De novo ABCD1 gene mutation in an Indian patient with adrenoleukodystrophy.

A large number of ABCD1 gene mutations have been reported all over the world, but not previously in India. We report on the first known patient with childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy and a de novo 3' splice-site mutation in this gene. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed large, confluent, hyperintense areas in the bilateral cerebral white matter, predominantly parieto-occipital, with extensions into posterior regions that led to breakdown of the blood-brain barrier. An increased level of very long chain fatty acids was also consistent with the biochemical defect for adrenoleukodystrophy. Sequencing of the ABCD1 gene of this patient identified a 3' splice-site mutation in the intervening sequence 4 (-2a > g). We did not find any mutation in the gene of the proband's mother, which confirms its de novo occurrence.

An Improved 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis Method for Resolving Human Erythrocyte Membrane Proteins.

The 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) technique is widely used for the analysis of complex protein mixtures extracted from biological samples. It is one of the most commonly used analytical techniques in proteomics to study qualitative and quantitative protein changes between different states of a cell or an organism (eg, healthy and diseased), conditionally expressed proteins, posttranslational modifications, and so on. The 2-DE technique is used for its unparalleled ability to separate thousands of proteins simultaneously. The resolution of the proteins by 2-DE largely depends on the quality of sample prepared during protein extraction which increases results in terms of reproducibility and minimizes protein modifications that may result in artifactual spots on 2-DE gels. The buffer used for the extraction and solubilization of proteins influences the quality and reproducibility of the resolution of proteins on 2-DE gel. The purification by cleanup kit is another powerful process to prevent horizontal streaking which occurs during isoelectric focusing due to the presence of contaminants such as salts, lipids, nucleic acids, and detergents. Erythrocyte membrane proteins serve as prototypes for multifunctional proteins in various erythroid and nonerythroid cells. In this study, we therefore optimized the selected major conditions of 2-DE for resolving various proteins of human erythrocyte membrane. The modification included the optimization of conditions for sample preparation, cleanup of protein sample, isoelectric focusing, equilibration, and storage of immobilized pH gradient strips, which were further carefully examined to achieve optimum conditions for improving the quality of protein spots on 2-DE gels. The present improved 2-DE analysis method enabled better detection of protein spots with higher quality and reproducibility. Therefore, the conditions established in this study may be used for the 2-DE analysis of erythrocyte membrane proteins for different diseases, which may help to identify the proteins that may serve as markers for diagnostics as well as targets for development of new therapeutic potential.

Phospholipid metabolism and protein kinase C mediated protein phosphorylation in dietary protein deficiency in rat lung.

Nutritional deprivation of proteins decreases the protein kinase C (PKC) activity in rat lung. The activity of (PKC) is influenced by lipid metabolism. Changes in PKC activity may influence phosphorylation of its substrate proteins in the tissues. Therefore, alterations in phospholipid metabolism and PKC mediated protein phosphorylation in dietary protein deficiency in rat lung were envisaged. The study was conducted on rats fed on three different types of diet viz., casein (20% protein), deficient (4% protein, rice flour as source of protein) and supplemented (deficient diet supplemented with L-lysine and DL-threoning). Feeding of protein deficient diet caused reduction in incorporation of [3H] myo-inositol in the total phosphoinositides in lungs and an increase in total inositol phosphate pool. There was a significant reduction in the contents and turnover rate of phosphatidyl inositol and phosphatidyl inositol monophosphate. Supplementation of diet with L-lysine and DL-threonine had a reversing effect on total pool of phosphoinositides and, the metabolism of phosphatidyl inositol bisphosphate and phosphatidyl inositol. In phosphatidyl choline metabolism, the dietary protein deficiency led to a decrease in incorporation of [14C-methyl] choline-chloride in total phospholipids. In contrast, its incorporation increased in phosphatidyl choline pool. The contents of phosphatidyl choline and residue, incorporation of [14C-methyl] choline-chloride in them and their turnover rate also increased. Supplementation of diet had a reversal effect on most of these parameters. Phosphorylation of proteins of 84, 47, 35 and 16 kDa was identified to be mediated by PKC. In dietary protein deficiency, phosphorylation of all these proteins, except that of 47 kDa, increased. Supplementation of diet reversed the pattern except that of 84 kDa. The findings suggest that changes in phospholipid metabolism in dietary protein deficiency may effect the activity of PKC thereby influencing the phosphorylation of its substrate proteins and hence associated functions that may lead to pathophysiology of lung.

Buttock necrosis after uterine artery embolization.

BACKGROUND: Uterine artery embolization is an increasingly popular alternative to hysterectomy or myomectomy for treatment of symptomatic uterine leiomyomata. CASE: A woman with a symptomatic uterine fibroid developed 2 areas of full-thickness necrosis on her right buttock following uterine artery embolization. After surgical debridement, healing occurred over 14 weeks. CONCLUSION: Buttock necrosis is a possible complication of nontarget embolization during uterine artery embolization.

Normalization of deranged signal transduction in lymphocytes of COPD patients by the novel calcium channel blocker H-DHPM.

Investigations on the role of intracellular Ca(2+) ion concentration in the mechanism of development of COPD in smokers and non-smokers were carried out. The intracellular Ca(2+) levels were found to be increased in human lymphocytes in patients with COPD as compared to non-smokers and smokers without COPD. The investigations reveal an association in altered intracellular Ca(2+) regulation in lymphocytes and severity of COPD, by means of significant activation of Protein kinase C and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The effect of a novel calcium channel blocker ethyl 4-(4'-heptanoyloxyphenyl)-6-methyl-3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-one-5-carboxylate (H-DHPM) as a potential candidate for the treatment of COPD was also investigated. H-DHPM treated cells showed a decrease in intracellular Ca(2+) level as compared to the control cells. Molecular studies were carried out to evaluate the expression profile of NOS isoforms in human lymphocytes and it was shown that H-DHPM decreases the increased iNOS in COPD along with reestablishing the normal levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). The results of H-DHPM were comparable with those of Amlodipine, a known calcium channel blocker. Calcium channel blocker H-DHPM proves to be a potential candidate for the treatment of COPD and further clinical studies are required to prove its role in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Elucidation of mechanism of action of Cassia auriculata leaf extract for its antidiabetic activity in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Cassia auriculata traditionally has been used to treat diabetes from ancient times. The objective of the present study was to investigate the mechanism of action for the antidiabetic activity of aqueous leaf extract of C. auriculata (CLEt) in streptozotocin-induced mildly diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) rats. CLEt was orally administered to MD and SD rats at a dose of 400 mg/kg once a day for 15 days. CLEt-treated MD and SD rats showed significant reduction in fasting blood glucose. Assessment of plasma insulin and C-peptide following treatment with CLEt revealed significant elevation in their levels. Administration of CLEt enhanced the activity of hepatic hexokinase and phosphofructokinase and suppressed glucose-6-phosphatase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase in both MD and SD rats. A significant rise in glycogen content was also observed in both liver and muscles of CLEt-fed MD and SD rats. Histopathological examination of pancreatic sections revealed increased number of islets and beta-cells in CLEt-treated MD as well as SD rats. The findings of the study suggest that the antidiabetic effect of CLEt could be due to its insulinogenic action. In addition, impaired glucose homeostasis was improved by feeding the extract through amelioration in the carbohydrate metabolic pathways. Thus, the extract may exert an antidiabetic effect through pancreatic as well as extrapancreatic action.

Calreticulin transacetylase catalyzed modification of the TNF-alpha mediated pathway in the human peripheral blood mononuclear cells by polyphenolic acetates.

Polyphenols, coumarin (1,2-benzopyrone) and chromone (1,4-benzopyrone), are naturally occurring constituent of variety of plant species. They have attracted immense interest because of their diverse pharmacological activities. Not much was known about biological activities of acetyl derivative (polyphenolic acetates) of parent polyphenols. In previous investigations, we have conclusively established calreticulin transacetylase catalyzed activation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) by polyphenolic acetates. In the present work, calreticulin transacetylase of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was characterized with respect to specificity for various polyphenolic acetates and its role in the activation of TNF-alpha induced nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells incubated with a model polyphenolic acetate, 7,8-diacetoxy-4-methylcoumarin (DAMC), along with L-arginine caused activation of NOS. The incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with TNF-alpha and DAMC resulted in increased production of NO as compared to TNF-alpha alone. This increased NO production was attenuated by l-Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a well known non-specific inhibitor of NOS, and 1400W (N-[3-(aminomethyl) benzyl] acetamidine), a specific inhibitor of human iNOS. These results substantiate the CRTAase catalyzed activation of iNOS. Further, expression of NOS isoforms by semi-quantitative PCR and real-time RT-PCR confirms the preponderance of iNOS in TNF-alpha treated peripheral blood mononuclear cells over the untreated one. It was also observed that polyphenolic acetates inhibit TNF-alpha mediated release of IL-6 from peripheral blood mononuclear cells.