Comprehensive Molecular Profiles of Functionally Effective MSC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Immunomodulation.

Accumulating evidence indicates that mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) exhibit immunomodulatory effects by delivering therapeutic RNAs and proteins; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the EV-mediated immunomodulation is not fully understood. In this study, we found that EVs from early-passage MSCs had better immunomodulatory potency than did EVs from late-passage MSCs in T cell receptor (TCR)- or Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-stimulated splenocytes and in mice with ocular Sjögren's syndrome. Moreover, MSC-EVs were more effective when produced from 3D culture of the cells than from the conventional 2D culture. Comparative molecular profiling using proteomics and microRNA sequencing revealed the enriched factors in MSC-EVs that were functionally effective in immunomodulation. Among them, manipulation of transforming growth factor ß1 (TGF-ß1), pentraxin 3 (PTX3), let-7b-5p, or miR-21-5p levels in MSCs significantly affected the immunosuppressive effects of their EVs. Furthermore, there was a strong correlation between the expression levels of TGF-ß1, PTX3, let-7b-5p, or miR-21-5p in MSC-EVs and their suppressive function. Therefore, our comparative strategy identified TGF-ß1, PTX3, let-7b-5p, or miR-21-5p as key molecules mediating the therapeutic effects of MSC-EVs in autoimmune disease. These findings would help understand the molecular mechanism underlying EV-mediated immunomodulation and provide functional biomarkers of EVs for the development of robust EV-based therapies.

Lipidomics in diagnosis of lipidoses.

A review is presented of the major clinical features of a number of glycolipidoses including Fabry, Gaucher, Tay-Sachs, metachromatic leukodystrophy as well as CeroidLipofucinosis and Sjogren-Larsson syndrome. The possibilities offered by lipidomics for diagnosis and follow-up after enzyme replacement therapy are presented from a practical perspective. The contribution of HPLC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry has considerably simplified the detection and assay of abnormal metabolites. Corresponding internal standards consisting of weighed mixtures of the stable-isotope labeled metabolites required to calibrate and quantitate lipid components of these orphan diseases standards have yet to become commercially available. A lipidomics approach has been found to compare favorably with DNA-sequence analysis for the rapid diagnosis of pre-birth syndromes resulting from these multiple gene defects. The method also seems to be suitable for screening applications in terms of a high throughput combined with a low rate of false diagnoses based on the wide differences in metabolite concentrations found in affected patients as compared with normal subjects. The practical advantages of handling samples for lipidomic diagnoses as compared to enzyme assay are presented for application to diagnosis during pregnancy.

Restoration of fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase deficiency in Sjögren-Larsson syndrome.

Sjögren-Larsson syndrome (SLS) is an autosomal recessive neurocutaneous disorder caused by mutation in the ALDH3A2 gene that codes for human fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH). Sjögren-Larsson syndrome patients lack FALDH, which catalyzes the oxidation of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes to fatty acids. The impaired FALDH activity leads to congenital ichthyosis, mental retardation and spasticity. The current lack of treatment is an impetus to develop gene therapy strategies by introducing functional FALDH into defective cells. We delivered human FALDH into keratinocytes of SLS patients using recombinant adeno-associated virus-2 vectors. Transduction of SLS keratinocytes resulted in an augmentation of FALDH activity comparable to phenotypically normal heterozygous carriers. Toxicity of long-chain aldehydes for FALDH-deficient cells decreased almost to the level of unaffected keratinocytes. Three-dimensional culture of corrected SLS keratinocytes revealed an ameliorated FALDH expression. These studies demonstrate the restoration of FALDH in human SLS cells supporting the concept of gene therapy as a potential future treatment option for SLS.

Adeno-associated virus vectors are able to restore fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase-deficiency. Implications for gene therapy in Sjogren-Larsson syndrome.

Sjogren-Larsson Syndrome (SLS) is caused by an autosomal recessive defect in the gene coding for fatty aldehyde dehydrogenase (FALDH), an enzyme necessary for the oxidation of long-chain aliphatic aldehydes to fatty acid as one enzyme of the fatty alcohol:nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-oxidoreductase complex (FAO). The impaired activity of FALDH leads to the clinical symptom triad of generalized ichthyosis, mental retardation, and spastic diplegia or tetraplegia. Treatment options are primarily symptomatic. Gene therapy by means of genetic reintroduction of the functional FALDH gene into defective cells has so far not been considered as a therapeutic modality. In order to pursue such an approach for SLS, we constructed a recombinant adeno-associated virus-2 vector containing the human cDNA of functional FALDH and evaluated its capability to restore the enzyme-deficiency in a FALDH-deficient cell line resembling the gene defect of SLS. rAAV-2 transduction of FALDH-deficient cells, usually exhibiting less than 10% of normal FALDH activity, resulted in an increase of FALDH activity within the range of unaffected cells. Moreover, FALDH-transduced cells regained resistance over exposure to long chain aldehydes, which are otherwise toxic to FALDH-deficient cells. These results indicated that rAAV-2 vectors are able to restore FALDH-deficiency in a cell system resembling SLS. The findings give the first support to the concept that gene therapy might be a future option for the treatment of SLS.

[Sjögren's syndrome: clinical and therapeutic features. A review of the literature]. / La sindrome di Sjgren: aspetti clinici e terapeutici. Revisione della letteratura.

UNLABELLED: Sjögren' Syndrome (SS), also named Sicca Syndrome, is a complex disease, characterized by a series of clinical symptoms and signs chiefly represented by xerostomia, xerophthalmia and connectival diseases. The pathogenetic mechanisms consist of an autoimmune process leading to salivary and lacrimal glands progressive destruction. There is a primary form with salivary and lacrimal glands compromission only and a second form in which xerostomia and/or xerophthalmia are associated with connectival diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma. The diagnosis of SS is rather difficult and it is based on various world-wide established and accepted criteria: the labial minor salivary glands biopsy and the research of specific seric autoantibodies are the basic elements. From the therapeutic point of view, various types of immunomodulant treatments based on cyclosporine, corticosteroids, methotrexate or alpha-interferon have been proposed with different RESULTS: Cholinergic drugs, like pilocarpine and cevimeline, are also used in order to stimulate the gland functionality.