Vascular Pattern Analysis for the Prediction of Clinical Behaviour in Pheochromocytomas and Paragangliomas

Pheochromocytomas (PCCs) are neuroendocrine tumors arising from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. Related tumors that arise from the paraganglia outside the adrenal medulla are called paragangliomas (PGLs). PCC/PGLs are usually benign, but approximately 17% of these tumors are malignant, as defined by the development of metastases. Currently, there are no generally accepted markers for identifying a primary PCC or PGL as malignant. In 2002, Favier et al. described the use of vascular architecture for the distinction between benign and malignant primary PCC/PGLs. The aim of this study was to validate the use of vascular pattern analysis as a test for malignancy in a large series of primary PCC/PGLs. Six independent observers scored a series of 184 genetically well-characterized PCCs and PGLs for the CD34 immunolabeled vascular pattern and these findings were correlated to the clinical outcome. Tumors were scored as malignant if an irregular vascular pattern was observed, including vascular arcs, parallels and networks, while tumors with a regular pattern of short straight capillaries were scored as benign. Mean sensitivity and specificity of vascular architecture, as a predictor of malignancy was 59.7% and 72.9%, respectively. There was significant agreement between the 6 observers (mean κ = 0.796). Mean sensitivity of vascular pattern analysis was higher in tumors >5 cm (63.2%) and in genotype cluster 2 tumors (100%). In conclusion, vascular pattern analysis cannot be used in a stand-alone manner as a prognostic tool for the distinction between benign and malignant PCC, but could be used as an indicator of malignancy and might be a useful tool in combination with other morphological characteristics.     

Cathepsin D and H2O2 stimulate degradation of thioredoxin-1: implication for endothelial cell apoptosis

Cathepsin D (CatD) is a lysosomal aspartic proteinase and plays an important role in the degradation of proteins and in apoptotic processes induced by oxidative stress, cytokines, and aging. All of these stimuli are potent inducers of endothelial cell apoptosis. Therefore, we investigated the role of CatD in endothelial cell apoptosis and determined the underlying mechanisms. Incubation with 100-500 microm H2O2 for 12 h induced apoptosis in endothelial cells. To determine a role for CatD, we co-incubated endothelial cells with the CatD inhibitor pepstatin A. Pepstatin A as well as genetic knock down of CatD abolished H2O2-induced apoptosis. In contrast, overexpression of CatD wild type but not a catalytically inactive mutant of CatD (CatDD295N) induced apoptosis under basal conditions. To gain insights into the underlying mechanisms, we investigated the effect of CatD on reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. Indeed, knocking down CatD expression reduced H2O2-induced ROS formation and apoptosis. The major redox regulator in endothelial cells is thioredoxin-1 (Trx), which plays a crucial role in apoptosis inhibition. Thus, we hypothesized that CatD may alter Trx protein levels and thereby promote formation of ROS and apoptosis. Incubation with 100 microm H2O2 for 6 h decreased Trx protein levels, whereas Trx mRNA was not altered. H2O2-induced Trx degradation was inhibited by pepstatin A and genetic knock down of CatD but not by other protease inhibitors. Incubation of unstimulated cell lysates with recombinant CatD significantly reduced Trx protein levels in vitro, which was completely blocked by pepstatin A pre-incubation. Overexpression of CatD reduced Trx protein in cells. Moreover, H2O2 incubation led to a translocation of Trx to the lysosomes prior to the induction of apoptosis. Taken together, CatD induces apoptosis via degradation of Trx protein, which is an essential anti-apoptotic and reactive oxygen species scavenging protein in endothelial cells.     

Combinatorial RNA interference in Caenorhabditis elegans reveals that redundancy between gene duplicates can be maintained for more than 80 million years of evolution

Background  

Systematic analyses of loss-of-function phenotypes have been carried out for most genes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster. Although such studies vastly expand our knowledge of single gene function, they do not address redundancy in genetic networks. Developing tools for the systematic mapping of genetic interactions is thus a key step in exploring the relationship between genotype and phenotype.     

Biochemical response to chronic shortening in unloaded soleus muscles

One leg of tail-casted suspended rats was immobilized in a plantar-flexed position to test whether chronic shortening of posterior leg muscles affected the metabolic response to unloading. The immobilized plantaris and gastrocnemius muscles of these animals showed approximately 20% loss of muscle mass in contrast to simply a slower growth rate with unloading. Loss of mass of the soleus muscle during suspension was not accentuated by chronic shortening. Although protein degradation in the isolated soleus muscle of the plantar-flexed limb was slightly faster than in the contralateral free limb, this difference was offset by faster synthesis of the myofibrillar protein fraction of the chronically shortened muscle. Total adenine nucleotides were 17% lower (P less than 0.005) in the chronically shortened soleus muscle following incubation. Glutamate, glutamine, and alanine metabolism showed little response to chronic shortening. These results suggest that, in the soleus muscle, chronic shortening did not alter significantly the metabolic responses to unloading and reduced activity.     

Inwieweit hat der Grauammer (Emberiza calandra) als Zugvogel zu gelten?

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Effects of Folic Acid on the Phenylalanine Tolerance Test in Phenylketonuria

Phenylalanine tolerance tests were performed on four untreated children with phenylketonuria, aged 8 to 12 years, before and after 14 days of folic acid administration (70 mg./day). No significant changes were noted in the phenylalanine tolerance tests or in the general condition of the patients. This study was carried out because of recent findings that a folic acid derivative is a co-factor in the conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine.     

Oxidation of reduced nicotinamide hypoxanthine dinucleotide by intact rat liver mitochondria

1. The rate of NADH oxidation catalyzed by intact rat liver mitochondria is greatly stimulated in the presence of oxidized nicotinamide hypoxanthine dinucleotide (NHD⁺).2. Mitochondrial oxidation of external NHDH is from 20- to 40-fold more rapid than that of NADH, although these coenzymes are oxidized at similar rates by sonicated mitochondria.3. NADH and NADPH inhibit, while NADP⁺ stimulates NHDH oxidation.4. NHDH oxidation is inhibited by rotenone and CN^?.5. NHDH oxidation is coupled to the phosphorylation of ADP to ATP, yielding P:2e^? ratios approaching 3.6. These studies indicate that external NHDH is oxidized by the intramito-chondrial respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase and that the inner mitochondrial membrane is significantly more permeable to NHDH than to NADH. Mammalian liver mitochondria have been reported to catalyze the enzymatic deamination of NAD(H) to NHD(H) [Buniatian, H. C. (1970) in Handbook of Neurochemistry (Lajtha, A., ed.), Vol. 3, pp. 399–411, Plenum Press, London and New York; Movcessian, S. G. and Manassian, R. F. (1967) in Problems of Brain Biochemistry, Vol. 3, pp. 53–66, Academic Press, Yerevan], suggesting a metabolic function for the deaminated analogue. It is concluded that this deamination reaction may be operative in a mechanism for the oxidation of cytoplasmic NADH by the respiratory chain.