Institut für Klinische Biochemie und Pathobiochemie
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Two sons of a consanguineous marriage developed biventricular cardiomyopathy. One boy died of severe heart failure at the age of 6 years, the other was transplanted because of severe heart failure at the age of 10 years. In addition, focal palmoplantar keratoderma and woolly hair were apparent in both boys. As similar phenotypes have been described in Naxos disease and Carvajal syndrome, respectively, the genes for plakoglobin (JUP) and desmoplakin (DSP) were screened for mutations using direct genomic sequencing. A novel homozygous 2 bp deletion was identified in an alternatively spliced region of DSP. The deletion 5208_5209delAG led to a frameshift downstream of amino acid 1,736 with a premature truncation of the predominant cardiac isoform DSP-1. This novel homozygous truncating mutation in the isoform-1 specific region of the DSP C-terminus caused Carvajal syndrome comprising severe early-onset heart failure with features of non-compaction cardiomyopathy, woolly hair and an acantholytic form of palmoplantar keratoderma in our patient. Congenital hair abnormality and manifestation of the cutaneous phenotype in toddler age can help to identify children at risk for cardiac death.
Tumors are characterized by a rigid, highly cross-linked extracellular matrix (ECM), which impedes homogeneous drug distribution and potentially protects malignant cells from exposure to therapeutics. Lysyl oxidases are major contributors to tissue stiffness and the elevated expression of these enzymes observed in most cancers might influence drug distribution and efficacy. We examined the effect of lysyl oxidases on drug distribution and efficacy in 3D in vitro assay systems. In our experiments elevated lysyl oxidase activity was responsible for reduced drug diffusion under hypoxic conditions and consequently impaired cytotoxicity of various chemotherapeutics. This effect was only observed in 3D settings but not in 2D-cell culture, confirming that lysyl oxidases affect drug efficacy by modification of the ECM and do not confer a direct desensitizing effect. Both drug diffusion and efficacy were strongly enhanced by inhibition of lysyl oxidases. The results from the in vitro experiments correlated with tumor drug distribution in vivo, and predicted response to therapeutics in murine tumor models. Our results demonstrate that lysyl oxidase activity modulates the physical barrier function of ECM for small molecule drugs influencing their therapeutic efficacy. Targeting this process has the potential to significantly enhance therapeutic efficacy in the treatment of malignant diseases.
Background
Direct interaction between Red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets is known for a long time. The bleeding time is prolonged in anemic patients independent of their platelet count and could be corrected by transfusion of RBCs, which indicates that RBCs play an important role in hemostasis and platelet activation. However, in the last few years, opposing mechanisms of platelet inhibition by RBCs derived nitric oxide (NO) were proposed. The aim of our study was to identify whether RBCs could produce NO and activate soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) in platelets.
Methods
To test whether RBCs could activate sGC under different conditions (whole blood, under hypoxia, or even loaded with NO), we used our well-established and highly sensitive models of NO-dependent sGC activation in platelets and activation of purified sGC. The activation of sGC was monitored by detecting the phosphorylation of Vasodilator Stimulated Phosphoprotein (VASPS239) by flow cytometry and Western blot. ANOVA followed by Bonferroni’s test and Student’s t-test were used as appropriate.
Results
We show that in the whole blood, RBCs prevent NO-mediated inhibition of ADP and TRAP6-induced platelet activation. Likewise, coincubation of RBCs with platelets results in strong inhibition of NO-induced sGC activation. Under hypoxic conditions, incubation of RBCs with NO donor leads to Hb-NO formation which inhibits sGC activation in platelets. Similarly, RBCs inhibit activation of purified sGC, even under conditions optimal for RBC-mediated generation of NO from nitrite.
Conclusions
All our experiments demonstrate that RBCs act as strong NO scavengers and prevent NO-mediated inhibition of activated platelets. In all tested conditions, RBCs were not able to activate platelet or purified sGC.
Background
40–50% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) will develop liver metastases (CRLM) during the course of the disease. One third of these patients will additionally develop pulmonary metastases.
Methods
137 consecutive patients with CRLM, were analyzed regarding survival data, clinical, histological data and treatment. Results were stratified according to the occurrence of pulmonary metastases and metastases resection.
Results
39% of all patients with liver resection due to CRLM developed additional lung metastases. 44% of these patients underwent subsequent pulmonary resection. Patients undergoing pulmonary metastasectomy showed a significantly better five-year survival compared to patients not qualified for curative resection (5-year survival 71.2% vs. 28.0%; p = 0.001). Interestingly, the 5-year survival of these patients was even superior to all patients with CRLM, who did not develop pulmonary metastases (77.5% vs. 63.5%; p = 0.015). Patients, whose pulmonary metastases were not resected, were more likely to redevelop liver metastases (50.0% vs 78.6%; p = 0.034). However, the rate of distant metastases did not differ between both groups (54.5 vs.53.6; p = 0.945).
Conclusion
The occurrence of colorectal lung metastases after curative liver resection does not impact patient survival if pulmonary metastasectomy is feasible. Those patients clearly benefit from repeated resections of the liver and the lung metastases.
Eukaryotic cells form a variety of adhesive structures to connect with their environment and to regulate cell motility. In contrast to classical focal adhesions, podosomes, highly dynamic structures of different cell types, are actively engaged in matrix remodelling and degradation. Podosomes are composed of an actin-rich core region surrounded by a ring-like structure containing signalling molecules, motor proteins as well as cytoskeleton-associated proteins. Lasp-1 is a ubiquitously expressed, actin-binding protein that is known to regulate cytoskeleton architecture and cell migration. This multidomain protein is predominantely present at focal adhesions, however, a second pool of Lasp-1 molecules is also found at lamellipodia and vesicle-like microdomains in the cytosol. In this report, we show that Lasp-1 is a novel component and regulator of podosomes. Immunofluorescence studies reveal a localization of Lasp-1 in the podosome ring structure, where it colocalizes with zyxin and vinculin. Life cell imaging experiments demonstrate that Lasp-1 is recruited in early steps of podosome assembly. A siRNA-mediated Lasp-1 knockdown in human macrophages affects podosome dynamics as well as their matrix degradation capacity. In summary, our data indicate that Lasp-1 is a novel component of podosomes and is involved in the regulation of podosomal function.
PTH1R Mutants Found in Patients with Primary Failure of Tooth Eruption Disrupt G-Protein Signaling
(2016)
Aim
Primary failure of tooth eruption (PFE) is causally linked to heterozygous mutations of the parathyroid hormone receptor (PTH1R) gene. The mutants described so far lead to exchange of amino acids or truncation of the protein that may result in structural changes of the expressed PTH1R. However, functional effects of these mutations have not been investigated yet.
Materials and Methods
In HEK293 cells, PTH1R wild type was co-transfected with selected PTH1R mutants identified in patients with PFE. The effects on activation of PTH-regulated intracellular signaling pathways were analyzed by ELISA and Western immunoblotting. Differential effects of wild type and mutated PTH1R on TRESK ion channel regulation were analyzed by electrophysiological recordings in Xenopus laevis oocytes.
Results
In HEK293 cells, activation of PTH1R wild type increases cAMP and in response activates cAMP-stimulated protein kinase as detected by phosphorylation of the vasodilator stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). In contrast, the PTH1R mutants are functionally inactive and mutant PTH1R/Gly452Glu has a dominant negative effect on the signaling of PTH1R wild type. Confocal imaging revealed that wild type PTH1R is expressed on the cell surface, whereas PTH1R/Gly452Glu mutant is mostly retained inside the cell. Furthermore, in contrast to wild type PTH1R which substantially augmented K+ currents of TRESK channels, coupling of mutated PTH1R to TRESK channels was completely abolished.
Conclusions
PTH1R mutations affect intracellular PTH-regulated signaling in vitro. In patients with primary failure of tooth eruption defective signaling of PTH1R mutations is suggested to occur in dento-alveolar cells and thus may lead to impaired tooth movement.
Background
The vascular type represents a very rare, yet the clinically most fatal entity of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Patients are often admitted due to arterial bleedings and the friable tissue and the altered coagulation contribute to the challenge in treatment strategies. Until now there is little information about clotting characteristics that might influence hemostasis decisively and eventually worsen emergency situations.
Results
22 vascular type EDS patients were studied for hemoglobin, platelet volume and count, Quick and activated partial thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, factor XIII, von Willebrand disease, vitamin D and platelet aggregation by modern standard laboratory methods. Results show a high prevalence of over 50 % for platelet aggregation disorders in vascular type EDS patients, especially for collagen and epinephrine induced tests, whereas the plasmatic cascade did not show any alterations. Additionally, more than half of the tested subjects showed low vitamin D serum levels, which might additionally affect vascular wall integrity.
Conclusion
The presented data underline the importance of detailed laboratory screening methods in vascular type EDS patients in order to allow for targeted application of platelet-interacting substances that might be of decisive benefit in the emergency setting.
p38 Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is involved in the apoptosis of nucleated cells. Although platelets are anucleated cells, apoptotic proteins have been shown to regulate platelet lifespan. However, the involvement of p38 MAP kinase in platelet apoptosis is not yet clearly defined. Therefore, we investigated the role of p38 MAP kinase in apoptosis induced by a mimetic of BH3-only proteins, ABT-737, and in apoptosis-like events induced by such strong platelet agonists as thrombin in combination with convulxin (Thr/Cvx), both of which result in p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation and activation. A p38 inhibitor (SB202190) inhibited the apoptotic events induced by ABT-737 but did not influence those induced by Thr/Cvx. The inhibitor also reduced the phosphorylation of cytosolic phospholipase \(A_2\) (cPLA2), an established p38 substrate, induced by ABT-737 or Thr/Cvx. ABT-737, but not Thr/Cvx, induced the caspase 3-dependent cleavage and inactivation of cPLA2. Thus, p38 MAPK promotes ABT-737-induced apoptosis by inhibiting the cPLA2/arachidonate pathway. We also show that arachidonic acid (AA) itself and in combination with Thr/Cvx or ABT-737 at low concentrations prevented apoptotic events, whereas at high concentrations it enhanced such events. Our data support the hypothesis that the p38 MAPK-triggered arachidonate pathway serves as a defense mechanism against apoptosis under physiological conditions.
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by a genomic translocation generating a permanently active BCR-ABL oncogene with a complex pattern of atypically tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins that drive the malignant phenotype of CML. Recently, the LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1) was identified as a component of a six gene signature that is strongly predictive for disease progression and relapse in CML patients. However, the underlying mechanisms why LASP1 expression correlates with dismal outcome remained unresolved.
Here, we identified LASP1 as a novel and overexpressed direct substrate of BCR-ABL in CML. We demonstrate that LASP1 is specifically phosphorylated by BCR-ABL at tyrosine-171 in CML patients, which is abolished by tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Further studies revealed that LASP1 phosphorylation results in an association with CRKL - another specific BCR-ABL substrate and bona fide biomarker for BCR-ABL activity. pLASP1-Y171 binds to non-phosphorylated CRKL at its SH2 domain. Accordingly, the BCR-ABL-mediated pathophysiological hyper-phosphorylation of LASP1 in CML disrupts normal regulation of CRKL and LASP1, which likely has implications on downstream BCR-ABL signaling. Collectively, our results suggest that LASP1 phosphorylation might serve as an additional candidate biomarker for assessment of BCR-ABL activity and provide a first step toward a molecular understanding of LASP1 function in CML.
Several studies have linked overexpression of the LIM and SH3 domain protein 1 (LASP1) to progression of breast, colon, liver, and bladder cancer. However, its expression pattern and role in human prostate cancer (PCa) remained largely undefined.
Analysis of published microarray data revealed a significant overexpression of LASP1 in PCa metastases compared to parental primary tumors and normal prostate epithelial cells. Subsequent gene-set enrichment analysis comparing LASP1-high and -low PCa identified an association of LASP1 with genes involved in locomotory behavior and chemokine signaling. These bioinformatic predictions were confirmed in vitro as the inducible short hairpin RNA-mediated LASP1 knockdown impaired migration and proliferation in LNCaP prostate cancer cells.
By immunohistochemical staining and semi-quantitative image analysis of whole tissue sections we found an enhanced expression of LASP1 in primary PCa and lymph node metastases over benign prostatic hyperplasia. Strong cytosolic and nuclear LASP1 immunoreactivity correlated with PSA progression. Conversely, qRT-PCR analyses for mir-203, which is a known translational suppressor of LASP1 in matched RNA samples revealed an inverse correlation of LASP1 protein and mir-203 expression. Collectively, our results suggest that loss of mir-203 expression and thus uncontrolled LASP1 overexpression might drive progression of PCa.