Altered polarization, morphology, and impaired innate immunity germane to resident peritoneal macrophages in mice with long-term type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with perturbed innate immunity. Macrophages, bridging innate immunity and metabolic disturbances, play important roles in controlling immune homeostasis. However, the effect of long-term diabetic milieu (DM) on the functions and phenotypes of macrophages is still not clear. In this study, we used resident peritoneal macrophages (RPMs) from 5-month-old db/db mice to investigate the changes of macrophages. It was found that RPMs in db/db mice significantly reduced phagocytosis and adhesion capacity. After standardization with body weight, the number of F4/80(+) RPMs markedly reduced in db/db mice, and, furthermore, the macrophages skewed to M2-polarizated macrophages. The results of morphology found that the RPMs shape of db/db mice was nearly round, but the RPMs shape of control mice was spindle-shaped and irregular. In this study, we found the cell numbers, morphology, and innate immunity functions of RPMs in 5-month-old type 2 diabetic mice (db/db mice) obtained by abdominal cavity lavage were significantly altered. Importantly, we also found the remarkably increased M2-RPMs in diabetic mice for the first time.

FOXL2 mutations in Chinese families with Blepharophimosis syndrome (BPES).

Blepharophimosis syndrome (BPES) is a rare, autosomal dominant disease. Two clinical types of BPES have been distinguished. In BPES type I, an eyelid malformation is associated with infertility in affected females as a result of premature ovarian failure. In BPES type II, eyelid anomalies alone are observed. Mutations of FOXL2, which is a gene encoding a forkhead transcription factor, have recently been shown to cause both types of BPES. Here, we report 1 novel duplication mutation of the FOXL2 gene identified in a large Chinese family affected by type II BPES and 1 less recurrent 17-bp duplication in a large Chinese family affected by BPES of an undetermined type. These new cases give additional support to the previously reported genotype-phenotype correlations and our findings have expanded the spectrum of known mutations of the FOXL2 gene.

Functional study on a novel missense mutation of the transcription factor FOXL2 causes blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES).

Blepharophimosis-ptosis-epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES) is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by FOXL2 gene mutations. However, only one missense mutation has been found in family with BPES type I. Here, we report a novel missense mutation in the forkhead domain of the FOXL2 gene (c.340A > G, NM_023067) resulted in the replacement of lysine by glutamic acid at amino acid position 114 of the FOXL2 protein (p.K114E, NP_075555) that was identified in a Chinese family with BPES type I, members of which displayed clinical symptoms such as shortened palpebral fissures, drooping eyelids, a vertical skin fold arising from the lower eyelid, and premature ovarian failure (POF) in affected females. Based on the patients' clinical features and computational analysis of this missense mutation in a three-dimensional structural model, we hypothesised that the mutation might disturb the intermolecular contacts between FOXL2 and the StAR gene. The disturbance of this interaction might contribute to the POF observed in BPES type I patients. We performed subcellular localisation and functional studies and as expected, observed significant nuclear aggregation and cytoplasmic mislocalization of the mutant type protein and loss-of-function was confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, transcriptional activity assays and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. This functional study on a novel missense mutation has important implications for the molecular analysis of this gene.