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The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of CYP2C8*3 and three genetic ABCB1 variants on the elimination of paclitaxel. We studied 93 Caucasian women with ovarian cancer treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Using sparse sampling and nonlinear mixed effects modeling, the individual clearance of unbound paclitaxel was estimated from total plasma paclitaxel and Cremophor EL. The geometric mean of clearance was 385 l h(-1) (range 176-726 l h(-1)). Carriers of CYP2C8*3 had 11% lower clearance than non-carriers, P = 0.03. This has not been shown before in similar studies; the explanation is probably the advantage of using both unbound paclitaxel clearance and a population of patients of same gender. No significant association was found for the ABCB1 variants C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T. Secondarily, other candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms were explored with possible associations found for CYP2C8*4 (P = 0.04) and ABCC1 g.7356253C andgt; G (P = 0.04).

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The standard treatment for ovarian cancer in advanced stages is post-surgery treatment with taxane-platin chemotherapy. Despite an initial high response rate, most patients eventually relapse. The dose-limiting toxicities of paclitaxel are neutropenia and neuropathy, but the inter-individual variability is large. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the impact of genetic variants in key drug metabolizing/transporter genes on toxicity and compliance. CYP2C8*3 and three ABCB1 polymorphisms were chosen for primary analysis, and a host of other candidate genes was explored in 92 prospectively recruited Scandinavian Caucasian women with primary ovarian cancer who were treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin. A single investigator assessed the clinical toxicity in 97% of the patients. Patients carrying variant alleles of ABCB1 C3435T experienced more pronounced neutrophil decrease (63%, 72% and 80% for 3435CC, CT and TT, respectively; p-value 0.03). A similar association was found for G2677T /A, p-value 0.02. For C1236T, there was a trend with p-value 0.06. No statistically significant correlations were found for paclitaxel compliance and sensory neuropathy in the primary analysis. Variants in the drug transporter ABCB1 gene are possibly associated with the neutrophil suppressing effect of paclitaxel in patients with ovarian cancer. This finding has implications for the understanding of bone marrow suppression and future tailored chemotherapy.

Paclitaxel has a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity and is useful in the treatment of ovarian, breast, and lung cancer. Paclitaxel is metabolized in the liver by CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 and transported by P-glycoprotein. The dose-limiting toxicities are neuropathy and neutropenia, but the interindividual variability in toxicity and also survival is large. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of genetic variants in CYP2C8 and ABCB1 on toxicity and survival. The 182 patients previously treated for ovarian cancer with carboplatin and paclitaxel in either the AGO-OVAR-9 or the NSGO-OC9804 trial in Denmark or Sweden were eligible for this study. Genotyping was carried out on formalin-fixed tissue. The patients toxicity profiles and survival data were derived from retrospective data. CYP2C8*3, ABCB1 C1236T, G2677T/A, and C3435T were chosen a priori for primary analysis; a host of other variants were entered into an exploratory analysis. Clinical data and tissue were available from a total of 119 patients. Twenty-two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 10 genes were determined. Toxicity registration was available from 710 treatment cycles. In the primary analysis, no statistically significant correlation was found between CYP2C8*3, ABCB1 C1236T, G2677T/A, and C3435T and neutropenia, sensoric neuropathy, and overall survival. CYP2C8*3 and the ABCB1 SNPs C1236T, G2677T/A, and C3435T were not statistically significantly correlated to overall survival, sensoric neuropathy, and neutropenia in 119 patients treated for ovarian cancer with paclitaxel/carboplatin.

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Whole exome sequencing (WES) has been extensively used in genomic research. As sequencing costs decline it is being replaced by whole genome sequencing (WGS) in large-scale genomic studies, but more comparative information on WES and WGS datasets would be valuable. Thus, we have extensively compared variant calls obtained from WGS and WES of matched germline DNA samples from 96 lung cancer patients. WGS provided more homogeneous coverage with higher genotyping quality, and identified more variants, than WES, regardless of exome coverage depth. It also called more reference variants, reflecting its power to call rare variants, and more heterozygous variants that met applied quality criteria, indicating that WGS is less prone to allelic drop outs. However, increasing WES coverage reduced the discrepancy between the WES and WGS results. We believe that as sequencing costs further decline WGS will become the method of choice even for research confined to the exome.

Chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression, including thrombocytopenia, is a recurrent problem during cancer treatments that may require dose alterations or cessations that could affect the antitumor effect of the treatment. To identify genetic markers associated with treatment-induced thrombocytopenia, we whole-exome sequenced 215 non-small cell lung cancer patients homogeneously treated with gemcitabine/carboplatin. The decrease in platelets (defined as nadir/baseline) was used to assess treatment-induced thrombocytopenia. Association between germline genetic variants and thrombocytopenia was analyzed at single-nucleotide variant (SNV) (based on the optimal false discovery rate, the severity of predicted consequence, and effect), gene, and pathway levels. These analyses identified 130 SNVs/INDELs and 25 genes associated with thrombocytopenia (P-value < 0.002). Twenty-three SNVs were validated in an independent genome-wide association study (GWAS). The top associations include rs34491125 in JMJD1C (P-value = 9.07 × 10⁻⁵), the validated variants rs10491684 in DOCK8 (P-value = 1.95 × 10⁻⁴), rs6118 in SERPINA5 (P-value = 5.83 × 10⁻⁴), and rs5877 in SERPINC1 (P-value = 1.07 × 10⁻³), and the genes CAPZA2 (P-value = 4.03 × 10⁻⁴) and SERPINC1 (P-value = 1.55 × 10⁻³). The SNVs in the top-scoring pathway “Factors involved in megakaryocyte development and platelet production” (P-value = 3.34 × 10⁻⁴) were used to construct weighted genetic risk score (wGRS) and logistic regression models that predict thrombocytopenia. The wGRS predict which patients are at high or low toxicity risk levels, for CTCAE (odds ratio (OR) = 22.35, P-value = 1.55 × 10⁻⁸), and decrease (OR = 66.82, P-value = 5.92 × 10⁻⁹). The logistic regression models predict CTCAE grades 3–4 (receiver operator characteristics (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) = 0.79), and large decrease (ROC AUC = 0.86). We identified and validated genetic variations within hematopoiesis-related pathways that provide a solid foundation for future studies using genetic markers for predicting chemotherapy-induced thrombocytopenia and personalizing treatments.

Background Polymorphisms in ABCB1 have the ability to affect both the function and the expression of the transporter protein P-glycoprotein and may lead to an altered response for many drugs including some antidepressants and antipsychotics.Objective The aim of this study was to examine the impact of the ABCB1 polymorphisms 1199Gandgt;A, 1236Candgt;T, 2677Gandgt;T/A, and 3435Candgt;T in deaths by suicide.Patients and methods A total of 998 consecutive Swedish forensic autopsies performed in 2008 in individuals 18 years of age or older, where femoral blood was available and a toxicological screening had been performed, were investigated. Genotypes were assessed with pyrosequencing and information on the cause and manner of each death was obtained from the forensic pathology and toxicology databases.Results There was a significantly higher frequency of the T allele at positions 1236, 2677, and 3435 among the suicide cases compared with the nonsuicide cases.Conclusion Our result from forensic cases suggests that ABCB1 polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk for completed suicides. The biological mechanisms involved and the clinical implications for these findings are largely unknown and need to be examined further.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of genetic variations in OCT1, OCT2, MATE1, MATE 2, and PMAT on the trough steady-state plasma concentration of metformin and hemoglobin A1c (Hb1Ac). less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanMethod The South Danish Diabetes Study was a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre study. One hundred and fifty-nine patients received 1 g of metformin, twice daily continuously, and 415 repeated plasma metformin measurements were obtained after 3, 6, and 9 months of treatment. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults The mean trough steady-state metformin plasma concentration was estimated to be 576 ng/ml (range, 54-4133 ng/ml, rho = 0.55) and correlated to the number of reduced function alleles in OCT1 (none, one or two: 642, 542, 397 ng/ml; P = 0.001). The absolute decrease in Hb1Ac both initially and long term was also correlated to the number of reduced function alleles in OCT1 resulting in diminished pharmacodynamic effect of metformin after 6 and 24 months. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusion In a large cohort of type 2 diabetics, we either confirm or show for the first time: (a) an enormous 80-fold) variability in trough steady-state metformin plasma concentration, (b) OCT1 activity affects metformin steady-state pharmacokinetics, and (c) OCT1 genotype has a bearing on HbA1c during metformin treatment.

The ErbB receptor family has been suggested to constitute a therapeutic target for tumor-specific treatment of malignant melanoma. Here we investigate the effect of the pan-ErbB tyrosine kinase inhibitor canertinib on cell growth and survival in human melanoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Canertinib significantly inhibited growth of cultured melanoma cells, RaH3 and RaH5, in a dose-dependent manner as determined by cell counting. Half-maximum growth inhibitory dose (IC(50)) was approximately 0.8 mu M and by 5 mu M both cell lines were completely growth-arrested within 72 h of treatment. Incubation of exponentially growing RaH3 and RaH5 with 1 mu M canertinib accumulated the cells in the G(1)-phase of the cell cycle within 24 h of treatment without induction of apoptosis as determined by flow cytometry. Immunoblot analysis showed that 1 mu M canertinib inhibited ErbB1-3 receptor phosphorylation with a concomitant decrease of Akt-, Erk1/2- and Stat3 activity in both cell lines. In contrast to the cytostatic effect observed at doses less than= 5 mu M canertinib, higher concentrations induced apoptosis as demonstrated by the Annexin V method and Western blot analysis of PARP cleavage. Furthermore, canertinib significantly inhibited growth of RaH3 and RaH5 melanoma xenografts in nude mice. Pharmacological targeting of the ErbB receptors may prove successful in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma.

Two main types of model structures have been proposed for the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel; an empirical model structure based on total plasma concentrations of paclitaxel, and a mechanism-based model structure derived from both total and unbound paclitaxel concentrations and concentrations of the formulation vehicle Cremophor EL. The purpose was to compare the two pharmacokinetic model structures when only total paclitaxel concentrations are available. To support the mechanism-based model structure with Cremophor EL concentrations, in silico concentrations were obtained from simulations of a pharmacokinetic model available in the literature. Local algebraic observability was tested on both model structures; the mechanism-based model structure was found, with high probability, not to be algebraically observable if total paclitaxel concentration is considered to be the only model output, and if no kind of prior information is used. Sensitivity analysis was performed to reveal which parameter should be fixed in order to make it locally observable. Parameter estimation was then performed on both model structures using nonlinear mixed effects and data from a clinical study. The estimated mechanism-based model turned out to have a somewhat better fit to data than the corresponding empirical model, , where AIC is the Akaike Information Criterion. Hold-out validation was performed on three patients, but did not favour any of the models. In conclusion, since the mechanism-based model structure behaved at least as good as the empirical model structure, it is suggested that the former model structure should be used since it offers a more accurate description of the disposition.

Purpose: To build a semi-physiologically based pharmacokinetic model describing the uptake, metabolism and efflux of paclitaxel and its metabolites and investigate the effect of hypothetical genetic polymorphisms causing reduced uptake, metabolism or efflux in the pathway by model simulation and sensitivity analysis.less thanbrgreater thanless thanbrgreater thanMethods: A previously described intracellular pharmacokinetic model was used as a starting point for model development. Kinetics for metabolism, transport, binding and systemic and output compartments were added to mimic a physiological model with hepatic elimination. Model parameters were calibrated using constraints postulated as ratios of concentrations and amounts of metabolites and drug in the systemic plasma and output compartments. The sensitivity in kinetic parameters was tested using dynamic sensitivity analysis.less thanbrgreater thanless thanbrgreater thanResults: Predicted plasma concentrations of drug and metabolites were in the range of what has been observed in clinical studies. Given the final model, plasma concentrations of paclitaxel seems to be relatively little affected by changes in metabolism or transport, while its main metabolite may be largely affected even by small changes. If metabolites prove to be clinically relevant, genetic polymorphisms may play an important role for individualizing paclitaxel treatment.

Considering the large amounts of data that is nowadays produced in the biochemistry (functional genomics) it is difficult to extract the information from the measurements. There is currently also a great interest in the development of novel analytical technologies for rapid screening of disease symptoms in pharmaceutical and clinical ap-plications. Modeling and simulation can provide a useful help in understanding the rela-tions of the measured substances and to minimize the need for measurements. The Bio-Chem library presented here is the first free Modelica library available for mathematical modeling of biochemical processes. Three examples are shown to illustrate the library. First, a simple insulin model is presented. Then a simplified model of cholesterol to-gether with simulations are shown. Next, a simple drug model together with parameter estimation in NONMEN are presented. The BioChem library allows for fast and end-user friendly modeling of biomedical systems. The graphical user interface provides graphics similar to that used in the description of metabolic pathways in biochemistry.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common female cancer diseases in the world today and in Sweden more than 800 new cases are diagnosed every year. The standard treatment consists of chemotherapy with paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin after initial cytoreductive surgery. The response to treatment and the severity of adverse drug reactions after chemotherapy varies greatly among individuals, and one of the most important factors responsible for these differences is now recognized to be the genetic variability. One of the major obstacles to successful treatment is drug resistance. Several potential mechanisms have been suggested for the resistance to paclitaxel, such as mutations in the target protein β-tubulin, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene ABCB1, which encodes the transport protein P-glycoprotein. P-glycoprotein can mediate efflux of various drugs from cancer cells as well as from the circulation into the intestinal lumen, and overexpression and/or high activity leads to drug resistance and/or increased elimination. Another reason might be the high interindividual variability of paclitaxel plasma concentrations, which has been suggested to be influenced by variability in metabolic enzymes, such as CYP2C8 and CYP3A4, and transport proteins e.g. P-glycoprotein.

In the studies constituting this thesis we have investigated the possibilities of predicting the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel as well as the tumor response and adverse drug reactions after chemotherapy in the preparation of personalized chemotherapy. We studied the correlation between the response and the presence of mutations in the dominant β-tubulin gene and SNPs in ABCB1. DNA from 40 ovarian tumors was screened for sequence variations in the β-tubulin gene without finding any, showing that β-tubulin mutations are rare and unlikely to be a clinically relevant resistance mechanism for paclitaxel. The SNPs G2677T/A and C3435T in the ABCB1 gene were determined in 53 ovarian cancer tumors from patients with poor (progressive disease or relapse within one year) or good (disease-free survival of more than one year) response to paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy. Patients homozygously mutated for G2677T/A had a higher probability of responding to chemotherapy. There was also a dose-dependent influence of the number of mutated alleles on the response to paclitaxel treatment. No correlation was found for the C3435T variant.

By using a newly developed quantitative LC/MS method for the simultaneous determination of paclitaxel and its hydroxymetabolites in human plasma we assessed the individual elimination of paclitaxel in 33 ovarian cancer patients. The patients were genotyped for SNPs in the ABCB1, CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 genes and their in vivo CYP3A4 enzyme activity, tumor response and toxicity, especially the neurotoxicity, were determined. Patients heterozygous for G/A in position 2677 in ABCB1 had a significantly higher clearance of paclitaxel than patients with the wild type or homozygously mutated, but not compared to patients carrying the G/T alleles. A lower clearance of paclitaxel was also found for patients heterozygous for CYP2C8*3 when stratified according to the ABCB1 G2677T/A genotype. The CYP3A4 enzyme activity in vivo affected the relative influence of CYP2C8 and CYP3A4 on the metabolism, but not the total clearance of paclitaxel. The exposure to paclitaxel was correlated to the neurotoxicity, but not to the treatment response. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the SNP G2677T/A in the ABCB1 gene, but not β-tubulin mutations, might be a predictor for paclitaxel response and that the interindividual variability in paclitaxel pharmacokinetics might be predicted by ABCB1 and CYP2C8 genotypes and provide useful information for individualized chemotherapy.

Paclitaxel (Taxol®) has a broad activity spectrum and is clinically used, often in combination with carboplatin, to treat breast, ovarian and lung cancer. The response to treatment and the severity of adverse drug reactions after chemotherapy varies greatly among individuals, and one of the most important factors responsible for these differences is now recognized to be the genetic variability. However, so far only genetic variants of ABCB1 have been indicated to be associated with response and pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel. Commercially, the patent on paclitaxel has expired: however, from a healthcare perspective, it would be beneficial to identify patients with risk of poor response or high risk of toxicity to reduce hospitalization costs. This artiicle focuses on the pharmacogenomic background for paclitaxel response and interindividual variability.

Purpose: Chemotherapies are associated with significant interindividual variability in therapeutic effect and adverse drug reactions. In lung cancer, the use of gemcitabine and carboplatin induces grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression in about a quarter of the patients, while an equal fraction of patients is basically unaffected in terms of myelosuppressive side effects. We therefore set out to identify genetic markers for gemcitabine/carboplatin-induced myelosuppression. Experimental Design: We exome sequenced 32 patients that suffered extremely high neutropenia and thrombocytopenia (grade 3 or 4 after first chemotherapy cycle) or were virtually unaffected (grade 0 or 1). The genetic differences/polymorphism between the groups were compared using six different bioinformatics strategies: (i) whole-exome nonsynonymous single-nucleotide variants association analysis, (ii) deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, (iii) analysis of genes selected by a priori biologic knowledge, (iv) analysis of genes selected from gene expression meta-analysis of toxicity datasets, (v) Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, and (vi) FunCoup network enrichment analysis. Results: A total of 53 genetic variants that differed among these groups were validated in an additional 291 patients and were correlated to the patients myelosuppression. In the validation, we identified rs1453542 in OR4D6 (P = 0.0008; OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.8-18) as a marker for gemcitabine/carboplatin-induced neutropenia and rs5925720 in DDX53 (P = 0.0015; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.17-0.71) as a marker for thrombocytopenia. Patients homozygous for the minor allele of rs1453542 had a higher risk of neutropenia, and for rs5925720 the minor allele was associated with a lower risk for thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: We have identified two new genetic markers with the potential to predict myelosuppression induced by gemcitabine/ carboplatin chemotherapy. (C)2015 AACR.

Overexpression of the multi-drug transporter P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, is a clinically relevant problem in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Polymorphisms in ABCB1 might contribute to cancer risk and therapeutic response. We therefore investigated the influence of polymorphisms G1199A, C1236T, G2677T/A and C3435T on cancer susceptibility, in vitro cytotoxicity and overall survival in 100 de novo AML patients with normal karyotype. Patients with 1236C/C or 2677G/G genotypes showed poorer survival than patients with other genotypes (P = 0.03 and P = 0.02, respectively). Both these genotypes were significant factors for survival in multivariate analysis, along with age, NPM1 and FLT3 mutation status. In vitro cytotoxicity studies demonstrated that leukemic cells from 1236T/T and 2677T/T patients were significantly more susceptible to mitoxantrone (P 0.02), and tended to be more susceptible to etoposide and daunorubicin (P = 0.07-0.09), but not to cytarabine. No significant difference in allele frequencies was found between patients and healthy volunteers (n = 400).

Increased expression of P-glycoprotein encoded by the mdr-1 gene is a well-characterised mechanism for resistance to cancer chemotherapeutic drugs in cell lines. However, the P-glycoprotein expression after removal of the selection pressure has not fully been elucidated. The stability of P-glycoprotein expression in the presence (+) and absence (-) of vincristine (30 or 150 nM) was studied in multidrug resistant K562 cell lines (VCR30+, VCR150+, VCR30- and VCR150-) for 11 months. The P-glycoprotein protein and mdr-1 mRNA levels were determined at regular intervals using flow cytometry and real-time PCR, respectively. Chemosensitivity to a panel of antineoplastic drugs was measured using an MTT assay. The presence of vincristine (VCR30+ and VCR150+) resulted in high and stable levels of P-glycoprotein and mdr-1 mRNA during the whole period compared to wild type. As for the VCR30- and VCR150- subcultures, the expressions of P-glycoprotein and mdr-1 mRNA were stable for five months, and then the levels decreased rapidly. Concomitantly, the sensitivity to drugs known as P-glycoprotein substrates was restored. In conclusion, resistant cells growing in the presence of the inducing drug have a stable P-glycoprotein expression and resistance level, but removing the inducing drug may result in a sudden and rapid lowering of P-glycoprotein and mdr-1 mRNA levels as long as five months after drug withdrawal.

[No abstract available]

Mutations in the β-tubulin gene have been proposed as a resistance mechanism to paclitaxel. We therefore investigated the presence of mutations in the β-tubulin M40 gene in 40 ovarian tumours (16 paraffin-embedded and 24 freshly frozen) selected for good or poor response to chemotherapy with paclitaxel or non-tubulin-affecting regimens. The presence of mutations was investigated using single strand conformation analysis followed by sequencing of the products with altered mobility. No sequence variants in the exons of the β-tubulin M40 gene were detected. Non-reproducible shifts were identified, in eight out of 16 paraffin embedded samples. This may explain some of the previously published discrepancies. In conclusion, sequence variants in the β-tubulin M40 gene are rare and are unlikely to be a clinically relevant explanation of resistance to paclitaxel.

Imatinib is currently used for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The main metabolite CGP74588 has similar potency to that of imatinib and is a product of CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 metabolism. However, the clinical significance of the metabolism on therapeutic response and pharmacokinetics is still unclear. We designed this study to investigate the role of the CYP3A activity in the response to imatinib therapy. Fourteen CML patients were phenotyped for in vivo CYP3A activity using quinine as a probe drug. The plasma concentration ratio of quinine and its CYP3A metabolite was used for assessing CYP3A activity. The patients were divided into complete molecular responders with undetectable levels of BCR-ABL transcripts after 12 months of therapy and into partial molecular responders who had failed to achieve a complete molecular response. Patients that achieved complete molecular response showed significantly (Mann-Whitney U-test, p = 0.013) higher in vivo CYP3A activity (median quinine metabolic ratio = 10.1) than patients achieving partial molecular response (median = 15.9). These results indicate a clinical significance of the CYP3A activity and its metabolic products in CML patients treated with imatinib.

We investigated the efficacy and safety of single-agent pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) as first-line treatment for elderly women with advanced breast cancer and evaluated predictive markers for response and toxicity. Twenty-five women ⩾65years received 40mg/m(2) PLD every 28days. Time to treatment failure (TTF), response rate, time to progression (TTP) and overall survival (OS) was calculated. The ABCB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP), tumor MRN complex, and TOPOIIα were analyzed. A mean of 7.4 cycles PLD were administered and TTF was 5.5months and OS 20.6months. ABCB1 SNPs were found to correlate to both efficacy and toxicity, while tumor expression of the MRN complex and TOPOIIα correlated to TTP. PLD is a safe and effective treatment for elderly breast cancer patients. Also potential predictive markers were identified.

The influence of genetic variants on paclitaxel-induced toxicity is of considerable interest for reducing adverse drug reactions. Recently, the genetic variants CYP2C8(*)3, CYP2C8-HapC, and CYP3A5(*)3 were associated with paclitaxel-induced neurotoxicity. We, therefore, investigated the impact of CYP2C8-HapC and CYP3A5(*)3 on paclitaxel/carboplatin-induced myelosuppression and neurotoxicity. Thirty-three patients from a prospective pharmacokinetics study were genotyped using pyrosequencing. Patients with variant alleles of CYP2C8-HapC were found to have significantly lower nadir values of both leukocytes and neutrophils (p andlt; 0.05) than patients with the wild-type genotype. CYP3A5(*)3/(*)1 patients were shown to have borderline, significantly lower nadir values of leukocytes (p = 0.07) than (*)3/(*)3 patients. Combining the two genotypes resulted in a significant correlation with both leukopenia and neutropenia (p = 0.01). No effect of these genetic variants on neurotoxicity could be shown in this rather small study, but their importance for paclitaxel-induced toxicity could be confirmed.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by the ABCB1 gene, confers multi-drug resistance to a variety of antineoplastic agents, for example, paclitaxel. Recently, the G1199T/A polymorphism in the ABCB1 gene was shown to be important for the function of P-gp as well as for the resistance to several chemotherapeutic agents in vitro. We analyzed the allelic distribution of the G1199T/A and other polymorphisms in exons 11 and 12 of the ABCB1 gene in ovarian cancer patients treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin in order to evaluate their predictive value in vivo. The SNPs C1236T, G1199T/A, and A1308G were determined using Pyrosequencing in 51 patients with advanced ovarian cancer and correlated to the progression free survival. The G1199T/A SNP was found to affect the progression free survival. Although only two heterozygous (G/A) patients were found their mean progression free survival was only 2 months as compared to 19 months for the wild-type patients. This is in accordance with the higher resistance for the 1199A genetic variant found in vitro. Genotyping of the ABCB1 gene may be important for determining the tumor resistance to paclitaxel and provide useful information for individualized therapy.  

Purpose: P-glycoprotein, encoded by the mdr-1 gene, confers multidrug resistance to a variety of antineoplastic agents, e.g., paclitaxel. Recently, different polymorphisms in the mdr-1 gene have been identified and their consequences for the function of P-glycoprotein, as well as for the treatment response to P-glycoprotein substrates, are being clarified. We analyzed the allelic frequencies at polymorphic sites G2677T/A and C3435T in ovarian cancer patients with good or poor response to treatment with paclitaxel in combination with carboplatin in order to evaluate their predictive values.

Experimental Design: Fifty-three patients were included in the study; 28 of them had been relapse-free for at least 1 year and 25 had progressive disease or relapsed within 12 months. A reference material consisting of 200 individuals was also analyzed. The genotypes of each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were determined using Pyrosequencing.

Results: The G2677T/A SNP was found to significantly correlate with treatment outcome. The probability of responding to paclitaxel treatment was higher in homozygously mutated patients (T/T or T/A; Fisher's exact test; P < 0.05). The frequency of the T or A alleles was also higher in the group of patients who had a good response (P < 0.05). There was also a dose-dependent influence of the number of mutated alleles on the response to paclitaxel treatment (Χ² test for linear-by-linear association; P = 0.03). However, the C3435T SNP was not found to correlate to treatment outcome.

Conclusions: The mdr-1 polymorphism G2677T/A in exon 21 correlates with the paclitaxel response in ovarian cancer and may be important for the function of P-glycoprotein and resistance to paclitaxel and provide useful information for individualized therapy.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of sequence variants in the CYP2C8, ABCB1 and CYP3A4 genes and the CYP3A4 phenotype for the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of paclitaxel in ovarian cancer patients. Thirty-eight patients were treated with paclitaxel and carboplatin. The genotypes of CYP2C8*1B, *1C, *2, *3, *4, *5, *6, *7, *8 and P404A, ABCB1 G2677T/A and C3435T, as well as CYP3A4*1B, were determined by pyrosequencing. Phenotyping of CYP3A4 was performed in vivo with quinine as a probe. The patients were monitored for toxicity and 23 patients underwent a more extensive neurotoxicity evaluation. Patients heterozygous for G/A in position 2677 in ABCB1 had a significantly higher clearance of paclitaxel than most other ABCB1 variants. A lower clearance of paclitaxel was found for patients heterozygous for CYP2C8*3 when stratified according to the ABCB1 G2677T/A genotype. In addition, the CYP3A4 enzyme activity in vivo affected which metabolic pathway was dominant in each patient, but not the total clearance of paclitaxel. The exposure to paclitaxel correlated to the degree of neurotoxicity. Our findings suggest that interindividual variability in paclitaxel pharmacokinetics might be predicted by ABCB1 and CYP2C8 genotypes and provide useful information for individualized chemotherapy.

A quantitative liquid chromatography/ion trap mass spectrometry method for the simultaneous determination of paclitaxel, 6α-hydroxypaclitaxel and p-3'-hydroxypaclitaxel in human plasma has been developed and validated. 6α-,p-3'-Dihydroxypaclitaxel was also quantified using paclitaxel as a reference and docetaxel as an internal standard. The substances were extracted from 0.500 mL plasma using solid-phase extraction. The elution was performed with acetonitrile and the samples were reconstituted in the mobile phase. Isocratic high-performance liquid chromatography analysis was performed by injecting 50 µL of reconstituted material onto a 100 × 3.00 mm C12 column with a methanol:1% trifluoroacetic acid/ammonium trifluoroacetate in H₂O 70:30 mobile phase at 350 µL/min. The [M+H]⁺ ions generated in the sonic spray ionization interface were isolated and fragmented using two serial mass spectrometric methods: one for paclitaxel (transition 854 → 569 & 551) and the dihydroxymetabolite (transition 886 → 585 & 567) and one for the hydroxy metabolites (transition 870 → 585 & 567; transition 870 → 569 & 551) and docetaxel ([M+Na]⁺, transition 830 → 550). Calibration curves were created ranging between 0.5 and 7500 ng/mL for paclitaxel, 0.5 and 750 ng/mL for 6α-hydroxypaclitaxel, and 0.5 and 400 ng/mL for p-3'-hydroxypaclitaxel. Adduct ion formation was noted and investigated during method development and controlled by mobile phase optimization. In conclusion, a sensitive method for simultaneous quantification of paclitaxel and its metabolites suitable for analysis in clinical studies was obtained.

The membrane transporter P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, influences the pharmacokinetics of anti-cancer drugs. We hypothesized that variants of ABCB1 affect outcome and toxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We studied 522 Danish children with ALL, 93% of all those eligible. Risk of relapse was increased 2.9-fold for patients with the 1199GA variant versus 1199GG (P = 0.001), and reduced 61% and 40%, respectively, for patients with the 3435CT or 3435TT variants versus 3435CC (overall P = 0.02). The degree of bone marrow toxicity during doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone induction therapy was more prominent in patients with 3435TT variant versus 3435CT/3435CC (P = 0.01/P less than 0.0001). We observed more liver toxicity after high-dose methotrexate in patients with 3435CC variant versus 3435CT/TT ( P = 0.03). In conclusion, there is a statistically significant association between ABCB1 polymorphisms, efficacy and toxicity in the treatment of ALL, and ABCB1 1199G greater than A may be a new possible predictive marker for outcome in childhood ALL.

The membrane transporter P-glycoprotein, encoded by the ABCB1 gene, influences pharmacokinetics in several anti-cancer drugs. We hypothesized that 1199G>A, 1236C>T, 2677G>A/T and 3435C>T variants of ABCB1 could affect outcome and toxicity in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), since treatment includes known P-glycoprotein substrates and 3435C/T may affect methotrexate therapy.

We studied 522 Danish children with ALL treated according to NOPHO ALL92 and ALL2000 protocols, 93% of all those eligible during 1992-2007. Risk of relapse was 2.9-fold increased for 41 patients with the 1199GA variant compared to 477 with 1199GG (p=0.001), and reduced by 61% and 40%, respectively for 421 patients with the 3435CT or 3435TT variants compared to 96 with 3435CC (overall p=0.02).

Degree of bone marrow toxicity during doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone induction therapy was higher in 71 patients with 3435TT variant (median nadirs: hemoglobin 3% and platelets 34/37% lower in3435CT/3435CC) compared to 160 patients with 3435CT/3435CC (Hemoglobin p=0.01 and platelets p<0.0001).

We observed more liver toxicity after high-dose methotrexate in 109 patients with 3435CC variant versus 3435CT/TT (Median max alanineaminotransferase: 280 versus 142/111 U/L, p=0.03). In conclusion, there is a statistically significant association between ABCB1 polymorphisms and efficacy and toxicity in childhood ALL.

Histone H1 is an important constituent of chromatin, and is believed to be involved in regulation of chromatin structure. During the cell cycle, chromatin becomes locally decondensed in S phase, highly condensed during metaphase and again decondensed before re-entry into G1. This has been connected to increasing phosphorylation of H1 histones during the cell cycle. However, many of these experiments have been performed in non-human and human cancer   cell lines, and by the use of cell synchronization techniques and cell cycle-arresting drugs. In this study, we have investigated the H1 subtype composition and phosphorylation pattern in the cell cycle. Exponentially growing normal human activated T cells and Jurkat lymphoblastoid cells were sorted by fluorescence activated cell sorting into G1, S and G2/M populations, without the use of cell cycle arresting drugs. We found that the H1.5 protein level increased after T-cell activation. Our data indicate that serine phosphorylation of H1 subtypes occurred to a large extent in late G1 phase or early S, while some additional serine phosphorylation took place during S, G2 and M phases. Furthermore, our data suggest that the newly synthesized H1 molecules during S phase also achieve a similar phosphorylation pattern as the previous ones. Jurkat cells showed more extended H1.5 phosphorylation in G1 compared with T cells, a difference that can be explained by faster cell growth and/or the presence of enhanced H1 kinase activity in G1 in Jurkat cells. In conclusion, our data is consistent with a model where a major part of interphase H1 serine phosphorylation takes place within a narrow time window during the G1/Stransition. This implies that H1 serine phosphorylation may be coupled to changes in chromatin structure necessary for DNA replication.

The genetic basis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is complex. Mutations in genes encoding components of the cardiac desmosomes have been implicated as being causally related to ARVC. Next-generation sequencing allows parallel sequencing and duplication/deletion analysis of many genes simultaneously, which is appropriate for screening of mutations in disorders with heterogeneous genetic backgrounds. We designed and validated a next-generation sequencing test panel for ARVC using HaloPlex. We used SureDesign to prepare a HaloPlex enrichment system for sequencing of DES, DSC2, DSG2, DSP, JUP, PKP2, RYR2, TGFB3, TMEM43, and TIN from patients with ARVC using a MiSeq instrument. Performance characteristics were determined by comparison with Sanger, as the gold standard, and TruSeq Custom Amplicon sequencing of DSC2, DSG2, DSP, JUP, and PKP2. All the samples were successfully sequenced after HaloPlex capture, with greater than99% of targeted nucleotides covered by greater than20x. The sequences were of high quality, although one problematic area due to a presumptive context-specific sequencing error causing motif Located in exon 1 of the DSP gene was detected. The mutations found by Sanger sequencing were also found using the HaloPlex technique. Depending on the bioinformatics pipeline, sensitivity varied from 99.3% to 100%, and specificity varied from 99.90/0 to 100%. Three variant positions found by Sanger and HaloPlex sequencing were missed by TruSeq Custom Amplicon owing to Loss of coverage.

Background: Histone H1 is an important constituent of chromatin, and is involved in regulation of its structure. During the cell cycle, chromatin becomes locally decondensed in S phase, highly condensed during metaphase, and again decondensed before re-entry into G(1). This has been connected to increasing phosphorylation of H1 histones through the cell cycle. However, many of these experiments have been performed using cell-synchronization techniques and cell cycle-arresting drugs. In this study, we investigated the H1 subtype composition and phosphorylation pattern in the cell cycle of normal human activated T cells and Jurkat T-lymphoblastoid cells by capillary electrophoresis after sorting of exponentially growing cells into G(1), S and G(2)/M populations. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanResults: We found that the relative amount of H1.5 protein increased significantly after T-cell activation. Serine phosphorylation of H1 subtypes occurred to a large extent in late G(1) or early S phase in both activated T cells and Jurkat cells. Furthermore, our data confirm that the H1 molecules newly synthesized during S phase achieve a similar phosphorylation pattern to the previous ones. Jurkat cells had more extended H1.5 phosphorylation in G(1) compared with T cells, a difference that can be explained by faster cell growth and/or the presence of enhanced H1 kinase activity in G(1) in Jurkat cells. less thanbrgreater than less thanbrgreater thanConclusion: Our data are consistent with a model in which a major part of interphase H1 phosphorylation takes place in G(1) or early S phase. This implies that H1 serine phosphorylation may be coupled to changes in chromatin structure necessary for DNA replication. In addition, the increased H1 phosphorylation of malignant cells in G(1) may be affecting the G(1)/S transition control and enabling facilitated S-phase entry as a result of relaxed chromatin condensation. Furthermore, increased H1.5 expression may be coupled to the proliferative capacity of growth-stimulated T cells.

Tramadol is a complex drug, being metabolized by polymorphic enzymes and administered as a racemate with the (+)- and (-)-enantiomers of the parent compound and metabolites showing different pharmacological effects. The study aimed to simultaneously determine the enantiomer concentrations of tramadol, O-desmethyltramadol, N-desmethyltramadol, and N,O-didesmethyltramadol following a single dose, and elucidate if enantioselective pharmacokinetics is associated with the time following drug intake and if interindividual differences may be genetically explained. Nineteen healthy volunteers were orally administered either 50 or 100 mg tramadol, whereupon blood samples were drawn at 17 occasions. Enantiomer concentrations in whole blood were measured by LC-MS/MS and the CYP2D6,CYP2B6 and CYP3A4 genotype were determined, using the xTAG CYP2D6 Kit, pyrosequencing and real-time PCR, respectively. A positive correlation between the (+)/(-)-enantiomer ratio and time following drug administration was shown for all four enantiomer pairs. The largest increase in enantiomer ratio was observed for N-desmethyltramadol in CYP2D6 extensive and intermediate metabolizers, rising from about two to almost seven during 24 hours following drug intake. CYP2D6 poor metabolizers showed metabolic profiles markedly different from the ones of intermediate and extensive metabolizers, with large area under the concentration curves (AUCs) of the N-desmethyltramadol enantiomers and low corresponding values of the O-desmethyltramadol and N,O-didesmethyltramadol enantiomers, especially of the (+)-enantiomers. Homozygosity of CYP2B6 *5 and *6 indicated a reduced enzyme function, although further studies are required to confirm it. In conclusion, the increase in enantiomer ratios over time might possibly be used to distinguish a recent tramadol intake from a past one. It also implies that, even though (+)-O-desmethyltramadol is regarded the enantiomer most potent in causing adverse effects, one should not investigate the (+)/(-)-enantiomer ratio of O-desmethyltramadol in relation to side effects without consideration for the time that has passed since drug intake.

Exome sequence capture and massively parallel sequencing can be combined to achieve inexpensive and rapid global analyses of the functional sections of the genome. The difficulties of working with relatively small quantities of genetic material, as may be necessary when sharing tumor biopsies between collaborators for instance, can be overcome using whole genome amplification. However, the potential drawbacks of using a whole genome amplification technology based on random primers in combination with sequence capture followed by massively parallel sequencing have not yet been examined in detail, especially in the context of mutation discovery in tumor material. In this work, we compare mutations detected in sequence data for unamplified DNA, whole genome amplified DNA, and RNA originating from the same tumor tissue samples from 16 patients diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer. The results obtained provide a comprehensive overview of the merits of these techniques for mutation analysis. We evaluated the identified genetic variants, and found that most (74%) of them were observed in both the amplified and the unamplified sequence data. Eighty-nine percent of the variations found by WGA were shared with unamplified DNA. We demonstrate a strategy for avoiding allelic bias by including RNA-sequencing information.

Personalized cancer treatment requires molecular characterization of individual tumor biopsies. These samples are frequently only available in limited quantities hampering genomic analysis. Several whole genome amplification (WGA) protocols have been developed with reported varying representation of genomic regions post amplification. In this study we investigate region dropout using a φ29 polymerase based WGA approach. DNA from 123 lung cancers specimens and corresponding normal tissue were used and evaluated by Sanger sequencing of the p53 exons 5-8. To enable comparative analysis of this scarce material, WGA samples were compared with unamplified material using a pooling strategy of the 123 samples. In addition, a more detailed analysis of exon 7 amplicons were performed followed by extensive cloning and Sanger sequencing. Interestingly, by comparing data from the pooled samples to the individually sequenced exon 7, we demonstrate that mutations are more easily recovered from WGA pools and this was also supported by simulations of different sequencing coverage. Overall this data indicate a limited random loss of genomic regions supporting the use of whole genome amplification for genomic analysis.

The growing collection of publicly available high-throughput data provides an invaluable resource for generating preliminary in silico data in support of novel hypotheses. In this study we used a cross-dataset meta-analysis strategy to identify novel candidate genes and genetic variations relevant to paclitaxel/carboplatin-induced myelosuppression and neuropathy. We identified genes affected by drug exposure and present in tissues associated with toxicity. From ten top-ranked genes 42 non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in silico and genotyped in 94 cancer patients treated with carboplatin/paclitaxel. We observed variations in 11 SNPs, of which seven were present in a sufficient frequency for statistical evaluation. Of these seven SNPs. three were present in ABCA1 and ATM, and showed significant or borderline significant association with either myelosuppression or neuropathy. The strikingly high number of associations between genotype and clinically observed toxicity provides support for our data-driven computations strategy to identify biomarkers for drug toxicity.

Drug resistance is a clinically relevant problem in the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). We have previously reported a relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of ABCB1, encoding the multi-drug transporter P-glycoprotein, and overall survival (OS) in normal karyotype (NK)-AML. Here we extended this material, enabling subgroup analysis based on FLT3 and NPM1 status, to further elucidate the influence of ABCB1 SNPs. De novo NK-AML patients (n = 201) were analysed for 1199Ggreater thanA, 1236Cgreater thanT, 2677Ggreater thanT/A and 3435Cgreater thanT, and correlations to outcome were investigated. FLT3 wild-type 1236C/C patients have significantly shorter OS compared to patients carrying the variant allele; medians 20 vs. 49 months, respectively, P = 0.017. There was also an inferior outcome in FLT3 wild-type 2677G/G patients compared to patients carrying the variant allele, median OS 20 vs. 35 months, respectively, P = 0.039. This was confirmed in Cox regression analysis. Our results indicate that ABCB1 1236Cgreater thanT and 2677Ggreater thanT may be used as prognostic markers to distinguish relatively high risk patients in the intermediate risk FLT3 wild-type group, which may contribute to future individualizing of treatment strategies.

De novo acute myeloid leukemia with normal karyotype (NK-AML) comprises a large group of patients with no common cytogenetic alterations and with a large variation in treatment response. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes related to the metabolism of the nucleoside analogue AraC, the backbone in AML treatment, might affect drug sensitivity and treatment outcome. Therefore, SNPs may serve as prognostic biomarkers aiding clinicians in individualized treatment decisions, with the aim of improving patient outcomes. We analyzed polymorphisms in genes encoding cytidine deaminase (CDA 79A>C rs2072671 and −451C>T rs532545), 5′-nucleotidase (cN-II 7A>G rs10883841), and deoxycytidine kinase (DCK 3′UTR 948T>C rs4643786) in 205 de novo NK-AML patients. In FLT3-internal tandem duplication (ITD)-positive patients, the CDA 79C/C and −451T/T genotypes were associated with shorter overall survival compared to other genotypes (5 vs. 24 months, P < 0.001 and 5 vs. 23 months, P = 0.015, respectively), and this was most pronounced in FLT3-ITD-positive/NPM1-positive patients. We observed altered in vitro sensitivity to topoisomerase inhibitory drugs, but not to nucleoside analogues, and a decrease in global DNA methylation in cells carrying both CDA variant alleles. A shorter survival was also observed for the cN-II variant allele, but only in FLT3-ITD-negative patients (25 vs. 31 months, P = 0.075). Our results indicate that polymorphisms in genes related to nucleoside analog drug metabolism may serve as prognostic markers in de novo NK-AML

Objective: Cyclophosphamide is a conventional pro-drug used in Multiple Myeloma (MM) and other malignancies. The highly polymorphic CYP2B6 is suggested as a major contributor in cyclophosphamide bioactivation, and GST en-zymes are involved in detoxification. Polymorphisms of these enzymes may affect enzyme expression and function as well as treatment outcome. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the CYP2B6 SNPs G516T, A785G and C1459T, GSTP1 SNP Ile105Val, and GSTM1 and GSTT1 null variants, on the outcome for cyclophosphamide treated MM patients, in order to find markers of value for individualised therapy. Methods: We used allele specific PCR and Pyrosequencing to investigate the impact of CYP2B6 SNPs G516T, A785G and C1459T, GSTP1 Ile105Val, and GSTM1 and GSTT1 variants, on the outcome for 26 cyclophosphamide treated multiple myeloma patients. Results and Major Conclusion:

The CYP2B6 785G carriers had significantly shorter progression free survival (p = 0.048*) and overall survival (p = 0.037*) with 785G/G patients having the worst outcome compared to patients carrying the wild type. A shorter progression free survival was also indicated in patients carrying both CYP2B6 516T & 785G (p = 0.068). These results indicate a predictive role of CYP2B6 SNPs, particularly A785G, in cyclophosphamide treatment.

TP53 is commonly mutated in several cancers and confers treatment resistance and poor prognosis. Altered expression of MDM2 (mouse double minute 2), a negative regulator of p53, may also attenuate normal p53 signaling, thereby enhancing tumor transformation and resistance to apoptosis. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) 309 has been reported to increase MDM2 expression and impair normal p53 response. We investigated the frequency and impact of TP53 mutations (TP53mut) and MDM2^SNP309 on treatment outcome and overall survival (OS) in 207 Swedish AML patients. We found a high frequency (22%) of TP53mut in patients with cytogenetic aberrations, with strong association to high risk cytogenetics (p<0.001). TP53mut patients had lower response rates compared to TP53 wild-type (wt) patients (22% and 76% CR, respectively, p<0.001) and reduced OS (5 and 21 months, respectively, p<0.001). In TP53wt patients with abnormal karyotype, the MDM2^SNP309 conferred an impaired outcome, with patients carrying the alternative G allele  having shorter OS compared to T/T patients (13 and 29 months, p=0.031). In conclusion, our results show that TP53mut analysis as well as MDM2^SNP309 genotyping may be useful tools for prognostication, risk stratification and selection of patients most likely to benefit from new drugs targeting the p53 signaling pathway.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp), encoded by the ABCB1/MDR1 gene, is a drug transporter at the blood–brain barrier. Several polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene are known to affect the activity and/or expression of P-gp, thereby influencing the treatment response and toxicity of P-gp substrates like citalopram and venlafaxine. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of ABCB1 genotypes in forensic autopsy cases involving these two antidepressants. Further, the distribution of ABCB1 genotypes in deaths related to intoxication was compared to cases not associated to drug intoxication. The study included 228 forensic autopsy cases with different causes and manners of deaths. The ABCB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) G1199A, C1236T, C3435T and G2677T/A for these individuals were determined. The SNPs C1236T and C3435T in venlafaxine-positive cases were significantly different between the intoxication cases and non-intoxications. This was not seen for cases involving citalopram, indicating that the effect of genetic variants might be substrate specific. This novel finding should, however, be confirmed in future studies with larger number of cases.