Inactivation of Group 1B Phospholipase A2 Enhances Disease Recovery and Reduces Experimental Colitis in Mice

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) enzymes influence inflammatory bowel disease in both positive and negative manners depending on the type of PLA2 that is expressed. This study explored the influence of the abundantly expressed Group 1B PLA2 (PLA2G1B) on ulcerative colitis. Wild-type C57BL/6J mice and Pla2g1b-/- mice were treated with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) for 5 days to induce epithelial injury, followed by another 5 days without DSS for recovery. The Pla2g1b-/- mice displayed significantly less body weight loss, colitis pathology, and disease activity indexes compared to the wild-type mice. The differences in colitis were not due to differences in the colonic lysophospholipid levels, but higher numbers of stem and progenitor cells were found in the intestines of Pla2g1b-/- mice compared to the wild-type mice. The DSS-treated Pla2g1b-/- mice also showed higher expressions of genes that are responsible for epithelial repair and lower expressions of proinflammatory cytokine genes in the colon, as well as reduced inflammatory cytokine levels in the plasma. In vitro experiments revealed the PLA2G1B stimulation of inflammatory cytokine expression by myeloid cells. PLA2G1B inactivation protects against DSS-induced colitis in mice by increasing the intestinal stem cell reservoir for epithelial repair and reducing myeloid cell inflammation in the diseased colon. Thus, PLA2G1B may be a target for colitis management.

TAT&RGD Peptide-Modified Naringin-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles Promote the Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells

Background

Naringin is a naturally occurring flavanone that promotes osteogenesis. Owing to the high lipophilicity, poor in vivo bioavailability, and extensive metabolic alteration upon administration, the clinical efficacy of naringin is understudied. Additionally, information on the molecular mechanism by which it promotes osteogenesis is limited.

Methods

In this study, we prepared TAT & RGD peptide-modified naringin-loaded nanoparticles (TAT-RGD-NAR-NPs), evaluated their potency on the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs), and studied its mechanism of action through metabolomic analysis.

Results

The particle size and zeta potential of TAT-RGD-NAR-NPs were 160.70±2.05 mm and –20.77±0.47mV, respectively. The result of cell uptake assay showed that TAT-RGD-NAR-NPs could effectively enter hDPSCs. TAT-RGD-NAR-NPs had a more significant effect on cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation promotion. Furthermore, in metabolomic analysis, naringin particles showed a strong influence on the glycerophospholipid metabolism pathway of hDPSCs. Specifically, it upregulated the expression of PLA2G3 and PLA2G1B (two isozymes of phospholipase A2, PLA2), increased the biosynthesis of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).

Conclusion

These results suggested that TAT-RGD-NPs might be used for transporting naringin to hDPSCs for modulating stem cell osteogenic differentiation. The metabolomic analysis was used for the first time to elucidate the mechanism by which naringin promotes hDPSCs osteogenesis by upregulating PLA2G3 and PLA2G1B.

Proteomic analysis of serum in workers exposed to diesel engine exhaust

Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) is classified as a Group 1 human carcinogen. Using a targeted proteomics approach, we aimed to identify proteins associated with DEE and characterize these markers to understand the mechanisms of DEE-induced carcinogenicity. In this cross-sectional molecular epidemiology study, we measured elemental carbon (EC) using a personal air monitor and quantified 1317 targeted proteins in the serum using the SOMAScan assay (SOMALogic) among 19 diesel exposed factory workers and 19 unexposed controls. We used linear regressions to identify proteins associated with DEE and examined their exposure-response relationship across levels of EC using linear trend tests. We further examined pathway enrichment of DEE-related proteins using MetaCore. Occupational exposure to DEE was associated with altered levels of 22 serum proteins (permutation p < .01). Of these, 13 proteins (CXCL11, HAPLN1, FLT4, CD40LG, PES1, IGHE.IGK..IGL, TNFSF9, PGD, NAGK, CCL25, CCL4L1, PDXK, and PLA2G1B) showed an exposure-response relationship with EC (p trend < .01), with serum levels of all but PLA2G1B declining with increasing air levels of EC. For instance, C-X-C Motif Chemokine Ligand 11 (CXCL11) showed the most significant association with DEE (β = -0.25; permutation p = .00004), where mean serum levels were 4121.1, 2356.7, and 2298.8 relative fluorescent units among the unexposed, lower exposed (median, range : 56.9, 40.2-62.1 μg/m³ EC), and higher exposed (median, range of EC: 72.9, 66.9-107.7 μg/m³ EC) groups, respectively (p trend = .0005). Pathway analysis suggested that these proteins are enriched in pathways related to inflammation and immune regulation. Our study suggests that DEE exposure is associated with altered serum proteins, which play a role in inflammation and immune regulation.

A Transcription Factor γMYB1 Binds to the P1BS cis-Element and Activates PLA2-γ Expression with its Co-Activator γMYB2

Phospholipase A2(PLA2) hydrolyzes phospholipid molecules to produce two products that are both precursors of second messengers of signaling pathways and signaling molecules per se.Arabidopsis thaliana PLA2 paralogs (-β,-γ and -δ) play critical roles during pollen development, pollen germination and tube growth. In this study, analysis of the PLA2-γ promoter using a deletion series revealed that the promoter region -153 to -1 is crucial for its pollen specificity. Using a yeast one-hybrid screening assay with the PLA2-γ promoter and an Arabidopsis transcription factor (TF)-only library, we isolated two novel MYB-like TFs belonging to the MYB-CC family, denoted here as γMYB1 and γMYB2. By electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we found that these two TFs bind directly to the P1BS (phosphate starvation response 1-binding sequence)cis-element of the PLA2-γ promoter. γMYB1 alone functioned as a transcriptional activator for PLA2-γ expression, whereas γMYB2 directly interacted with γMYB1 and enhanced its activation. Overexpression of γMYB1 in the mature pollen grain led to increased expression of not only the PLA2-γ gene but also of several genes whose promoters contain the P1BS cis-element and which are involved in the Pi starvation response, phospholipid biosynthesis and sugar synthesis. Based on these results, we suggest that the TF γMYB1 binds to the P1BS cis-element, activates the expression of PLA2-γ with the assistance of its co-activator, γMYB2, and regulates the expression of several target genes involved in many plant metabolic reactions.

Enzymatic properties of stingray Dasyatis pastinaca group V, IIA and IB phospholipases A(2): a comparative study

In the present study, we have purified the group V phospholipase from the heart of cartilaginous fish stingray Dasyatis pastinaca and compared its biochemical properties with group IIA (sPLA2-IIA) and IB (sPLA2-IB) phospholipases previously purified from pancreas and intestine, respectively. Group V phospholipase (sPLA2-V) was purified to homogeneity by heat treatment, ammonium sulphate precipitation and RP-HPLC. The N-terminal sequence of the purified sPLA2-V exhibits a high degree of homology with those of mammal. The enzyme was found to be monomeric with a molecular mass estimation of 14 kDa. The specific activity of the purified enzyme, measured at pH 8 and 37 °C was 52 U/mg. Like sPLA2-IB and sPLA2-IIA, the sPLA2-V is found to be stable between pH 3 and 11 after 30 min of incubation. The purified sPLA2-V retained 65% of its activity after 10 min of incubation at 70 °C and it absolutely requires Ca(2+) for enzymatic activity. In addition it displayed high tolerance to organic solvents. Kinetic parameters Kmapp, kcat and the deduced catalytic efficiency (kcat/Kmapp) of the purified group-V, -IB and -IIA PLA2s were determined using phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidylcholine (PC) or phosphatidylserine (PS) as substrate. The three enzymes hydrolyze the zwiterionic PE and PC substrates more efficiently than anionic PS substrate.

Antiviral activity of glycyrrhizin against hepatitis C virus in vitro

Glycyrrhizin (GL) has been used in Japan to treat patients with chronic viral hepatitis, as an anti-inflammatory drug to reduce serum alanine aminotransferase levels. GL is also known to exhibit various biological activities, including anti-viral effects, but the anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) effect of GL remains to be clarified. In this study, we demonstrated that GL treatment of HCV-infected Huh7 cells caused a reduction of infectious HCV production using cell culture-produced HCV (HCVcc). To determine the target step in the HCV lifecycle of GL, we used HCV pseudoparticles (HCVpp), replicon, and HCVcc systems. Significant suppressions of viral entry and replication steps were not observed. Interestingly, extracellular infectivity was decreased, and intracellular infectivity was increased. By immunofluorescence and electron microscopic analysis of GL treated cells, HCV core antigens and electron-dense particles had accumulated on endoplasmic reticulum attached to lipid droplet (LD), respectively, which is thought to act as platforms for HCV assembly. Furthermore, the amount of HCV core antigen in LD fraction increased. Taken together, these results suggest that GL inhibits release of infectious HCV particles. GL is known to have an inhibitory effect on phospholipase A2 (PLA2). We found that group 1B PLA2 (PLA2G1B) inhibitor also decreased HCV release, suggesting that suppression of virus release by GL treatment may be due to its inhibitory effect on PLA2G1B. Finally, we demonstrated that combination treatment with GL augmented IFN-induced reduction of virus in the HCVcc system. GL is identified as a novel anti-HCV agent that targets infectious virus particle release.

Phospholipase D1 as a key enzyme for decidualization in human endometrial stromal cells

Using primary cell cultures of human endometrial stromal cells (ES cells), we investigated the role of phospholipase D (PLD) in 8-Br-cAMP-induced decidualization, which involves morphological and biological differentiation processes. When treated with 0.5 mM 8-Br-cAMP for 12 days, ES cells were transformed into a decidualized morphology and produced significant amounts of prolactin (PRL) and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 1 (IGFBP1). Simultaneously, the activity and expression levels of PLD1 increased. In addition, removal of 8-Br-cAMP from decidualized ES cells restored the undifferentiated state, and this was accompanied by decreases in PLD1 promoter activity and PLD1 expression. Overexpression of dominant negative (DN)-PLD1 inhibited the morphological changes induced by 0.5 mM 8-Br-cAMP, whereas PLD1 overexpression induced morphological changes in the absence of 0.5 mM 8-Br-cAMP treatment. Moreover, knockdown of PLD1 by siRNA and blockage of PLD by treatment with 0.3% 1-butanol decreased PRL/IGFBP1 mRNA expression, whereas PLD1 overexpression increased PRL/IGFBP1 mRNA expression. Treatment of ES cells with phosphatidic acid (PA) for 3 days induced PRL mRNA expression and morphological changes, which implies that PA is an end-product of PLD activation-induced decidualization. In addition, pretreatment of ES cells with mepacrine decreased PRL/IGFBP1 expression and inhibited morphological change, whereas pretreatment with propranolol caused no changes, as compared to cAMP-treated cells, which suggests that PA induces decidualization through phospholipase A2 (PLA2G1B). Taken together, these results suggest that PLD1 regulates 8-Br-cAMP-induced decidualization through PLA2G1B, and that PLD1 upregulation is essential for the decidualization of ES cells.