Concanavalin-A triggers inflammatory response through JAK/STAT3 signalling and modulates MT1-MMP regulation of COX-2 in mesenchymal stromal cells

Pharmacological targeting of inflammation through STAT3 and NF-κB signaling pathways is, among other inflammatory biomarkers, associated with cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibition and is believed to play a crucial role in prevention and therapy of cancer. Recently, inflammatory factors were found to impact on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) contribution to tumor angiogenesis. Given MSC chemotaxis and cell survival are regulated, in part, by the membrane type-1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), an MMP also involved in transducing NF-κB intracellular signaling pathways, we tested whether STAT3 regulation by MT1-MMP may also contribute to the expression balance of COX-2 in MSC. We demonstrate that STAT3 phosphorylation was triggered in MSC treated with the MT1-MMP inducer lectin Concanavalin-A (ConA), and that this phosphorylation was abrogated by the JAK2 inhibitor AG490. MT1-MMP gene silencing significantly inhibited ConA-induced STAT3 phosphorylation and this was correlated with reduced proMMP-2 activation and COX-2 expression. On the other hand, STAT3 gene silencing potentiated ConA-induced COX-2 expression, providing evidence for a new MT1-MMP/JAK/STAT3 signaling axis that may, in part, explain how MT1-MMP contributes to proinflammatory intracellular signaling. Given that MSC are avidly recruited within inflammatory microenvironments and within experimental vascularizing tumors, these mechanistic observations support a possible dual control of cell adaptation to inflammation by MT1-MMP and that may enable MSC to be active participants within inflamed tissues.     

Implication of mitochondria in apoptosis

The induction phase of programmed cell death (PCD) or apoptosis is characterized by an extreme heterogeneity of potential PCD-triggering signal transduction pathways. During the subsequent effector phase, the numerous PCD-inducing stimuli converge into a few stereotypical pathways and cells pass a 'point of no return', thus becoming irreversibly committed to death. Evidence is accumulating that cytoplasmic structures, including mitochondria, participate in the critical effector stage and that alterations usually considered to define apoptosis, as nuclear chromatolysis and cytolysis, have to be ascribed to the late degradation phase. We and others have recently shown that nuclear features of apoptosis are preceded by alterations in mitochondrial function and structure. The importance of these alterations for the apoptotic process and also the possible link between, these observations, the permeability transition pore and the programmed cell death, are dicussed. (Mol Cell Biochem 174: 185–188, 1997)     

Apoptosis: mitochondrial membrane permeabilization--the (w)hole story?

One critical step of apoptosis is the release of mitochondrial proteins through the outer mitochondrial membrane. Recent work shows that two pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, Bax and Bid, as well as the mitochondrion-specific lipid cardiolipin may cooperate in chemically defined liposomes to generate a protein-permeable conduit, relaunching the debate on the identity of the pore responsible for mitochondrial membrane permeabilization during apoptosis.     

Mitochondrial Implication in Accidental and Programmed Cell Death: Apoptosis and Necrosis

Both physiological cell death (apoptosis) and at least some cases of accidental cell death (necrosis) involve a two-step-process. At a first level, numerous physiological or pathological stimuli can trigger mitochondrial permeability transition which constitutes a rate-limiting event and initiates the common phase of the death process. Mitochondrial permeability transition (FT) involves the formation of proteaceous, regulated pores, probably by apposition of inner and outer mitochondrial membrane proteins which cooperate to form the mitochondrial PT pore complex. Inhibition of PT by pharmacological intervention on mitochondrial structures or mitochondrial expression of the apoptosis-inhibitory oncoprotein Bcl-2 thus can prevent cell death. At a second level, the consequences of mitochondrial dysfunction (collapse of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, uncoupling of the respiratory chain, hyperproduction of superoxide anions, disruption of mitochondrial biogenesis, outflow of matrix calcium and glutathione, and release of soluble intermembrane proteins) can entail a bioenergetic catastrophe culminating in the disruption of plasma membrane integrity (necrosis) and/or the activation and action of apoptogenic proteases with secondary endonuclease activation and consequent oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation (apoptosis). The acquisition of the biochemical and ultrastructural features of apoptosis critically relies on the liberation of apoptogenic proteases or protease activators from the mitochondrial intermembrane space. This scenario applies to very different models of cell death. The notion that mitochondrial events control cell death has major implications for the development of death-inhibitory drugs.     

A SNARE-Like Protein and Biotin Are Implicated in Soybean Cyst Nematode Virulence

Phytoparasitic nematodes that are able to infect and reproduce on plants that are considered resistant are referred to as virulent. The mechanism(s) that virulent nematodes employ to evade or suppress host plant defenses are not well understood. Here we report the use of a genetic strategy (allelic imbalance analysis) to associate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with nematode virulence genes in Heterodera glycines, the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). To accomplish this analysis, a custom SCN SNP array was developed and used to genotype SCN F3-derived populations grown on resistant and susceptible soybean plants. Three SNPs reproducibly showed allele imbalances between nematodes grown on resistant and susceptible plants. Two candidate SCN virulence genes that were tightly linked to the SNPs were identified. One SCN gene encoded biotin synthase (HgBioB), and the other encoded a bacterial-like protein containing a putative SNARE domain (HgSLP-1). The two genes mapped to two different linkage groups. HgBioB contained sequence polymorphisms between avirulent and virulent nematodes. However, the gene encoding HgSLP-1 had reduced copy number in virulent nematode populations and appears to produce multiple forms of the protein via intron retention and alternative splicing. We show that HgSLP-1 is an esophageal-gland protein that is secreted by the nematode during plant parasitism. Furthermore, in bacterial co-expression experiments, HgSLP-1 co-purified with the SCN resistance protein Rhg1 α-SNAP, suggesting that these two proteins physically interact. Collectively our data suggest that multiple SCN genes are involved in SCN virulence, and that HgSLP-1 may function as an avirulence protein and when absent it helps SCN evade host defenses.     

A pathogenesis‐related protein GmPR08‐Bet VI promotes a molecular interaction between the GmSHMT08 and GmSNAP18 in resistance to Heterodera glycines

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) is the most devastating pest affecting soybean production worldwide. SCN resistance requires both the GmSHMT08 and the GmSNAP18 in ‘Peking’‐type resistance. Here, we describe the molecular interaction between GmSHMT08 and GmSNAP18, which is potentiated by a pathogenesis‐related protein GmPR08‐Bet VI. Like GmSNAP18 and GmSHMT08, GmPR08‐Bet VI expression was induced in response to SCN and its overexpression decreased SCN cysts by 65% in infected transgenic soybean roots. Overexpression of GmPR08‐Bet VI did not have an effect on SCN resistance when the two cytokinin‐binding sites in GmPR08‐Bet VI were mutated, indicating a new role of GmPR08‐Bet VI in SCN resistance. GmPR08‐Bet VI was mapped to a QTL for resistance to SCN using different mapping populations. GmSHMT08, GmSNAP18 and GmPR08‐Bet VI localize to the cytosol and plasma membrane. GmSNAP18 expression and localization hyper‐accumulated at the plasma membrane and was specific to the root cells surrounding the nematode in SCN‐resistant soybeans. Genes encoding key components of the salicylic acid signalling pathway were induced under SCN infection. GmSNAP18 and GmPR08‐Bet VI were also induced under salicylic acid and cytokinin exogenous treatments, while GmSHMT08 was induced only when the resistant GmSNAP18 was present, pointing to the presence of a molecular crosstalk between SCN‐resistant genes and defence genes. Expression analysis of GmSHMT08 and GmSNAP18 identified the need of a minimum expression requirement to trigger the SCN resistance reaction. These results provide insight into a new response mechanism towards plant nematode resistance involving haplotype compatibility, gene dosage and hormone signalling.     

Prevalence of CYP2C19 polymorphisms in the Lebanese population

Clopidogrel is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs, as its combination with low-dose aspirin is the recommended oral anti-platelet therapy, to prevent ischaemic events following coronary syndromes or stent placement. Numerous recent studies have shown that polymorphisms in the gene encoding the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) 2C19 enzyme (CYP2C19) contribute to variability in response to clopidogrel; patients with certain common genetic variants of CYP2C19 (*2, *3) have a reduced metabolism of clopidogrel and have a higher rate of cardiovascular events or stent thrombosis compared to patients with the CYP2C19 (*1) allele. CYP2C19*2 is most common in Caucasians, Africans and Asians while CYP2C19*3 has been found mostly in Asians. Since the prevalence of these variants in the Lebanese population has not yet been reported, our aim was to determine the genotypes of CYP2C19 in our population. CYP2C19 (*1/*2/*3) variants were assessed by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Length Polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) assays in a representative sample of 161 unrelated healthy Lebanese volunteers. The allele frequencies of CYP2C19 *2 and *3 were 0.13 and 0.03. Carriers of the CYP2C19 *2 or *3 represented 24.2% of the subjects. Our data show no significant difference in the frequency of CYP2C19 allelic variants when compared to Caucasian populations and demonstrate that the application of the recent FDA recommendations would also be beneficial in Lebanon, allowing physicians to identify patients at high risk for atherothrombotic events, and eventually advising them to consider other antiplatelet medications or alternative dosing strategies in poor metabolizers.