iPSC-derived functional human neuromuscular junctions model the pathophysiology of neuromuscular diseases.

The control of voluntary skeletal muscle contraction relies on action potentials, which send signals from the motor neuron through the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Although dysfunction of the NMJ causes various neuromuscular diseases, a reliable in vitro system for disease modeling is currently unavailable. Here, we present a potentially novel 2-step, self-organizing approach for generating in vitro human NMJs from human induced pluripotent stem cells. Our simple and robust approach results in a complex NMJ structure that includes functional connectivity, recapitulating in vivo synapse formation. We used these in vitro NMJs to model the pathological features of spinal muscular atrophy, revealing the developmental and functional defects of NMJ formation and NMJ-dependent muscular contraction. Our differentiation system is therefore useful for investigating and understanding the physiology and pathology of human NMJs.

Unlabeled image analysis-based cell viability assay with intracellular movement monitoring.

The need for technologies to monitor cell health is increasing with advancements in the field of cell therapy and regenerative medicine. In this study, we demonstrated unlabeled optical metabolic imaging of cultured living cells. This imaging technique is based on motion vector analysis with a block-matching algorithm to compare sequential time-lapse images. Motion vector analysis evaluates the movement of intracellular granules observed with a phase-contrast microscope. We demonstrated that the motion speed of intracellular movement reflects adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent intracellular trafficking in cells. We also confirmed that intracellular motion speed is correlated with the ATP concentrations of the cells. This assay can measure cellular viability at a single-cell level without requiring any reagents.

Skeletal muscle-specific calpain is an intracellular Na+-dependent protease.

Because intracellular [Na(+)] is kept low by Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, Na(+) dependence is generally considered a property of extracellular enzymes. However, we found that p94/calpain 3, a skeletal-muscle-specific member of the Ca(2+)-activated intracellular "modulator proteases" that is responsible for a limb-girdle muscular dystrophy ("calpainopathy"), underwent Na(+)-dependent, but not Cs(+)-dependent, autolysis in the absence of Ca(2+). Furthermore, Na(+) and Ca(2+) complementarily activated autolysis of p94 at physiological concentrations. By blocking Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, we confirmed intracellular autolysis of p94 in cultured cells. This was further confirmed using inactive p94:C129S knock-in (p94CS-KI) mice as negative controls. Mutagenesis studies showed that much of the p94 molecule contributed to its Na(+)/Ca(2+)-dependent autolysis, which is consistent with the scattered location of calpainopathy-associated mutations, and that a conserved Ca(2+)-binding sequence in the protease acted as a Na(+) sensor. Proteomic analyses using Cs(+)/Mg(2+) and p94CS-KI mice as negative controls revealed that Na(+) and Ca(2+) direct p94 to proteolyze different substrates. We propose three roles for Na(+) dependence of p94; 1) to increase sensitivity of p94 to changes in physiological [Ca(2+)], 2) to regulate substrate specificity of p94, and 3) to regulate contribution of p94 as a structural component in muscle cells. Finally, this is the first example of an intracellular Na(+)-dependent enzyme.

Detection of the CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer using a nucleic acid probe with cycling probe technology.

An isothermal signal amplification technique for specific DNA sequences, known as cycling probe technology (CPT), has enabled rapid acquisition of genomic information. Here we report an analogous technique for the detection of an activated transcription factor, a transcription element-binding assay with fluorescent amplification by apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) site lysis cycle (TEFAL). This simple amplification assay can detect activated transcription factors by using a unique nucleic acid probe containing a consensus binding sequence and an AP site, which enables the CPT reaction with AP endonuclease. In this article, we demonstrate that this method detects the functional CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer via the TEFAL probe containing the E-box consensus sequence to which the CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer binds. Using TEFAL combined with immunoassays, we measured oscillations in the amount of CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer in serum-stimulated HeLa cells. Furthermore, we succeeded in measuring the circadian accumulation of the functional CLOCK/BMAL1 heterodimer in human buccal mucosa cells. TEFAL contributes greatly to the study of transcription factor activation in mammalian tissues and cell extracts and is a powerful tool for less invasive investigation of human circadian rhythms.

Interleukin-1 beta up-regulates TACE to enhance alpha-cleavage of APP in neurons: resulting decrease in Abeta production.

The proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1beta is up-regulated in microglial cells surrounding amyloid plaques, leading to the hypothesis that IL-1beta is a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. However, we unexpectedly found that IL-1beta significantly enhanced alpha-cleavage, indicated by increases in sAPPalpha and C83, but reduced beta-cleavage, indicated by decreases in sAPPbeta and Abeta40/42, in human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells. IL-1beta did not significantly alter the mRNA levels of BACE1, ADAM-9, and ADAM-10, but up-regulated that of TACE by threefold. The proform and mature form of TACE protein were also significantly up-regulated. A TACE inhibitor (TAPI-2) concomitantly reversed the IL-1beta-dependent increase in sAPPalpha and decrease in sAPPbeta, suggesting that APP consumption in the alpha-cleavage pathway reduced its consumption in the beta-cleavage pathway. IL-1Ra, a physiological antagonist for the IL-1 receptor, reversed the effects of IL-1beta, suggesting that the IL-1beta-dependent up-regulation of alpha-cleavage is mediated by the IL-1 receptor. IL-1beta also induced this concomitant increase in alpha-cleavage and decrease in beta-cleavage in mouse primary cultured neurons. Taken together we conclude that IL-1beta is an anti-amyloidogenic factor, and that enhancement of its signaling or inhibition of IL-1Ra activity could represent potential therapeutic strategies against Alzheimer's disease.

Screening a series of sialyltransferases for possible BACE1 substrates.

Deposition of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain are hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. BACE1, a membrane-bound aspartic protease that cleaves amyloid precursor protein (APP) to produce Abeta, has been implicated in triggering the pathogenesis of the disease. We previously reported that BACE1 also cleaved alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I) in the Golgi apparatus and induced its secretion from the cell. Since most glycosyltransferases show Golgi localization and many of these are cleaved and secreted from the cell, we hypothesized that other glycosyltransferases may also be BACE1 substrates. Here, we focused on a series of sialyltransferases as candidates for BACE1 substrates. We found that BACE1 cleaved polysialyltransferase ST8Sia IV (PST) in vitro. We further found that BACE1 overexpression in COS cells enhanced the secretion of ST3Gal I, II, III and IV, although these sialyltransferases were not cleaved by BACE1 in vitro. These results suggest that BACE1 expression affects glycosylation not only by directly cleaving glycosyltransferases but also by modifying the secretion of glycosyltransferases via some other mechanisms.

Sialylation enhances the secretion of neurotoxic amyloid-beta peptides.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by amyloid-beta peptide (Abeta) deposition in the brain. Abeta is produced by sequential cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) by beta-secretase (BACE1: beta-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1) and gamma-secretase. Previously, we demonstrated that BACE1 also cleaves beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal-I) and down-regulates its transferase activity. Here, we report that overexpression of ST6Gal-I in Neuro2a cells enhanced alpha2,6-sialylation of endogenous APP and increased the extracellular levels of its metabolites [Abeta by two-fold, soluble APPbeta (sAPPbeta) by three-fold and sAPPalpha by 2.5-fold). Sialylation-deficient mutant (Lec-2) cells secreted half as much Abeta as wild-type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Furthermore, wild-type CHO cells showed enhanced secretion of the APP metabolites upon ST6Gal-I overexpression, whereas Lec-2 cells did not, indicating that the secretion enhancement requires sialylation of cellular protein(s). Secretion of metabolites from a mutant APP (APP-Asn467,496Ala) that lacked N-glycosylation sites was not enhanced upon ST6Gal-I overexpression, suggesting that the N-glycans on APP itself are required for the enhanced secretion. In the mouse brain, the amount of alpha2,6-sialylated APP appeared to be correlated with the sAPPbeta level. These results suggest that sialylation of APP promotes its metabolic turnover and could affect the pathology of AD.

Clinical significance of MHC class II-associated invariant chain expression in human gastric carcinoma.

MHC class II antigens serve as restricted elements for cell presenting antigens to CD4+ helper T cells. CD4+ T cells and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, which are tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and play a major role in the survey and attack against tumor cells in primary lesions. Invariant chain (Ii) has several functions in MHC class II-restricted antigen presentation. In addition, Ii is found to be closely involved in the regulation of anti-tumor immunity in several tumor types. However, the significance of Ii expression in tumor cells is not fully illustrated. Immunohistochemical staining of Ii expression was performed in 58 cases of human gastric carcinoma specimens. The prognostic analysis of patients with gastric carcinoma was also performed. A total of 67.2% (39/58) gastric carcinomas were found to be Ii-positive, whereas only 20.7% (12/58) showed positive immunoreactivity with anti-MHC class II determinants. Furthermore, Ii expression showed significant correlation with the differentiation of gastric carcinoma (p<0.05). Ii expression also showed an inverse correlation with the frequency of TILs around carcinoma tissues, as well as with the prognosis of gastric carcinoma (p<0.01). Ii expression is closely correlated with anti-tumor immunity in human gastric carcinoma. Therefore, Ii may serve as an independent clinical marker for poor biological behavior and prognostic analysis in patients with gastric carcinoma.

In vivo cleavage of alpha2,6-sialyltransferase by Alzheimer beta-secretase.

beta-Site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a membrane-bound aspartic protease that cleaves amyloid precursor protein to produce a neurotoxic peptide, Abeta, and is implicated in triggering the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease. We previously reported that BACE1 cleaved rat beta-galactoside alpha2,6-sialyltransferase (ST6Gal I) that was overexpressed in COS cells and that the NH(2) terminus of ST6Gal I secreted from the cells (E41 form) was Glu(41). Here we report that BACE1 gene knock-out mice have one third as much plasma ST6Gal I as control mice, indicating that BACE1 is a major protease which is responsible for cleaving ST6Gal I in vivo. We also found that BACE1-transgenic mice have increased level of ST6Gal I in plasma. Secretion of ST6Gal I from the liver into the plasma is known to be up-regulated during the acute-phase response. To investigate the role of BACE1 in ST6Gal I secretion in vivo, we analyzed the levels of BACE1 mRNA in the liver, as well as the plasma levels of ST6Gal I, in a hepatopathological model, i.e. Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats. This rat is a mutant that spontaneously accumulates copper in the liver and incurs hepatic damage. LEC rats exhibited simultaneous increases in BACE1 mRNA in the liver and in the E41 form of the ST6Gal I protein, the BACE1 product, in plasma as early as 6 weeks of age, again suggesting that BACE1 cleaves ST6Gal I in vivo and controls the secretion of the E41 form.

Possible regulation of the conventional calpain system by skeletal muscle-specific calpain, p94/calpain 3.

p94 (also called calpain 3) is the skeletal muscle-specific calpain and is considered to be a "modulator protease" in various cellular processes. Analysis of p94 at the protein level is an urgent issue because the loss of p94 protease activity causes limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. In this study, we enzymatically characterized one alternatively spliced variant of p94, p94:exons 6(-)15(-)16(-) (p94delta), which lacks two of the p94-specific insertion sequences. In contrast to p94, which has hardly been studied enzymatically due to its rapid, thorough, and apparently Ca(2+)-independent autolytic activity, p94delta was stably expressed in COS and insect cells. p94delta showed Ca(2+)-dependent caseinolytic and autolytic activities and an inhibitor spectrum similar to those of the conventional calpains. However, calpastatin did not inhibit p94delta and is a substrate for p94delta, which is consistent with the properties of p94, presenting p94 as a possible regulator of the conventional calpain system. We also established a semi-quantitative fluorescence resonance energy transfer assay using the calpastatin sequence specifically to measure p94 activity. This method detects the activity of COS-expressed p94 and p94delta, suggesting that it has potential to evaluate p94 activity in vivo and in the diagnosis of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A.

[A case of recurrent breast cancer with lung metastasis and overexpression of HER2 that responded to UFT and cyclophosphamide combination therapy after sequential treatments with epirubicin, taxanes, and trastuzumab].

We describe a 57-year-old woman who underwent modified mastectomy for right breast cancer (T2N0M0) with overexpression of HER2, in whom lung metastasis developed 3 years after operation. She received sequential chemotherapy, including epirubicin plus cyclophosphamide, docetaxel, paclitaxel and trastuzumab, but the lung lesion progressed after transiently showing a partial response. Oral treatment with UFT and cyclophosphamide was begun as fifth-line treatment. The lung tumor shrank after 2 months, and a partial response has been maintained during continued treatment with UFT and cyclophosphamide. No adverse effects have occurred. We regard combination therapy with oral UFT and cyclophosphamide to be useful for the management of metastatic breast cancer, even in heavily pretreated cases with overexpression of HER2.