Lupu, Ruth; Aug. 2003; 47 pp.; In English; Original contains color illustrations
Contract(s)/Grant(s): DAMD17-00-1-0305
Report No.(s): AD-A422418; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A03, Hardcopy
Several oncogenes, growth factors, hormones and hypoxia have been shown to up-regulate Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factor (VEGF), an essential angiogenic factor for the progression of breast carcinomas. We previously demonstrated that he
angiogenic factor CCN1 (CYR61), a member of the CCN family of growth regulators, is differentially expressed in breast
cancer cells overexpressing Heregulin (HRG), a member of the epidermal growth factor-like growth factor family that
regulates angiogenesis via up-regulation of VEGF expression and secretion. More recently, we found that CCN1- induced
tumors in ovariectomized athymic nude mice did resemble human invasive carcinomas with increased vascularization and
overexpression of VEGF.
DTIC
Angiogenesis; Cancer; Mammary Glands
164