Proteomic analysis of human serum for finding pathogenic factors and potential biomarkers in preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE(S)

To apply a novel proteomic method to discover potential pathogenic factors and biomarkers of preeclampsia.

STUDY DESIGN

Sera from five patients complicated with preeclampsia and five healthy pregnant controls were separately pooled. Each pool was treated with peptide ligand library beads (PLLBs) to remove high abundance proteins by affinity and thus enrich low abundance proteins. The proteins from the eluate were analyzed by a combination of 1D Gel-LC-MS/MS. Protein expression levels were quantified using spectral counts and the extracted ion current.

RESULTS

1172 unique proteins in preeclampsia and 1149 in healthy controls were identified in the present study. 51 proteins were differentially expressed between preeclampsia and healthy pregnant women including chorionic somatommammptropin hormone (CSH) and fibulin-1. 31 proteins identified were up-regulated and 20 were down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONS

The results demonstrate that peptide ligand library combining with 1D gel-LC-MS/MS analysis is an efficient method to identify differentially expressed proteins in sera and two biological processes of complement and coagulation activations and lipid metabolism were involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Pentachlorophenol induced physiological-biochemical changes in Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture

Present study investigated physiological and biochemical changes in a green alga culture (Chlorella pyrenoidosa) upon exposure to varied concentrations of pentachlorophenol (PCP) (0, 0.4 mgL(-1), 2.5 mgL(-1) and 10 mgL(-1)). The results revealed that with the increase of PCP concentration, a decrease of the algal biomass, levels of photosynthetic pigments (chlorophyll a, b and carotenoid), soluble protein and an increase of nitrate reductase (NR) activity were observed. This suggests that the PCP may serve as an uncoupler, causing low ATP level within the algal cells and led most of the NR molecules to be in the dephosphoration state (i.e. active from). Moreover, it shows that photosynthetic pigments especially carotenoid were more sensitive indicators to indicate PCP toxicity as compared to the other parameters.

Superiority of visipaque (iodixanol)-controlled density gradient over Ficoll-400 in adult porcine islet purification

OBJECTIVE

Sufficient and favorable biological functions of islets are major problems hindering xenotransplantation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects on harvesting, purity, viability, and function of using improved Visipaque (iodixanol) and Ficoll-400 for adult porcine islet purification.

METHODS

Twelve adult porcine pancreata were randomly divided into an Iodixanol-University of Wisconsin (UW) group and a Ficoll-400-UW group according to the purification method. Porcine pancreata were isolated by collagenase digestion. After isolation and purification, the islet yield and purity were evaluated by dithizone staining, and islet function assessed by in vitro insulin release assays and in vivo islet xenotransplantation.

RESULTS

There were no marked differences in the islet yield before purification (5254.67 +/- 189.44 IEQ/g vs 5092.67 +/- 178.94 IEQ/g, P > .05). After purification, there were significantly more islets harvested in Iodixanol-UW group than in the Ficoll-400-UW group: 4222.00 +/- 228.84 IEQ/g vs 3036.83 +/- 79.60 IEQ/g (P < .05). Islets from the two groups showed satisfactory insulin secretory ability. There were no significant differences in islet survival times between the two groups in diabetic rats: 8.2 +/- 1.619 days vs 6.9 +/- 1.197 days (P > .05).

CONCLUSION

The improved iodixanol-UW density gradient method was superior to Ficoll-400 method to improve the number, viability, and insulin secret of purified adult porcine islets although the benefits did not improve in vivo survival.

Neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity torque in collisionless regimes in tokamaks

Bumpiness in a magnetic field enhances the magnitude of the plasma viscosity and increases the rate of the plasma flow damping. A general solution of the neoclassical toroidal plasma viscosity (NTV) torque induced by nonaxisymmetric magnetic perturbation (NAMP) in the collisionless regimes in tokamaks is obtained in this Letter. The plasma angular momentum can be strongly changed, when there is a small deviation of the toroidal symmetry caused by a NAMP of the order of 0.1% of the toroidal field strength.

Probing quark-gluon interactions with transverse polarized scattering

We have extracted QCD matrix elements from our data on doubly polarized inelastic scattering of electrons on nuclei. We find the higher twist matrix element d˜2, which arises strictly from quark-gluon interactions, to be unambiguously nonzero. The data also reveal an isospin dependence of higher twist effects if we assume that the Burkhardt-Cottingham sum rule is valid. The fundamental Bjorken sum rule obtained from the a0 matrix element is satisfied at our low momentum transfer.

The antiapoptotic protein, FLIP, is regulated by heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K and correlates with poor overall survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients

Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNP K) mediates antiapoptotic activity in part by inducing downstream antiapoptotic genes. To systematically identify hnRNP K targets in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), affymetrix chips were used to identify genes that were both overexpressed in primary NPC and downregulated by hnRNP K knockdown in NPC-TW02 cells. The resulting gene set included the antiapoptotic gene, FLIP, which was selected for further study. In cells treated with hnRNP K siRNA, TRAIL-induced apoptosis was enhanced and the FLIP protein level was reduced. Promoter, DNA pull-down and chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays revealed that hnRNP K directly interacts with the poly(C) element on the FLIP promoter, resulting in transcriptional activation. Through iTRAQ-mass spectrometric identification of proteins differentially associated with the poly(C) element or its mutant, nucleolin was determined to be a cofactor of hnRNP K for FLIP activation. Furthermore, FLIP was highly expressed in tumor cells, and this high-level expression was significantly correlated with high-level hnRNP K expression (P=0.002) and poor overall survival (P=0.015) as examined in 67 NPC tissues. A multivariate analysis confirmed that FLIP was an independent prognostic factor for NPC. Taken together, these findings indicate that FLIP expression is transcriptionally regulated by hnRNP K and nucleolin, and may be a potential prognostic and therapeutic marker for NPC.

Multiresonance effect in type-I edge-localized mode control with low n fields on JET

Multiple resonances in the edge-localized mode (ELM) frequency (f(ELM)) as a function of the edge safety factor q(95) have been observed for the first time with an applied low n (=1,2) field on the JET tokamak. Without an n=1 field applied, f(ELM) increases slightly from 20 to 30 Hz by varying the q(95) from 4 to 5 in a type-I ELMy H-mode plasma. However, with an n=1 field applied, a strong increase in f(ELM) by a factor of 4-5 has been observed with resonant q(95) values, while the f(ELM) increased only by a factor of 2 for nonresonant values. A model, which assumes that the ELM width is determined by a localized relaxation triggered by an unstable ideal external peeling mode, can qualitatively predict the observed resonances when low n fields are applied.

Toll-like receptors regulate B cell cytokine production in patients with diabetes

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Understanding cellular and molecular events in diabetes mellitus will identify new approaches for therapy. Immune system cells are important modulators of chronic inflammation in diabetes mellitus, but the role of B cells is not adequately studied. The aim of this work was to define the function of B cells in diabetes mellitus patients through focus on B cell responses to pattern recognition receptors.

METHODS

We measured expression and function of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on peripheral blood B cells from diabetes mellitus patients by flow cytometry and multiplexed cytokine analysis. We similarly analysed B cells from non-diabetic donors and periodontal disease patients as comparative cohorts.

RESULTS

B cells from diabetes mellitus patients secrete multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines, and IL-8 production is significantly elevated in B cells from diabetic patients compared with those from non-diabetic individuals. These data, plus modest elevation of TLR surface expression, suggest B cell IL-8 hyperproduction is a cytokine-specific outcome of altered TLR function in B cells from diabetes mellitus patients. Altered TLR function is further evidenced by demonstration of an unexpected, albeit modest 'anti-inflammatory' function for TLR4. Importantly, B cells from diabetes mellitus patients fail to secrete IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine implicated in inflammatory disease resolution, under a variety of TLR-stimulating conditions. Comparative analyses of B cells from patients with a second chronic inflammatory disease, periodontal disease, indicated that some alterations in B cell TLR function associate specifically with diabetes mellitus.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Altered TLR function in B cells from diabetes mellitus patients increases inflammation by two mechanisms: elevation of pro-inflammatory IL-8 and lack of anti-inflammatory/protective IL-10 production.

Jak/STAT signaling is involved in the inflammatory infiltration of the kidneys in MRL/lpr mice

Cytokines are known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis (LN) and the Jak/STAT (Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription factor) pathway is important in mediating signal transduction of cytokines. This study examined the pathogenic role of Jak/STAT signaling in LN. MRL/lpr mice were either treated with a selective Jak2 inhibitor tyrphostin AG490 or with vehicle alone from 12 weeks of age until being sacrificed at week 20. AG490 significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of Jak2 and STAT1 (p < 0.05). Compared with the vehicle-treated mice, AG490 treatment significantly reduced proteinuria, improved renal function and suppressed histological lesions of the kidneys and salivary glands (p < 0.05). AG490 treatment significantly inhibited the renal expression of monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, interferon (IFN)-gamma and class II MHC, which was accompanied by reduced renal infiltration of T cells and macrophages (p < 0.05). In addition, AG490 treatment resulted in a decrease in serum anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) antibody and attenuated the deposition of IgG and C3 in the kidneys (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that Jak/STAT pathway is implicated in the progression of renal inflammation in MRL/lpr mice and targeting this pathway may provide a potential therapeutic approach for LN.

TUNEL and growth factor expression in the prefrontal cortex of Alzheimer patients over 80 years old

To elucidate factors underlying the increased risk of developing Alzheimers disease (AD) in older individuals, the prefrontal cortices of younger (58-79 years) and of older (over 80 years) AD patients were examined by silver impregnation, TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry for hyperphosphorylated tau, LDH and two growth factors (BDNF, NGF). Quantitative data were compared with those of age-matched controls. TUNEL-positive cells were mainly located in superficial cortical layers of younger and in deeper layers of older AD patients. Their density was more than 5 times higher in older AD than in younger AD (p < or = 0.05), but apoptotic cell morphology was rarely seen. Significantly more neuronal somas were contacted by degenerating fibers both in younger and older AD cortices. Density of tau-immunoreactive cells, which were virtually absent in controls, was twice as high in older AD patients as in younger AD individuals (p < or = 0.05). In younger AD, TUNEL positive cells generally lacked tau immunoreaction, whereas in older AD, most cells were double-labeled for hyperphosphorylated tau and TUNEL (p < or = 0.05). Numerical density of BDNF-immunoreactive cells was significantly reduced by 20 percent in older AD patients, compared to both control individuals and younger AD patients, whereas density of NGF-positive cells was the same in all patient groups examined. The distinct differences between younger and older AD patients suggest a faster progression of AD in older patients.

Ecotoxicological study on sediments of Mai Po marshes, Hong Kong using organisms and biomarkers

Sediments from Mai Po Ramsar site, Hong Kong were in general shown to be highly toxic based on the results of four toxicity tests (Microtox solid-phase test, Daphnia mortality test, algal [Microcystis aeruginosa] growth inhibition test and ryegrass [Lolium perenne] seed germination/root elongation test). Sediment of the mudflat (which is open to Deep Bay, i.e., the pollution source) was the most toxic while sediment of gei wai 24g (an enclosed freshwater pond) was the least toxic. Results of biomarker studies (tilapia hepatic metallothionein; glutathione (GSH) and EROD activity using H4IIE rat hepatoma cell) were also concordant with those in the toxicity tests. Significant liner relationships (p<0.01) were found between GSH contents in the rat hepatoma cells and PAHs, OCPs contents in the sediment extracts. It is recommended that the present suite of bioassays is useful and is biologically relevant for future ecotoxicological studies focusing on similar wetlands.

Spontaneous acute tumor lysis syndrome as a cause of early deaths in short-term carcinogenicity studies using p53 +/- mice

Acute tumor lysis syndrome (ATLS) is a potentially lethal condition precipitated by the massive release of intracellular components such as nucleic acids, potassium, and phosphorus, following a rapid and widespread lysis of tumor cells. Herein, the authors describe the high incidence and characteristic histopathologic lesions of acute ATLS in p53-deficient mice used in 2 short-term carcinogenicity studies. ATLS was a frequent cause of early death in p53 (+/-) mice in these studies and was consistently associated with the presence of disseminated lymphoma and leukemia. Although a heavy tumor burden and leukemia were present in all affected mice, the absence of ATLS in other mice with equally severe lymphoma and leukemia indicates that these tumor burdens are necessary but insufficient to cause ATLS in mice. The hallmark histopathologic findings of ATLS in mice are the disseminated microemboli composed of nuclear and cytoplasmic debris derived from lysed tumor cells. The mechanical obstruction of capillary beds by these microemboli appeared to be the proximate cause of the early deaths of mice in these studies. Microemboli may contribute to the pathogenesis of acute renal failure and other clinical signs associated with ATLS in other species. Recognition of ATLS in laboratory animals is critical in studies intended to evaluate the efficacy and/or toxicity of anticancer treatments, where early deaths due to ATLS might otherwise be attributed to test article toxicity. Further studies on the role of microemboli in the pathogenesis of ATLS may elucidate pathogenetic mechanisms and lead to improved approaches to clinical management and treatment of this potentially lethal condition.