USP39 Regulates NF-κB-Mediated Inflammatory Responses through Deubiquitinating K48-Linked IκBα.

IκBα is a critical protein that inhibits NF-κB nuclear translocation and impairs NF-κB-mediated signaling. The abundance of IκBα determines the activation and restoration of the inflammatory response. However, posttranslational regulation of IκBα remains to be fully understood. In this study, we identified ubiquitin-specific protease 39 (USP39) as a negative regulator in the NF-κB inflammatory response by stabilizing basal IκBα. The expression of USP39 in macrophages was reduced under LPS-induced inflammation. Knockdown or knockout of USP39 in macrophages significantly increased the expression and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines upon exposure to LPS or Escherichia coli, whereas reexpression of exogenous USP39 in USP39-deficient macrophages rescued the effect. Moreover, USP39-defective mice were more sensitive to LPS or E. coli-induced systemic sepsis. Mechanistically, USP39 interacted with and stabilized IκBα by reducing K48-linked polyubiquination of IκBα. Taken together, to our knowledge, our study for the first time revealed the inhibitory function of USP39 in the NF-κB inflammatory response, providing a previously unknown mechanism for control of inflammatory cytokine induction in the cellular anti-inflammatory response.

Indole derivative XCR-5a alleviates LPS-induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo.

CONTEXT: Few studies on anti-inflammatory drugs with indole groups have been published. This is the first study that demonstrates the anti-inflammatory effects of indole derivative XCR-5a in vitro and in vivo. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to discover more anti-inflammatory drugs with indole groups and investigate their anti-inflammatory mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, a series of indole derivatives was synthesized, then screened for XCR-5a, a compound with anti-inflammatory effects. Second, the in vitro production of IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced primary cells of mice pretreated with XCR-5a was determined using qPCR and ELISA. Finally, the effect of XCR-5a on LPS-induced NF-κB signaling activation was determined by Western blotting. An in vivo mouse sepsis model was established. In mouse lung tissue, the production of IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α was determined and H&E staining was performed. RESULTS: Our findings showed that XCR-5a could suppress the production of LPS-induced IL-1ß, IL-6, and TNF-α, as well as mRNA expression of iNOS and COX-2. Pretreatment with XCR-5a inhibited the LPS-induced inflammatory response in septic mice in vivo by decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines production in serum and reducing immune cell infiltration. Mechanistically, XCR-5a suppressed LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS: XCR-5a has anti-inflammatory effects in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, XCR-5a could be a potential drug candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Preparation of novel cisplatin-conjugated hollow gold nanospheres for targeting cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a deadly gynecological malignancy in need of innovative treatment strategies. Emerging preclinical data has suggested the benefits of nanocarriers over the traditional chemotherapy for cancer treatment. In particular, gold nanoparticles are gaining popularity due to gold's inert nature, limited side effects, good cytocompatibility, and flexibility in preparation/modification. We conjugated polyethylene glycol (PEG) with hollow gold nanospheres (HGNs) and loaded the pegylated HGNs with an anticancer drug, cisplatin to target cervical cancer. HGNs were irradiated with noninfrared laser to increase the penetration of drug into tumor tissue and improve the delivery of cisplatin. We investigated the comparative characterization studies of prepared cisplatin loaded pegylated HGNs (cis PEG-HGNs), free cisplatin, cisplatin loaded HGNs (cis-HGNs), cis PEG-HGNs without laser, and cis PEG-HGNs with laser and its effects over cervical cancer cells. Transmission electron microscopy photomicrographs confirmed the integrity of prepared HGNs. While no significant difference was observed between encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of cis-HGNs (84.6%) and cis PEG-HGNs (86.7%), the encapsulation efficiency increased almost twice in HGNs, compared with control gold nanoparticles (GNs) because of the hollow cavity in HGNs. In-vitro cytotoxicity was measured by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay using HeLa cells. With irradiation, HGNs induced much elevated cytotoxicity. Not only HGNs were internalized by HeLa cells, they were retained in the cellular compartment. We also tested formulations in vivo and observed that the irradiated cis-HGNs and cis PEG-HGNs were most effective in regressing tumors in mice.

Let-7g inhibits synthesis of estradiol by downregulating activity of aromatase in JEG3 cells.

BACKGROUND: Increased production of estrogen in human placenta during pregnancy closely associates with parturition. Aromatase, encoded by CYP19A1 gene, is an enzyme critical for biosynthesis of estrogen. Despite numerous efforts in the past few decades ascribed to characterizing the mechanisms of transcriptional control of aromatase, the posttranscriptional control of CYP19A1 remains poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we sought to investigate the role of microRNA, let-7g, in posttranscriptional regulation of aromatase in human trophoblast choriocarcinoma cell line, JEG3. METHODS AND RESULTS: We show that the expression of let-7g was downregulated in JEG3 cell line, but upregulated in primary term trophoblast; conversely, aromatase was upregulated in JEG3 but downregulated in primary trophoblast. We further show that let-7g antagomirs and mimics increased and decreased aromatase expression, respectively; and let-7g directly targeted 3'-untranslated region of CYP19A1 mRNA by using dual luciferase assay. Using ELISA, we also demonstrate that let-7g antagomirs and mimics robustly increased and decreased production of estradiol, respectively. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that aromatase expression is regulated at multiple molecular layers in the placenta. These results further suggest that JEG3 cell line is a valuable tool to study additional mechanisms associated with human birth.

Long Noncoding RNA LINC00261 Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Invasion and Promotes Cell Apoptosis in Human Choriocarcinoma.

Choriocarcinoma is one of the gestational trophoblastic neoplasias (GTNs) that originate in the chorionic villi and the extravillous trophoblast. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a type of non-protein-coding RNAs that have recently been implicated in human tumorigenesis. The present study investigated the role of the lncRNA LINC00261 in cell proliferation, metastasis, and apoptosis in choriocarcinoma cell lines. The transcription level of LINC00261 was significantly lower in choriocarcinoma tissues and in choriocarcinoma cell lines. Overexpression of LINC00261 caused a decrease in cell proliferation and arrested the cell cycle at the G0/G1 phase. Furthermore, overexpression of LINC00261 inhibited cell migration and invasion. Meanwhile, it promoted cell apoptosis and the relative activities of caspase 3 and caspase 9 in choriocarcinoma JEG-3 and JAR cells. These data suggested that LINC00261 promotes cell proliferation and metastasis in choriocarcinoma. Our data might provide novel insight into the early diagnosis and treatment of choriocarcinoma in clinics.

Ceftriaxone pretreatment reduces the propensity of postpartum depression following stroke during pregnancy in rats.

OBJECTIVE: Ischemic stroke increases the propensity to develop depression in humans and laboratory animals, and we hypothesized that such an incidence during pregnancy may increase the risk for the development of postpartum depression (PPD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we used bilateral common carotid arteries occlusion (BCCAO) to induce transient cerebral ischemia in pregnant rats, and evaluated its effects on subsequent development of PPD in dams. Additionally, we investigated whether ceftriaxone pretreatments before the induction of brain ischemia could alter the propensity of PPD. RESULTS: We found that 15min BCCAO during pregnancy enhanced immobility time and reduced the frequency of swimming or climbing behaviors in the forced swim test, and decreased the sucrose preference in dams at postpartum day 21. Such behavioral alterations were associated with lower level of GLT-1 expression in the medial prefrontal cortical regions (mPFC) of PPD dams. Specifically, mPFC GLT-1 expression levels in dams with ischemia history were correlated with sucrose preference levels at postpartum day 21. Finally, ceftriaxone pretreatment (200mg/kg/day, 5days) before the 15min BCCAO prevented the development of PPD, and prevented the reduction of GLT-1 expression in the mPFC. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results suggested that ceftriaxone pretreatment before brain ischemia during pregnancy may reduce the propensity for the development of PPD by preventing the loss of GLT-1 expression in the mPFC.

Targeting surface-layer proteins with single-domain antibodies: a potential therapeutic approach against Clostridium difficile-associated disease.

Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of death from gastrointestinal infections in North America. Antibiotic therapy is effective, but the high incidence of relapse and the rise in hypervirulent strains warrant the search for novel treatments. Surface layer proteins (SLPs) cover the entire C. difficile bacterial surface, are composed of high-molecular-weight (HMW) and low-molecular-weight (LMW) subunits, and mediate adherence to host cells. Passive and active immunization against SLPs has enhanced hamster survival, suggesting that antibody-mediated neutralization may be an effective therapeutic strategy. Here, we isolated a panel of SLP-specific single-domain antibodies (VHHs) using an immune llama phage display library and SLPs isolated from C. difficile hypervirulent strain QCD-32g58 (027 ribotype) as a target antigen. Binding studies revealed a number of VHHs that bound QCD-32g58 SLPs with high affinity (K D = 3-6 nM) and targeted epitopes located on the LMW subunit of the SLP. The VHHs demonstrated melting temperatures as high as 75 °C, and a few were resistant to the gastrointestinal protease pepsin at physiologically relevant concentrations. In addition, we demonstrated the binding specificity of the VHHs to the major C. difficile ribotypes by whole cell ELISA, where all VHHs were found to bind 001 and 027 ribotypes, and a subset of antibodies were found to be broadly cross-reactive in binding cells representative of 012, 017, 023, and 078 ribotypes. Finally, we showed that several of the VHHs inhibited C. difficile QCD-32g58 motility in vitro. Targeting SLPs with VHHs may be a viable therapeutic approach against C. difficile-associated disease.

Assembly of indenamine derivatives through in situ formed N-sulfonyliminium ion initiated cyclization.

An expedient route to structurally diverse indenamine derivatives through condensation of the readily accessible substituted cinnamylaldehydes and sulfonylamines under the catalysis of FeCl3 has been developed, featuring high efficiency in the generation of two bonds and one ring in a single-step and water as the only by-product.

6,6'-Dihydr-oxy-2,2'-[(butane-1,4-diyldi-oxy)bis-(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenol.

The mol-ecule of the centrosymmetric title compound, C(18)H(20)N(2)O(6), assumes an E configuration with respect to the azomethine C=N bond. The imino group is coplanar with the aromatic ring. Intra-molecular O-H⋯O and O-H⋯N bonds are found between the hydroxyl groups and adjacent O (or N) atoms. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular O-H⋯O bonds link each mol-ecule to two others, forming a layered network.

6,6'-Dihydr-oxy-2,2'-[(propane-1,3-diyl-dioxy)bis-(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenol.

The mol-ecule of the title compound, C(17)H(18)N(2)O(6), adopts a V-shaped conformation, the dihedral angle between the two halves of the mol-ecule being 81.31 (4) °. There is one half-mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit, with a crystallographic twofold rotation axis passing through the central C atom. There are strong intra-molecular O-H⋯N and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving the hydr-oxy group and adjacent O and N atoms. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the mol-ecules, forming an infinite three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

6,6'-Dihydr-oxy-2,2'-[(pentane-1,5-diyl-dioxy)bis-(nitrilo-methyl-idyne)]diphenol.

The mol-ecule of the title compound, C(19)H(22)N(2)O(6), assumes a W-shaped configuration with the dihedral angle between the two halves of the mol-ecule being 82.48 (5)°. There is one half-mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit with a crystallographic twofold rotation axis passing through the central C atom of the five methylene groups in the [-CH=N-O-(CH(2))(5)-O-N=CH-] bridge. The dihedral angle formed by the two benzene rings in each mol-ecule of the title compound is 84.18 (4)°. There are strong intra-molecular O-H⋯N and O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and weak inter-molecular π-π stacking inter-actions between neighbouring benzene rings, and the inter-molecular plane-to-plane distances are 3.488 (2) and 3.841 (3) Šalong the b and c axes, respectively. In the crystal structure, inter-molecular O-H⋯O hydrogen bonds link each mol-ecule to two others, forming an infinite three-dimensional supra-molecular structure.

2,2'-{1,1'-[Pentane-1,5-diyl-bis(oxy-nitrilo)]-diethyl-idyne}diphenol.

In the title compound, C(21)H(26)N(2)O(4), there is half a mol-ecule in the asymmetric unit with a crystallographic twofold rotation axis passing through the central C atom of the -CH=N-O-(CH(2))(5)-O-N=CH- bridge. The dihedral angle formed by the two benzene rings is 80.85 (2)°. Strong intra-molecular O-H⋯N and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds help to establish the molecular conformation. There are also weak inter-molecular π-π stacking inter-actions between neighbouring benzene rings [centroid-centroid separation = 3.502 (3) Å].