@article{LoehrHaertigSchulzeetal.2022, author = {L{\"o}hr, Mario and H{\"a}rtig, Wolfgang and Schulze, Almut and Kroiß, Matthias and Sbiera, Silviu and Lapa, Constantin and Mages, Bianca and Strobel, Sabrina and Hundt, Jennifer Elisabeth and Bohnert, Simone and Kircher, Stefan and Janaki-Raman, Sudha and Monoranu, Camelia-Maria}, title = {SOAT1: A suitable target for therapy in high-grade astrocytic glioma?}, series = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, volume = {23}, journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences}, number = {7}, issn = {1422-0067}, doi = {10.3390/ijms23073726}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284178}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Targeting molecular alterations as an effective treatment for isocitrate dehydrogenase-wildtype glioblastoma (GBM) patients has not yet been established. Sterol-O-Acyl Transferase 1 (SOAT1), a key enzyme in the conversion of endoplasmic reticulum cholesterol to esters for storage in lipid droplets (LD), serves as a target for the orphan drug mitotane to treat adrenocortical carcinoma. Inhibition of SOAT1 also suppresses GBM growth. Here, we refined SOAT1-expression in GBM and IDH-mutant astrocytoma, CNS WHO grade 4 (HGA), and assessed the distribution of LD in these tumors. Twenty-seven GBM and three HGA specimens were evaluated by multiple GFAP, Iba1, IDH1 R132H, and SOAT1 immunofluorescence labeling as well as Oil Red O staining. To a small extent SOAT1 was expressed by tumor cells in both tumor entities. In contrast, strong expression was observed in glioma-associated macrophages. Triple immunofluorescence labeling revealed, for the first time, evidence for SOAT1 colocalization with Iba1 and IDH1 R132H, respectively. Furthermore, a notable difference in the amount of LD between GBM and HGA was observed. Therefore, SOAT1 suppression might be a therapeutic option to target GBM and HGA growth and invasiveness. In addition, the high expression in cells related to neuroinflammation could be beneficial for a concomitant suppression of protumoral microglia/macrophages.}, language = {en} } @article{BumillerBiniHochKohlerAugustoetal.2022, author = {Bumiller-Bini Hoch, Val{\´e}ria and Kohler, Ana Fl{\´a}via and Augusto, Danillo G. and Lobo-Alves, Sara Cristina and Malheiros, Danielle and Cipolla, Gabriel Adelman and Winter Boldt, Angelica Beate and Braun-Prado, Karin and Wittig, Michael and Franke, Andre and Pf{\"o}hler, Claudia and Worm, Margitta and van Beek, Nina and Goebeler, Matthias and S{\´a}rdy, Mikl{\´o}s and Ibrahim, Saleh and Busch, Hauke and Schmidt, Enno and Hundt, Jennifer Elisabeth and Araujo-Souza, Patr{\´i}cia Savio de and Petzl-Erler, Maria Luiza}, title = {Genetic associations and differential mRNA expression levels of host genes suggest a viral trigger for endemic pemphigus foliaceus}, series = {Viruses}, volume = {14}, journal = {Viruses}, number = {5}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v14050879}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270572}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The long search for the environmental trigger of the endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF, fogo selvagem) has not yet resulted in any tangible findings. Here, we searched for genetic associations and the differential expression of host genes involved in early viral infections and innate antiviral defense. Genetic variants could alter the structure, expression sites, or levels of the gene products, impacting their functions. By analyzing 3063 variants of 166 candidate genes in 227 EPF patients and 194 controls, we found 12 variants within 11 genes associated with differential susceptibility (p < 0.005) to EPF. The products of genes TRIM5, TPCN2, EIF4E, EIF4E3, NUP37, NUP50, NUP88, TPR, USP15, IRF8, and JAK1 are involved in different mechanisms of viral control, for example, the regulation of viral entry into the host cell or recognition of viral nucleic acids and proteins. Only two of nine variants were also associated in an independent German cohort of sporadic PF (75 patients, 150 controls), aligning with our hypothesis that antiviral host genes play a major role in EPF due to a specific virus-human interaction in the endemic region. Moreover, CCL5, P4HB, and APOBEC3G mRNA levels were increased (p < 0.001) in CD4+ T lymphocytes of EPF patients. Because there is limited or no evidence that these genes are involved in autoimmunity, their crucial role in antiviral responses and the associations that we observed support the hypothesis of a viral trigger for EPF, presumably a still unnoticed flavivirus. This work opens new frontiers in searching for the trigger of EPF, with the potential to advance translational research that aims for disease prevention and treatment.}, language = {en} }