A retroelement modifies pre-mRNA splicing: the murine Glrb(spa) allele is a splicing signal polymorphism amplified by long interspersed nuclear element insertion.

The glycine receptor-deficient mutant mouse spastic carries a full-length long interspersed nuclear element (LINE1) retrotransposon in intron 6 of the glycine receptor ß subunit gene, Glrb(spa). The mutation arose in the C57BL/6J strain and is associated with skipping of exon 6 or a combination of the exons 5 and 6, thus resulting in a translational frameshift within the coding regions of the GlyR ß subunit. The effect of the Glrb(spa) LINE1 insertion on pre-mRNA splicing was studied using a minigene approach. Sequence comparison as well as motif prediction and mutational analysis revealed that in addition to the LINE1 insertion the inactivation of an exonic splicing enhancer (ESE) within exon 6 is required for skipping of exon 6. Reconstitution of the ESE by substitution of a single residue was sufficient to prevent exon skipping. In addition to the ESE, two regions within the 5' and 3' UTR of the LINE1 were shown to be critical determinants for exon skipping, indicating that LINE1 acts as efficient modifier of subtle endogenous splicing phenotypes. Thus, the spastic allele of the murine glycine receptor ß subunit gene is a two-hit mutation, where the hypomorphic alteration in an ESE is amplified by the insertion of a LINE1 element in the adjacent intron. Conversely, the LINE1 effect on splicing may be modulated by individual polymorphisms, depending on the insertional environment within the host genome.

Inhibition of Orai1-mediated Ca(2+) entry is a key mechanism of the antiproliferative action of sirolimus in human arterial smooth muscle.

Sirolimus (rapamycin) is used in drug-eluting stent strategies and proved clearly superior in this application compared with other immunomodulators such as pimecrolimus. The molecular basis of this action of sirolimus in the vascular system is still incompletely understood. Measurements of cell proliferation in human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (hCASM) demonstrated a higher antiproliferative activity of sirolimus compared with pimecrolimus. Although sirolimus lacks inhibitory effects on calcineurin, nuclear factor of activated T-cell activation in hCASM was suppressed to a similar extent by both drugs at 10 µM. Sirolimus, but not pimecrolimus, inhibited agonist-induced and store-operated Ca(2+) entry as well as cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in human arterial smooth muscle, suggesting the existence of an as-yet unrecognized inhibitory effect of sirolimus on Ca(2+) signaling and Ca(2+)-dependent gene transcription. Electrophysiological experiments revealed that only sirolimus but not pimecrolimus significantly blocked the classical stromal interaction molecule/Orai-mediated, store-operated Ca(2+) current reconstituted in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). A link between Orai function and proliferation was confirmed by dominant-negative knockout of Orai in hCASM. Analysis of the effects of sirolimus on cell proliferation and CREB activation in an in vitro model of arterial intervention using human aorta corroborated the ability of sirolimus to suppress stent implantation-induced CREB activation in human arteries. We suggest inhibition of store-operated Ca(2+) entry based on Orai channels and the resulting suppression of Ca(2+) transcription coupling as a key mechanism underlying the antiproliferative activity of sirolimus in human arteries. This mechanism of action is specific for sirolimus and not a general feature of drugs interacting with FK506-binding proteins.

A TRPC3 blocker, ethyl-1-(4-(2,3,3-trichloroacrylamide)phenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate (Pyr3), prevents stent-induced arterial remodeling.

TRPC-mediated Ca(2+) entry has been implicated in the control of smooth muscle proliferation and might represent a pivotal mechanism underlying in-stent restenosis. As we have observed significant expression of TRPC3 in human smooth muscle from the coronary artery as well as the aorta, we tested the efficiency of a recently discovered TRPC3 selective Ca(2+) entry blocker Pyr3 to prevent vascular smooth muscle proliferation and stent implantation-induced hyperplasia of human aorta. The effect of Pyr3 on proliferation was measured by detection of BrdU incorporation and PCNA expression in human coronary smooth muscle and microvascular endothelium, which displays significantly smaller expression levels of TRPC3 as compared with smooth muscle. Pyr3 inhibited smooth muscle proliferation but lacked detectable effects on endothelial proliferation. Measurements of ATP-induced Ca(2+) signals revealed that Pyr3 suppressed agonist-induced Ca(2+) entry more effectively in vascular smooth muscle than in endothelial cells. Inhibitory effects of Pyr3 on stent implantation-induced arterial injury was tested using a novel in vitro model of in-stent hyperplasia in human arteries based on organ typical culture of human aortic constructs. Pyr3 effectively prevented increases in tissue levels of PCNA and Ki-67 at 2 weeks after stent implantation into human aortae. Similarly, proliferation markers were significantly suppressed when implanting a Pyr3-releasing stent prototype as compared with a bare metal stent (BMS) control. Our results suggest TRPC3 as a potential target for pharmacological control of smooth muscle proliferation. Selectively inhibition of TRPC Ca(2+) entry channels in vascular smooth muscle is suggested as a promising strategy for in-stent restenosis prevention.

Bioresorbable drug-eluting magnesium-alloy scaffold: design and feasibility in a porcine coronary model.

AIMS: Among three versions of bioresorbable magnesium scaffolds featuring different paclitaxel-elution kinetics, we determined the best-performing scaffold and compared it with established, paclitaxel-eluting, permanent stents TAXUS Liberté and eucaTAX. METHODS AND RESULTS: Drug-elution kinetics in magnesium scaffolds were modulated by varying the composition of their bioresorbable poly(lactide-co-glycolide) coating loaded with paclitaxel. A 50:50 ratio of lactide to glycolide, or an 85:15 ratio and either high- or low-molecular-weight polymer was applied in the "50/50", "85/15H", and "85/15L" scaffolds, respectively. Seventy-three magnesium scaffolds (25 50/50, 24 85/15H, 24 85/15L) and 36 control stents (18 TAXUS Liberté, 18 eucaTAX) were implanted in coronary arteries of 50 Yucatan mini-pigs. Angiography, histomorphometry, and histopathology data were acquired at 28, 90 and 180 days. The best-performing magnesium scaffold, 85/15H, was equivalent to TAXUS Liberté and superior to eucaTAX regarding late luminal loss, intimal area, fibrin score, and endothelialisation. Intimal inflammation score was higher in 85/15H than in the control stents at 28 days, but this effect disappeared at later time points. CONCLUSIONS: By selecting suitable paclitaxel-elution kinetics, it was feasible to develop a bioresorbable magnesium scaffold whose efficacy and healing characteristics in a porcine coronary model are comparable with those of established paclitaxel-eluting permanent metallic stents.