Specific glucocorticoid binding in human uterine tissues, placenta and fetal membranes

The binding of [3H]dexamethasone to cytosol fractions of human myometrium, endometrium, decidua, chorion, amnion and placenta has been studied. All tissues examined contained high affinity, low capacity binding sites with high specificity for glucocorticoids. Maximum specific binding of [3H]dexamethasone was reached after about 10 h at 0-4 degrees C and remained stable for at least the next 12 h. Sucrose density gradient analysis showed that the binding macromolecules sedimented at 7.9 S in hypotonic solutions and at 4.35 in solutions containing 0.4 M KCl. In the presence of sodium molybdate, the sedimentation coefficients shifted both in the absence and presence of 0.4 M KCl to 8.9 and 5.7 S, respectively. The apparent equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) of the glucocorticoid binding sites were similar in most tissues, ranging between 1 and 6 nM, with the exception of the placenta in which the binding sites showed a higher Kd (13-22 nM). In all tissues studied, the binding affinities were similar in nonpregnant and pregnant patients and in patients at different stages of pregnancy or in labor. The concentration of the binding sites in the different tissues ranged from 11 to 268 fmol/mg protein, higher concentrations being found in myometrium, placenta and amnion and lower concentrations found in endometrium, chorion and decidua. The number of binding sites was higher in the myometrium of nonpregnant than pregnant women, but was similar in the myometrium of women at term pregnancy before or during labor. In the placenta, the number of binding sites increased significantly from early pregnancy to midpregnancy, while in chorion, amnion and decidua the number of binding sites did not change during pregnancy. It is concluded that human uterine tissues, placenta and fetal membranes contain specific binding sites with properties characteristic of glucocorticoid receptors suggesting that these tissues may respond directly to glucocorticoids.     

Liprin beta 1, a member of the family of LAR transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase-interacting proteins, is a new target for the metastasis-associated protein S100A4 (Mts1)

Metastasis-associated protein S100A4 (Mts1) induces invasiveness of primary tumors and promotes metastasis. S100A4 belongs to the family of small calcium-binding S100 proteins that are involved in different cellular processes as transducers of calcium signal. S100A4 modulates properties of tumor cells via interaction with its intracellular targets, heavy chain of non-muscle myosin and p53. Here we report identification of a new molecular target of the S100A4 protein, liprin beta1. Liprin beta1 belongs to the family of leukocyte common antigen-related (LAR) transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase-interacting proteins that may regulate LAR protein properties via interaction with another member of the family, liprin alpha1. We showed by the immunoprecipitation analysis that S100A4 interacts specifically with liprin beta1 in vivo. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated the co-localization of S100A4 and liprin beta1 in the cytoplasm and particularly at the protrusion sites of the plasma membrane. We mapped the S100A4 binding site at the C terminus of the liprin beta1 molecule between amino acid residues 938 and 1005. The S100A4-binding region contains two putative phosphorylation sites by protein kinase C and protein kinase CK2. S100A4-liprin beta1 interaction resulted in the inhibition of liprin beta1 phosphorylation by both kinases in vitro.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">TRAF1/C5</Emphasis>polymorphism is not associated with increased mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: two large longitudinal studies

Introduction  

Recently an association between a genetic variation in TRAF1/C5 and mortality from sepsis or cancer was found in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The most prevalent cause of death, cardiovascular disease, may have been missed in that study, since patients were enrolled at an advanced disease stage. Therefore, we used an inception cohort of RA patients to investigate the association between TRAF1/C5 and cardiovascular mortality, and replicate the findings on all-cause mortality. As TRAF1/C5 associated mortality may not be restricted to RA, we also studied a large cohort of non-RA patients.     

Mesenchymal stem cells in autoimmune diseases: hype or hope?

Intervention with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represents a promising therapeutic tool in treatment-refractory autoimmune diseases. A new report by Schurgers and colleagues in a previous issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy sheds novel mechanistic insight into the pathways employed by MSCs to suppress T-cell proliferation in vitro, but, at the same time, indicates that MSCs do not influence T-cell reactivity and the disease course in an in vivo arthritis model. Such discrepancies between the in vitro and in vivo effects of potent cellular immune modulators should spark further research and should be interpreted as a sign of caution for the in vitro design of MSC-derived interventions in the setting of human autoimmune diseases.     

Pentacycloundecane lactam vs lactone norstatine type protease HIV inhibitors: binding energy calculations and DFT study

Background

Novel pentacycloundecane (PCU)-lactone-CO-EAIS peptide inhibitors were designed, synthesized, and evaluated against wild-type C-South African (C-SA) HIV-1 protease. Three compounds are reported herein, two of which displayed IC₅₀ values of less than 1.00 μM. A comparative MM-PB(GB)SA binding free energy of solvation values of PCU-lactam and lactone models and their enantiomers as well as the PCU-lactam-NH-EAIS and lactone-CO-EAIS peptide inhibitors and their corresponding diastereomers complexed with South African HIV protease (C-SA) was performed. This will enable us to rationalize the considerable difference between inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) of PCU-lactam-NH-EAIS and PCU-lactone-CO-EAIS peptides.

Results

The PCU-lactam model exhibited more negative calculated binding free energies of solvation than the PCU-lactone model. The same trend was observed for the PCU-peptide inhibitors, which correspond to the experimental activities for the PCU-lactam-NH-EAIS peptide (IC₅₀ = 0.076 μM) and the PCU-lactone-CO-EAIS peptide inhibitors (IC₅₀ = 0.850 μM). Furthermore, a density functional theory (DFT) study on the natural atomic charges of the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the three PCU-lactam, PCU-lactim and PCU-lactone models were performed using natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. Electrostatic potential maps were also used to visualize the electron density around electron-rich regions. The asymmetry parameter (η) and quadrupole coupling constant (χ) values of the nitrogen and oxygen nuclei of the model compounds were calculated at the same level of theory. Electronic molecular properties including polarizability and electric dipole moments were also calculated and compared. The Gibbs theoretical free solvation energies of solvation (∆G_solv) were also considered.

Conclusions

A general trend is observed that the lactam species appears to have a larger negative charge distribution around the heteroatoms, larger quadrupole constant, dipole moment and better solvation energy, in comparison to the PCU-lactone model. It can be argued that these characteristics will ensure better eletronic interaction between the lactam and the receptor, corresponding to the observed HIV protease activities in terms of experimental IC₅₀ data.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12929-015-0115-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Loss of CDK5RAP2 affects neural but not non-neural mESC differentiation into cardiomyocytes

Biallelic mutations in the gene encoding centrosomal CDK5RAP2 lead to autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH), a disorder characterized by pronounced reduction in volume of otherwise architectonical normal brains and intellectual deficit. The current model for the microcephaly phenotype in MCPH invokes a premature shift from symmetric to asymmetric neural progenitor-cell divisions with a subsequent depletion of the progenitor pool. The isolated neural phenotype, despite the ubiquitous expression of CDK5RAP2, and reports of progressive microcephaly in individual MCPH cases prompted us to investigate neural and non-neural differentiation of Cdk5rap2-depleted and control murine embryonic stem cells (mESC). We demonstrate an accumulating proliferation defect of neurally differentiating Cdk5rap2-depleted mESC and cell death of proliferative and early postmitotic cells. A similar effect does not occur in non-neural differentiation into beating cardiomyocytes, which is in line with the lack of non-central nervous system features in MCPH patients. Our data suggest that MCPH is not only caused by premature differentiation of progenitors, but also by reduced propagation and survival of neural progenitors.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Mast cells are the main interleukin 17-positive cells in anticitrullinated protein antibody-positive and -negative rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis synovium

Introduction  

Mast cells have been implicated to play a functional role in arthritis, especially in autoantibody-positive disease. Among the cytokines involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), IL-17 is an important inflammatory mediator. Recent data suggest that the synovial mast cell is a main producer of IL-17, although T cells have also been implicated as prominent IL-17 producers as well. We aimed to identify IL-17 expression by mast cells and T cells in synovium of arthritis patients.