Baseline data collections of lipopolysaccharide content in 414 herbal extracts and its role in innate immune activation.

Some herbal extracts contain relatively high amounts of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Because orally administered LPS activates innate immunity without inducing inflammation, it plays a role as an active ingredient in herbal extracts. However, the LPS content in herbal extracts remains extensively unevaluated. This study aimed to create a database of LPS content in herbal extracts; therefore, the LPS content of 414 herbal extracts was measured and the macrophage activation potential was evaluated. The LPS content of these hot water extracts was determined using the kinetic-turbidimetric method. The LPS concentration ranged from a few ng/g to hundreds of µg/g (Standard Escherichia coli LPS equivalent). Twelve samples had a high-LPS-content of > 100 µg/g, including seven samples from roots and three samples from leaves of the herbal extracts. These samples showed high phagocytosis and NO production capacity, and further investigation using polymyxin B, an LPS inhibitor, significantly inhibited macrophage activation. This study suggests that some herbal extracts contain sufficient LPS concentration to activate innate immunity. Therefore, a new approach to evaluate the efficacy of herbal extracts based on their LPS content was proposed. A database listing the LPS content of different herbal extracts is essential for this approach.

An international validation study of the interleukin-2 luciferase leukocyte toxicity test (IL-2 Luc LTT) to evaluate potential immunosuppressive chemicals and its performance after use with the interleukin-2 luciferase assay (IL-2 Luc assay).

We previously reported that the IL-2 Luc LTT can detect immunosuppressive effects of drugs that are attributed to their antimitotic activity. Here, we report an official validation study of the IL-2 Luc LTT. In the Phase I study that evaluated five coded chemicals, the within-laboratory reproducibility of three independent laboratories was 100.0%. In the combined results of the Phase I and II studies that evaluated 20 coded chemicals, the between-laboratory reproducibility was 92.0%. When compared with the reference data based on the previously-reported immunotoxicological information, the predictivity of the combined Phase I and II studies was 76.0% for Lab A and 72.0% for Labs B and C. In contrast, in the study in which the lead laboratory examined 37 non-pharmaceutical chemicals, the predictivity of the IL-2 Luc LTT and the IL-2 Luc assay was 48.6% and 64.9%, respectively, whereas that of the combined assays was 74.3%. It is clear that an integrated approach combining multiple assays is necessary for the development of in vitro immunosuppression testing. These data suggest that the IL-2 Luc LTT alone is not sufficient as a component of the integrated approach, but the combination of the IL-2 Luc assay and IL-2 Luc LTT is promising.

Surgical decision-making among patients with uncontrolled epilepsy: "Making important decisions about my brain, which I happen to love".

OBJECTIVE: To explore decision-making from patients' perceptions of risks and benefits of epilepsy surgery for refractory focal seizures. METHODS: Using constructivist grounded theory, in-person interviews were conducted with 35 adults with refractory focal epilepsy who were undergoing a pre-surgical evaluation or who had consented for surgery. RESULTS: For this sample of participants decision-making about surgery was complex, centering on the meaning of illness for the self and the impact of epilepsy and its treatment for significant others. Two interrelated categories crystalized from our data: the unique context of brain surgery and how the decisional counterweights of risks and benefits were considered. DISCUSSION: Exploring components of decision-making from the patients' perspective afforded an opportunity to describe thought processes intrinsic to how people with drug-resistant epilepsy weighed their treatment options. Tensions were evident in how decisions were made. We use the analogy of an imaginary tightrope-walker to create a visual image of what patients face as they consider the illness experience (past and present), their hopes for the future, and the simultaneous uncertainty centered around balancing the counterweights of treatment risks and benefits.

An international validation study of the IL-2 Luc assay for evaluating the potential immunotoxic effects of chemicals on T cells and a proposal for reference data for immunotoxic chemicals.

To evaluate the immunotoxic effects of xenobiotics, we have established the Multi-ImmunoTox assay, in which three stable reporter cell lines are used to evaluate the effects of chemicals on the IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-1ß and IL-8 promoters. Here, we report the official validation study of the IL-2 luciferase assay (IL-2 Luc assay). In the Phase I study that evaluated five coded chemicals in three sets of experiments, the average within-laboratory reproducibility was 86.7%. In the Phase II study, 20 coded chemicals were evaluated at multiple laboratories. In the combined results of the Phase I and II studies, the between-laboratory reproducibility was 80.0%. These results suggested that the IL-2 Luc assay was reproducible both between and within laboratories. To determine the predictivity, we collected immunotoxicological information and constructed the reference data by classifying the chemical into immunotoxic compounds targeting T cells or others according to previously reported criteria. When compared with the reference data, the average predictivity of the Phase I and II studies was 75.0%, while that of additional 60 chemicals examined by the lead laboratory was 82.5%. Although the IL-2 Luc assay alone is not sufficient to predict immunotoxicity, it will be a useful tool when combined with other immune tests.

The performance of an in vitro skin sensitisation test, IL-8 Luc assay (OECD442E), and the integrated approach with direct peptide reactive assay (DPRA).

In all current in vitro skin sensitisation assays, DMSO is used to dissolve water-insoluble chemicals. However, our previous study suggested the superiority of the modified IL-8 Luc assay (mIL-8 Luc), in which X-VIVOTM 15 is used to dissolve chemicals, over the original assay using DMSO (oIL-8 Luc). In this study, to confirm the superiority of the mIL-8 Luc, we first increased the number of chemicals examined and demonstrated the superiority of the mIL-8 Luc, in which the mIL-8 Luc provided 87.6% of sensitivity, 74.2% of specificity, and 84.6% of accuracy. Next, to clarify the cause of false negative judgment by the mIL-8 Luc, we examined the effects of physical properties of chemicals on judgment. The results demonstrated that high molecular weight, high LogKo/w, or poor water solubility, did not cause false negative judgment. When it was accepted as an OECD test guideline, the criteria of the mIL-8 Luc to determine sensitisers were modified to further decrease false negative judgment by poor solubility. By applying the new criteria, the test guideline IL-8 Luc assay (tgIL-8 Luc) improved sensitivity but decreased specificity and increased the number of chemicals that cannot be judged. To overcome this problem, we examined a simple combination of the tgIL-8 Luc with direct peptide reactive assay (DPRA), which could improve specificity and decrease the number of the chemicals that cannot be judged. These data suggest that the tgIL-8 Luc is a promising in vitro skin sensitisation assay in combination with other in vitro or in chemico methods.

Development of N- and O-linked oligosaccharide engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.

Yeast cells have been engineered for the production of glycoproteins as biopharmaceuticals with humanized N-linked oligosaccharides. The suppression of yeast-specific O-mannosylation is important to reduce immune response and to improve heterologous protein productivity in the production of biopharmaceuticals. However, so far, there are few reports of the engineering of both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides in yeast cells. In the present study, we describe the generation of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain capable of producing a glycoprotein with humanized Man5GlcNAc2 N-linked oligosaccharides, an intermediate of mammalian hybrid- and complex-type oligosaccharides, while suppressing O-mannosylation. First, a yeast strain that produces a glycoprotein with Man5GlcNAc2 was isolated by introducing msdS encoding α-1,2-mannosidase into a strain synthesizing Man8GlcNAc2 N-linked oligosaccharides. Next, to suppress O-mannosylation, an O-mannosyltransferase-deficient strain was generated by disrupting PMT1 and PMT2 Although the relative amount of O-linked oligosaccharides in the disruptant was reduced to approximately 40% of that in wild type cells, this strain exhibited growth defects and decreased protein productivity. To overcome the growth defects, we applied a mutagenesis technique that is based on the disparity theory of evolution. Finally, to improve protein productivity of the growth-recovered strain, vacuolar proteases PEP4 and PRB1 were further disrupted. Thus, by combining genetic engineering and disparity mutagenesis, we generated an Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain whose N- and O-linked oligosaccharide synthetic pathways were engineered to effectively produce the heterologous protein.

"It was five years of hell": Parental experiences of navigating and processing the slow and arduous time to pediatric resective epilepsy surgery.

OBJECTIVE: Children with medically refractory epilepsy stand to benefit from surgery and live a life free of seizures. However, a large proportion of potentially eligible children do not receive a timely referral for a surgical evaluation. We aimed to describe experiences during the arduous time before the referral and the parent-reported facilitators that helped them move forward through this slow time. METHODS: Individual semi-structured interviews with 37 parents of children who had previously undergone epilepsy surgery at UCLA (2006-2011) were recorded, transcribed, and systematically analyzed by two independent coders using thematic analysis. Clinical data were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: Parents, 41.3years of age on average, were mostly Caucasian, English-speaking, mothers, married, and employed. The mean age at surgery for children was 8.2years with a mean time from epilepsy onset to surgery of 5.4years. Parental decision-making was facilitated when parents eventually received a presurgical referral and navigated to a multidisciplinary team that they trusted to care for their child with medically refractory epilepsy. Four themes described the experiences that parents used to feel a sense of moving forward. The first theme, processing, involved working through feelings and was mostly done alone. The second theme, navigating the complex unknowns of the health-care system, was more active and purposeful. Processing co-occurred with navigating in a fluid intersection, the third theme, which was evidenced by deliberate actions. The fourth theme, facilitators, explained helpful ways of processing and navigating; parents utilized these mechanisms to turn vulnerable times following the distress of their child's diagnosis into an experience of productivity. SIGNIFICANCE: To limit parental distress and remediate the slow and arduous journey to multidisciplinary care at a comprehensive epilepsy center for a surgical evaluation, we suggest multi-pronged interventions to modify barriers associated with parents, providers, and health-care systems. Based on the facilitators that moved parents of our sample forward, we provide practical suggestions such as increased peer support, developing the role of patient navigators and communication strategies with parents before, during, and after referral to a comprehensive epilepsy center and presurgical evaluation.

Functional Expression and Characterization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Avt3p as a Vacuolar Amino Acid Exporter in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Avt3p and Avt4p mediate the extrusion of several amino acids from the vacuolar lumen into the cytosol. SpAvt3p of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a homologue of these vacuolar amino acid transporters, has been indicated to be involved in spore formation. In this study, we confirmed that GFP-SpAvt3p localized to the vacuolar membrane in S. pombe. The amounts of various amino acids increased significantly in the vacuolar pool of avt3Δ cells, but decreased in that of avt3+-overexpressing avt3Δ cells. These results suggest that SpAvt3p participates in the vacuolar compartmentalization of amino acids in S. pombe. To examine the export activity of SpAvt3p, we expressed the avt3+ gene in S. cerevisiae cells. We found that the heterologously overproduced GFP-SpAvt3p localized to the vacuolar membrane in S. cerevisiae. Using the vacuolar membrane vesicles isolated from avt3+-overexpressing S. cerevisiae cells, we detected the export activities of alanine and tyrosine in an ATP-dependent manner. These activities were inhibited by the addition of a V-ATPase inhibitor, concanamycin A, thereby suggesting that the activity of SpAvt3p is dependent on a proton electrochemical gradient generated by the action of V-ATPase. In addition, the amounts of various amino acids in the vacuolar pools of S. cerevisiae cells were decreased by the overproduction of SpAvt3p, which indicated that SpAvt3p was functional in S. cerevisiae cells. Thus, SpAvt3p is a vacuolar transporter that is involved in the export of amino acids from S. pombe vacuoles.

"A journey around the world": Parent narratives of the journey to pediatric resective epilepsy surgery and beyond.

OBJECTIVE: Although shorter time to pediatric resective epilepsy surgery is strongly associated with greater disease severity, other nonclinical diagnostic and sociodemographic factors also play a role. We aimed to examine parent-reported barriers to timely receipt of pediatric epilepsy surgery. METHODS: We conducted 37 interviews of parents of children who previously had resective epilepsy surgery at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA; 2006-2011). Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and systematically coded using thematic analysis by two independent coders, and subsequently checked for agreement. Clinical data, including "time to surgery" (age of epilepsy onset to surgery) were abstracted from medical records. RESULTS: The mean time to surgery was 5.3 years (standard deviation [SD] 3.8); surgery types included 32% hemispherectomy, 43% lobar/focal, and 24% multilobar. At surgery, parents were on average 38.4 years (SD 6.6) and children were on average 8.2 years (SD 4.7). The more arduous and longer aspect of the journey to surgery was perceived by parents to be experienced prior to presurgical referral. The time from second antiepileptic drug failure to presurgical referral was ≥ 1 year in 64% of children. Thematic analysis revealed four themes (with subthemes) along the journey to surgery and beyond: (1) recognition--"something is wrong" (unfamiliarity with epilepsy, identification of medical emergency); (2) searching and finding--"a circuitous journey" (information seeking, finding the right doctors, multiple medications, insurance obstacles, parental stress); (3) surgery is a viable option--"the right spot" (surgery as last resort, surgery as best option, hoping for candidacy); and (4) life now--"we took the steps we needed to" (a new life, giving back). SIGNIFICANCE: Multipronged interventions targeting parent-, provider-, and system-based barriers should focus on the critical presurgical referral period; such interventions are needed to remediate delays and improve access to subspecialty care for children with medically refractory epilepsy and potentially eligible for surgery.

Protease-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for the synthesis of human-compatible glycoproteins.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains engineered previously to produce proteins with mammalian high mannose structures showed severe growth defects and decreased protein productivity. In strain YAB101, derived from one of these strains by a mutagenesis technique based on the disparity theory of evolution, these undesirable phenotypes were alleviated. Here we describe further engineering of YAB101 with the aim of synthesizing heterologous glycoproteins with Man5GlcNAc2, an intermediate for the mammalian hybrid and complex type oligosaccharides. About 60% conversion of Man8GlcNAc2 to Man5GlcNAc2 was observed after integration of Aspergillus saitoi α-1,2-mannosidase fused to the transmembrane domain of S. cerevisiae Och1. To obtain a higher yield of the target protein, a protease-deficient version of this strain was generated by disruption of PEP4 and PRB1, resulting in YAB101-4. Inactivation of these vacuolar proteases enhanced the secretion of human interferon-ß by approximately 10-fold.

Functional expression of Schizosaccharomyces pombe Vba2p in the vacuolar membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A vacuolar membrane protein, Vba2p of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is involved in basic amino acid uptake by intact cells. Here we found evidence that Vba2p mediated ATP-dependent lysine uptake by vacuolar membrane vesicles of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Vba2p was also responsible for quinidine sensitivity, and the addition of lysine improved cell growth on quinidine-containing media. These findings should be useful for further characterization of Vba2p.

Mutagenesis of the residues forming an ion binding pocket of the NtpK subunit of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase.

The crystal structures of the Na(+)- and Li(+)-bound NtpK rings of Enterococcus hirae V-ATPase have been obtained. The coupling ion (Na(+) or Li(+)) was surrounded by five oxygen atoms contributed by residues T64, Q65, Q110, E139, and L61, and the hydrogen bonds of the side chains of Q110, Y68, and T64 stabilized the position of the E139 γ carboxylate essential for ion occlusion (PDB accession numbers 2BL2 and 2CYD). We previously indicated that an NtpK mutant strain (E139D) lost tolerance to sodium but not to lithium at alkaline pHs and suggested that the E139 residue is indispensable for the enzymatic activity of E. hirae V-ATPase linked with the sodium tolerance of this bacterium. In this study, we examined the activities of V-ATPase in which these four residues, except for E139, were substituted. The V-ATPase activities of the Q65A and Y68A mutants were slightly retained, but those of the T64A and Q110A mutants were negligible. Among the residues, T64 and Q110 are indispensable for the ion coupling of E. hirae V-ATPase, in addition to the essential residue E139.

Bfr1p is responsible for tributyltin resistance in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter plays an important role for resistance against xenobiotics. There are eleven ABC transporter genes in the genome of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We examined the role of ABC transporter against the toxicity of tributyltin chloride (TBT), a widespread environmental pollutant, in cell growth. Among individual ABC transporter mutants, the growth of a mutant deficient in Bfr1p, a plasma membrane-embedded transporter, was extremely sensitive to TBT. The lethal TBT concentration inducing 50% of cell death (LC(50)) was 25 µM for the parent strain and 10.2 µM for the bfr1∆ mutant. Thus, Bfr1p was responsible for TBT resistance in S. pombe.

Atg22p, a vacuolar membrane protein involved in the amino acid compartmentalization of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has a homolog of the budding yeast Atg22p, which is involved in spore formation (Mukaiyama H. et al., Microbiology, 155, 3816-3826 (2009)). GFP-tagged Atg22p in the fission yeast was localized to the vacuolar membrane. Upon disruption of atg22, the amino acid levels of the cellular fraction as well as the vacuolar fraction decreased. The uptake of several amino acids, such as lysine, histidine, and arginine, was impaired in atg22Δ cells. S. pombe Atg22p plays an important role in the compartmentalization of amino acids.

Processing and maturation of carboxypeptidase Y and alkaline phosphatase in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Schizosaccharomyces pombe carboxypeptidase Y (CPY) is synthesized as a zymogen and transported into the vacuole where maturation and activation occurs. The 110-kDa S. pombe CPY precursor is processed twice and finally converted to a mature form consisting of polypeptides of approximately 19 and 32 kDa linked by a single disulfide bond. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, maturation of CPY occurs mostly through the activity of vacuolar aspartyl protease Pep4p, whereas a Pep4p homolog has not been found in the S. pombe genome database. Based on analysis of protease-deficient mutants, we found that S. pombe CPY was not able to be processed or activated in isp6Δpsp3Δ double disruptants. Both Isp6p and Psp3p are subtilase-type serine proteases with related sequences. Moreover, alkaline phosphatase of S. pombe was found to be localized at the vacuolar membrane and was also unprocessed in isp6Δpsp3Δ double disruptants. Vacuolar localization of GFP-fused Isp6p and Psp3p was determined by fluorescence microscopy. These results suggest that the two serine proteases Isp6p and Psp3p are functional in the vacuole and are involved in proteolytic processing of vacuolar proteins.

Vba2p, a vacuolar membrane protein involved in basic amino acid transport in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

A recent study filling the gap in the genome sequence in the left arm of chromosome 2 of Schizosaccharomyces pombe revealed a homolog of budding yeast Vba2p, a vacuolar transporter of basic amino acids. GFP-tagged Vba2p in fission yeast was localized to the vacuolar membrane. Upon disruption of vba2, the uptake of several amino acids, including lysine, histidine, and arginine, was impaired. A transient increase in lysine uptake under nitrogen starvation was lowered by this mutation. These findings suggest that Vba2p is involved in basic amino acid transport in S. pombe under diverse conditions.

Vacuolar amino acid transporter Avt5p is responsible for lithium uptake in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe was sensitive to salinity; cell growth was stopped by 0.5 M NaCl and by 10 mM LiCl. The avt5+ gene encodes a vacuolar transporter with a broad specificity for amino acids. We found that the avt5Delta mutant became highly tolerant of Li+ and Na+ in growth. Concanamycin A-sensitive Li+ uptake as well as cellular Li+ content was lower in the avt5 mutant, suggesting a role of Avt5p in cellular uptake of toxic Li+.

Avt5p is required for vacuolar uptake of amino acids in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

We identified SPBC1685.07c of Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a novel vacuolar protein, Avt5p, with similarity to vacuolar amino acid transporters Avt5p from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Avt5p localizes to the vacuolar membrane and upon disruption of avt5, uptake of histidine, glutamate, tyrosine, arginine, lysine or serine was impaired. During nitrogen starvation, the transient increase of vacuolar lysine transport observed for wild-type cells still occurred in the mutant cells, however, uptake of glutamate did not significantly increase in response to nitrogen starvation. Our results show that under diverse growth conditions Avt5p is involved in vacuolar transport of a selective set of amino acids.

A simple and specific procedure to permeabilize the plasma membrane of Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Cu(2+)-treatment is a useful technique in selectively permeabilizing the fungal plasma membrane. We describe herein a practical application with Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Incubation of cells with 0.5 mM CuCl(2) at 30 degrees C for 20 min induced efficient leakage of cytosolic constituents. The kinetic characteristics of the calcium and amino acid flux from Cu(2+)-treated S. pombe cells suggested that the Cu(2+) treatment permeabilized the plasma membrane without loss of vacuolar function. As a further application of the method, the amino acid contents of Cu(2+)-treated and untreated cells were also determined. The amino acid pool of Cu(2+)-treated wild-type cells was enriched in basic amino acids but not in acidic amino acids, as is characteristic of the vacuolar amino acid pool of fungi, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Neurosporra crassa. The amino acid pool of the S. pombe V-ATPase mutant vma1Delta was also successfully determined. We conclude that the vacuolar amino acid pool of S. pombe can be measured using Cu(2+)-treated cells. The method is simple, inexpensive, and rapid relative to the isolation of vacuolar vesicles, making it useful in estimating vacuolar pools and transport across the vacuolar membrane.

Two fission yeast rab7 homologs, ypt7 and ypt71, play antagonistic roles in the regulation of vacuolar morphology.

Small guanine triphosphatases (GTPases) of the Rab family are key regulators of membrane trafficking events between the various subcellular compartments in eukaryotic cells. Rab7 is a conserved protein required in the late endocytic pathway and in lysosome biogenesis. A Schizosaccharomyces pombe (S. pombe) homolog of Rab7, Ypt7, is necessary for trafficking from the endosome to the vacuole and for homotypic vacuole fusion. Here, we identified and characterized a second fission yeast Rab7 homolog, Ypt71. Ypt71 is localized to the vacuolar membrane. Cells deleted for ypt71(+) exhibit normal growth rates and morphology. Interestingly, a ypt71 null mutant contains large vacuoles in contrast with the small fragmented vacuoles found in the ypt7 null mutant. Furthermore, the ypt71 mutation does not enhance or alleviate the temperature sensitivity or vacuole fusion defect of ypt7Delta cells. Like ypt7Delta cells, overexpression of ypt71(+) caused fragmentation of vacuoles and inhibits vacuole fusion under hypotonic conditions. Thus, the two S. pombe Rab7 homologs act antagonistically in regulating vacuolar morphology. Analysis of a chimeric Ypt7/Ypt71 protein showed that Rab7-directed vacuole dynamics, fusion versus fission, largely depends on the medial region of the protein, including a part of RabSF3/alpha3-L7.