Rapid communication: a vegetable oil extract restores redox status in fibroblasts from psoriatic patients.

Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin disease that affects 2-5% of the worldwide population. It is a chronic immune-mediated hyperproliferative inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology, characterized by the appearance of sore patches of thick, red skin with silvery scales.

Altered redox status in the blood of psoriatic patients: involvement of NADPH oxidase and role of anti-TNF-α therapy.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic hyperproliferative inflammatory skin disease, characterized by a generalized redox imbalance. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α therapy is widely used for the treatment of this disease, but its effect on blood redox status hasn't been explored. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of anti-TNF-α therapy on blood redox status in psoriatic patients. METHODS: Twenty-nine psoriatic patients (PSO) were divided into two groups: one remained untreated (NRT) and to another the anti-TNF-α therapy was prescribed (TR). The levels of main oxidative stress markers and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in plasma, levels of total reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipoperoxidation, TAC, glutathione content, and activity of NADPH oxidase in white blood cells (WBC) were evaluated in PSO, in NTR and TR after 6 months of the study. RESULTS: Plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl content (PCO), ROS production, lipoperoxidation, and glutathione content in WBC were increased, while TAC in both plasma and WBC was decreased in PSO with respect to controls. In the plasma of TR, levels of MDA and PCO were significantly lower with respect to PSO and NTR. The activity of NADPH oxidase was significantly increased in WBC of PSO and NTR but not in TR versus controls. DISCUSSION: Our results represent novel data about the redox status of WBC in psoriatic patients. A significant redox-balancing effect of anti-TNF-α therapy, probably associated with the normalization of NADPH oxidase activity in WBC, was demonstrated.

[Parameters which affect the estimation of protein mobility by method FRAP in living cells on the example of protein fibrillarin].

Method FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) in combination with confocal laser scanning microscopy represents one of the principal approaches in studying the properties of proteins in living mammal cells. However, the data of different authors on the dynamic properties of the same protein and even in cells of the same type can differ greatly. The reasons of such discrepancies were not specifically analyzed yet. In the present work, on the example of the nucleolar protein fibrillarin fused to EGFP, was studied the impact of area of the region of interest (ROI) and temperature conditions on the main dynamic characteristics of the protein, such as mobile fraction and time for half-time of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (t1/2). Obtained results suggest that both parameters have a great impact on the estimation of mobile properties of fibrillarin-EGFP in HeLa cells. Was concluded that during FRAP experiments the area of ROI has to be standardized and, as possible, minimized. Moreover, analyzing the dynamic properties of the nucleolar proteins, which take part in the temperature-sensitive reactions, the standard temperature conditions should also be standardized.

Analysis of nucleolar protein fibrillarin mobility and functional state in living HeLa cells.

Fibrillarin is an evolutionarily-conserved and obligatory protein component of eukaryotic cell nucleoli involved in pre-rRNA processing and methylation. In vertebrates the fibrillarin molecule contains two cysteine residues (Cys99 and Cys268) whose sulfhydryl groups are able to establish intramolecular -S-S- bridges. However, the functional state of fibrillarin with reduced or oxidized thiol groups is still practically unstudied. Besides, there are no data in the literature concerning existence of the -S-S- fibrillarin form in human cells. To answer these questions, we used plasmids encoding native human fibrillarin and its mutant form devoid of cysteine residues (fibrillarinC99/268S) fused with EGFP for temporary transfection of HeLa cells. The mobile fraction localizing the enzymatically active protein molecules and the fluorescence half-recovery time characterizing the rate of enzymatic reactions were determined by the FRAP technique using a confocal laser scanning microscope. Measurements were carried out at 37 and 27°C. The results show that the fibrillarin pool in HeLa cells includes two protein forms, with reduced SH groups and with oxidized SH groups forming intramolecular -S-S- bridges between Cys99 and Cys268. However, the absence of Cys99 and Cys268 has no effect on intracellular localization of fibrillarin and its main dynamic parameters. The human fibrillarin form without disulfide bridges is included into the mobile protein fraction and is consistent with its functionally active state.