Comprehensive lipidomics of lupus-prone mice using LC-MS/MS identifies the reduction of palmitoylethanolamide that suppresses TLR9-mediated inflammation.

Lipid mediators are known to play crucial roles not only in the onset of the inflammatory response but also in the induction of resolution of inflammation. Here, we report that palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous N-acylethanolamine, can suppress the inflammation induced by Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling both in vitro and in vivo. PEA was found to be significantly reduced in the serum and spleen of lupus-prone MRL/lpr mice analyzed by lipidomics. PEA suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokine production in a mouse macrophage cell line stimulated with TLR ligands such as lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan, poly (I:C), imiquimod, and CpG-ODN. PEA also inhibited both mRNA and protein levels of IL-6 in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and B cells stimulated with CpG-ODN. Augmentation of cell surface CD86 and CD40 on BMDCs and B cells, IgM production, and cell proliferation of B cells in response to CpG-ODN were attenuated by PEA. Moreover, PEA treatment significantly reduced mortality and serum IL-6 levels in mice injected with CpG-ODN plus D-galactosamine. Taken together, PEA ameliorates inflammation induced by TLR signaling, which could be a novel therapeutic target for inflammatory disorders.

Effects of sampling seasons and locations on fish environmental DNA metabarcoding in dam reservoirs.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis has seen rapid development in the last decade, as a novel biodiversity monitoring method. Previous studies have evaluated optimal strategies, at several experimental steps of eDNA metabarcoding, for the simultaneous detection of fish species. However, optimal sampling strategies, especially the season and the location of water sampling, have not been evaluated thoroughly. To identify optimal sampling seasons and locations, we performed sampling monthly or at two-monthly intervals throughout the year in three dam reservoirs. Water samples were collected from 15 and nine locations in the Miharu and Okawa dam reservoirs in Fukushima Prefecture, respectively, and five locations in the Sugo dam reservoir in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. One liter of water was filtered with glass-fiber filters, and eDNA was extracted. By performing MiFish metabarcoding, we successfully detected a total of 21, 24, and 22 fish species in Miharu, Okawa, and Sugo reservoirs, respectively. From these results, the eDNA metabarcoding method had a similar level of performance compared to conventional long-term data. Furthermore, it was found to be effective in evaluating entire fish communities. The number of species detected by eDNA survey peaked in May in Miharu and Okawa reservoirs, and in March and June in Sugo reservoir, which corresponds with the breeding seasons of many of fish species inhabiting the reservoirs. In addition, the number of detected species was significantly higher in shore, compared to offshore samples in the Miharu reservoir, and a similar tendency was found in the other two reservoirs. Based on these results, we can conclude that the efficiency of species detection by eDNA metabarcoding could be maximized by collecting water from shore locations during the breeding seasons of the inhabiting fish. These results will contribute in the determination of sampling seasons and locations for fish fauna survey via eDNA metabarcoding, in the future.

New PCR primers for metabarcoding environmental DNA from freshwater eels, genus Anguilla.

Freshwater eels of the genus Anguilla comprise 16 species that include three subspecies and are characterized by their unique catadromous life cycles. Their life histories and nocturnal life styles make it difficult to observe them in freshwater and marine habitats. To investigate their distribution and ecology in aquatic environments, we developed new PCR primers for metabarcoding environmental DNA (eDNA) from Anguilla. The new primers (MiEel) were designed for two conserved regions of the mitochondrial ATP6 gene, which amplify a variable region with sufficient interspecific variations ranging from five to 22 nucleotide differences (one to three nucleotide differences between three subspecies pairs). We confirmed the versatility of the MiEel primers for all freshwater eels using tissue DNA extracts when analyzed separately. The metabarcoding combined with the MiEel primers using mock communities enabled simultaneous detection of Anguilla at the species level. Analysis of eDNA samples from aquarium tanks, a controlled pond and natural rivers demonstrated that the MiEel metabarcoding could successfully detect the correct Anguilla species from water samples. These results suggested that eDNA metabarcoding with MiEel primers would be useful for non-invasively monitoring the presence of the endangered anguillid eels in aquatic environments where sampling surveys are difficult.

Efficacy of biolimus A9-eluting stent for treatment of right coronary ostial lesion with intravascular ultrasound guidance: a multi-center registry.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a biolimus A9-eluting stent in patients with a right coronary artery (RCA) ostial lesion. Ostial lesions of the RCA have been a limitation of percutaneous coronary intervention even in the drug-eluting stent (DES) era. However, clinical outcomes after the deployment of a second generation DES to an RCA ostial lesion with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) guidance have not been fully elucidated. From September 2011 to March 2013, 74 patients were enrolled in 17 centers from Japan. RCA ostial lesion was defined as de novo significant stenotic lesion located within 15 mm from ostium. IVUS was used for all cases to confirm the location of ostium and evaluate stent coverage of ostium. Patients with hemodialysis were excluded. The primary endpoint is a major adverse cardiac event (MACE) at 1 year. Forty two percent of patients had multi-vessel disease. Angiographically severe calcification was observed in 26% of the lesions. The mean stent diameter was 3.3 ± 0.3 mm (3.5 mm, 72%, 3.0 mm, 25%, and 2.75 and 2.5 mm, 3%), stent length was 17.5 ± 5.8 mm, and dilatation pressure of stenting was 15.6 ± 4.1 atm. RCA ostium was covered by stent in all lesions in IVUS findings. Post dilatation was performed for 64% of lesions (balloon size 3.7 ± 0.6 mm). MACE rate at 1 year was 5.4% (target lesion revascularization 5.4%, myocardial infarction 1.2%, and no cardiac death). The biolimus A9-eluting stent for RCA ostial lesions with IVUS guidance showed favorable results at 1-year follow-up.

Multinuclear zinc bisamidinate catalyzed asymmetric alkylation of α-ketoesters and its unique chemoselectivity.

The multinuclear Zn-bisamidinate catalyzed enantioselective addition of Et2Zn to α-ketoesters has been developed. The steric tuning of two amidinate units as well as multiple coordination on the Zn atoms play a key role in achieving high enantioselectivity (up to 98% ee) and unique chemoselectivity. The present catalyst exhibited the preferential alkylation of α-ketoesters even in the presence of aldehydes.

Two-year clinical outcome in patients with small coronary artery disease treated with everolimus- versus paclitaxel-eluting stenting.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary interventions involving small coronary vessels represent a true challenge because of the increased risk of restenosis and adverse outcomes. We evaluated the 2-year clinical outcomes between single everolimus-eluting stents (EES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in small coronary artery disease. METHODS: From the data of SACRA (SmAll CoronaRy Artery treated by TAXUS Liberté) and PLUM (PROMUS/Xience V Everolimus-ELUting Coronary Stent for sMall coronary artery disease) registries, 245 patients with 258 lesions and 264 patients with 279 lesions, respectively, were enrolled in this study. RESULTS: The 2-year clinical driven target lesion revascularization (4.5% vs. 10.6%, p=0.01) and target vessel revascularization (8.0% vs. 13.9%, p=0.03) rates were significantly lower in the EES group compared with the PES group. Major adverse cardiac events in the EES group tended to be lower than those in the PES group (8.7% vs. 14.3%, p=0.05). On the other hand, all new lesions for remote target vessel revascularization were observed at the proximal site of target lesions in both groups and those rates were not different between the two groups (3.4% vs. 3.3%, p>0.99). CONCLUSION: EES showed better clinical results at 2-year follow-up compared with PES in small coronary artery diseases, however, new lesions at the proximal remote site of the target lesion remain problematic.

Characterization of comparative genome-derived simple sequence repeats for acanthopterygian fishes.

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) have become one of the most popular molecular markers for population genetic studies. The application of SSR markers has often been limited to source species because SSR loci are too labile to be maintained in even closely related species. However, a few extremely conserved SSR loci have been reported. Here, we tested for the presence of conserved SSR loci in acanthopterygian fishes, which include over 14 000 species, by comparing the genome sequences of four acanthopterygian fishes. We also examined the comparative genome-derived SSRs (CG-SSRs) for their transferability across acanthopterygian fishes and their applicability to population genetic analysis. Forty-six SSR loci with conserved flanking regions were detected and examined for their transferability among seven nonacanthopterygian and 27 acanthopterygian fishes. The PCR amplification success rate in nonacanthopterygian fishes was low, ranging from 2.2% to 21.7%, except for Lophius litulon (Lophiiformes; 80.4%). Conversely, the rate in most acanthopterygian fishes exceeded 70.0%. Sequencing of these 46 loci revealed the presence of SSRs suitable for scoring while fragment analysis of 20 loci revealed polymorphisms in most of the acanthopterygian fishes. Population genetic analysis of Cottus pollux (Scorpaeniformes) and Sphaeramia orbicularis (Perciformes) using CG-SSRs showed that these populations did not deviate from linkage equilibrium or Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Furthermore, almost no loci showed evidence of null alleles, suggesting that CG-SSRs have strong resolving power for population genetic analysis. Our findings will facilitate the use of these markers in species in which markers remain to be identified.

Chiral Zn(II)-bisamidine complex as a Lewis-Brønsted combined acid catalyst: application to asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reactions of α-ketoesters.

Focusing on the steric and electronic properties of the resonance-stabilized amidine framework, a cationic metal-bisamidine complex was designed as a conjugated combined Lewis-Brønsted acid catalyst. The chiral Zn(II)-bisamidine catalyst prepared from the 2,2'-bipyridyl derived bisamidine ligand, ZnCl2, and AgSbF6 promoted asymmetric Mukaiyama aldol reaction of α-ketoester and α,α-disubstituted silyl enol ether to afford the α-hydroxyester having sequential quarternary carbons in good yield, albeit with low enantioselectivity. Addition of 1.0 equivalent of the fluoroalcohol having suitable acidity and bulkiness dramatically increased the enantioselectivity (up to 68% ee). DFT calculations suggested that this additive effect would be caused by self-assembly of the fluoroalcohol on the Zn(II)-bisamidine catalyst.

Population genetic structure of the striped silverside, Atherinomorus endrachtensis (Atherinidae, Atheriniformes, Teleostei), inhabiting marine lakes and adjacent lagoons in Palau: marine lakes are "Islands" for marine species.

Although evidence for the evolution of terrestrial species on islands continues to rapidly accumulate, little is known about the evolution of marine species in geographically isolated environments such as islands as ocean currents often facilitate gene flow among populations. In this study, we focused on marine lakes of the Palau Islands, which are considered to be true analogues of terrestrial islands for marine species. To examine evolutionary processes in marine lakes, we conducted population genetic analyses on marine lake and lagoon populations of the striped silverside, Atherinomorus endrachtensis, using two mitochondrial DNA markers differing in evolutionary rate, the cytochrome b gene and the control region. The analyses revealed that the amount of genetic diversity of marine lake populations is much lower than that of lagoon populations and high levels of genetic differentiation occur among marine lake and lagoon populations. The present study has shown that marine lake populations have been completely isolated and have differentiated from lagoon populations, and each marine lake population is experiencing different evolutionary processes. These findings clearly demonstrate that marine lakes are excellent environments for the evolutionary study of marine species.

Peripatric differentiation among adjacent marine lake and lagoon populations of a coastal fish, Sphaeramia orbicularis (Apogonidae, Perciformes, Teleostei).

The effect of geographical isolation on speciation, particularly within short geographical ranges, is poorly understood among marine organisms. Focusing on marine lakes of the Palau Islands, we investigated the effect of geographical isolation on Sphaeramia orbicularis, a coastal fish inhabiting marine lakes and lagoons. We collected a total of 157 individuals from three meromictic marine lakes and three lagoon sites, and analyzed the genetic diversity and differentiation of the populations based on complete sequences of the mitochondrial control region (824 bp). The analyses show that the genetic diversity of marine lake populations is much lower than that of lagoon populations. Moreover, a mismatch distribution analysis suggests that marine lake populations have experienced a decrease followed by a rapid expansion of their population size. These results reveal that marine lake populations have experienced severe founder and/or bottleneck events during the last thousand to tens of thousand years. Pairwise Phi(ST )values ranged from 0.531 to 0.848 between marine lake and lagoon populations and from 0.429 to 0.870 among marine lake populations, indicating a high degree of genetic differentiation. We speculate that such peripatric differentiation between marine lake and lagoon populations was caused by a small number of individuals colonizing the lakes from the lagoon (founder event) followed by repetitive bottleneck events, such as those generated by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). So far, such high genetic divergences in extremely short geographical ranges (approximately 150-250 m) have scarcely been reported for marine organisms. We suggest that the marine lake is one of the good model of geographical isolation in marine organisms and each marine lake population is in the early stages of speciation.

Blockade of the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 accelerates graft arterial disease in cardiac allografts.

BACKGROUND: Programmed death-1 (PD-1), a member of the CD28 family, has been identified. PD-1 is involved in the negative regulation of some immune responses. We evaluated the role of PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in graft arterial disease (GAD) of cardiac allografts and in smooth muscle cells (SMCs). METHODS AND RESULTS: C57BL/6 murine hearts were transplanted into B6.C-H2KhEg mice for examination of GAD. PD-L1 was expressed in SMCs of the thickened intima in the graft coronary arteries, and administration of anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) enhanced the progression of GAD (luminal occlusion: 55+/-5.0% versus 9.8+/-4.3%, P<0.05). The expressions of interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor alpha of cardiac allografts were upregulated in response to anti-PD-L1 mAb treatment. In vitro, PD-L1 expression was induced in SMCs in response to IFN-gamma stimulation. Sensitized splenocytes increased SMC proliferation, and anti-PD-L1 mAb in combination with IFN-gamma stimulation increased this proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: The PD-L1 pathway regulates both the proliferation of SMCs and GAD. Thus, control of this interaction is a promising strategy for suppression of GAD.

E-selectin blockade decreases adventitial inflammation and attenuates intimal hyperplasia in rat carotid arteries after balloon injury.

OBJECTIVE: Inflammation is one of the initial repair processes after vascular injury. E-selectin facilitates adherence of leukocytes to vascular endothelium at the site of inflammation. Because the role of E-selectin in this process is not fully understood, we studied the role of E-selectin in vascular injury with a flow chamber model and a rat model of carotid artery injury. METHODS AND RESULTS: We established a rat aortic endothelial cell (RAEC) culture system from the aortas of adult male rats. When rat myelomonocytes were suspended in a flow chamber, rolling and adhesion to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAECs were observed. Cell rolling and adhesion were greatly reduced by addition of anti-E-selectin monoclonal antibody (mAb). We then induced balloon injury in the left carotid arteries of rats. E-selectin expression was enhanced in endothelial cells at adventitial small vessels 7 days after injury. Rats with balloon injury were injected intraperitoneally with anti-E-selectin mAb for 8 days. Inflammatory cell infiltration was reduced by anti-E-selectin mAb treatment at the adventitia at 7 days after injury. This reduction was associated with attenuation of intimal hyperplasia in the rats treated with the mAb. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that E-selectin regulates adventitial inflammation through leukocyte adhesion and contributes to the process of intimal hyperplasia after balloon injury.

Attenuation of graft arterial disease by manipulation of the LIGHT pathway.

OBJECTIVE: The tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily member LIGHT, which binds herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) and lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbetaR), plays important roles in regulating the immune response. To clarify the mechanism underlying graft arterial disease (GAD), we investigated the role of the LIGHT pathway in the progression of GAD. METHODS AND RESULTS: Hearts from Bm12 mice were transplanted into C57BL/6 (B/6) mice (class II mismatch). Recipients were injected intraperitoneally with HVEMIg (100 microg per treatment) every 7 days for 8 weeks. Treatment with HVEMIg significantly attenuated GAD (luminal occlusion=16.5+/-7.7% versus control allograft=62.6+/-12.1%, P<0.05), and significantly decreased intragraft IL-4, IL-6, and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) mRNA expression compared with controls. LTbetaR was expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) with or without cytokine stimulation, whereas HVEM was detected in SMCs stimulated by IFN-gamma. Coculture of SMCs with T cells after transplantation induced SMC proliferation, and addition of HVEMIg resulted in inhibition of SMC proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the LIGHT pathway plays important roles in the regulation not only of T-cell activation but also of SMC proliferation. Blockade of the LIGHT pathway is a promising avenue for the prevention of GAD.

Blockade of cell adhesion by a small molecule selectin antagonist attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Reperfusion injury is related closely to inflammatory reactions such as the activation and accumulation of neutrophils. We investigated the efficacy of a novel small molecule selectin antagonist (bimosiamose) in a rat model of transient left coronary artery occlusion (30 min) and reperfusion (24 h). Treatment with bimosiamose (25 mg/kg, intravenously at reperfusion) showed a significant reduction in infarction area/area at risk of approximately 41% compared to vehicle control (P=0.01) and preserved the left ventricular function. The accumulation of polymorphonuclear neutrophils at the site of area at risk was decreased significantly, accompanied by 78% reduction of the myeloperoxidase activity. Parallel-plate flow chamber analysis revealed that bimosiamose showed a significant inhibition in rolling (62%, P<0.001) and adhesion (38%, P<0.05) of HL-60 cells to activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells compared with vehicle control. This study demonstrates for the first time that bimosiamose, a novel small molecule selectin antagonist, attenuates significantly ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Induction of immunologic tolerance to cardiac allograft by simultaneous blockade of inducible co-stimulator and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Inducible co-stimulator (ICOS) is one of the most recently described members of the CD28 family, and it plays an important role in immune responses. To investigate the role of ICOS in allograft rejection, the authors studied graft survival after cardiac transplantation in mice. METHODS: Hearts from BALB/c mice were transplanted into C3H/He mice. Immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry were performed. Monoclonal antibody to ICOS or ICOS-immunoglobulin (Ig) was injected intraperitoneally. The authors performed mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). RESULTS: ICOS was expressed strongly by graft-infiltrating cells during rejection of the allograft. Blockade of the ICOS pathway with anti-ICOS antibody and ICOSIg significantly prolonged graft survival time relative to that in untreated mice; however, all cardiac allografts were eventually rejected by a single treatment. Treatment with both ICOSIg and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) Ig induced not only long-term acceptance of the cardiac allograft but also donor-specific tolerance, which was shown by acceptance of donor but not third-party skin. Graft arterial intimal hyperplasia in these cardiac allografts was remarkably less than that in cardiac allografts treated with tacrolimus. Addition of anti-ICOS antibody or ICOSIg to MLR resulted in inhibition of T-cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Inhibition of T-cell proliferation with ICOSIg and CTLA4Ig was more effective than that with ICOSIg alone. Thus, ICOS appears to be an important regulator of T-cell activation, and may be an effective therapy in clinical cardiac transplantation.