Translational initiation regulated by ATM in dendritic cells development

Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) protein has been implicated in multiple pathways such as DNA repair, cell cycle checkpoint, cell growth, development, and stem cell renewal. In this study, we demonstrate evidence that ATM is involved in granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-induced dendritic cell (DC) development from bone marrow (BM) cells. Inactivation of ATM protein results in decreased BM proliferation, leading to reduced DC development and their activity for T cell activation. Expression of Jak2, STAT5, and mTOR is suppressed in both wild-type and ATM-null BM prior to GM-CSF stimulation. Activation of those proteins is delayed and prolonged hypophosphorylation of 4EBP1 is observed in ATM-null BM when treated with GM-CSF, although Erk and p38 are similarly expressed and activated in both wild-type and ATM-null BM cell types. Akt is also suppressed in wild-type BM, and transduction of constitutively active Akt or STAT5 in ATM-null BM restores DC development. Together, these results illustrate that ATM deficiency causes impaired initiation of protein translation in BM, leading to immature development of DC.

Exploring the Possibility of Information Sharing between the Medical and Nursing Domains by Mapping Medical Records to SNOMED CT and ICNP

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to explore possibility of information sharing between the medical and nursing domains.

Methods

Narrative medical records of 281 hospitalization days of 36 gastrectomy patients were decomposed into single-meaning statements. These single-meaning statements were combined into unique statements by removing semantically redundant statements. Concepts from the statements describing patients' problem and medical procedures were mapped to Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) and International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP) concepts.

Results

A total 4,717 single-meaning statements were collected and these single-meaning statements were combined into 858 unique statements. Out of 677 unique statements describing patients' problems and medical procedures, about 85.5% statements were fully mapped to SNOMED CT. The remaining statements were partially mapped. In the mapping to the ICNP concepts, 17.4% of unique statements were fully mapped, 62.8% were partially mapped, and 19.8% were not mapped. About 32.3% of 705 concepts extracted from the statements were mapped to both SNOMED CT and ICNP concepts.

Conclusions

These mapping results suggest that physicians' narrative medical records can be structured and can be used for electronic medical record system, and also it is possible for medicine and nursing to share patient care information.

Mapping medical records of gastrectomy patients to SNOMED CT

The purpose of this study is to explore the ability of SNOMED CT to represent narrative statements of medical records. Narrative medical records of 281 hospitalization days of 36 patients with Gastrectomy were decomposed into single-meaning statements, and these single-meaning statements were combined into unique statements by removing semantically redundant statements. Concepts from the statements describing patients' problems and treatments were mapped to SNOMED CT concepts. A total 4717 single-meaning statements were collected and these single-meaning statements were combined into 858 unique statements. Out of 677 unique statements describing patients' problems and treatments, about 85.5% statements were fully mapped to SNOMED CT. The rest of the statements were partially mapped. This mapping result implies that physicians' narrative medical records can be structured and used for an electronic medical record system.

IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha posttranscriptionally down-regulate the IL-4-induced IL-4 receptor gene expression

As Th1 and Th2 cytokines, IFN-gamma/alpha and IL-4 counterregulate diverse immune functions. In particular, IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha have been reported to markedly suppress the IL-4-induced IgE production and type II IgE receptor (FcepsilonRII/CD23) expression. Because modulation of IL-4R may be an important mechanism in the regulation of IL-4 response, we have investigated the effect of IFN-gamma/alpha on IL-4R expression and signal transduction mechanisms involved in this process. In human mononuclear cells and B cells isolated from tonsil or peripheral blood, IL-4 up-regulates IL-4R(alpha) expression at surface protein and mRNA levels, and the IL-4-induced IL-4R(alpha) is significantly down-regulated by both IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha to a similar extent. The inhibitory effects of IFN-gamma/alpha on the IL-4R mRNA expression require a lag period of about 8 h, and are sensitive to cycloheximide treatment, which suggests that the suppressive effect of IFNs on IL-4R gene expression is a secondary response requiring de novo synthesis of IFN-induced factors. Under such conditions that the inhibitory effects of IFNs are observed, IFNs do not affect the IL-4-induced STAT6 activation and IL-4R transcription, as analyzed by EMSA and nuclear run-on assays, respectively. Subsequently, mRNA stability studies have indicated that the action of IFN-gamma/alpha is primarily mediated by an accelerated decay of IL-4-induced IL-4R mRNA. Thus, it appears that, as already shown in the case of the IL-4-induced FcepsilonRII regulation, posttranscriptional inhibition of IL-4-inducible genes by mRNA destabilization is a common mechanism by which type I and II IFNs antagonize the IL-4 response in human immune cells.

Interferon-gamma-induced factor binding to the interleukin-4-responsive element of CD23b promoter in human tonsillar mononuclear cells: role in transient up-regulation of the interleukin-4-induced CD23b mRNA

Stimulation of human tonsillar mononuclear cells with interleukin-4 (IL-4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) rapidly induced the activation of distinct nuclear factors with different mobilities, both of which bind the IL-4 response element (IL-4RE) of CD23b promoter as examined by electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). Co-treatment of IL-4 and IFN-gamma induced, in addition to the two distinct complexes, a new complex with an intermediate mobility. The IL-4-induced complex reacted with anti-STAT (signal transducers and activators of transcription) 6, resulting in a supershift whereas the formation of the IFN-gamma-induced complex was inhibited by anti-STAT 1. The intermediate complex appeared to react with both anti-STAT 6 and anti-STAT 1. Although IFN-gamma alone did not induce CD23 mRNA transcription, Northern blot analysis revealed a transient up-regulation of the IL-4-induced CD23 mRNA by IFN-gamma within 2 h of IFN-gamma treatment in these tonsillar cells. The results suggest that the IL-4RE of the IL-4-inducible gene can accommodate both IL-4- and IFN-gamma-activated factors, such as STAT 6 and STAT 1, either in homodimeric or heterodimeric forms and the binding of these different proteins to the respective promoter may play a potential regulatory role in the IL-4-inducible gene expression.