Manipulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway by small DNA tumor viruses

Viruses have evolved to use cellular pathways to their advantage, including the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway of protein degradation. In several cases, viruses produce proteins that highjack cellular E3 ligases to modify their substrate specificity in order to eliminate unwanted cellular proteins, in particular inhibitors of the cell cycle. They can also inhibit E3 ligase to prevent specific protein degradation or even use the system to control the level of expression of their own proteins. In this review we explore the specific ways that small DNA tumor viruses exploit the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway for their own benefit.     

枸杞多糖通过泛素蛋白酶体途径降解突变亨廷顿蛋白

目的　探讨枸杞多糖（Lycium barbarum polysaccharide,LBP）降解突变亨廷顿蛋白（mutant huntingtin,mHtt）的途径。 方法　在稳定表达mHtt 160Q的HEK293细胞中使用不同浓度LBP,CCK8法检测细胞活力,caspase-3活性酶标法检测caspase-3活性;使用荧光显微镜检测、Image Pro Plus 6.0分析LBP对HEK293-160Q细胞中mHtt的影响并同时使用RT-PCR法检测LBP是否影响其mRNA水平;使用LBP、MG132及氯喹,分组处理HEK293-160Q细胞,通过Western Blot法检测不同组细胞中mHtt的变化。 结果　LBP能提高HEK293-160Q细胞活力,降低caspase-3活性;LBP能减少细胞中mHtt且不改变其mRNA;不同药物处理HEK293-160Q细胞后,发现与只使用LBP相比,同时使用LBP与MG132会显著降低mHtt的降解,而同时使用LBP与氯喹则对mHtt的降解没有影响。 结论　LBP能通过泛素蛋白酶体途径降解mHtt,减轻mHtt所引起的细胞毒性继而提高细胞活力、抑制细胞凋亡。     

Involvement of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and molecular chaperones in oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset autosomal dominant muscular dystrophy that results from small expansions of a polyalanine tract in the PABPN1 gene. Intranuclear inclusions are the pathological hallmark of OPMD. The mechanism by which protein aggregation in OPMD might relate to a toxic gain-of-function has so far remained elusive. Whether protein aggregates themselves are pathogenic or are the consequence of an unidentified underlying molecular mechanism is still unclear. Here, we report that protein aggregation in a cell model of OPMD directly impaires the function of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP) as well as molecular chaperone functions. The proteasome inhibitor lactacystin causes significant increase of protein aggregation and toxicity. Moreover, overexpression of molecular chaperones (HSP40 and HSP70) suppressed protein aggregation and toxicity. We also provide evidence that mPABPN1-ala17 protein aggregation proportionally correlates with toxicity. Furthermore, we show that co-expression of chaperones in our OPMD cell model increases the solubility of mPABPN1-ala17 and transfected cell survival rate. Our studies suggest that molecular regulators of polyalanine protein solubility and degradation may provide insights into new mechanisms in OPMD pathogenesis. Further analysis of the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which UPP and molecular chaperones influence the degradation of misfolded proteins could provide novel concepts and targets for the treatment and understanding of the pathogenesis of OPMD and neurodegenerative diseases.     

Genetic modifiers of age-at-onset in polyglutamine diseases

Polyglutamine (polyQ) diseases are a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous neurodegenerative diseases. Expansion size correlates with age-at-onset (AO) and severity, and shows a critical threshold for each polyQ disease. Although an expanded CAG tract is sufficient to trigger disease, not all variation in AO is explained by (CAG)_n length, which suggests the contribution of other modifying factors. Methods used to identify genetic modifiers in polyQ diseases have progressed from candidate genes to unbiased genome-wide searches. Inconsistency of results from candidate-genes studies are partly explained by sample size, study design and variable population frequency of “polymorphisms”; a genome-wide search may help elucidating more precise disease mechanisms underlying specific interaction networks. We review known genetic modifiers for polyQ diseases, and discuss developing strategies to find modulation, from common variants to networks disclosing small cumulative effects of key genes and modifying pathways. This may lead to a better understanding of genotype-phenotype correlation and the proposal of new potential targets for therapeutical interventions.     

Recent advances in the molecular pathogenesis of Friedreich ataxia

Friedreich ataxia, the most frequent cause of recessive ataxia, is due in most cases to a homozygous intronic expansion resulting in the loss of function of frataxin. Frataxin is a mitochondrial protein conserved through evolution. Yeast knock-out models and histological data from patient heart autopsies have shown that frataxin defect causes mitochondrial iron accumulation. Biochemical data from patient heart biopsies or autopsies have revealed a specific deficiency in the activities of aconitases and of mitochondrial iron-sulfur proteins. These results suggest that frataxin may play a role either in mitochondrial iron transport or in iron-sulfur cluster assembly or transport. Iron abnormalities suggest a pathogenic mechanism involving free radical production and oxidative stress, a process that might be sensitive to antioxidant therapies.     

MHC-Ⅰ链相关基因A在免疫性疾病中的研究进展

MHC-Ⅰ链相关基因A（MICA）位于人第6号染色体的MHC—Ⅰ类区域中,该基因包含6个外显子,编码的蛋白分子结构域与经典的Ⅰ类分子α链相似,包括胞外结构域（α1、α2与α3）、跨膜区和胞质区,但不含β2微球蛋白。MICA表达于内皮细胞、上皮细胞、单核细胞、成纤维细胞以及大多数上皮性肿瘤细胞表面,但在CD4^＋T细胞、CD8^＋T细胞和CD19^＋细胞不表达。MICA在肾脏等器官移植排斥反应和移植物存活率有重要的相关性,其抗体阳性者预后较差。MICA在肿瘤、自身免疫性疾病、感染性疾病的发生、发展过程中起着独特的作用。     

Recent advances in the molecular pathogenesis of hereditary recurrent fevers

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To discuss recent developments in the molecular basis of several hereditary recurrent fever syndromes, specifically the cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, familial Mediterranean fever and the tumor necrosis factor receptor associated periodic syndrome. RECENT FINDINGS: Mutations of CIAS1, the gene encoding cryopyrin/NALP3, lead to a spectrum of disease states termed the cryopyrinopathies. Recently, cryopyrin-deficient mice have been used to show that the protein is a key regulator of interleukin-1beta production that functions by recognizing stimuli such as bacterial RNA and infectious agents. Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome was initially thought to be caused by deficient metalloprotease-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor shedding, however new findings suggest that mutations in this receptor may result in inappropriate protein folding, leading to a host of other functional abnormalities that may cause inflammatory disease. Finally, data are emerging that address the possible function of the C-terminal B30.2 domain of pyrin, the familial Mediterranean fever protein. This motif has recently been shown to interact with and inhibit caspase-1, and the modeled structure of this complex highlights how mutations may affect the binding interface. SUMMARY: Recent reports have advanced our understanding of the structural and functional biology underlying the hereditary recurrent fevers, and are beginning to suggest possible mechanisms by which specific mutations cause disease.     

蛋白质磷酸化修饰在多聚谷氨酰胺疾病中的研究进展

多聚谷氨酰胺(polyglutamine,polyQ)疾病是一大组常见的神经退行性疾病,疾病的发生源于致病基因编码区CAG三核苷酸重复扩展突变导致基因的编码蛋白--polyQ蛋白产生多聚谷氨酰胺扩展突变.polyQ疾病的发病机制目前虽然尚未得到完全阐明,但越来越多的研究表明蛋白质的磷酸化修饰在亨廷顿舞蹈病、齿状核红核苍白球路易氏体萎缩症、延髓脊肌萎缩症、遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调1型、遗传性脊髓小脑型共济失调3型/马查多.约瑟夫病等疾病的发生发展中发挥了重要的作用.     

The evaluation of polyglutamine repeats in autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease

We evaluated the contributions of various polyglutamine (polyQ) disease genes to Parkinson's disease (PD). We compared the distributions of polyQ repeat lengths in 8 common genes (ATXN1, ATXN2, ATXN3, CACNA1A, ATXN7, TBP, ATN1, and HTT) in 299 unrelated patients with autosomal dominant PD (ADPD) and 329 normal controls. We also analyzed the possibility of genetic interactions between ATXN1 and ATXN2, ATXN2 and ATXN3, and ATXN2 and CACNA1A. Intermediate-length polyQ expansions (>24 Qs) of ATXN2 were found in 7 ADPD patients and no controls (7/299 = 2.34% and 0/329 = 0%, respectively; p = 0.0053 < 0.05/8 after Bonferroni correction). These patients showed typical L-DOPA-responsive PD phenotypes. Conversely, no significant differences in polyQ repeat lengths were found between the ADPD patients and the controls for the other 7 genes. Our results may support the hypothesis that ATXN2 polyQ expansion is a specific predisposing factor for multiple neurodegenerative diseases.     

The dialogue between the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy: Implications in ageing

Dysregulated proteostasis is one of the hallmarks of ageing. Damaged proteins may impair cellular function and their accumulation may lead to tissue dysfunction and disease. This is why protective mechanisms to safeguard the cell proteome have evolved. These mechanisms consist of cellular machineries involved in protein quality control, including regulators of protein translation, folding, trafficking and degradation. In eukaryotic cells, protein degradation occurs via two main pathways: the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the autophagy-lysosome pathway. Although distinct pathways, they are not isolated systems and have a complementary nature, as evidenced by recent studies. These findings raise the question of how autophagy and the proteasome crosstalk. In this review we address how the two degradation pathways impact each other, thereby adding a new layer of regulation to protein degradation. We also analyze the implications of the UPS and autophagy in ageing.     

Recent advances in the diagnosis,classification and molecular pathogenesis of cutaneous mesenchymal neoplasms

The diagnosis of cutaneous mesenchymal neoplasms remains challenging, due to a combination of overlapping histological features, the rarity of some diagnoses and often inadequate sampling in superficial biopsies. Here, we describe recent advances in cutaneous mesenchymal neoplasms. We discuss improvements in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of non-neural granular cell tumour, epithelioid fibrous histiocytoma, composite and retiform haemangioendothelioma and dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. We also discuss recently described tumour types, including some discovered via molecular testing: EWSR1::SMAD3-rearranged fibroblastic tumour, clear cell neoplasm with MITF::CREM rearrangement and melanocytoma with CRCT1::TRIM11 rearrangement, and some discovered via traditional histopathology: superficial CD34-positive fibroblastic tumour, plexiform myofibroblastoma and clear cell neoplasm with melanocytic differentiation and ACTIN::MITF translocation.     

Wnt-frizzled信号通路与心血管疾病关系的研究进展

Many researches have focused on the wnt- frizzled cascade in the recent years, while much work has been done in neoplastic diseases and embryology, the role of the wnt- frizzled signal transduction pathway in cardiovascular diseases has only recently begun to be explored. It plays a very important role in many physiological and pathophysiological processes, such as its transduction pathway, the healing after myocardial infarction, the proliferation, differentiation and orientation of cardiomyocytes, angiogenesis/neovascularization, cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, the deposition of the extracellular matrix and so on. This article is aimed at its relation with myocardial infarction and the role of this pathway in cardiovascular diseases.     

Recent advances in understanding how interleukin 13 signals are involved in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma

The prevalence of allergic disease has dramatically increased in recent decades, especially in urban and industrialized areas. Allergic diseases are disorders of the immune system, the results of complex interactions among various genetic and environmental factors. Among them, the important role of interleukin 13 (IL-13), a Th2-type cytokine, has recently emerged in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. Based on studies using mice, great attention has been paid to the direct effects of IL-13 on bronchial tissues. In this review, we describe recent advances in understanding the signal transduction mechanism of IL-13, the involvement of IL-13 signal-related genes as genetic factors in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, and the expression of IL-13 receptor on bronchial tissues. We describe potential strategies for targeting IL-13 signals to improve allergic states.     

Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their potential clinical implications

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) comprises systemic and non-systemic forms of chronic childhood arthritis diagnosed prior to age 16. Significant improvement in treatment outcomes has been witnessed since the introduction of biologics. In particular, advances in research in the area of multidimensional interrogation and network analysis have facilitated understanding of the complex cacophony of components orchestrating disease immunopathogenesis.

Areas covered: In this review, we will examine the scientific advances that have augmented our understanding of JIA pathogenesis, focusing on the progress made in systemic, poly, and oligo JIA in four major aspects: (a) unraveling the pathogenic mechanisms, (b) disease classification, (c) therapeutic selection, and (d) decision for withdrawal of medications after achieving remission.

Expert commentary: Dysregulation of innate immune cell physiology and function in sJIA will be highlighted. MicroRNAs contribute to monocyte/macrophage polarization with resulting consequences on macrophage activation syndrome development. The involvement of neutrophils, a major source of S100A8/9/12, in the active inflammatory phase of sJIA is compelling. In non-sJIA, circulating CD4 subsets in T effector and regulatory compartments possessing a strong synovial T-cell receptor coverage and disease activity correlation, acted as an accessible reservoir of pathogenic cells exploitable for clinical management.