PAR2 Pepducin-Based Suppression of Inflammation and Itch in Atopic Dermatitis Models.

PAR2 has been proposed to contribute to lesion formation and intense itch in atopic dermatitis. Here, we tested the ability of a cell-penetrating pepducin, PZ-235, to mitigate the potentially deleterious effects of PAR2 in models of atopic dermatitis. PZ-235 significantly inhibited PAR2-mediated expression of inflammatory factors NF-κB, TSLP, TNF-α, and differentiation marker K10 by 94%-98% (P < 0.

Calpain-1 contributes to IgE-mediated mast cell activation.

Mast cells play a central role in allergy through secretion of both preformed and newly synthesized mediators. Mast cell mediator secretion is controlled by a complex network of signaling events. Despite intensive studies, signaling pathways in the regulation of mast cell mediator secretion remain incompletely defined.

Dual mechanism of integrin αIIbβ3 closure in procoagulant platelets.

Background: Inactivation of integrin αIIbβ3 reverses platelet aggregate formation upon coagulation.

Results And Conclusion: Platelets from patient (Scott) and mouse (Capn1(-/-) and Ppif(-/-)) blood reveal a dual mechanism of αIIbβ3 inactivation: by calpain-2 cleavage of integrin-associated proteins and by cyclophilin D/TMEM16F-dependent phospholipid scrambling.

Significance: These data provide novel insight into the switch mechanisms from aggregating to procoagulant platelets.

Pharmacological inhibition of calpain-1 prevents red cell dehydration and reduces Gardos channel activity in a mouse model of sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a globally distributed hereditary red blood cell (RBC) disorder. One of the hallmarks of SCD is the presence of circulating dense RBCs, which are important in SCD-related clinical manifestations. In human dense sickle cells, we found reduced calpastatin activity and protein expression compared to either healthy RBCs or unfractionated sickle cells, suggesting an imbalance between activator and inhibitor of calpain-1 in favor of activator in dense sickle cells.

Headpiece domain of dematin regulates calcium mobilization and signaling in platelets.

Dematin is a broadly expressed membrane cytoskeletal protein that has been well characterized in erythrocytes and to a lesser extent in non-erythroid cells. However, dematin's function in platelets is not known. Here, we show that dematin is abundantly expressed in both human and mouse platelets.

Targeted gene inactivation of calpain-1 suppresses cortical degeneration due to traumatic brain injury and neuronal apoptosis induced by oxidative stress.

Calpains are calcium-regulated cysteine proteases that have been implicated in the regulation of cell death pathways. Here, we used our calpain-1 null mouse model to evaluate the function of calpain-1 in neural degeneration following a rodent model of traumatic brain injury. In vivo, calpain-1 null mice show significantly less neural degeneration and apoptosis and a smaller contusion 3 days post-injury than wild type littermates.