Convulxin binds to native,human glycoprotein Ib alpha

Convulxin (CVX), a C-type snake protein from Crotalus durissus terrificus venom, is the quintessential agonist for studies of the collagen receptor, glycoprotein VI (GPVI) and its role in platelet adhesion to collagens. In this study, CVX, purified from venom, behaves as expected, i.e. it binds to platelet GPVI and recombinant human GPVI, induces platelet aggregation and platelet prothrombinase activity, and binds uniquely to GPVI in ligand blots of SDS-denatured proteins. Nonetheless, we find that CVX has a dual specificity for both GPVI and native but not denatured human GPIb alpha. First, CVX binds to human GPIb alpha expressed on the surface of CHO cells. Second, CVX binds weakly to murine platelet GPIb alpha but more strongly to human platelet GPIb alpha, as evidenced by comparative binding to wild-type, GPVI(-/-), FcR gamma (-/-), and human GPIb transgenic mice. Third, the binding of CVX to human GPIb alpha is inhibited by soluble, recombinant human GPVI. Fourth, CVX binding to GPIb alpha is disrupted by phenylalanine substitutions at GPIb alpha tyrosine-276, tyrosine-278, and tyrosine-279, which also disrupts von Willebrand factor and alpha-thrombin binding to GPIb alpha. Fifth, CVX binding to GPIb alpha on Chinese hamster ovary cell transfectants is inhibited by function-blocking murine monoclonal anti-GPIb alpha antibodies. Lastly, CVX fails to bind to denatured GPIb alpha in detergent extracts of platelets. Three separate preparations of CVX (two purified by the authors; one obtained commercially) produced equivalent results. These results indicate that CVX exhibits dual specificity for both native GPIb alpha and GPVI. Furthermore, the binding site on GPIb alpha for CVX may be close to that for von Willebrand factor. Therefore, a contribution of GPIb alpha to CVX-induced platelet responses needs to be carefully re-evaluated.     

Low pressure ultraviolet studies for inactivation of Giardia muris cysts

AIMS: The research was initiated to confirm earlier ultraviolet (u.v.) light inactivation studies performed on Giardia cysts using excystation as the viability indicator. Following this, a comparison of in vitro excystation and animal infectivity was performed for assessing cyst viability after exposure to low-pressure u.v. irradiation. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cysts of Giardia muris were inactivated using a low-pressure u.v. light source. Giardia muris was employed as a surrogate for the human pathogen Giardia lamblia. Cyst viability was determined by both in vitro excystation and animal infectivity. Cyst doses were counted using a flow cytometer for the animal infectivity experiments. Using in vitro excystation as the viability indicator, fluences as high as approximately 200 mJ cm(-2) did not prevent some cysts from excysting, thus verifying earlier work. Using animal infectivity, u.v. fluences of 1.4, 1.9 and 2.3 mJ cm(-2) yielded log10 reductions ranging from 0.3 to >or= 4.4. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that in vitro excystation is not a reliable indicator of G. muris cyst viability after u.v. disinfection. Very low doses of u.v. light rendered G. muris cysts non-infective in the mouse model employed. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Data presented represent the only complete u.v. inactivation curve for G. muris. This research provides evidence that u.v. can be an effective barrier against Giardia spp. in the treatment of drinking water supplies.     

Protein C and thrombomodulin in human acute lung injury

Decreased circulating protein C and increased circulating thrombomodulin are markers of the prothrombotic, antifibrinolytic state associated with poor outcomes in sepsis but have not been measured in patients with ALI (acute lung injury)/ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome). We measured circulating and intra-alveolar protein C and thrombomodulin in 45 patients with ALI/ARDS from septic and nonseptic causes and correlated the levels with clinical outcomes. Plasma protein C levels were lower in ALI/ARDS compared with normal. Lower levels of protein C were associated with worse clinical outcomes, including death, fewer ventilator-free days, and more nonpulmonary organ failures, even when only patients without sepsis were analyzed. Levels of thrombomodulin in pulmonary edema fluid from ALI/ARDS patients were >10-fold higher than normal plasma and 2-fold higher than ALI/ARDS plasma. Higher edema fluid thrombomodulin levels were associated with worse clinical outcomes. The higher levels in edema fluid compared with plasma suggest local release of soluble thrombomodulin in the lung, possibly from a lung epithelial source. To determine whether lung epithelial cells can release thrombomodulin, A549 cells and primary isolates of human alveolar type II cells were exposed to H2O2 or inflammatory cytokines. Both epithelial cell types released thrombomodulin into the media. In summary, the protein C system is markedly disrupted in patients with ALI/ARDS from both septic and nonseptic causes. The protein C system may be a potential therapeutic target in patients with ALI/ARDS.     

Molecular biology of glioma tumorigenesis

Gliomas are the most common intracranial malignant tumors in humans, and high-grade gliomas in particular pose a unique challenge due to their propensity for proliferation and tissue invasion. Our understanding of glioma oncogenesis, proliferation, and invasion has been greatly advanced in the past 10 years as researchers have gained a better understanding of the molecular biology of these tumors. This article highlights glioma histopathology, as well as cytogenetic and molecular alterations associated with the pathogenesis of human gliomas. It is hoped that better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of gliomas will improve tumor classification as well as lead to novel targets for therapy and prognostic markers.     

The Formation of lysine tyrosylquinone (LTQ) is a self-processing reaction. Expression and characterization of a Drosophila lysyl oxidase

Recent work in our laboratory has established methods for the expression and purification of a recombinant form of Drosophila lysyl oxdidase (rDMLOXL-1) [Molnar, J., Ujfaludi, Z., Fong, S. F. T., Bollinger, J. A., Waro, G., Fogelgren, B., Dooley, D. M., Mink, M., and Csiszar, K. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 22977-22985]. Previous investigations on the expression and purification of recombinant forms of lysyl oxidase [Kagan, H. M., Reddy, V. B., Panchenko, M. V., Nagan, N., Boak, A. M., Gacheru, S. N., and Thomas, K. (1995) J. Cell. Biochem. 59, 329-338] and lysyl oxidase-like proteins [Jung, S. T., Kim, M. S., Seo, J. Y., Kim, H. C., and Kim, Y. (2003) Protein Expression Purif. 31, 240-246] [Molnar, J., Fong, K. S. K., He, Q. P., Hayashi, K., Kim, Y., Fong, S. F. T., Fogelgren, B., Szauter, K. M., Mink, M., and Csiszar, K. (2003) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1647, 220-224] have been reported in the literature. However, this is the first time that an expression system has been developed yielding sufficient amounts of a recombinant lysyl oxidase for detailed characterization. rDmLOXL-1 is secreted into the medium from S2 cells, and the protein is readily purified by Cibacon blue affinity chromatography yielding 10 mg of protein per liter of medium. The protein, as initially purified, is inactive and has no detectable copper or cofactor present. Following aerobic dialysis against copper, the protein is active and displays an electronic absorption spectrum with lambda(max) at 504 nm, consistent with the presence of an organic cofactor. Addition of phenylhydrazine to the copper-loaded protein produced a high-affinity adduct with lambda(max) at 454 nm. Comparison of the resonance Raman spectra of this adduct and a phenylhydrazine-labeled model compound of lysine tyrosylquinone (LTQ) establishes that the cofactor in the active, copper-containing enzyme is LTQ. Collectively, the data demonstrate that LTQ biogenesis most likely occurs by self-processing chemistry, requiring only the precursor protein, copper, and oxygen. Electron paramagnetic resonance and circular dichroism spectroscopy were used to characterize the Cu(II) site in rDmLOXL-1. The data are consistent with a tetragonal Cu(II) site with nitrogen and oxygen ligands. Recombinant DmLOXL-1 displayed significant activity toward tropoelastin and a wide variety of amines including polyamines and diamines. beta-aminoproprionitrile (betaAPN), a well-known irreversible inhibitor of mammalian lysyl oxidases, is also a potent inhibitor of rDmLOXL-1. Results from this investigation have important implications for the lysyl oxidase family.     

A human-curated annotation of the Candida albicans genome

Recent sequencing and assembly of the genome for the fungal pathogen Candida albicans used simple automated procedures for the identification of putative genes. We have reviewed the entire assembly, both by hand and with additional bioinformatic resources, to accurately map and describe 6,354 genes and to identify 246 genes whose original database entries contained sequencing errors (or possibly mutations) that affect their reading frame. Comparison with other fungal genomes permitted the identification of numerous fungus-specific genes that might be targeted for antifungal therapy. We also observed that, compared to other fungi, the protein-coding sequences in the C. albicans genome are especially rich in short sequence repeats. Finally, our improved annotation permitted a detailed analysis of several multigene families, and comparative genomic studies showed that C. albicans has a far greater catabolic range, encoding respiratory Complex 1, several novel oxidoreductases and ketone body degrading enzymes, malonyl-CoA and enoyl-CoA carriers, several novel amino acid degrading enzymes, a variety of secreted catabolic lipases and proteases, and numerous transporters to assimilate the resulting nutrients. The results of these efforts will ensure that the Candida research community has uniform and comprehensive genomic information for medical research as well as for future diagnostic and therapeutic applications.     

LIGHT expression by mucosal T cells may regulate IFN-gamma expression in the intestine

The TNF superfamily of cytokines play an important role in T cell activation and inflammation. Sustained expression of lymphotoxin-like inducible protein that competes with glycoprotein D for binding herpesvirus entry mediator on T cells (LIGHT) (TNFSF14) causes a pathological intestinal inflammation when constitutively expressed by mouse T cells. In this study, we characterized LIGHT expression on activated human T cell subsets in vitro and demonstrated a direct proinflammatory effect on regulation of IFN-gamma. LIGHT was induced in memory CD45RO CD4+ T cells and by IFN-gamma-producing CD4+ T cells. Kinetic analysis indicated rapid induction of LIGHT by human lamina propria T cells, reaching maximal levels by 2-6 h, whereas peripheral blood or lymph node-derived T cells required 24 h. Further analysis of intestinal specimens from a 41 patient cohort by flow cytometry indicated membrane LIGHT induction to higher peak levels in lamina propria T cells from the small bowel or rectum but not colon, when compared with lymph node or peripheral blood. Independent stimulation of the LIGHT receptor, herpesvirus entry mediator, induced IFN-gamma production in lamina propria T cells, while blocking LIGHT inhibited CD2-dependent induction of IFN-gamma synthesis, indicating a role for LIGHT in the regulation of IFN-gamma and as a putative mediator of proinflammatory T-T interactions in the intestinal mucosa. Taken together, these findings suggest LIGHT-herpesvirus entry mediator mediated signaling as an important immune regulatory mechanism in mucosal inflammatory responses.