Impact of loss of NF-κB1, NF-κB2 or c-REL on SLE-like autoimmune disease and lymphadenopathy in Fas(lpr/lpr) mutant mice

Defects in apoptosis can cause autoimmune disease. Loss-of-function mutations in the 'death receptor' FAS impair the deletion of autoreactive lymphocytes in the periphery, leading to progressive lymphadenopathy and systemic lupus erythematosus-like autoimmune disease in mice (Fas(lpr/lpr) (mice homozygous for the lymphoproliferation inducing spontaneous mutation)) and humans. The REL/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription factors regulate a broad range of immune effector functions and are also implicated in various autoimmune diseases. We generated compound mutant mice to investigate the individual functions of the NF-κB family members NF-κB1, NF-κB2 and c-REL in the various autoimmune pathologies of Fas(lpr/lpr) mutant mice. We show that loss of each of these transcription factors resulted in amelioration of many classical features of autoimmune disease, including hypergammaglobulinaemia, anti-nuclear autoantibodies and autoantibodies against tissue-specific antigens. Remarkably, only c-REL deficiency substantially reduced immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis and extended the lifespan of Fas(lpr/lpr) mice. Interestingly, compared with the Fas(lpr/lpr) animals, Fas(lpr/lpr)nfkb2(-/-) mice presented with a dramatic acceleration and augmentation of lymphadenopathy that was accompanied by severe lung pathology due to extensive lymphocytic infiltration. The Fas(lpr/lpr)nfkb1(-/-) mice exhibited the combined pathologies caused by defects in FAS-mediated apoptosis and premature ageing due to loss of NF-κB1. These findings demonstrate that different NF-κB family members exert distinct roles in the development of the diverse autoimmune and lymphoproliferative pathologies that arise in Fas(lpr/lpr) mice, and suggest that pharmacological targeting of c-REL should be considered as a strategy for therapeutic intervention in autoimmune diseases.

Childhood maltreatment and transition to psychotic disorder independently predict long-term functioning in young people at ultra-high risk for psychosis

BACKGROUND

Individuals identified as at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis are at risk of poor functional outcome regardless of development of psychotic disorder. Studies examining longitudinal predictors of poor functioning have tended to be small and report only medium-term follow-up data. We sought to examine clinical predictors of functional outcome in a long-term longitudinal study.

METHOD

Participants were 268 (152 females, 116 males) individuals identified as UHR 2-14 years previously. A range of clinical and sociodemographic variables were assessed at baseline. Functioning at follow-up was assessed using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS).

RESULTS

Baseline negative symptoms, impaired emotional functioning, disorders of thought content, low functioning, past substance use disorder and history of childhood maltreatment predicted poor functioning at follow-up in univariate analyses. Only childhood maltreatment remained significant in the multivariate analysis (p < 0.001). Transition to psychosis was also significantly associated with poor functioning at long-term follow-up [mean SOFAS score 59.12 (s.d. = 18.54) in the transitioned group compared to 70.89 (s.d. = 14.00) in the non-transitioned group, p < 0.001]. Childhood maltreatment was a significant predictor of poor functioning in both the transitioned and non-transitioned groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Childhood maltreatment and transition to psychotic disorder independently predicted poor long-term functioning. This suggests that it is important to assess history of childhood maltreatment in clinical management of UHR individuals. The finding that transition to psychosis predicts poor long-term functioning strengthens the evidence that the UHR criteria detect a subgroup at risk for schizophrenia.

Microsecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma stimulation of tissue macrophages for treatment of peripheral vascular disease

Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels and normally occurs during the process of inflammatory reactions, wound healing, tissue repair, and restoration of blood flow after injury or insult. Stimulation of angiogenesis is a promising and an important step in the treatment of peripheral artery disease. Reactive oxygen species have been shown to be involved in stimulation of this process. For this reason, we have developed and validated a non-equilibrium atmospheric temperature and pressure short-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma system, which can non-destructively generate reactive oxygen species and other active species at the surface of the tissue being treated. We show that this plasma treatment stimulates the production of vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase-9, and CXCL 1 that in turn induces angiogenesis in mouse aortic rings in vitro. This effect may be mediated by the direct effect of plasma generated reactive oxygen species on tissue.

Liquid B2O3 up to 1700 K: x-ray diffraction and boroxol ring dissolution

Using high energy x-ray diffraction, the structure factors of glassy and molten B2O3 were measured with high signal-to-noise, up to a temperature of T  =  1710(20) K. The observed systematic changes with T are shown to be consistent with the dissolution of hexagonal [B3O6] boroxol rings, which are abundant in the glass, whilst the high-T (>~1500 K) liquid can be more closely described as a random network structure based on [BO3] triangular building blocks. We therefore argue that diffraction data are in fact qualitatively sensitive to the presence of small rings, and support the existence of a continuous structural transition in molten B2O3, for which the temperature evolution of the 808 cm−1 Raman scattering band (boroxol breathing mode) has long stood as the most emphatic evidence. Our conclusions are supported by both first-principles and polarizable ion model molecular dynamics simulations which are capable of giving good account of the experimental data, so long as steps are taken to ensure a ring fraction similar to that expected from Raman spectroscopy. The mean thermal expansion of the B-O bond has been measured directly to be αBO  =  3.7(2)  ×  10−6 K−1, which accounts for a few percent of the bulk expansion just above the glass transition temperature, but accounts for greater than one third of the bulk expansion at temperatures in excess of 1673 K.

Development and evaluation of a standardized method and atlas for contouring primary and permanent dentition

OBJECTIVES

Radiation toxicity of the dentition may present significant treatment-related morbidity in the paediatric head and neck cancer population. However, clear dose-effect relationships remain undetermined and must be predicated upon accurate structure delineation and dosimetry at the individual tooth level. Radiation oncologists generally have limited familiarity or experience with relevant dental anatomy.

METHODS

We therefore developed a detailed CT atlas of permanent and primary dentition. After studying this atlas, five radiation oncology clinicians delineated all teeth for each of eight different cases (selected for breadth of dental maturity and anatomical variability). They were asked to record confidence in their contours on a per-tooth basis as well as the duration of time required per case. Contour accuracy and interclinician variability were assessed by Hausdorff distance and Dice similarity coefficient. All analyses were performed using R v. 3.1.1 and the RadOnc v. 1.0.9 package.

RESULTS

Participating clinicians delineated teeth with varying degrees of completeness and accuracy, stratified primarily by the age of the subject. On a per-tooth basis, delineation of permanent dentition was feasible for incisors, canines, premolars and first molars among all subjects, even at the youngest ages. However, delineation of second and third molars was less consistent, commensurate with approximate timing of tooth development. Within each tooth contour, uncertainty was the greatest at the level of the dental roots.

CONCLUSIONS

Delineation of individual teeth is feasible and serves as a necessary precursor for dental dose assessment and avoidance. Among the paediatric radiation oncology community in particular, this atlas may serve as a useful tool and reference.

Targeted inhibition of ANKRD1 disrupts sarcomeric ERK-GATA4 signal transduction and abrogates phenylephrine-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

AIMS

Accumulating evidence suggest that sarcomere signalling complexes play a pivotal role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by communicating stress signals to the nucleus to induce gene expression. Ankyrin repeat domain 1 (ANKRD1) is a transcriptional regulatory protein that also associates with sarcomeric titin; however, the exact role of ANKRD1 in the heart remains to be elucidated. We therefore aimed to examine the role of ANKRD1 in cardiomyocyte hypertrophic signalling.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, we found that ANKRD1 is part of a sarcomeric signalling complex that includes ERK1/2 and cardiac transcription factor GATA4. Treatment with hypertrophic agonist phenylephrine (PE) resulted in phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GATA4 followed by nuclear translocation of the ANKRD1/ERK/GATA4 complex. Knockdown of Ankrd1 attenuated PE-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GATA4, inhibited nuclear translocation of the ANKRD1 complex, and prevented cardiomyocyte growth. Mice lacking Ankrd1 are viable with normal cardiac function. Chronic PE infusion in wild-type mice induced significant cardiac hypertrophy with reactivation of the cardiac fetal gene program which was completely abrogated in Ankrd1 null mice. In contrast, ANKRD1 does not play a role in haemodynamic overload as Ankrd1 null mice subjected to transverse aortic constriction developed cardiac hypertrophy comparable to wild-type mice.

CONCLUSION

Our study reveals a novel role for ANKRD1 as a selective regulator of PE-induced signalling whereby ANKRD1 recruits and localizes GATA4 and ERK1/2 in a sarcomeric macro-molecular complex to enhance GATA4 phosphorylation with subsequent nuclear translocation of the ANKRD1 complex to induce hypertrophic gene expression.

Olfactory identification deficits at identification as ultra-high risk for psychosis are associated with poor functional outcome

BACKGROUND

We have previously reported that olfactory identification (OI) deficits are a promising premorbid marker of transition from ultra-high risk (UHR) to schizophrenia, but not to psychotic illness more generally. Whether this remains the case at longer follow-up, and whether there is decline in OI ability are unclear.

METHOD

The University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) was administered to 81 participants at baseline (identification of risk for psychosis) and 254 individuals at follow-up. Forty-nine participants underwent UPSIT assessment at both time points. UPSIT scores were investigated at an average of 7.08years after identification of risk in relation to transition to psychosis, a diagnosis of schizophrenia, and psychosocial/functional outcome.

RESULTS

UPSIT scores at baseline and follow-up did not differ between participants who transitioned to psychosis and those who did not. Similarly, there were no significant differences on UPSIT scores at baseline or follow-up between individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and transitioned individuals without schizophrenia. Those with a poor functional outcome showed significantly lower baseline UPSIT scores than participants with good outcome. There was no significant association between functional outcome and follow-up UPSIT scores. There were no significant changes in UPSIT over time for any group.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that impaired OI is not a good marker of the onset of psychosis and schizophrenia, but may differentiate UHR individuals who experience a poor functional outcome, regardless of transition status.

Loss of c-REL but not NF-κB2 prevents autoimmune disease driven by FasL mutation

FASL/FAS signaling imposes a critical barrier against autoimmune disease and lymphadenopathy. Mutant mice unable to produce membrane-bound FASL (FasL(Δm/Δm)), a prerequisite for FAS-induced apoptosis, develop lymphadenopathy and systemic autoimmune disease with immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis. Prior to disease onset, FasL(Δm/Δm) mice contain abnormally high numbers of leukocytes displaying activated and elevated NF-κB-regulated cytokine levels, indicating that NF-κB-dependent inflammation may be a key pathological driver in this multifaceted autoimmune disease. We tested this hypothesis by genetically impairing canonical or non-canonical NF-κB signaling in FasL(Δm/Δm) mice by deleting the c-Rel or NF-κB2 genes, respectively. Although the loss of NF-κB2 reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines and autoantibodies, the impact on animal survival was minor due to substantially accelerated and exacerbated lymphoproliferative disease. In contrast, a marked increase in lifespan resulting from the loss of c-REL coincided with a striking reduction in classical parameters of autoimmune pathology, including the levels of cytokines and antinuclear autoantibodies. Notably, the decrease in regulatory T-cell numbers associated with loss of c-REL did not exacerbate autoimmunity in FasL(Δm/Δm)c-rel(-/-) mice. These findings indicate that selective inhibition of c-REL may be an attractive strategy for the treatment of autoimmune pathologies driven by defects in FASL/FAS signaling that would be expected to circumvent many of the complications caused by pan-NF-κB inhibition.

The temporomandibular joint of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus): part 2-osteoarthritic changes

OBJECTIVES

Following comprehensive characterization of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) of the California sea lion, as well demonstrating that TMJ-osteoarthritis (OA) occurs in this species, the objective of this part of the investigation was to describe the macroscopic osteologic findings associated with TMJ-OA in a large museum collection of skull specimens.

DESIGN

Museum skull specimens (n=497) of California sea lions were examined macroscopically according to defined criteria for the presence, severity, location and characteristics of TMJ-OA. The specimens, acquired from strandings, varied in age from young adults to mature adults.

RESULTS

Overall 63.5% of the specimens had findings consistent with TMJ-OA. Of these, 56.2% were from females 43.8% were from males. Moreover, 71.2% specimens were from mature adults and 28.8% from young adults. However, there was no significant association between age and sex with the presence or severity of TMJ-OA. The most prominent TMJ-OA changes were the presence of subchondral bone defects and abnormal porosity. The majority of the OA present at the mandibular head affected the entire articular surface. In contrast, the OA present on the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone was located primarily on the medial aspect (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of TMJ-OA in California sea lions is high and varies in severity. Although the significance of the high incidence of this disease in the California sea lion remains elusive, the occurrence and severity of TMJ-OA detected in this study may play an important role in the species' morbidity and mortality.

Upstream open reading frame in 5'-untranslated region reduces titin mRNA translational efficiency

Titin is the largest known protein and a critical determinant of myofibril elasticity and sarcomere structure in striated muscle. Accumulating evidence that mRNA transcripts are post-transcriptionally regulated by specific motifs located in the flanking untranslated regions (UTRs) led us to consider the role of titin 5'-UTR in regulating its translational efficiency. Titin 5'-UTR is highly homologous between human, mouse, and rat, and sequence analysis revealed the presence of a stem-loop and two upstream AUG codons (uAUGs) converging on a shared in frame stop codon. We generated a mouse titin 5'-UTR luciferase reporter construct and targeted the stem-loop and each uAUG for mutation. The wild-type and mutated constructs were transfected into the cardiac HL-1 cell line and primary neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). SV40 driven 5'-UTR luciferase activity was significantly suppressed by wild-type titin 5'-UTR (∼ 70% in HL-1 cells and ∼ 60% in NRVM). Mutating both uAUGs was found to alleviate titin 5'-UTR suppression, while eliminating the stem-loop had no effect. Treatment with various growth stimuli: pacing, PMA or neuregulin had no effect on titin 5'-UTR luciferase activity. Doxorubicin stress stimuli reduced titin 5'-UTR suppression, while H2O2 had no effect. A reported single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs13422986 at position -4 of the uAUG2 was introduced and found to further repress titin 5'-UTR luciferase activity. We conclude that the uAUG motifs in titin 5'-UTR serve as translational repressors in the control of titin gene expression, and that mutations/SNPs of the uAUGs or doxorubicin stress could alter titin translational efficiency.

Cognitive deficits in youth with familial and clinical high risk to psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

It is likely that cognitive deficits are vulnerability markers for developing schizophrenia, as these deficits are already well-established findings in first-episode psychosis. Studies at-risk adolescents and young adults are likely to provide information about cognitive deficits that predate the onset of the illness.

METHOD

We conducted meta-analyses of studies comparing familial-high risk (FHR) or ultra-high risk (UHR; n = 2113) and healthy controls (n = 1748) in youth studies in which the mean age was between 15 and 29.

RESULTS

Compared with controls, high risk subjects were impaired in each domain in both UHR (d = 0.34-0.71) and FHR (d = 0.24-0.81). Heterogeneity of effect sizes across studies was modest, increasing confidence to the findings of the current meta-analysis (I(2) = 0-0.18%). In both risk paradigms, co-occurrence of genetic risk with attenuated symptoms was associated with more severe cognitive dysfunction. In UHR, later transition to psychosis was associated with more severe cognitive deficits in all domains (d = 0.31-0.49) except sustained attention. However, cognitive impairment has a limited capacity to predict the outcome of high-risk patients.

CONCLUSION

Cognitive deficits are already evident in adolescents and young adults who have familial or clinical risk for psychosis. Longitudinal developmental studies are important to reveal timing and trajectory of emergence of such deficits.

HLA-G 3' untranslated region polymorphisms influence the susceptibility for human papillomavirus infection

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G molecule acts as a potential factor for the regulation of immune responses and its expression in virus-infected cells may enable them to escape immunosurveillance. Besides its polymorphic promoter region, the 3' untranslated region (UTR) seems to play an important role in regulating HLA-G expression. In this study, we investigated the influence of HLA-G 14 bp (rs66554220) and +3142 (rs1063320) polymorphisms in 179 women with active human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and 143 age-matched, unrelated, HPV-negative, normal Chinese Han population. Our findings showed that frequency of the allele +3142 C [31.3% vs 44.4%, odds ratio (OR) = 0.57, Pc < 0.01] and the genotype +3142 CC (10.6% vs 21.7%, OR = 0.43, Pc = 0.012) was significantly decreased in HPV infected patients compared with normal controls. Furthermore, the haplotype -14 bp/C was associated with a reduced risk for HPV infection (OR = 0.57, Pc = 0.001). Our findings also showed that HLA-G homozygous +14 bp/+14 bp genotype was significantly associated with an increased risk for HPV18 infection (OR = 12.95, P < 0.01), whereas HLA-G heterozygous +14 bp/-14 bp genotype increased risk for HPV58 (OR = 5.55, P < 0.05). Furthermore, frequency of the haplotype +14 bp/G was significantly increased in HPV18 infected patients (60.0% vs 27.3%, OR = 4.00, Pc < 0.05). Taken together, our results supported a role of the HLA-G 3' UTR polymorphisms as a susceptible factor for the active HPV infection, and suggested a possible interference of the HLA-G molecule in the response to virus infection.

Signaling in sperm: toward a molecular understanding of the acquisition of sperm motility in the mouse epididymis

Sperm motility encompasses a wide range of events involving epididymal maturation and activation of biochemical pathways, most notably cyclic AMP (cAMP)-protein kinase A (PKA) activation. Following the discovery of guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (RAPGEFs), also known as exchange proteins activated by cAMP, we investigated the separate roles of PKA and RAPGEFs in sperm motility. RT-PCR showed the presence of Rapgef3, Rapgef4, and Rapgef5, as well as several known RAPGEF partner mRNAs, in spermatogenic cells. However, Rapgef3 and Rapgef4 appeared to be less abundant in condensing spermatids versus pachytene spermatocytes. Similarly, many of these proteins were detected by immunoblotting. RAPGEF5 was detected in germ cells and murine epididymal sperm. Indirect immunofluorescence localized SGK1, SGK3, AKT1 pT(308), and RAPGEF5 to the acrosome, while PDPK1 was found in the postacrosomal region. SGK3 was present throughout the tail, while PDPK1 and AKT1 pT(308) were in the midpiece. When motility was assessed in demembranated cauda epididymal sperm, addition of ATP and the selective ligand for RAPGEFs, 8-pCPT-2'-O-Me-cAMP, resulted in motility, but the sperm were unable to undergo hyperactivated-like motility. In contrast, when demembranated cauda epididymal sperm were incubated with ATP plus dibutyryl cAMP, sperm became motile and progressed to hyperactivated-like motility. However, no significant difference was observed when intact sperm were examined. GSK3 phosphorylation was altered in the presence of H89, a PKA inhibitor. Significantly, intact caput epididymal sperm became motile when incubated in the presence of extracellular ATP. These results provide evidence for a new pathway involved in endowing sperm with the capacity to swim.

Neurocognitive predictors of transition to psychosis: medium- to long-term findings from a sample at ultra-high risk for psychosis

BACKGROUND

Individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis show reduced neurocognitive performance across domains but it is unclear which reductions are associated with transition to frank psychosis. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in baseline neurocognitive performance between UHR participants with (UHR-P) and without transition to psychosis (UHR-NP) and a healthy control (HC) group and examine neurocognitive predictors of transition over the medium to long term.

METHOD

A sample of 325 UHR participants recruited consecutively from the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) Clinic in Melbourne and 66 HCs completed a neurocognitive assessment at baseline. The UHR group was followed up between 2.39 and 14.86 (median = 6.45) years later. Cox regression was used to investigate candidate neurocognitive predictors of psychosis onset.

RESULTS

The UHR group performed more poorly than the HC group across a range of neurocognitive domains but only performance on digit symbol coding and picture completion differed between the groups. The risk of transition was only significantly associated with poorer performance on visual reproduction [hazard ratio (HR) 0.919, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.876-0.965, p = 0.001] and matrix reasoning (HR 0.938, 95% CI 0.883-0.996, p = 0.037). These remained significant even after controlling for psychopathology at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the longest follow-up of an UHR sample to date. UHR status was associated with poorer neurocognitive performance compared to HCs on some tasks. Cognition at identification as UHR was not a strong predictor of risk for transition to psychosis. The results suggests the need to include more experimental paradigms that isolate discrete cognitive processes to better understand neurocognition at this early stage of illness.

Optimisation of coronary angiography exposures requires a multifactorial approach and careful procedural definition

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the factors associated with higher doses for both single-plane and biplane procedures and establishes centre-specific 75th percentile levels.

METHODS

602 patients undergoing coronary angiography in a large hospital at Sydney were recruited to the study, and causal agents for high radiation doses were investigated: gender, procedural complexity, severity of coronary artery disease, presence of coronary bypass grafts, entry approach (radial or femoral), level of operator experience; and a single-plane or a biplane imaging system was employed.

RESULTS

The 75th percentile levels were calculated. The results demonstrated that, for both systems, higher exposures were associated with patients who were male (p<0.001), had coronary vessel disease (p<0.001) and had a history of coronary bypass grafts (p<0.001). In addition, for biplane systems, procedural complexity (p<0.001), types of entry approach (p<0.001) and levels of operator experience (p<0.001) significantly impacted upon the dose. Biplane examinations recorded higher doses than single-plane procedures (p<0.001) and the inclusion of left-sided ventriculography contributed to the overall dose by up to 10%.

CONCLUSION

The 75th percentile levels in this study represent the tentative reference levels and are 48.9, 44.2 and 56 Gy cm(2) for all exposures, single-plane- and biplane-specific exposures, respectively, and compare favourably with the diagnostic reference level values established elsewhere internationally, with only the UK and Irish data being lower.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Specific agents have been identified for dose-reducing strategies and the importance of operator training is highlighted. The assumption that biplane procedures may reduce the patient dose should be treated with caution.