Adult-onset type II citrullinemia and idiopathic neonatal hepatitis caused by citrin deficiency: involvement of the aspartate glutamate carrier for urea synthesis and maintenance of the urea cycle

Citrin is a mitochondrial aspartate glutamate carrier primarily expressed in the liver, heart, and kidney. We found that adult-onset type II citrullinemia is caused by mutations in the SLC25A13 gene that encodes for citrin. In this report, we describe the frequency of SLC25A13 mutations, the roles of citrin as a member of the urea cycle and as a member of the malate-aspartate shuttle, the relationship between its functions and symptoms of citrin deficiency, and therapeutic issues.     

Differential effects of Th1, monocyte/macrophage and Th2 cytokine mixtures on early gene expression for glial and neural-related molecules in central nervous system mixed glial cell cultures: neurotrophins, growth factors and structural proteins

Background  

In multiple sclerosis, inflammatory cells are found in both active and chronic lesions, and it is increasingly clear that cytokines are involved directly and indirectly in both formation and inhibition of lesions. We propose that cytokine mixtures typical of Th1 or Th2 lymphocytes, or monocyte/macrophages each induce unique molecular changes in glial cells.     

Rosiglitazone, an agonist of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ, reduces pulmonary inflammatory response in a rat model of endotoxemia

Objective: The effect of rosiglitazone, a potent peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) agonist, on pulmonary inflammation in endotoxemia was investigated. Materials and methods: Male Wistar rats were given either lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 6 mg/kg i.v.) or saline, pretreated with rosiglitazone (0.3 mg/kg i.v.) or its vehicle (dimethyl sulphoxide) 30 min before LPS. The selective PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662 (0.3 mg/kg i.v.) was given 20 min before rosiglitazone. Wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio, myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) as well as TNF-α and CINC-1 concentrations were measured in lung tissues 4 h after LPS injection. Expression of ICAM-1, NF-κB p65 and PPAR-γ were also determined by immunohistochemistry or Western blot analysis. Results: Rosiglitazone pretreatment significantly attenuated the increases in W/D ratio, MPO activity and MDA levels, and reduced pulmonary overproduction of TNF-α and CINC-1 as well as expression of ICAM-1 following endotoxemia. Rosiglitazone also inhibited the nuclear localization of NF-κB and up-regulated the expression of PPAR-γ protein. The specific PPAR-γ antagonist GW9662 abolished the effect of rosiglitazone. Conclusion: These findings suggest that PPAR-γ agonists might be used as therapeutic agents in the therapy of inflammatory lung injury related to endotoxemia. Received 8 January 2005; returned for revision 6 July 2005; returned for final revision 20 July 2005; accepted by M. Katori 31 July 2005     

神经导航中脑组织变形补偿的点云处理

有限元方法是解决神经导航中脑组织变形的重要方法,需要手术过程中的脑皮层信息作为其边界条件.本文通过非结构点云进行了脑皮层信息的表示,并通过对其进行处理来获取有限元方法的边界条件.点云处理包括纹理映射、分割、简化和去噪,其中非结构点云的简化与去噪采用了改进的基于表面特性k邻域的聚类方法.实验结果证明所采用的点云处理方法是可靠的.     

Interleukin-18 expression induced by Epstein-Barr virus-infected cells

Human Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-negative Burkitt lymphomas cells usually grow as malignant subcutaneous tumors in athymic mice, but these tumors regress when the Burkitt cells are injected in conjunction with EBV-positive lymphoblastoid cells or when the Burkitt cells are transfected with the EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP-1) gene. Tumor regression is mediated, in part, by murine interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and the IFN-gamma-induced murine chemokine IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10). The mechanisms by which EBV-LMP-1 promotes the expression of IFN-gamma has remained unclear. Here we show that murine interleukin (IL)-18 was consistently expressed in regressing Burkitt tumors but was either expressed at low levels or absent from progressively growing Burkitt tumors. By immunohistochemical methods, IL-18 protein was visualized in regressing but not in progressively growing Burkitt tumors. In contrast, IL-12 p35 and IL-12 p40 were only rarely expressed in regressing Burkitt tumors. In splenocyte cultures, EBV-infected lymphoblastoid cells and LMP-1-transfected Burkitt cells promoted the expression of IL-18 but not the expression of IL-12 p35 and IL-12 p40. A neutralizing antibody directed at murine IL-18 reduced murine IP-10 expression induced by EBV-immortalized cells in splenocyte cultures. These results provide evidence for IL-18 expression in response to a viral latency protein and suggest that IL-18 may play an important role as an endogenous inducer of IFN-gamma expression, thereby contributing to tumor regression.     

Mechanism of inhibition of HIV-1 infection in vitro by purified extract of Prunella vulgaris.

Crude extracts of four Chinese herbs, Arctium lappa, Astragalus membranaceus, Andrographis paniculata, and Prunella vulgaris, were assessed in several tissue culture lines for anti-HIV activity and for cytotoxicity. One extract, obtained from P. vulgaris, was able to significantly inhibit HIV-1 replication with relatively low cytotoxicity. The active factor was purified using sequential precipitations with ethanol and n-butanol, followed by reverse-phase and gel permeation high-performance liquid chromatographic separations. The active component was anionic with a molecular weight of approximately 10 kDa. The purified extract inhibited HIV-1 replication in the lymphoid cell line MT-4, in the monocytoid cell line U937, and in peripheral blood mononuclear cells at effective concentrations of 6, 30, and 12.5 micrograms/ml, respectively. Pretreatment of uninfected cells with the extract prior to viral exposure did not prevent HIV-1 infection. By contrast, preincubation of HIV-1 with the purified extract dramatically decreased infectiousness. The purified extract was also able to block cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1, prevented syncytium formation, and interfered with the ability of both HIV-1 and purified gp120 to bind to CD4. PCR analysis confirmed the absence of HIV-1 proviral DNA in cells exposed to virus in the presence of the extract. These results suggest that the purified extract antagonizes HIV-1 infection of susceptible cells by preventing viral attachment to the CD4 receptor.     

Clamp loading,unloading and intrinsic stability of the PCNA, β and gp45 sliding clamps of human,E. coli and T4 replicases

Background: The high speed and processivity of replicative DNA polymerases reside in a processivity factor which has been shown to be a ring-shaped protein. This protein (‘sliding clamp’) encircles DNA and tethers the catalytic unit to the template. Although in eukaryotic, prokaryotic and bacteriophage-T4 systems, the processivity factors are ring-shaped, they assume different oligomeric states. The Escherichia coli clamp (the β subunit) is active as a dimer while the eukaryotic and T4 phage clamps (PCNA and gp45, respectively) are active as trimers. The clamp can not assemble itself on DNA. Instead, a protein complex known as a clamp loader utilizes ATP to assemble the ring around the primer-template. This study compares properties of the human PCNA clamp with those of E. coli and T4 phage. Results: The PCNA ring is a stable trimer down to a concentration below 100 nm (K_d ≈ 21 nm ). On DNA, the PCNA clamp slides freely and dissociates from DNA slowly (t_1/2 ≈ 24 min). β is more stable in solution (K_d < 60 pm ) and on DNA (t_1/2 ≈ 1 h) than PCNA which may be explained by its simpler oligomeric state. The T4 gp45 clamp is a much less stable trimer than PCNA (K_d ≈ 250 nm ) and requires association with the polymerase to stabilize it on DNA as observed previously. The consequence of this cooperation between clamp and polymerase is that upon finishing a template and dissociation of the polymerase from DNA, the gp45 clamp spontaneously dissociates from DNA without assistance. However, the greater stability of the PCNA and β clamps on DNA necessitates an active process for their removal. The clamp loaders (RF-C and γ complex) were also capable of unloading their respective clamps from DNA in the presence of ATP. Conclusions: The stability of the different clamps in solution correlates with their stability on DNA. Thus, the low stability of the T4 clamp explains the inability to isolate gp45 on DNA. The stability of the PCNA and β clamps predicts they will require an unloading factor to recycle them on and off DNA during replication. The clamp loaders of PCNA and β double as clamp unloaders presumably for the purpose of clamp recycling.     

Intermediate filament expression by normal and diseased human corneal epithelium

Cicatricial conjunctivitis may be a sequel to systemic disorders (eg, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, cicatricial pemphigoid) or local disorders such as chemical burns. The cicatrisation is often associated with corneal epithelial changes that cause visual loss. These have been attributed to encroachment of the conjunctival epithelium over the cornea. However, the epithelial anomalies are poorly understood. We investigated the corneal epithelial changes in cicatricial conjunctivitis with an immunohistochemical study of intermediate filaments in normal and pathological specimens. Our results show that the normal corneal epithelium is immunoreactive for cytokeratin 3 (CK 3) but not cytokeratin 19 (CK 19), whereas normal conjunctival epithelium is CK 3 negative and CK 19 positive. Conjunctiva artificially transposed over the cornea (after therapeutic conjunctival flap reconstruction) retained the normal pattern of conjunctival cytokeratin expression (CK 3 negative, CK 19 positive). Conversely, the entire corneal epithelium exhibited the normal cytokeratin pattern (CK 3 positive, CK 19 negative) in 82% of Stevens-Johnson, 80% of cicatricial pemphigoid, and 69% of chemical burns specimens. The findings suggest that conjunctival encroachment is not responsible for the changes at the corneal surface in cicatricial conjunctivitis and that the abnormal corneal epithelium is derived from native corneal cells in these diseases.