STAR family RNA-binding protein ASD-2 regulates developmental switching of mutually exclusive alternative splicing in vivo

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs greatly contributes to the spatiotemporal diversity of gene expression in metazoans. However, the molecular basis of developmental regulation and the precise sequence of alternative pre-mRNA processing in vivo are poorly understood. In the present study, we focus on the developmental switching of the mutually exclusive alternative splicing of the let-2 gene of Caenorhabditis elegans from the exon 9 form in embryos to the exon 10 form in adults. By visualizing the usage of the let-2 mutually exclusive exons through differential expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP), we isolated several switching-defective mutants and identified the alternative splicing defective-2 (asd-2) gene, encoding a novel member of the evolutionarily conserved STAR (signal transduction activators of RNA) family of RNA-binding proteins. Comparison of the amounts of partially spliced let-2 RNAs in synchronized wild-type and asd-2 mutant worms suggested that either of the introns downstream from the let-2 mutually exclusive exons is removed prior to the removal of the upstream ones, and that asd-2 promotes biased excision of intron 10 in the late larval stages. We propose that the developmental switching between alternative sequences of intron removal determines the ratio between the mature let-2 mRNA isoforms.     

Development of anti-adhesive spongy sheet composed of hyaluronic acid and collagen containing epidermal growth factor

Anti-adhesive products need to be designed while considering the concept of wound healing. Two main events must proceed simultaneously: facilitating wound healing in surgically excised tissue, as well as preventing injured tissue from adhering to the surrounding tissue. The present study aimed to develop an anti-adhesive spongy sheet composed of hyaluronic acid and collagen (Col) containing epidermal growth factor, and to investigate the potential of this spongy sheet using an in vitro wound surface model (placing a spongy sheet on a fibroblast-incorporating Col gel sheet) and an in vitro inter-tissue model (placing a spongy sheet between two fibroblast-incorporating Col gel sheets). These in vitro experiments demonstrated that this spongy sheet effectively stimulates fibroblasts to release an increased amount of vascular endothelial growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor, which are essential for wound healing to proceed succesfully. In addition, anti-adhesive performance of this spongy sheet was evaluated in animal experiments using Sprague Dawley rats. Under anesthesia, a 1?cm?×?2?cm segment of peritoneum was superficially excised from walls, and the cecum was then abraded by scraping with a scalpel blade over a 1?cm?×?2?cm area. A piece of spongy sheet was placed on the peritoneal defect. Both defects were placed in contact, and the incision was closed by suturing. Peritoneal condition was evaluated after one week. This spongy sheet was capable of facilitating the wound healing of surgically excised tissue and preventing surgically excised tissue from adhering to surrounding tissues.     

Concentration-dependent effects of a selective estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene on proliferation and apoptosis in human uterine leiomyoma cells cultured in vitro

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to elucidate the effects of raloxifeneon proliferation and apoptosis in cultured human uterine leiomyomacells. METHODS: The monolayer cultures were treated with graded concentrations(10^–9, 10^–8 and 10^–7 M) of raloxifeneand 10^–7 M 17-estradiol (E₂). Cell viability, percentageof proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cells,percentage of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick-end labelling (TUNEL)-positivecells and the expression of PCNA and Bcl-2 proteins were assessedby 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxylphenyl)-2-(4-sulphophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay, immunocytochemistry, TUNEL assay and western blotanalysis, respectively. RESULTS: Compared with untreated cultures, the number of viable culturedcells, percentage of PCNA-positive cells and PCNA protein expressionwere significantly decreased by treatment with 10^–9 Mraloxifene, but increased by treatment with either 10^–8 Mor 10^–7 M raloxifene. In contrast, the percentageof TUNEL-positive cells was significantly increased and Bcl-2protein expression was significantly decreased by treatmentwith 10^–9 M raloxifene, whereas they were not affectedby treatment with either 10^–8 or 10^–7 M raloxifene. CONCLUSIONS: In cultured leiomyoma cells, low concentration (10^–9 M)of raloxifene may inhibit the growth of leiomyoma cells, whereashigh concentrations (10^–8 M, 10^–7 M) ofraloxifene may promote their growth.     

Encoding-related brain activity during deep processing of verbal materials: a PET study

The recent advent of neuroimaging techniques provides an opportunity to examine brain regions related to a specific memory process such as episodic memory encoding. There is, however, a possibility that areas active during an assumed episodic memory encoding task, compared with a control task, involve not only areas directly relevant to episodic memory encoding processes but also areas associated with other cognitive processes for on-line information. We used positron emission tomography (PET) to differentiate these two kinds of regions. Normal volunteers were engaged in deep (semantic) or shallow (phonological) processing of new or repeated words during PET. Results showed that deep processing, compared with shallow processing, resulted in significantly better recognition performance and that this effect was associated with activation of various brain areas. Further analyses revealed that there were regions directly relevant to episodic memory encoding in the anterior part of the parahippocampal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, and medial frontal lobe in the left hemisphere. Our results demonstrated that several regions, including the medial temporal lobe, play a role in episodic memory encoding.     

Contrasting Actions of Selective Inhibitors of Angiopoietin-1 and Angiopoietin-2 on the Normalization of Tumor Blood Vessels

Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang2) have complex actions in angiogenesis and vascular remodeling due to their effects on Tie2 receptor signaling. Ang2 blocks Ang1-mediated activation of Tie2 in endothelial cells under certain conditions but is a Tie2 receptor agonist in others. We examined the effects of selective inhibitors of Ang1 (mL4-3) or Ang2 (L1-7[N]), alone or in combination, on the vasculature of human Colo205 tumors in mice. The Ang2 inhibitor decreased the overall abundance of tumor blood vessels by reducing tumor growth and keeping vascular density constant. After inhibition of Ang2, tumor vessels had many features of normal blood vessels (normalization), as evidenced by junctional accumulation of vascular endothelial-cadherin, junctional adhesion molecule-A, and platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 in endothelial cells, increased pericyte coverage, reduced endothelial sprouting, and remodeling into smaller, more uniform vessels. The Ang1 inhibitor by itself had little noticeable effect on the tumor vasculature. However, when administered with the Ang2 inhibitor, the Ang1 inhibitor prevented tumor vessel normalization, but not the reduction in tumor vascularity produced by the Ang2 inhibitor. These findings are consistent with a model whereby inhibition of Ang2 leads to normalization of tumor blood vessels by permitting the unopposed action of Ang1, but decreases tumor vascularity primarily by blocking Ang2 actions.Solid tumors require angiogenesis—the formation of new blood vessels from existing vessels—for survival, growth, and metastasis.¹ Tumor vessels are structurally and functionally abnormal.^1,2 They exist in a constantly dynamic state of sprout formation, proliferation, remodeling, or regression. Structurally, tumor vessels tend to be leaky and tortuous, lacking the hierarchical arrangement of arterioles, capillaries, and venules.² Pericytes that attach to and help stabilize normal vessels are loosely associated with the endothelium of tumor vessels.^1,2 These vascular abnormalities result in impaired and heterogeneous blood flow. In tumors, angiogenesis inhibitors not only cause vessel regression or retardation of vessel growth, but they can also induce vascular normalization.^1,2,3The complicated regulation of angiogenesis and vascular maturation involves multiple signaling cascades driven by endothelial-cell specific growth factors and their receptors. One of these, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been extensively studied,⁴ but angiopoietins and other growth factors are also involved.^5,6 The angiopoietin ligands (Ang1 and Ang2) and their receptor (Tie2) have essential roles in vascular development.^7,8 Ang1 is produced by vascular mural cells, pericytes, and certain other cells, whereas Ang2 and Tie2 are expressed primarily by endothelial cells.Angiogenesis and vascular remodeling involve a complex coordination of Ang1 and Ang2 signaling through Tie2.⁵ The traditional view of Ang1 and Ang2 signaling is that the growth factors have opposing effects on Tie2 receptor activation: Ang1 binds to Tie2 to promote vascular maturation and integrity, whereas Ang2 acts as a naturally occurring antagonist of Ang1.^7,8,9,10,11 Although a number of studies indicate an antagonistic role of Ang2, recent studies have shown that Ang2 can have an agonistic role depending on the experimental environment.^12,13,14,15 If expressed at high concentrations or for long durations in cultured endothelial cells, Ang2—like Ang1—can induce Tie2 receptor phosphorylation.^13,16 Ang2 can also promote chemotaxis, tube formation, migration, and sprouting of endothelial cells in the absence of Ang1,¹⁴ which support the view that Ang2 actions are context- dependent.Normalization of tumor vascular morphology and function has been demonstrated with numerous angiogenesis inhibitors.^1,17,18 Ang1 and Ang2 regulate vascular maturation and integrity during development; however, their effects on normalization of tumor vessels are not known. Tumors grown in mice lacking Ang2 have a more mature vascular phenotype, but it is not known whether Ang1 plays a role.¹⁹ The effects of individual angiopoietins on the tumor vasculature have not been studied extensively in loss-of-function experiments, due largely to the limited availability of selective angiopoietin inhibitors. Some clues to the effects of Ang1 and Ang2 on tumor vessels have been garnered through overexpression of the ligands in tumor cell xenografts.^{20,21,22,23,24,25,26} These studies, however, have yielded conflicting data,^{20,21,22,23,24,25,26} the ligands were administered at nonphysiological levels, and the results were restricted to prevention studies. Studies blocking the Tie2 receptor have shown reduced tumor angiogenesis,^27,28,29,30 but the specific roles of each ligand cannot be differentiated. Pharmacological angiopoietin inhibitors using antisense, aptamer, and peptide-Fc fusion protein (peptibody) technologies are currently being developed, but published studies have been restricted to inhibition of Ang1 or Ang2 alone.^31,32,33 Studies using aptamers or peptibodies that potently neutralize Ang2 activity showed that Ang2 antagonism resulted in inhibition of angiogenesis and tumor growth.^31,32 Inhibition of Ang1 in a cell line stably transfected with antisense RNA resulted in reduced tumor growth and angiogenesis.³³To gain a better understanding of the effects of Ang1 and Ang2 on blood vessels in tumors, we used selective inhibitors (peptibodies) of Ang1 and Ang2, alone or in combination, in Colo205 tumors. These studies focused on Colo205 tumors, as this model is sensitive to angiopoietin inhibitors.³¹ We found that inhibition of Ang1 alone had little effect on the tumor vasculature, whereas inhibition of Ang2 resulted in fewer tumor vessels and normalization of the surviving tumor vessels. When the Ang2 inhibitor was administered with the Ang1 inhibitor, tumor vessel normalization did not occur, but the Ang2 inhibitor-mediated reduction in vascularity was unaffected. These findings suggest that inhibition of Ang2 leads to unopposed Ang1 activity and results in normalization of tumor vessels. In contrast, the Ang2 inhibitor-mediated reduction in tumor vascularity was Ang1-independent.     

Inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling in cancer causes loss of endothelial fenestrations, regression of tumor vessels, and appearance of basement membrane ghosts

Angiogenesis inhibitors are receiving increased attention as cancer therapeutics, but little is known of the cellular effects of these inhibitors on tumor vessels. We sought to determine whether two agents, AG013736 and VEGF-Trap, that inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling, merely stop angiogenesis or cause regression of existing tumor vessels. Here, we report that treatment with these inhibitors caused robust and early changes in endothelial cells, pericytes, and basement membrane of vessels in spontaneous islet-cell tumors of RIP-Tag2 transgenic mice and in subcutaneously implanted Lewis lung carcinomas. Strikingly, within 24 hours, endothelial fenestrations in RIP-Tag2 tumors disappeared, vascular sprouting was suppressed, and patency and blood flow ceased in some vessels. By 7 days, vascular density decreased more than 70%, and VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 expression was reduced in surviving endothelial cells. Vessels in Lewis lung tumors, which lacked endothelial fenestrations, showed less regression. In both tumors, pericytes did not degenerate to the same extent as endothelial cells, and those on surviving tumor vessels acquired a more normal phenotype. Vascular basement membrane persisted after endothelial cells degenerated, providing a ghost-like record of pretreatment vessel number and location and a potential scaffold for vessel regrowth. The potent anti-vascular action observed is evidence that VEGF signaling inhibitors do more than stop angiogenesis. Early loss of endothelial fenestrations in RIP-Tag2 tumors is a clue that vessel phenotype may be predictive of exceptional sensitivity to these inhibitors.     

Characterization of factor XII Tenri, a rare CRM-negative factor XII deficiency

Factor XII Tenri (Y34C), a rare cross-reacting material (CRM)-negative factor XII deficiency, was identified in a 71-yr-old Japanese woman with angina pectoris. In the patient's plasma, factor XII activity and antigen levels were only 1.6% and 5.0%, respectively, of those seen in a normal subject. Immunoblot analysis showed that the secreted factor XII Tenri existed not only as a monomer (76 kDa), but also in complexes with apparent molecular weights of approximately 115, 140, 190, 215, and 225 kDa. After reduction with 2-mercaptoethanol, the factor XII Tenri contained in the complexes was completely converted to monomeric form on immunoblot patterns. It appeared that some of the secreted factor XII Tenri formed several types of disulfide-linked complexes, including a factor XII-alpha1-microglobulin complex, through a newly generated Cys residue. The monomeric form of factor XII Tenri, like normal factor XII, was degraded into 2 major fragments with molecular weights of approximately 45 kDa and 30 kDa following mixing with activated partial-thromboplastin-time measuring reagent (cephalin and ellagic acid), whereas the factor XII Tenri that formed the complexes was not. This indicates that the factor XII Tenri present in disulfide-linked complexes with other proteins (and itself) is not converted to active forms, suggesting that attached proteins obstruct or delay the activation of factor XII via an inhibition of its binding to a negatively charged surface in vitro.     

Associations Between Autoimmune Thyroid Disease Prognosis and Functional Polymorphisms of Susceptibility Genes, CTLA4, PTPN22, CD40, FCRL3, and ZFAT, Previously Revealed in Genome-wide Association Studies

Purpose

Genome-wide association studies have revealed several susceptibility genes among patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), including CTLA4, PTPN22, FCRL3, and ZFAT. However, any possible association between these genes and AITD prognosis remains unknown. The objective of this study was to identify associations between polymorphisms of these genes and AITD prognosis.

Methods

We genotyped functional polymorphisms, including CTLA4 CT60, CTLA4 +49A/G, CTLA4 -1147C/T, CTLA4 -318C/T, PTPN22 -1123C/G, PTPN22 SNP37, CD40 -1C/T, FCRL3 -169C/T, ZFAT Ex9b-SNP10, and ZFAT Ex9b-SNP2, in 197 AITD patients carefully selected from 456 registered AITD patients, and 86 control subjects. The restriction fragment length polymorphism method was used for genotyping.

Results

The CD40 -1CC genotype and C allele were significantly more frequent in patients with Graves’ disease (GD) in remission than in those with intractable GD (P?=?0.041 and P?=?0.031, respectively). The FCRL3 -169TT genotype was significantly less frequent in patients with intractable GD than in those with GD in remission (P?=?0.0324). For a ZFAT Ex9b-SNP10 polymorphism, the TT genotype and T allele were significantly more frequent in patients with severe Hashimoto’s disease (HD) than in those with mild HD (P?=?0.0029 and P?=?0.0049, respectively). For a CTLA4 CT60 polymorphism, the antithyrotropin receptor antibody levels at the onset of GD were significantly higher in those with the GG genotype than in those with other genotypes (P?=?0.0117).

Conclusions

CD40 and FCRL3 gene polymorphisms were associated with GD intractability, and ZFAT polymorphism was associated with HD severity but not its development.     

Gonadotropin levels at the start of ovarian stimulation predict normal fertilization after hCG re-trigger in GnRH antagonist cycles

PurposeTo assess the appropriateness of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) re‐trigger in poor responders to gonadotropin‐releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) trigger in controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) cycles.MethodsThe 2251 cycles in 2251 patients triggered with GnRHa for oocyte stimulation, with or without requiring hCG re‐trigger between 2013 and 2018, were retrospectively analyzed to compare gonadotropin levels at the start of COS and the rate of normal fertilization between the re‐trigger and non–re‐trigger group. Furthermore, patients in the re‐trigger group were stratified by the rate of normal fertilization (good: ≥60% or poor: <60%) to compare patient demographics, hormone profiles, and clinical outcome between the subgroups.ResultsIn the re‐trigger group, FSH and LH levels at the start of COS were significantly lower in the good fertilization group than in the poor fertilization group (P < .01). Receiver operating characteristic curves identified cutoff values of the FSH and LH levels of 1.30 and 0.35 mIU/mL, respectively, for predicting ≥60% normal fertilization.ConclusionGonadotropin levels at the start of COS are predictors of response to GnRHa trigger and hCG re‐trigger necessity, and may serve as indicators to help clinicians appropriately choose hCG re‐trigger rather than abandoning the cycles or continuing the first oocyte aspiration attempt.