Université de Fribourg

A bipartite butyrate-responsive element in the human calretinin (CALB2) promoter acts as a repressor in colon carcinoma cells but not in mesothelioma cells

Häner, Katrin ; Henzi, Thomas ; Pfefferli, Martine ; Künzli, Esther ; Salicio, Valerie ; Schwaller, Beat

In: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 2010, vol. 109, no. 3, p. 519-531

The short-chain fatty acid butyrate plays an essential role in colonic mucosa homeostasis through the capacity to block the cell cycle, regulate differentiation and to induce apoptosis. The beneficial effect of dietary fibers on preventing colon cancer is essentially mediated through butyrate, derived from luminal fermentation of fibers by intestinal bacteria. In epithelial cells of the colon,...

Université de Fribourg

SV40-induced expression of calretinin protects mesothelial cells from asbestos cytotoxicity and may be a key factor contributing to mesothelioma pathogenesis

Henzi, Thomas ; Blum, Walter-Vincent ; Pfefferli, Martine ; Kawecki, Tadeusz J. ; Salicio, Valérie ; Schwaller, Beat

In: American Journal of Pathology, 2009, vol. 174, p. 2324-2336

The calcium-binding protein calretinin has emerged as a useful marker for the identification of mesotheliomas of the epithelioid and mixed types, but its putative role in tumor development has not been addressed previously. Although exposure to asbestos fibers is considered the main cause of mesothelioma, undoubtedly, not all mesothelioma patients have a history of asbestos exposure. The question...

Université de Fribourg

Heterozygosity of SNP513 in intron 9 of the human calretinin gene (CALB2) is a risk factor for colon cancer

Vonlanthen, Sivia ; Kawecki, Tadeusz J. ; Betticher, Daniel C. ; Pfefferli, Martine ; Schwaller, Beat

In: Anticancer Research, 2007, vol. 27, no. 6C, p. 4279-4288

BACKGROUND: The Ca2+-binding protein calretinin (CR), while absent in normal colonocytes, is expressed in the majority of poorly differentiated colon carcinomas, and is hypothesized that mutations in the distal part (from exon 7 to 10) of the CR gene (CALB2) could be responsible for the aberrant CR expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using PCR amplification of genomic DNA and restriction...