RAGE mediates amyloid-beta peptide transport across the blood-brain barrier and accumulation in brain

Amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) interacts with the vasculature to influence Abeta levels in the brain and cerebral blood flow, providing a means of amplifying the Abeta-induced cellular stress underlying neuronal dysfunction and dementia. Systemic Abeta infusion and studies in genetically manipulated mice show that Abeta interaction with receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE)-bearing cells in the vessel wall results in transport of Abeta across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and expression of proinflammatory cytokines and endothelin-1 (ET-1), the latter mediating Abeta-induced vasoconstriction. Inhibition of RAGE-ligand interaction suppresses accumulation of Abeta in brain parenchyma in a mouse transgenic model. These findings suggest that vascular RAGE is a target for inhibiting pathogenic consequences of Abeta-vascular interactions, including development of cerebral amyloidosis.     

The Caenorhabditis elegans FancD2 ortholog is required for survival following DNA damage

Fanconi anemia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by bone-marrow failure, congenital abnormalities, and cancer susceptibility. There are 11 FA complementation groups in human where 8 genes have been identified. We found that FancD2 is conserved in evolution and present in the genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The gene Y41E3.9 (CeFancD2) encodes a structural ortholog of human FANCD2 and is composed of 10 predicted exons. Our analysis showed that exons 6 and 7 were absent from a CeFancD2 EST suggesting the presence of a splice variant. In an attempt to characterize its role in DNA damage, we depleted worms of CeFANCD2 using RNAi. When the CeFANCD2(RNAi) worms were treated with a crosslinking agent, a significant drop in the progeny survival was noted. These worms were also sensitive, although to a lesser extent, to ionizing radiation (IR). Therefore, these data support an important role for CeFANCD2 in DNA damage response as for its human counterpart. The data also support the usefulness of C. elegans to study the Fanconi anemia pathway, and emphasize the biological importance of FANCD2 in DNA damage response throughout evolution.     

Infections associated with monoclonal antibody and fusion protein therapy in humans

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), especially those that interact with immune or hematologic leukocyte membrane targets, have changed the outcome of numerous diseases. However, mAbs can block or reduce immune cells and cytokines, and can lead to increased risk of infection. Some of these risks are predictable and can be explained by their mechanisms of action. Others have been observed only after the mAbs were licensed and used extensively in patients. In this review, we focus on infectious complications that occur upon treatment with mAbs or Fc-containing fusion proteins targeting leukocyte membrane proteins, including CD52, CD20, tumor necrosis factor, VLA4, CD11a and CTLA4. We report their known infectious risks and the recommendations for their use. Although most of these drugs are clinically safe when the indications are respected, we emphasize the need for regular updating of pharmacovigilance data.Key words: monoclonal antibodies, infections, complication, human     

Modulation of septin and molecular motor recruitment in the microtubule environment of the Taxol-resistant human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231

Cell resistance to low doses of paclitaxel (Taxol) involves a modulation of microtubule (MT) dynamics. We applied a proteomic approach based on 2-DE coupled with MS to identify changes in the MT environment of Taxol-resistant breast cancer cells. Having established a proteomic pattern of the microtubular proteins extracted from MDA-MB-231 cells, we verified by Western blotting that in resistant cells, α- and β-tubulins (more specifically the βIII and βIV isotypes) increased. Interestingly, four septins (SEPT2, 8, 9 and 11), which are GTPases involved in cytokinesis and in MT/actin cytoskeleton organization, were overexpressed and enriched in the MT environment of Taxol-resistant cells compared to their sensitive counterpart. Changes in the MT proteome of resistant cells also comprised increased kinesin-1 heavy chain expression and recruitment on MTs while dynein light chain-1 was downregulated. Modulation of motor protein recruitment around MTs might reflect their important role in controlling MT dynamics via the organization of signaling pathways. The identification of proteins previously unknown to be linked to taxane-resistance could also be valuable to identify new biological markers of resistance.     

Squaramides as novel class I and IIB histone deacetylase inhibitors for topical treatment of cutaneous t-cell lymphoma

A series of squaramide-based hydroxamic acids were designed, synthesized and evaluated against human HDAC enzyme. Squaramides were found to be potent in the Hut78 cell line, but initially suffered from low solubility. Leads with improved solubility and metabolic profiles were shown to be class I, IIB and IV selective.     

Hydroxamates as substrates and inhibitors for FMN-dependent 2-hydroxy acid dehydrogenases

Long-chain hydroxy acid oxydase (HAO) is a member of a flavoenzyme family with significant amino acid sequence similarity and strongly conserved three-dimensional structure; in particular, active-site amino acids involved in catalysis are invariant, with one exception, and numerous enzymatic studies suggest an identical chemical mechanism involving an intermediate carbanion for all family members. Known physiological substrates are a variety of L-2-hydroxy acids. Peroxisomal HAO differs from the other family members in that its actual physiological substrate is not known; it was first described as an L-amino acid oxidase, and recently was identified as an enzyme that converts creatol (hydroxycreatinine) to methylguanidine (a metabolite involved in a variety of uremic syndromes). Creatol (2-amino-5-hydroxy-1-methyl-4(5H)imidazolone) is not a 2-hydroxy acid. We show in this work that 2-hydroxyphenyl acetohydroxamate (HYPAH, the hydroxamate of mandelic acid), a compound that bears similarity both to mandelate (one of the best substrates known) and to creatol, is turned over by HAO, but between 10- and 100-fold less efficiently than mandelate itself. The compound also binds to the active site of homologous flavocytochrome b(2) (L-lactate dehydrogenase). Comparative pH-rate studies for mandelate and its hydroxamate suggest that HYPAH may bind in its ionized form. Both pH-rate profiles are bell-shaped curves, as are those determined for two other family members, flavocytochrome b(2) and mandelate dehydrogenase; while the group with an acid pK(a) between 5 and 6 is most likely the active-site histidine (the residue which abstracts the substrate C2 proton), the identity of the basic group is less clear. It has been proposed to be one of the active site arginines (Lehoux, I., and Mitra, B. (1999) Biochemistry38, 5836-5848); we suggest as an alternative that it could be the lysine residue that interacts with the flavin N1 and O2 positions and stabilizes the negative charge of reduced flavin. In addition to these studies, we have found that HAO is competitively inhibited by benzohydroxamate, which is one atom shorter than HYPAH; its affinity is nearly 100-fold lower than that of the substrate, in contrast to the strong inhibition it exerts on mandelate racemase (Maurice, St. M., and Bearne, S. L. (2000) Biochemistry39, 13324-13335). In the latter case, the 100-fold higher affinity compared to mandelate was proposed to arise from the fact that the hydroxamate can mimic the enolic intermediate which lies on the reaction pathway after C2 proton abstraction. Thus our results do not support the existence of a similar enolic intermediate for HAO (and probably its homologues), although they do not disprove it.     

Chromatin regulation in schistosomes and histone modifying enzymes as drug targets

Only one drug is currently available for the treatment and control of schistosomiasis and the increasing risk of selecting strains of schistosome that are resistant to praziquantel means that the development of new drugs is urgent. With this objective we have chosen to target the enzymes modifying histones and in particular the histone acetyltransferases and histone deacetylases (HDAC). Inhibitors of HDACs (HDACi) are under intense study as potential anti-cancer drugs and act via the induction of cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis. Schistosomes like other parasites can be considered as similar to tumours in that they maintain an intense metabolic activity and rate of cell division that is outside the control of the host. We have shown that HDACi can induce apoptosis and death of schistosomes maintained in culture and have set up a consortium (Schistosome Epigenetics: Targets, Regulation, New Drugs) funded by the European Commission with the aim of developing inhibitors specific for schistosome histone modifying enzymes as novel lead compounds for drug development.     

Epigenetic inactivation of the miR-124-1 in haematological malignancies

miR-124-1 is a tumour suppressor microRNA (miR). Epigenetic deregulation of miRs is implicated in carcinogenesis. Promoter DNA methylation and histone modification of miR-124-1 was studied in 5 normal marrow controls, 4 lymphoma, 8 multiple myeloma (MM) cell lines, 230 diagnostic primary samples of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), MM, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), and 53 MM samples at stable disease or relapse. Promoter of miR-124-1 was unmethylated in normal controls but homozygously methylated in 4 of 4 lymphoma and 4 of 8 myeloma cell lines. Treatment of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine led to miR-124-1 demethylation and re-expression of mature miR-124, which also associated with emergence of euchromatic trimethyl H3K4 and consequent downregulation of CDK6 in myeloma cells harboring homozygous miR-124-1 methylation. In primary samples at diagnosis, miR-124-1 methylation was absent in CML but detected in 2% each of MM at diagnosis and relapse/progression, 5% ALL, 15% AML, 14% CLL and 58.1% of NHL (p<0.001). Amongst lymphoid malignancies, miR-124-1 was preferentially methylated in NHL than MM, CLL or ALL. In primary lymphoma samples, miR-124-1 was preferentially hypermethylated in B- or NK/T-cell lymphomas and associated with reduced miR-124 expression. In conclusion, miR-124-1 was hypermethylated in a tumour-specific manner, with a heterochromatic histone configuration. Hypomethylation led to partial restoration of euchromatic histone code and miR re-expression. Infrequent miR-124-1 methylation detected in diagnostic and relapse MM samples showed an unimportant role in MM pathogenesis, despite frequent methylation found in cell lines. Amongst haematological cancers, miR-124-1 was more frequently hypermethylated in NHL, and hence warrants further study.