Phosphorylation of serine 212 confers novel activity to human estrogen receptor α

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) can be phosphorylated at various residues, one of which is serine 212 in the DNA binding domain. The majority of human nuclear receptors conserves, as a motif, this serine residue within their DNA binding domain. Among these nuclear receptors, phosphorylation of the corresponding threonine 38 in the nuclear receptor CAR is essential for determining its activity [9]. Here, we have investigated the role of phosphorylated serine 212 in the regulation of ERα activity by comparing it with serine 236, another potential phosphorylation site within the DNA binding domain, and demonstrated that phosphorylation of serine 212 confers upon ERα a distinct activity regulating gene expression in Huh-7 cells. In Western blot analysis, wild type ERα and mutants ERα S212A, ERα S212D, ERα S236A and ERα S236D were equally expressed in the nucleus, thus indicating that phosphorylation does not determine nuclear localization of ERα. ERα S212D, but not ERα S236D, retained its capability of activating an ERE-reporter gene in luciferase assays. Similar results were also obtained for human ERβ; the ERβ S176D mutant retained its trans-activation activity, but the ERβ S200D mutant did not. cDNA microarray and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, employed on Huh-7 cells ectopically expressing either ERα S212A or ERα S212D, revealed that phosphorylation of serine 212 enabled ERα to regulate a unique set of genes and cellular functions.

Synthesis and use of cell-permeant cyclic ADP-ribose

Cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) is a second messenger that acts on ryanodine receptors to mobilize Ca(2+). cADPR has a net negative charge at physiological pH making it not passively membrane permeant thereby requiring it to be injected, electroporated or loaded via liposomes. Such membrane impermeance of other charged intracellular messengers (including cyclic AMP, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate) and fluorescent dyes (including fura-2 and fluorescein) has been overcome by synthesizing masked analogs (prodrugs), which are passively permeant and hydrolyzed to the parent compound inside cells. We now report the synthesis and biological activity of acetoxymethyl (AM) and butoxymethyl (BM) analogs of cADPR. Extracellular addition of cADPR-AM or cADPR-BM to neuronal cells in primary culture or PC12 neuroblastoma cells induced increases in cytosolic Ca(2+). Pre-incubation of PC12 cells with thapsigargin, ryanodine or caffeine eliminated the response to cADPR-AM, whereas the response still occurred in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+). Combined, these data demonstrate that masked cADPR analogs are cell-permeant and biologically active. We hope these cell-permeant tools will facilitate cADPR research and reveal its diverse physiological functions.

Cross-cultural adaptation of a pre-school screening instrument: comparison of Korean and US populations

BACKGROUND

Accurate and efficient developmental screening measures are critical for early identification of developmental problems; however, few reliable and valid tests are available in Korea as well as other countries outside the USA. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) was chosen for study with young children in Korea.

METHODS

The ASQ was translated into Korean and necessary cross-cultural adaptations were made. The translated version was then distributed and completed by 3220 parents of young children between the ages of 4 months and 5 years. Reliability was studied including domain correlations, internal consistency, and performance of identification cut-off scores for the Korean population. Rasch analyses including tests of Differential Item Functioning, contrasting Korean and US samples were also performed.

RESULTS

In general, internal consistency of the Korean ASQ was high, with overall correlations 0.75 for communication, 0.85 for gross motor, 0.74 for fine motor, 0.72 for problem solving, and 0.65 for personal-social. Validity, including concurrent validity, also had strong evidence. Mean scores of children on the Korean translation of the ASQ and the US normative sample were generally similar. Rasch analyses indicated the majority of items functioned similarly across the Korean sample.

CONCLUSIONS

In general, the ASQ was translated with cultural appropriateness in mind and functioned as a valid and reliable parent-completed screening test to assist in early identification of young children with developmental delays. Further research is needed to confirm these results with a larger and more diverse Korean sample.

Parent-completed developmental screening in a Norwegian population sample: a comparison with US normative data

AIM

To compare normative data of a Norwegian translation of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires with original US normative data.

METHODS

Norwegian-born mothers randomly selected from the population register completed Norwegian translations of the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, a series of 19 age-specific child development screening questionnaires each made up of 30 items in five domains: Communication, Gross Motor, Fine Motor, Problem Solving, and Personal-Social. Domain score group differences with original US normative data on 10 age-specific questionnaires (for ages 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 mo) were investigated. The Norwegian data consisted of 1341 children, varying between 82 and 176 per age interval.

RESULTS

On the whole, parents' reports of their children's development were very similar in the two data sets. Only five out of 50 mean comparisons revealed a mean difference either greater than a Cohen's d of 0.5 or greater than the smallest increment on a domain score. The variation in scores tended to be somewhat smaller in the Norwegian sample.

CONCLUSION

It seems reasonable to expect that domain scores on the Ages and Stages Questionnaires may be interpreted in the same way in Norway and the United States, and these results may also generalize to other Western settings. These findings from a true random sample also increase the confidence in the original normative data.

Psychological follow-up study of 5-year-old ICSI children

BACKGROUND

The developmental outcomes of children born after ICSI are still a matter of concern. The purpose of the present study was to investigate psychological outcomes for 5-year-old children born after ICSI and compare these with outcomes for children born after spontaneous conception (SC).

METHODS

Three hundred singleton children born after ICSI in Belgium, Sweden and the USA were matched by maternal age, child age and gender. Outcome measures included the Wechsler Preschool and Primary scales of intelligence (WPPSI-R), Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Parenting Stress Index and Child Behaviour Checklist.

RESULTS

Regarding cognitive development, no significant differences were found on WPPSI-R verbal and performance scales between ICSI and SC children. However, some differences were noted on subtests of the Performance Scale. ICSI children more often obtained a score below 1 SD of the mean on the subtests: Object Assembly, Block Design and Mazes (all P<0.05). Significant differences by site (i.e. Belgium, Sweden and New York) were found on subtests related to parenting stress, child behaviour problems and motor development (all P<0.05). These findings can probably be explained by variables other than conception mode, such as cultural differences and selection bias.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the finding that a higher proportion of ICSI children obtained scores below the cut-off on some of the visual-spatial subscales of the WPPSI-R warrants further investigation, ICSI does not appear to affect the psychological well-being or cognitive development at age 5.

Tacrolimus monitoring by simplified sparse sampling under the concentration time curve

The purpose of this study was to determine which tacrolimus pharmacokinetic parameters best predicted efficacy in kidney transplantation. Blood tacrolimus levels at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours postdose were measured in 28 kidney transplants. All received tacrolimus-based triple-drug therapy with mychophenolate mofetil and prednisone. Associations between blood concentrations at each sampling time point and the area under the curve (AUC) 0-4 were measured by Pearson's correlation coefficients. Tacrolimus dosing was based on C0 not AUC. AUC and blood concentrations at each sampling time were retrospectively compared with C0 as predictor of acute rejection and nephrotoxicity. Although tacrolimus C0 correlated with AUC0-4 (r =.86), correlations were higher with C2 and C3 (r =.96 and r =.94, respectively). C0 levels were not significantly different in six patients with acute rejection and 23 patients without. There was a trend toward lower tacrolimus C3 in patients with AR than without AR (P =.06). C2 and C3 correlate better with AUC0-4 than C0. Early tacrolimus C3 levels may be a better than C0 as a predictor of efficacy.

Basiliximab widens the therapeutic window for AUC-monitored neoral therapy early after kidney transplantation

Early adequate cyclosporine exposure has been shown to predict low acute rejection. Recently basiliximab induction has been added to immunosuppressive regimens to further reduce rejection. The aim of this study was to determine the importance of achieving the early cyclosporine therapeutic threshold with basiliximab induction. A retrospective analysis of first cadaver and nonidentical living donor transplant recipients treated with or without basiliximab induction was performed. All patients (n = 170) received neoral, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisone. The cyclosporine absorption profile was measured on day 3. Adequate cyclosporine exposure was defined as area under the curve (AUC) 0-4: >4400 microg x h/L at day 3. The primary outcome was acute rejection (AR) within the first 6 month. In the no basiliximab (control) group, AR occurred in 22% (17/78) of recipients and was strongly associated with low cyclosporine exposure on day 3. AR occurred in 39% (9/23) with cyclosporine AUC0-4 < 4400 microg x h/L compared with 15% (8/55) with AUC0-4 > 4400 microg x h/L (P =.016). In the basiliximab group, AR occurred in only 9% (8/92) of recipients and did not correlate with cyclosporine exposure. AR occurred in 8% (2/24) with cyclosporine AUC0-4 < 4400 microg x h/L compared with 9% (6/68) with AUC0-4 > 4400 microg x h/L (P =.94). Achieving cyclosporine therapeutic targets by day 3 may not be required when anti-IL2 induction is used.

The effects of feed intake and body fatness on progesterone metabolism in ovariectomized gilts

We studied the effects of feed intake and fatness on metabolic clearance rate (MCR) and half-life of progesterone in 40 ovariectomized gilts (10x4 littermates). One gilt from each litter was randomly allocated to each of four treatments in a randomized block design. Gilts were reared to be either lean (Ln), 113 kg BW and 10 mm backfat measured 65 mm from the midline at the level of the last rib (P2), or fat (F), 124 kg BW and 20 mm P2 backfat. They were ovariectomized and fitted with bilateral jugular catheters. Fat and Ln gilts were then fed either low (1.15 x maintenance energy, L), or high (2.30 x maintenance energy, H) feed intakes. Gilts received an i.m. injection of 130 mg of progesterone on two consecutive days (d1 and 2). From d 3, progesterone was infused at 5.4 mg/h (130 mg/d) for 60 h. Blood samples for progesterone analysis were taken during the last 24 h of infusion and for a further 72 h. Gilts were then slaughtered, and livers were sampled for microsomal studies. Fatness did not affect any aspect of progesterone metabolism measured. Postprandial MCR was greater in H than in L gilts, 103.0 vs. 76.1 mL x min(-1) x kg BW(-1) (P<.01), respectively. Feed intake did not affect the disappearance rate constant of progesterone (mean -.019), and the estimated half-life of progesterone was 36.5 h. High-intake gilts had larger proportional liver size (P<.001) than L gilts. Microsomal metabolism of progesterone and P450 enzyme concentration were similar across treatments. We conclude that increasing feed intake increases MCR of progesterone and could be used to manipulate progesterone concentration in sows.

Effect of interleukin-6 secreted by engineered human stromal cells on osteoclasts in human bone

The effect of elevated human IL-6 (hIL-6) production by human bone marrow (Hu-BM) stromal cells on osteoclasts in human bone was examined. Human bone was implanted into nonobese diabetic mice with severe combined immunodeficiency (Hu-Bone-NOD/SCID mice). Immunohistochemistry of bone implants and mouse spleens (at 20 weeks), showed human CD45+ cells, B cells, and macrophages in both tissues. Thus, Hu-BM cells survive human bone transplantation and infiltrate mouse tissue. Bone implants had 75 +/- 12% (mean +/- SD) human CD45+ cells, and 9 +/- 4% mouse hematopoietic cells. A retrovirus vector containing the human IL-6 gene was used to transduce Hu-BM stromal cells (IL-6/stromal) and the PA317 cell line (IL-6/PA317). IL-6/ stromal cells (secreting, on average, 17 microg of hIL-6/10(6) cells per 24 h) were injected directly into human bone implants in Hu-Bone-NOD/SCID mice. IL-6/PA317 cells (secreting 16 microg/mL of hIL-6/10(6) cells per 24 h) were injected intraperitoneally into Hu-Bone-NOD/SCID mice. Analyses of sera from both groups of animals showed elevated levels of IL-6. However, only bone implants engrafted with IL-6/stromal cells had a statistically significant increase in osteoclast-lined mineralized trabecular bone surface (BS). Thus, a high concentration of serum hIL-6 in Hu-Bone-NOD/SCID mice alone does not increase osteoclast-lined BS in bone implants. Most importantly, it is the type of human BM cell that secretes the high levels of hIL-6 that is most critical.

Revision of a parent-completed development screening tool: Ages and Stages Questionnaires

Examined the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ), a series of 11 developmental questionnaires designed to be completed by parents and caregivers of young children from 4 to 48 months of age. The ASQ were recently revised and additional psychometric data were gathered. Analyses on over 7,000 questionnaires indicated high test-retest reliability, interobserver reliability, and internal consistency. Concurrent validity using standardized measures yielded on overall agreement of 85%, with a range of 76-91%. Specificity was high across questionnaire intervals while sensitivity was lower and varied across intervals. Use of parent-completed screening tools such as the ASQ is attractive in terms of cost-effectiveness, parental involvement, and flexibility in administration procedures.