Hyperresponsiveness in the human nasal airway: new targets for the treatment of allergic airway disease

Allergic rhinitis is a condition which affects over 15% of the population in the United Kingdom. The pathological process involves two stages: nasal inflammation, and the development of nasal airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to allergen and a number of other stimuli. This results in the amplification of any subsequent allergic reaction, contributing to the chronic allergic state. A number of different hypotheses have been proposed to explain the underlying mechanism of AHR, including a role for eosinophil-derived proteins, free radicals and neuropeptides. While there may be a number of independent pathways which can result in AHR, evidence obtained from both animal models and in vivo experiments in humans indicate that some mediators may interact with one another, resulting in AHR. Further research into these interactions may open new avenues for the pharmacological treatment of chronic allergic rhinitis, and possibly other allergic airway diseases.     

Combinatorial synthesis of substituted 3-(2-indolyl)piperidines and 2-phenyl indoles as inhibitors of ZipA-FtsZ interaction

The ZipA-FtsZ protein-protein interaction is a potential target for antibacterial therapy. The design and parallel synthesis of a combinatorial library of small molecules, which target the FtsZ binding area on ZipA are described. Compounds were demonstrated to bind to the FtsZ binding domain of ZipA by HSQC NMR and to inhibit cell division in a cell elongation assay.     

Functional analysis of a DNA-shuffled movement protein reveals that microtubules are dispensable for the cell-to-cell movement of tobacco mosaic virus

Microtubules interact strongly with the viral movement protein (MP) of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and are thought to transport the viral genome between plant cells. We describe a functionally enhanced DNA-shuffled movement protein (MP(R3)) that remained bound to the vertices of the cortical endoplasmic reticulum, showing limited affinity for microtubules. A single amino acid change was shown to confer the MP(R3) phenotype. Disruption of the microtubule cytoskeleton in situ with pharmacological agents, or by silencing of the alpha-tubulin gene, had no significant effect on the spread of TMV vectors expressing wild-type MP (MP(WT)) and did not prevent the accumulation of MP(WT) in plasmodesmata. Thus, cell-to-cell trafficking of TMV can occur independently of microtubules. The MP(R3) phenotype was reproduced when infection sites expressing MP(WT) were treated with a specific proteasome inhibitor, indicating that the degradation of MP(R3) is impaired. We suggest that the improved viral transport functions of MP(R3) arise from evasion of a host degradation pathway.     

A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety Experience Reported for Sorafenib in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) in the Post-Approval Setting

Background

Sorafenib was FDA approved in 2005 for treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) based on the results of the pivotal phase 3 clinical trial, TARGET (Treatment Approaches in Renal Cancer Global Evaluation Trial). Since that time, numerous clinical studies have been undertaken that substantially broaden our knowledge of the use of sorafenib for this indication.

Methods

We systematically reviewed PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, and www.clinicaltrials.gov for prospective clinical studies using single agent sorafenib in RCC and published since 2005. Primary endpoints of interest were progression-free survival (PFS) and safety. PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews #CRD42014010765.

Results

We identified 30 studies in which 2182 patients were treated with sorafenib, including 1575 patients who participated in randomized controlled phase 3 trials. In these trials, sorafenib was administered as first-, second- or third-line treatment. Heterogeneity among trial designs and reporting of data precluded statistical comparisons among trials or with TARGET. The PFS appeared shorter in second- vs. first-line treatment, consistent with the more advanced tumor status in the second-line setting. In some trials, incidences of grade 3/4 hypertension or hand-foot skin reaction (HFSR) were more than double that seen in TARGET (4% and 6%, respectively). These variances may be attributable to increased recognition of HFSR, or potentially differences in dose adjustments, that could be consequences of increased familiarity with sorafenib usage. Several small studies enrolled exclusively Asian patients. These studies reported notably longer PFS than was observed in TARGET. However, no obvious corresponding differences in disease control rate and overall survival were seen.

Conclusions

Collectively, more recent experiences using sorafenib in RCC are consistent with results reported for TARGET with no marked changes of response endpoints or new safety signals observed.     

ARTEMIS stabilizes the genome and modulates proliferative responses in multipotent mesenchymal cells

Background  

Unrepaired DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) cause chromosomal rearrangements, loss of genetic information, neoplastic transformation or cell death. The nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway, catalyzing sequence-independent direct rejoining of DSBs, is a crucial mechanism for repairing both stochastically occurring and developmentally programmed DSBs. In lymphocytes, NHEJ is critical for both development and genome stability. NHEJ defects lead to severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and lymphoid cancer predisposition in both mice and humans. While NHEJ has been thoroughly investigated in lymphocytes, the importance of NHEJ in other cell types, especially with regard to tumor suppression, is less well documented. We previously reported evidence that the NHEJ pathway functions to suppress a range of nonlymphoid tumor types, including various classes of sarcomas, by unknown mechanisms.     

Symplastic connection is required for bud outgrowth following dormancy in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers

To gain greater insight into the mechanism of dormancy release in the potato tuber, an investigation into physiological and biochemical changes in tuber and bud tissues during the transition from bud dormancy (immediately after harvest) to active bud growth was undertaken. Within the tuber, a rapid shift from storage metabolism (starch synthesis) to reserve mobilization within days of detachment from the mother plant suggested transition from sink to source. Over the same period, a shift in the pattern of [U-(14)C]sucrose uptake by tuber discs from diffuse to punctate accumulation was consistent with a transition from phloem unloading to phloem loading within the tuber parenchyma. There were no gross differences in metabolic capacity between resting and actively growing tuber buds as determined by [U-(14)C]glucose labelling. However, marked differences in metabolite pools were observed with large increases in starch and sucrose, and the accumulation of several organic acids in growing buds. Carboxyfluorescein labelling of tubers clearly demonstrated strong symplastic connection in actively growing buds and symplastic isolation in resting buds. It is proposed that potato tubers rapidly undergo metabolic transitions consistent with bud outgrowth; however, growth is initially prevented by substrate limitation mediated via symplastic isolation.