Serum DJ-1 level is positively associated with improvements in some aspects of metabolic syndrome in Japanese women through lifestyle intervention

DJ-1 is a protein that is associated with Parkinson disease and cancer, and the reduction of DJ-1 function and expression is also thought to be a cause of diabetes and hypertension. However, little is known about the association between the plasma concentration of DJ-1 and risk of metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that a lifestyle intervention would increase serum DJ-1 and that up-regulated DJ-1 functions will result in the prevention of metabolic syndrome. The objective of our study is to examine whether the level of serum DJ-1 is associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome. Therefore, to reveal the association between DJ-1 and metabolic syndrome, this study investigated lifestyle intervention in a control group (n = 37) and intervention group (n = 45). The results showed that body mass index, body fat ratio, waist-hip ratio, waist circumference, blood pressure, and plasma glucose level were improved in the intervention group, as compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, serum levels of DJ-1 were increased in the intervention group, when compared with those in the control group. These results suggest that serum DJ-1 is increased by lifestyle intervention and that increased serum DJ-1 prevents metabolic syndrome. Thus, the level of serum DJ-1 will become one of the indexes for the risk of metabolic syndrome.     

High linear-energy-transfer radiation can overcome radioresistance of glioma stem-like cells to low linear-energy-transfer radiation

Ionizing radiation is applied as the standard treatment for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, radiotherapy remains merely palliative, not curative, because of the existence of glioma stem cells (GSCs), which are regarded as highly radioresistant to low linear-energy-transfer (LET) photons. Here we analyzed whether or not high-LET particles can overcome the radioresistance of GSCs. Glioma stem-like cells (GSLCs) were induced from the GBM cell line A172 in stem cell culture medium. The phenotypes of GSLCs and wild-type cells were confirmed using stem cell markers. These cells were irradiated with ⁶⁰Co gamma rays or reactor neutron beams. Under neutron-beam irradiation, high-LET proton particles can be produced through elastic scattering or nitrogen capture reaction. Radiosensitivity was assessed by a colony-forming assay, and the DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were assessed by a histone gamma-H2AX focus detection assay. In stem cell culture medium, GSLCs could form neurosphere-like cells and express neural stem cell markers (Sox2 and Musashi) abundantly in comparison with their parental cells. GSLCs were significantly more radioresistant to gamma rays than their parental cells, but neutron beams overcame this resistance. There were significantly fewer gamma-H2AX foci in the A172 GSLCs 24 h after irradiation with gamma rays than in their parental cultured cells, while there was no apparent difference following neutron-beam irradiation. High-LET radiation can overcome the radioresistance of GSLCs by producing unrepairable DNA DSBs. High-LET radiation therapy might have the potential to overcome GBM''s resistance to X-rays in a clinical setting.     

Copy Numbers of Telomeric Repeat Sequences of Human Herpesvirus 6B in Clinical Isolates: Possibility of Mixed Infections

In order to determine whether mixed infections of human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) occur in immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals, we examined the copy numbers of telomeric repeat sequences (TRS) of clinical isolates. In clinical isolates obtained from patients with exanthem subitum caused by primary HHV-6B infection, PCR products with HHV-6B TRS ranging between 400 and 800 bp were amplified. PCR products of various sizes were amplified in four clinical isolates from drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) patients and 15 isolates from hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients with HHV-6B reactivation. Based on the sequence analysis of the PCR products, the copy numbers of TRS in DIHS and HSCT patients were between 42 and 82 and 22 and >90, respectively. For two of the HSCT recipients, HHV-6B TRS PCR products of different sizes were detected in several isolates from each patient, which suggests mixed HHV-6B infections. In two of the posttransplant HHV-6B encephalitis patients, the sizes of the TRS nested PCR products amplified from the reactivated virus detected in the central nervous system differed from those of the virus detected in initial isolates from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Taken together, these results suggest that PCR analysis of TRS copy number is a reliable tool for the discrimination of HHV-6B clinical isolates. Additionally, mixed HHV-6B infections occurred in HSCT recipients, and in some cases, compartmentalization of the HHV-6B strains to the central nervous system versus the blood compartment occurred in posttransplant HHV-6B encephalitis patients.     

Prenatal molecular diagnosis of X‐linked hydrocephalus via a silent C924T mutation in the L1CAM gene

We present a case of a patient whose L1CAM gene in X‐chromosome has a C924T transition. Her first son's ventriculomegaly was prenatally detected. A mature infant was born, his head circumference was large, and thumbs were bilaterally adducted. X‐linked hydrocephalus (XLH) was suspected. The DNA examination revealed that both her and boy's LICAM gene had a C924T transition. She became pregnant 5 years later and amniocentesis was performed. The results of cytogenetic analysis revealed that the fetus was female. She continued her pregnancy and delivered a healthy girl. She again became pregnant 3 years later. The chromosomal analysis revealed that the fetus was male. Fetal DNA analysis determined that the fetus had the inherited mutation. She chose to terminate the pregnancy. A C924T mutation can be disease causing for XLH, and the detection of this mutation would aid in genetic counseling for the prenatal diagnosis of XLH.     

Hepatitis B virus X stimulates redox signaling through activation of ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase

Hepatitis B virus X (HBX) protein plays a crucial role in carcinogenesis, but its mechanism is unclear. The involvement of ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) kinase in the enhanced redox system was investigated by examining the phosphorylation level of ATM in HBX gene-transfected cells and in transgenic mice following redox system manipulation by treatment with hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or antioxidant. Western blotting and immunostaining showed that phospho-ATM was significantly increased by HBX both in vitro (3.2-fold; p<0.05) and in vivo (4-fold; p<0.05), and this effect was abrogated by antioxidant treatment. The level of PKC-δ in HBX-expressing cells was increased 3.5-fold compared to controls. Nuclear localized NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) was increased in HBX-expressing cells exposed to H₂O₂, but remained at lower levels after the treatment with rottlerin, KU55933, or caffeine. The levels of anti-oxidant molecules were increased in HBX expressing cells and in transgenic mice, indicating that HBX stimulates the Nrf2-mediated redox system. The levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) were significantly increased in HBX-expressing cells treated with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ATM inhibitor KU55933 or caffeine. Treatment of HBX-expressing cells with KU55933 or caffeine before the exposure to H₂O₂ increased the ratio of cell apoptosis to 33 ± 4% (p<0.05) and 22 ± 4% (p<0.05), respectively. Collectively, HBX stimulates the ATM-mediated PKC-δ/Nrf2 pathway, and maintains the enhanced activity of the redox system. Therefore, manipulating ATM kinase activity might be a useful strategy for treating HBX-induced carcinogenesis.     

Recombinant cell-detecting RaDR-GFP in mice reveals an association between genomic instability and radiation-induced-thymic lymphoma

In this study, we aimed to investigate how homologous recombinant (HR)-related genomic instability is involved in ionizing radiation (IR)-induced thymic lymphoma in mice. We divided five-week-old Rosa26 Direct Repeat-GFP (RaDR-GFP) transgenic mice into non-IR control and IR groups and exposed the mice in the IR group to a 7.2 Gy dose of γ-rays, delivered in 1.8 Gy fractions, once a week for four weeks. We then estimated mouse survival and recorded their body, thymus, and spleen weights. The frequency of HR events in the chromosomes of the thymus, bone marrow, and spleen cells and the phenotype of thymic lymphoma cells were analyzed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). We found that most mice in the IR group developed thymic lymphoma, their survival rate decreasing to 20% after 180 days of IR exposure, whereas no mice died in the non-IR control group until day 400. The thymus and spleen weighed significantly more in the IR-4-month group than that in the non-IR group; however, we observed no significant differences between the body weights of the control and IR mice. FACS analysis indicated that the frequency of HR events significantly increased at two and four months after the last IR dose in the bone marrow and thymus cells, but not in the spleen cells of RaDR-GFP transgenic mice, suggesting that recombinant cells accumulated in the thymus upon IR exposure. This suggests that IR induces genome instability, revealed as increased HR, that drives the development of thymic lymphoma. Additionally, phenotypic analysis of lymphoma cells showed an increase in the CD4^-/CD8⁺ (CD8SP) cell population and a decrease in the CD4⁺/CD8^- (CD4SP) cell population in the IR-4-month group compared to that in the non-IR group, indicating that IR induces an aberrant cell phenotype characteristic of lymphoma. In conclusion, we observed a significant increase in HR events and abnormal phenotype in thymic lymphoma cells at two and four months after IR exposure in both the thymus and bone marrow tissues, suggesting that genomic instability is involved in the early stages of thymic lymphomagenesis. Our study indicates that HR-visualizing RaDR-GFP transgenic mice can help explore the links between the molecular mechanisms of genome instability and IR-induced tumorigenesis.     

High serum matrix metalloproteinase 3 is characteristic of patients with paraneoplastic remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema syndrome

Recently, it was reported that remitting seronegative symmetrical synovitis with pitting edema (RS3PE) syndrome could be complicated with solid tumors. In a retrospective, multicenter study between October, 2003 and September, 2010, we investigated the characteristics of patients with paraneoplastic RS3PE syndrome who fulfilled following criteria: (1) bilateral pitting edema of hands or feet or both, (2) sudden onset of polyarthritis, and (3) age >50?years, (4) seronegativity for rheumatoid factor (RF). A total of 33 cases fulfilled the above criteria. Eight patients (seven men and one woman) developed cancer within 2?years of RS3PE syndrome onset. There was no significant difference between the neoplastic and nonneoplastic groups in the proportions of patients with fever, symmetrical polyarthritis, pitting edema, and good response to corticosteroids. Serum matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) level (median 437.3?ng/ml) in the paraneoplastic RS3PE patients was significantly higher than that in patients without neoplasia (median 114.7?ng/ml) (p?相似文献