Direct Tumor Killing and Immunotherapy through Anti-SerpinB9 Therapy.

Cancer therapies kill tumors either directly or indirectly by evoking immune responses and have been combined with varying levels of success. Here, we describe a paradigm to control cancer growth that is based on both direct tumor killing and the triggering of protective immunity. Genetic ablation of serine protease inhibitor SerpinB9 (Sb9) results in the death of tumor cells in a granzyme B (GrB)-dependent manner. Sb9-deficient mice exhibited protective T cell-based host immunity to tumors in association with a decline in GrB-expressing immunosuppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Maximal protection against tumor development was observed when the tumor and host were deficient in Sb9. The therapeutic utility of Sb9 inhibition was demonstrated by the control of tumor growth, resulting in increased survival times in mice. Our studies describe a molecular target that permits a combination of tumor ablation, interference within the TME, and immunotherapy in one potential modality.

The deubiquitinating enzyme USP46 regulates AMPA receptor ubiquitination and trafficking.

Alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPARs) are the primary mediators for inter-neuronal communication and play a crucial role in higher brain functions including learning and memory. Our previous work demonstrated that AMPARs are subject to ubiquitination by the E3 ligase Nedd4, resulting in EPS15-mediated receptor internalization and Ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway (UPP)-dependent degradation. Protein ubiquitination is a highly dynamic and reversible process, achieved via the balance between ubiquitination and deubiquitination. However, deubiquitination of mammalian AMPARs and the responsible deubiquitinating enzymes remain elusive. In this study, we identify USP46 as the deubiquitinating enzyme for AMPARs. We find that AMPARs are subject to K63 type ubiquitination, and USP46 is able to deubiquitinate AMPARs in vivo and in vitro. In heterologous cells and neurons, expression of USP46 results in a significant reduction in AMPAR ubiquitination, accompanied by a reduced rate in AMPAR degradation and an increase in surface AMPAR accumulation. By contrast, knockdown of USP46 by RNAi leads to elevated AMPAR ubiquitination and a reduction in surface AMPARs at synapses in neurons. Consistently, miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents recordings show reduced synaptic strength in neurons expressing USP46-selective RNAi. These results demonstrate USP46-mediated regulation of AMPAR ubiquitination and turnover, which may play an important role in synaptic plasticity and brain function. Protein ubiquitination is a highly dynamic and reversible process, achieved via the balance between ubiquitination and deubiquitination. The glutamatergic AMPARs, which mediate most of the excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain, are known to be subjected to Nedd4-mediated ubiquitination; however, the deubiquitination process and the responsible deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) for mammalian AMPARs remain elusive. We find that AMPARs are subject to K63-type ubiquitination, and identify USP46 as the DUB for AMPARs. USP46 deubiquitinates AMPARs in vitro and in vivo. Up- or down-regulation of USP46 leads to changes in AMPAR ubiquitination, surface expression, and trafficking, as well as the strength of synaptic transmission. USP46-mediated regulation of AMPAR ubiquitination and turnover may play an important role in synaptic plasticity and brain function.

Loss of function of KIAA2022 causes mild to severe intellectual disability with an autism spectrum disorder and impairs neurite outgrowth.

Existence of a discrete new X-linked intellectual disability (XLID) syndrome due to KIAA2022 deficiency was questioned by disruption of KIAA2022 by an X-chromosome pericentric inversion in a XLID family we reported in 2004. Three additional families with likely pathogenic KIAA2022 mutations were discovered within the frame of systematic parallel sequencing of familial cases of XLID or in the context of routine array-CGH evaluation of sporadic intellectual deficiency (ID) cases. The c.186delC and c.3597dupA KIAA2022 truncating mutations were identified by X-chromosome exome sequencing, while array CGH discovered a 70 kb microduplication encompassing KIAA2022 exon 1 in the third family. This duplication decreased KIAA2022 mRNA level in patients' lymphocytes by 60%. Detailed clinical examination of all patients, including the two initially reported, indicated moderate-to-severe ID with autistic features, strabismus in all patients, with no specific dysmorphic features other than a round face in infancy and no structural brain abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Interestingly, the patient with decreased KIAA2022 expression had only mild ID with severe language delay and repetitive behaviors falling in the range of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Since little is known about KIAA2022 function, we conducted morphometric studies in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. We found that siRNA-mediated KIAA2022 knockdown resulted in marked impairment in neurite outgrowth including both the dendrites and the axons, suggesting a major role for KIAA2022 in neuron development and brain function.

Small molecule-induced cytosolic activation of protein kinase Akt rescues ischemia-elicited neuronal death.

Elevating Akt activation is an obvious clinical strategy to prevent progressive neuronal death in neurological diseases. However, this endeavor has been hindered because of the lack of specific Akt activators. Here, from a cell-based high-throughput chemical genetic screening, we identified a small molecule SC79 that inhibits Akt membrane translocation, but paradoxically activates Akt in the cytosol. SC79 specifically binds to the PH domain of Akt. SC79-bound Akt adopts a conformation favorable for phosphorylation by upstream protein kinases. In a hippocampal neuronal culture system and a mouse model for ischemic stroke, the cytosolic activation of Akt by SC79 is sufficient to recapitulate the primary cellular function of Akt signaling, resulting in augmented neuronal survival. Thus, SC79 is a unique specific Akt activator that may be used to enhance Akt activity in various physiological and pathological conditions.

SIK1 Downregulates Synaptic AMPA Receptors and Contributes to Cognitive Defects in Alzheimer's Disease.

A reduction in AMPA receptor (AMPAR) expression and weakened synaptic activity is early cellular phenotypes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the molecular processes leading to AMPAR downregulation are complex and remain less clear. Here, we report that the salt inducible kinase SIK1 interacts with AMPARs, leading to a reduced accumulation of AMPARs at synapses. SIK1 protein level is sensitive to amyloid beta (Aß) and shows a marked increase in the presence of Aß and in AD brains. In neurons, Aß incubation causes redistribution of SIK1 to synaptic sites and enhances SIK1-GluA1 association. SIK1 function is required for Aß-induced AMPAR reduction. Importantly, in 3xTG AD mice, knockdown of SIK1 in the brain leads to restoration of AMPAR expression and a rescue of the cognitive deficits. These findings indicate an important role for SIK1 in meditating the cellular and functional pathology in AD.

Untimely surgery for stent-fracture-related death after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt: a case report.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) is a life-saving procedure for patients with severe portal hypertension and persistent variceal bleeding. Stent fracture is a rare and severe complication; however, its cause and mechanisms remain poorly defined. This case helps understand the factors contributing to its occurrence, complications, and subsequent poor outcomes. A 63-year-old male was presented with ruptured bare stent after a TIPS procedure. The upper edge of the bare stent was ruptured, and its fraction subsequently migrated to the entrance of the right atrium. Meanwhile, a mural thrombus was formed in the inferior vena cava. A surgery for the removal of free fracture was planned for preventing the form of pulmonary embolism. Before the surgery, the fracture was shifted to the right inferior pulmonary artery. Therefore, the surgery was canceled for further evaluation. Then, hematemesis suddenly occurred with a high possibility of variceal bleeding and/or gastric ulcer bleeding. Despite comprehensive treatments, the patient symptoms were still worsened with the development of chest tightness, shortness of breath, severe hypoxia, and heart failure. Finally, the patient succumbed to systemic multiorgan failure and death. Taken together, a ruptured unstable stent should be removed as early as the patient is hemodynamically stable, as it is difficult to balance between hemostasis therapy and anticoagulation treatment in patients with liver-cirrhosis-related severe portal hypertension. Physicians should be on high alert of the potential complications of bare stent rapture after TIPS.

Ruptured TIPS stent with a fatal consequence Unstable stent rupture is a life-threatening complication of TIPS and severely complicates the treatment of gastric ulcer bleeding. Early removal of the ruptured stent is necessary to prevent further complications.

Prkn knockout mice show autistic-like behaviors and aberrant synapse formation.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with high genetic heterogeneity, affecting one in 44 children in the United States. Recent genomic sequencing studies from autistic human individuals indicate that PARK2, a gene that has long been considered in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease, is involved in ASD. Here, we report that Prkn knockout (KO) mice demonstrate autistic-like behaviors including impaired social interaction, elevated repetitive behaviors, and deficits in communication. In addition, Prkn KO mice show reduced neuronal activity in the context of sociability in the prelimbic cortex. Cell morphological examination of layer 5 prelimbic cortical neurons shows a reduction in dendritic arborization and spine number. Furthermore, biochemistry and immunocytochemistry analyses reveal alterations in synapse density and the molecular composition of synapses. These findings indicate that Prkn is implicated in brain development and suggest the potential use of the Prkn KO mouse as a model for autism research.

A soft sensing method of billet surface temperature based on ILGSSA-LSSVM.

It is difficult to measure the surface temperature of continuous casting billet, which results in the lack of important feedback parameters for further scientific control of the billet quality. This paper proposes a sparrow search algorithm to optimize the Least Square Support Vector Machine (LSSVM) model for surface temperature prediction of the billet, which is further improved by Logistic Chaotic Mapping and Golden Sine Algorithm (Improve Logistic Golden Sine Sparrow Search Algorithm LSSVM, short name ILGSSA-LSSVM). Using the Improved Logistic Chaos Mapping and Golden Sine Algorithm to find the optimal initial sparrow population, the value of penalty factor [Formula: see text] and kernel parameter [Formula: see text] for LSSVM are calculated. Global optimization method is adopted to find the optimal parameter combination, so that the negative influence of randomly initializing parameters on the prediction accuracy would be reduced. Our proposed ILGSSA-LSSVM soft sensing model is compared respectively with traditional Least Square Support Vector Machine, BP neural network and Gray Wolf optimized Least Square Support Vector Machine, results show that proposed model outperformed the others. Experiments show that the maximum error of ILGSA-LSSVM soft sensing model is 3.85733 °C, minimum error is 0.0174 °C, average error is 0.05805 °C, and generally outperformed other comparison models.

Nedd4-mediated AMPA receptor ubiquitination regulates receptor turnover and trafficking.

α-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid receptors (AMPARs) are the primary mediators of excitatory synaptic transmission in the brain. Alterations in AMPAR localization and turnover have been considered critical mechanisms underpinning synaptic plasticity and higher brain functions, but the molecular processes that control AMPAR trafficking and stability are still not fully understood. Here, we report that mammalian AMPARs are subject to ubiquitination in neurons and in transfected heterologous cells. Ubiquitination facilitates AMPAR endocytosis, leading to a reduction in AMPAR cell-surface localization and total receptor abundance. Mutation of lysine residues to arginine residues at the glutamate receptor subunit 1 (GluA1) C-terminus dramatically reduces GluA1 ubiquitination and abolishes ubiquitin-dependent GluA1 internalization and degradation, indicating that the lysine residues, particularly K868, are sites of ubiquitination. We also find that the E3 ligase neural precursor cell expressed, developmentally down-regulated 4 (Nedd4) is enriched in synaptosomes and co-localizes and associates with AMPARs in neurons. Nedd4 expression leads to AMPAR ubiquitination, leading to reduced AMPAR surface expression and suppressed excitatory synaptic transmission. Conversely, knockdown of Nedd4 by specific siRNAs abolishes AMPAR ubiquitination. These data indicate that Nedd4 is the E3 ubiquitin ligase responsible for AMPAR ubiquitination, a modification that regulates multiple aspects of AMPAR molecular biology including trafficking, localization and stability.

Homeostatic regulation of AMPA receptor expression at single hippocampal synapses.

Homeostatic synaptic response is an important measure in confining neuronal activity within a narrow physiological range. Whether or not homeostatic plasticity demonstrates synapse specificity, a key feature characteristic of Hebbian-type plasticity, is largely unknown. Here, we report that in cultured hippocampal neurons, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid subtype glutamate receptor (AMPAR) accumulation is increased selectively in chronically inhibited single synapses, whereas the neighboring normal synapses remain unaffected. This synapse-specific homeostatic regulation depends on the disparity of synaptic activity and is mediated by GluR2-lacking AMPARs and PI3-kinase signaling. These results demonstrate the existence of synaptic specificity and the crucial role of AMPAR-gated calcium in homeostatic plasticity in central neurons.

Na,K-ATPase activity regulates AMPA receptor turnover through proteasome-mediated proteolysis.

Neuronal activity largely depends on two key components on the membrane: the Na,K-ATPase (NKA) that maintains the ion gradients and sets the foundation of excitability, and the ionotropic glutamatergic AMPA receptors (AMPARs) through which sodium influx forms the driving force for excitation. Because the frequent sodium transients from glutamate receptor activity need to be efficiently extruded, a functional coupling between NKA and AMPARs should be a necessary cellular device for synapse physiology. We show that NKA is enriched at synapses and associates with AMPARs. NKA dysfunction induces a rapid reduction in AMPAR cell-surface expression as well as total protein abundance, leading to a long-lasting depression in synaptic transmission. AMPAR proteolysis requires sodium influx, proteasomal activity and receptor internalization. These data elucidate a novel mechanism by which NKA regulates AMPAR turnover and thereby synaptic strength and brain function.

Regulation of AMPA receptor localization in lipid rafts.

Lipid rafts are special microdomains enriched in cholesterol, sphingolipids and certain proteins, and play important roles in a variety of cellular functions including signal transduction and protein trafficking. We report that in cultured cortical and hippocampal neurons the distribution of lipid rafts is development-dependent. Lipid rafts in mature neurons exist on the entire cell-surface and display a high degree of mobility. AMPA receptors co-localize and associate with lipid rafts in the plasma membrane. The association of AMPARs with rafts is under regulation; through the NOS-NO pathway, NMDA receptor activity increases AMPAR localization in rafts. During membrane targeting, AMPARs insert into or at close proximity of the surface raft domains. Perturbation of lipid rafts dramatically suppresses AMPA receptor exocytosis, resulting in significant reduction in AMPAR cell-surface expression.

Inhibition of IP6K1 suppresses neutrophil-mediated pulmonary damage in bacterial pneumonia.

The significance of developing host-modulating personalized therapies to counteract the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance is well-recognized because such resistance cannot be overcome using microbe-centered strategies alone. Immune host defenses must be finely controlled during infection to balance pathogen clearance with unwanted inflammation-induced tissue damage. Thus, an ideal antimicrobial treatment would enhance bactericidal activity while preventing neutrophilic inflammation, which can induce tissue damage. We report that disrupting the inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (Ip6k1) gene or pharmacologically inhibiting IP6K1 activity using the specific inhibitor TNP [N2-(m-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl) N6-(p-nitrobenzyl)purine] efficiently and effectively enhanced host bacterial killing but reduced pulmonary neutrophil accumulation, minimizing the lung damage caused by both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial pneumonia. IP6K1-mediated inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) production by platelets was essential for infection-induced neutrophil-platelet aggregate (NPA) formation and facilitated neutrophil accumulation in alveolar spaces during bacterial pneumonia. IP6K1 inhibition reduced serum polyP levels, which regulated NPAs by triggering the bradykinin pathway and bradykinin-mediated neutrophil activation. Thus, we identified a mechanism that enhances host defenses while simultaneously suppressing neutrophil-mediated pulmonary damage in bacterial pneumonia. IP6K1 is, therefore, a legitimate therapeutic target for such disease.

Agrobacterium VirD2-binding protein is involved in tumorigenesis and redundantly encoded in conjugative transfer gene clusters.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens can transfer oncogenic T-DNA into plant cells; T-DNA transfer is mechanistically similar to a conjugation process. VirD2 is the pilot protein that guides the transfer, because it is covalently associated with single-stranded T-DNA to form the transfer substrate T-complex. We used the VirD2 protein as an affinity ligand to isolate VirD2-binding proteins (VBPs). By pull-down assays and peptide-mass-fingerprint matching, we identified an A. tumefaciens protein designated VBP1 that could bind VirD2 directly. Genome-wide sequence analysis showed that A. tumefaciens has two additional genes encoding proteins highly similar to VBP1, designated vbp2 and vbp3. Like VBP1, both VBP2 and VBP3 also could bind VirD2; all three VBPs contain a putative nucleotidyltransferase motif. Mutational analysis of vbp demonstrated that the three vbp genes could functionally complement each other. Consequently, only inactivation of all three vbp genes highly attenuated the bacterial ability to cause tumors on plants. Although vbp1 is harbored on the megaplasmid pAtC58, vbp2 and vbp3 reside on the linear chromosome. The vbp genes are clustered with conjugative transfer genes, suggesting linkage between the conjugation and virulence factor. The three VBPs appear to contain C-terminal positively charged residues, often present in the transfer substrate proteins of type IV secretion systems. Inactivation of the three vbp genes did not affect the T-strand production. Our data indicate that VBP is a newly identified virulence factor that may affect the transfer process subsequent to T-DNA production.

G-CSF maintains controlled neutrophil mobilization during acute inflammation by negatively regulating CXCR2 signaling.

Cytokine-induced neutrophil mobilization from the bone marrow to circulation is a critical event in acute inflammation, but how it is accurately controlled remains poorly understood. In this study, we report that CXCR2 ligands are responsible for rapid neutrophil mobilization during early-stage acute inflammation. Nevertheless, although serum CXCR2 ligand concentrations increased during inflammation, neutrophil mobilization slowed after an initial acute fast phase, suggesting a suppression of neutrophil response to CXCR2 ligands after the acute phase. We demonstrate that granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), usually considered a prototypical neutrophil-mobilizing cytokine, was expressed later in the acute inflammatory response and unexpectedly impeded CXCR2-induced neutrophil mobilization by negatively regulating CXCR2-mediated intracellular signaling. Blocking G-CSF in vivo paradoxically elevated peripheral blood neutrophil counts in mice injected intraperitoneally with Escherichia coli and sequestered large numbers of neutrophils in the lungs, leading to sterile pulmonary inflammation. In a lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury model, the homeostatic imbalance caused by G-CSF blockade enhanced neutrophil accumulation, edema, and inflammation in the lungs and ultimately led to significant lung damage. Thus, physiologically produced G-CSF not only acts as a neutrophil mobilizer at the relatively late stage of acute inflammation, but also prevents exaggerated neutrophil mobilization and the associated inflammation-induced tissue damage during early-phase infection and inflammation.

MicroRNA miR124 is required for the expression of homeostatic synaptic plasticity.

Homeostatic synaptic plasticity is a compensatory response to alterations in neuronal activity. Chronic deprivation of neuronal activity results in an increase in synaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs) and postsynaptic currents. The biogenesis of GluA2-lacking, calcium-permeable AMPARs (CP-AMPARs) plays a crucial role in the homeostatic response; however, the mechanisms leading to CP-AMPAR formation remain unclear. Here we show that the microRNA, miR124, is required for the generation of CP-AMPARs and homeostatic plasticity. miR124 suppresses GluA2 expression via targeting its 3'-UTR, leading to the formation of CP-AMPARs. Blockade of miR124 function abolishes the homeostatic response, whereas miR124 overexpression leads to earlier induction of homeostatic plasticity. miR124 transcription is controlled by an inhibitory transcription factor EVI1, acting by association with the deacetylase HDAC1. Our data support a cellular cascade in which inactivity relieves EVI1/HDAC-mediated inhibition of miR124 gene transcription, resulting in enhanced miR124 expression, formation of CP-AMPARs and subsequent induction of homeostatic synaptic plasticity.

Quantitative assessment of single-cell whole genome amplification methods for detecting copy number variation using hippocampal neurons.

Single-cell genomic analysis has grown rapidly in recent years and finds widespread applications in various fields of biology, including cancer biology, development, immunology, pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, and neurobiology. To date, the amplification bias, amplification uniformity and reproducibility of the three major single cell whole genome amplification methods (GenomePlex WGA4, MDA and MALBAC) have not been systematically investigated using mammalian cells. In this study, we amplified genomic DNA from individual hippocampal neurons using three single-cell DNA amplification methods, and sequenced them at shallow depth. We then systematically evaluated the GC-bias, reproducibility, and copy number variations among individual neurons. Our results showed that single-cell genome sequencing results obtained from the MALBAC and WGA4 methods are highly reproducible and have a high success rate. The MALBAC displays significant biases towards high GC content. We then attempted to correct the GC bias issue by developing a bioinformatics pipeline, which allows us to call CNVs in single cell sequencing data, and chromosome level and sub-chromosomal level CNVs among individual neurons can be detected. We also proposed a metric to determine the CNV detection limits. Overall, MALBAC and WGA4 have better performance than MDA in detecting CNVs.

Input-specific homeostatic regulation of AMPA receptor accumulation at central synapses.

Neurons are able to restore their activity to a set-point level when challenged by external or internal perturbations. This type of homeostatic plasticity is important in the maintenance of neuronal or network stability during development and normal brain function. One of the major cellular events underlying the expression of homeostatic regulation is the alteration of glutamatergic AMPA receptor (AMPAR) accumulation and thus, synaptic strength. Traditional global homeostatic plasticity is believed to adjust the input strength of all synapses. Since each individual synapse receives different input with varied levels of activity and distinct history of synaptic plasticity, an input-specific homeostatic regulation is necessary to restrain synaptic activity within a physiological range. Our studies suggest that at the single synapse level, homeostatic plasticity is expressed via input-specific alterations of AMPAR amounts. This homosynaptic homeostatic regulation is expected to play an important role in preventing the deleterious situations imposed by Hebbian plasticity to secure long-term synaptic stability.

Homeostatic regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking and degradation by light-controlled single-synaptic activation.

During homeostatic adjustment in response to alterations in neuronal activity, synaptic expression of AMPA receptors (AMPARs) is globally tuned up or down so that the neuronal activity is restored to a physiological range. Given that a central neuron receives multiple presynaptic inputs, whether and how AMPAR synaptic expression is homeostatically regulated at individual synapses remain unclear. In cultured hippocampal neurons we report that when activity of an individual presynaptic terminal is selectively elevated by light-controlled excitation, AMPAR abundance at the excited synapses is selectively downregulated in an NMDAR-dependent manner. The reduction in surface AMPARs is accompanied by enhanced receptor endocytosis and dependent on proteasomal activity. Synaptic activation also leads to a site-specific increase in the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 and polyubiquitination levels, consistent with AMPAR ubiquitination and degradation in the spine. These results indicate that AMPAR accumulation at individual synapses is subject to autonomous homeostatic regulation in response to synaptic activity.

A global pH sensor: Agrobacterium sensor protein ChvG regulates acid-inducible genes on its two chromosomes and Ti plasmid.

A sensor protein ChvG is part of a chromosomally encoded two-component regulatory system ChvG/ChvI that is important for the virulence of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. However, it is not clear what genes ChvG regulates or what signal(s) it senses. In this communication, we demonstrate that ChvG is involved in the regulation of acid-inducible genes, including aopB and katA, residing on the circular and linear chromosomes, respectively, and the tumor-inducing (Ti)-plasmid-harbored vir genes, virB and virE. ChvG was absolutely required for the expression of aopB and very important for the expression of virB and virE. However, it was responsible only for the responsiveness of katA and, to a limited extent, the vir genes to acidic pH. ChvG appears to play a role in katA expression by repressing katA at neutral pH. ChvG had no effect on the expression of two genes that were not acid-inducible. Because ChvG regulates unlinked acid-inducible genes encoding different functions in different ways, we hypothesize that ChvG is a global sensor protein that can directly or indirectly sense extracellular acidity. We also analyzed the re-sequenced chvG and found that ChvG is more homologous to its Sinorhizobium meliloti counterpart ExoS than was previously thought. Full-length ChvG is conserved in members of the alpha-proteobacteria, whereas only the C-terminal kinase domain is conserved in other bacteria. Sensing acidity appears to enable Agrobacterium to coordinate its coping with the environment of wounded plants to cause tumors.