Interleukin-37 ameliorates myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury in mice

Innate immune and inflammatory responses are involved in myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Interleukin (IL)-37 is a newly identified member of the IL-1 family, and functions as a fundamental inhibitor of innate immunity and inflammation. However, its role in myocardial I/R injury remains unknown. I/R or sham operations were performed on male C57BL/6J mice. I/R mice received an injection of recombinant human IL-37 or vehicle, immediately before reperfusion. Compared with vehicle treatment, mice treated with IL-37 showed an obvious amelioration of the I/R injury, as demonstrated by reduced infarct size, decreased cardiac troponin T level and improved cardiac function. This protective effect was associated with the ability of IL-37 to suppress production of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines and neutrophil infiltration, which together contributed to a decrease in cardiomyocyte apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. In addition, we found that IL-37 inhibited the up-regulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 expression and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) activation after I/R, while increasing the anti-inflammatory IL-10 level. Moreover, the administration of anti-IL-10R antibody abolished the protective effects of IL-37 in I/R injury. In-vitro experiments further demonstrated that IL-37 protected cardiomyocytes from apoptosis under I/R condition, and suppressed the migration ability of neutrophils towards the chemokine LIX. In conclusion, IL-37 plays a protective role against mouse myocardial I/R injury, offering a promising therapeutic medium for myocardial I/R injury.

Motor cortex glutathione deficit in ALS measured in vivo with the J-editing technique

This study compared in vivo levels of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH) in the motor cortex of 11 ALS patients with those in 11 age-matched healthy volunteers (HV). Using the standard J-edited spin-echo difference MRS technique, GSH spectra were recorded on a 3.0 T GE MR system from a single precentral gyrus voxel. GSH levels expressed as ratios to the unsuppressed voxel tissue water (W) were 31% lower in ALS patients than in HV (p=.005), and 36% lower in ALS than in HV (p=.02) when expressed as ratios to the total creatine peak (tCr), supporting a role for oxidative stress in ALS. Levels of the putative neuronal marker N-acetylaspartate (NAA) relative to W did not differ between ALS and HV (p=.26), but were lower by 9% in ALS than in HV (p=.013) when expressed as ratios relative to tCr. This discrepancy is attributed to small but opposite changes in NAA and tCr in ALS that, as a ratio, resulted in a statistically significant group difference, further suggesting caution in using tCr as an internal reference under pathological conditions.

An anti-leishmanial thiadiazine agent induces multiple myeloma cell apoptosis by suppressing the nuclear factor kappaB signalling pathway

Background:

Nuclear factor κB (NFκB) has a critical role in the pathophysiology of multiple myeloma. Targeting NFκB is an important strategy for anti-myeloma drug discovery.

Methods:

Luciferase assay was used to evaluate the effects of DETT on NFκB activity. Annexin V–PI double staining and immunoblotting were used to evaluate DETT-induced cell apoptosis and suppression of NFκB signalling. Anti-myeloma activity was studied in nude mice.

Results:

DETT downregulated IKKα, β, p65, and p50 expression and inhibited phosphorylation of p65 (Ser536) and IκBα. Simultaneously, DETT increased IκBα, an inhibitor of the p65/p50 heterodimer, even in the presence of stimulants lipopolysaccharide, tumour necrosis factor-α, or interleukin-6. DETT inhibited NFκB transcription activity and downregulated NFκB-targeted genes, including Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, and XIAP as measured by their protein expression. Deregulation of NFκB signalling by DETT resulted in MM cell apoptosis characterised by cleavage of caspase-3, caspase-8, and PARP. Notably, this apoptosis was partly blocked by the activation of NFκB signalling in the presence of TNFα and IL-6. Moreover, DETT delayed myeloma tumour growth in nude mice without overt toxicity.

Conclusion:

DETT displays a promising potential for MM therapy as an inhibitor of the NFκB signalling pathway.

Selective neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells induced by nanosecond microplasma agitation

An essential step for therapeutic and research applications of stem cells is their ability to differentiate into specific cell types. Neuronal cells are of great interest for medical treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and traumatic injuries of central nervous system (CNS), but efforts to produce these cells have been met with only modest success. In an attempt of finding new approaches, atmospheric-pressure room-temperature microplasma jets (MPJs) are shown to effectively direct in vitro differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) predominantly into neuronal lineage. Murine neural stem cells (C17.2-NSCs) treated with MPJs exhibit rapid proliferation and differentiation with longer neurites and cell bodies eventually forming neuronal networks. MPJs regulate ~75% of NSCs to differentiate into neurons, which is a higher efficiency compared to common protein- and growth factors-based differentiation. NSCs exposure to quantized and transient (~150 ns) micro-plasma bullets up-regulates expression of different cell lineage markers as β-Tubulin III (for neurons) and O4 (for oligodendrocytes), while the expression of GFAP (for astrocytes) remains unchanged, as evidenced by quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence microscopy and Western Blot assay. It is shown that the plasma-increased nitric oxide (NO) production is a factor in the fate choice and differentiation of NSCs followed by axonal growth. The differentiated NSC cells matured and produced mostly cholinergic and motor neuronal progeny. It is also demonstrated that exposure of primary rat NSCs to the microplasma leads to quite similar differentiation effects. This suggests that the observed effect may potentially be generic and applicable to other types of neural progenitor cells. The application of this new in vitro strategy to selectively differentiate NSCs into neurons represents a step towards reproducible and efficient production of the desired NSC derivatives.

Preparation and Characterization of Bamboo Fibers Coated with Titanium Urushiol and its Composite Materials with Polypropylene

Bamboo fibers (BFs) coated with titanium urushiol (BFTiU) was prepared by in situ reaction. Effects of activation time, urushiol concentration, reaction time and butyl titanate concentration etc on the coating ratio of BFTiU were investigated. On the other hand, the BFTiU was characterized by FTIR measurements, scanning electron microscope, thermo gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The results showed that titanium urushiol compound was coated on the BFs by coordination reaction and the coating ratio of BFTiU reached 35% at the optimal preparation condition. It also could be found that BFTiU possessed better heat resistant properties than BFs. Due to titanium urushiol coated on BFs, the elongation at break, the maximum deflection and the bending strength of BFTiU/PP composites were 33%, 30 % and 10% higher than those of BP/PP composites respectively. Particularly, the tensile strength of BFTiU/PP composites was better than that of BP/PP composites at the presence of 70% BFTiU.

The expression of 11β-HSDs, GR, and H6PDH in subcutaneous adipose tissue from polycystic ovary syndrome subjects

The aim of the work was to investigate the expression of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11β-HSD) type 1 and 2, hexose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH), and glucocorticoids receptor (GR) mRNA in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from obese women with or without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and the association between their expression and the adipocytokines' concentration. Sixteen women with PCOS (group P) and 18 age- and BMI-matched control women (group C) were enrolled for the study. Subcutaneous adipose tissue was collected from the abdomen. The genes' expression was detected by real-time PCR, and the adipocytokines' concentration was measured by ELISA. Peripheral insulin sensitivity was assessed by homeostatic assessment model of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). β-cell function was assessed by homeostasis model assessment of β-cell function (HOMA-IS). The expression of 11β-HSD1 mRNA was significantly higher in PCOS subjects (p<0.05) than controls; there was no difference for the expression of 11β-HSD2, GR, and H6PDH mRNA between the 2 groups. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that the mRNA level of 11β-HSD1 was positively correlated to the concentration of the serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Expression of 11β-HSD1 mRNA was increased in the SAT from the women with PCOS, which may contribute to the increased local active glucocorticoids (cortisol), and subsequently affects the secretion of the local adipose tissue.

Antidepressant drug, desipramine, alleviates allergic rhinitis by regulating Treg and Th17 cells

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is characterized by IgE-mediated immediate hypersensitivity and usually progresses to chronic nasal inflammation, with depression as one of its comorbidities. The importance of treating the depression in AR patients has been increasingly recognized. Desipramine is a representative of tricyclic-antidepressant agents. In the present study we investigate whether desipramine has therapeutic effects on AR inflammation. BALB/C mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injection of ovalbumin (OVA), followed by repeated challenge with OVA intranasally. Desipramine was administered orally to treat the mice. The nasal symptoms (sneezing, nasal scratching etc.) of AR were evaluated to determine the severity of AR. Cytokines in the nasal lavage fluid (NALF), including interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin 4 (IL-4) and serum OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody were measured by ELISA. The regulatory T cells (Treg) and T helper cells 17 (Th17) were quantified by flow cytometric analysis. As a result, the repeated oral administration of desipramine attenuated the nasal symptoms (sneezing and nasal rubbing) in AR mice. Desipramine also suppressed the serum OVA-specific IgE and IL-4 levels, but had no effect on IFN-gamma level. Moreover, desipramine treatment up regulated CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells, which were found down-regulated in established AR mice. Meanwhile, desipramine administration attenuated CD4+IL-17+ Th17 cells, which were significantly increased in AR mice. These results suggest that the antidepressant drug, desipramine, also has anti-allergic action, which was possibly achieved by reducing allergen-specific IgE and Th2 cytokine production and maintaining a balance between Treg and Th17 cells. Thus, this study provide the first evidence that desipramine may be utilized to treat allergic diseases, especially for those allergic patients with depression or depression patients with allergy.

Analysis of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) G894T polymorphism and semen parameters in a Chinese Han population

Previous studies have shown that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) gene may be involved in abnormal semen parameters. However, the relationship between eNOS G894T polymorphism and semen parameters remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of eNOS G894T polymorphism and semen parameters. The genotype frequency of eNOS G894T was determined in 270 idiopathic asthenozoospermia patients and 248 ethnically matched healthy volunteers using iPLEX genotyping assays on a MassARRAY(®) (Sequenom, San Diego, CA, USA) platform. The statistical analysis performed with Fisher's exact test showed no significant difference in frequencies of genotypes between both groups. The logistic regression showed that genotypes GT, TT and allele T were nonassociated with increased risk of asthenozoospermia in the patient group with ≤5% or >5% sperm with normal forms. The dependence on genotypes of semen parameters was further investigated in both patients and control group. There was no significant difference as compared to control group (P > 0.05). Our study indicated that eNOS gene G894T polymorphism may not have an adverse effect on semen parameters in a Chinese Han population.

The alterations of Ca2+/calmodulin/CaMKII/CaV1.2 signaling in experimental models of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia

The two critical forms of dementia are Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD). The alterations of Ca(2+)/calmodulin/CaMKII/CaV1.2 signaling in AD and VD have not been well elucidated. Here we have demonstrated changes in the levels of CaV1.2, calmodulin, p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF proteins by Western blot analysis and the co-localization of p-CaMKII/CaV1.2 by double-labeling immunofluorescence in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 mice and VD gerbils. Additionally, expression of these proteins and intracellular calcium levels were examined in cultured neurons treated with Aβ1-42. The expression of CaV1.2 protein was increased in VD gerbils and in cultured neurons but decreased in APP/PS1 mice; the expression of calmodulin protein was increased in APP/PS1 mice and VD gerbils; levels of p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF proteins were decreased in AD and VD models. The number of neurons in which p-CaMKII and CaV1.2 were co-localized, was decreased in the CA1 and CA3 regions in two models. Intracellular calcium was increased in the cultured neurons treated with Aβ1-42. Collectively, our results suggest that the alterations in CaV1.2, calmodulin, p-CaMKII, p-CREB and BDNF can be reflective of an involvement in the impairment in memory and cognition in AD and VD models.

[The value of detecting telomerase activity on early diagnosis of lung cancer]

BACKGROUND

To explore the possibility of telomerase as tumor marker of lung cancer and to evaluate its value on early diagnosis of lung cancer.

METHODS

Telomerase activity was measured in 40 resected specimens of lung cancer and 40 preoperative fibro-optic bronchoscope biopsied specimens of suspected lung cancer by PCR based silver staining telomeric repeat amplification protocal (TRAP) respectively.

RESULTS

The positive rate of telomerase was 100% in SCLC, but 84.8% in resected samples and 95.7% in biopsied samples in NSCLC. The positive rate of telomerase was 87.5%(35/40) in resected lung cancer tissues, 7.5%(3/40) in paracancerous tissues and 0%(0/40) in normal lung tissues (P<0.01). 82.5% (34/40) biopsied specimens of suspected lung cancer were detected with telomerase activity. Its sensitivity, specificity, and accurate rate was 96.4%, 71.4%, and 91.4% respectively for detection of lung cancer, Youden's Index (J)=0.678,and SE(J)=0.174.

CONCLUSIONS

Telomerase may be a sensitive tumor marker of lung cancer. Detecting telomerase activity in preoperative fibro-optic bronchoscope biopsied specimens may contribute to early diagnosis of lung cancer.

Novel PRRT2 mutations in paroxysmal dyskinesia patients with variant inheritance and phenotypes

Paroxysmal dyskinesias (PDs) are a group of episodic movement disorders with marked variability in clinical manifestation and potential association with epilepsy. PRRT2 has been identified as a causative gene for PDs, but the phenotypes and inheritance patterns of PRRT2 mutations need further clarification. In this study, 10 familial and 21 sporadic cases with PDs and PDs-related phenotypes were collected. Genomic DNA was screened for PRRT2 mutations by direct sequencing. Seven PRRT2 mutations were identified in nine (90.0%) familial cases and in six (28.6%) sporadic cases. Five mutations are novel: two missense mutations (c.647C>G/p.Pro216Arg and c.872C>T/p.Ala291Val) and three truncating mutations (c.117delA/p.Val41TyrfsX49, c.510dupT/p.Leu171SerfsX3 and c.579dupA/p.Glu194ArgfsX6). Autosomal dominant inheritance with incomplete penetrance was observed in most of the familial cases. In the sporadic cases, inheritance was heterogeneous including recessive inheritance with compound heterozygous mutations, inherited mutations with incomplete parental penetrance and de novo mutation. Variant phenotypes associated with PRRT2 mutations, found in 36.0% of the affected cases, included febrile convulsions, epilepsy, infantile non-convulsive seizures (INCS) and nocturnal convulsions (NC). All patients with INCS or NC, not reported previously, displayed abnormalities on electroencephalogram (EEG). No EEG abnormalities were recorded in patients with classical infantile convulsions and paroxysmal choreoathetosis (ICCA)/paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD). Our study further confirms that PRRT2 mutations are the most common cause of familial PDs, displaying both dominant and recessive inheritance. Epilepsy may occasionally occur in ICCA/PKD patients with PRRT2 mutations. Variant phenotypes INCS or NC differ from classical ICCA/PKD clinically and electroencephalographically. They have some similarities with, but not identical to epilepsy, possibly represent an overlap between ICCA/PKD and epilepsy.

Delayed administration of a PTEN inhibitor BPV improves functional recovery after experimental stroke

Phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) inhibitors administered prior to or immediately after experimental stroke confer acute neuroprotection. However, it remains unclear if delayed treatment with a PTEN inhibitor improves long-term functional recovery after stroke. We addressed the issue in this study. Adult male mice were subjected to 1h of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by treatment with a well-established PTEN inhibitor BPV or saline daily for 14 days, starting at 24h after MCAO. Functional recovery was assessed with behavioral tests and acute infarct volumes were analyzed histologically. Delayed BPV treatment did not reduce infarction during the acute phase, but significantly improved long-term functional recovery after MCAO. Since PTEN is a critical intrinsic inhibitory factor in axonal regeneration, we further examined BPV effects on axonal densities following MCAO using bielschowsky silver staining and immunohistochemistry with antibodies against myelin basic protein. Delayed BPV treatment significantly increased axon densities in the ischemic brain at 14 days after MCAO. Moreover, PTEN expression persistently remained high in the ischemic brain over 14 days after MCAO, and BPV treatment increased post-ischemic activation of Akt and mTOR in the ischemic brain. Akt and mTOR activation are the well-established cascades downstream to PTEN inhibition and have been shown to contribute to post-injury axonal regrowth in response to PTEN inhibition. Consistently, in an in vitro neuronal ischemia model, BPV enhanced axonal outgrowth of primary cortical neurons after oxygen-glucose deprivation and the enhancing effects were abolished by Akt/mTOR inhibition. In conclusion, delayed BPV treatment improved functional recovery from experimental stroke possibly via enhancing axonal growth and Akt/mTOR activation contributed to BPV-enhanced post-stroke axon growth.

Distinct charge orders in the planes and chains of ortho-III-ordered YBa2Cu3O(6+δ) superconductors identified by resonant elastic x-ray scattering

Recently, charge density wave (CDW) order in the CuO(2) planes of underdoped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+δ) was detected using resonant soft x-ray scattering. An important question remains: is the chain layer responsible for this charge ordering? Here, we explore the energy and polarization dependence of the resonant scattering intensity in a detwinned sample of YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.75) with ortho-III oxygen ordering in the chain layer. We show that the ortho-III CDW order in the chains is distinct from the CDW order in the planes. The ortho-III structure gives rise to a commensurate superlattice reflection at Q=[0.33 0 L] whose energy and polarization dependence agrees with expectations for oxygen ordering and a spatial modulation of the Cu valence in the chains. Incommensurate peaks at [0.30 0 L] and [0 0.30 L] from the CDW order in the planes are shown to be distinct in Q as well as their temperature, energy, and polarization dependence, and are thus unrelated to the structure of the chain layer. Moreover, the energy dependence of the CDW order in the planes is shown to result from a spatial modulation of energies of the Cu 2p to 3d(x(2)-y(2)) transition, similar to stripe-ordered 214 cuprates.

Assessment of disease severity in late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis using multiparametric MR imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

LINCL is a uniformly fatal lysosomal storage disease resulting from mutations in the CLN2 gene that encodes for tripeptidyl peptidase 1, a lysosomal enzyme necessary for the degradation of products of cellular metabolism. With the goal of developing quantitative noninvasive imaging biomarkers sensitive to disease progression, we evaluated a 5-component MR imaging metric and tested its correlation with a clinically derived disease-severity score.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

MR imaging parameters were measured across the brain, including quantitative measures of the ADC, FA, nuclear spin-spin relaxation times (T2), volume percentage of CSF (%CSF), and NAA/Cr ratios. Thirty MR imaging datasets were prospectively acquired from 23 subjects with LINCL (2.5-8.4 years of age; 8 male/15 female). Whole-brain histograms were created, and the mode and mean values of the histograms were used to characterize disease severity.

RESULTS

Correlation of single MR imaging parameters against the clinical disease-severity scale yielded linear regressions with R2 ranging from 0.25 to 0.70. Combinations of the 5 biomarkers were evaluated by using PCA. The best combination included ADC, %CSF, and NAA/Cr (R2=0.76, P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The multiparametric disease-severity score obtained from the combination of ADC, %CSF, and NAA/Cr whole-brain MR imaging techniques provided a robust measure of disease severity, which may be useful in clinical therapeutic trials of LINCL in which an objective assessment of therapeutic response is desired.

Gemcitabine adsorbed onto carbon particles increases drug concentrations at the injection site and in the regional lymph nodes in an animal experiment and a clinical study

This study investigated whether gemcitabine, adsorbed onto activated carbon particles (GEM-AC), increased the concentration of gemcitabine at the injection site and in the regional lymph nodes in an experimental animal model and a clinical study. The adsorption isotherm for GEM-AC was defined, and the concentration and distribution of gemcitabine in rats (n = 50) and in patients with pancreatic cancer (n = 8) was investigated. Drug concentrations in plasma, tumour samples, lymph nodes and at the injection site were measured after GEM-AC or gemcitabine solution (GEM-Sol) were subcutaneously injected into the left hind foot pad in rats, or into pancreatic tumours in patients. These experiments showed that GEM-AC was selectively delivered to the regional lymph nodes and the injection site, from which it slowly released greater amounts of gemcitabine to maintain the free concentration of gemcitabine at a relatively high level for a long period of time. The administration of GEM-AC might enhance the anticancer effects of gemcitabine.

Metabolic response of glioblastoma to superselective intra-arterial cerebral infusion of bevacizumab: a proton MR spectroscopic imaging study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

SIACI of bevacizumab has emerged as a promising novel therapy in the treatment of recurrent GB. This study assessed the potential of (1)H-MRS as an adjunctive technique in detecting metabolic changes reflective of antiproliferative effects of targeted infusion of bevacizumab in the treatment of GB.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eighteen patients enrolled in a phase I/II study of SIACI of bevacizumab for treatment of recurrent GB were included. Concurrent MR imaging and (1)H-MRS scans were performed before and after treatment. Five distinct morphologic ROIs were evaluated for structural and metabolic changes on MR imaging and (1)H-MRS, which included enhancing, nonenhancing T2 hyperintense signal abnormality, and multiple control regions. Pre- and post-SIACI of bevacizumab peak areas for NAA, tCho, tCr, as well as tCho/tCr and tCho/NAA ratios, were derived for all 5 ROIs and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

RESULTS

A significant median decrease of 25.99% (range -55.76 to 123.94; P = .006) in tCho/NAA was found post-SIACI of bevacizumab relative to pretreatment values in regions of enhancing disease. A trend-level significant median decrease of 6.45% (range -23.71 to 37.67; P = .06) was noted in tCho/NAA posttreatment in regions of nonenhancing T2-hyperintense signal abnormality.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this (1)H-MRS analysis suggest that GB treatment with SIACI of bevacizumab may be associated with a direct antiproliferative effect, as demonstrated by significant reductions of tCho/NAA after the intervention.

Abstract 4858: Identification of ZDHHC14 as a novel tumor suppressor gene commonly downregulated in human cancers

Tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) play critical roles in preventing tumorigenesis and they are frequently inactivated in tumours. Recently developed high-density microarrays can detect subchromosomal deletions, recurrence of which usually indicates the location of TSGs within the deleted region. We analyzed testicular germ cell tumour (TGCT) clinical samples using SNP arrays and found a frequent small deletion on the region 6q25.3 containing only one known gene, ZDHHC14. While its cellular function is unknown, ZDHHC14 belongs to the recently discovered DHHC family, which are predicted to be involved in protein palmitoylation, a reversible lipid modification that regulates membrane tethering for key proteins in cell signaling, cancer, neuronal transmission, and membrane trafficking. Consistently, we found a dramatic under-expression of ZDHHC14 mRNA and protein in TGCTs, and this associated with chemoresistance. Oncomine database mining showed that ZDHHC14 is also under-expressed in lymphoma, liposarcoma, brain, kidney, lung and colorectal cancers. Thus, it appears that ZDHHC14 downregulation may be involved in other cancers. We studied ZDHHC14 expression in prostate cancer (PCa), detecting a decrease at mRNA and protein level. We also detected that ZDHHC14 mRNA was downregulated in a pilot study on breast cancer samples. As genomic loss of the ZDHHC14 region was only detected in a small number of PCa samples, we checked whether promoter hypermethylation was the cause for ZDHHC14 downregulation. However, no changes in methylation status were found. We then sequenced the whole genomic region surrounding ZDHHC14 by next generation sequencing in TGCTs and PCa and found several mutations in the promoter, the coding region, as well as in intronic regions. Finally, we tested the function of ZDHHC14 in cell-based studies. We generated a 293 T-REx tetracycline inducible ZDHHC14 overexpressing stable cell line, which showed that ZDHHC14 overexpression decreased cell viability. The induction of apoptosis by ZDHHC14 overexpression was detected both by FACS and caspase 7 and PARP cleavage analyses. This was confirmed by transient ZDHHC14 overexpression in the PCa cell line 22RV1. In vivo we xenografted mice using both tetracycline inducible ZDHHC14 overexpressing 293 T-REx cells and control cells transfected with the empty vector. ZDHHC14 expression was induced by tetracycline at the beginning of inoculation and we detected that ZDHHC14 overexpression blocked tumour initiation completely. In conclusion, these results implicate ZDHHC14 as a tumour suppressor gene commonly inactivated in human cancers, indicating that it might exert its tumor suppressor role through the induction of programmed cell death. This is the first study showing the involvement of ZDHHC14 in a specific pathway, the classic caspase-dependent apoptosis.

Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4858. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4858

Association of angiotensin I converting enzyme, angiotensin II type 1 receptor and angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 gene polymorphisms with the dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetic patients of Chinese Han origin

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the genetic polymorphisms in the angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) (insertion/ deletion, or I/D), angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) (rs5186), and ACE2 (rs2285666) could be associated with dyslipidemia in Type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients of Chinese Han origin.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The above 3 polymorphisms were genotyped in a total of 282 patients with T2D and dyslipidemia (Group A), 182 patients with T2D but without dyslipidemia (Group B), and 324 healthy controls. The association between a certain polymorphism and each group was assessed by an odds ratio (OR).

RESULTS

The D allele of the ACE (I/D) was significantly associated with the risk of T2D accompanying dyslipidemia between group A and controls [OR=1.37, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08-1.74; p=0.010], and significant association of the D allele with dyslipidemia was also observed in diabetic patients (OR=1.88, 95% CI=1.40-2.54; p<0.001). Furthermore, the ID genotype had a decreased risk of developing T2D without dyslipidemia as compared with controls (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.32-0.82; p=0.0060). The distributions of the AT1R (rs5186) and ACE2 (rs2285666) genotypes and alleles did not differ between T2D patients with or without dyslipidemia and the controls.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that the ACE (I/D) polymorphism is associated with T2D, regardless of the absence or presence of dyslipidemia. The polymorphisms in the AT1R (rs5186) and ACE2 (rs2285666) seem to play lesser roles in the development of T2D.

Altered expression of GABAA receptors (α4, γ2 subunit), potassium chloride cotransporter 2 and astrogliosis in tremor rat hippocampus

Impaired GABAergic inhibitory neurotransmission plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. GABA(A) receptor (GABA(A)R), potassium chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2) and astrocytes are of particular importance to GABAergic transmission and thus involved in the development of increased seizure susceptibility. The tremor rat (TRM: tm/tm), a genetic mutant discovered in a Kyoto-Wistar colony, can manifest both absence-like seizures and tonic convulsions without any external stimuli. So far, there are no reports that can elucidate the effects of GABA(A)R (α4, γ2 subunit), KCC2 and astrocytes on TRMs. The present study was undertaken to detect the expressions of GABA(A)R α4, GABA(A)R γ2 and KCC2 in TRMs hippocampus at mRNA and protein levels. In this work, mRNA and protein expressions of GABA(A)R α4 were significantly elevated while GABA(A)R γ2 and KCC2 were both evidently decreased in TRMs hippocampus by real-time RT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Furthermore, a dramatic elevation of KCC2 protein level was found after cerebroventricular injection with K252a to TRMs than that in the DMSO-treated TRMs. Besides, our present study also demonstrated that GFAP (a major component of astrocyte) immunoreactivity was much more intense in TRMs hippocampal CA1, CA3 and DG regions than that in control group with immnohistochemistry and confocal microscopic analyses. The protein expression of GFAP was also markedly elevated in TRMs hippocampus, suggesting that astrogliosis appeared in the TRM model. These data demonstrate that altered expressions of GABA(A)R (α4, γ2) and KCC2 and astrogliosis observed in TRMs hippocampus may provide us good therapeutic targets for the treatment of genetic epilepsy.