Cigarette smoke extract induces endothelial cell injury via JNK pathway

Cigarette smoking is the most crucial factor responsible for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The precise mechanisms of the development of the disease have, however, not been fully understood. Recently, impairment of pulmonary endothelial cells has been increasingly recognized as a critical pathophysiological process in COPD. To verify this hypothesis, we examined how cigarette smoke extract (CSE) damages human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). CSE activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and treatment of HUVECs with SP600125, a specific inhibitor of the JNK pathway, significantly suppressed endothelial cell damage by CSE. In contrast, inhibition of the extracellular-regulated kinase or the p38 pathway did not affect the cytotoxicity of CSE. Furthermore, anti-oxidants superoxide dismutase and catalase reduced CSE-induced JNK phosphorylation and endothelial cell injury. These results indicate that CSE damages vascular endothelial cells through the JNK pathway activated, at least partially, by oxidative stress.     

Impaired nuclear translocation of CAR in hepatic preneoplastic lesions: association with an attenuated CYP2B induction by phenobarbital

Phenobarbital (PB) induction of CYP2B, a representative target gene of constitutive androstane receptor (CAR), has been observed to be attenuated in preneoplastic lesions of rat liver; however, molecular basis for this attenuation is poorly understood. In this report, we provide evidence indicating that the CAR expressed in the hepatic preneoplastic lesions of rats and mice was resistant to nuclear translocation and transactivation of the PB-responsive enhancer module upon PB treatment. These observations suggest that the attenuation of the induction of CYP2B by PB in hepatic preneoplastic lesions is evidently a consequence of impaired nuclear translocation of CAR.     

Osteopontin as a positive regulator in the osteoclastogenesis of arthritis

We examined the role of osteopontin (OPN) in the osteoclastogenesis of arthritis using collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). Cells from arthritic joints of wild-type (OPN +/+) mice spontaneously developed bone-resorbing osteoclast-like cells (OCLs). The cultured cells showed an enhanced expression of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) and a decreased expression of osteoprotegerin (OPG). The addition of OPG reduced the number of OCLs, indicating that the osteoclastogenesis depends on the RANK/RANKL/OPG system. The cells also produced OPN abundantly and anti-OPN neutralizing antibodies suppressed the development of OCLs. Moreover, the addition of OPN increased the expression of RANKL and augmented differentiation of OCLs from OPN-deficient (OPN -/-) cells. OPN, like the combination of 1alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) and dexamethasone, also enhanced the RANKL expression and decreased OPG expression in a stromal cell line, ST2. These results suggest that OPN acts as a positive regulator in the osteoclastogenesis of arthritis through the RANK/RANKL/OPG system.     

Fluorescent biosensor for quantitative real-time measurements of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in single living cells

The second messenger inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) plays a central role in the generation of a variety of spatiotemporally complex intracellular Ca(2+) signals involved in the regulation of many essential physiological processes. Here we describe the development of "LIBRA", a novel ratiometric fluorescent IP(3) biosensor that allows for the quantitative monitoring of intracellular IP(3) concentrations in single living cells in real time. LIBRA consists of the IP(3)-binding domain of the rat type 3 IP(3) receptor fused between the fluorescence resonance energy transfer pair cyan fluorescent protein and yellow fluorescent protein and preceded by a membrane-targeting signal. We show that the LIBRA fluorescent signal is highly selective for IP(3) and unaffected by concentrations of Ca(2+) and ATP in the physiological range. In addition, LIBRA can be calibrated in situ. We demonstrate the utility of LIBRA by monitoring the temporal relationship between the responses intracellular IP(3) and Ca(2+) concentrations in SH-SY5Y cells following acetylcholine stimulation.     

The extracellular domain of p185(c-neu) induces density-dependent inhibition of cell growth in malignant mesothelioma cells and reduces growth of mesothelioma in vivo

EGFR is involved in the density-dependent inhibition of cell growth, while coexpression of EGFR with erbB2 can render normal cells transformed. In this study, we have examined the effect of a species of p185 that contains the transmembrane domain and the extracellular domain of p185(c-neu), on growth properties of a human malignant mesothelioma cell line that coexpresses EGFR and erbB2. The ectodomain form of p185(c-neu) enhanced density-dependent inhibition of cell growth and we found that p21 induction appeared to be responsible for this inhibitory effect. Previously, the extracellular domain species was shown to suppress the transforming abilities of EGFR and p185(c-neu/erbB2) in a dominant-negative manner. The ability of this subdomain to affect tumor growth is significant, as it reduced in vivo tumor growth. Unexpectedly, we found that the domain did not abrogate all of EGFR functions. We noted that EGFR-induced density-dependent inhibition of cell growth was retained. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors of EGFR did not cause density-dependent inhibition of cell growth of malignant mesothelioma cells. Therefore, simultaneously inhibiting the malignant phenotype and inducing density-dependent inhibition of cell growth in malignant mesothelioma cells by the extracellular domain of p185(c-neu) may represent an important therapeutic advance.     

Molecular pathogenesis of a novel mutation, G108D, in short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase identified in subjects with short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency

Short-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (SCAD) is a mitochondrial enzyme involved in the β-oxidation of fatty acids. Genetic defect of SCAD was documented to cause clinical symptoms such as progressive psychomotor retardation, muscle hypotonia, and myopathy in early reports. However, clinical significance of SCAD deficiency (SCADD) has been getting ambiguous, for some variants in the ACADS gene, which encodes the SCAD protein, has turned out to be widely prevailed among general populations. Accordingly, the pathophysiology of SCADD has not been clarified thus far. The present report focuses on two suspected cases of SCADD detected through the screening of newborns by tandem mass spectrometry. In both subjects, compound heterozygous mutations in ACADS were detected. The mutated genes were expressed in a transient gene expression system, and the enzymatic activities of the obtained mutant SCAD proteins were measured. The activities of the mutant SCAD proteins were significantly lower than that of the wild-type enzyme, confirming the mechanism underlying the diagnosis of SCADD in both subjects. Moreover, the mutant SCAD proteins gave rise to mitochondrial fragmentation and autophagy, both of which were proportional to the decrease in SCAD activities. The association of autophagy with programed cell death suggests that the mutant SCAD proteins are toxic to mitochondria and to the cells in which they are expressed. The expression of recombinant ACADS-encoded mutant proteins offers a technique to evaluate both the nature of the defective SCAD proteins and their toxicity. Moreover, our results provide insight into possible molecular pathophysiology of SCADD.     

Bifidobacterium suppresses IgE-mediated degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells

Sixteen heat-killed bifidobacteria isolated from human intestine and a probiotic strain Lactobacillus GG were tested for their ability to influence IgE-mediated degranulation of rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells in vitro . The bifidobacteria suppressed IgE-mediated degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells by 1.6–56.4% in a strain-dependent manner. Bifidobacteria from healthy infants expressed high inhibitory effects on IgE-mediated degranulation (41–55%), while those from allergic infants varied greatly in their effects against degranulation. Bifidobacteria taxonomically identified as Bifidobacterium bifidum exhibited much stronger inhibitory effects against IgE-mediated degranulation than those taxonomically identified as B. adolescentis ( P < 0.05).These results indicate that the intestinal bifidobacteria might be one of factors influencing IgE-mediated allergic responses.     

Simultaneous color‐coded imaging to distinguish cancer “stem‐like” and non‐stem cells in the same tumor

In this study, we demonstrate that the differential behavior, including malignancy and chemosensitivity, of cancer stem‐like and non‐stem cells can be simultaneously distinguished in the same tumor in real time by color‐coded imaging. CD133⁺ Huh‐7 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells were considered as cancer stem‐like cells (CSCs), and CD133^? Huh‐7 cells were considered as non‐stem cancer cells (NSCCs). CD133⁺ cells were isolated by magnetic bead sorting after Huh‐7 cells were genetically labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) or red fluorescent protein (RFP). In this scheme, CD133⁺ cells were labeled with GFP and CD133^? cells were labeled with RFP. CSCs had higher proliferative potential compared to NSCCs in vitro. The same number of GFP CSCs and the RFP NSCCs were mixed and injected subcutaneously or in the spleen of nude mice. CSCs were highly tumorigenic and metastatic as well as highly resistant to chemotherapy in vivo compared to NSCCs. The ability to specifically distinguish stem‐like cancer cells in vivo in real time provides a visual target for prevention of metastasis and drug resistance. J. Cell. Biochem. 111: 1035–1041, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis of new derivatives of 8-oxoG-Clamp for better understanding the recognition mode and improvement of selective affinity

8-Oxoguanosine (8-oxoG) is a representative metabolite derived by the oxidation of guanosine (G) and is regarded as a marker of oxidative stress in the cells. We previously reported the 8-oxoG-clamp as the first fluorescent probe for detection of 8-oxoG. In this study, new 8-oxoG-clamp derivatives having a variety of N-functional groups were synthesized and their recognition properties were investigated. The sp³ oxygen atom of the carbamate unit was revealed to play a significant role in the hydrogen bonding interactions, and the pyrene group produced higher stability with 8-oxoG compared with the original 8-oxoG-clamp.     

Efficient activation of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein by the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2

The distribution of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) receptor, an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), does not strictly correlate with SARS-CoV cell tropism in lungs; therefore, other cellular factors have been predicted to be required for activation of virus infection. In the present study, we identified transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), whose expression does correlate with SARS-CoV infection in the upper lobe of the lung. In Vero cells expressing TMPRSS2, large syncytia were induced by SARS-CoV infection. Further, the lysosome-tropic reagents failed to inhibit, whereas the heptad repeat peptide efficiently inhibited viral entry into cells, suggesting that TMPRSS2 affects the S protein at the cell surface and induces virus-plasma membrane fusion. On the other hand, production of virus in TMPRSS2-expressing cells did not result in S-protein cleavage or increased infectivity of the resulting virus. Thus, TMPRSS2 affects the entry of virus but not other phases of virus replication. We hypothesized that the spatial orientation of TMPRSS2 vis-a-vis S protein is a key mechanism underling this phenomenon. To test this, the TMPRSS2 and S proteins were expressed in cells labeled with fluorescent probes of different colors, and the cell-cell fusion between these cells was tested. Results indicate that TMPRSS2 needs to be expressed in the opposing (target) cell membrane to activate S protein rather than in the producer cell, as found for influenza A virus and metapneumoviruses. This is the first report of TMPRSS2 being required in the target cell for activation of a viral fusion protein but not for the S protein synthesized in and transported to the surface of cells. Our findings suggest that the TMPRSS2 expressed in lung tissues may be a determinant of viral tropism and pathogenicity at the initial site of SARS-CoV infection.