Smad3 mediates TGF-beta1-induced collagen gel contraction by human lung fibroblasts

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a key mediator in tissue repair and fibrosis. Using small interference RNA (siRNA), the role of Smad2 and Smad3 in TGF-beta stimulation of human lung fibroblast contraction of collagenous matrix and induction of alpha-SMA and the role of alpha-SMA in contraction were assessed. HFL-1 cells were transfected with Smad2, Smad3 or control-siRNA, and cultured in floating Type I collagen gels +/- -TGF-beta1. TGF-beta1 augmented gel contraction in Smad2-siRNA- and control-siRNA-treated cells, but had no effect in Smad3-siRNA-treated cells. Similarly, TGF-beta1 upregulated alpha-SMA in Smad2-siRNA- and control-siRNA-treated cells, but had no effect on Smad3-siRNA-treated cells. Alpha-SMA-siRNA-treated cells did not contact the collagen gels with or without TGF-beta1, suggesting alpha-SMA is required for gel contraction. Thus, Smad3 mediates TGF-beta1-induced contraction and alpha-SMA induction in human lung fibroblasts. Smad3, therefore, could be a target for blocking contraction of human fibrotic tissue induced by TGF-beta1.     

Syntheses and characterizations of two lanthanide(III)-copper(II) coordination polymers constructed by pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid

The hydrothermal reaction of La₂O₃ and Pr₂O₃ with pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (H₂pydc), CuO, and H₂O with a mole ratio of 1:2:4:300 resulted in the formation of two polymeric Cu(II)-Ln(III) complexes, [{Ln₄Cu₂(pydc)₈(H₂O)₈} · 18H₂O]_n (Ln = La (1); Pr (2)). 1 and 2 are isomorphous and crystallize in monoclinic space group C2/c. Complexes 1 and 2 have one-dimensional infinite chains with “∞” shape. The 1D chains are linked by the hydrogen bonds and π?π stacking interactions to form layer structures which are further linked by the hydrogen bonds and π?π stacking interactions to form the three-dimensional (3D) structures with nanoscale porosities. Temperature-dependent magnetic susceptibilities and the thermal stabilities of complexes 1 and 2 were studied.     

A unique tetrameric structure of deer plasma haptoglobin--an evolutionary advantage in the Hp 2-2 phenotype with homogeneous structure

Similar to blood types, human plasma haptoglobin (Hp) is classified into three phenotypes: Hp 1-1, 2-1 and 2-2. They are genetically inherited from two alleles Hp 1 and Hp 2 (represented in bold), but only the Hp 1-1 phenotype is found in almost all animal species. The Hp 2-2 protein consists of complicated large polymers cross-linked by alpha2-beta subunits or (alpha2-beta)n (where n>or=3, up to 12 or more), and is associated with the risk of the development of diabetic, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. In the present study, we found that deer plasma Hp mimics human Hp 2, containing a tandem repeat over the alpha-chain based on our cloned cDNA sequence. Interestingly, the isolated deer Hp is homogeneous and tetrameric, i.e. (alpha-beta)4, although the locations of -SH groups (responsible for the formation of polymers) are exactly identical to that of human. Denaturation of deer Hp using 6 m urea under reducing conditions (143 mmbeta-mercaptoethanol), followed by renaturation, sustained the formation of (alpha-beta)4, suggesting that the Hp tetramers are not randomly assembled. Interestingly, an alpha-chain monoclonal antibody (W1), known to recognize both human and deer alpha-chains, only binds to intact human Hp polymers, but not to deer Hp tetramers. This implies that the epitope of the deer alpha-chain is no longer exposed on the surface when Hp tetramers are formed. We propose that steric hindrance plays a major role in determining the polymeric formation in human and deer polymers. Phylogenetic and immunochemical analyses revealed that the Hp 2 allele of deer might have arisen at least 25 million years ago. A mechanism involved in forming Hp tetramers is proposed and discussed, and the possibility is raised that the evolved tetrameric structure of deer Hp might confer a physiological advantage.     

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a regulator of MMP13 and inflammation in titanium particles-stimulated air pouch in vivo

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a significant regulator of inflammatory diseases, and local inflammation plays an important role in the aseptic loosening of failed total hip arthroplasty (THA). A high-level MIF expression was found in the interfacial membrane around implants. However, the cause of increased MIF expression and the action of MIF in the process of aseptic-loosening implant is still unknown. This study is to investigate MIF expression and its upregulating effect on matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) expression in the particles-stimulated air pouches in mice that appear to closely resemble the interfacial membranes. A total of 48 murine air pouches were divided into four groups, and were injected with PBS, titanium particles suspensions, titanium particles suspensions with neutralizing antibody of MIF, and titanium particles suspensions with normal IgG, respectively. Histological and cytokine responses were evaluated. The inflammatory reaction of air pouch membranes induced by titanium particles was significantly suppressed by neutralizing antibody. The levels of MIF protein and mRNA were significantly increased in the titanium particles-stimulated air pouch membranes compared with the control groups. So were the levels of MMP13 protein and mRNA. However, the levels of MMP13 protein and mRNA were significantly reduced by neutralizing antibody. Our study demonstrates that titanium particles can cause the air pouch membranes to increase the expression of MIF, which upregulates the production of MMP13 and induces inflammatory reaction in vivo. The results indicate that MIF may play an important role in the process of aseptic-loosening implants after THA.     

The Combination of SMAD4 Expression and Histological Grade of Dysplasia Is a Better Predictor for the Malignant Transformation of Oral Leukoplakia

Oral leukoplakia (OL) is the most common premalignancy in the oral cavity and can progress to oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). SMAD4 is a tumor suppressor implicated in multiple cancer types including OSCC. To assess the role of SMAD4 in oral leukoplakia malignant transformation, the authors investigated SMAD4 expression patterns in OL and OSCC using a highly specific antibody and correlated the patterns with the risk of malignant transformation oral leukoplakia. Immunohistochemistry and a quantitative imaging system were used to measure SMAD4 expression in OL from 88 OL patients, including 22 who later went through malignant transformation, and their OSCC counterpart. Forty-three (48.9%) of the 88 OL patients had strong SMAD4 expression. SMAD4 expression had no significant correlation with patients'' clinicopathological parameters. Interestingly, 17 (39.5%) of the 43 OL lesions with strong SMAD4 expression went through malignant transformation whereas only 5 (11.1%) of the 45 OL lesions with weak SMAD4 expression did so (p = 0.002). The SMAD4 expression in OL was much higher than that in their OSCC counterpart. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the combination of SMAD4 expression and histological grade of dysplasia (p = 0.007) is a better predictor for the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. In the multivariate analysis, both SMAD4 expression and grade of dysplasia were identified as independent factors for OL malignant transformation risk (p = 0.013 and 0.021, respectively). It was concluded that high SMAD4 expression may be indicative of an early carcinogenic process in OL and serve as an independent biomarker in assessing malignant transformation risk in patients with OL, and the combination of SMAD4 expression and histological grade of dysplasia is a better predictor for the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia.     

Secretion of annexin A3 from ovarian cancer cells and its association with platinum resistance in ovarian cancer patients

Early detection of resistance to platinum-based therapy is critical for improving the treatment of ovarian cancers. We have previously found that increased expression of annexin A3 is a mechanism for platinum resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Here we demonstrate that annexin A3 can be detected in the culture medium of ovarian cancer cells, particularly these cells that express high levels of annexin A3. Levels of annexin A3 were then determined in sera from ovarian cancer patients using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Compared with those from normal donors, sera from ovarian cancer patients contain significantly higher levels of annexin A3. Furthermore, serum levels of annexin A3 were significantly higher in platinum-resistant patients than in platinum-sensitive patients. To gain insight into the mechanism of secretion, the ovarian cancer cell lines were examined using both transmission electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy. Compared with parent cells, there are significantly more vesicles in the cytoplasm of ovarian cancer cells that express high levels of annexin A3, and at least some vesicles are annexin A3-positive. Moreover, some vesicles appear to be fused with the cell membrane, suggesting that annexin A3 secretion may be associated with exocytosis and the release of exosomes. This is supported by our observation that ovarian cancer cells expressing higher levels of annexin A3 released increased numbers of exosomes. Furthermore, annexin A3 can be detected in exosomes released from cisplatin-resistant cells (SKOV3/Cis) by immunoblotting and immunoelectron microscopy.     

C2ORF40 suppresses breast cancer cell proliferation and invasion through modulating expression of M phase cell cycle genes

Recently, it has been suggested that C2ORF40 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer. However, the mechanism for reduced expression of C2ORF40 and its functional role in breast cancers remain unclear. Here we show that C2ORF40 is frequently silenced in human primary breast cancers and cell lines through promoter hypermethylation. C2ORF40 mRNA level is significantly associated with patient disease-free survival and distant cancer metastasis. Overexpression of C2ORF40 inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. By contrast, silencing C2ORF40 expression promotes these biological phenotypes. Bioinformatics and FACS analysis reveal C2ORF40 functions at G2/M phase by downregulation of mitotic genes expression, including UBE2C. Our results suggest that C2ORF40 acts as a tumor suppressor gene in breast cancer pathogenesis and progression and is a candidate prognostic marker for this disease.     

Autophagic Impairment Contributes to Systemic Inflammation-Induced Dopaminergic Neuron Loss in the Midbrain

Background

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), inducing and accelerating dopaminergic (DA) neuron loss. Autophagy, a critical mechanism for clearing misfolded or aggregated proteins such as α-synuclein (α-SYN), may affect DA neuron survival in the midbrain. However, whether autophagy contributes to neuroinflammation-induced toxicity in DA neurons remains unknown.

Results

Intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg/kg) into young (3-month-old) and aged (16-month-old) male C57BL/6J mice was observed to cause persistent neuroinflammation that was associated with a delayed and progressive loss of DA neurons and accumulation of α-SYN in the midbrain. The autophagic substrate-p62 (SQSTM1) persistently increased, whereas LC3-II and HDAC6 exhibited early increases followed by a decline. In vitro studies further demonstrated that TNF-α induced cell death in PC12 cells. Moreover, a sublethal dose of TNF-α (50 ng/ml) increased the expression of LC3-II, p62, and α-SYN, implying that TNF-α triggered autophagic impairment in cells.

Conclusion

Neuroinflammation may cause autophagic impairment, which could in turn result in DA neuron degeneration in midbrain.