Genetic variation in the serotonin transporter modulates neural system-wide response to fearful faces

A distributed, serotonergically innervated neural system comprising extrastriate cortex, amygdala and ventral prefrontal cortex is critical for identification of socially relevant emotive stimuli. The extent to which a genetic variation of serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR impacts functional connectivity between the amygdala and the other components of this neural system remains little examined. In our study, neural activity was measured using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging in 29 right-handed, white Caucasian healthy subjects as they viewed mild or prototypical fearful and neutral facial expressions. 5-HTTLPR genotype was classified as homozygous for the short allele ( S/S ), homozygous for the long allele ( L/L ) or heterozygous ( S/L ). S/S showed greater activity than L/L within right fusiform gyrus (FG) to prototypically fearful faces. To these fearful faces, S/S more than other genotype subgroups showed significantly greater positive functional connectivity between right amygdala and FG and between right FG and right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC). There was a positive association between measure of psychoticism and degree of functional connectivity between right FG and right VLPFC in response to prototypically fearful faces. Our data are the first to show that genotypic variation in 5-HTTLPR modulates both the amplitude within and the functional connectivity between different components of the visual object-processing neural system to emotionally salient stimuli. These effects may underlie the vulnerability to mood and anxiety disorders potentially triggered by socially salient, emotional cues in individuals with the S allele of 5-HTTLPR.     

Developing subunit immunogens using B and T cell epitopes and their constructs derived from the F1 antigen of Yersinia pestis using novel delivery vehicles

Yersinia pestis is the etiological agent of pneumonic and bubonic plague. As the currently licensed vaccines for plague have their own limitations, there is a need for a rational and more effective form of a subunit vaccine to combat both forms of the disease. Newer methods of antigen delivery coupled with adjuvant offer an alternative approach toward a plague vaccine. In order to develop a new generation vaccine against plague, we chose an immunodominant, outer membrane capsular protein, F1 of Y. pestis. The immunogenicity of the peptide sequences, predicted to possess B (three sequences, B1, B2 and B3) and T (two sequences, T1 and T2) cell determinants, was studied in a murine model with different genetic backgrounds, using alhydrogel and liposomes as delivery vehicles. All the peptide sequences are immunogenic in all mouse strains and showed primary and secondary immune response. B2 peptide was found to be most immunogenic, followed by B1 and B3 peptides. Chimeras made between B and T structures proved highly immunogenic and the antibody levels are comparable with native F1 antigen, thereby proving that T1 and T2 are helper sequences. Interestingly, the liposome mode of immunization was found to be more immunogenic and generated higher affinity antibodies than the alum-based preparation. Immunization using a mixture of all the peptides further proved B2 to be immunodominant. The IgG isotype profile showed predominance of IgG1, IgG2b followed by IgG2a for all the formulations irrespective of mode of antigen delivery. Lymphocyte proliferation of spleen cells primed in vivo with peptides, B-T conjugates and F1 antigen followed by in vitro stimulation with these antigens in soluble (medium) and particulate (liposome) form, showed dose-dependent stimulation of T cells, while B-T constructs showed a higher stimulation index, comparable to F1 antigen. The liposome mode of antigen presentation showed higher lymphoproliferation of spleen cells. Of all the peptides tested, T1 and T2 sequences showed the highest stimulation indices. The pattern of cytokine levels was in the following order: interferon-gamma>interleukin-2>interleukin-4. In vivo protective studies of the B-T conjugates revealed that B1T1 and a mixture of conjugates showed a survival rate of 10 days. Thus, the study highlights the importance of B and T cell epitopes as peptide-based immunogens, being a serious alternative for plague vaccine.     

Unfolding rates of barstar determined in native and low denaturant conditions indicate the presence of intermediates

The folding and unfolding rates of the small protein, barstar, have been monitored using stopped-flow measurements of intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence at 25 degrees C, pH 8.5, and have been compared over a wide range of urea and guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) concentrations. When the logarithms of the rates of folding from urea and from GdnHCl unfolded forms are extrapolated linearly with denaturant concentration, the same rate is obtained for folding in zero denaturant. Similar linear extrapolations of rates of unfolding in urea and GdnHCl yield, however, different unfolding rates in zero denaturant, indicating that such linear extrapolations are not valid. It has been difficult, for any protein, to determine unfolding rates under nativelike conditions in direct kinetic experiments. Using a novel strategy of coupling the reactivity of a buried cysteine residue with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) to the unfolding reaction of barstar, the global unfolding and refolding rates have now been determined in low denaturant concentrations. The logarithms of unfolding rates obtained at low urea and GdnHCl concentrations show a markedly nonlinear dependence on denaturant concentration and converge to the same unfolding rate in the absence of denaturant. It is shown that the native protein can sample the fully unfolded conformation even in the absence of denaturant. The observed nonlinear dependences of the logarithms of the refolding and unfolding rates observed for both denaturants are shown to be due to the presence of (un)folding intermediates and not due to movements in the position of the transition state with a change in denaturant concentration.     

Antioxidant supplementation prevents exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, but not inflammation, in ultramarathon runners

To determine if 6 weeks of supplementation with vitamins E and C could alleviate exercise-induced lipid peroxidation and inflammation, we studied 22 runners during a 50 km ultramarathon. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) placebos (PL) or (2) antioxidants (AO: 1000 mg vitamin C and 300 mg RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate). Blood samples were obtained prior to supplementation (baseline), after 3 weeks of supplementation, 1 h pre-, mid-, and postrace, 2 h postrace and for 6 days postrace. Plasma levels of alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOH), ascorbic acid (AA), uric acid (UA), F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured. With supplementation, plasma alpha-TOH and AA increased in the AO but not the PL group. Although F2-IsoP levels were similar between groups at baseline, 28 +/- 2 (PL) and 27 +/- 3 pg/ml (AO), F2-IsoPs increased during the run only in the PL group (41 +/- 3 pg/ml). In PL women, F2-IsoPs were elevated postrace (p <.01), but returned to prerace concentrations by 2 h postrace. In PL men, F2-IsoP concentrations were higher postrace, 2 h postrace, and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 days postrace (PL vs. AO group, each p <.03). Markers of inflammation were increased dramatically in response to the run regardless of treatment group. Thus, AO supplementation prevented endurance exercise-induced lipid peroxidation but had no effect on inflammatory markers.     

Thermal inactivation of glucose oxidase. Mechanism and stabilization using additives

Thermal inactivation of glucose oxidase (GOD; beta-d-glucose: oxygen oxidoreductase), from Aspergillus niger, followed first order kinetics both in the absence and presence of additives. Additives such as lysozyme, NaCl, and K2SO4 increased the half-life of the enzyme by 3.5-, 33.4-, and 23.7-fold respectively, from its initial value at 60 degrees C. The activation energy increased from 60.3 kcal mol-1 to 72.9, 76.1, and 88.3 kcal mol-1, whereas the entropy of activation increased from 104 to 141, 147, and 184 cal x mol-1 x deg-1 in the presence of 7.1 x 10-5 m lysozyme, 1 m NaCl, and 0.2 m K2SO4, respectively. The thermal unfolding of GOD in the temperature range of 25-90 degrees C was studied using circular dichroism measurements at 222, 274, and 375 nm. Size exclusion chromatography was employed to follow the state of association of enzyme and dissociation of FAD from GOD. The midpoint for thermal inactivation of residual activity and the dissociation of FAD was 59 degrees C, whereas the corresponding midpoint for loss of secondary and tertiary structure was 62 degrees C. Dissociation of FAD from the holoenzyme was responsible for the thermal inactivation of GOD. The irreversible nature of inactivation was caused by a change in the state of association of apoenzyme. The dissociation of FAD resulted in the loss of secondary and tertiary structure, leading to the unfolding and nonspecific aggregation of the enzyme molecule because of hydrophobic interactions of side chains. This confirmed the critical role of FAD in structure and activity. Cysteine oxidation did not contribute to the nonspecific aggregation. The stabilization of enzyme by NaCl and lysozyme was primarily the result of charge neutralization. K2SO4 enhanced the thermal stability by primarily strengthening the hydrophobic interactions and made the holoenzyme a more compact dimeric structure.     

The biological effects of CRP are not attributable to endotoxin contamination: evidence from TLR4 knockdown human aortic endothelial cells

C-reactive protein (CRP) is the prototypic marker of inflammation and a strong predictor of cardiovascular events in humans. There are questions regarding the validity of the biological effects reported for CRP, in spite of adherence to rigorous control measures minimizing endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS)] contamination in these in vitro studies. In this study, we addressed the key question of endotoxin contamination in CRP preparations using Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) knockdown endothelial cells. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) transfected with prevalidated TLR4 small interfering RNA (siRNA) and scrambled siRNA controls were challenged with pleural fluid-derived CRP or LPS for 12-16 h. Secreted interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1beta, IL-8, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) levels and endothelial Nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity were determined. TLR4 knockdown in HAECs significantly decreased LPS-induced IL-1beta, IL-6, and IL-8, whereas the stimulatory effects of CRP were similar in both scrambled control and TLR4 knockdown cells. Furthermore, CRP significantly stimulated PAI-1 levels in both control and TLR4-transfected cells and inhibited eNOS activity, whereas LPS effects were negated in TLR4-transfected cells. The data presented cogently demonstrate and further confirm that the biological effects of CRP on HAECs are independent of LPS and thus are attributable to native protein per se. This is the first study to positively authenticate the significance of earlier in vitro reports on CRP biological effects.     

Knockdown of ribosomal protein S3 protects human cells from genotoxic stress

Human ribosomal protein S3 (hS3) has a high apparent binding affinity for the oxidative lesion 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). The hS3 ribosomal protein has also been found to inhibit the base excision repair (BER) enzyme hOGG1 from liberating 8-oxoG residing in a 5'-end-labeled oligonucleotide. To understand the in vivo involvement of hS3 in BER, we have turned to RNA interference to generate knockdown of hS3 in cells exposed to DNA damaging agents. Here we show that a 40% knockdown of hS3 resulted in as much as a seven-fold increase in the 24h survival-rate of HEK293 cells exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Significant protection to the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) was also observed. Protection to the chemotherapeutic alkylating agent Thio-TEPA was only revealed at longer exposure times where the agent became more toxic to untransfected human cells. Overall, these results raise the possibility that hS3 interferes with the repair of the DNA lesions produced by genotoxic agents that potentially could play a role in the onset of cancer and other pathological states such as aging.     

High glucose induces IL-1beta expression in human monocytes: mechanistic insights

Previously, IL-1beta secretion from Type 2 diabetic patients has been shown to be increased compared with controls. In this study, we aimed to delineate the mechanism of IL-1beta induction under high-glucose (HG) conditions in human monocytes. THP-1 cells cultured in normal glucose were treated with increasing concentrations of d-glucose (10-25 mM) for 6-72 h. IL-1beta and IL-1 receptor antagonist levels were measured by ELISA and Western blots, whereas mRNA was quantitated by RT-PCR. Specific inhibitors and small interfering RNAs of PKC, p38, ERK1/2, NF-kappaB, and NADPH oxidase were used to determine the mediators in parallel experiments under HG conditions. IL-1beta-secreted protein, cellular protein, and mRNA increase under HG conditions is time and dose dependent, with maximum increase at 15 mM (48 h; P < 0.05). IL-1 receptor antagonist release was time and dose dependent, similar to IL-1beta expression pattern; however, the molar ratio of IL-1beta to IL-1RA was increased. Data from inhibitor and small interfering RNA experiments indicate that IL-1beta release under HG is mediated by PKC-alpha, via phosphorylation of p38 MAPK, and ERK1/2 leading to NF-kappaB activation, resulting in increased mRNA and protein for IL-1beta. At the same time, it appears that NADPH oxidase via p47phox activates NF-kappaB, resulting in increased IL-1beta secretion. Data suggest that, under HG conditions, monocytes release significantly higher amounts of IL-1beta through multiple mechanisms, further compounding the disease progression. Targeting signaling pathways mediating IL-1beta release could result in the amelioration of inflammation and possibly diabetic vasculopathies.