Glycyrrhizin binds to high-mobility group box 1 protein and inhibits its cytokine activities.

High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) is a nuclear component, but extracellularly it serves as a signaling molecule involved in acute and chronic inflammation, for example in sepsis and arthritis. The identification of HMGB1 inhibitors is therefore of significant experimental and clinical interest. We show that glycyrrhizin, a natural anti-inflammatory and antiviral triterpene in clinical use, inhibits HMGB1 chemoattractant and mitogenic activities, and has a weak inhibitory effect on its intranuclear DNA-binding function.

NMR structure of the first PHD finger of autoimmune regulator protein (AIRE1). Insights into autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) disease.

Mutations in the autoimmune regulator protein AIRE1 cause a monogenic autosomal recessively inherited disease: autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). AIRE1 is a multidomain protein that harbors two plant homeodomain (PHD)-type zinc fingers. The first PHD finger of AIRE1 is a mutational hot spot, to which several pathological point mutations have been mapped.