Children with retinoblastoma (RB) typically survive their cancer due to advances in early diagnosis and treatment. Extraocular invasion and metastasis, and secondary malignant tumor carry a very high mortality rate. Prerequisites for metastasis include tumor initiating capacity, altered cellular adhesion and cell motility, resistance to extracellular death signals and disruption of the basement membrane and extracellular matrix. All those changes can be determined by the cell of origin and the genetic instability of the tumor, responding to the multiple layers of pressure such as hypoxia, from the tumor microenvironment or niche. The interaction between tumor cells and the tumor stroma is regulated by several metastasissuppressor proteins and microRNA. This knowledge has important implications for our understanding and the treatment of extraocular spreading of RB.
Despite its low incidence, retinoblastoma and its rela ted gene (Rb gene) have attracted some of the most brilliant minds in medicine and biology fi elds over the past years. Great advances have been achieved in the tumoregenesis mechanism and clinical management of retinoblastoma recently. However as always , more questions arise from those results. In order to improve retinoblastoma re search in China, we need to strengthen the communication and cooperation with di ffe rent countries, different institutes and disciplines, and utilize the great reso urces of retinoblastoma patients in China.
The debate on the cell of origin of human retinoblastoma lasted for more than one century. In the recent issue of ldquo;cellrdquo;, David Cobrinikprime;s group shows that L/M cone precursors are the most likely answer as they have an intrinsic circuitry, including murine double minute 2 (MDM2), Nmyc, the nuclear receptors retinoid X receptor and thyroxine receptor 2, making them extremely sensitive to transformation following retinoblastoma gene inactivation.
Retinoblastoma susceptibility gene(Rb gene)is a tumor suppressor,which often deleted,mutated or inactivated in many malignant tumors.We construct an antisense Rb gene expression vector DOLRBAS and transfected it into human embryonic lung fibroblast(HEL cells)by electroporation technique.With the transient expression of antisense Rb gene the Rb protein synthesis is reduced and the growth rate of HEL cells in increased,but no coloney of HEL cells formed in soft agar.This result indicates that Rb gene can block cell division of HEL cells,but inactivation of Rb gene only is not sufficient for malignancy transformation of HEl cells. （Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,1993,9:198-201）
Objective To investigate the effect of exogenous Rb gene on the cell cycle of vitreous retinoblastoma (RB) transplantation tumor in nude mouse. Methods Based on establishing vitreous RB transplantation tumor in nude mouse,constructing retrovirus vector of Rb gene PBabe-Rb and transfecing it into the RB transplantation model by liposome Dosper,the change of cell cycle of the RB transplantation tumor by flow cytometry(FCM)was analysed． Results FCM showed that the cells of G1phase of the treated eyes were obviously more than the control eyes with the value of DNA index(DI)and S phase fraction(SPF) decreased by the Rb gene expression. Conclusion The exogenous PBabe-Rb gene can partially suppress the progress of the cell cycle of RB transplantation tumor in vivo. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis，2000，16：1-70)