Reactivation of the Epstein-Barr virus from viral latency by an S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase/14-3-3 zeta/PLA2-dependent pathway

Mitochondria and immunity in chronic fatigue syndrome

It is widely accepted that the pathophysiology and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) could be considerably improved. The heterogeneity of ME/CFS and the confusion over its classification have undoubtedly contributed to this, although this would seem a consequence of the complexity of the array of ME/CFS presentations and high levels of diverse comorbidities. This article reviews the biological underpinnings of ME/CFS presentations, including the interacting roles of the gut microbiome/permeability, endogenous opioidergic system, immune cell mitochondria, autonomic nervous system, microRNA-155, viral infection/re-awakening and leptin as well as melatonin and the circadian rhythm. This details not only relevant pathophysiological processes and treatment options, but also highlights future research directions. Due to the complexity of interacting systems in ME/CFS pathophysiology, clarification as to its biological underpinnings is likely to considerably contribute to the understanding and treatment of other complex and poorly managed conditions, including fibromyalgia, depression, migraine, and dementia. The gut and immune cell mitochondria are proposed to be two important hubs that interact with the circadian rhythm in driving ME/CFS pathophysiology.

The biography of the immune system and the control of cancer: from St Peregrine to contemporary vaccination strategies

BACKGROUND

The historical basis and contemporary evidence for the use of immune strategies for prevention of malignancies are reviewed. Emphasis is focussed on the Febrile Infections and Melanoma (FEBIM) study on melanoma and on malignancies that seem to be related to an overexpression of human endogenous retrovirus K (HERV-K).

DISCUSSION

It is claimed that, as a result of recent observational studies, measures for prevention of some malignancies such as melanoma and certain forms of leukaemia are already at hand: vaccination with Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) of new-borns and vaccination with the yellow fever 17D (YFV) vaccine of adults. While the evidence of their benefit for prevention of malignancies requires substantiation, the observations that vaccinations with BCG and/or vaccinia early in life improved the outcome of patients after surgical therapy of melanoma are of practical relevance as the survival advantage conferred by prior vaccination is greater than any contemporary adjuvant therapy.

SUMMARY

The reviewed findings open a debate as to whether controlled vaccination studies should be conducted in patients and/or regions for whom/where they are needed most urgently. A study proposal is made and discussed. If protection is confirmed, the development of novel recombinant vaccines with wider ranges of protection based, most likely, on BCG, YFV or vaccinia, could be attempted.

Is a hypothetical melanoma-like neuromelanin the underlying factor essential for the aetiopathogenesis and clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis?

Background

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has undergone a significant increase in incidence in the industrialised nations over the last 130 years. Changing environmental factors, possibly infections or a lack of or altered timing of them, determine the prevalence of the disease. Although a plethora of aetiological factors, clearly evident in a group of children with MS, appear relevant, there may nevertheless be a single factor essential for the aetiopathogenesis and clinical manifestation of MS.

Description and discussion

This hitherto unknown factor is postulated to be a ‘melanoma-like neuromelanin’ (MLN) dependent on the activation of a gene for syncytin-1. An involvement of MLN could explain the diverse findings in the epidemiology, immunology and pathology of MS, requiring a consideration of a complex infectious background, the human leucocyte antigens, as well as cosmic radiation causing geomagnetic disturbances, vitamin D deficiency, smoking, and lower levels of uric acid.

Summary

In principle, the MLN-based concept is a unifying one, capable of explaining a number of characteristics of the disease. To date, MLN has not been addressed in studies on MS and future work will need to be done on human patients, as there is little or no neuromelanin (the precursor of MLN) in the animals used as experimental models in the study of MS.

Glial cell type-specific subcellular localization of 14-3-3 zeta: an implication for JCV tropism

14-3-3 Isoforms are shown to be upregulated or accumulated in the glial cells of autopsied patient brains affected with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a demylinating disease caused by JC virus (JCV). The possible involvement of 14-3-3 in JCV tropism, however, has never been examined. To investigate a potential relationship between 14-3-3 isoforms and JCV in vitro, we examined the localization of six 14-3-3 isoforms in human neural progenitors and progenitor-derived astrocytes (PDAs) in cells without JCV exposure. The 14-3-3 zeta isoform was initially localized in the progenitor cytoplasm. When differentiation of progenitors into PDAs was induced, the zeta isoform was translocated into the nucleus. However, upon JCV infection, progenitor cells exhibited an uncharacteristic 14-3-3 zeta nuclear presence in the few cells that became infected. JCV-treated PDAs showed elevated levels of 14-3-3 zeta compared with noninfected PDAs. Treatment with TGF-beta1, a known stimulant of JCV multiplication, increased the overall number of infected cells and the otherwise absent nuclear presence of 14-3-3 zeta in progenitors. These results suggest that the nuclear presence of 14-3-3 zeta may play a role in JCV infection, and that the isoform may in part determine JCV susceptibility in these cell types.