Changes in differential gene expression in fibroblast cells from patients with triple A syndrome under oxidative stress.

The triple A syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the AAAS gene, which encodes the nucleoporin ALADIN. Recently it was shown that ALADIN plays a role in the import of different factors into the nucleus, which prevent the cell from DNA damage and consecutive cell death under oxidative stress. In order to investigate the changes in differential gene expression in ALADIN-deficient or mutated cells under oxidative stress we used fibroblast cell cultures of triple A syndrome patients and compared these to controls. Analysis of 84 genes, which are associated with oxidative stress and antioxidant defense, showed that 7 genes were significantly and differentially regulated, namely BCL2/adenovirus E1B 19kD-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), 24-dehydrocholesterol reduc-tase (DHCR24), dual specificity phosphatase 1 (DUSP1), forkhead box M1 (FOXM1), nudix-type motif 1 (NUDT1), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), and scavenger receptor class A, member 3 (SCARA3). Whereas in control cells the expression of DHCR24, FOXM1, NUDT1, and SCARA3 was decreased after paraquat treatment, the expression did not change significantly in patient cells. However, the basal expression of SCARA3 and BNIP3 was significantly higher in patient cells than in controls whereas PTGS2 was less expressed. Furthermore, after paraquat treatment the expression of BNIP3, DUSP1, and PTGS2 was significantly increased in control cells while in patient cells the increase of DUSP1 and PTGS2 expression was significantly reduced. With this work we confirm that cells of triple A patients show an altered induction or downregulation of genes associated with oxidative stress and antioxidant defense.

Chemical states and lattice dynamics of alpha-diimine Fe2+ complexes intercalated into gamma-zirconium phosphate.

The alpha-diimine Fe2+ complexes, [Fe(phen)3]2+, [Fe(bpy)3]2+, and [Fe(terpy)2]2+, (phen: 1,10-phenanthroline, bpy: 2,2'-bipyridyl, terpy: alpha,alpha',alpha''-tripyridine) were intercalated into zirconium dihydrogenphosphate phosphate dihydrate (gamma-zirconium phosphate, gamma-ZrP), Zr(PO4)(H2PO4).2H2O. The rate of the intercalation, the molar ratio of Fe to Zr, was found to be 3.82-7.76%. Mössbauer spectra indicated that one part of [Fe(phen)3]2+ and [Fe(bpy)3]2+ changed from a low-spin Fe2+ to high-spin Fe2+ state on intercalation, but [Fe(terpy)2]2+ did not change in chemical state. The lattice dynamics of the complexes and the intercalation compounds were investigated in terms of the temperature dependence of the area intensity on the Mössbauer spectra. A linear relationship was established for all the complex salts and the intercalation compounds investigated between the ln[A(T)/A(82)] and absolute temperature, T, where A(T) and A(82) show the intensities of a doublet at T and 82 K of the Mössbauer spectra, respectively. From the slope of the linear relation, the theta2M values, which were derived based on the Debye approximation of lattice vibration, were evaluated for the complex salts and the intercalation compounds. The Fe2+ complexes showed theta2M values of 1.27 to 2.32 x 10(6), whereas the intercalation compounds showed very similar values to each other, ranging from 2.19 to 2.39 x 10(6), irrespective of different alpha-diimine ligands. The results were explained in terms of the characteristic layered structure of zirconium phosphate, and by the tight bond between the alpha-diimine Fe2+ complexes and the host gamma-ZrP.