Tryptophan depletion results in tryptophan-to-phenylalanine substitutants.

Activated T cells secrete interferon-γ, which triggers intracellular tryptophan shortage by upregulating the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) enzyme1-4. Here we show that despite tryptophan depletion, in-frame protein synthesis continues across tryptophan codons. We identified tryptophan-to-phenylalanine codon reassignment (W>F) as the major event facilitating this process, and pinpointed tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WARS1) as its source. We call these W>F peptides 'substitutants' to distinguish them from genetically encoded mutants. Using large-scale proteomics analyses, we demonstrate W>F substitutants to be highly abundant in multiple cancer types. W>F substitutants were enriched in tumours relative to matching adjacent normal tissues, and were associated with increased IDO1 expression, oncogenic signalling and the tumour-immune microenvironment. Functionally, W>F substitutants can impair protein activity, but also expand the landscape of antigens presented at the cell surface to activate T cell responses. Thus, substitutants are generated by an alternative decoding mechanism with potential effects on gene function and tumour immunoreactivity.

BsuMI regulates DNA transformation in Bacillus subtilis besides the defense system and the constructed strain with BsuMI-absence is applicable as a universal transformation platform for wild-type Bacillus.

BACKGROUND: To effectively introduce plasmids into Bacillus species and conduct genetic manipulations in Bacillus chassis strains, it is essential to optimize transformation methods. These methods aim to extend the period of competence and enhance the permeability of the cell membrane to facilitate the entry of exogenous DNA. Although various strategies have been explored, few studies have delved into identifying metabolites and pathways associated with enhanced competence. Additionally, derivative Bacillus strains with non-functional restriction-modification systems have demonstrated superior efficiency in transforming exogenous DNA, lacking more explorations in the regulation conducted by the restriction-modification system to transformation process. RESULTS: Transcriptomic comparisons were performed to discover the competence forming mechanism and the regulation pathway conducted by the BsuMI methylation modification group in Bacillus. subtilis 168 under the Spizizen transformation condition, which were speculated to be the preferential selection of carbon sources by the cells and the preference for specific metabolic pathway when utilizing the carbon source. The cells were found to utilize the glycolysis pathway to exploit environmental glucose while reducing the demand for other phosphorylated precursors in this pathway. The weakening of these ATP-substrate competitive metabolic pathways allowed more ATP substrates to be distributed into the auto-phosphorylation of the signal transduction factor ComP during competence formation, thereby increasing the expression level of the key regulatory protein ComK. The expression of ComK upregulated the expression of the negative regulator SacX of starch and sucrose in host cells, reinforcing the preference for glucose as the primary carbon source. The methylation modification group of the primary protein BsuMI in the restriction-modification system was associated with the functional modification of key enzymes in the oxidative phosphorylation pathway. The absence of the BsuMI methylation modification group resulted in a decrease in the expression of subunits of cytochrome oxidase, leading to a weakening of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway, which promoted the glycolytic rate of cells and subsequently improved the distribution of ATP molecules into competence formation. A genetic transformation platform for wild-type Bacillus strains was successfully established based on the constructed strain B. subtilis 168-R-M- without its native restriction-modification system. With this platform, high plasmids transformation efficiencies were achieved with a remarkable 63-fold improvement compared to the control group and an increased universality in Bacillus species was also obtained. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced competence formation mechanism and the regulation pathway conducted by the functional protein BsuMI of the restriction-modification system were concluded, providing a reference for further investigation. An effective transformation platform was established to overcome the obstacles in DNA transformations in wild-type Bacillus strains.

Prevalence and risk factors of low vitamin D levels in children and adolescents with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis.

Patients with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOKPP) experience episodes of reversible immobility and are at an increased risk of limited sunlight exposure, potentially leading to vitamin D deficiency. However, there is a lack of data on vitamin D levels in this population. We investigated serum vitamin D levels and their associated factors in children with HOKPP. This study included 170 genetically-confirmed children with HOKPP, aged 3-18 years, and 170 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls from the Korean Channelopathy Study, a prospective controlled investigation. Anthropometric and clinical characteristics were recorded, and serum levels of calcium, ionized calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) were analyzed. Vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) was observed in 87.0% of the patients compared to 45.5% of the controls (P < 0.05) during the summer-fall season. During the winter-spring season, 91.7% of the patients and 73.4% of the controls were deficient (P < 0.05). A strong positive correlation was found between onset age of the first paralytic attack and vitamin D levels (r = 0.78, P < 0.01). Conversely, the frequency and duration of paralytic attacks were negatively correlated with vitamin D levels (r = -0.82 and r = -0.65, P < 0.01, respectively). Age, BMI, age at onset, frequency and duration of attacks, and PTH levels were independently associated with vitamin D levels (ß = -0.10, -0.12, 0.19, -0.27, -0.21, and -0.13, P < 0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent in children with HOKPP, and vitamin D levels correlated with various disease characteristics. We recommend routine screening for vitamin D levels in these patients to address this prevalent deficiency. Considering the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency observed, further research on other diseases characterized by reversible immobility is warranted. WHAT IS KNOWN: • A correlation between immobility and low serum vitamin D levels has been established. However, the vitamin D status of patients with familial hypokalemic periodic paralysis (HOKPP) who experience periods of reversible immobility remains unknown. WHAT IS NEW: • Vitamin D deficiency was highly prevalent in children with HOKPP, and vitamin D levels correlated with various disease characteristics.

Exosomes Derived from Hypertrophic Scar Fibroblasts Suppress Melanogenesis in Normal Human Epidermal Melanocytes.

Post-burn hypertrophic scars often exhibit abnormal pigmentation. Exosomes play important roles in maintaining normal physiological homeostasis and in the pathological development of diseases. This study investigated the effects of the exosomes derived from hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HTSFs) on melanocytes, which are pigment-producing cells. Normal fibroblasts (NFs) and HTSFs were isolated and cultured from normal skin and hypertrophic scar (HTS) tissue. Both the NF- and HTSF-exosomes were isolated from a cell culture medium and purified using a column-based technique. The normal human epidermal melanocytes were treated with both exosomes at a concentration of 100 µg/mL at different times. The cell proliferation, melanin content in the medium, apoptotic factors, transcription factors, melanin synthesis enzymes, signaling, signal transduction pathways, and activators of transcription factors (STAT) 1, 3, 5, and 6 were investigated. Compared with the Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS)-treated controls and NF-exosomes, the HTSF-exosomes decreased the melanocyte proliferation and melanin secretion. The molecular patterns of apoptosis, proliferation, melanin synthesis, Smad and non-Smad signaling, and STATs were altered by the treatment with the HTSF-exosomes. No significant differences were observed between the DPBS-treated control and NF-exosome-treated cells. HTSF-derived exosomes may play a role in the pathological epidermal hypopigmentation observed in patients with HTS.

Sex differences in the skin microbiome of burn scars.

Sex differences are observed in various spectrums of skin diseases, and there are differences in wound healing rate. Herein, sex differences were identified for the newly healed skin microbiome of burn patients. Fifty-two skin samples (26 normal skin, 26 burn scars) were collected from 26 burn patients (12 male, 14 female) and microbiota analysis was performed. The correlation between skin microbiota and biomechanical properties of burn scars was also investigated. There were no significant differences in clinical characteristics between male and female patients. Considering the biomechanical properties of burn scars and normal skin around it performed before sample collection, the mean erythema level of men's normal skin was significantly higher than that of women, whereas the mean levels of melanin, transepidermal water loss and skin hydration showed no significant sex differences. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was significantly higher in females than that in males. Alpha diversity showed no significant differences between normal skin and burn scars in the male group. However, the scar was significantly higher than that of normal skin in the female group. Microbial network analysis revealed that the male group had more complex microbial network than the female group. Additionally, in the male group, the edge density and clustering coefficient were higher in burn scars when compared to normal skin, than the female group. There were sex differences in the results of microbiome of normal skin and burn scars. Some of the altered microbiota have been correlated with the biomechanical properties of burn scars. In conclusion, sex difference in the burn scar microbiome was confirmed. These results suggest that burn treatment strategies should vary with sex.

Effects of Factors Influencing Scar Formation on the Scar Microbiome in Patients with Burns.

Skin microbiome dysbiosis has deleterious effects, and the factors influencing burn scar formation, which affects the scar microbiome composition, are unknown. Therefore, we investigated the effects of various factors influencing scar formation on the scar microbiome composition in patients with burns. We collected samples from the burn scar center and margin of 40 patients with burns, subgrouped by factors influencing scar formation. Scar microbiome composition-influencing factors were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Skin graft, hospitalization period, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, burn degree, sex, age, total body surface area burned (TBSA), time post-injury, transepidermal water loss, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and C-reactive protein levels were identified as factors influencing burn scar microbiome composition. Only TBSA and ICU admission were associated with significant differences in alpha diversity. Alpha diversity significantly decreased with an increase in TBSA and was significantly lower in patients admitted to the ICU than in those not admitted to the ICU. Furthermore, we identified microorganisms associated with various explanatory variables. Our cross-sectional systems biology study confirmed that various variables influence the scar microbiome composition in patients with burns, each of which is associated with various microorganisms. Therefore, these factors should be considered during the application of skin microbiota for burn scar management.

Effect of Hypertrophic Scar Fibroblast-Derived Exosomes on Keratinocytes of Normal Human Skin.

Epidermal keratinocytes are highly activated, hyper-proliferated, and abnormally differentiated in the post-burn hypertrophic scar (HTS); however, the effects of scar fibroblasts (SFs) on keratinocytes through cell-cell interaction in HTS remain unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of HTSF-derived exosomes on the proliferation and differentiation of normal human keratinocytes (NHKs) compared with normal fibroblasts (NFs) and their possible mechanism to provide a reference for clinical intervention of HTS. Fibroblasts were isolated and cultured from HTS and normal skin. Both HTSF-exosomes and NF-exosomes were extracted via a column-based method from the cell culture supernatant. NHKs were treated for 24 or 48 h with 100 µg/mL of cell-derived exosomes. The expression of proliferation markers (Ki-67 and keratin 14), activation markers (keratins 6, 16, and 17), differentiation markers (keratins 1 and 10), apoptosis factors (Bax, Bcl2, caspase 14, and ASK1), proliferation/differentiation regulators (p21 and p27), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and vimentin) was investigated. Compared with NF-exosomes, HTSF-exosomes altered the molecular pattern of proliferation, activation, differentiation, and apoptosis, proliferation/differentiation regulators of NHKs, and EMT markers differently. In conclusion, our findings indicate that HTSF-derived exosomes may play a role in the epidermal pathological development of HTS.

Exosomes derived from human hypertrophic scar fibroblasts induces smad and TAK1 signaling in normal dermal fibroblasts.

Post-burn hypertrophic scars are characterized by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix secreted by fibroblasts. Exosomes are membrane lipid extracellular vesicles that play a pivotal role in cellular communication. Previous studies revealed the role of stem cell-derived exosomes in repairing damaged tissues, and also showed that cancer cell-derived exosomes could affect the disease pathogenesis. However, the functional properties of exosomes derived from hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HTSFs) have not yet been studied extensively. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether HTSFs-derived exosomes can change the fibrosis-related signaling pathways in human normal fibroblasts (HNFs). HTSFs and HNFs were isolated from human hypertrophic scar tissues. HTSFs-derived exosomes were extracted and treated to HNFs. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to detect mRNA and protein expression, respectively, and cell proliferation and mobility were also assessed. Exosome treatment markedly increased cell proliferation and migration, and induced small mother against decapentaplegic (SMAD) signaling by increasing the levels of phosphorylated SMAD2 and SMAD1/5/8. The levels of TAK1 signaling components were also increased after exosome treatment to HNFs, including phosphorylated TAK1, p38, ERK, and JNK. HTSFs-derived exosomes further induced the epithelial-mesenchymal transition by decreasing the expression level of E-cadherin and increasing the expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin. Consequently, the expression levels of fibronectin, type Ⅰ collagen, and type Ⅲ collagen were increased. Our results demonstrate the fibrotic property of HTSFs-derived exosomes, which suggests a potential functional role in hypertrophic scar development and a new therapeutic target.

ADT-OH inhibits malignant melanoma metastasis in mice via suppressing CSE/CBS and FAK/Paxillin signaling pathway.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is widely recognized as the third endogenous gas signaling molecule and may play a key role in cancer biological processes. ADT-OH (5-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiocyclopentene-3-thione) is one of the most widely used organic donors for the slow release of H2S and considered to be a potential anticancer compound. In this study, we investigated the antimetastatic effects of ADT-OH in highly metastatic melanoma cells. A tail-vein-metastasis model was established by injecting B16F10 and A375 cells into the tail veins of mice, whereas a mouse footpad-injection model was established by injecting B16F10 cells into mouse footpads. We showed that administration of ADT-OH significantly inhibited the migration and invasion of melanoma cells in the three different animal models. We further showed that ADT-OH dose-dependently inhibited the migration and invasion of B16F10, B16F1 and A375 melanoma cells as evaluated by wound healing and Transwell assays in vitro. LC-MS/MS and bioinformatics analyses revealed that ADT-OH treatment inhibited the EMT process in B16F10 and A375 cells by reducing the expression of FAK and the downstream response protein Paxillin. Overexpression of FAK reversed the inhibitory effects of ADT-OH on melanoma cell migration. Moreover, after ADT-OH treatment, melanoma cells showed abnormal expression of the H2S-producing enzymes CSE/CBS and the AKT signaling pathways. In addition, ADT-OH significantly suppressed the proliferation of melanoma cells. Collectively, these results demonstrate that ADT-OH inhibits the EMT process in melanoma cells by suppressing the CSE/CBS and FAK signaling pathways, thereby exerting its antimetastatic activity. ADT-OH may be used as an antimetastatic agent in the future.

Mass Spectrometry Based Immunopeptidomics Leads to Robust Predictions of Phosphorylated HLA Class I Ligands.

The presentation of peptides on class I human leukocyte antigen (HLA-I) molecules plays a central role in immune recognition of infected or malignant cells. In cancer, non-self HLA-I ligands can arise from many different alterations, including non-synonymous mutations, gene fusion, cancer-specific alternative mRNA splicing or aberrant post-translational modifications. Identifying HLA-I ligands remains a challenging task that requires either heavy experimental work for in vivo identification or optimized bioinformatics tools for accurate predictions. To date, no HLA-I ligand predictor includes post-translational modifications. To fill this gap, we curated phosphorylated HLA-I ligands from several immunopeptidomics studies (including six newly measured samples) covering 72 HLA-I alleles and retrieved a total of 2,066 unique phosphorylated peptides. We then expanded our motif deconvolution tool to identify precise binding motifs of phosphorylated HLA-I ligands. Our results reveal a clear enrichment of phosphorylated peptides among HLA-C ligands and demonstrate a prevalent role of both HLA-I motifs and kinase motifs on the presentation of phosphorylated peptides. These data further enabled us to develop and validate the first predictor of interactions between HLA-I molecules and phosphorylated peptides.

Normalization-free displacement reconstruction method based on fringe scaling.

The knotty problems in the displacement reconstruction based on the self-mixing (SM) technique are the estimation of the self-mixing interferometry parameters and the normalization of SM signals (SMSs) since they are all very time-consuming and based on complex algorithms. This has an unfavorable effect on the real-time and low-cost natures of the SM displacement sensor. In the paper, we have presented a simple method of displacement retrieval with a high resolution, which does not require the parameter estimation and normalization. The proposed method is based on the scaling of individual fringes in SMSs and speckle noise proof. The simplicity of the method will make a great contribution to lowering the cost of the SM displacement sensor and improving the reliability and resolution of the sensor.

Chemerin promotes microangiopathy in diabetic retinopathy via activation of ChemR23 in rat primary microvascular endothelial cells.

Purpose: The correlation between chemerin and diabetic retinopathy (DR) has been demonstrated previously. We aimed to investigate the potential inflammatory and angiogenic roles of chemerin in DR using rat primary retinal microvascular endothelial cells (RRMECs). Methods: RRMECs were incubated in low- and high-glucose media, and stable chemerin receptor (ChemR23) knockdown in RRMECs was established by lentiviral infection. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and western blotting were employed to investigate the mRNA and protein expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and the interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) to explore the inflammatory and angiogenic effects of chemerin. A scratch assay was employed to evaluate the effect of chemerin on RRMEC migration. Results: Chemerin and TNF-α markedly increased the mRNA and protein expression of ICAM-1 in RRMECs (p<0.001). ChemR23 knockdown may have decreased the ICAM-1 expression under low- and high-glucose conditions (p<0.001). Even in the ChemR23-knockdown group, TNF-α significantly increased the mRNA and protein levels of ICAM-1 under low- and high-glucose conditions (p<0.001). Chemerin promoted VEGF expression under low- and high-glucose conditions. ChemR23 knockdown markedly decreased VEGF levels under low- and high-glucose conditions (p<0.05) and significantly decreased RRMEC migration (p<0.001). Conclusions: Chemerin promotes the expression of ICAM-1, the secretion of VEGF, and the migration of RRMECs via the activation of ChemR23.

Calpastatin-Mediated Inhibition of Calpain Ameliorates Skin Scar Formation after Burn Injury.

Hypertrophic scars, the most common complication of burn injuries, are characterized by excessive deposition of fibroblast-derived extracellular matrix proteins. Calpain, a calcium-dependent protease, is involved in the fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix production observed in certain fibrotic diseases. However, its role in the formation of post-burn hypertrophic skin scars remains largely unknown. Here, calpain expression and activity were assessed in skin fibroblasts obtained directly from patients with third-degree burns, who consequently developed post-burn hypertrophic scars. Furthermore, the antifibrotic effect of calpastatin, an endogenous calpain inhibitor, was evaluated in human fibroblasts and a murine burn model. The activity, mRNA levels, and protein levels of calpain were markedly higher in fibroblasts from the burn wounds of patients than in normal cells. Selective calpain inhibition by calpastatin markedly reduced not only the proliferation of burn-wound fibroblasts but also the mRNA and protein expression of calpain, transforming growth factor-beta 1, α-smooth muscle actin, type I and type III collagens, fibronectin, and vimentin in burn-wound fibroblasts. The anti-scarring effects of calpastatin were validated using a murine burn model by molecular, histological, and visual analyses. This study demonstrates the pathological role of calpain and the antifibrotic effect of calpastatin via calpain inhibition in post-burn hypertrophic scar formation.

CPEB1 or CPEB4 knockdown suppresses the TAK1 and Smad signalings in THP-1 macrophage-like cells and dermal fibroblasts.

Post-burn hypertrophic scar (HTS) is a form of excessive dermal fibrosis characterized by cutaneous scarring, which is common in patients following burn injury. Moreover, at least 50% of HTS are accompanied by inflammation. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding (CPEB) proteins are key mRNA-binding proteins that control the translation of several mRNAs. However, their potential roles in treating dermal fibrosis and scarring remain unknown. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of CPEB1 or CPEB4 in human THP-1 macrophages and dermal fibroblasts treated with LPS and TGF-ß1. We found significantly increased CPEB1 and CPEB4 mRNA and protein levels in LPS-treated THP-1 cells and TGF-ß1-treated fibroblasts. CPEB1 and CPEB4 knockdowns suppressed LPS-activated TAK1 signaling cascades by reducing the levels of TNF-α and phosphorylated TAK1, p38, ERK, JNK, and NF-κB-p65 in THP-1 cells. CPEB1 and CPEB4 knockdowns also attenuated TGF-ß1-activated Smad-dependent and -independent signaling cascades by reducing the levels of TAK1, p38, ERK, JNK, and phosphorylated Smad 2 and Smad 1/5/8 in fibroblasts. Furthermore, CPEB1 or CPEB4 knockdown markedly decreased the levels of fibrosis markers, including α-SMA, type I collagen, and fibronectin in fibroblasts. Our findings indicate that CPEB1 and CPEB4 are involved in the regulation of the TAK1 and Smad signalings in human macrophages and dermal fibroblasts. These activities may play a role in cutaneous scarring responses.

The Length Distribution and Multiple Specificity of Naturally Presented HLA-I Ligands.

HLA-I molecules bind short peptides and present them for recognition by CD8+ T cells. The length of HLA-I ligands typically ranges from 8 to 12 aa, but variability is observed across different HLA-I alleles. In this study we collected recent in-depth HLA peptidomics data, including 12 newly generated HLA peptidomes (31,896 unique peptides) from human meningioma samples, to analyze the peptide length distribution and multiple specificity across 84 different HLA-I alleles. We observed a clear clustering of HLA-I alleles with distinct peptide length distributions, which enabled us to study the structural basis of peptide length distributions and predict peptide length distributions from HLA-I sequences. We further identified multiple specificity in several HLA-I molecules and validated these observations with binding assays. Explicitly modeling peptide length distribution and multiple specificity improved predictions of naturally presented HLA-I ligands, as demonstrated in an independent benchmarking based on the new human meningioma samples.

Estimating the Contribution of Proteasomal Spliced Peptides to the HLA-I Ligandome.

Spliced peptides are short protein fragments spliced together in the proteasome by peptide bond formation. True estimation of the contribution of proteasome-spliced peptides (PSPs) to the global human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligandome is critical. A recent study suggested that PSPs contribute up to 30% of the HLA ligandome. We performed a thorough reanalysis of the reported results using multiple computational tools and various validation steps and concluded that only a fraction of the proposed PSPs passes the quality filters. To better estimate the actual number of PSPs, we present an alternative workflow. We performed de novo sequencing of the HLA-peptide spectra and discarded all de novo sequences found in the UniProt database. We checked whether the remaining de novo sequences could match spliced peptides from human proteins. The spliced sequences were appended to the UniProt fasta file, which was searched by two search tools at a false discovery rate (FDR) of 1%. We find that 2-6% of the HLA ligandome could be explained as spliced protein fragments. The majority of these potential PSPs have good peptide-spectrum match properties and are predicted to bind the respective HLA molecules. However, it remains to be shown how many of these potential PSPs actually originate from proteasomal splicing events.

Effect of Combining Low Temperature Plasma, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, and Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells on an Acute Skin Wound Healing Mouse Model.

Low-temperature plasma (LTP; 3 min/day), negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT; 4 h/day), and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs; 1×106 cells/day) were used as mono- and combination therapy in an acute excisional skin wound-healing ICR mouse model. These therapies have been beneficial in treating wounds. We investigated the effectiveness of monotherapy with LTP, NPWT, and MSC and combination therapy with LTP + MSC, LTP + NPWT, NPWT + MSC, and LTP + NPWT + MSC on skin wounds in mice for seven consecutive days. Gene expression, protein expression, and epithelial thickness were analyzed using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blotting, and hematoxylin and eosin staining (H&E), respectively. Wound closure was also evaluated. Wound closure was significantly accelerated in monotherapy groups, whereas more accelerated in combination therapy groups. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression was increased in the LTP monotherapy group but decreased in the NPWT, MSC, and combination therapy groups. Expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and type I collagen were increased in the combination therapy groups. Re-epithelialization was also considerably accelerated in combination therapy groups. Our findings suggest that combination therapy with LPT, NPWT, and MSC exert a synergistic effect on wound healing, representing a promising strategy for the treatment of acute wounds.

Quantitative Shotgun Proteomics Unveils Candidate Novel Esophageal Adenocarcinoma (EAC)-specific Proteins.

Esophageal cancer is the eighth most common cancer worldwide and the majority of patients have systemic disease at presentation. Esophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC), the predominant subtype in western countries, is largely resistant to current chemotherapy regimens. Selective markers are needed to enhance clinical staging and to allow targeted therapies yet there are minimal proteomic data on this cancer type. After histological review, lysates from OAC and matched normal esophageal and gastric samples from seven patients were subjected to LC MS/MS after tandem mass tag labeling and OFFGEL fractionation. Patient matched samples of OAC, normal esophagus, normal stomach, lymph node metastases and uninvolved lymph nodes were used from an additional 115 patients for verification of expression by immunohistochemistry (IHC).Over six thousand proteins were identified and quantified across samples. Quantitative reproducibility was excellent between technical replicates and a moderate correlation was seen across samples with the same histology. The quantitative accuracy was verified across the dynamic range for seven proteins by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on the originating tissues. Multiple novel tumor-specific candidates are proposed and EPCAM was verified by IHC.This shotgun proteomic study of OAC used a comparative quantitative approach to reveal proteins highly expressed in specific tissue types. Novel tumor-specific proteins are proposed and EPCAM was demonstrated to be specifically overexpressed in primary tumors and lymph node metastases compared with surrounding normal tissues. This candidate and others proposed in this study could be developed as tumor-specific targets for novel clinical staging and therapeutic approaches.

Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Alters the Expression of Fibrosis-Related Molecules in Fibroblast Derived from Human Hypertrophic Scar.

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) considerably improves the appearance and symptoms of post-burn hypertrophic scars (HTS). However, the mechanism underlying the observed beneficial effects is not well understood. The objective of this study was to elucidate the mechanism underlying changes in cellular and molecular biology that is induced by ESWT of fibroblasts derived from scar tissue (HTSFs). We cultured primary dermal fibroblasts derived from human HTS and exposed these cells to 1000 impulses of 0.03, 0.1, and 0.3 mJ/mm². At 24 h and 72 h after treatment, real-time PCR and western blotting were used to detect mRNA and protein expression, respectively, and cell viability and mobility were assessed. While HTSF viability was not affected, migration was decreased by ESWT. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-ß1) expression was reduced and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), collagen-I, fibronectin, and twist-1 were reduced significantly after ESWT. Expression of E-cadherin was increased, while that of N-cadherin was reduced. Expression of inhibitor of DNA binding 1 and 2 was increased. In conclusion, suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition might be responsible for the anti-scarring effect of ESWT, and has potential as a therapeutic target in the management of post-burn scars.