Chimpanzee deaths at Mahale caused by a flu-like disease

A flu-like disease spread among chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of the M group at Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania, from June to July 2006. This epizootic or epidemic killed up to 12 chimpanzees. The obvious evidence of their deaths came from finding the bodies of three infants who had previously shown some symptoms of the disease. At least one of these infants died of pneumonia. In addition, nine chimpanzees were missing after the outbreak. These individuals were assumed to have been killed by this epizootic because most of them had contact with the infected individuals on the last days they were observed. We also found two dead bodies during this period, which were thought to be those of two missing individuals. We confirmed 23 (35.4%) of 65 individuals of the M group showed some symptoms of the disease, although most of them (20/23) did not die. More than half of them (14/23) had kin showing symptoms. Since this epizootic may have been caused by contact with humans, it will be necessary to establish and follow appropriate protocols for researchers, tourists, and park staff to observe chimpanzees, and to explore the mechanism of disease transmission from humans to chimpanzees and among chimpanzees.     

Differences in growth response to hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid by human diploid fibroblasts

Summary The effects of hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid on growth parameters were measured in human diploid skin fibroblasts from fetal and adult donors. In the presence of culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum, 0.3 μM hydrocortisone produced a 20% increase in the population growth rate and a 50 to 70% increase in the confluent density of fibroblasts from adult donors. Daily addition of 28 μM ascorbic acid also stimulated the population growth rate and cell density at confluency. The effects of hydrocortisone and ascorbic acid on the final cell density were additive. The action of hydrocortisone was restricted to cells in log-phase growth, whereas ascorbic acid affected cells in both the log and the postconfluent phases of the growth cycle. In fibroblasts from fetal donors, ascorbic acid was stimulative but hydrocortisone was not. The data suggest that whereas both compounds stimulate cell growth in an additive manner, they do so by different cellular mechanisms. This investigation was supported in part by USPHS Grants AM 02456, AM 05020 and AM 15312, and by the Kroc Foundation, No. UW 63-2986. Dr. Rowe is a fellow of the Helen Hay Whitney Foundation. Dr. Fujimoto is a recipient of a Research Career Development Award, AM 47142, from NIAMDD.     

Cooperative Functions of ZnT1, Metallothionein and ZnT4 in the Cytoplasm Are Required for Full Activation of TNAP in the Early Secretory Pathway

The activation process of secretory or membrane-bound zinc enzymes is thought to be a highly coordinated process involving zinc transport, trafficking, transfer and coordination. We have previously shown that secretory and membrane-bound zinc enzymes are activated in the early secretory pathway (ESP) via zinc-loading by the zinc transporter 5 (ZnT5)-ZnT6 hetero-complex and ZnT7 homo-complex (zinc transport complexes). However, how other proteins conducting zinc metabolism affect the activation of these enzymes remains unknown. Here, we investigated this issue by disruption and re-expression of genes known to be involved in cytoplasmic zinc metabolism, using a zinc enzyme, tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), as a reporter. We found that TNAP activity was significantly reduced in cells deficient in ZnT1, Metallothionein (MT) and ZnT4 genes (ZnT1 ^−/− MT ^−/− ZnT4 ^−/− cells), in spite of increased cytosolic zinc levels. The reduced TNAP activity in ZnT1 ^−/− MT ^−/− ZnT4 ^−/− cells was not restored when cytosolic zinc levels were normalized to levels comparable with those of wild-type cells, but was reversely restored by extreme zinc supplementation via zinc-loading by the zinc transport complexes. Moreover, the reduced TNAP activity was adequately restored by re-expression of mammalian counterparts of ZnT1, MT and ZnT4, but not by zinc transport-incompetent mutants of ZnT1 and ZnT4. In ZnT1 ^−/− MT ^−/− ZnT4 ^−/− cells, the secretory pathway normally operates. These findings suggest that cooperative zinc handling of ZnT1, MT and ZnT4 in the cytoplasm is required for full activation of TNAP in the ESP, and present clear evidence that the activation process of zinc enzymes is elaborately controlled.     

Lysing of fresh human tumor by a cytotoxic factor derived from autologous large granular lymphocytes independently of other known cytokines

Summary During interaction with autologous tumor cells large granular lymphocytes (LGL) of cancer patients released a soluble cytotoxic factor, termed LGL-derived cytotoxic factor, which mediated lysing of autologous fresh tumor cells. The cytotoxic factor was compared with purified human recombinant cytotoxic cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), lymphotoxin (LT), interferon (IFN) , IFN, interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-2. The LGL cytotoxic factor exhibited cytotoxicity against autologous and allogeneic fresh human tumor cells in an 18-h⁵¹Cr-release assay, while these target cells were resistant to lysing by any of the recombinant cytokines. Mixtures of recombinant(r) TNF, rLT, rIFN, rIFN, rIL-1 and rIL-2 were still unable to produce cytotoxic effects on fresh human tumor cells. Treatment with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies directed against rTNF, rLT, rIFN, rIFN, or rIL-1 did not inhibit the cytotoxic activity of LGL-derived cytotoxic factor against fresh human tumor cells. Even a mixture of all the antibodies was incapable of blocking the cytolytic activity of the factor to fresh human tumor cells. Furthermore, intact LGL-mediated lysing of autologous tumor cells was not inhibited by any of the antibodies. These results may indicate that a cytotoxic factor produced by LGL in response to autologous tumor cells mediates lysing of fresh human tumor cells independently of TNF, LT, IFN, IL-1 and IL-2.     

Crystal structure of Mg2+- and Ca2+-bound Gla domain of factor IX complexed with binding protein

Factor IX is an indispensable protein required in the blood coagulation cascade. It binds to the surface of phospholipid membrane by means of a gamma-carboxyglutamic acid (Gla) domain situated at the N terminus. Recently, we showed that physiological concentrations of Mg2+ ions affect the native conformation of the Gla domain and in doing so augment the biological activity of factor IXa and binding affinity with its binding protein even in the presence of Ca2+ ions. Here we report on the crystal structures of the Mg2+/Ca2+-bound and Ca2+-bound (Mg2+-free) factor IX Gla domain (IXGD1-46) in complex with its binding protein (IX-bp) at 1.55 and 1.80 A resolutions, respectively. Three Mg2+ and five Ca2+ ions were bound in the Mg2+/Ca2+-bound IXGD1-46, and the Mg2+ ions were replaced by Ca2+ ions in Mg2+-free IXGD1-46. Comparison of Mg2+/Ca2+-bound with Ca2+-bound structures of the complexes showed that Mg2+ ion, which formed a bridge between IXGD1-46 and IX-bp, forced IXGD1-46 to rotate 4 degrees relative to IX-bp and hence might be the cause of a more tight interaction between the molecules than in the case of the Mg2+-free structure. The results clearly suggest that Mg2+ ions are required to maintain native conformation and in vivo function of factor IX Gla domain during blood coagulation.     

Production of Acidic Actinomycin Congeners by a Mutant Strain of Streptomyces antibioticus,No. B-1625

Streptomyces sp. No. B-1625, which was identified as a strain of Streptomyces antibioticus, is a typical producer of actinomycin, but also produces minor acidic antibiotic components (FA), besides actinomycins X₂, D and X_0β. The FA-components, which were obtained with a high-producing mutant, 11M-21, showed antibacterial and antitumor activities, and also similar visible and UV absorption spectra to those characteristic of actinomycin. The FA-components were separated into five components, FA₁ FA_2α, FA_2β, FA_3α and FA_3β, on TLC. Among them, one component, FA_3β, isolated in a purified state as an orange powder, has a composition of C, 52.97: H, 6.34: N, 10.48%, and is active against B. subtilis at a MIC of 5mcg/ml. The FA_3β component showed pK_a′ of 5.4 and 12.0 and λ_max at 443, 427 and 233 nm. From these properties, FA_3β is considered to be an acidic actinomycin congener.     

Periostin accelerates human malignant melanoma progression by modifying the melanoma microenvironment

Given no reliable therapy for advanced malignant melanoma, it is important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the disease progression. Using a quantitative proteomics approach, the ‘isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ)’ method, we identified that the extracellular matrix protein, periostin (POSTN), was highly expressed in invasive melanoma compared with normal skin. An immunohistochemical analysis showed that POSTN was expressed in all invasive melanoma (n = 20) and metastatic lymph node (n = 5) tissue samples, notably restricted in their stroma. In terms of the intercellular regulation of POSTN, we found that there was upregulation of POSTN when melanoma cells and normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) were cocultured, with restricted expression of TGF‐β1 and TGF‐β3. In a functional analyses, recombinant and NHDF‐derived POSTN significantly accelerated melanoma cell proliferation via the integrin/mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in vitro. The size of implanted melanoma tumors was significantly suppressed in POSTN/Rag2 double knockout mice compared with Rag2 knock‐out mice. These results indicate that NHDF‐derived POSTN accelerates melanoma progression and might be a promising therapeutic target for malignant melanoma.     

Evaluation and identification of hepatitis B virus entry inhibitors using HepG2 cells overexpressing a membrane transporter NTCP

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) entry has been analyzed using infection-susceptible cells, including primary human hepatocytes, primary tupaia hepatocytes, and HepaRG cells. Recently, the sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) membrane transporter was reported as an HBV entry receptor. In this study, we established a strain of HepG2 cells engineered to overexpress the human NTCP gene (HepG2-hNTCP-C4 cells). HepG2-hNTCP-C4 cells were shown to be susceptible to infection by blood–borne and cell culture-derived HBV. HBV infection was facilitated by pretreating cells with 3% dimethyl sulfoxide permitting nearly 50% of the cells to be infected with HBV. Knockdown analysis suggested that HBV infection of HepG2-hNTCP-C4 cells was mediated by NTCP. HBV infection was blocked by an anti-HBV surface protein neutralizing antibody, by compounds known to inhibit NTCP transporter activity, and by cyclosporin A and its derivatives. The infection assay suggested that cyclosporin B was a more potent inhibitor of HBV entry than was cyclosporin A. Further chemical screening identified oxysterols, oxidized derivatives of cholesterol, as inhibitors of HBV infection. Thus, the HepG2-hNTCP-C4 cell line established in this study is a useful tool for the identification of inhibitors of HBV infection as well as for the analysis of the molecular mechanisms of HBV infection.     

Fatty acid derivatives and dammarane triterpenes from the glandular trichome exudates of Ibicella lutea and Proboscidea louisiana

Ibicella lutea and Proboscidea louisiana, both of the Martyniaceae family, are known for rich glandular trichomes on their leaves and stems. Chemical investigations of the glandular trichome exudates on leaves of the two plants furnished three types of secondary metabolites, glycosylated fatty acids, glycerides (2-O-(3,6-diacetyloxyfattyacyl)glycerols and 2-O-(3-acetyloxyfattyacyl)glycerols) and dammarane triterpenes. The glycosylated fatty acids from I. lutea were determined to be 6(S)-(6-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyloxy)-octadecanoic acid (1A), -eicosanoic acid (1B) and -docosanoic acid (1C), as well as their respective deacetyl congeners (2A, 2B and 2C), whereas P. louisiana furnished 8(S)-(6-O-acetyl-β-d-glucopyranosyloxy)-eicosanoic acid (3A) and -docosanoic acid (3B) and their respective deacetyl congeners (4A and 4B), together with 2B. Both plants contained 12 identical 2-O-[(3R,6S)-3,6-diacetyloxyfattyacyl]glycerols (5A-L), in which the fatty acyl moieties contained between 17 and 21 carbon atoms. The corresponding mono-acetyloxy compounds, 2-O-[(3R)-3-acetyloxyfattyacyl]glycerols (6A–L) were detected in both plants. Among these glycerides, ten compounds (5A, 5C, 5F, 5H, 5K, 6A, 6C, 6F, 6H and 6K) had iso-fattyacyl structures and four (5E, 5J, 6E and 6J) had anteiso-fattyacyl structures. A previously unknown dammarane triterpene, betulatriterpene C 3-acetate (7), was isolated together with three known dammarane triterpenes, 24-epi-polacandrin 1,3-diacetate (8), betulatriterpene C (9) and 24-epi-polacandrin 3-acetate (10) from I. lutea, whereas 12 dammarane triterpenes, named probosciderols A–L (12–23), and the known compound betulafolienetriol (11) were isolated from P. louisiana. The structures of these compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic analysis including 2D-NMR techniques and chemical transformations. The 6-O-acetylglucosyloxy-fatty acids 1A–C (42%) and the dammarane triterpenes 7–10 (31%) were the two most abundant constituents in the glandular trichome exudate of I. lutea, whereas the dammarane triterpenes 11–23 (47%) and the glucosyloxy-fatty acids (4A, 4B and 2B) (38%) were the most abundant constituents in the glandular trichome exudate of P. louisiana.     

Ephexin4 and EphA2 mediate cell migration through a RhoG-dependent mechanism

EphA2, a member of the Eph receptor family, is frequently overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, including breast cancers, and promotes cancer cell motility and invasion independently of its ligand ephrin stimulation. In this study, we identify Ephexin4 as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for RhoG that interacts with EphA2 in breast cancer cells, and knockdown and rescue experiments show that Ephexin4 acts downstream of EphA2 to promote ligand-independent breast cancer cell migration and invasion toward epidermal growth factor through activation of RhoG. The activation of RhoG recruits its effector ELMO2 and a Rac GEF Dock4 to form a complex with EphA2 at the tips of cortactin-rich protrusions in migrating breast cancer cells. In addition, the Dock4-mediated Rac activation is required for breast cancer cell migration. Our findings reveal a novel link between EphA2 and Rac activation that contributes to the cell motility and invasiveness of breast cancer cells.