Toxoplasma gondii: bystander or cofactor in rheumatoid arthritis

Parasitic infections may induce variable immunomodulatory effects and control of autoimmune disease. Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is a ubiquitous intracellular protozoan that was recently associated with autoimmunity. This study was undertaken to investigate the seroprevalence and clinical correlation of anti-T. gondii antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We evaluated sera from European patients with RA (n = 125) and SLE (n = 164) for the prevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibodies (ATXAb), as well as other common infections such as Cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr, and Rubella virus. The rates of seropositivity were determined utilizing the LIAISON chemiluminescent immunoassays (DiaSorin, Italy). Our results showed a higher seroprevalence of ATXAb in RA patients, as compared with SLE patients [63 vs. 36 %, respectively (p = 0.01)]. The rates of seropositivity of IgG against other infectious agents were comparable between RA and SLE patients. ATXAb-seropositivity was associated with older age of RA patients, although it did not correlate with RA disease activity and other manifestations of the disease. In conclusion, our data suggest a possible link between exposure to T. gondii infection and RA.     

Sparing of the Dystrophin-Deficient Cranial Sartorius Muscle Is Associated with Classical and Novel Hypertrophy Pathways in GRMD Dogs

Both Duchenne and golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) are caused by dystrophin deficiency. The Duchenne muscular dystrophy sartorius muscle and orthologous GRMD cranial sartorius (CS) are relatively spared/hypertrophied. We completed hierarchical clustering studies to define molecular mechanisms contributing to this differential involvement and their role in the GRMD phenotype. GRMD dogs with larger CS muscles had more severe deficits, suggesting that selective hypertrophy could be detrimental. Serial biopsies from the hypertrophied CS and other atrophied muscles were studied in a subset of these dogs. Myostatin showed an age-dependent decrease and an inverse correlation with the degree of GRMD CS hypertrophy. Regulators of myostatin at the protein (AKT1) and miRNA (miR-539 and miR-208b targeting myostatin mRNA) levels were altered in GRMD CS, consistent with down-regulation of myostatin signaling, CS hypertrophy, and functional rescue of this muscle. mRNA and proteomic profiling was used to identify additional candidate genes associated with CS hypertrophy. The top-ranked network included α-dystroglycan and like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase. Proteomics demonstrated increases in myotrophin and spectrin that could promote hypertrophy and cytoskeletal stability, respectively. Our results suggest that multiple pathways, including decreased myostatin and up-regulated miRNAs, α-dystroglycan/like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, spectrin, and myotrophin, contribute to hypertrophy and functional sparing of the CS. These data also underscore the muscle-specific responses to dystrophin deficiency and the potential deleterious effects of differential muscle involvement.Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene and occurs in approximately 1 in 3500 live male births.¹ DMD boys show signs of skeletal muscle weakness, evidenced by a delay in walking until approximately 18 months and loss of ambulation by the teenage years. Necrotic muscle ultimately fails to regenerate and is replaced with fibrous connective tissue and fat. Molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying gradual muscle deterioration are poorly understood.Animal models of DMD include the mdx mouse and golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) dog.^2,3 Despite sharing the same fundamental genetic and biochemical lesions, remarkable phenotypic variation occurs among dystrophin-deficient individuals and muscles. Mdx mice have a relatively mild phenotype,⁴ whereas affected dogs have clinical and pathological features consistent with those of DMD.⁵ Even among DMD patients, who all lack dystrophin except for rare revertant fibers, symptoms can vary markedly.⁶ Dogs with GRMD also demonstrate pronounced phenotypic variation, as some dogs lose the ability to walk within the first 6 months of life, whereas others remain ambulatory to 10 years of age or older.^7–9In GRMD neonatal dogs, flexor muscles such as the sartorius are generally more severely involved than extensors, potentially due to their role in crawling.^10,11 Early dystrophic histopathological changes seen in these diseased muscles include myofiber necrosis evidenced by hyaline fibers, mineralization, edema, and inflammation, with associated regeneration.¹⁰ Presumably, as dogs subsequently begin to walk, weight-bearing extensor muscles such as the vastus lateralis (VL) are more predisposed to injury and display these same acute dystrophic changes. With regard to individual muscle variation in DMD, extensors that undergo eccentric contraction (eg, quadriceps femoris) are particularly vulnerable to early weakness and wasting.¹² On the other hand, the extraocular muscles are largely spared.¹³In DMD patients, most muscles atrophy over time, but some, such as the gastrocnemius, undergo gross enlargement.¹⁴ On the basis of early histological studies of dystrophic muscle biopsies, this calf hypertrophy was initially attributed to deposition of fat and fibrotic tissue and was termed pseudohypertrophy.¹⁵ However, in a series of 350 neuromuscular patients, including 9 with Becker muscular dystrophy, quantitative ultrasound demonstrated that calf hypertrophy was most often due to an actual increase in contractile tissue.¹⁶ Mdx mice¹⁷ and dystrophin-deficient cats¹⁸ also have muscle hypertrophy in the absence of significant fat and connective tissue infiltration. The sartorius muscle is particularly intriguing in both DMD and GRMD. Humans have a single muscle, whereas dogs have cranial and caudal bellies. Serving principally as a hip flexor, the sartorius extends from the pelvis to the proximal tibia in people. Both heads of the canine sartorius also arise from the pelvis, but they insert at different sites (caudal, proximal tibia; cranial, distal femur). The cranial sartorius (CS) muscle of neonatal GRMD dogs sustains extensive necrosis¹⁹ and then regenerates, often undergoing dramatic true hypertrophy.^9,20 In DMD patients, the sartorius muscle is relatively spared and may hypertrophy late in the disease process.^21,22Studies showing variable phenotypes among dystrophin-deficient species, individuals, and muscles suggest that factors other than dystrophin deficiency, so-called secondary effects, are involved in the disease process.²³ Determining the molecular underpinnings of the variable clinical and histopathological response to dystrophin deficiency should provide insight into disease pathogenesis and an opportunity to identify potential targets for therapy. Phenotypic–molecular correlations are inherently limited in DMD patients due to unavoidable restrictions of muscle sampling. Animal studies are potentially more powerful because multiple muscles can be sampled at different ages, thus allowing clearer distinction of factors contributing to disease progression. We chose to use the GRMD model of DMD for this study because of the availability of archived biopsy samples of multiple muscles from affected dogs at two ages and corresponding systematic functional data that could be correlated with mRNA and protein expression findings.Hierarchical clustering of several phenotypic markers, including CS muscle size, tibiotarsal joint angle,⁷ and flexor and extensor torque,⁸ was first performed in a group of GRMD and normal dogs. Consistent with our prior studies,⁹ severely affected dogs tended to have larger CS muscles. To achieve a better understanding of the molecular signals that drive muscle hypertrophy, we extended a prior, largely pathological study of differential muscle involvement in the GRMD model.¹⁹ Proteins that are well known to influence muscle size [myostatin (MSTN)]^24,25 or potentially compensate for dystrophin deficiency [utrophin (UTRN)]²⁶ were assessed in a subset of the dogs evaluated by hierarchical clustering. MSTN showed an age-dependent decrease and an inverse correlation with the degree of CS hypertrophy. Regulators of MSTN at the protein (AKT1) and miRNA (miR-539 and miR-208b targeting myostatin mRNA) level were altered, consistent with down-regulation of MSTN signaling, CS hypertrophy, and functional rescue of this muscle. The growth factor myotrophin (MTPN) was increased in the CS. These studies were augmented by analysis of mRNA, miRNA, and proteomic profiles from several GRMD muscles at two different ages to elucidate additional hypertrophic pathways. Although UTRN was also uniformly increased in GRMD muscles, there was no association with CS size. Other membrane-associated proteins, including α-dystroglycan, like-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (LARGE), and β-spectrin, were increased in the GRMD CS, consistent with a role in membrane stabilization. These results indicate that several muscle proteins may act together to stabilize myofibers and promote muscle growth. Our findings also further substantiate that differential muscle involvement can exaggerate the GRMD phenotype. This suggests that care should be taken with treatments targeting specific pathways, such as MSTN, that could selectively exaggerate muscle hypertrophy.     

Analysis of LMNB1 Duplications in Autosomal Dominant Leukodystrophy Provides Insights into Duplication Mechanisms and Allele‐Specific Expression

Autosomal dominant leukodystrophy (ADLD) is an adult onset demyelinating disorder that is caused by duplications of the lamin B1 (LMNB1) gene. However, as only a few cases have been analyzed in detail, the mechanisms underlying LMNB1 duplications are unclear. We report the detailed molecular analysis of the largest collection of ADLD families studied, to date. We have identified the minimal duplicated region necessary for the disease, defined all the duplication junctions at the nucleotide level and identified the first inverted LMNB1 duplication. We have demonstrated that the duplications are not recurrent; patients with identical duplications share the same haplotype, likely inherited from a common founder and that the duplications originated from intrachromosomal events. The duplication junction sequences indicated that nonhomologous end joining or replication‐based mechanisms such fork stalling and template switching or microhomology‐mediated break induced repair are likely to be involved. LMNB1 expression was increased in patients’ fibroblasts both at mRNA and protein levels and the three LMNB1 alleles in ADLD patients show equal expression, suggesting that regulatory regions are maintained within the rearranged segment. These results have allowed us to elucidate duplication mechanisms and provide insights into allele‐specific LMNB1 expression levels.     

Liver injury associated with the use of selective androgen receptor modulators and post-cycle therapy: Two case reports and literature review

BACKGROUNDMuscle growth promoters are being developed for the treatment of disease-induced loss of muscle mass. Ligandrol and ostarine are selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) with a non-steroidal structure and a presumably more favorable side effect profile. In recent years, these substances with or without “post-cycle therapy” (PCT) are often misused by amateur athletes aiming to promote muscle growth. At the same time, reports on their toxic effects on organ systems are emerging.CASE SUMMARYWe report two cases of liver injury in young men who used ligandrol and/or ostarine for a few weeks followed by the use of substances for PCT. Acute liver injury occurred in both cases after stopping SARMs while on PCT. The clinical picture was dominated by jaundice and fatigue. The biochemical pattern showed a mixed type of injury with normal alkaline phosphatase and high concentrations of bilirubin and serum bile acids. Histological evidence showed predominantly cholestatic injury with canalicular bile plugs, ductopenia, and mild hepatocellular damage without significant fibrosis. The patients recovered from the condition after 3 mo. The off target effects of SARMs were likely idiosyncratic, but our report highlights the yet unrecognized effects of other toxic substances used for PCT, supra-therapeutic doses, and the complete absence of monitoring for adverse effects.CONCLUSIONAmong muscle-building amateur athletes, SARMs (ligandrol or ostarine) and/or substances in PCT may cause cholestatic liver injury with prolonged recovery.     

Mosquitoes of Anopheles hyrcanus (Diptera,Culicidae) Group: Species Diagnostic and Phylogenetic Relationships

Herein, we report the results of study of Anopheles species in Primorsk and Khabarovsk regions of Russia. Three species of the Anopheles hyrcanus group: An. kleini, An. pullus, and An. lesteri were identified by molecular taxonomic diagnostics for the first time in Russia. Surprisingly, An. sinensis, which earlier was considered the only species of Anopheles in Russian Far East, was not observed. We analyzed nucleotide variation in the 610-bp fragment of the 5′ end of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) region. All species possessed a distinctive set of COI sequences. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was constructed for members of the hyrcanus group. The examined Anopheles hyrcanus group members could be divided into two major subgroups: subgroup 1 (An. hyrcanus and An. pullus) and subgroup 2 (An. sinensis, An. kleini, and An. lesteri), which were found to be monophyletic.     

Relationships between uterus and eggs in cestodes from different taxa, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy

Uterine organization and interaction with developing eggs in Tetrabothrius erostris (Tetrabothriidea), Nippotaenia mogurndae (Nippotaeniidea), Arostrilepis tenuicirrosa, and Monocercus arionis (Cyclophyllidea), cestodes belonging to three different orders, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The interactions were traced from sexually mature to gravid proglottids for all species. Pieces of evidence of interactions among these species include specific tight contacts between microlamellae of the uterine epithelium and the egg capsule, networks of fibrils between eggs and uterus, or numerous branched diverticula of the uterine wall that surround eggs or combinations of these. The contacts between uterine epithelium and eggs take place in mature and post-mature proglottids, at a period of development when eggs are newly formed and the embryos are rapidly developing. The eggs grow and develop actively in tight contact with the uterine wall. The maximum diameter of eggs increases 1.5–2 times (or 3.5–4 times in M. arionis) during development. In all species, the intimate contacts between uterus and eggs have weakened or disappeared by the time the proglottids have become gravid. The association between uterus and eggs thus appears as strong evidence of active trophic interaction (or matrotrophy) between the parent organism and developing eggs.     

Arenium ions are not obligatory intermediates in electrophilic aromatic substitution

Our computational and experimental investigation of the reaction of anisole with Cl₂ in nonpolar CCl₄ solution challenges two fundamental tenets of the traditional S_EAr (arenium ion) mechanism of aromatic electrophilic substitution. Instead of this direct substitution process, the alternative addition–elimination (AE) pathway is favored energetically. This AE mechanism rationalizes the preferred ortho and para substitution orientation of anisole easily. Moreover, neither the S_EAr nor the AE mechanisms involve the formation of a σ-complex (Wheland-type) intermediate in the rate-controlling stage. Contrary to the conventional interpretations, the substitution (S_EAr) mechanism proceeds concertedly via a single transition state. Experimental NMR investigations of the anisole chlorination reaction course at various temperatures reveal the formation of tetrachloro addition by-products and thus support the computed addition–elimination mechanism of anisole chlorination in nonpolar media. The important autocatalytic effect of the HCl reaction product was confirmed by spectroscopic (UV-visible) investigations and by HCl-augmented computational modeling.Interest in the chemistry of electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions continues because of their widespread application for the production of a great variety of chemicals and materials (1–4). Electrophilic substitution, considered to be the most characteristic reaction of aromatic systems, is typically described in textbooks, monographs, and reviews by the two-stage S_EAr mechanism depicted in Fig. 1 (5–11). Arenium ion (σ-complex) intermediates are often ascribed to Wheland (9) inaccurately, since Pfeiffer and Wizinger (10) laid out the principles of such species for bromination in 1928. Following Brown and Pearsall (11), they are widely believed to have σ-complex structures. Arenium ions (σ-complexes) (9–11) are widely accepted to be obligatory intermediates and are used to rationalize ortho/para vs. meta position orientation preferences (6–11).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Typical depiction of the arenium ion mechanism for S_EAr reactions.We now reinforce our challenges (12, 13) of this conventional “reaction mechanism paradigm” (14) by a combined computational and experimental study of the facile chlorination of anisole (methoxybenzene) with Cl₂ in CCl₄ solution (15, 16). We find that Fig. 1 is not the favored pathway. Instead, addition reactions of Cl₂ to anisole have the lowest activation energies (Fig. 2). Ready HCl elimination from the initially formed adducts leads to ortho- and para-chloroanisole as the predominate products. This addition–elimination (AE) mechanism (the historical antecedent to Fig. 1) (17–26) predicts the same positional orientation as the usually assumed direct substitution (“S_EAr”) alternative. Instead of this classic S_EAr mechanism (Fig. 1), we find that direct concerted substitution, not involving an arenium ion, σ-complex (“Wheland”) (9–11) intermediate, competes energetically with the AE route. Like some earlier computational studies on aromatic substitution (12, 13, 27, 28) (Rzepa H, www.ch.imperial.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/?p=2423, accessed March 10, 2013), our study finds no such intermediates in the direct substitution of anisole by Cl₂. A concerted mechanism without an arenium ion intermediate was computed at some levels for the related arene nitrosation, but reaction medium and counter ion effects were not considered. Gwaltney et al. (28) reported a single concerted transition state after reoptimizing all saddle points at CCSD(T)/6-31G(d,p) and modeling bulk solvation by the Onsager approximation, and Rzepa (www.ch.imperial.ac.uk/rzepa/blog/?p=2423, accessed March 10, 2013) also found a concerted transition state including a trifluoroacetate counterion. Instead, one-step reactions via single transition states take place (Fig. 2). Our experimental investigations of the chlorination of anisole in CCl₄ solution revealed tetrachloro by-products, which must have arisen by further reaction of intermediate dichloro-adducts. Both our UV-visible (UV-VIS) spectroscopic investigation and our theoretical modeling of this reaction clearly verified the autocatalytic effect of the HCl by-product, in harmony with Andrews and Keefer’s (29, 30) early experimental kinetic studies of the chlorination of arenes, which found that HCl reduces the activation barriers significantly.Open in a separate windowFig. 2.The HCl-catalyzed concerted and addition–elimination pathways of para-chlorination of anisole in nonpolar media.We also applied reliable theoretical methods to model a typical experimental example of the highly investigated S_EAr electrophilic aromatic halogenations, the electrophilic chlorination of anisole by molecular chlorine in simulated CCl₄ solution (15, 16). Although the elucidation of the classic S_EAr mechanism [Fig. 1, involving the initial formation of a π-complex, followed by a transition state leading to a σ-complex (arenium) intermediate in the rate-controlling stage, and, finally, proton loss from the ipso-position leading to the reaction product] is considered to be a triumph of physical organic chemistry (1, 31–37), an alternative addition–elimination pathway leading to substitution products has been discussed since the 19th century (19–26, 38, 39). Nevertheless, it is commonly believed that the classic multistep S_EAr mechanism involving the formation of a σ-complex intermediate in the rate-controlling stage is the only mechanistic route to aromatic substitution products. Our present and previous (12, 13) results challenge the generality of such traditional interpretations. Although the initial stages of the alternative AE route seem unattractive because aromaticity is lost, many arenes are known experimentally to give addition products in considerable amounts (19–26, 38, 39). Thus, de la Mare (21, 25, 38, 39) demonstrated the formation of halogen adduct intermediates. Polybenzenoid hydrocarbons (PBHs) react with halogens to give isolable addition products, which then give substitution products easily by hydrogen halide elimination (23). Our computational investigations of arene bromination with molecular bromine (12) and sulfonation with SO₃ (13) provided clear evidence that the mechanisms of the inherent substitution reactions (i.e., uncatalyzed, gas phase, or weakly solvated) are concerted and do not involve the conventional σ-complex (or any other) intermediates. Moreover, the energetics of the bromination processes document the significance of competition between AE and direct substitution mechanisms leading to the same substitution products. Thus, the computed barrier in a simulated nonpolar (CCl₄) medium is 4 kcal/mol lower for Br₂ addition to benzene (followed by HBr elimination) than that for the direct substitution pathway to bromobenzene (12).Previous theoretical studies of electrophilic aromatic halogenation processes have been based on the classic S_EAr mechanism, involving arenium ion intermediates (Fig. 1). Osamura et al.’s (40) Hartree-Fock computations of the AlCl₃-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic chlorination mechanism found an initial π-complex, a transition state preceding the intermediate σ-complex, and a second transition state leading to final products. Aluminum chloride was important as a Lewis acid catalyst throughout the process. AlCl₃ coordination polarizes Cl₂ and thereby assists its reaction with the arene. Rasokha and Kochi (41) considered the interaction of Br₂ with benzene and toluene in detail in their survey of theoretical and experimental data on the prereactive charge-transfer complexes in electrophilic aromatic substitutions. They argued that the structures and properties of the prereactive complexes provide important mechanistic insights for the S_EAr reactions. Wei et al.’s (42) theoretical study of the iodination of anisole by iodine monochloride at the B3LYP/6-311G* and MP2//B3LYP/6-311G* levels (B3LYP, Becke''s three parameter hybrid functional, using the Lee-Yang-Parr correlation functional; MP2, second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory computations) found that the highest energy transition state precedes the formation of an intermediate, which they interpreted to be a σ-complex. Instead, the structure of this complex represents a protonated iodobenzene. Volkov et al.’s MP2/LANL2DZ(d)+ study (43) of the chlorination of benzene established that dimers of group 13 metal halides catalyzed the processes more effectively. Optimized geometries of π- and σ-complexes as well as transition structures were reported. Theoretical investigations by Ben-Daniel et al. (44) and by Filimonov et al. (45) of the chlorination of benzene with Cl₂ (and other related processes) reported structural details of transition states purported to lead to the chlorobenzene product. Our reinvestigations revealed errors in major suppositions of both these studies. Our IRC computations show clearly that the transition states in question lead to 1,2 Cl₂–benzene addition products (rather than to chlorobenzene). Zhang and Lund (46) investigated the neat chlorination of toluene by Cl₂ experimentally and theoretically at B3LYP/cc-pVTZ(-f) [cc-pVTZ(-f), correlation consistent polarized triple-zeta without f-functions basis set]. Although we verified their reported geometry of the concerted transition state (figure 6 in ref. 46), our stability check revealed that its wavefunction is unstable. This casts doubt on their conclusions because of the homolysis vs. heterolysis issues. In contrast, all wavefunctions in our paper were checked and all are stable. Most prior theoretical studies of S_EAr halogenations did not consider the connections between transition states, intermediates, and products explicitly, as we have done.Experimental findings not always have been in accord with the prevailing mechanistic assumption for aromatic halogenation: that arenium ion formation is the rate-limiting step. Thus, Olah et al. (47), Kochi and coworkers (48), and Fukuzumi and Kochi (49) have emphasized that substrate and positional selectivity are inconsistent (e.g., low toluene/benzene reactivity ratios but high toluene ortho–para vs. meta regiospecificity) for some electrophiles under certain conditions. This disparity indicates the existence of at least one other mechanistic pathway. It has been suggested that π-complexes may control product formation. Olah et al.’s (47) kinetics of the ferric chloride-catalyzed bromination of benzene and alkyl benzenes provided strong evidence for low substrate selectivity in the rate-determining step, which precedes the formation of a σ-complex intermediate (Fig. 1). High positional selectivity is governed by the transition state associated with the second step of the reaction.However, our earlier study (50) examined the possible participation of π-complexes in the key mechanistic steps of S_EAr bromination reactions in detail but found no link between the energy of formation of these complexes and the overall reactivity. Although there is no doubt that π-complexes form easily (via essentially barrierless processes) in most S_EAr reactions after mixing the electrophile and the aromatic substrate, it is unlikely that these low-energy “bystander” structures influence rates of S_EAr reactions significantly. Thus, the lack of accord between substrate and positional selectivity, established by Olah et al. (47), Kochi and coworkers (48), and Fukuzumi and Kochi (49) may be due to other mechanistic differences. De la Mare and Bolton (21) and de la Mare (51) have stressed the plurality of aromatic substitution mechanisms, depending on the substrate and the conditions.Reactive substrates are known to undergo uncatalyzed aromatic substitution in nonpolar solvents at room temperature. Thus, our computational investigations modeled Watson’s careful experiments on the chlorination of anisole in CCl₄ at 25 °C (15, 16). His low conversion (25%) conditions for chlorophenol permitted more accurate determination of the initial product ratios (and avoided further Cl₂ additions to 4-chloroanisole, which ultimately gave 1,3,4,5,6-pentachloro-4-methoxycyclohexene). After introduction of gaseous Cl₂ into a CCl₄ solution of anisole for 1 h, the products were 4-chloroanisole (76%), 2-chloroanisole (13.6%), 2,6-dichloro anisole (2.1%), 2,4-dichloroanisole (3.0%), and 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (0.4%).Analogous chlorinations of phenol, 2-methylphenol, and 2-chlorophenol in CCl₄ also have been carried out with high conversion rates at the reflux temperature (79 °C) (16). Chlorination of phenol with Cl₂ in CCl₄ has been reported by other groups (52, 53).