Methylmalonic acidemia triggers lysosomal-autophagy dysfunctions.

BACKGROUND: Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) is a rare inborn error of propionate metabolism caused by deficiency of the mitochondrial methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT) enzyme. As matter of fact, MMA patients manifest impairment of the primary metabolic network with profound damages that involve several cell components, many of which have not been discovered yet. We employed cellular models and patients-derived fibroblasts to refine and uncover new pathologic mechanisms connected with MUT deficiency through the combination of multi-proteomics and bioinformatics approaches. RESULTS: Our data show that MUT deficiency is connected with profound proteome dysregulations, revealing molecular actors involved in lysosome and autophagy functioning. To elucidate the effects of defective MUT on lysosomal and autophagy regulation, we analyzed the morphology and functionality of MMA-lysosomes that showed deep alterations, thus corroborating omics data. Lysosomes of MMA cells present as enlarged vacuoles with low degradative capabilities. Notwithstanding, treatment with an anti-propionigenic drug is capable of totally rescuing lysosomal morphology and functional activity in MUT-deficient cells. These results indicate a strict connection between MUT deficiency and lysosomal-autophagy dysfunction, providing promising therapeutic perspectives for MMA. CONCLUSIONS: Defective homeostatic mechanisms in the regulation of autophagy and lysosome functions have been demonstrated in MUT-deficient cells. Our data prove that MMA triggers such dysfunctions impacting on autophagosome-lysosome fusion and lysosomal activity.

Study of the synthesis, antiproliferative properties, and interaction with DNA and polynucleotides of cisplatin-like Pt(II) complexes containing carcinogenic polyaromatic amines.

The chemical and biological features of two newly synthesized [PtCl2(L)(2-aminonaphthalene)] complexes (L is NH3 or 2-aminonaphthalene) were compared with those of two already reported enantiomeric complexes of formula [PtCl2(DABN)] [DABN is (R)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine or (S)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine]. Solution behavior, lipophilicity, cytotoxicity with regard to one colorectal (HCT116) and two ovarian (A2780 and A2780Cp8) human carcinoma cell lines, and in vitro DNA- and G-quadruplex-binding properties were evaluated. In particular, the cytotoxicity of [PtCl2(NH3)(2-aminonaphthalene)] was better than that of cisplatin for all cell lines, and rather resembled that of oxaliplatin. The solution behavior of the whole series of complexes and the absence of an evident relationship between lipophilicity and cytotoxicity seem to suggest that all these experimental parameters are probably smoothed out during the 3-day cytotoxicity experiments and do not strongly affect the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations. The results of electrophoretic studies indicate that different kinds of interaction with DNA can be involved in the mode of action of these complexes, with intercalation in double-stranded DNA and stacking on G-quadruplex DNA being strongly implicated in particular for [PtCl2(NH3)(2-aminonaphthalene)].

Molecular interaction fields vs. quantum-mechanical-based descriptors in the modelling of lipophilicity of platinum(IV) complexes.

We report QSAR calculations using VolSurf descriptors to model the lipophilicity of 53 Pt(iv) complexes with a diverse range of axial and equatorial ligands. Lipophilicity is measured using an efficient HPLC method. Previous models based on a subset of these data are shown to be inadequate, due to incompatibility of whole molecule descriptors between carboxylato and hydroxido ligands. Instead, the interaction surfaces of complexes with various probes are used as independent descriptors. Partial least squares modelling using three latent variables results in an accurate (R(2) = 0.92) and robust model (Q(2) = 0.87) of lipophilicity, that moreover highlights the importance of size and hydrophobicity terms and the modest relevance of hydrogen bonding.

[Radiological aspects of primary tuberculosis in the breast: a case report and review of the literature]. / Aspectos radiológicos da tuberculose primária da mama: relato de caso e revisão de literatura.

Mammary tuberculosis is an illness accounting for less than 0.1% of breast lesions. We present a case from our service and discuss the radiological findings from mammography, ultrasound scan and magnetic resonance, including kinetic curves. Mammary tuberculosis is an unusual condition and such reports are important in relation to the differential diagnoses versus breast cancer and pyogenic abscess.

Aspectos radiológicos da tuberculose primária da mama: relato de caso e revisão de literatura / Radiological aspects of primary tuberculosis in the breast: a case report and review of the literature

A tuberculose mamária é uma enfermidade equivalente a menos que 0,1 por cento das lesões deste órgão. Apresentamos a seguir um caso de nosso serviço discutindo os achados radiológicos da mamografia, ultrassonografia e ressonância magnética, incluindo curvas cinéticas. A tuberculose mamária é uma condição ímpar, sendo importante o relato pelos diagnósticos diferenciais com carcinoma mamário e o abscesso piogênico.

Mammary tuberculosis is an illness accounting for less than 0.1 percent of breast lesions. We present a case from our service and discuss the radiological findings from mammography, ultrasound scan and magnetic resonance, including kinetic curves. Mammary tuberculosis is an unusual condition and such reports are important in relation to the differential diagnoses versus breast cancer and pyogenic abscess.