Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation by enabling the Ca2+-dependent inactivation of calcium release-activated calcium/orai channels normally prevented by mitochondria

Abnormal vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation contributes to occlusive and proliferative disorders of the vessel wall. Salicylate and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit VSMC proliferation by an unknown mechanism unrelated to anti-inflammatory activity. In search for this mechanism, we have studied the effects of salicylate and other NSAIDs on subcellular Ca(2+) homeostasis and Ca(2+)-dependent cell proliferation in rat aortic A10 cells, a model of neointimal VSMCs. We found that A10 cells displayed both store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE) and voltage-operated Ca(2+) entry (VOCE), the former being more important quantitatively than the latter. Inhibition of SOCE by specific Ca(2+) released-activated Ca(2+) (CRAC/Orai) channels antagonists prevented A10 cell proliferation. Salicylate and other NSAIDs, including ibuprofen, indomethacin, and sulindac, inhibited SOCE and thereby Ca(2+)-dependent, A10 cell proliferation. SOCE, but not VOCE, induced mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake in A10 cells, and mitochondrial depolarization prevented SOCE, thus suggesting that mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake controls SOCE (but not VOCE) in A10 cells. NSAIDs depolarized mitochondria and prevented mitochondrial Ca(2+) uptake, suggesting that they favor the Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of CRAC/Orai channels. NSAIDs also inhibited SOCE in rat basophilic leukemia cells where mitochondrial control of CRAC/Orai is well established. NSAIDs accelerate slow inactivation of CRAC currents in rat basophilic leukemia cells under weak Ca(2+) buffering conditions but not in strong Ca(2+) buffer, thus excluding that NSAIDs inhibit SOCE directly. Taken together, our results indicate that NSAIDs inhibit VSMC proliferation by facilitating the Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation of CRAC/Orai channels which normally is prevented by mitochondria clearing of entering Ca(2+).     

The Root Extract of the Medicinal Plant Pelargonium sidoides Is a Potent HIV-1 Attachment Inhibitor

Global HIV-1 treatment would benefit greatly from safe herbal medicines with scientifically validated novel anti-HIV-1 activities. The root extract from the medicinal plant Pelargonium sidoides (PS) is licensed in Germany as the herbal medicine EPs®7630, with numerous clinical trials supporting its safety in humans. Here we provide evidence from multiple cell culture experiments that PS extract displays potent anti-HIV-1 activity. We show that PS extract protects peripheral blood mononuclear cells and macrophages from infection with various X4 and R5 tropic HIV-1 strains, including clinical isolates. Functional studies revealed that the extract from PS has a novel mode-of-action. It interferes directly with viral infectivity and blocks the attachment of HIV-1 particles to target cells, protecting them from virus entry. Analysis of the chemical footprint of anti-HIV activity indicates that HIV-1 inhibition is mediated by multiple polyphenolic compounds with low cytotoxicity and can be separated from other extract components with higher cytotoxicity. Based on our data and its excellent safety profile, we propose that PS extract represents a lead candidate for the development of a scientifically validated herbal medicine for anti-HIV-1 therapy with a mode-of-action different from and complementary to current single-molecule drugs.     

Cell-Type-Specific Activation of the Oligoadenylate Synthetase–RNase L Pathway by a Murine Coronavirus

Previous studies have demonstrated that the murine coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) nonstructural protein 2 (ns2) is a 2′,5′-phosphodiesterase that inhibits activation of the interferon-induced oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS)-RNase L pathway. Enzymatically active ns2 is required for efficient MHV replication in macrophages, as well as for the induction of hepatitis in C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, following intranasal or intracranial inoculation, efficient replication of MHV in the brain is not dependent on an enzymatically active ns2. The replication of wild-type MHV strain A59 (A59) and a mutant with an inactive phosphodiesterase (ns2-H126R) was assessed in primary hepatocytes and primary central nervous system (CNS) cell types—neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. A59 and ns2-H126R replicated with similar kinetics in all cell types tested, except macrophages and microglia. RNase L activity, as assessed by rRNA cleavage, was induced by ns2-H126R, but not by A59, and only in macrophages and microglia. Activation of RNase L correlated with the induction of type I interferon and the consequent high levels of OAS mRNA induced in these cell types. Pretreatment of nonmyeloid cells with interferon restricted A59 and ns2-H126R to the same extent and failed to activate RNase L following infection, despite induction of OAS expression. However, rRNA degradation was induced by treatment of astrocytes or oligodendrocytes with poly(I·C). Thus, RNase L activation during MHV infection is cell type specific and correlates with relatively high levels of expression of OAS genes, which are necessary but not sufficient for induction of an effective RNase L antiviral response.     

Intraindividual and Interspecies Variation in the 5S rDNA of Coregonid Fish

This study was designed to characterize further the nontranscribed intergenic spacers (NTSs) of the 5S rRNA genes of fish and evaluate this marker as a tool for comparative studies. Two members of the closely related North American Great Lakes cisco species complex (Coregonus artedi and C. zenithicus) were chosen for comparison. Fluorescence in situ hybridization found the ciscoes to have a single multicopy 5S locus located in a C band-positive region of the largest submetacentric chromosome. The entire NTS was amplified from the two species by polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers anchored in the conserved 5S coding region. Complete sequences were determined for 25 clones from four individuals representing two discrete NTS length variants. Sequence analysis found the length variants to result from presence of a 130-bp direct repeat. No two sequences from a single fish were identical. Examination of sequence from the coding region revealed two types of 5S genes in addition to pseudogenes. This suggests the presence of both somatic and germline (oocyte) forms of the 5S gene in the genome of Coregonus. The amount of variation present among NTS sequences indicates that accumulation of variation (mutation) is greater in this multicopy gene than is gene conversion (homogenization). The high level of sequence variation makes the 5S NTS an inappropriate DNA sequence for comparisons of closely related taxa. Received: 22 August 1997 / Accepted: 31 October 1997     

On the Interplay of Telomeres,Nevi and the Risk of Melanoma

The relationship between telomeres, nevi and melanoma is complex. Shorter telomeres have been found to be associated with many cancers and with number of nevi, a known risk factor for melanoma. However, shorter telomeres have also been found to decrease melanoma risk. We performed a systematic analysis of telomere-related genes and tagSNPs within these genes, in relation to the risk of melanoma, dysplastic nevi, and nevus count combining data from four studies conducted in Italy. In addition, we examined whether telomere length measured in peripheral blood leukocytes is related to the risk of melanoma, dysplastic nevi, number of nevi, or telomere-related SNPs. A total of 796 cases and 770 controls were genotyped for 517 SNPs in 39 telomere-related genes genotyped with a custom-made array. Replication of the top SNPs was conducted in two American populations consisting of 488 subjects from 53 melanoma-prone families and 1,086 cases and 1,024 controls from a case-control study. We estimated odds ratios for associations with SNPs and combined SNP P-values to compute gene region-specific, functional group-specific, and overall P-value using an adaptive rank-truncated product algorithm. In the Mediterranean population, we found suggestive evidence that RECQL4, a gene involved in genome stability, RTEL1, a gene regulating telomere elongation, and TERF2, a gene implicated in the protection of telomeres, were associated with melanoma, the presence of dysplastic nevi and number of nevi, respectively. However, these associations were not found in the American samples, suggesting variable melanoma susceptibility for these genes across populations or chance findings in our discovery sample. Larger studies across different populations are necessary to clarify these associations.