Liver transplantation for late-onset ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD) is an X-linked inherited disorder and characterized by marked elevation of blood ammonia. The goal of treatment is to minimize the neurological damage caused by hyperammonemia. OTCD can be cured by liver transplantation (LT). Post-transplant patients can discontinue anti- hyperammonemia agents and consume a regular diet without the risk of developing hyperammonemia. The neurological damage caused by hyperammonemia is almost irreversible. CASE SUMMARY: An 11.7-year-old boy presented with headache, vomiting, and altered consciousness. The patient was diagnosed with late-onset OTCD. After nitrogen scavenging treatment and a protein-free diet, ammonia levels were reduced to normal on the third day of admission. Nevertheless, the patient remained in a moderate coma. After discussion, LT was performed. Following LT, the patient's blood ammonia and biochemical indicators stabilized in the normal range, he regained consciousness, and his nervous system function significantly recovered. Two months after LT, blood amino acids and urine organic acids were normal, and brain magnetic resonance imaging showed a decrease in subcortical lesions. CONCLUSION: LT can significantly improve partial neurological impairment caused by late-onset OTCD hyperammonemic encephalopathy, and LT can be actively considered when early drug therapy is ineffective.

DRD1 agonist A-68930 improves mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive deficits in a streptozotocin-induced mouse model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder characterized by irreversible cognitive deficits and memory dysfunction. Dopamine is the most abundant catecholaminergic neurotransmitter in the brain which regulates motivation, reward, movement, and cognition. Recently, increasing evidences have shown that dopaminergic system is disturbed in AD conditions, and pharmacological interventions targeting dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) exhibit certain therapeutic benefits in AD models. However, the underlying link between DRD1 and AD remains elusive. This study sought to test whether the selective DRD1 agonist A-68930 could improve streptozotocin (STZ)-induced cognitive impairment in mice. Here we found that A-68930 treatment through intraperitoneal injection efficiently alleviated STZ-induced cognitive deficits in mice. Moreover, our mechanism researches revealed that the DRD1 signaling induced by A-68930 significantly rescued STZ-induced mitochondrial biogenesis deficit, mitochondrial dysfunction, Aß overexpression, and tau phosphorylation in mice hippocampus and cortex and SH-SY5Y cells, which may be mediated through stimulating AMPK/PGC-1α pathway. This study indicates that DRD1 agonist A-68930 can improve STZ-induced cognitive deficits and mitochondrial dysfunction in vivo and in vitro, and DRD1 may represent an appropriate target candidate for AD drug development.

GPR40 receptor agonist TAK-875 improves cognitive deficits and reduces ß-amyloid production in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice.

RATIONALE: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction and memory impairment. G protein-coupled receptor 40 (GPR40) is expressed in brain in addition to periphery and is associated with cognitive function such as space orientation, memory, and learning. However, the effects and mechanisms of GPR40 agonist in improving the AD progression remain largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of a potent and selective GPR40 agonist TAK-875 on the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice. RESULTS: The results showed that intracerebroventricular administration of TAK-875 significantly rescued cognitive deficits in APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, and these effects may be mediated by the regulation of phospholipase C/protein kinase C signaling pathway, which enhanced α-secretase ADAM10 activity, promoted amyloid precursor protein non-amyloidogenic processing pathway, and reduced ß-amyloid production. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that GPR40 may be a potential therapeutic target for AD, and GPR40 agonists may become promising AD drugs in the future.

Artemisinin protects DPSC from hypoxia and TNF-α mediated osteogenesis impairments through CA9 and Wnt signaling pathway.

Dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) possess the ability of multi-lineage differentiation, and are excellent sources of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Oxygen concentration and inflammation are two critical environmental factors that affect the osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. We aimed to study the role of the antimalarial drug artemisinin on the osteogenic differentiation of human DPSCs under the hypoxia and inflammation conditions. We demonstrated that hypoxia (5% O2) and inflammation (20 ng/mL TNF-α), alone or in combination, significantly diminished in vitro cell survival and increased apoptotic rates. Notably, hypoxia and TNF-α exerted accumulative effect in suppressing the osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs, as evidenced by reduced expression levels of osteogenesis-associated genes including ALP, RUNX2 and OCN in osteogenic condition, as well as reduced mineral nodules formation as indicated by alizarin red staining. Artemisinin at the dose of 40 µM markedly reversed the suppression in cell survival caused by hypoxia or inflammation, and reduced apoptotic rates and the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins. Additionally, artemisinin restored osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs under the hypoxia or/and inflammation conditions. Moreover, the beneficial effect of artemisinin was dependent on upregulated expression of CA9 and CA9-mediated antioxidant responses, as CA9 knockdown abolished the protective role of artemisinin on DPSC osteogenesis. Furthermore, while hypoxia or/and inflammation significantly inactivated the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling in DPSCs, additional exposure to artemisinin re-activated this pathway to promote osteogenic differentiation of DPSCs. Our results provide novel insight on the link between artemisinin and DPSC osteogenesis, and suggest promising artemisinin-based strategies for better dentin/pulp tissue engineering.

Dopamine D1 receptor agonist A-68930 ameliorates Aß1-42-induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation in mice.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive dysfunction and memory impairment. Dopamine is an important catecholaminergic neurotransmitter that controls movement, reward, motivation, and cognition. Recently, dopamine receptors were reported to regulate immune system in both periphery and central nervous system. However, whether dopamine D1 receptor (DRD1) activation could improve neuroinflammation in AD conditions remains unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of a potent and selective DRD1 agonist A-68930 on Aß1-42-induced mice. Here we showed that intraperitoneal injection of A-68930 significantly ameliorated Aß1-42-induced cognitive dysfunction in mice. Moreover, both in vivo and in vitro data showed that A-68930-induced DRD1 activation significantly inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent neuroinflammation induced by Aß1-42, and this effect may be mediated by the activation of AMPK/autophagy signaling pathway, which enhanced NLRP3 inflammasome degradation and thus decreased the secretion of IL-1ß and IL-18. The present study suggests that A-68930-induced DRD1 signaling efficiently alleviates Aß1-42-induced cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation in mice and BV2 cells, and DRD1 may become a promising therapeutic target for AD.

[Clinical features of children with lysinuric protein intolerance and SLC7A7 gene mutation: an analysis of 3 cases].

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by SLC7A7 gene mutation and often involves severe lesions in multiple systems. Lung involvement is frequently seen in children with LPI and such children tend to have a poor prognosis. This article summarizes the clinical manifestations and gene mutation characteristics of three children diagnosed with LPI by SLC7A7 gene analysis. All three children had the manifestations of aversion to protein-rich food after weaning, delayed development, anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, and osteoporosis, as well as an increase in orotic acid in urine. In addition, interstitial pneumonia and diffuse pulmonary interstitial lesions were observed in two children. SLC7A7 gene detection showed three pathogenic mutations in these children, namely c.1387delG(p.V463CfsX56), c.1215G>A(p.W405X) and homozygous c.625+1G>A. After a definite diagnosis was made, all three children were given a low-protein diet and oral administration of citrulline [100 mg/(kg.d)], iron protein succinylate [4 mg/(kg.d)], calcium and zinc gluconates oral solution (10 mL/day) and vitamin D (400 IU/day). In addition, patient 3 was given prednisone acetate (5 mg/day). The children had varying degrees of improvement in symptoms and signs. It is hard to distinguish LPI from urea cycle disorder due to the features of amino acid and organic acid metabolism in LPI, and SLC7A7 gene analysis is the basis for a definite diagnosis of LPI.

Polyprenols mitigate cognitive dysfunction and neuropathology in the APP/PS1 mouse.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a very common neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly and brings considerable financial and social problems worldwide. In this study, polyprenols were firstly evaluated the effects on the cognitive deficits and neuropathology in APP/PS1 mice model of AD. At 3 months old, the APP/PS1 mice were divided into model group; polyprenols low, middle, and high dosage group; and positive drug group. Age-matched wild-type mice were chosen in control group. The administration by oral gavage lasted 6 months. Polyprenols treatment significantly improved cognitive impairment of double transgenic mice compared with vehicle control treatment in behavioral tests. In addition, immunohistochemistry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that there were significantly reductions in neuritic plaques and the level of hyperphosphorylated tau in brain of polyprenols-treated mice. Furthermore, we found that polyprenols treatment reduced the apoptotic cells in brain sections of 9-month-old APP/PS1 mice. These results reveal that polyprenols exert neuroprotective effects in APP/PS1 mice and could represent an effective treatment for AD.

Interplay of inflammatory gene expression in pericytes following Japanese encephalitis virus infection.

Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Japanese encephalitis. Although brain pericytes show regulatory effects on neuroinflammation, their involvement in Japanese encephalitis-associated neuroinflammation is not understood. Here, we demonstrated that brain microvascular pericytes could be an alternative cellular source for the induction and/or amplification of neuroinflammation caused by Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection. Infection of cultured pericytes with JEV caused profound production of IL-6, RANTES, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Mechanistic studies revealed that JEV infection elicited an elevation of the toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7)/MyD88 signaling axis, leading to the activation of NF-κB through IKK signaling and p65 phosphorylation as well as cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) via phosphorylation. We further demonstrated that extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) could be an alternative regulator in transducing signals to NF-κB, CREB, and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) through the phosphorylation mechanism. Released IL-6 and RANTES played an active role in the disruption of endothelial barrier integrity and leukocyte chemotaxis, respectively. cPLA2/PGE2 had a role in activating NF-κB and CREB DNA-binding activities and inflammatory cytokine transcription via the EP2/cAMP/PKA mechanism in an autocrine loop. These inflammatory responses and biochemical events were also detected in the brain of JEV-infected mice. The current findings suggest that pericytes might have pathological relevance in Japanese encephalitis-associated neuroinflammation through a TLR7-related mechanism. The consequences of pericyte activation are their ability to initiate and/or amplify inflammatory cytokine expression by which cellular function of endothelial cells and leukocytes are regulated in favor of CNS infiltration by leukocytes.

Disruption of in vitro endothelial barrier integrity by Japanese encephalitis virus-Infected astrocytes.

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) characteristics are induced and maintained by crosstalk between brain microvascular endothelial cells and neighboring cells. Using in vitro cell models, we previously found that a bystander effect was a cause for Japanese encephalitis-associated endothelial barrier disruption. Brain astrocytes, which neighbor BBB endothelial cells, play roles in the maintenance of BBB integrity. By extending the scope of relevant studies, a potential mechanism has been shown that the activation of neighboring astrocytes could be a cause of disruption of endothelial barrier integrity during the course of Japanese encephalitis viral (JEV) infection. JEV-infected astrocytes were found to release biologically active molecules that activated ubiquitin proteasome, degraded zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-5, and disrupted endothelial barrier integrity in cultured brain microvascular endothelial cells. JEV infection caused astrocytes to release vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2/MMP-9). Our data demonstrated that VEGF and IL-6 released by JEV-infected astrocytes were critical for the proteasomal degradation of ZO-1 and the accompanying disruption of endothelial barrier integrity through the activation of Janus kinase-2 (Jak2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) signaling as well as the induction of ubiquitin-protein ligase E3 component, n-recognin-1 (Ubr 1) in endothelial cells. MMP-induced endothelial barrier disruption was accompanied by MMP-mediated proteolytic degradation of claudin-5 and ubiquitin proteasome-mediated degradation of ZO-1 via extracellular VEGF release. Collectively, these data suggest that JEV infection could activate astrocytes and cause release of VEGF, IL-6, and MMP-2/MMP-9, thereby contributing, in a concerted action, to the induction of Japanese encephalitis-associated BBB breakdown. GLIA 2015;63:1915-1932.

Structured metal film as a perfect absorber.

A new type of absorber, a four-tined fish-spear-like resonator (FFR), constructed by the two-photon polymerization process, is reported. An absorbance of more than 90% is experimentally realized and the resonance occurs in the space between the tines. Since a continuous layer of metallic thin film covers the structure, it is perfectly thermo- and electroconductive, which is the mostly desired feature for many applications.

Atrioventricular conduction abnormality and hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis in toluene sniffing.

Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon with widespread industrial use as an organic solvent. As a result of the euphoric effect and availability of these substances, inhalation of toluene-based products is popular among young adults and children. Chronic or acute exposure is known to cause acid-base and electrolyte disorders, and to be toxic to the nervous and hematopoietic systems. We report a 38-year-old man who suffered from general muscular weakness of all extremities after toluene sniffing, which was complicated with hypokalemic paralysis, atrioventricular conduction abnormality, and normal anion gap hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. Renal function, serum potassium and acid-base status normalized within 3 days after aggressive potassium chloride and intravenous fluid replacement. Electrocardiography showed regression of first-degree atrioventricular block. Exposure to toluene can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and sudden sniffing death syndrome. Tachyarrhythmia is the classical manifestation of toluene cardiotoxicity. Atrioventricular conduction abnormalities have been rarely mentioned in the literature. Knowledge of the toxicology and medical complications associated with toluene sniffing is essential for clinical management of these patients.

[Analysis of clinical features and gene mutations in two Chinese pedigrees with late-onset methylmalonic acidemia, cblC type].

OBJECTIVE: CblC is the most common type of methylmalonic acidemia with homocysteinemia. MMACHC is the coding gene. This study aimed at understanding clinical features and gene mutations in 2 Chinese pedigrees who had late-onset methylmalonic acidemia complicated with homocysteinemia. METHOD: The clinical data of 2 cases were analyzed. The MMACHC gene mutation was detected using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing. RESULT: The age of onset was 13 years and 12 years, respectively. They both presented with nervous system symptoms. The main clinical features were developmental retardation and degradation, including motion, speech and intelligence. One patient complained of anemia. The other patient was misdiagnosed as having a viral encephalitis. Both patients showed remarkable elevation of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine levels in urine. Both had received therapy with vitamin B(12). The symptoms were rapidly relieved. The follow-up till now showed apparent improvement in the 2 cases. Three mutations in the MMACHC gene were found in the two Chinese pedigrees. Both patients were compound heterozygotes of two mutant alleles: one patient had a G-to-A transition at nucleotide 482 (G482A) that caused an arginine-to-glutamine substitution at position 161 of the protein (R161Q), and a deletion of AAG at nucleotide 658_660 (658_660delAAG) which resulted in lysine deleting at position 220 of the protein (K220del); the other patient had a G482A and a G-to-A transition at nucleotide 609 (G609A) that caused a tryptophan-to-termination codon substitution at position 203 of the protein (W203X). Otherwise, the authors also detected parents of two families. Each had a heterozygote of one mutation. CONCLUSION: Late-onset methylmalonic acidemia patients had a variety of clinical manifestation, the first symptom was mainly abnormality of nervous system. One case was accompanied with hematological abnormalities. Two patients were vitamin B(12) responsive. In this study, the mutations were all detected on the fourth exon, the G482A mutation was probably associated with late-onset cases.

Methomyl-alphamethrin poisoning presented with cholinergic crisis, cortical blindness, and delayed peripheral neuropathy.

OBJECTIVE: Methomyl-alphamethrin is a mixture of carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides. Carbamate insecticides function as reversible cholinesterase inhibitors, which may produce life-threatening cholinergic syndrome. Cortical blindness and delayed neuropathy were rarely reported complications of carbamate insecticide exposures. Here we reported a case of intentional methomyl-alphamethrin ingestion. CASE REPORT: A 41-year-old woman attempted suicide by drinking 200 mL of methomyl-alphamethrin insecticide and soon presented with unconsciousness, hypothermia, and shock. She developed pulseless electrical activity and regained spontaneous circulation after resuscitation. Diagnosis of carbamate poisoning was made by her clinical features, decreased levels of cholinesterases and the presence of methomyl in her urine. She complained of blurred vision and blindness 4 days post-exposure. Visual evoked potential and brain magnetic resonance imaging study confirmed the diagnosis of cortical blindness. On day 21, she had low limbs numbness, progressive weakness, and right foot drop. Electophysiological tests performed on day 27 revealed neuropathy of bilateral peroneal nerves. CONCLUSION: We reported a patient who manifested severe carbamate insecticide poisoning and developed cortical blindness and delayed neuropathy. Physicians should be aware of these rare toxicities among patients with severe carbamate insecticide poisoning.

Features and prognostic factors for elderly with acute poisoning in the emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Elderly persons with acute poisoning in the emergency department (ED) and prognostic factors of outcomes have not been well addressed in previous research. This study aimed to investigate the characteristics of elderly patients with acute poisoning visiting the ED, and to identify the possible predictive factors of mortality. METHODS: Patients aged > or = 65 years with acute poisoning who visited the ED in Taipei Veterans General Hospital from January 1, 2006 through to September 30, 2008 were enrolled in the study. We collected demographic information on underlying diseases, initial presentations, causes and toxic substances, complications, dispositions, and outcomes. Analyses were conducted among different groups categorized according to age, suicide attempt, and outcome. Multiple logistic regression was applied to identify possible predictive clinical factors influencing mortality in the elderly with acute poisoning. RESULTS: A total of 250 patients were enrolled in the study, with a mean age of 77 years and male predominance. The most common cause of intoxication was unintentional poisoning. Medication accounted for 57.6% of poisonous substances, of which benzodiazepine was the most common drug, followed by warfarin. The overall mortality rate was 9.6%. The average length of stay in the ED increased significantly in the old (65-74 years), very old (75-84 years) and extremely old (> or = 85 years) groups. Suicide attempt patients experienced more complications including respiratory failure, aspiration pneumonia, hypotension and mortality. Three clinical predictive factors of mortality were identified: herbicide poisoning, hypotension and respiratory failure upon presentation. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that elderly patients with acute poisoning had a mortality rate of 9.6%. Suicide attempts resulted in more serious complications. The risk factors for mortality were herbicide intoxication, hypotension and respiratory failure.

[Analysis of gene mutations in Chinese patients with methylmalonic acidemia and homocysteinemia].

OBJECTIVE: Methylmalonic acidemia complicated with homocysteinemia, cblC type, is the most common inborn error of cobalamin metabolism. The gene MMACHC (OMIM 277400) is located on chromosome 1p34.1 with four coding exons and a 5th non-coding exon. It encodes for a protein with 282 amino acid residues. So far, more than 40 mutations have been detected, in which 271dupA (R91KfsX14) is the hot spot of MMACHC gene. However, there have not been relevant reports in China. The present study aimed to identify the mutation types of MMACHC gene and analyze the genotype-phenotype correlations in Chinese patients. METHOD: The diagnosis of this disease mainly depends on the measurement of C3 propionylcarnitine, C3/C0 (free carnitine) and C3/C2 (acetylcarnitine) in the blood by tandem mass spectrometry, the detection of methylmalonic acid in the urine by gas-chromatography mass spectrometry, the determination of total homocysteine in the serum, and the loading test of vitamin B12. The entire coding region of MMACHC gene was screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with DNA direct sequencing in 28 Chinese patients. Genomic DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform method from the peripheral blood leukocytes of each patient. PCR amplification products were checked by 1.8% agarose gel electrophoresis and were subsequently sequenced with both the forward and reverse primers. Mutational analyses were performed using normal human genomic MMACHC sequence as a reference (GenBank ID: 25974). RESULT: In this study, ten mutations were identified in 27 of 28 Chinese patients. Most of them were located in exons 3 and 4 (91.3%). We detected four mutations reported, which were 609G>A (W203X), 217C>T (R73X), 271dupA (R91KfsX14), and 394C>T (R132X), and six novel mutations, which were 1A>G, 365A>T, 658_660delAAG, 301-3_327del 30, 567_568insT, and 625_626insT. The 609G>A (W203X) is the most common mutation, which was detected in 30 of 56 alleles (53.6%), including 10 homozygote mutations and 10 heterozygote mutations. In addition, three gene polymorphisms were detected, namely, -302T>G (rs3748643), -234A>G (rs3728644), and 321G>A (rs2275276). These mutations include missense mutations, nonsense mutations, duplication, deletions, and insertions. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found a part of gene mutations spectrum in Chinese patients with methylmalonic acidemia and homocysteinemia, in which the 609G>A (W203X) may be the hotspot mutation of MMACHC gene. This would be helpful in the prenatal diagnosis and gene screening programs of methylmalonic acidemia and homocystinemia.

Prognostic factors of Chinese patients with primary pulmonary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: the single-institute experience in Taiwan.

Primary pulmonary lymphoma (PPL) accounts for less than 1% of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with no report in Chinese patients. This study aims to analyze the clinical features and prognosis of this population. Patients with biopsy-proven pulmonary lymphoma were reviewed and re-classified by a hema-pathologist. Between 1992 and 2005, a total of 22 patients were identified (16 men and six women), with a mean age of 70 years. The histological subtypes included marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (MALT) in 12 patients (54%), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in nine (41%), and one case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis. Diseases mainly manifested as pulmonary nodules or masses in 73% of patients, with a higher rate of hilar/mediastinal lymphadenopathy in non-MALT patients (8% vs. 80%, P = 0.002). In eight patients (36% of 22), diagnoses were only conclusive until the biopsy via thoracotomy. Eighteen patients (82%) received chemotherapy. The 5-year rates of overall survival (OS) were 91% and 21% for MALT and non-MALT types of PPL, respectively. Patients who had received surgical resection tended to have a better 5-year OS rate (P = 0.077). The Cox-regression analysis showed that two factors -- elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase level and hilar/mediastinal lymphadenopathy at diagnosis -- were independently associated with a poor OS, with a hazard ratio of 10.370 and 5.171 (P = 0.01 and 0.033), respectively. In conclusion, the histological subtypes of Chinese PPL patients were similar to those in previous reports, with no increasing incidence of T-cell immunophenotype. The two prognostic factors provided additional information in managing these patients.

[Gene mutation analysis in patients with propionic acidemia].

OBJECTIVE: Propionic acidemia is a common organic acidemia, caused by deficiency of propionyl-CoA carboxylase (PCC), which catalyzes the carboxylation of propionyl-CoA to D-methylmalonyl-CoA. PCC is a dodecameric enzyme of alpha-PCC and beta-PCC subunits, nuclearly encoded by genes PCCA and PCCB, respectively. Mutation in either gene cause propionic acidemia, the PCCA gene is located on chromosome 13q32 with 24 exons and the PCCB gene is located on chromosome 3q13.2-q22 with 15 exons. In this study, we analyzed gene mutations of 11 PCCA and PCCB deficient patients from China and to explore the possible mutation spectrum. METHODS: All 39 exons of PCCA and PCCB genes in 11 unrelated Chinese PA patients were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing. Genomic DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform method from the peripheral blood leukocytes of each patient. PCR amplification products were checked by 1.8% agarose gel electrophoresis and were subsequently sequenced with ABI 3700 Automated DNA Sequencer. RESULTS: The authors identified 13 PA mutations, 8 affecting the PCCA gene, 5 affecting the PCCB gene, including 10 novel mutations and 3 previously reported mutations. Three missense mutations (1079T > G, 1102G > C and 1850T > C), one splicing mutation (716-2A > G) and one short deletion (1863delA) were found in alpha-PCC subunit while three missense mutations (484G > A, 601G > A and 1253C > T) and two short insertion-deletions (167-179del13ins1, 560-561delCCinsT) were found in beta-PCC subunit. The 167-179del13ins1 change was identified in two homozygous PA patients, with allelic frequency of 40% in beta-PCC subunit deficiencies. CONCLUSION: Thirteen mutations were found in 11 Chinese PA patients including ten novel mutations. No mutation is predominant in Chinese PCCA and PCCB deficient patients.

High-throughput mammalian two-hybrid screening for protein-protein interactions using transfected cell arrays.

BACKGROUND: Most of the biological processes rely on the formation of protein complexes. Investigation of protein-protein interactions (PPI) is therefore essential for understanding of cellular functions. It is advantageous to perform mammalian PPI analysis in mammalian cells because the expressed proteins can then be subjected to essential post-translational modifications. Until now mammalian two-hybrid assays have been performed on individual gene scale. We here describe a new and cost-effective method for the high-throughput detection of protein-protein interactions in mammalian cells that combines the advantages of mammalian two-hybrid systems with those of DNA microarrays. RESULTS: In this cell array protein-protein interaction assay (CAPPIA), mixtures of bait and prey expression plasmids together with an auto-fluorescent reporter are immobilized on glass slides in defined array formats. Adherent cells that grow on top of the micro-array will become fluorescent only if the expressed proteins interact and subsequently trans-activate the reporter. Using known interaction partners and by screening 160 different combinations of prey and bait proteins associated with the human androgen receptor we demonstrate that this assay allows the quantitative detection of specific protein interactions in different types of mammalian cells and under the influence of different compounds. Moreover, different strategies in respect to bait-prey combinations are presented. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that the CAPPIA assay allows the quantitative detection of specific protein interactions in different types of mammalian cells and under the influence of different compounds. The high number of preys that can be tested per slide together with the flexibility to interrogate any bait of interest and the small amounts of reagents that are required makes this assay currently one of the most economical high-throughput detection assays for protein-protein interactions in mammalian cells.