Circulating Markers of Inflammation Persist in Children and Adults With Giant Aneurysms After Kawasaki Disease.

BACKGROUND: The sequelae of Kawasaki disease (KD) vary widely with the greatest risk for future cardiovascular events among those who develop giant coronary artery aneurysms (CAA). We sought to define the molecular signature associated with different outcomes in pediatric and adult KD patients. METHODS: Molecular profiling was conducted using mass spectrometry-based shotgun proteomics, transcriptomics, and glycomics methods on 8 pediatric KD patients at the acute, subacute, and convalescent time points. Shotgun proteomics was performed on 9 KD adults with giant CAA and matched healthy controls. Plasma calprotectin was measured by ELISA in 28 pediatric KD patients 1 year post-KD, 70 adult KD patients, and 86 healthy adult volunteers. RESULTS: A characteristic molecular profile was seen in pediatric patients during the acute disease, which resolved at the subacute and convalescent periods in patients with no coronary artery sequelae but persisted in 2 patients who developed giant CAA. We, therefore, investigated persistence of inflammation in KD adults with giant CAA by shotgun proteomics that revealed a signature of active inflammation, immune regulation, and cell trafficking. Correlating results obtained using shotgun proteomics in the pediatric and adult KD cohorts identified elevated calprotectin levels in the plasma of patients with CAA. Investigation of expanded pediatric and adult KD cohorts revealed elevated levels of calprotectin in pediatric patients with giant CAA 1 year post-KD and in adult KD patients who developed giant CAA in childhood. CONCLUSIONS: Complex patterns of biomarkers of inflammation and cell trafficking can persist long after the acute phase of KD in patients with giant CAA. Elevated levels of plasma calprotectin months to decades after acute KD and infiltration of cells expressing S100A8 and A9 in vascular tissues suggest ongoing, subclinical inflammation. Calprotectin may serve as a biomarker to inform the management of KD patients following the acute illness.

Twoplex 12/13 C6 aniline stable isotope and linkage-specific sialic acid labeling 2D-LC-MS workflow for quantitative N-glycomics.

Quantitative glycomics represents an actively expanding research field ranging from the discovery of disease-associated glycan alterations to the quantitative characterization of N-glycans on therapeutic proteins. Commonly used analytical platforms for comparative relative quantitation of complex glycan samples include MALDI-TOF-MS or chromatographic glycan profiling with subsequent data alignment and statistical evaluation. Limitations of such approaches include run-to-run technical variation and the potential introduction of subjectivity during data processing. Here, we introduce an offline 2D LC-MSE workflow for the fractionation and relative quantitation of twoplex isotopically labeled N-linked oligosaccharides using neutral 12 C6 and 13 C6 aniline (Δmass = 6 Da). Additional linkage-specific derivatization of sialic acids using 4-(4,6-dimethoxy-1,3,5-trizain-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride offered simultaneous and advanced in-depth structural characterization. The potential of the method was demonstrated for the differential analysis of structurally defined N-glycans released from serum proteins of patients diagnosed with various stages of colorectal cancer. The described twoplex 12 C6 /13 C6 aniline 2D LC-MS platform is ideally suited for differential glycomic analysis of structurally complex N-glycan pools due to combination and analysis of samples in a single LC-MS injection and the associated minimization in technical variation.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli strain CFT073 disrupts NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Successful bacterial pathogens produce an array of virulence factors that allow subversion of the immune system and persistence within the host. For example, uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains, such as CFT073, express Toll/IL-1 receptor-containing (TIR-containing) protein C (TcpC), which impairs TLR signaling, thereby suppressing innate immunity in the urinary tract and enhancing persistence in the kidneys. Here, we have reported that TcpC also reduces secretion of IL-1ß by directly interacting with the NACHT leucin-rich repeat PYD protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, which is crucial for recognition of pathogens within the cytosol. At a low MOI, IL-1ß secretion was minimal in CFT073-infected macrophages; however, IL-1ß release was markedly increased in macrophages infected with CFT073 lacking tcpC. Induction of IL-1ß secretion by CFT073 and tcpC-deficient CFT073 required the NLRP3 inflammasome. TcpC attenuated activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome by binding both NLRP3 and caspase-1 and thereby preventing processing and activation of caspase-1. Moreover, in a murine urinary tract infection model, CFT073 infection rapidly induced expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome in the bladder mucosa; however, the presence of TcpC in WT CFT073 reduced IL-1ß levels in the urine of infected mice. Together, these findings illustrate how uropathogenic E. coli use the multifunctional virulence factor TcpC to attenuate innate immune responses in the urinary tract.

Enhanced sialylation of a human chimeric IgG1 variant produced in human and rodent cell lines.

Glycosylation of the IgG-Fc is essential for optimal binding and activation of Fcγ receptors and the C1q component of complement. However, it has been reported that the effector functions are down-regulated when the Fc glycans terminate in sialic acid residues and that sialylated IgG mediates anti-inflammatory effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Although recombinant IgG is hypo-sialylated, Fc sialylation is shown to be markedly increased when a mouse/human chimeric IgG3 Phe243Ala (F243A) variant is expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-K1 cells. Here we investigate whether sialylation is increased in IgG1 F243A when expressed in CHO-K1, mouse myeloma J558L and human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293. Although the sialylation level was 2-5% for IgG1 wild type (WT), it was increased to 31%, 10% and 33% for the variant from CHO-K1, J558L and HEK293 cells, respectively. Interestingly, an increased addition of bisecting GlcNAc and α(1-3)-galactose residues to the Fc glycan was observed for HEK293-derived and J558L-derived IgG1 F243A, respectively. Fucosylation of HEK293-derived IgG1 F243A was maintained despite increased bisecting GlcNAc content. Although sialic acid and bisecting GlcNAc residues are reported to have an opposing effect on antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), IgG1 F243A showed 7 times lower ADCC activities than IgG1 WT, irrespective of bisecting GlcNAc residue. Thus, highly sialylated, human cell-derived IgG1 F243A with lowered ADCC activity may be of interest for the development of therapeutic antibodies with anti-inflammatory properties as an alternative to IVIG.

Human milk composition differs in healthy mothers and mothers with celiac disease.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether breast-milk composition and microbiota differ in healthy mothers and mothers with celiac disease (CD) to ultimately contribute to identify additional factors determining CD risk. METHODS: Breast-milk samples from healthy mothers (n = 12) and mothers with CD (n = 12) were collected. Cytokines and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) were analyzed by bead-arrays and flow cytometry and human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) were assessed by capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection. Breast-milk microbiota composition was analyzed by conventional and quantitative real-time PCR. RESULT: Breast milk from CD mothers showed significantly lower levels of interleukin (IL) 12p70 (P < 0.042), transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 (P < 0.018) and sIgA (P < 0.003) and almost significantly lower levels of interferon (IFN)-γ (P < 0.058). Six mothers in each group belonged to the secretor Le(a-b+) type, one to the secretor Le(a-b-) type and five to the non-secretor Le(a+b-) type. CD mothers of non-secretor Le(a+b-) type showed increased Lacto-N-tetraose content (P < 0.042) compared with healthy mothers. CD mothers' milk showed reduced gene copy numbers of Bifidobacterium spp. (P < 0.026) and B. fragilis group (P < 0.044). CONCLUSION: CD mothers' breast milk is characterized by a reduced abundance of immunoprotective compounds (TGF-ß1 and sIgA) and bifidobacteria. The reduction in these components could theoretically diminish the protective effects of breast-feeding on the child's future risk of developing CD.

Glycosylation as a marker for inflammatory arthritis.

Changes in serum protein glycosylation play an important role in inflammatory arthritis. Altered galactosylation of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in rheumatoid arthritis attracts special attention due to the devastating nature of the disease. Studying glycosylation changes of serum proteins has been recognized as a potential strategy to provide added value regarding diagnostics, aetiopathology and therapy of inflammatory arthritic diseases. Key questions, which are approached in these fields of research, are whether or not glycosylation can be used as a complementary pre-clinical and clinical marker for disease differentiation, diagnosis, the prediction of disease course and severity as well as for the evaluation of disease therapies. These studies mainly focus on TNF antagonists, which present a new and promising way of treating inflammatory arthritis. The recent availability of new high-throughput glycoanalytical tools enables a more profound and efficient investigation in large patient cohorts and helps to gain new insights in the complex mechanism of the underlying disease pathways.

In vivo mapping of hydrogen peroxide and oxidized glutathione reveals chemical and regional specificity of redox homeostasis.

The glutathione redox couple (GSH/GSSG) and hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) are central to redox homeostasis and redox signaling, yet their distribution within an organism is difficult to measure. Using genetically encoded redox probes in Drosophila, we establish quantitative in vivo mapping of the glutathione redox potential (E(GSH)) and H(2)O(2) in defined subcellular compartments (cytosol and mitochondria) across the whole animal during development and aging. A chemical strategy to trap the in vivo redox state of the transgenic biosensor during specimen dissection and fixation expands the scope of fluorescence redox imaging to include the deep tissues of the adult fly. We find that development and aging are associated with redox changes that are distinctly redox couple-, subcellular compartment-, and tissue-specific. Midgut enterocytes are identified as prominent sites of age-dependent cytosolic H(2)O(2) accumulation. A longer life span correlated with increased formation of oxidants in the gut, rather than a decrease.