Congenital hypofibrinogenemia: characterization of two missense mutations affecting fibrinogen assembly and secretion

Congenital hypofibrinogenemia is a rare bleeding disorder characterized by abnormally low levels of fibrinogen in plasma, generally due to heterozygous mutations in one of the three fibrinogen genes (FGA, FGB, and FGG, coding for Aα, Bβ, and γ chain, respectively). Hypofibrinogenemic patients are usually asymptomatic, whereas individuals bearing similar mutations in the homozygous or compound heterozygous state develop a severe bleeding disorder: afibrinogenemia. The mutational spectrum of these quantitative fibrinogen disorders includes large deletions, point mutations causing premature termination codons, and missense mutations affecting fibrinogen assembly or secretion, distributed throughout the 50-kb fibrinogen gene cluster. In this study, we report the mutational screening of two unrelated hypofibrinogenemic patients leading to the identification of two missense mutations, one hitherto unknown (αCys45Phe), and one previously described (γAsn345Ser). The involvement of αCys45Phe and γAsn345Ser in the pathogenesis of hypofibrinogenemia was investigated by in-vitro expression experiments. Both mutations were demonstrated to cause a severe impairment of intracellular fibrinogen processing, either by affecting half-molecule dimerization (αCys45Phe) or by hampering hexamer secretion (γAsn345Ser).     

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are present in healthy gingiva tissue

Hematopoietic stem cells reside in the bone marrow, where they generate the effector cells that drive immune responses. However, in response to inflammation, some hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are recruited to tissue sites and undergo extramedullary hematopoiesis. Contrasting with this paradigm, here we show residence and differentiation of HSPCs in healthy gingiva, a key oral barrier in the absence of overt inflammation. We initially defined a population of gingiva monocytes that could be locally maintained; we subsequently identified not only monocyte progenitors but also diverse HSPCs within the gingiva that could give rise to multiple myeloid lineages. Gingiva HSPCs possessed similar differentiation potentials, reconstitution capabilities, and heterogeneity to bone marrow HSPCs. However, gingival HSPCs responded differently to inflammatory insults, responding to oral but not systemic inflammation. Combined, we highlight a novel pathway of myeloid cell development at a healthy barrier, defining a gingiva-specific HSPC network that supports generation of a proportion of the innate immune cells that police this barrier.     

Expression and immunohistochemical localization of leptin in human periapical granulomas

Background

Leptin, initially described as an adipocyte-derived hormone to regulate weight control, is expressed in normal and inflamed human dental pulp, being up-regulated during pulp experimental inflammation. Leptin receptor (LER) has been identified in human periapical granulomas. The aim of this study was to analyze and characterize the expression of leptin in human periapical granulomas.

Material and Methods

Fifteen periapical inflammatory lesions were obtained from extracted human teeth and teeth which underwent periapical surgery. After their morphological categorization as periapical granulomas and gradation of the inflammatory infiltrate, they were examined by immunohistochemistry using human leptin policlonal antibodies. Leptin mRNA expression was also determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and the amount of leptin protein was analyzed by immunoblot.

Results

All periapical lesions exhibited the characteristic of chronic granulomatous inflammatory process with inflammatory infiltrate grade III. Leptin+ cells were detected in 13 periapical granulomas (86.6%). The median number of Leptin+ cells in periapical granulomas was 1.70 (0.00-7.4). Amongst the inflammatory cells in the periapical granulomas, only macrophages were reactive to leptin antibodies. Western blot analysis revealed the presence in all samples of a protein with apparent molecular weight of approximately 16 kDa, corresponding to the estimated molecular weights of leptin. The expression of leptin mRNA was confirmed by qRT-PCR analysis and the size of the amplified fragment (296 bp for leptin and 194 bp for cyclophilin) was assessed by agarose gel electrophoresis.

Conclusions

For the first time, it has been demonstrated that human periapical granuloma expresses the adipokine leptin. Key words: Apical granuloma, dental pulp, endodontics, leptin, leptin receptor, immune system, immunohistochemistry, periapical inflammatory response.     

An Overview of Stimulus-Specific Adaptation in the Auditory Thalamus

In the auditory brain, some populations of neurons exhibit stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA), whereby they adapt to frequently occurring stimuli but retain sensitivity to stimuli that are rare. SA has been observed in auditory structures from the midbrain to the primary auditory cortex (A1) and has been proposed to be a precursor to the generation of deviance detection. SSA is strongly expressed in non-lemniscal regions of the medial geniculate body (MGB), the principal nucleus of the auditory thalamus. In this account we review the state of the art of SSA research in the MGB, highlighting the importance of this auditory centre in detecting sounds that may be relevant for survival.