The role of aquaporin-1 in idiopathic and drug-induced intracranial hypertension

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a common disorder affecting mainly healthy, young, overweight women. The pathogenesis of this condition is unknown, but it has been shown to follow treatment with several compounds including corticosteroids and vitamin A derivatives. This paper will offer a novel hypothesis and insight on the pathogenesis of drug induced intracranial hypertension following a review and analysis of the literature. Both corticosteroids and vitamin A derivatives have been shown to upregulate the expression of aquaporin 1, a water channel protein. Aquaporin 1 is widely distributed in the human brain and is associated with water secretion into the subarachnoid space. Aquaporin 1 was also shown to participate in the regulation of weight. Agents used for treating idiopathic intracranial hypertension reduce aquaporin 1 expression. Based on these observations, we propose that aquaporin 1 has a pathogenetic role in drug induced idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Over expression of this gene causes increased intracranial pressure, and downregulation reduces pressure and alleviates the symptomatology and complications of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.     

Recurrent genomic alterations with impact on survival in colorectal cancer identified by genome-wide array comparative genomic hybridization

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although genetic aspects of tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer (CRC) have been well studied, reliable biomarkers predicting prognosis are scarce. We aimed to identify recurrently altered genomic regions (RAR) in CRC with high resolution, to investigate their implications on survival and to explore novel cancer-related genes in prognosis-associated RARs. METHODS: A 1-Mb resolution microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) was applied to 59 CRCs. RARs, defined as genomic alterations, detected in more than 10 cases were identified and analyzed for their association with survival. Expression levels of genes in prognosis-associated RARs were examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Twenty-seven RARs were identified. Eleven high-level amplifications and 2 homozygous deletions also were detected, but they were not as common as RARs. Multivariate analysis revealed RAR-L1 (loss on 1p36; hazard ratio = 8.15, P = .002) and RAR-L20 (loss on 21q22; hazard ratio = 3.53, P = .034) are independent indicators of poor prognosis. Expression of CAMTA1, located in RAR-L1, was reduced frequently in CRCs, and low CAMTA1 expression was associated significantly with poor prognosis, which indicates that CAMTA1 may play a role as a tumor suppressor in CRC. Five pairs of RARs were correlated significantly to each other and 3 pairs share genes involved in the same biological functions, suggesting possible collaborative roles in tumorigenesis. CONCLUSIONS: We identified recurrent genomic changes in 59 CRCs. RARs could be more important in sporadic tumors where the effect of genomic changes on tumorigenesis is relatively smaller than in familial cancer. Our results and analysis strategy will be helpful to elucidate pathogenesis of CRCs or to develop biomarkers for predicting prognosis.     

含PML/RARα（L型）与ABL双基因质粒标准品的制备及应用

目的建立一个含PML/RARα（L型）与ABL双基因质粒标准品,用于PML/RARαL型）的定量检测。方法从NB4细胞中提取总RNA并逆转录为cDNA,以此为模板,设计PML/RARα（L型）与ABL基因特异性引物进行PCR,PCR产物经琼脂糖电泳、胶回收、PCMV4载体克隆后转化DH5α工程菌,提取质粒进行酶切、测序鉴定,提取质粒用于制作荧光定量PCR标准曲线,同时对质粒的稳定性能进行评价。结果结果NB4细胞提取的总RNA完整性良好,构建的质粒经酶切鉴定后与目的条带一致,测序结果与目的片段几乎完全一致,且质粒的原始浓度为9×1012copies/ml,倍比稀释至9×104copies/ml,均能得到良好的标准曲线（R2≈1）,且质粒的稳定性好,提示含PML/RARa（L型）与ABL双基因荧光定量PCR质粒标准品构建成功。结论本研究建立了制备含PML/RARα（L型）与ABL双基因质粒标准品方法,并成功制备出稳定的含PML/RARα（L型）与ABL双基因质粒标准品。     

Retinoic acid induces Sertoli cell paracrine signals for spermatogonia differentiation but cell autonomously drives spermatocyte meiosis

Direct evidence for a role of endogenous retinoic acid (RA), the active metabolite of vitamin A in the initial differentiation and meiotic entry of spermatogonia, and thus in the initiation of spermatogenesis is still lacking. RA is synthesized by dedicated enzymes, the retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDH), and binds to and activates nuclear RA receptors (RARA, RARB, and RARG) either within the RA-synthesizing cells or in the neighboring cells. In the present study, we have used a combination of somatic genetic ablations and pharmacological approaches in vivo to show that during the first, prepubertal, spermatogenic cycle (i) RALDH-dependent synthesis of RA by Sertoli cells (SC), the supporting cells of the germ cell (GC) lineage, is indispensable to initiate differentiation of A aligned into A1 spermatogonia; (ii) RARA in SC mediates the effects of RA, possibly through activating Mafb expression, a gene whose Drosophila homolog is mandatory to GC differentiation; (iii) RA synthesized by premeiotic spermatocytes cell autonomously induces meiotic initiation through controlling the RAR-dependent expression of Stra8. Furthermore, we show that RA of SC origin is no longer necessary for the subsequent spermatogenic cycles but essential to spermiation. Altogether, our data establish that the effects of RA in vivo on spermatogonia differentiation are indirect, via SC, but direct on meiotic initiation in spermatocytes, supporting thereby the notion that, contrary to the situation in the female, RA is necessary to induce meiosis in the male.     

Retinoic acid receptor alpha: One of plasma biomarkers associated with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Exacerbation of COPD is a major risk factor for bad prognosis of COPD. A few plasma proteins have been discovered to associate with hospital admission due to exacerbation up to date. We tried to find new plasma biomarkers to predict the exacerbation of COPD. Methods: We examined the plasma of normal control (n = 8) and COPD stable (n = 8) and exacerbation (n = 8) using 2-Dimentional Electrophoresis. The differentially expressed protein spots were identified by MALDI-TOF. ELISA were performed for quantitative measurement of RARα in plasma from normal control (n = 37) and COPD (n = 35). Results: 17 proteins were differentially expressed in plasma between stable and exacerbation state in the subjects with COPD. Identification using MALDI-TOF showed that retinoic acid receptor alpha, ninein, isoform CRA_a, alpha-1 antitrypsin, fibrinogen gamma, tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 2, and T cell receptor delta chain were increased in exacerbation of COPD, while fibrin beta, Crystal Structure Of An Autoimmune Complex Between A Human Igm RF* And Igg1 Fc, transferrin, serpin peptidase inhibitor member 6, complement factor B preproprotein, Chain B, Crig Bound To C3c, and WD repeat-containing protein 1 isoform 1 were decreased. Quantitative measurement showed that RARα plasma levels significantly increased in exacerbation state compared to stable state of COPD (n = 14). In the plasma of stable state, the COPD subjects (n = 14) having more than 0.4 time/yr of admission had very high levels of RAR alpha protein and those (n = 11) having less than 0.4 times/yr of admission had the intermediate levels compared to those having no exacerbation (n = 10). ROC analysis of RAR alpha levels to frequency of admission showed an area under the curve of 0.844. A cut-off of 0.154 ng/ml of RAR alpha predicted hospital admission with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 92.8%. Conclusion: The proteomic analysis of plasma indicates that alteration of several proteins may be associated with admission of COPD. Among them, plasma RAR alpha level may predict hospital admission with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 92.8%.     

The role of aquaporin-1 in idiopathic and drug-induced intracranial hypertension

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension is a common disorder affecting mainly healthy, young, overweight women. The pathogenesis of this condition is unknown, but it has been shown to follow treatment with several compounds including corticosteroids and vitamin A derivatives. This paper will offer a novel hypothesis and insight on the pathogenesis of drug induced intracranial hypertension following a review and analysis of the literature. Both corticosteroids and vitamin A derivatives have been shown to upregulate the expression of aquaporin 1, a water channel protein. Aquaporin 1 is widely distributed in the human brain and is associated with water secretion into the subarachnoid space. Aquaporin 1 was also shown to participate in the regulation of weight. Agents used for treating idiopathic intracranial hypertension reduce aquaporin 1 expression. Based on these observations, we propose that aquaporin 1 has a pathogenetic role in drug induced idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Over expression of this gene causes increased intracranial pressure, and downregulation reduces pressure and alleviates the symptomatology and complications of idiopathic intracranial hypertension.     

The liver as a target organ of retinoids

Retinoids have several biological functions including cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. In liver, retinoids are known to be associated with regeneration, fibrosis and carcinogenesis. The facts that retinoid droplets in stellate cells are lost with progression of liver disease and that effectiveness of an acyclic retinoid on second primary liver cancer suggest the importance of liver as a target organ of retinoids. Our recent work has indicated that retinoids have antioxidant effects in association with regulation of fatty acid metabolism. In this review article, we discussed the important function of retinoids in liver, mainly from molecular aspects.     

急性早幼粒细胞白血病PML/RARα融合基因检测的临床意义

目的探讨荧光原位杂交技术(FISH)检测PML/RARα融合基因在急性早幼粒细胞白血病(APL)诊断中的应用价值。方法应用常规细胞遗传学分析28例APL患者的染色体核型,同时用FISH法检测PML/RARα融合基因。结果 28例初诊的APL患者254例常规核型分析检出t(15;17)(q22;q12);2例患者核型正常;另1例未检出t(15;17),核型分析结果为涉及15和17号染色体的复杂异常;FISH检测所有病例均存在PML/RARα融合基因。结论 FISH法行PML/RARα融合基因检测特异性和敏感性好,是诊断APL的可靠方法。