Protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 2: an important regulator of lnterleukin-6 production in rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts.

Objective: To investigate the role of protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 2 (PTPN2) in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Synovial tissue samples from patients with RA and patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were stained for PTPN2. Synovial fibroblasts were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), TRAIL, or thapsigargin.

Association of circulating miR-223 and miR-16 with disease activity in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Identification of parameters for early diagnosis and treatment response would be beneficial for patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (ERA) to prevent ongoing joint damage. miRNAs have features of potential biomarkers, and an altered expression of miRNAs was shown in established rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objective: To analyse RA associated miRNAs in the sera of patients with ERA to find markers of early disease, clinical activity or predictors of disease outcome.

The role of citrullination of an immunodominant proteoglycan (PG) aggrecan T cell epitope in BALB/c mice with PG-induced arthritis.

The P70-84 peptide (also called 5/4E8 epitope) of the human cartilage proteoglycan (PG) aggrecan is the dominant/arthritogenic epitope in both humans and arthritis-prone BALB/c mice (PG-induced arthritis, PGIA). An elevated T cell reactivity was demonstrated to a citrullinated version of the P70-84 epitope in most of the patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The goal of this study was to understand better how a T cell epitope, if citrullinated, may affect antigenicity/arthritogenicity in PGIA, a murine model of RA.

Proteomic characterization of thymocyte-derived microvesicles and apoptotic bodies in BALB/c mice.

Several studies have characterized exosomes derived from different cell sources. In this work we set the goal of proteomic characterization of two less studied populations of membrane vesicles, microvesicles (100-800 nm) and apoptotic bodies (> 800 nm) released by thymus cells of BALB/c mice. The vesicles were isolated by the combination of differential centrifugation and gravity driven multistep filtration of the supernatant of thymus cell cultures.

Membrane vesicles, current state-of-the-art: emerging role of extracellular vesicles.

Release of membrane vesicles, a process conserved in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, represents an evolutionary link, and suggests essential functions of a dynamic extracellular vesicular compartment (including exosomes, microparticles or microvesicles and apoptotic bodies). Compelling evidence supports the significance of this compartment in a broad range of physiological and pathological processes. However, classification of membrane vesicles, protocols of their isolation and detection, molecular details of vesicular release, clearance and biological functions are still under intense investigation.