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Multiple myeloma is characterized by the malignant proliferating antibody-producing plasma cells in the bone marrow. Despite recent advances in therapy that improve the survival of patients, multiple myeloma remains incurable and therapy resistance is the major factor causing lethality. Clearly, more effective treatments are necessary. In recent years it has become apparent that, as highly secretory antibody-producing cells, multiple myeloma cells require an increased capacity to cope with unfolded proteins and are particularly sensitive to compounds targeting proteostasis such as proteasome inhibitors, which represent one of the most prominent new therapeutic strategies. Because of the increased requirement for dealing with secretory proteins within the endoplasmic reticulum, multiple myeloma cells are heavily reliant for survival on a set of signaling pathways, known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). Thus, directly targeting the UPR emerges as a new promising therapeutic strategy. Here, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the UPR signaling in cancer, and outline its important role in myeloma pathogenesis and treatment. We discuss new therapeutic approaches based on targeting the protein quality control machinery and particularly the IRE1α/XBP1 axis of the UPR.
Nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics are receiving growing attention from a diverse range of stakeholders including health care professionals, citizens, governments, insurers and industry. Currently there is special focus on research on how our food influences us and might cause discomfort or even symptoms of disease, but also the fact that several food intolerances are caused by genetic alterations. The strong interest expressed by certain segments of the general population for predictive and preventive diagnostic testing in relation to diet and ways in which this can improve overall health led to a fast growing market of nutrigenetic based tests. This puts pressures and challenges on governments and insurers for how best to reimburse new genetic tests. These discussions are best informed by a sound understanding of nutrigenetics science and technology, its promises and challenges, which are addressed in this paper. For example, some of the most common food intolerances caused by genetic variations are lactose intolerance, inherited fructose intolerance, congenital sucrase isomaltase deficiency (sucrose intolerance), celiac disease, glucose-6-phosphate deficiency (favism), alcohol intolerance and hemochromatosis. The increasing understanding of molecular mechanisms associated with these conditions is stimulating the development of a broad range of diagnostics allowing any person with adequate resources to have their genetic predispositions determined. However, many of the currently available tests cover only one of the above mentioned diseases or a small set of responsible mutations, which is in strong contrast to the evolution of medicine towards a more holistic approach as, for example, P4 medicine. Additionally, available tests are often not based on evidence or other guidelines for genetic test development as recommended by the ACCE evidentiary framework. In this paper we discuss the most common nutrigenetic diseases and their potential and demonstrated impacts on public health, as well as ways to devise personalized diet informed by human genomics variation in the future.
Mitochondria are much studied organelles, investigated for decades for their vital role as powerhouses of the cell and for the evolutionary history concealed in the mitochondrial genome. To this day, research on mitochondria is still yielding fascinating new information. Over the past two decades a large body of evidence has been accumulated showing these structures, which are at the heart of metabolic processes sustaining life, at same time containing the seeds of cellular self-destruction. This chapter describes the death-inducing proteins that are released from mitochondria, the mechanisms of release, as well as how release is regulated. Finally, phytochemicals that affect the release of lethal mitochondrial proteins are discussed.
Despite recent advances in medical procedures, cardiovascular disease remains a clinical challenge and the leading cause of mortality in the western world. The condition causes progressive smooth muscle cell (SMC) dedifferentiation, proliferation, and migration that contribute to vascular restenosis. The incidence of disease of the internal mammary artery (IMA), however, is much lower than in nearly all other arteries. The etiology of this IMA disease resistance is not well understood. Here, using paired primary IMA and coronary artery SMCs, serum stimulation, siRNA knockdowns, and verifications in porcine vessels in vivo, we investigate the molecular mechanisms that could account for this increased disease resistance of internal mammary SMCs. We show that the residue-specific phosphorylation profile of the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (Rb) appears to differ significantly between IMA and coronary artery SMCs in cultured human cells. We also report that the differential profile of Rb phosphorylation may follow as a consequence of differences in the content of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) and the CDK4 phosphorylation inhibitor p15. Finally, we present evidence that siRNA-mediated CDK2 knockdown alters the profile of Rb phosphorylation in coronary artery SMCs, as well as the proliferative response of these cells to mitogenic stimulation. The intrinsic functional and protein composition specificity of the SMCs population in the coronary artery may contribute to the increased prevalence of restenosis and atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries as compared with the internal mammary arteries.
Lichthärtende Dentalkomposite gehören heute zu den am häufigsten eingesetzten Materialien in der zahnärztlichen Praxis. Die materialwissenschaftlichen und chemischen Prozesse während der Aushärtung sind häufig den Anwendern nicht bekannt. Faktoren wie z.B. Belichtungszeit, -stärke, Dicke der Füllung und die eingesetzten Aushärtungslampen beeinflussen das Eigenschaftsprofil und die Qualität der ausgehärteten Füllung. Sie sind deshalb bei der Entwicklung von Belichtungs- und Qualitätssicherungs-Strategien zu berücksichtigen.
The criteria for assessing the quality of rubber materials are the polymer or copolymer composition and the additives. These additives include plasticizers, extender oils, carbon black, inorganic fillers, antioxidants, heat and light stabilizers, processing aids, cross-linking agents, accelerators, retarders, adhesives, pigments, smoke and flame retardants, and others. Determination of additives in polymers or copolymers generally requires the extraction of these substances from the matrix as a first step, which can be challenging, and the subsequent analysis of the extracted additives by gas chromatography (GC), GC-mass spectrometry (MS), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), HPLC-MS, capillary electrophoresis, thin-layer chromatography, and other analytical techniques. In the present work, nitrile rubber materials were studied using direct analytical flash pyrolysis hyphenated to GC and electrospray ionization MS in both scan and selected ion monitoring modes to demonstrate that this technique is a good tool to identify the organic additives in nitrile rubber.
Tamoxifen therapy of invasive breast cancer has been associated with increased levels of endothelin-1 (ET-1) so that an endothelin-1 receptor (ETR) blockade has been suggested as a new therapeutic approach. This study analyzed the relationship between Tamoxifen and ET-1 signalling in invasive breast cancer. Using paraffinized tissue from 50 randomly chosen cases of invasive and in-situ ductal carcinoma from our archive, the expression of ETRs was analyzed by immune histology. ETRs were regularly detectable in normal breast tissue, but rarely in adjacent tumor areas (3/50 cases). By immunoprecipitation, a complex was found consisting of ET-1, estrogen receptors and Tamoxifen. Consequently, transcription of several target genes of ET-1 and estrogen receptors was detectable (interleukin-6, wnt-11 and a vimentin spliceform). In particular, the combination of Tamoxifen, ET-1, and estrogen receptors induced further increasing levels of these target genes. Some of these genes have been found upregulated in metastatically spreading breast cancer cells. We conclude: i) ETRs do not play a role in invasive or in-situ ductal breast cancer; ii) estrogen receptors and Tamoxifen build a complex with ET-1; and iii) upregulated transcription of target genes by ET-1–estrogen receptor–Tamoxifen complex may negatively influence breast cancer prognosis. These results indicate a role for ET-1 in Tamoxifen treated breast cancer patients leading to a potentially worsening prognosis.
Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important in tissue remodelling. Here we investigate the role of collagenase-3 (MMP-13) in antibody-induced arthritis.
Methods: For this study we employed the K/BxN serum-induced arthritis model. Arthritis was induced in C57BL/6 wild type (WT) and MMP-13-deficient (MMP-13–/–) mice by intraperitoneal injection of 200 μl of K/BxN serum. Arthritis was assessed by measuring the ankle swelling. During the course of the experiments, mice were sacrificed every second day for histological examination of the ankle joints. Ankle sections were evaluated histologically for infiltration of inflammatory cells, pannus tissue formation and bone/cartilage destruction. Semi-quantitative PCR was used to determine MMP-13 expression levels in ankle joints of untreated and K/BxN serum-injected mice.
Results: This study shows that MMP-13 is a regulator of inflammation. We observed increased expression of MMP-13 in ankle joints of WT mice during K/BxN serum-induced arthritis and both K/BxN serum-treated WT and MMP-13–/– mice developed progressive arthritis with a similar onset. However, MMP-13–/– mice showed significantly reduced disease over the whole arthritic period. Ankle joints of WT mice showed severe joint destruction with extensive inflammation and erosion of cartilage and bone. In contrast, MMP-13–/– mice displayed significantly decreased severity of arthritis (50% to 60%) as analyzed by clinical and histological scoring methods.
Conclusions: MMP-13 deficiency acts to suppress the local inflammatory responses. Therefore, MMP-13 has a role in the pathogenesis of arthritis, suggesting MMP-13 is a potential therapeutic target.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by the interaction of multiple mediators, among the most important of which are cytokines. In recent years, extensive studies demonstrate a pivotal role for one cytokine, macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), in fundamental events in innate and adaptive immunity. MIF has now been demonstrated to be involved in the pathogenesis of many diseases, but in the case of RA the evidence for a role of MIF is very strong. MIF is abundantly expressed in the sera of RA patients and in RA synovial tissue correlating with disease activity. MIF-deficient mice were used to induce arthritis by serum transfer from K/BxN mice. K/BxN serum transfer arthritis was markedly attenuated in MIF(-) mice, with reduction in clinical index and histological severity as well as decrease in synovial cytokines. Macrophage transfers were done to investigate the specific role of macrophage-derived MIF. We show that adoptive transfer of wild-type macrophages into MIF(-) mice restores the sensitivity of MIF(-) mice to arthritis development, and this affect was associated with a restoration in serum IL-1? and IL-6 production. These results indicate that MIF plays a critical role in inflammation and joint destruction in K/BxN serum-induced arthritis and that the systemic expression of MIF by a subpopulation of macrophages is necessary and sufficient for the full development of arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a widespread autoimmune disease. In the murine K/B×N arthritis model, anti-GPI (anti-glucose 6-phosphate isomerase) antibodies lead to the formation of immune complexes. In the course of pathogenesis, these complexes activate the immune system and induce degranulation of mast cells, which are essential in this model of rheumatoid arthritis. A major mediator in mast cell granules is histamine, which is proven to be indispensable for joint inflammation in K/B×N mice. Histamine is known to bind to four different receptors (HR1–4), which have different expression profiles and exert a variety of different functions, including activation of the immune system. To analyze the contribution of the different histamine receptors, we employed histamine receptor antagonists (cetirizine, ranitidine, thioperamide and clozapine) blocking the receptors in C57BL/6 mice. Arthritis was induced via K/B×N serum injection. The results demonstrated that mice treated with all four histamine receptor antagonists simultaneously showed no arthritic symptoms, while positive control mice injected with K/B×N serum and vehicle suffered from severe symptoms. When antagonists specific for HR1–4 were applied individually, only the HR4 antagonist clozapine could protect mice from arthritis, reflecting its expression and functionality in the immune system.
Increased endothelin-1 decreases PKC alpha (PKCα), resulting in high miRNA 15a levels in kidney tumors. Breast cancer cells treated with ET-1, β-estrogen, Tamoxifen, Tamoxifen + β-estrogen and Tamoxifen + ET-1 were analysed regarding miRNA 15a expression. Significantly increased miRNA 15a levels were found after ET-1, becoming further increased in Tamoxifen + ET-1 treated cells. Our group already showed that miRNA 15a induces MAPK p38 splicing resulting in a truncated product called Mxi-2, whose function has yet to be defined in tumors. We described for the first time in ET-1 induced tumor cells that Mxi-2 builds a complex with Ago2, a miRNA binding protein, which is important for the localization of miRNAs to the 3′UTR of target genes. Furthermore, we show that Mxi-2/Ago2 is important for the interaction with the miRNA 1285 which binds to the 3′end of the tumor suppressor gene p53, being responsible for the downregulation of p53. Tissue arrays from breast cancer patients were performed, analysing Mxi-2, p53 and PKCα. Since the Mxi-2 levels increase in Tamoxifen + ET-1 treated cells, we claim that increasing ET-1 levels in Tamoxifen treated breast cancer patients are responsible for decreasing p53 levels. In summary, ET-1 decreases nuclear PKCα levels, while increasing the amount of miRNA 15a. This causes high levels of Mxi-2, necessary for complex formation with Ago2. The newly identified Mxi-2/Ago2 complex interacting with miRNA 1285 leads to increased 3′UTR p53 interaction, resulting in decreased p53 levels and subsequent tumor progression. This newly identified mechanism is a possible explanation for the development of ET-1 induced tumors.
