Emerging roles of secreted phospholipase A2 enzymes: the 3rd edition.

Within the phospholipase A2 (PLA2) superfamily, secreted PLA2 (sPLA2) enzymes comprise the largest family that contains 11 to 12 mammalian isoforms with a conserved His-Asp catalytic dyad. Individual sPLA2s exhibit unique tissue and cellular localizations and specific enzymatic properties, suggesting distinct biological roles. Individual sPLA2s are involved in diverse biological events through lipid mediator-dependent or -independent processes and act redundantly or non-redundantly in a given microenvironment.

Tumor-secreted miR-214 induces regulatory T cells: a major link between immune evasion and tumor growth.

An increased population of CD4(+)CD25(high)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) in the tumor-associated microenvironment plays an important role in cancer immune evasion. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here we observed an increased secretion of miR-214 in various types of human cancers and mouse tumor models.

Lack of phospholipase A2 receptor increases susceptibility to cardiac rupture after myocardial infarction.

Rationale: Recent evidence indicates that the biological effects of secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) cannot be fully explained by its catalytic activity. A cell surface receptor for sPLA2 (PLA2 receptor 1 [PLA2R]) and its high-affinity ligands (including sPLA2-IB, sPLA2-IIE, and sPLA2-X) are expressed in the infarcted myocardium.

Objective: This study asked whether PLA2R might play a pathogenic role in myocardial infarction (MI) using mice lacking PLA2R (PLA2R(-/-)).

The role of NADRIN, a Rho GTPase-activating protein, in the morphological differentiation of astrocytes.

Reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton caused by inactivation of the Rho GTPase RhoA is critical for the morphological differentiation of astrocytes into process-bearing stellate cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the RhoA inactivation and, in particular, the factors that inactivate RhoA, remain to be elucidated. We show here that the expression of a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for Rho GTPases, neuron-associated developmentally regulated protein (NADRIN) also known as RICH and ARHGAP17, was significantly increased in stellate astrocytes and induced expression of NADRIN accelerated the morphological differentiation of cultured astrocytes into stellate cells.

Tofacitinib, a janus kinase inhibitor demonstrates efficacy in an IL-15 transgenic mouse model that recapitulates pathologic manifestations of celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated, inflammatory disorder of the small intestines with a defined genetic etiological component associated with the expression of HLA-DQ2 and/or HLA-DQ8 haplotypes. The dietary consumption of gluten-rich cereals triggers a gluten-specific immune response in genetically susceptible individuals leading to a spectrum of clinical manifestations ranging from an inapparent subclinical disease, to overt enteropathy that can in some individuals progress to enteropathy-associated T cell lymphoma (EATL). The tissue-destructive pathologic process of CD is driven by activated NK-like intraepithelial CD8(+) lymphocytes and the proinflammatory cytokine IL-15 has emerged to be pivotal in orchestrating this perpetual tissue destruction and inflammation.

Impairment of interferon regulatory factor-3 activation by hepatitis C virus core protein basic amino acid region 1.

Interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3), a key transcriptional factor in the type I interferon system, is frequently impaired by hepatitis C virus (HCV), in order to establish persistent infection. However, the exact mechanism by which the virus establishes persistent infection has not been fully understood yet. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of various HCV proteins on IRF-3 activation, and elucidate the underlying mechanisms.

Establishment of monoclonal antibodies against a novel eosinophil-specific cell surface molecule, major facilitator super family domain containing 10.

Eosinophilic inflammation is the prominent feature of bronchial asthma, though the importance of eosinophils in the pathogenesis of this disease is controversial. We here established monoclonal antibodies against a newly identified cell surface molecule specifically expressed on mouse eosinophils. Eosinophils were highly purified from small intestine lamina propria and thymus as CD11c(+)Gr1(low)F4/80(+)B220(-) cells.

Selective down-regulation of Th2 cell-mediated airway inflammation in mice by pharmacological intervention of CCR4.

Background: The chemokine receptor CCR4 has been implicated in Th2 cell-mediated immune responses. However, other T cell subsets are also known to participate in allergic inflammation.

Objective: The role of CCR4 in Th1, Th2, and Th17 cell-mediated allergic airway inflammation was investigated.

Transgenic mice that overexpress human IL-15 in enterocytes recapitulate both B and T cell-mediated pathologic manifestations of celiac disease.

Celiac disease (CD) is a chronic immune-mediated intestinal inflammatory disorder afflicting genetically susceptible individuals triggered by the consumption of dietary cereals with high gluten content. As with many other organ-specific autoimmune diseases, the dominant tissue-destructive inflammation in CD is T cell-mediated. The proinflammatory cytokine IL-15 that is overexpressed in the intestinal epithelium of CD patients has emerged as a pivotal element that orchestrates intestinal inflammation and T cell-mediated autoimmune tissue destruction.

Steady and temporary expressions of smooth muscle actin in hair, vibrissa, arrector pili muscle, and other hair appendages of developing rats.

The hair erection muscle, arrector pili, is a kind of smooth muscle located in the mammalian dermis. The immunohistochemical study using an antibody against smooth muscle alpha actin (SMA) showed that the arrector pili muscle develops approximately 1-2 weeks after birth in dorsal and ventral skin, but thereafter they degenerate. The arrector pili muscle was not detected in the mystacial pad during any stage of development, even in the neighboring pelage-type hair follicle.

Integrated lipidomics in the secreted phospholipase A(2) biology.

Mammalian genomes encode genes for more than 30 phospholipase A(2)s (PLA(2)s) or related enzymes, which are subdivided into several subgroups based on their structures, catalytic mechanisms, localizations and evolutionary relationships. More than one third of the PLA(2) enzymes belong to the secreted PLA(2) (sPLA(2)) family, which consists of low-molecular-weight, Ca(2+)-requiring extracellular enzymes, with a His-Asp catalytic dyad. Individual sPLA(2) isoforms exhibit unique tissue and cellular localizations and enzymatic properties, suggesting their distinct pathophysiological roles.

Conditional gene expression in hepatitis C virus transgenic mice without induction of severe liver injury using a non-inflammatory Cre-expressing adenovirus.

We previously established inducible-hepatitis C virus (HCV) transgenic mice, which expressed the HCV gene (nucleotides 294-3435) encoding the core, E1, E2, and NS2 proteins. The expression of these proteins is regulated by the Cre/loxP system and an adenovirus vector (AdV) that expresses Cre DNA recombinase (Cre) controlled by the CAG promoter (AxCANCre). Recent studies have demonstrated that AxCANCre injection alone results in severe liver injury by induction of the adenovirus protein IX (Ad-pIX) gene.

Involvement of Gα(olf)-expressing neurons in the vomeronasal system of Bufo japonicus.

Most terrestrial vertebrates possess anatomically distinct olfactory organs: the olfactory epithelium (OE) and the vomeronasal organ (VNO). In rodents, olfactory receptors coupled to Gα(olf) are expressed in the OE, whereas vomeronasal receptors type 1 (V1R) and vomeronasal receptors type 2 (V2R), coupled to Gα(i2) and Gα(o) , respectively, are expressed in the VNO. These receptors and G proteins are thought to play important roles in olfactory perception.

Secreted phospholipase A2, lipoprotein hydrolysis, and atherosclerosis: integration with lipidomics.

Phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) is a group of enzymes that hydrolyze the sn-2 position of glycerophospholipids to yield fatty acids and lysophospholipids. Of many PLA(2)s or related enzymes identified to date, secreted PLA(2)s (sPLA(2)s) comprise the largest family that contains 10 catalytically active isozymes. Besides arachidonic acid released from cellular membranes for eicosanoid synthesis, several if not all sPLA(2)s have recently been implicated in hydrolysis of phospholipids in lipoprotein particles.

In vitro generation of HSC-like cells from murine ESCs/iPSCs by enforced expression of LIM-homeobox transcription factor Lhx2.

Identification of genes involved in in vitro differentiation induction of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been challenged during last decade. To date, a homeobox transcription factor Hoxb4 has been only demonstrated to possess such an effect in mice. Here, we show that HSC-like cells were efficiently induced from mouse ESCs by enforced expression of Lhx2, a LIM-homeobox transcription factor.

Lipid mediators in life science.

"Lipid mediators" represent a class of bioactive lipids that are produced locally through specific biosynthetic pathways in response to extracellular stimuli. They are exported extracellularly, bind to their cognate G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) to transmit signals to target cells, and are then sequestered rapidly through specific enzymatic or non-enzymatic processes. Because of these properties, lipid mediators can be regarded as local hormones or autacoids.

Non-proteolytic functions of calpain-3 in sarcoplasmic reticulum in skeletal muscles.

Mutations in CAPN3/Capn3, which codes for skeletal muscle-specific calpain-3/p94 protease, are responsible for limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. Using "knock-in" (referred to as Capn3(CS/CS)) mice, in which the endogenous calpain-3 is replaced with a mutant calpain-3:C129S, which is a proteolytically inactive but structurally intact calpain-3, we demonstrated in our previous studies that loss of calpain-3 protease activity causes muscular dystrophy [Ojima, K. et al.

Physiological roles of group X-secreted phospholipase A2 in reproduction, gastrointestinal phospholipid digestion, and neuronal function.

Although the secreted phospholipase A(2) (sPLA(2)) family has been generally thought to participate in pathologic events such as inflammation and atherosclerosis, relatively high and constitutive expression of group X sPLA(2) (sPLA(2)-X) in restricted sites such as reproductive organs, the gastrointestinal tract, and peripheral neurons raises a question as to the roles played by this enzyme in the physiology of reproduction, digestion, and the nervous system. Herein we used mice with gene disruption or transgenic overexpression of sPLA(2)-X to clarify the homeostatic functions of this enzyme at these locations. Our results suggest that sPLA(2)-X regulates 1) the fertility of spermatozoa, not oocytes, beyond the step of flagellar motility, 2) gastrointestinal phospholipid digestion, perturbation of which is eventually linked to delayed onset of a lean phenotype with reduced adiposity, decreased plasma leptin, and improved muscle insulin tolerance, and 3) neuritogenesis of dorsal root ganglia and the duration of peripheral pain nociception.

Ganglioside GD3 monoclonal antibody-induced paxillin tyrosine phosphorylation and filamentous actin assembly in cerebellar growth cones.

We have demonstrated that antibody to ganglioside GD3 (R24) immunoprecipitates src-family tyrosine kinase Lyn from primary cerebellar granule cells and R24 treatment of the intact cells induces Lyn activation and rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of several substrates, suggesting the functional association of ganglioside GD3 with Lyn. In this study, R24 treatment of primary cerebellar granule cells enhances phosphorylation of paxillin at tyrosine residue 118 and induces filamentous actin assembly and neurite outgrowth. R24 treatment of cerebellar growth cone membrane fraction induces prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of 68 kDa protein which comigrates with phosphopaxillin at tyrosine residue 118.

Expanding members and roles of the calpain superfamily and their genetically modified animals.

Calpains are intracellular Ca²(+)-dependent cysteine proteases (Clan CA, family C02, EC 3.4.22.

Muscle injury-induced thymosin β4 acts as a chemoattractant for myoblasts.

Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is a major intracellular G-actin-sequestering peptide. There is increasing evidence to support important extracellular functions of Tβ4 related to angiogenesis, wound healing and cardiovascular regeneration. We investigated the expression of 'Tβ4' and 'thymosin β10', a closely related peptide, during skeletal muscle regeneration in mice and chemotactic responses of myoblasts to these peptides.

Detection of hepatitis B and C viruses in almost all hepatocytes by modified PCR-based in situ hybridization.

Although PCR-based in situ hybridization (PCR-ISH) can be used to determine the distribution and localization of pathogens in tissues, this approach is hampered by its low specificity. Therefore, we used a highly specific and sensitive PCR-ISH method to reveal the lobular distribution and intracellular localization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and HCV in chronic liver disease and to clarify the state of persistent HBV and HCV infection in the liver. HBV genomic DNA was detected in almost all hepatocytes, whereas HBV RNA or protein was differentially distributed only in a subset of the HBV DNA-positive region.

Calpain 8/nCL-2 and calpain 9/nCL-4 constitute an active protease complex, G-calpain, involved in gastric mucosal defense.

Calpains constitute a superfamily of Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases, indispensable for various cellular processes. Among the 15 mammalian calpains, calpain 8/nCL-2 and calpain 9/nCL-4 are predominantly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract and are restricted to the gastric surface mucus (pit) cells in the stomach. Possible functions reported for calpain 8 are in vesicle trafficking between ER and Golgi, and calpain 9 are implicated in suppressing tumorigenesis.

Natural killer cells target HCV core proteins during the innate immune response in HCV transgenic mice.

The mechanism of the innate immune response to hepatitis C virus (HCV) has not been fully elucidated, largely due to the lack of an appropriate model. We used HCV transgenic (Tg) mice, which express core, E1, E2, and NS2 proteins regulated by the Cre/loxP switching expression system, to examine the innate immune response to HCV structural proteins. Twelve hours after HCV transgene expression, HCV core protein levels in Tg mouse livers were 15-47 pg/mg.