Feline sphingolipidosis resembling Niemann-Pick disease type C

Summary A 9-week old domestic short-hair kitten with progressive neurological dysfunction had histopathological lesions consistent with a lysosomal storage disease. Light microscopy of the brain, spinal cord, and ganglia revealed distention and vacuolation of many neuronal populations, and extensive neuroaxonal dystrophy. Large numbers of foamy macrophages were observed in the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, and lung. Hepatocytes appeared pale and swollen. Ultrastructural examination of all affected tissues and organs revealed heterogeneous membranous inclusions. Lipid analysis of liver revealed an excess of cholesterol, glucosylceramide, lactosylceramide and phospholipids including sphingomyelin. There was some increase in the levels of brain GM₂ and GM₃ gangliosides. Sphingomyelinase activity in liver was partially deficient or low normal. Skin fibroblasts were cultured from two affected cats from the colony established with littermates of the subject of this report. The cultured skin fibroblasts had partially decreased sphingomyelinase activity and a greatly decreased ability to esterify exogenous cholesterol. Clinical, morphological, and biochemical findings suggest that this cat had sphingolipidosis similar to human Niemann-Pick disease type C, a disease not previously described in the cat. The feline form of this storage disease may provide a useful model for studies on the human disease.Supported by Research Grants RR02599, AI07227, AR37095 and DK38795 from the National Institutes of Health, by an anonymous foundation, and by a grant from Zipporah S. Fleisher for Canine Neurologic Research     

Separate basolateral and apical phosphatidylcholine secretion routes in intestinally differentiated tumor cells

AIM: To investigate whether the secretion of phosphatidylcholine (PC) in intestinal mucus occurs by apical secretion or via basolateral excretion and to determine its subsequent passage across the tight junctions to the apical mucus. METHODS: We addressed this question using the polarized intestinally differentiated tumor cell line CaCo-2 grown on filters to confluence in Transwell culture chambers. The released PC and sphingomyelin (Sph) from apical and basolateral media were analyzed by mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The secreted PC species were identical in both compartments indicating the same intracellular origin of PC. However, PC secretion into the basolateral compartment was more effective, and the PC:Sph ratio in the basolateral compartment was significantly higher than that in the apical compartment (8.18 ± 1.84 vs 4.31 ± 1.22, P = 0.01). Both pathways were temperature sensitive and were unaltered in the presence of cyclosporine. CONCLUSION: The data demonstrate the PC secretion capacity of CaCo-2 cells and indicate two separated apical and basolateral release mechanisms.     

神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除小鼠海马神经细胞自噬现象

目的 利用神经鞘磷脂合成酶2（SMS2）基因敲除小鼠探讨神经酰胺对海马神经细胞自噬现象的影响。方法 将SMS2杂合子（SMS2^+/- ）小鼠采用杂交、回交、互交的方法进行繁殖,用酚-氯仿提取法提取小鼠基因组DNA,PCR扩增目的基因,琼脂糖凝胶电泳对小鼠基因型作出鉴定,建立纯合子（SMS2^-/- ）小鼠模型;采用透射电子显微镜、免疫荧光染色及Western blotting技术观察生后第7天（P7）、P14和P30 SMS2^-/-小鼠海马CA1区神经细胞自噬的发生（每种方法每个时间点8只小鼠）。结果 1.SMS2^-/-小鼠海马CA1区神经细胞自噬现象：电子显微镜下,模型组海马神经元内出现较多自噬体或自噬溶酶体样结构。光镜下,模型组P7、P14和 P30 CA1区神经元自噬细胞数较对照组高(P ＜0.01）;2.自噬相关蛋白Beclin-1对于自噬的调节作用：Beclin-1在模型组与对照组间的表达规律与微管相关蛋白1轻链3（MAPLC3）基本一致,P7、P14、P30模型组Beclin-1阳性细胞数明显多于对照组(P ＜0.01）。Beclin-1与 MAPLC3两者在同一细胞中基本呈重叠表达; 3.Western blotting检测各组海马CA1区神经细胞MAPLC3蛋白的相对表达量与上述结果一致。结论SMS2-/-小鼠海马神经细胞内神经酰胺增高,神经酰胺不仅促进细胞凋亡,同时促进自噬,造成小鼠海马神经细胞自噬现象增强。     

孕期酒精暴露诱导神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除小鼠海马苔藓细胞凋亡

目的 探讨神经酰胺对孕期酒精暴露所诱导的小鼠神经细胞凋亡的影响.方法 建立神经鞘磷脂合成酶2基因敲除(SMS-/-2)小鼠和野生型(WT)小鼠的孕期酒精暴露模型,将出生后的不同基因型仔鼠(共360只)分为对照组和酒精组.用酶学法检测生后0 d(P0)仔鼠血清神经鞘磷脂(SM)含量,利用免疫荧光染色法观察对照组与模型组各年龄点仔鼠齿状回苔藓细胞凋亡数量的变化,免疫印迹法检测P7、P14仔鼠海马组织Caspase-8、Caspase-3激活蛋白的相对表达量.结果 酒精暴露后仔鼠血清SM水平降低,且具有剂量依赖性(F=41.08,P<0.05);SMS-/-2仔鼠血清SM水平低于同组WT仔鼠(F=53.34,P<0.01).酒精诱导WT和SMS-/-2仔鼠苔藓细胞凋亡(F=15.61,P<0.05),有剂量依赖性和长时程效应,与同年龄、相同处理条件的WT仔鼠相比,SMS-/-2仔鼠苔藓细胞凋亡数量较多(F=11.72,P<0.05).Western blotting检测结果 与免疫荧光结果 一致.结论 SMS2基因缺失使血清SM水平降低,可引起神经酰胺在体内蓄积;神经酰胺促进酒精暴露诱导神经细胞凋亡的过程;孕期酒精暴露主要通过死亡受体途径诱导神经细胞凋亡的发生.     

Sphingomyelin synthesis in Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda)

Adult Hymenolepis diminuta incorporated label from L[U-14C]serine, [1-14C]palmitic acid, [1-14C]palmitoyl-CoA and cytidine-5'-diphospho[methyl-14C]choline into the various intermediates of sphingomyelin synthesis (ketosphingosine, dihydrosphingosine, sphingosine, ceramide and sphingomyelin). From the results it was concluded that H. diminuta possessed the five enzymes involved in sphingomyelin synthesis, namely serine palmitoyl-transferase, 3-oxosphinganine reductase, flavoprotein dihydrosphingosine reductase, sphingosine acyltransferase and ceramide choline-phosphotransferase.     

利用细胞培养基或动物血浆中的荧光标记产物测定鞘磷脂合酶活性

鞘磷脂合酶（SMS）催化神经酰胺（ceramide,Cer．）转变为鞘磷脂（sphingomyelin,SM）。近来的研究表明神经酰胺和鞘磷脂参与了代谢综合征的过程,因而鞘磷脂合酶被认为是开发抗代谢综合征药物的潜在靶点。鞘磷脂合酶有两个同工酶,分别称为鞘磷脂合酶1（SMS1）和鞘磷脂合酶2（SMS2）。这两种同工酶的亚细胞定位不同,在不同组织中的表达水平也有差异。到目前为止,已发表有多种方法测定组织和细胞匀浆中的总SMS活性,这些方法通过分析总反应体系或细胞内的酶促反应产物来衡量SMS活性。本文介绍一种测定SMS活性或筛选SMS抑制剂的新方法。我们将荧光标记的神经酰胺（NBD-Cer．）作为底物与细胞孵育,或者将该底物注射到小鼠体内,然后监测在细胞培养基或小鼠血浆中出现的荧光标记的鞘磷脂（NBD-SM）的含量。采用这种办法可有效检测出D609（一种鞘磷脂合酶抑制剂）对细胞和小鼠整体SMs活性的抑制作用。我们进一步采用该方法检测了SMS1基因敲除小鼠和sMs2基因敲除小鼠的SMS活性,结果发现注射底物后,SMS2基因敲除小鼠（而不是SMS1基因敲除小鼠）血浆中NBD-SM的堆积被明显阻断。因而该方法可用于检测生理或药理条件下在体或离体组织的SMS活性、筛选SMS抑制剂、甚至筛选SMS2特异性抑制剂。