UCHL1 aggravates skin fibrosis through an IGF-1-induced Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α pathway in keloid.

Keloid is a heterogeneous disease featured by the excessive production of extracellular matrix. It is a great challenge for both clinicians and patients regarding the exaggerated and uncontrolled outgrowth and the therapeutic resistance of the disease. In this study, we verified that UCHL1 was drastically upregulated in keloid fibroblasts. UCHL1 had no effects on cell proliferation and migration, but instead promoted collagen I and α-SMA expression that was inhibited by silencing UCHL1 gene and by adding in LDN-57444, a pharmacological inhibitor for UCHL1 activity as well. The pathological process was mediated by IGF-1 promoted Akt/mTOR/HIF-1α signaling pathway because inhibition of any of them could reduce the expression of collagen I and α-SMA driven by UCHL1 in fibroblasts. Also, we found that UCHL1 expression in keloid fibroblasts was promoted by M2 macrophages via TGF-ß1. These findings extend our understanding of the pathogenesis of keloid and provide potential therapeutic targets for the disease.

TNF-α promotes CXCL-1/8 production in keratinocytes by downregulating galectin-3 through NF-κB and hsa-miR-27a-3p pathway to contribute psoriasis development.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment with TNF-α inhibitors improve psoriasis with minimize/minor neutrophils infiltration and CXCL-1/8 expression in psoriatic lesions. However, the fine mechanism of TNF-α initiating psoriatic inflammation by tuning keratinocytes is unclear. Our previous research identified the deficiency of intracellular galectin-3 was sufficient to promote psoriasis inflammation characterized by neutrophil accumulation. This study aims to investigate whether TNF-α participated in psoriasis development through dysregulating galectin-3 expression. METHODS: mRNA levels were assessed through quantitative real-time PCR. Flow cytometry was used to detect cell cycle/apoptosis. Western blot was used to evaluate the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. HE staining and immunochemistry were used to detect epidermal thickness and MPO expression, respectively. Specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) was used to knock down hsa-miR-27a-3p while plasmids transfection was used to overexpress galectin-3. Further, the multiMiR R package was utilized to predict microRNA-target interaction. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found that TNF-α stimulation altered cell proliferation and differentiation and promoted the production of psoriasis-related inflammatory mediators along with the inhibition of galectin-3 expression in keratinocytes. Supplement of galectin-3 could counteract the rise of CXCL-1/8 but not the other phenotypes of keratinocytes induced by TNF-α. Mechanistically, inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway could counteract the decrease of galectin-3 and the increase of hsa-miR-27a-3p expression whereas silence of hsa-miR-27a-3p could counteract the decrease of galectin-3 expression induced by TNF-α treatment in keratinocytes. Intradermal injection of murine anti-CXCL-2 antibody greatly alleviated imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis. CONCLUSION: TNF-α initiates psoriatic inflammation by increasing CXCL-1/8 in keratinocytes mediated by the axis of NF-κB-hsa-miR-27a-3p-galectin-3 pathway.

CD8+CD103+ iTregs inhibit the progression of lupus nephritis by attenuating glomerular endothelial cell injury.

OBJECTIVES: We previously reported that ex vivo TGF-ß and IL-2-induced CD8+CD103+ regulatory T cells (CD8+CD103+ iTregs) displayed similar immunosuppressive effect and therapeutic function on lupus mice nephritis to that of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs. In view of the important role of glomerular endothelial cell (GEC) injury in inflammatory processes in SLE, this study aimed to investigate the nature and mechanism of CD8+CD103+ iTregs-mediated amelioration of LN by attenuating GEC injury. METHODS: Treg cells from patients with SLE and from healthy controls were characterized by flow cytometry analysis. The expression of pro-inflammatory mediators and VEGF were analysed in healthy controls, patients with SLE and MRL/lpr mice by ELISA, western blot, and real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). Typical lesions of diffuse proliferative LN were observed in MRL/lpr mice through the use of haematoxylin and eosin, Masson, periodic acid-Schiff, periodic acid-Schiff methenamine, transmission electron microscopy and IF microscopy. Angiogenesis was analysed in GECs by cell investigating proliferation, migration, and tube formation. RESULTS: The results revealed that the frequency of Treg cells was inversely correlated with the expression of VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in patients with SLE. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of CD8+CD103+ iTregs to MRL/lpr mice was associated with decreased levels of autoantibodies and proteinuria, reduced renal pathological lesions, and lowered renal deposition of IgG/C3. We further found that CD8+CD103+ iTregs not only suppressed the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators but also attenuated GEC injury by promoting angiogenesis. CONCLUSION: Our study has identified the role of CD8+CD103+ iTregs on attenuating GEC injury and provided a possible application of this new iTregs subset in lupus nephritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Expression and prognostic value of microRNA-26a and microRNA-148a in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In our previous study, we demonstrated that four microRNAs (miRNAs) (miR-26a, miR-142-3p, miR-148a, and miR-195) that were downregulated in both plasma and tumor tissues were confirmed to be promising non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: We used the quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction to assess the expression levels of the four miRNAs from paraffin-embedded surgical specimens of GC patients. Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test were applied to predict the correlation between miRNAs and cumulative overall survival (OS) of patients with GC. Besides, we performed in vitro assays including cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation, and apoptosis. RESULTS: The median of miRNA expression in paraffin-embedded tissues were used as the cutoff value to classify patients into high or low expression groups. Down-regulation of miR-26a and miR-148a was significantly associated with shorter OS of GC patients either in the test set (miR-26a: P = 0.009; miR-148a: P = 0.005) or the validation set (miR-26a: P = 0.011; miR-148a: P = 0.024). When two sets were combined, Cox regression analysis demonstrated that both of miR-26a and miR-148a were independent prognostic factors for predicting OS of patients with GC (miR-26a: HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61-0.94; miR-148a: HR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.58-0.91). Furthermore, elevated expression of miR-26 significantly suppressed cell proliferation, migration, invasion and colony formation, and induced apoptosis of MGC-803 cells compared with negative control groups (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These findings supported miR-26a and miR-148a could serve as potential prognostic biomarkers for GC.

Genetic variants in noncoding PIWI-interacting RNA and colorectal cancer risk.

BACKGROUND: PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs), which are a novel type of identified small noncoding RNA (ncRNA), play a crucial role in germline development and carcinogenesis. METHODS: By systematically screening all known piRNAs, the authors identified 7 common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 9 piRNAs. Associations between these selected SNPs and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) were detected in a case-control study. A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay was used to evaluate messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels of piR-015551 and of the long ncRNA (lncRNA) LNC00964-3 in 88 pairs of tissue samples. RESULTS: The assay revealed that reference SNP rs11776042 in piR-015551 was significantly associated with a decreased risk of CRC in an additive model (P = .020). However, this protective effect was not significant after correction for multiple comparisons (test for the false discovery rate; P = .140). Furthermore, the authors observed that mRNA expression levels of LNC00964-3 (an lncRNA that included the piR-015551 sequence but not piR-015551) were significantly lower in CRC tissues than in corresponding normal tissues (P = 1.5 × 10(-5) for LNC00964-3; P = .899 for piR-015551). Correlation analysis revealed that piR-015551 expression was positively correlated with expression levels of LNC00964-3 (CRC tissues: r = 0.574, P = 5.13 × 10(-9) ; normal tissues: r = 0.601, P = 5.76 × 10(-10)). Moreover, rs11776042 was not significantly correlated with mRNA expression levels of piR-015551 or LNC00964-3 (all P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The current findings reveal the possibility that piR-015551 may be generated from LNC00964-3, which may be involved in the development of CRC.

Polydopamine nanoparticles cross-linked hyaluronic acid photothermal hydrogel with cascading immunoinducible effects for in situ antitumor vaccination.

Tumor vaccine, which can effectively prevent tumor recurrence and metastasis, is a promising tool in tumor immunotherapy. However, heterogeneity of tumors and the inability to achieve a cascade effect limit the therapeutic effects of most developing tumor vaccine. We have developed a cascading immunoinducible in-situ mannose-functionalized polydopamine loaded with imiquimod phenylboronic hyaluronic acid nanocomposite gel vaccine (M/P-PDA@IQ PHA) through a boronic ester-based reaction. This reaction utilizes mannose-functionalized polydopamine loaded with imiquimod (M/P-PDA@IQ NAs) as a cross-linking agent to react with phenylboronic-grafted hyaluronic acid. Under near-infrared light irradiation, the M/P-PDA@IQ PHA caused local hyperthermia to trigger immunogenic cell death of tumor cells and tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) releasing. Subsequently, the M/P-PDA@IQ NAs which were gradually released by the pH/ROS/GSH-triggered degradation of M/P-PDA@IQ PHA, could capture and deliver these TAAs to lymph nodes. Finally, the M/P-PDA@IQ NAs facilitated maturation and cross-presentation of dendritic cells, as well as activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Overall, the M/P-PDA@IQ PHA could serve as a novel in situ vaccine to stimulate several key nodes including TAAs release and capture, targeting lymph nodes and enhanced dendritic cells uptake and maturation as well as T cells activation. This cascading immune activation strategy can effectively elicit antitumor immune response.

Immunoinducible Carbon Dot-Incorporated Hydrogels as a Photothermal-Derived Antigen Depot to Trigger a Robust Antitumor Immune Response.

Immunogenic tumor cell death (ICD) induced by photothermal therapy (PTT) fails to elicit a robust antitumor immune response partially due to its inherent immunosuppressive microenvironment and poor antigen presentation. To address these issues, we developed an immunoinducible carbon dot-incorporated hydrogel (iCD@Gel) through a dynamic covalent Schiff base reaction using mannose-modified aluminum-doped carbon dots (M/A-CDs) as a cross-linking agent. The M/A-CDs possessed superior photothermal conversion efficiency and served as nanocarriers to load cytosine-phosphate-guanine oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG ODNs) for inducing the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs) via mannose receptor-mediated targeting delivery. Upon intratumoral injection, the as-prepared iCD@Gel induced ICD, and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) were released via photothermal ablation under 808 nm NIR irradiation. Subsequently, the iCD@Gel synergized with the DAMPs to significantly promote the maturation and antigen cross-presentation ability of DCs. This work provides a promising strategy to develop carbon dot-based therapeutic hydrogels for photothermal therapy and immune activation.

Bimetallic infinite coordination nanopolymers via phototherapy and STING activation for eliciting robust antitumor immunity.

Phototherapy can trigger immunogenic cell death of tumors in situ, whereas it is virtually impossible to eradicate the tumor due to the intrinsic resistance and inefficient anti-tumor immunity. To overcome these limitations, novel bimetallic infinite coordination nanopolymers (TA-Fe/Mn-OVA@MB NPs) were synthesized using model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) as a template to assemble tannic acid (TA) and bi-metal, supplemented with methylene blue (MB) surface absorption. The formulated TA-Fe/Mn-OVA@MB NPs possess excellent photothermal and photodynamic therapy (PTT/PDT) performance, which is adequate to destroy tumor cells by physical and chemical attack. Especially, these TA-Fe/Mn-OVA@MB NPs are capability of promoting the dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and antigen presentation via manganese-mediated cGAS-STING pathway activation, finally activating cytotoxicity T lymphocyte and promoting memory T lymphocyte differentiation in the peripheral lymphoid organs. In conclusion, this research offers a versatile metal-polyphenol nanoplatform to integrate functional metals and therapeutic molecule for topical phototherapy and robust anti-tumor immune activation.

Profiling Serum Cytokines and Anticytokine Antibodies in Psoriasis Patients.

Cytokines like IL-17A have been consistently found to be elevated in psoriatic lesional skin, and therapeutic antibodies to IL-17 have demonstrated efficacy in treating psoriatic skin and joint disease. However, results about the circulating cytokines in psoriasis patients remained controversial. Anticytokine autoantibodies (ACAAs) were detected in various autoimmune diseases but remained largely unknown in psoriasis. We aimed to investigate the serum levels of cytokines and ACAAs in psoriasis patients. The study included 44 biologics-naive psoriasis patients and 40 healthy controls. Serum cytokines and the corresponding autoantibodies were measured by multiplex bead-based technology. The bioactivity of serum IL-17A was determined by IL-8 production in primary keratinocytes. Herein, we found serum levels of IL-12B (median: 6.16 vs. 9.03, p = 0.0194) and Th17 cytokines (IL-17A: median: 0.32 vs. 1.05, p = 0.0026; IL-22: median: 4.41 vs. 4.41, p = 0.0120) were increased in psoriasis patients. More interestingly, bioactive IL-17A was identified in a proportion of patients and positively correlated with disease severity. A few of cytokines were closely associated with each other and formed into a distinct panel in psoriasis. Of 13 anticytokine antibodies, anti-IL-22 was moderately lower (median: 262.8 vs.190.5, p = 0.0418), and anti-IL-15 was slightly higher (median: 25.5 vs. 30.5, p = 0.0069) in psoriasis than controls. None of ACAAs was related to disease severity. Consequently, the ratios of antibodies to cytokines varied with the pattern of cytokines. In summary, our finding suggested that the levels of circulating bioactive IL-17A were associated with disease activity in psoriasis patients. In contrast, the titers of ACAAs were not significantly altered nor correlated with disease severity. However, the functionality of ACAAs remains to be further demonstrated in vitro in future studies.

Enhanced Migratory Ability of Neutrophils Toward Epidermis Contributes to the Development of Psoriasis via Crosstalk With Keratinocytes by Releasing IL-17A.

Microabscess of neutrophils in epidermis is one of the histological hallmarks of psoriasis. The axis of neutrophil-keratinocyte has been thought to play a critical role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, the features and mechanism of interaction between the two cell types remain largely unknown. Herein, we found that blood neutrophils were increased in psoriasis patients, positively correlated with disease severity and highly expressed CD66b, but not CD11b and CD62L compared to healthy controls. Keratinocytes expressed high levels of psoriasis-related inflammatory mediators by direct and indirect interaction with neutrophils isolated from psoriasis patients and healthy controls. The capacity of neutrophils in provoking keratinocytes inflammatory response was comparable between the two groups and is dependent on IL-17A produced by itself. Neutrophils isolated from psoriasis patients displayed more transcriptome changes related to integrin and increased migration capacity toward keratinocytes with high CD11b expression on cell surface. Of interest, neutrophils were more susceptible to keratinocyte stimulation than to fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in terms of CD11b expression and the production of ROS and NETs. In conclusion, neutrophils from psoriasis patients gain a strong capacity of IL-17A production and integrins expression that possibly facilitates their abilities to promote production of psoriasis-related inflammatory mediators and migration, a phenomenon likely induced by their interaction with keratinocytes but not with fibroblasts. These findings provide a proof-of-concept that development of new drugs targeting migration of neutrophils could be a more specific and safe solution to treat psoriasis.

Anti-galectin-3 antibodies induce skin vascular inflammation via promoting local production of IL-1ß in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Vascular inflammation could occur in all organs and tissues in patients with systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE), of which skin is the most frequent one. Our previous research identified anti-galectin-3 (Gal3) antibodies (Abs) as an important mediator of lupus cutaneous vasculopathy. Herein, we showed that anti-Gal3 Abs dysregulated the function of vascular endothelial cells with higher transcript levels of IL-1ß and increased expression of mature IL-1ß. The enhanced production of IL-1ß secreted by endothelial cells was dependent on NLRP3 inflammasome. Intradermal injection of anti-Gal3 Abs in mice induced local inflammation with perivascular infiltration of T cells and neutrophils, which was inhibited by IL-1ß blockade. Induction of anti-Gal3 Abs in circulation by immunization of Gal3 antigen not only led to histopathologic changes in the skin, including focal keratinocytes vacuolization and thickening of blood vessels, but also a systemic autoimmune phenotype that involves autoantibody production and kidney damage. Intriguingly, local overexpression of IL-1ß was primarily associated with skin lesions but not with other internal organs in mice. Finally, we showed that the serum levels of IL-1ß were comparable between SLE patients and healthy donors. Whilst the expression of IL-1ß was enriched in local area with perivascular inflammation in lupus skin lesion compared to healthy normal skin. The results strongly suggest that IL-1ß plays an important role in mediating anti-Gal3 Ab-induced skin vascular inflammation and raised the prospect for using IL-1ß blocking therapies to treat lupus cutaneous damage.

ULK1 Inhibition as a Targeted Therapeutic Strategy for Psoriasis by Regulating Keratinocytes and Their Crosstalk With Neutrophils.

Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disease resulting from an interplay of keratinocytes and immune cells. Previous studies have identified an essential role of autophagy in the maintenance of epidermal homeostasis including proliferation and differentiation. However, much less is known about the role of autophagy-related proteins in the cutaneous immune response. Herein, we showed that ULK1, the key autophagic initiator, and its phosphorylation at Ser556 were distinctively decreased in the epidermis from lesional skin of psoriasis patients. Topical application of SBI0206965, a selective ULK1 inhibitor, significantly attenuated epidermal hyperplasia, infiltration of neutrophils, and transcripts of the psoriasis-related markers in imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasiform dermatitis (PsD). In vitro, ULK1 impairment by siRNA and SBI0206965 arrested cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis of keratinocytes but had a marginal effect on the expression of proinflammatory mediators under steady status. Surprisingly, SBI0206965 blocked the production of chemokines and cytokines in keratinocytes stimulated by neutrophils. Of interest, the pro-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of ULK1 inhibition cannot be fully replicated by autophagic inhibitors. Our findings suggest a self-regulatory process by downregulating ULK1 to maintain the immune homeostasis of psoriatic skin via regulating keratinocytes and their crosstalk with neutrophils, possibly through both autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms. ULK1 might be a potential target for preventing or treating psoriasis.

Hand eczema among healthcare workers in Guangzhou City: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers are at high risk of developing hand eczema. This study aimed to investigate the association between occupational hygiene and self-reported hand eczema among nurses and doctors in Guangzhou. METHODS: A cross-sectional study using a self-administrated questionnaire sent to 740 health care workers in two tertiary hospitals between 1st April and 1st July 2019 was conducted. RESULTS: In total, 521 healthcare workers responded (70.4%). The prevalence of self-reported hand eczema was 9.6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1-12.1%], with 10.8% in nurses and 6.9% in doctors. According to multivariable logistic regression analysis, the prevalence was higher in those who were excessively exposed to hair dye (OR: 3.871, 95% CI: 1.106-13.549) and those having a history of food allergy were at 3.013 (95% CI: 1.314-6.907) times greater risk of having hand eczema than those who did not. The odds of having hand eczema were 4.863 (95% CI: 1.037-22.803) times greater in those who hand washed more than 50 times daily in comparison to those who washed hands less than 10 times per day. The symptoms of hand eczema were mild during the investigation period. CONCLUSIONS: Hand eczema is common among healthcare workers in Guangzhou. The prevention of hand eczema by educational programs is needed for Chinese healthcare workers.

The Correlation Between Tuberous Sclerosis Complex Genotype and Renal Angiomyolipoma Phenotype.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a rare multisystem autosomal dominant genetic disease that occurs between 1 in 6,000 and 1 in 10,000 live births. Additionally, renal angiomyolipoma is the most common form of renal disease in patients affected by TSC. Although a genetic mutation analysis of TSC is not rare, the correlation between the TSC gene mutation and renal angiomyolipoma phenotype is poorly understood. This study aims to analyze the mutation sites in 261 types of selected TSC patients. The results reveal that: (1) female patients develop more renal angiomyolipoma than male patients [p = 0.008, OR = 2.474, 95%CI (1.258-4.864)]; (2). The missense mutation of TSC1 led to a higher risk of renal angiomyolipoma [p < 0.01, OR = 15, 95%CI (2.859-78.691)], and in contrast, showed a reduced risk in patients with frameshift mutation [p = 0.03, OR = 0.252, 95%CI (0.07-0.912)]; (3). Patients with TSC2 mutations in the transcription activation domain 1 coding genes, had increased renal angiomyolipoma [p = 0.019, OR = 3.519, 95%CI (1.226-10.101)]. Therefore, our genotype-phenotype correlation study might shed light on the early monitoring and evaluation of renal angiomyolipoma in TSC patients.

Apigetrin ameliorates streptozotocin-induced pancreatic ß-cell damages via attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

The pathogenesis of diabetes is associated with dysfunction of pancreatic ß-cells. To ameliorate the ß-cell dysfunction, it has propelled great interest to search pharmacological agents from natural plants. This study explored the protective effect of apigetrin, a flavonoid present in natural plants, against streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cell damages in RINm5F cells and the potential mechanisms. Apigetrin was found to inhibit the elevation of intracellular reactive oxygen species levels, restore the impairment of antioxidant enzymes, and recover the disruption of redox homeostasis in the STZ-treated pancreatic ß-cells. Moreover, treatment of apigetrin significantly suppressed the STZ-induced apoptosis in the analysis of apoptotic sub-G1 population and the protein expressions of cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspase-3. Furthermore, apigetrin attenuated STZ-induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, indicated by the reduction of ER stress biomarkers, including overloading of mitochondrial calcium, increase in glucose-regulated protein 78, phosphorylation of protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase and its downstream eukaryotic initiation factor 2α, cleavage of activating transcription factor 6 and caspase-12, up-regulation of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein, and induction of spliced X-box binding protein 1. Additionally, pretreatment with 4-phenylbutyric acid, a classic ER stress inhibitor, augmented these beneficial effects of apigetrin. In conclusion, these results demonstrated that apigetrin could improve the STZ-induced pancreatic ß-cell damages via mitigation of oxidative stress and ER stress and supported the application of apigetrin to developing the novel therapeutics of diabetes.

CD8+iTregs attenuate glomerular endothelial cell injury in lupus-prone mice through blocking the activation of p38 MAPK and NF-κB.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Endothelial cell injury plays an important role in the inflammatory processes associated with SLE. CD4+Foxp3+regulatory T cells (Tregs) reduce the injury to endothelial cells induced by inflammatory factors. As a newly identified regulatory T cell, we previously reported that CD8+CD103+iTregs had similar effects to those of CD4+iTregs in the process of immunoregulation. In this paper, we further explored the effect and mechanism of CD8+iTregs on endothelial cell injury. The expressions of vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MRL/lpr mouse glomerular endothelial cells (lupus-MGECs) were estimated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. The lupus-MGEC apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry and the adhesion of monocyte-like cells to lupus-MGECs exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was determined by the adhesion assay. Additionally, the expressions of P-p38, P-NF-κB and P-IκBα were detected by Western blotting. The results showed that LPS increased the expressions of VCAM-1, ICAM-1, IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 in lupus-MGECs, while CD8+iTregs significantly decreased the levels of these adhesion molecules and inflammatory mediators. Furthermore, CD8+iTregs alleviated lupus-MGEC apoptosis and inhibited the adhesion of monocyte-like cells to lupus-MGECs. Both nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), activated by LPS, were suppressed by CD8+iTregs. These findings suggest that CD8+iTregs attenuate LPS-induced glomerular endothelial cell injury through blocking the activation of p38 MAPK and NF-κB in lupus-MGECs. The protective effect of CD8+iTregs indicates their possible therapeutic application in Lupus nephritis.

Body composition and metabolic health of young male adults with childhood-onset multiple pituitary hormone deficiency after cessation of growth hormone treatment.

BACKGROUND: Recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) replacement therapy is usually stopped after linear growth completion in patients with growth hormone deficiency. In patients with multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD), the long-term effects of discontinuation of rhGH replacement are unknown. METHODS: In this study, the anthropometric and metabolic parameters of 24 male patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD) due to MPHD in childhood after cessation of rhGH therapy for a mean of 7.1 years were measured and compared with 35 age-matched controls. Body composition was evaluated by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). RESULTS: In the AGHD group, body mass index (BMI) was significantly increased and 29.2% had obesity. The AGHD group had a 17.7 cm increase in waist circumference (WC). The fat free mass (FFM) was significantly lower in the AGHD group. Both the fat mass (FM) and percentage of fat mass (FM%) were significantly increased in the AGHD group. Both the systolic blood pressure (BP) and diastolic pressure were significantly lower in AGHD group. The lipid profile was generally similar in both groups, except for a decrease of high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) in the AGHD group. There was significant hyperuricemia in the AGHD group. CONCLUSIONS: Cessation of rhGH leads to a significant increase of FM in early adulthood in male patients with childhood-onset MPHD (CO-MPHD).

ELL2 regulates DNA non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair in prostate cancer cells.

ELL2 is an androgen-responsive gene that is expressed by prostate epithelial cells and is frequently down-regulated in prostate cancer. Deletion of Ell2 in the murine prostate induced murine prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and ELL2 knockdown enhanced proliferation and migration in C4-2 prostate cancer cells. Here, knockdown of ELL2 sensitized prostate cancer cells to DNA damage and overexpression of ELL2 protected prostate cancer cells from DNA damage. Knockdown of ELL2 impaired non-homologous end joining repair but not homologous recombination repair. Transfected ELL2 co-immunoprecipitated with both Ku70 and Ku80 proteins. ELL2 could bind to and co-accumulate with Ku70/Ku80 proteins at sites of DNA damage. Knockdown of ELL2 dramatically inhibited Ku70 and Ku80 recruitment and retention at DNA double-strand break sites in prostate cancer cells. The impaired recruitment of Ku70 and Ku80 proteins to DNA damage sites upon ELL2 knockdown was rescued by re-expression of an ELL2 transgene insensitive to siELL2. This study suggests that ELL2 is required for efficient NHEJ repair via Ku70/Ku80 in prostate cancer cells.

Genetic variants in PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway genes contribute to gastric cancer risk.

PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is involved in tumor initiation and progression, including gastric cancer (GC). However, the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in this pathway and underlying molecular mechanism remain largely unexplored. A case-control study of 1275 GC patients and 1436 controls was performed to explore the associations of potentially functional SNPs in PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway genes with the risk of GC. In the logistic regression analyses, one SNP rs7536272 out of the four candidate SNPs showed a significant association with GC risk (additive model: OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.03-1.30; co-dominant model: AG vs. AA, OR = 1.30, 95% CI = 1.11-1.53; dominant model: AG/GG vs. AA, OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.10-1.49).The luciferase assay indicated that rs7536272 G allele significantly enhanced the transcriptional activity, compared with A allele. Further expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis showed that GC patients with rs7536272 AG/GG genotypes had remarkably higher PIK3R3 levels than those with AA genotype, suggesting that rs7536272 polymorphism influenced the expression of PIK3R3. Additionally, we observed that GC patients with high expression of PIK3R3 had significant poorer outcome than those with low expression (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.09-1.53). Our result demonstrated that SNP rs7536272, a functional risk variant located in the promoter region of PIK3R3, showed association with increased transcriptional activity and upregulation of PIK3R3 expression, thus involved in GC development.

Physical and Functional Interactions between ELL2 and RB in the Suppression of Prostate Cancer Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion.

Elongation factor, RNA polymerase II, 2 (ELL2) is expressed and regulated by androgens in the prostate. ELL2 and ELL-associated factor 2 (EAF2) form a stable complex, and their orthologs in Caenorhabditis elegans appear to be functionally similar. In C. elegans, the EAF2 ortholog eaf-1 was reported to interact with the retinoblastoma (RB) pathway to control development and fertility in worms. Because RB loss is frequent in prostate cancer, ELL2 interaction with RB might be important for prostate homeostasis. The present study explored physical and functional interaction of ELL2 with RB in prostate cancer. ELL2 expression in human prostate cancer specimens was detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction coupled with laser capture microdissection. Co-immunoprecipitation coupled with deletion mutagenesis was used to determine ELL2 association with RB. Functional interaction between ELL2 and RB was tested using siRNA knockdown, BrdU incorporation, Transwell, and/or invasion assays in LNCaP, C4-2, and 22Rv1 prostate cancer cells. ELL2 expression was downregulated in high-Gleason score prostate cancer specimens. ELL2 could be bound and stabilized by RB, and this interaction was mediated through the N-terminus of ELL2 and the C-terminus of RB. Concurrent siRNA knockdown of ELL2 and RB enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as compared to knockdown of ELL2 or RB alone in prostate cancer cells. ELL2 and RB can interact physically and functionally to suppress prostate cancer progression.