FAK and talin: who is taking whom to the integrin engagement party?

In this issue, Lawson et al. provide new insight into the relationship between FAK and talin during assembly of integrin adhesions on fibronectin. They show that FAK is upstream of talin, and that talin is not required for FAK recruitment or for integrin activation at nascent adhesions. However, FAK-talin binding is required for adhesion turnover and cell motility. The findings question the view that talin is always upstream of focal adhesion protein recruitment to clustered integrin sites.     

What is the ultimate goal in acid-base regulation?

It is common to see chapters on acid-base physiology state that the goal of acid-base regulatory mechanisms is to maintain the pH of arterial plasma and not arterial Pco(2) (Pa(CO(2))) or plasma HCO(3). A hypothetical situation in which the Pa(CO(2)) of arterial plasma is 80 mmHg and the plasma HCO(3) concentration is 48 mM is presented and analyzed to get over this misconception. As per the modified Henderson equation, the pH of arterial plasma would be 7.4; however, we explain that this may be associated with intracellular acidosis due to intracellular hypercapnia and that derangement of homeostasis is evident from the occurrence of respiratory depression and, eventually, coma in the patient described. This suggests that the ultimate goal of acid-base regulatory mechanisms is not just the maintenance of the pH of arterial plasma but the maintenance of the steady-state pH of intracellular fluid as well.     

Kinetics of protein tyrosine phosphorylation in sperm selected by binding to homologous and heterologous oviductal explants: how specific is the regulation by the oviduct?

Essential steps of the capacitation process take place in the oviductal isthmus. A crucial step in the process of capacitation is the phosphorylation of membrane proteins. The aims of this work were (1) to study the effect of dog sperm binding to oviductal epithelium on tyrosine phosphorylation and (2) to investigate the specificity of regulation of molecular changes by the oviduct of different species by comparing the numbers of canine sperm bound to heterologous (porcine) and homologous epithelium, and the kinetics of tyrosine phosphorylation. Semen was collected from four healthy dogs and washed through a Percoll gradient. Explants, small pieces of epithelium, were cut from porcine and estrous bitch oviducts. During 6 h of coincubation in Tyrode medium, the numbers of bound sperm were counted by microvideographic observation, and the state of tyrosine phosphorylation was determined immunocytochemically after 3, 30, 90, 180 and 360 min. Canine sperm bound in similar numbers to homologous and heterologous explants. Increasing tyrosine phosphorylation of tail proteins and subsequent phosphorylation of sperm head proteins were observed. Binding occurred mainly in sperm with non-phosphorylated heads (approximately 2% phosphorylated), while higher proportions of head-phosphorylated cells were found in unbound populations (approximately 40-60%;P<0.05). The head phosphorylation progressed significantly during incubation in unbound spermatozoa (P<0.05), while it was suppressed in bound suspensions. The rate of tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm tail proteins was higher in cells bound to explants than in unbound cells or in those incubated in control medium. There were no significant differences with respect to the kinetics of tyrosine phosphorylation between the two coincubation systems. These observations support the hypothesis that spermatozoa with non-phosphorylated heads preferentially attach to epithelial cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation of sperm head proteins and capacitation are delayed in spermatozoa in close contact with oviductal epithelium. This mechanism appears to be species-independent, as sperm bound similarly to pig and dog oviduct explants, and similar phosphorylation kinetics were observed in both types of tissue.     

Sudden unexpected improvement in the atrioventricular conduction. What is the mechanism?

The 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) of a 79-year-old male patient with recurrent pre-syncope showed irregular sinus rhythm with constant PR interval and left bundle branch block (LBBB) with intermittently blocked P waves. The beat following the blocked P wave had a narrower QRS with a shorter PR interval. The phenomenon of bilateral bundle branch block explains the sudden improvement in the atrioventricular conduction.     

Gene gain and gene loss in streptococcus: is it driven by habitat?

Bacterial genomes can evolve either by gene gain, gene loss, mutating existing genes, and/or by duplication of existing genes. Recent studies have clearly demonstrated that the acquisition of new genes by lateral gene transfer (LGT) is a predominant force in bacterial evolution. To better understand the significance of LGT, we employed a comparative genomics approach to model species-specific and intraspecies gene insertions/deletions (ins/del among 12 sequenced streptococcal genomes using a maximum likelihood method. This study indicates that the rate of gene ins/del is higher on the external branches and varies dramatically for each species. We have analyzed here some of the experimentally characterized species-specific genes that have been acquired by LGT and conclude that at least a portion of these genes have a role in adaptation.     

Gene regulation: better late than never?

A new study has found that, in Arabidopsis, the paternal copies of many genes are delayed in expression during early seed development. The distribution of the genes and nature of their products suggest that this delayed expression of paternal alleles may be a global phenomenon.     

Adenosine as an endogenous immunoregulator in cancer pathogenesis: where to go?

Cancer is a chronic disease and its pathogenesis is well correlated with infection and inflammation. Adenosine is a purine nucleoside, which is produced under metabolic stress like hypoxic conditions. Acute or chronic inflammatory conditions lead to the release of precursor adenine nucleotides (adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosien diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP)) from cells, which are extracellularly catabolized into adenosine by extracellular ectonucleotidases, i.e., CD39 or nucleoside triphosphate dephosphorylase (NTPD) and CD73 or 5′-ectonucleotidase. It is now well-known that adenosine is secreted by cancer as well as immune cells during tumor pathogenesis under metabolic stress or hypoxia. Once adenosine is released into the extracellular environment, it exerts various immunomodulatory effects via adenosine receptors (A₁, A_2A, A_2B, and A₃) expressed on various immune cells (i.e., macrophages, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, regulatory T cell (T_regs), etc.), which play very important roles in the pathogenesis of cancer. This review is intended to summarize the role of inflammation and adenosine in the immunopathogenesis of tumor along with regulation of tumor-specific immune response and its modulation as an adjunct approach to tumor immunotherapy.     

RIP2: A novel player in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation and cutaneous wound repair?

We could recently demonstrate an important role of receptor interacting protein 4 (RIP4) in the regulation of keratinocyte differentiation. Now, we analyzed a potential role of the RIP4 homolog RIP2 in keratinocytes. Specifically, we demonstrate here that rip2 expression is induced by scratch-wounding and after the induction of differentiation in these cells. Furthermore, serum growth factors and cytokines can induce rip2, with TNF-α-dependent induction being dependent on p38 MAPK. In addition, we demonstrate that scratch-induced upregulation of rip2 expression is completely blocked by the steroid dexamethasone. Since we also show that RIP2 is an important player in the regulation of keratinocyte proliferation, these data suggest that inhibition of rip2 upregulation after wounding might contribute to the reduced and delayed wound re-epithelialization phenotype seen in glucocorticoid-treated patients.     

From the gene to the clinic: prostate cancer death can now be an exception?

The most significant discovery of the second half of the XXth century in the field of prostate cancer therapy is probably the observation that the human prostate, as well as many other peripheral human tissues, synthesize locally an important amount of androgens from the inactive steroid precursors dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its sulfate DHEA-S. In parallel with these observations, two important discoveries also made by our group are applied in the clinic worldwide, namely the use of LHRH (luteininizing hormone-releasing hormone) agonists to completely block testicular androgens, while, simultaneously, the androgens made locally in the prostate from DHEA are blocked in their access to the androgen receptor by a pure antiandrogen of the class of flutamide. This treatment, called combined androgen blockade, has been the first treatment demonstrated to prolong life in prostate cancer. While the first studies were performed in patients with advanced and metastatic disease, our recent data indicate a remarkable level of efficacy of the same treatment applied to localized prostate cancer, namely a 90% possibility of cure. However, in order to be able to treat localized prostate cancer, early diagnosis must be achieved. In the first large-scale randomized study of prostate cancer screening, we have demonstrated that 99% of prostate cancers can be diagnosed at the localized or potentially curable stage, using simple annual measurement of PSA (prostatic specific antigen). Today's data show that with the simple application of the available diagnostic and therapeutic tools, death from prostate cancer should be an exception.     

Gene therapy in the clinic: whose risks?

Current experience with gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency disorder (X-SCID) suggests that we might now be at the point where it can be considered the 'standard of care'. This therapy carries an unquantified risk of leukaemia, raising important questions for regulators. How dangerous does a potentially curative therapy for a fatal illness need to be before we call it unsafe. How uncertain does a risk need to be for us to regard a therapy as still 'experimental'? Whose interests should prevail? Here I argue that in X-SCID it is the parents and children whom we should listen to first and foremost. How far does this patient-centred approach to licensing therapies extend? Can it be given a rational basis?