Ultraviolet B Irradiation Reduces the Expression of Adiponectin in Ovarial Adipose Tissues through Endocrine Actions of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide-Induced Serum Amyloid A

Ultraviolet (UV) B irradiation decreases blood adiponectin levels, but the mechanism is not well understood. This study investigated how UVB irradiation reduces adiponectin expression in ovarial adipose tissues. Female Hos:HR-1 hairless mice were exposed to UVB (1.6 J/cm²) irradiation and were killed 24 h later. UVB irradiation decreased the adiponectin protein level in the serum and the adiponectin mRNA level in ovarial adipose tissues. UVB irradiation also decreased the mRNA levels of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) α, C/EBPβ, and fatty acid binding protein 4 (aP2) in ovarial adipose tissues. In contrast, UVB irradiation increased the mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 in ovarial adipose tissues. In the serum and liver, the levels of serum amyloid A (SAA), involved in PPARγ, C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, aP2, IL-6, and MCP-1 regulation, increased after UVB irradiation. The SAA gene is regulated by IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, but only IL-6 expression increased in the liver after UVB irradiation. Additionally, in the liver, hypothalamus, and epidermis, UVB irradiation increased the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), which upregulates SAA in the liver. Collectively, our results suggest that the CGRP signal induced by skin exposure to UVB transfers to the liver, possibly through the brain, and increases SAA production via IL-6 in the liver. In turn, serum SAA acts in an endocrine manner to decreases the serum adiponectin level by downregulating factors that regulate adiponectin expression in adipose tissues.     

Characterization of Self-Assembled Virus-Like Particles of Merkel Cell Polyomavirus

In our recombinant baculovirus system, VP1 protein of merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), which is implicated as a causative agent in Merkel cell carcinoma, was self-assembled into MCPyV-like particles (MCPyV-LP) with two different sizes in insect cells, followed by being released into the culture medium. DNA molecules of 1.5- to 5-kb, which were derived from host insect cells, were packaged in large, ~50-nm spherical particles but not in small, ~25-nm particles. Structure reconstruction using cryo-electron microscopy showed that large MCPyV-LPs are composed of 72 pentameric capsomeres arranged in a T = 7 icosahedral surface lattice and are 48 nm in diameter. The MCPyV-LPs did not share antigenic determinants with BK- and JC viruses (BKPyV and JCPyV). The VLP-based enzyme immunoassay was applied to investigate age-specific prevalence of MCPyV infection in the general Japanese population aged 1–70 years. While seroprevalence of MCPyV increased with age in children and young individuals, its seropositivity in each age group was lower compared with BKPyV and JCPyV.