Case report: Vascular graft infection due to Aspergillus species presenting with recurrent vascular occlusion.

BACKGROUND: An aortic graft implantation is an effective therapeutic method for various aortic diseases. However, it is known that sometimes these implanted grafts can be the foci of infections. Here we report a rare case of graft infection that presented multiple embolisms of aortic branches and peripheral organs. CASE PRESENTATION: A 63-year-old Japanese woman with a history of aortic graft implantation presented with occlusions of large arteries in different loci and time points, with elevation of non-specific inflammatory markers. Thoracic contrast-computed tomography (CT) captured vegetation in the descending aortic graft and the [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ([18F]FDG PET/CT) showed accumulation of FDG in the same site, suggesting a graft infection. Despite all these suspicious findings, repeated blood culture examinations never detected any microorganisms. A diagnosis of Aspergillus graft infection was made based on an elevated serum ß-D glucan (ßDG) and a positive Aspergillus galactomannan (GM) antigen test. The patient subsequently had surgery with replacement of the descending aortic graft and anti-fungal drugs were instituted with significant improvement noted. CONCLUSION: In the present case, the patient's specific feature in the anatomical vascular construction, past operation, and basal fundamental diseases collaboratively contributed to the pathogenesis of the present infection. It is important to recognize the risk of graft infection and conduct imaging studies when indicative symptoms emerge. The negativity in blood culture studies often makes detection of pathogenic microbes extremely difficult. This case suggests that non-cultural tests such as bDG and GM can be useful for diagnosis and starting appropriate anti-fungal drugs in the early stages.

Gm14230 controls Tbc1d24 cytoophidia and neuronal cellular juvenescence.

It is not fully understood how enzymes are regulated in the tiny reaction field of a cell. Several enzymatic proteins form cytoophidia, a cellular macrostructure to titrate enzymatic activities. Here, we show that the epileptic encephalopathy-associated protein Tbc1d24 forms cytoophidia in neuronal cells both in vitro and in vivo. The Tbc1d24 cytoophidia are distinct from previously reported cytoophidia consisting of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (Impdh) or cytidine-5'-triphosphate synthase (Ctps). Tbc1d24 cytoophidia is induced by loss of cellular juvenescence caused by depletion of Gm14230, a juvenility-associated lncRNA (JALNC) and zeocin treatment. Cytoophidia formation is associated with impaired enzymatic activity of Tbc1d24. Thus, our findings reveal the property of Tbc1d24 to form cytoophidia to maintain neuronal cellular juvenescence.

Neuroepithelial cell competition triggers loss of cellular juvenescence.

Cell competition is a cell-cell interaction mechanism which maintains tissue homeostasis through selective elimination of unfit cells. During early brain development, cells are eliminated through apoptosis. How cells are selected to undergo elimination remains unclear. Here we aimed to identify a role for cell competition in the elimination of suboptimal cells using an in vitro neuroepithelial model. Cell competition was observed when neural progenitor HypoE-N1 cells expressing RASV12 were surrounded by normal cells in the co-culture. The elimination through apoptosis was observed by cellular changes of RASV12 cells with rounding/fragmented morphology, by SYTOX blue-positivity, and by expression of apoptotic markers active caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. In this model, expression of juvenility-associated genes Srsf7 and Ezh2 were suppressed under cell-competitive conditions. Srsf7 depletion led to loss of cellular juvenescence characterized by suppression of Ezh2, cell growth impairment and enhancement of senescence-associated proteins. The cell bodies of eliminated cells were engulfed by the surrounding cells through phagocytosis. Our data indicates that neuroepithelial cell competition may have an important role for maintaining homeostasis in the neuroepithelium by eliminating suboptimal cells through loss of cellular juvenescence.

Srsf7 Establishes the Juvenile Transcriptome through Age-Dependent Alternative Splicing in Mice.

The juvenile phase is characterized by continuously progressing physiological processes such as growth and maturation, which are accompanied by transitions in gene expression. The contribution of transcriptome dynamics to the establishment of juvenile properties remains unclear. Here, we investigated alternative splicing (AS) events in postnatal growth and elucidated the landscape of age-dependent alternative splicing (ADAS) in C57BL/6 mice. Our analysis of ADAS in the cerebral cortex, cardiomyocytes, and hepatocytes revealed numerous juvenile-specific splicing isoforms that shape the juvenile transcriptome, which in turn functions as a basis for the highly anabolic status of juvenile cells. Mechanistically, the juvenile-expressed splicing factor Srsf7 mediates ADAS, as exemplified by switching from juvenile to adult forms of anabolism-associated genes Eif4a2 and Rbm7. Suppression of Srsf7 results in "fast-forwarding" of this transcriptome transition, causing impaired anabolism and growth in mice. Thus, juvenile-specific AS is indispensable for the anabolic state of juveniles and differentiates juveniles from adults.

The juvenility-associated long noncoding RNA Gm14230 maintains cellular juvenescence.

Juvenile animals possess distinct properties that are missing in adults. These properties include capabilities for higher growth, faster wound healing, plasticity and regeneration. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these juvenile physiological properties are not fully understood. To obtain insight into the distinctiveness of juveniles from adults at the molecular level, we assessed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are highly expressed selectively in juvenile cells. The noncoding elements of the transcriptome were investigated in hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes isolated from juvenile and adult mice. Here, we identified 62 juvenility-associated lncRNAs (JAlncs), which are selectively expressed in both hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes from juvenile mice. Among these common (shared) JAlncs, Gm14230 is evolutionarily conserved and is essential for cellular juvenescence. Loss of Gm14230 impairs cell growth and causes cellular senescence. Gm14230 safeguards cellular juvenescence through recruiting the histone methyltransferase Ezh2 to Tgif2, thereby repressing the functional role of Tgif2 in cellular senescence. Thus, we identify Gm14230 as a juvenility-selective lncRNA required to maintain cellular juvenescence.

Identification of Verapamil Binding Sites Within Human Kv1.5 Channel Using Mutagenesis and Docking Simulation.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The phenylalkylamine class of L-type Ca2+ channel antagonist verapamil prolongs the effective refractory period (ERP) of human atrium, which appears to contribute to the efficacy of verapamil in preventing reentrant-based atrial arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation. This study was designed to investigate the molecular and electrophysiological mechanism underlying the action of verapamil on human Kv1.5 (hKv1.5) channel that determines action potential duration and ERP in human atrium. METHODS: Site-directed mutagenesis created 10 single-point mutations within pore region of hKv1.5 channel. Wholecell patch-clamp method investigated the effect of verapamil on wild-type and mutant hKv1.5 channels heterologously expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Docking simulation was conducted using open-state homology model of hKv1.5 channel pore. RESULTS: Verapamil preferentially blocked hKv1.5 channel in its open state with IC50 of 2.4±0.6 µM (n = 6). The blocking effect of verapamil was significantly attenuated in T479A, T480A, I502A, V505A, I508A, L510A, V512A and V516A mutants, compared with wild-type hKv1.5 channel. Computer docking simulation predicted that verapamil is positioned within central cavity of channel pore and has contact with Thr479, Thr480, Val505, Ile508, Ala509, Val512, Pro513 and Val516. CONCLUSION: Verapamil acts as an open-channel blocker of hKv1.5 channel, presumably due to direct binding to specific amino acids within pore region of hKv1.5 channel, such as Thr479, Thr480, Val505, Ile508, Val512 and Val516. This blocking effect of verapamil on hKv1.5 channel appears to contribute at least partly to prolongation of atrial ERP and resultant antiarrhythmic action on atrial fibrillation in humans.