Regulation of Sealing Ring Formation by L-plastin and Cortactin in Osteoclasts

The aim of this study is to identify the exact mechanism(s) by which cytoskeletal structures are modulated during bone resorption. In this study, we have shown the possible role of different actin-binding and signaling proteins in the regulation of sealing ring formation. Our analyses have demonstrated a significant increase in cortactin and a corresponding decrease in L-plastin protein levels in osteoclasts subjected to bone resorption for 18 h in the presence of RANKL, M-CSF, and native bone particles. Time-dependent changes in the localization of L-plastin (in actin aggregates) and cortactin (in the sealing ring) suggest that these proteins may be involved in the initial and maturation phases of sealing ring formation, respectively. siRNA to cortactin inhibits this maturation process but not the formation of actin aggregates. Osteoclasts treated as above but with TNF-α demonstrated very similar effects as observed with RANKL. Osteoclasts treated with a neutralizing antibody to TNF-α displayed podosome-like structures in the entire subsurface and at the periphery of osteoclast. It is possible that TNF-α and RANKL-mediated signaling may play a role in the early phase of sealing ring configuration (i.e. either in the disassembly of podosomes or formation of actin aggregates). Furthermore, osteoclasts treated with alendronate or αv reduced the formation of the sealing ring but not actin aggregates. The present study demonstrates a novel mechanistic link between L-plastin and cortactin in sealing ring formation. These results suggest that actin aggregates formed by L-plastin independent of integrin signaling function as a core in assembling signaling molecules (integrin αvβ3, Src, cortactin, etc.) involved in the maturation process.     

Cutting edge: Intrinsic programming of thymic γδT cells for specific peripheral tissue localization

Various innate-like T cell subsets preferentially reside in specific epithelial tissues as the first line of defense. However, mechanisms regulating their tissue-specific development are poorly understood. Using the prototypical skin intraepithelial γδT cells (sIELs) as a model, we show in this study that a TCR-mediated selection plays an important role in promoting acquisition of a specific skin-homing property by fetal thymic sIEL precursors for their epidermal location, and the skin-homing potential is intrinsically programmed even before the selection. In addition, once localized in the skin, the sIEL precursors develop into sIELs without the requirement of further TCR-ligand interaction. These studies reveal that development of the tissue-specific lymphocytes is a hard-wired process that targets them to specific tissues for proper functions.     

Chronic cigarette smoking alters erythrocyte membrane lipid composition and properties in male human volunteers

Cigarette smoking is a major lifestyle factor influencing the health of human beings. The present study investigates smoking induced alterations on the erythrocyte membrane lipid composition, fluidity and the role of nitric oxide. Thirty experimental and control subjects (age 35 ± 8) were selected for the study. Experimental subjects smoke 12 ± 2 cigarettes per day for 7–10 years. In smokers elevated nitrite/nitrate levels in plasma and red cell lysates were observed. Smokers showed increased hemolysis, erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, C/P ratio (cholesterol and phospholipid ratio), anisotropic (γ) value with decreased Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase activity and sulfhydryl groups. Alterations in smokers erythrocyte membrane individual phospholipids were also evident from the study. Red cell lysate nitric oxide positively correlated with C/P ratio (r = 0.565) and fluorescent anisotropic (γ) value (r = 0.386) in smokers. Smoking induced generation of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species might have altered erythrocyte membrane physico-chemical properties.     

Differential histone H3 Lys-9 and Lys-27 methylation profiles on the X chromosome

Histone H3 tail modifications are among the earliest chromatin changes in the X-chromosome inactivation process. In this study we investigated the relative profiles of two important repressive marks on the X chromosome: methylation of H3 lysine 9 (K9) and 27 (K27). We found that both H3K9 dimethylation and K27 trimethylation characterize the inactive X in somatic cells and that their relative kinetics of enrichment on the X chromosome as it undergoes inactivation are similar. However, dynamic changes of H3K9 and H3K27 methylation on the inactivating X chromosome compared to the rest of the genome are distinct, suggesting that these two modifications play complementary and perhaps nonredundant roles in the establishment and/or maintenance of X inactivation. Furthermore, we show that a hotspot of H3K9 dimethylation 5' to Xist also displays high levels of H3 tri-meK27. However, analysis of this region in G9a mutant embryonic stem cells shows that these two methyl marks are dependent on different histone methyltransferases.     

TLR9- and FcepsilonRI-mediated responses oppose one another in plasmacytoid dendritic cells by down-regulating receptor expression

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) express not only TLR9 molecules through which ligation with CpG DNA favors Th1 responses but also possess IgE receptors (FcepsilonRI) implicated in allergen presentation and induction of Th2 responses. This dichotomy prompted an investigation to determine whether TLR9- and IgE receptor-mediated responses oppose one another in pDC by affecting receptor expression and associated functional responses. Results showed that IgE cross-linking reduced TLR9 in pDC and inhibited the capacity of these cells to secrete IFN-alpha when stimulated with the CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN)-2216. In contrast, an approximately 15-fold reduction in FcepsilonRIalpha mRNA and a loss in surface protein were seen in pDC first exposed to TLR9 ligation with ODN-2216. Results indicated that type I IFNs partly mediated this effect, as rIFN-alpha also caused a significant approximately 4-fold reduction in FcepsilonRIalpha mRNA. Finally, this reduction in FcepsilonRIalpha mediated by ODN-2216 correlated with a selective suppression of allergen-induced CD4+ T cell proliferation, but not of responses resulting from tetanus toxoid. Overall, these results imply mechanisms by which specific innate and IgE-dependent immune responses counterregulate one another at the dendritic cell level and may have significant impact on whether an ensuing response is either of Th1 or Th2 in nature.     

Comparison of Newly Diagnosed and Relapsed Patients with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Treated with Arsenic Trioxide: Insight into Mechanisms of Resistance

There is limited data on the clinical, cellular and molecular changes in relapsed acute promyeloytic leukemia (RAPL) in comparison with newly diagnosed cases (NAPL). We undertook a prospective study to compare NAPL and RAPL patients treated with arsenic trioxide (ATO) based regimens. 98 NAPL and 28 RAPL were enrolled in this study. RAPL patients had a significantly lower WBC count and higher platelet count at diagnosis. IC bleeds was significantly lower in RAPL cases (P=0.022). The ability of malignant promyelocytes to concentrate ATO intracellularly and their in-vitro IC50 to ATO was not significantly different between the two groups. Targeted NGS revealed PML B2 domain mutations in 4 (15.38%) of the RAPL subset and none were associated with secondary resistance to ATO. A microarray GEP revealed 1744 genes were 2 fold and above differentially expressed between the two groups. The most prominent differentially regulated pathways were cell adhesion (n=92), cell survival (n=50), immune regulation (n=74) and stem cell regulation (n=51). Consistent with the GEP data, immunophenotyping revealed significantly increased CD34 expression (P=0.001) in RAPL cases and there was in-vitro evidence of significant microenvironment mediated innate resistance (EM-DR) to ATO. Resistance and relapse following treatment with ATO is probably multi-factorial, mutations in PML B2 domain while seen only in RAPL may not be the major clinically relevant cause of subsequent relapses. In RAPL additional factors such as expansion of the leukemia initiating compartment along with EM-DR may contribute significantly to relapse following treatment with ATO based regimens.     

Structure and activation of MuSK,a receptor tyrosine kinase central to neuromuscular junction formation

MuSK (muscle-specific kinase) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a central signaling role in the formation of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). MuSK is activated in a complex spatio-temporal manner to cluster acetylcholine receptors on the postsynaptic (muscle) side of the synapse and to induce differentiation of the nerve terminal on the presynaptic side. The ligand for MuSK is LRP4 (low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-4), a transmembrane protein in muscle, whose binding affinity for MuSK is potentiated by agrin, a neuronally derived heparan-sulfate proteoglycan. In addition, Dok7, a cytoplasmic adaptor protein, is also required for MuSK activation in vivo. This review focuses on the physical interplay between these proteins and MuSK for activation and downstream signaling, which culminates in NMJ formation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Emerging recognition and activation mechanisms of receptor tyrosine kinases.     

Toll-like receptor 3 regulates neural stem cell proliferation by modulating the Sonic Hedgehog pathway

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) signaling has been implicated in neural stem/precursor cell (NPC) proliferation. However, the molecular mechanisms involved, and their relationship to classical TLR-mediated innate immune pathways, remain unknown. Here, we report investigation of the mechanics of TLR3 signaling in neurospheres comprised of epidermal growth factor (EGF)-responsive NPC isolated from murine embryonic cerebral cortex of C57BL/6 (WT) or TLR3 deficient (TLR3(-/-)) mice. Our data indicate that the TLR3 ligand polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (PIC) negatively regulates NPC proliferation by inhibiting Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling, that PIC induces apoptosis in association with inhibition of Ras-ERK signaling and elevated expression of Fas, and that these effects are TLR3-dependent, suggesting convergent signaling between the Shh and TLR3 pathways.