Search

Trimethyltin acute administration is a useful tool to investigate neurodegenerative processes (1). This research was carried out to characterize regions of the rat medial entorhinal cortex, where vimentin (VIM), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAp) immunoreactivity of reactive astroglia, and IBA1 immunoreactivity of microglia are related to neuronal loss after administration of trimetyltin hydrocloride. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighting 250 g were given a single intraperitoneal dose of 8 mg/kg of trimethyltin hydrochloride (TMT), or the vehicle only, and were sacrificed after 21 days. 10 µm horizontal serial sections of paraffin embedded brains of all specimens were stained with cresyl violet (CV) 10 µm horizontal serial sections of paraffin embedded brains of all specimens were stained with cresyl violet (CV) or immunocytochemically tested with anti-GFAp, anti-VIM or anti-IBA1 monoclonal antibodies. Each section was digitized using a 20x or 40x objective to get a ‘mosaic’ of all the entorhinal cortex. Such large images of three adjacent sections, the first VIM-, the second GFAp- and the third IBA1-immunotested (or CV-stained) were placed each one into a RGB stack and aligned showing VIM as red, GFAp as green and IBA1 or CV as blue false colors. In the medial entorhinal cortex of TMT-treated rats a few VIM-immunoreactive astrocytes were found mainly in the layer II and also, with less density, in the layer III, while GFAp-immunoreactive astrocytes appeared very numerous, increased in size and located in the layers I, II and III, and IBA1-immunoreactive microglial cells distributed at least partly similarly to GFAp-immunoreactive astrocytes. Such central core VIM - immunoreactive, surrounded by a halo GFAP – and IBA1 - immunoreactive, focused attention mainly on the layer II where was found a significant neuronal loss, and also, on the more lateral part of the layer III. In addition, some Iba1 - immunoreactive cells showed a morphology not type microglia, as they were similar to astrocytes or neurons, suggesting a possible neuroinflammatory-induced phenotypic plasticity process., Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, Vol. 121, No. 1 (Supplement) 2016

Resin-based dental restorative materials release residual monomers that may affect the vitality of pulp cells. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of two light-cured restorative materials with and without bis-GMA resin, respectively (Clearfil Majesty Posterior and Clearfil Majesty Flow) and a self-curing one (Clearfil DC Core Automix) when applied to the fibroblast cell line NIH-3T3. Samples of the materials were light-cured and placed directly in contact to cells for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by measuring cell death by flow cytometry, cell proliferation by proliferation curves analysis and morphological changes by optical microscopy analysis. All the composite materials tested caused a decrease in cell proliferation, albeit at different degrees. However, only Clearfil DC Core Automix induced cell death, very likely by increasing apoptosis. Morphological alteration of treated cells was also evident, particularly in the Clearfil DC Core Automix-treated cells. The different cytotoxic effects of dental composites should be considered when selecting an appropriate resin-based dental restorative material for operative restorations.

Struttura e metabolismo delle lipoproteine plasmatiche, Enzimi e trasportatori chiave del metabolismo delle lipoproteine, Recettori delle lipoproteine, Metabolismo delle lipoproteine contenenti apoB, Biogenesi delle HDL e trasporto inverso del colesterolo, Principali malattie del metabolismo lipidico.

In vertebrates, the thyroglobulin (Tg) gene product must be exported to the lumen of thyroid follicles for thyroid hormone synthesis. In toto, Tg is composed of multiple type-1 repeats connected by linker and hinge (altogether considered as "region I," nearly 1,200 residues); regions II-III (~720 residues); and cholinesterase-like (ChEL) domain (~570 residues). Regions II-III and ChEL rapidly acquire competence for secretion, yet regions I-II-III require 20 min to become a partially mature disulfide isomer; stabilization of a fully oxidized form requires ChEL. Transition from partially mature to mature Tg occurs as a discrete "jump" in mobility by nonreducing SDS-PAGE, suggesting formation of at most a few final pairings of Cys residues that may be separated by significant intervening primary sequence. Using two independent approaches, we have investigated which portion of Tg is engaged in this late stage of its maturation. First, we demonstrate that this event is linked to oxidation involving region I. Introduction of the Tg-C1245R mutation in the hinge (identical to that causing human goitrous hypothyroidism) inhibits this maturation, although the Cys-1245 partner remains unidentified. Second, we find that Tg truncated after its fourth type-1 repeat is a fully independent secretory protein. Together, the data indicate that final acquisition of secretory competence includes conformational maturation in the interval between linker and hinge segments of region I.

Thyroglobulin (Tg; precursor for thyroid hormone synthesis) is a large secreted glycoprotein comprised of upstream regions I-II-III, followed by the ~570 residue cholinesterase-like (ChEL) domain. ChEL has two identified functions: 1) homodimerization, and 2) binding to I-II-III that facilitates I-II-III oxidative maturation required for intracellular protein transport. Like its homologs in the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) family, ChEL possesses two carboxyl-terminal alpha helices. We find that a Tg-AChE chimera (swapping AChE in place of ChEL) allows for dimerization with monomeric AChE, proving exposure of the carboxyl-terminal helices within the larger context of Tg. Further, we establish that perturbing trans-helical interaction blocks homodimerization of the Tg ChEL domain. Additionally, ChEL can associate with neuroligins (a related family of cholinesterase-like proteins), demonstrating potential for Tg cross-dimerization between non-identical partners. Indeed, when mutant rdw-Tg (Tg-G2298R, defective for protein secretion) is co-expressed with wild-type Tg, the two proteins cross-dimerize and secretion of rdw-Tg is partially restored. Moreover, we find that AChE and soluble neuroligins also can bind to the upstream Tg regions I-II-III; however, they cannot rescue secretion because they cannot facilitate oxidative maturation of I-II-III. The data highlight that specific properties of distinct Tg ChEL mutants may result in distinct patterns of Tg monomer folding, cross-dimerization with wild-type Tg, and variable secretion behavior in heterozygous patients.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) represents the cellular compartment where newly synthesized proteins acquire their correct folding. Many factors can interfere during this process, leading to the accumulation of misfolded proteins into the ER. Such ER dysfunction is collectively termed "ER stress". To survive under ER stress conditions, cells activate a self-protective mechanism, termed the unfolded protein response (UPR). The ER dysfunction plays an important role in various diseases including Type 2 diabetes (T2D). It has been reported that hyperglycaemia (HG) causes the progressive deterioration of beta cells through a mechanism called glucose toxicity and that ER stress may be involved in the consequent pancreatic beta cell dysfunction. Glucosamine (GlcN), generated by the hexosamine pathway (HP) during HG, induces ER stress and causes disturbances similar to glucose toxicity. In this study, we evaluate the role of ER stress induced by GlcN in cultured beta cells (INS-1E) and in isolated pancreatic mouse islets.

We present the first identification of transient folding intermediates of endogenous thyroglobulin (Tg; a large homodimeric secretory glycoprotein of thyrocytes), which include mixed disulfides with endogenous oxidoreductases servicing Tg folding needs. Formation of disulfide-linked Tg adducts with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) oxidoreductases begins cotranslationally. Inhibition of ER glucosidase activity blocked formation of a subgroup of Tg adducts containing ERp57 while causing increased Tg adduct formation with protein disulfide isomerase (PDI), delayed adduct resolution, perturbed oxidative folding of Tg monomers, impaired Tg dimerization, increased Tg association with BiP/GRP78 and GRP94, activation of the unfolded protein response, increased ER-associated degradation of a subpopulation of Tg, partial Tg escape from ER quality control with increased secretion of free monomers, and decreased overall Tg secretion. These data point towards mixed disulfides with the ERp57 oxidoreductase in conjunction with calreticulin/calnexin chaperones acting as normal early Tg folding intermediates that can be "substituted" by PDI adducts only at the expense of lower folding efficiency with resultant ER stress.

The chapter includes phylogeny and ontogeny of thyroglobulin, the thyroglobulin gene and its mRNA, thyroglobulin folding, congenital goitrous hypothyroidism due to thyroglobulin misfolding, posttranslational modifications of thyroglobulin in later steps of the secretory pathway, iodination and iodotyrosyl coupling within thyroglobulin, thyroglobulin binding and internalization, proteolitic digestion of thyroglobulin in the endosome-lysosome system.

Conditions perturbing the homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cause accumulation of unfolded proteins and trigger ER stress. In PC Cl3 thyroid cells, thapsigargin and tunicamycin interfered with the folding of thyroglobulin causing accumulation of this very large secretory glycoprotein in the ER. Consequently, BiP and XBP-1 mRNAs were induced and spliced, respectively. In the absence of apoptosis, differentiation of PC Cl3 cells was inhibited. mRNA and protein levels of thyroid specific genes, thyroglobulin, thyroperoxidase and sodium/iodide symporter, and of thyroid transcription factors, TTF-1, TTF-2 and Pax-8, were dramatically downregulated. These effects were, at least in part, transcriptional. Moreover, they were selective and temporally distinct from the general and transient PERK-dependent translational inhibition. Thyroid dedifferentiation was accompanied by changes in the organization of polarized epithelial monolayer. E-cadherin mRNA downregulation, vimentin, α-smooth muscle actin, α(1)(I) collagen, and SNAI1/SIP1 mRNAs up-regulation, actin stress fibers formation, and loss of transepithelial resistance were found, confirming an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The thyroid-specific and epithelial dedifferentiation by thapsigargin/tunicamycin were completely prevented by the Src-family kinases inhibitor PP2 and by stable expression of a dominant negative Src. Together, these data indicate that ER stress induces dedifferentiation and an EMT-like phenotype in thyroid cells via a Src-mediated signaling pathway.

We have recently identified a novel gene, named CIKS (Connection to IKK-complex and SAPK), able to activate the transcription factor NF-kappaB, after interaction with the regulatory subunit NEMO/IKKgamma of IKK complex, and the stress-activated protein kinase (SAPK)/JNK. CIKS mRNA is ubiquitously expressed, although its levels differ greatly among different tissues. The aim of this study is to identify and characterize the promoter region of CIKS gene and to analyse the regulation of its expression by different cytokines. The transcription start site of CIKS mRNA was mapped both by primer extension and by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based strategy. The proximal 5'-flanking region of CIKS gene was 'TATA-less', but contained other consensus promoter elements including an initiator (Inr), 'GC' and 'CAAT' boxes. Transfection of luciferase reporter plasmids containing 1.8 kb of the 5'-flanking region increased luciferase activity in epithelial MDCK cells, but not in endothelial HUVEC cells. Deletion analysis identified a sequence from -464 to -220 bp of the 5'-flanking region of CIKS gene essential for basal promoter activity in MDCK cells. Competitive reverse transcriptase-PCR, Northern and Western blot assays showed that different cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, Interleukin (IL)-1beta and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta, dramatically increased CIKS mRNA expression in HeLa cells. We conclude that the proximal 5'-flanking region of CIKS gene contains a functional promoter and binding sites for nuclear proteins leading to its basal transcription. Moreover, we demonstrate that the expression of CIKS is up-regulated by different cytokines.

Activation of the Ras-Raf-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway causes not only proliferation and suppression of apoptosis but also the antioncogenic response of senescence. How these contrasting effects are reconciled to achieve cell transformation and cancer formation is poorly understood. In a system of two-step carcinogenesis (dedifferentiated PC EIA, transformed PC EIA-polyoma-middle T [PC EIA + Py] and PC EIA-v-raf [PC EIA + raf] cells], v-raf cooperated with EIA by virtue of a strong prosurvival effect, not elicited by Py-middle T, evident toward serum-deprivation-and H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis. Apoptosis was detected by DNA fragmentation and annexin V staining. The prosurvival function of v-raf was, in part, mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK)-dependent, as shown by pharmacological MEK inhibition. The MEK-dependent antiapoptotic effect of v-raf was exerted despite a lower level of P-ERK1/2 in EIA + raf cells with respect to EIA + Py/EIA cells, which was dependent on a high tyrosine phosphatase activity, as shown by orthovanadate blockade. An ERK1/2 tyrosine phosphatase was likely involved. The high tyrosine phosphatase activity was instrumental to the complete suppression of senescence, detected by β-galactosidase activity, because tyrosine phosphatase blockade induced senescence in EIA + raf but not in EIA + Py cells. High tyrosine phosphatase activity and evasion from senescence were confirmed in an anaplastic thyroid cancer cell line. Therefore, besides EIA, EIA + raf cells suppress senescence through a new mechanism, namely, phosphatase-mediated P-ERK1/2 inhibition, but, paradoxically, retain the oncogenic effects of the Raf-ERK pathway. We propose that the survival effect of Raf is not a function of absolute P-ERK1/2 levels at a given time but is rather dynamically dependent on greater variations after an apoptotic stimulus.