RESUMEN
We herein elucidate the function of SARS-CoV-2derived 5'UTR in the human cells. 5'UTR bound host cellular RNAs were immunoprecipitated by gRNA-dCas13 (targeting luciferase RNA fused to SARS-CoV-2 5'UTR) in HEK293T and A549 cells. The 5'UTR bound RNA extractions were predominantly enriched for regulating lipid metabolism. Overexpression of SARS-CoV-2 5'UTR RNA altered the expression of factors involved in the process of the human Mevalonate pathway. In addition, we found that HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors were shown to suppress SARS-CoV-2 5'UTR-mediated translation activities. In conclusion, we deduce the array of host RNAs interacting with SARS-CoV-2 5'UTR that drives SARS-CoV-2 translation and influences host metabolic pathways.
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COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Humanos , Regiones no Traducidas 5' , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Metabolismo de los Lípidos , Repeticiones Palindrómicas Cortas Agrupadas y Regularmente Espaciadas , Células HEK293 , COVID-19/genética , Biosíntesis de ProteínasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have demonstrated that paediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension remains distinct from that in adults, there are limited studies evaluating a direct comparison between children and adults. The aim of this head-to-head comparison study was to compare the gender, haemodynamic parameters, and prognosis between paediatric and adult pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively assessed the clinical differences in 40 childhood-onset (under 20 years old) patients and 40 adult-onset patients with idiopathic and heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension who were followed up at two centres. There was no female predominance among patients with childhood-onset pulmonary arterial hypertension (child female: 42.5%, adult female: 80%). The percent of New York Heart Association functional class IV in adult-onset pulmonary arterial hypertension tended to be higher than those in childhood-onset pulmonary arterial hypertension (22.5 and 10%, respectively), although children had worse haemodynamic parameters at diagnosis (mean pulmonary artery pressure (children versus adults); median 65 mmHg versus 49 mmHg, p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the event-free survival rate between the two groups (95% vs. 85%) during the follow-up period (median, 96 months; range, 1-120 months). CONCLUSIONS: Although paediatric pulmonary arterial hypertension patients had worse haemodynamic parameters at diagnosis than adults, children survived as long as adults with appropriate therapeutic strategies.
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Hipertensión Pulmonar , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar , Niño , Humanos , Adulto , Femenino , Adulto Joven , Masculino , Hipertensión Pulmonar Primaria Familiar/diagnóstico , Hipertensión Pulmonar Primaria Familiar/genética , Hipertensión Pulmonar/epidemiología , Hipertensión Pulmonar/genética , Hipertensión Pulmonar/diagnóstico , Estudios Retrospectivos , HemodinámicaRESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of selexipag in children and young adults with idiopathic and heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included clinical data from five children and six young adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving selexipag as add-on therapy or as a transition from beraprost sodium or epoprostenol infusion therapy. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by measuring improvement in clinical variables from baseline, including hemodynamic parameters. RESULTS: Of the 11 patients, 6 were switched from beraprost sodium to selexipag and one paediatric patient transitioned from epoprostenol to selexipag. The median maintenance dose of selexipag in children was 80 µg/kg/day. In nine patients undergoing repeat catheterisation, statistically significant improvements were observed after the initiation of selexipag in terms of mean pulmonary arterial pressure (p < 0.01), pulmonary vascular resistance index (p < 0.05), and cardiac index (p < 0.01). None of the patients had clinical worsening after selexipag during follow-up, but one young adult patient discontinued treatment due to severe headache. The most common side effect profiles were headache, nausea, abdominal pain, jaw pain, myalgia, and diarrhoea. CONCLUSIONS: Selexipag may have a favourable safety profile and potential efficacy in children and young adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Hipertensión Pulmonar , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar , Humanos , Adulto Joven , Niño , Epoprostenol/uso terapéutico , Hipertensión Arterial Pulmonar/tratamiento farmacológico , Hipertensión Pulmonar/tratamiento farmacológico , Hipertensión Pulmonar Primaria Familiar/tratamiento farmacológico , Antihipertensivos/efectos adversos , Estudios Retrospectivos , Resultado del TratamientoRESUMEN
HIGHLIGHT: This study found that the increase in serum secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) levels might be mediated by lactate accumulation and might, hence, be influenced by exercise intensity rather than exercise duration.An association was found between SPARC response to exercise and skeletal muscle mass.Our results provide a better understanding of the preventive effects of exercise on colon cancer.
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Cisteína , Osteonectina , Cisteína/metabolismo , Ejercicio Físico/fisiología , Humanos , Músculo Esquelético/metabolismoRESUMEN
Exposure of human immune cells to asbestos causes a reduction in antitumor immunity. The present study aimed to investigate the recovery of reduced antitumor immunity by several ingredients taken as supplements or foods, including trehalose (Treh) and glycosylated hesperidin (gHesp). Peripheral blood CD4+ cells were stimulated with IL2, antiCD3 and antiCD28 antibodies for 3 days, followed by further stimulation with IL2 for 7 days. Subsequently, cells were stimulated with IL2 for an additional 28 days. During the 28 days, cells were cultured in the absence or presence of 50 µg/ml chrysotile asbestos fibers. In addition, cells were treated with 10 mM Treh or 10 µM gHesp. Following culture for 28 days, reverse transcriptionquantitative PCR was performed to assess the expression levels of transcription factors, cytokines and specific genes, including matrix metalloproteinase7 (MMP7), nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) and CXC motif chemokine receptor 3, in unstimulated cells (fresh) and cells stimulated with PMA and ionomycin (stimuli). The results demonstrated that compared with the control group, chrysotileexposure induced alterations in MMP7, NNT and IL17A expression levels were not observed in the 'Treh' and 'gHesp' groups in stimulated cells. The results suggested that Treh and gHesp may reverse asbestos exposureinduced reduced antitumor immunity in T helper cells. However, further investigation is required to confirm the efficacy of future trials involving the use of these compounds with highrisk human populations exposed to asbestos, such as workers involved in asbestoshandling activities.
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Amianto/efectos adversos , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/inmunología , Suplementos Dietéticos , Hesperidina/farmacología , Mesotelioma Maligno/inmunología , Trehalosa/farmacología , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/efectos de los fármacos , Linfocitos T CD4-Positivos/metabolismo , Células Cultivadas , Humanos , Interferón gamma/inmunología , Interleucina-17/inmunología , Masculino , Mesotelioma Maligno/inducido químicamente , Mesotelioma Maligno/prevención & control , Persona de Mediana Edad , Receptores CXCR3/inmunologíaRESUMEN
The effects of asbestos on immunocompetent cells have been investigated. In particular, attention was paid to regulatory T cell function, which was observed using the HTLV-1 immortalized human polyclonal T cell line MT-2. Exposure to asbestos (approximately more than 25 µg/mL for 1-3 day) induced apoptosis, and we observed an increase in regulatory T cell function and acceleration of the cell cycle with continuous exposure to low concentrations of asbestos (5-10 µg/mL for more than eight months). Furthermore, cDNA microarray analysis in this study revealed that expression of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) was markedly higher in exposed sublines compared to original MT-2 cells. It was determined that MMP-7 had no effect on Treg function, as determined by examination of sublines and by addition of recombinant MMP-7 and neutralizing antibodies or inhibitors of MMP-7. However, when examining melting of the extracellular matrix (an MMP-7-mediated event) or the extent to which the MT-2 parent strain or long-term exposed subline cells pass through a fibronectin-coated filter, more filter passes were observed for the subline. These results suggest that the effect of asbestos fibers on Treg cells results in excessive migration of the tumor microenvironment through hypersecretion of MMP-7 together with an increase in suppressive function and enhancement of cell cycle progression. Therefore, one possible way to prevent the development of asbestos-induced cancer is to reduce the function (including MMP-7 production) or amount of Treg cells by physiologically active substances or food ingredients. Alternatively, it may be possible to invoke immune checkpoint treatments when carcinogenesis occurs.
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Amianto/toxicidad , Carcinógenos/toxicidad , Movimiento Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Metaloproteinasa 7 de la Matriz/biosíntesis , Linfocitos T Reguladores/efectos de los fármacos , Linfocitos T Reguladores/metabolismo , Línea Celular Transformada , Movimiento Celular/fisiología , HumanosRESUMEN
Asbestos exposure causes malignant tumors such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The effects of asbestos fibers on immunocompetent cells, however, have not been well studied. Asbestos physically comprises a fibrous substance, which differs from silica particles which are a particulate substance, although chemically it is a mineral silicate. Since silicosis patients previously exposed to silica particles often suffer from lung and autoimmune diseases, it is clear that silica exposure impairs immune tolerance. Similarly, asbestos may alter the immune system in asbestos-exposed individuals. Given that malignant tumors can result following exposure to asbestos, the attenuation of anti-tumor immunity in cases of asbestos exposure is an important area of investigation. We observed the effect of asbestos fibers on T lymphocytes, such as CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), CD4+ helper T (Th), and regulatory T (Treg) cells, and showed that anti-tumor immunity was attenuated, as demonstrated in a system that stimulates fresh cells isolated from peripheral blood in vitro and a system that is continuously exposed to a cell line. In this manuscript, we introduce the experiments and results of studies on CTLs, as well as Th and Treg cells, and discuss how future changes in immunocompetent cells induced by asbestos fibers can be clinically linked.
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Amianto/toxicidad , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/inmunología , Inmunidad Celular , Mesotelioma Maligno/inmunología , Linfocitos T Reguladores/inmunología , Linfocitos T CD8-positivos/patología , Humanos , Mesotelioma Maligno/inducido químicamente , Mesotelioma Maligno/patología , Linfocitos T Reguladores/patologíaRESUMEN
Cas13 endonuclease activity depends on the RNA local secondary structure with strong preference for single-stranded (SS) regions. Hence, it becomes indispensable to identify the SS regions for effective Cas13 mediated RNA knockdown. We herein present rational gRNA design by integrating experimental structure-seq data and predicted structural models. Utilizing structure-seq data for XIST transcript, we observed that gRNAs targeting the SS regions significantly induce transcript knockdown and cleavage than those targeting double-stranded (DS) regions. Further, we identified the "central seed region" in the gRNA that upon targeting the SS regions efficiently facilitates Cas13 mediated cleavage. In our following pursuits, we considered the scenario wherein experimental structure-seq data is not available, hence we used SS18-SSX2 fusion transcript indicated in synovial sarcomas and computationally predicted its structure. We observed that gRNAs targeting the SS regions predicted from the structure, efficiently induced necrosis compared to gRNAs that target the DS regions. In conclusion, for the effective RNA knockdown, the Cas13 mediated targeting strategy presented herein emphasizes the designing of gRNAs specifically targeting SS regions by utilizing structural information. Further, this strategy, in turn, can be anticipated to narrow the search space for gRNA design (by exclusively targeting SS regions) especially when lncRNAs are the targets.
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Endonucleasas/genética , Conformación de Ácido Nucleico , ARN Guía de Kinetoplastida/ultraestructura , Sistemas CRISPR-Cas/genética , Endonucleasas/ultraestructura , Humanos , Proteínas de Neoplasias/química , Proteínas de Neoplasias/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas/química , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas/genética , ARN/genética , ARN/ultraestructura , ARN Bicatenario/genética , ARN Bicatenario/ultraestructura , ARN Guía de Kinetoplastida/genética , Proteínas Represoras/química , Proteínas Represoras/genéticaRESUMEN
Southwestern Japan suffered its worst rains in 2018 causing floods and mudslides, claiming 225 lives and forcing millions for evacuations. Referred as "Heisei san-ju-nenshichi-gatsugou", the disaster was the result of incessant precipitation caused by the interaction of typhoon "Prapiroon" with the seasonal rain front "Baiu". The present epidemiological study aims to investigate disaster-induced health issues in 728 residents of Innoshima island in the Hiroshima Prefecture by comparing their clinical data in pre-disaster (2017) and disaster-hit (2018) years which was obtained from annual health screening. Comparison of data showed a significant increase in the urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. Probing further into the household conditions, showed that a total of 59,844 households were affected with water outage during the heavy rains, which was accompanied by severe damage of sewerage pipelines with complete recovery process taking two weeks. This two weeks of the crisis forced victims to refrain from using restrooms which in turn led to infrequent urination, thereby explaining the increased urine protein concentration in victims following the disaster. The present study addresses the acute health implications caused by the water crisis and serves as a precautionary measure for disaster management council to provide enhanced aftercare services in victims in further events of natural disasters.
RESUMEN
The effects of asbestos fibers on human immune cells have not been well documented. We have developed a continuously exposed cell line model using the human T-lymphotropic virus 1 (HTLV-1)-immortalized human T cell line MT-2. Sublines continuously exposed to chrysotile (CH) or crocidolite (CR) showed acquired resistance to asbestos-induced apoptosis following transient and high-dose re-exposure with fibers. These sublines in addition to other immune cells such as natural killer cells or cytotoxic T lymphocytes exposed to asbestos showed a reduction in anti-tumor immunity. In this study, the expression of genes and molecules related to antioxidative stress was examined. Furthermore, complexes related to oxidative phosphorylation were investigated since the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important when considering the effects of asbestos in carcinogenesis and the mechanisms involved in resistance to asbestos-induced apoptosis. In sublines continuously exposed to CH or CR, the expression of thioredoxin decreased. Interestingly, nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) expression was markedly enhanced. Thus, knockdown of NNT was then performed. Although the knockdown clones did not show any changes in proliferation or occurrence of apoptosis, these clones showed recovery of ROS production with returning NADPH/NADP+ ratio that increased with decreased production of ROS in continuously exposed sublines. These results indicated that NNT is a key factor in preventing ROS-induced cytotoxicity in T cells continuously exposed to asbestos. Considering that these sublines showed a reduction in anti-tumor immunity, modification of NNT may contribute to recovery of the anti-tumor effects in asbestos-exposed T cells.
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Amianto , NADP Transhidrogenasas , Apoptosis , Línea Celular , Humanos , Especies Reactivas de OxígenoRESUMEN
3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) is generated from the tyrosine residue in atmospheric bio-aerosol proteins via a reaction with ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Stable 3-NT is a specific marker for oxidative damage and is reported to have a promotive effect to elicit allergies. In the present study, we report the development of a highly sensitive assay to quantify 3-NT in air sampler filters to collect < 2.5 µm of particulate matter (PM2.5) from urban environmental air, including bio-aerosol. In this method, a 6 mm-diameter round hole was cut from the filters of air samplers and mixed with a nonspecific protease cocktail in order to hydrolyze proteins. Protein samples digested to the amino acid level were tested for 3-NT using a high-performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detector (HPLC-ECD). The maximum 3-NT content was detected in a prefilter for PM of sizes from 4.5 to 7.3 µm, with a detection limit of 1.13 pg/m3.
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Contaminantes Atmosféricos/análisis , Atmósfera/química , Cromatografía Líquida de Alta Presión/métodos , Electroquímica/métodos , Monitoreo del Ambiente/métodos , Tirosina/análogos & derivados , Humanos , Material Particulado/análisis , Estándares de Referencia , Tirosina/análisisRESUMEN
The periodontal pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis ATCC 33277 has six gene clusters that encode tripartite drug efflux pumps. To examine the effects of the drug efflux pumps on its antibiotic sensitivity, six mutants were constructed, each defective in the membrane fusion protein gene of each gene cluster. Compared to the wild-type strain, all mutants exhibited an elevated sensitivity to tetracycline, and two mutants with deletions in the PGN_1431 and PGN_1680 genes showed an increased sensitivity to various types of antibiotics. These results suggest that the activity of drug efflux systems may affect antibiotic sensitivity in P. gingivalis.
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Proteínas Bacterianas/genética , Infecciones por Bacteroidaceae/microbiología , Porphyromonas gingivalis/genética , Transportadoras de Casetes de Unión a ATP/genética , Transportadoras de Casetes de Unión a ATP/metabolismo , Antibacterianos/farmacología , Proteínas Bacterianas/metabolismo , Farmacorresistencia Bacteriana , Humanos , Filogenia , Porphyromonas gingivalis/efectos de los fármacos , Porphyromonas gingivalis/aislamiento & purificación , Porphyromonas gingivalis/metabolismoRESUMEN
Environmental stresses lower the efficiency of photosynthesis and sometimes cause irreversible damage to plant functions. When spinach thylakoids and Photosystem II membranes were illuminated with excessive visible light (100-1,000 µmol photons m(-1) s(-1)) for 10 min at either 20°C or 30°C, the optimum quantum yield of Photosystem II decreased as the light intensity and temperature increased. Reactive oxygen species and endogenous cationic radicals produced through a photochemical reaction at and/or near the reaction center have been implicated in the damage to the D1 protein. Here we present evidence that lipid peroxidation induced by the illumination is involved in the damage to the D1 protein and the subunits of the light-harvesting complex of Photosystem II. This is reasoned from the results that considerable lipid peroxidation occurred in the thylakoids in the light, and that lipoxygenase externally added in the dark induced inhibition of Photosystem II activity in the thylakoids, production of singlet oxygen, which was monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance spin trapping, and damage to the D1 protein, in parallel with lipid peroxidation. Modification of the subunits of the light-harvesting complex of Photosystem II by malondialdehyde as well as oxidation of the subunits was also observed. We suggest that mainly singlet oxygen formed through lipid peroxidation under light stress participates in damaging the Photosystem II subunits.