Insulin-degrading enzyme higher in subjects with metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is comprised of a cluster of abnormalities in glucose, lipid, and vascular homeostasis, which is most commonly linked to abdominal obesity. MS heralds increased risk for development of diabetes and is linked to impairment in insulin signaling. Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is one of the mechanisms through which insulin blood levels are maintained. It has been previously suggested that controlling IDE levels could provide yet another potential therapeutic approach in diabetes. Here we aim to investigate whether changes in serum IDE levels correlate with the severity of MS. Using a highly sensitive ELISA assay of active IDE in human serum, we found a strong correlation between circulating IDE levels and circulating levels of triglycerides, insulin, and c-peptide and an inverse correlation with HDL cholesterol (HDLc). Serum IDE levels were higher in MS subjects than in control subjects. Hence, circulating IDE may serve as a tool to identify subjects with abnormal insulin metabolism, possibly those with MS that are at risk to develop diabetes.

Colonization with Helicobacter is concomitant with modified gut microbiota and drastic failure of the immune control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Epidemiological and experimental observations suggest that chronic microbial colonization can impact the immune control of other unrelated pathogens contracted in a concomitant or sequential manner. Possible interactions between Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and persistence of other bacteria have scarcely been investigated. Here we demonstrated that natural colonization of the digestive tract with Helicobacter hepaticus in mice is concomitant with modification of the gut microbiota, subclinical inflammation, and drastic impairment of immune control of the growth of subsequently administered M. tuberculosis, which results in severe lung tissue injury. Our results provided insights upon the fact that this prior H. hepaticus colonization leads to failures in the mechanisms that could prevent the otherwise balanced cross-talk between M. tuberculosis and the immune system. Such disequilibrium ultimately leads to the inhibition of control of mycobacterial growth, outbreak of inflammation, and lung pathology. Among the dysregulated immune signatures, we noticed a correlation between the detrimental lung injury and the accumulation of activated T-lymphocytes. Our findings suggest that the impact of prior Helicobacter spp. colonization and subsequent M. tuberculosis parasitism might be greater than previously thought, which is a key point given that both species are among the most frequent invasive bacteria in human populations.

Interferon gamma-signature transcript profiling and IL-23 upregulation in response to Helicobacter pylori infection.

Helicobacter pylori infection is the major cause of gastroduodenal pathologies including gastric cancer. The long persistence of bacteria and the type of immune and inflammatory response determine the clinical issue. In this study, the global gene expression profile after 6 and 12 months of H. pylori infection was investigated in the mouse stomach, using the Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Expression Array A430. Genes related to the inflammatory and immune responses were focused. Levels of selected transcripts were confirmed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Twenty- five and nineteen percent of the differentially expressed genes observed at 6 and 12 months post-infection respectively, were related to immune response. They are characterized by an interferon (IFN)gamma-dependent expression associated to a T helper 1 (Th1) polarised response. In-depth analysis revealed that an up-regulation of IL-23p19, took place in the stomach of H. pylori infected-mice. Strong IL-23p19 levels were also confirmed in gastric biopsies from H. pylori-infected patients with chronic gastritis, as compared to healthy subjects. Our microarray analysis revealed also, a high decrease of H+K+-ATPase transcripts in the presence of the H. pylori infection. Association of gastric Th1 immune response with hypochlorhydria through the down-regulation of H+K+-ATPase contributes to the genesis of lesions upon the H. pylori infection. Our data highlight that the up-regulation of IL-23 and of many IFNgamma signature transcripts occur early on during the host response to H. pylori, and suggest that this type of immune response may promote the severity of the induced gastric lesions.

Human gastric epithelium produces IL-4 and IL-4delta2 isoform only upon Helicobacter pylori infection.

Recent evidence suggests that interleukin-4 (IL-4) is related to mucosal tolerance by which an injurious immune response is prevented, suppressed or shifted to a non-injurious response. We investigated the expression of IL-4 and its splice variant isoform IL-4delta2 in gastric epithelial cells of healthy subjects and gastritis patients infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) with or without the cag pathogenicity island (cag-PAI). IL-4 and IL-4delta2 mRNAs were evaluated in microdissected gastric epithelium and in AGS cell lines co-cultured with H. pylori B128 or SS1 strains. IL-4 mRNA was consistently detected in microdissected gastric epithelial cells from healthy subjects. The IL-4 mRNA expression was low in H. pylori?infected patients, and markedly reduced in cag-PAI-positive ones. IL-4delta2 mRNA was expressed on gastric epithelium of H. pylori-infected patients, but not in healthy subjects. The IL-4delta2 expression was lower in cag-PAI-positive than in cag-PAI-negative H. pylori infected patients. AGS cells also produced IL-4 mRNA upon SS1 strain stimulation, whereas IL-4delta2 mRNA expression was detected in AGS co-cultured with either SS1 or B128 strains. An inverse correlation was documented between IL-4 and IL-4delta2 mRNA expression by microdissected gastric epithelial cells and the score of gastritis. IL-4, but not IL-4delta2, is expressed by gastric epithelium of healthy subjects, whereas IL-4delta2 and lesser IL-4 mRNA are detectable in the gastric epithelium of H. pylori-infected patients. Data suggest that gastric epithelial cells might regulate the balance between tolerance and immune response by the fine tuning of IL-4 and IL-4delta2 expression.

Short-term infection with Helicobacter pylori and 1 week exposure to metronidazole does not enhance gastric mutation frequency in transgenic mice.

The aim of this study was to determine whether exposure of Helicobacter pylori-infected mice to metronidazole resulted in the delivery of mutagenic compounds to the gastric epithelium via the oxygen-insensitive NADPH nitroreductase (RdxA) of H. pylori. C57BL/6 transgenic mice containing the lambda/lacI transgene were inoculated with peptone trypsin broth, H. pylori SS1 or SS1-rdxA(-), an SS1-derived mutant in rdxA. Twelve weeks after inoculation, the mice were treated for 7 days with a control solution or with the mouse equivalent of a human dose of metronidazole 1 g od. Three weeks after completion of treatment, the animals were killed and mutations in the target lacI gene assessed by a transgenic mutagenesis assay system. There was no increase in lacI mutations in cells harvested from mice infected with H. pylori and/or exposed to metronidazole. These data suggest that short-term infection with H. pylori and exposure to metronidazole does not enhance the mutation frequency in the gastric cells of mice. Whether chronic infection and/or repeated exposure to metronidazole or other nitroaromatic compounds causes genetic damage to gastric epithelial cells remains to be determined.

Mutagenic properties of a nitrofuran, 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2, 1-b]furan (R7000), in lacI transgenic mice.

The in vivo mutagenic properties of a 5-nitrofuran, the 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), already well known in bacteria, was evaluated in lacI transgenic mice (Big Blue). The mutation frequency was determined in various organs of i.p. - treated mice and the nature of induced mutations was determined for the target organs in which mutation induction was significant. It was found that R7000 is mutagenic in mice, although, on the basis of the number of induced mutants per unit mass in comparison with other known mutagenic chemicals, R7000 appears to be considerably less mutagenic in mice than in bacteria. The most affected organs, small intestine, caecum and colon organs belong to the digestive apparatus. The distribution of R7000-induced mutations in the lacI gene recovered from small intestine of transgenic mice was very similar to that which had been found in E. coli. The difference between mouse and E. coli in the R7000 induced mutational spectra are mainly in the proportion of single base frameshifts versus base substitutions. Since R7000 induced mutations seemed to arise in the population of stem cells and that the stem cells are important for carcinogenesis, our results are compatible with a possible carcinogenic effect of R7000 and other nitrofurans.

DNA damage induced in vivo by 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]-furan (R7000) in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli.

DNA adducts that block replication, induced in vivo by the 5-nitrofuran derivative R7000 (7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2, 1-b]-furan) were mapped, at nucleotide resolution, in a region of the lacI gene of Escherichia coli, using a reiterative primer extension assay [D. Chandrasekhar, B. Van Houten, High resolution mapping of UV-induced photoproducts in the Escherichia coli lacI gene: inefficient repair of the non-transcribed strand correlates with high mutation frequency, J. Mol. Biol., 1994, Vol. 238, pp. 319-332]. It was found that R7000 induced a broad spectrum of low frequency replication blocks rather than particular hot spots in a limited number of particular targets. Most of these replication blocks were observed at G nucleotides, and most of G nucleotides present in the DNA sequence, if not all, constituted a possible target for the chemical attack of the compound. In addition, a large part of replication blocks observed at A, C or T could also reflect a replication block at the 3' or 5' nucleotide flanking a guanosine-DNA adduct. Only a very small number of replication blocks could be observed at A, C or T nucleotides non-adjacent to a G. These results show that, guanosine-DNA adducts are the main DNA lesions that block replication induced by R7000 in E. coli and suggests a strong reactivity of the genotoxic species generated in vivo by R7000 with the G nucleotidic targets. From 26 R7000-induced mutations previously mapped in this region [E. Touati, E. Krin, P. Quillardet, M. Hofnung, 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphto[2,1-b]furan (R7000)-induced mutation spectrum in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli: influence of SOS mutagenesis, Carcinogenesis, 1996, Vol. 17, pp. 2543-2550.], 22 (85%) occurred at GC base pairs at which termination products were observed. The other mutagenic events involved AT base pairs adjacent to a G nucleotide forming a replication block. Thus all mutagenic events occurred at, or adjacent to, a G nucleotide forming a replication block. Although it could not be excluded that some mutagenic events are due to undetected DNA lesions that do not block replication, these results strongly suggest that guanosine-DNA adducts that block DNA replication are responsive for a large part of the mutagenic events generated by R7000. The powerful capacity of R7000 to form adducts at most of the guanosine residues in a DNA sequence may account for at least part of its very potent genotoxic properties.

7-Methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000)-induced mutation spectrum in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli: influence of SOS mutagenesis.

The mutagenic specificity of 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), a very potent genotoxic 2-nitrofuran, was investigated in the lacI gene of E.coli. To analyze the influence of SOS-mutagenesis on R7000-induced mutations, 86 and 84 LacI- mutants were respectively isolated from umuC+ and umuC strains. Treatment of bacteria with increasing concentrations of R7000, affected 2-4 times more the survival rate in the umuC context, as compared to umuC+. 80% of all mutations occurred primarily at G:C base pairs and were substitution events and single-base frameshifts (-1) in the same proportions. The six possible substitution events were observed in both strains. In the umuC+ context, they were dominated by G:C-->T:A transversions. 38% of substitutions at G:C base pairs occurred in the consensus sequence 5'TGGCG3' or 5'TGGC3' where the G was mutated. When umuC was deficient G:C-->C:G transversions were mainly observed. The proportions of substitution mutations were very similar to those that have been reported for apurinic (AP) sites, suggesting strongly that one mechanism for R7000-induced mutations is the formation of intermediate abasic sites that serve as a substrate for error-prone repair. Single frameshift events consisted essentially of deletions of one (G:C) base pair in runs of contiguous G or C residues. Frameshift frequency increased with the length of the reiterated sequence, suggesting a strand-slippage process. Other mutational classes were recovered to a lower extent, including double-base frameshifts and large deletions. In addition, 10% of the mutants presented two proximate mutations. Comparison of the mutations induced by R7000 in the umuC+/umuC backgrounds suggests an influence of the umuC product on strand specificity of R7000-induced mutations, particularly in the case of frameshift events.

Influence of the uvr-dependent nucleotide excision repair on DNA adducts formation and mutagenic spectrum of a potent genotoxic agent: 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000).

The influence of the uvr-dependent excision repair system on the lethal action, mutagenic specificity, SOS induction and DNA adducts formation of 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), a potent genotoxic nitrofuran, were examined in Escherichia coli. Binding measurements of 3H-labelled R7000 to DNA indicated that R7000-DNA adducts can be removed by excision repair soon after the action of the chemical: 50% of the DNA adducts were removed within 10 min of treatment. After 1 h of incubation the level of excision reached 70%. This result was confirmed using the postlabelling technique. We found that R7000 yielded at least 10 different DNA adducts. Each of the adducts detected could be removed by excision repair. The rates of excision appeared different from one to the other. In addition, using a lacZ reversion system that is able to detect each type of base substitution mutations [1], we found that in uvrA bacteria deficient in excision repair, R7000 can induce 5 out of the 6 possible mutational events: GC-->TA, AT-->TA, GC-->CG, AT-->CG and GC-->AT. The transition AT-->GC was not observed. Only 3 transversions: GC-->TA, AT-->TA and GC-->CG could be detected in repair proficient uvr+ bacteria. The differences between the mutagenic spectra obtained in either uvr+ bacteria or uvrA mutants indicate that some potentially mutagenic DNA adducts induced by R7000 can be removed by excision repair, thus lowering the mutagenic potency of the chemical and modifying the mutagenic spectrum detected.

Global response of Escherichia coli cells to a treatment with 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), an extremely potent mutagen.

We have studied the global changes which are induced in exponentially growing cultures of Escherichia coli during treatment with 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), a very potent mutagen and inducer of the SOS response. A two-dimensional analysis of the proteins synthesized in the presence of this agent was performed. In a strain deficient in SOS induction, the expression of 24 polypeptides was found to be affected by this treatment: 14 corresponded to proteins known to be implicated in different stress responses, particularly chaperones such as DnaK and GroEL. The variation of another protein was detected for the first time in this study: transketolase I, an enzyme of intermediary metabolism which was characterized in the present work by microsequencing. In parallel, the expression of 9 other proteins, still unidentified, was modified by this nitrofuran. They represent potential candidates involved in metabolic and DNA lesions repair specific of R7000 action.

Determination of target nucleotides involved in 7-methoxy-2-nitro-naphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000)-DNA adduct formation.

The characterization of target nucleotides involved in the binding to DNA of 7-methoxy-2-nitro-naphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), a very potent genotoxic nitrofuran derivative, was investigated. Since R7000 undergoes metabolic activation prior to interacting with DNA, plasmids containing AT-rich and GC-rich sequences were devised and treated by R7000 in bacterial cells presenting nitroreductase activity. The nucleotide modifications to these homogeneous fragments that resulted from R7000 treatment were analyzed using the 'postlabeling' method. A preferential binding to the GC segment was demonstrated. Using a modification of the Maxam-Gilbert sequencing technique, it was demonstrated that activated R7000 creates alkali-labile phosphodiester bonds at the positions of guanines. In addition, the analysis of DNA replication-blocking properties of R7000 lesions was performed using avian myeloblastosis virus (AMV) reverse transcriptase as DNA polymerase. The termination of DNA replication occurred preferentially at the sites of guanine residues in the template strand, indicating that one nucleotide was inserted opposite a lesion. All these results indicate that guanine residues are the preferential sites of formation of R7000-DNA adducts.

First characterization of the mutagenic specificity of 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000) in Salmonella typhimurium.

In order to investigate the mutational events induced by the very potent genotoxic agent 7-methoxy-2-nitronaphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), we evaluated its mutagenic potency in a battery of his- mutants of Salmonella typhimurium designed to study mutagenic specificity (Levin and Ames, 1986). Using this system we could show that R7000 is able to induce base-pair substitutions, mainly GC----TA transversions and, perhaps to a lower extent, AT----TA transversions. In addition, our results suggest that this chemical may be a very efficient inducer of base-pair deletions/insertions resulting in frameshifts. Whereas the induction of base-pair substitutions by R7000 is dependent on the presence of plasmid pKM101 carrying the mucA,B operon, the induction of base-pair deletions/insertions is independent of the presence of the plasmid.

Are appR and katF the same Escherichia coli gene encoding a new sigma transcription initiation factor?

The phenotype of Escherichia coli appR pleiotropic mutants has been compared with that of mutants in the katF gene, which lies in the same region and controls expression of catalase HPII (katE) and exonuclease III (xth). All the described characters of appR mutants--reduced pH 2.5 acid phosphatase level, overexpression of alkaline phosphatase and ability of crp or cya mutants to utilize some CAP + cAMP-dependent carbon sources--were reproduced by a katF:: Tn10 insertion. In all cases, the wild-type phenotype was restored by the presence of a plasmid-borne katF+ gene. Conversely, spontaneous appR mutants were hypersensitive to H2O2 to the same degree as katF mutants. We conclude that the appR gene is identical to katF, which encodes a putative new sigma factor (Mulvey and Loewen, 1989).

DNA adduct formation by 7-methoxy-2-nitro-naphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), an extremely potent mutagen.

The effects on DNA, in bacteria, of 7-methoxy-2-nitro-naphtho[2,1-b]furan (R7000), a very potent genotoxic product from the 2-nitronaphthofuran series, were investigated with two different approaches: (i) measurement of the binding of the radiolabelled mutagen to DNA and (ii) detection by the '32P-postlabelling' method of DNA adducts following treatment with unlabelled mutagens. The covalent binding of R7000 to DNA in Escherichia coli was demonstrated by both methods, and in the latter case it was found to involve the formation of nine different adducts. Formation of adducts by R7000 was shown to require metabolic activation of the compound.

Cloning and characterization of the pH 2.5 acid phosphatase gene, appA: cyclic AMP mediated negative regulation.

The structural gene for an acid phosphatase coded for by the gene appA of Escherichia coli K12 was cloned from a cosmid library into pBR322 and the restriction map determined. Several appA deletion plasmids and a smaller appA+ plasmid were constructed by in vitro recombination techniques and tested for their ability to complement an appA1 mutation. The appA gene was localized within a 2.1 kb segment. Its orientation was determined by construction of a hybrid plasmid carrying an appA-lacZ fusion. beta-galactosidase synthesized from the appA promoter was negatively regulated by cyclic AMP.

The structure of the promoter and amino terminal region of the pH 2.5 acid phosphatase structural gene (appA) of E. coli: a negative control of transcription mediated by cyclic AMP.

The regulatory and promoter regions of the gene for acid phosphatase of optimum pH 2.5 (appA) of Escherichia coli has been characterized by constructing appA-lacZ protein fusions. Monitoring of beta-galactosidase activity showed that the cloned fragment harbored a region that was responsible for a negative control of transcription mediated by the cAMP-cAMP receptor (CAP) complex. The nucleotide sequence of the segment was determined. A region containing a putative CAP binding site, overlapping the -10 region of the promoter was found. Deletion analysis around the promoter region, using appA-lacZ protein fusions substantiated the hypothesis for a role of the 'consensus' sequence in the negative control mediated by cyclic AMP. In addition, the coding sequence revealed the likely existence of a signal peptide similar to the one found for other exported proteins, upstream from the phosphatase protein sequence.

Pleiotropic mutations in appR reduce pH 2.5 acid phosphatase expression and restore succinate utilisation in CRP-deficient strains of Escherichia coli.

Several strains of Escherichia coli K12 were compared for activity of the periplasmic "pH 2.5 acid phosphatase", an enzyme whose expression is regulated negatively by cyclic AMP. Two distinct enzyme levels differing by about four-fold were observed. This strain-dependent difference does not involve modifications in the structure of the enzyme, but results from a difference in its expression. We show that strains with a high- or a low level of enzyme differ in the gene locus appR located in the 59 min region of the chromosome, a site remote from the structural gene appA; the appR+ versus appR enzyme ratio is 3-4 in wild-type strains, adenylate cyclase-deficient strains (cya) or cyclic AMP receptor protein-deficient strains (crp) grown in rich medium or in glucose minimal medium, but is close to 1 in cya strains in the presence of 0.1 mM cyclic AMP and in wild-type strains grown with succinate as carbon source; in a crp genetic background, appR strains, contrary to appR+ strains, are able to grow on minimal medium with succinate as the sole carbon source. The selection, from an appR+ crp strain, of clones growing on succinate-minimal medium, yielded mutations in the same region of the chromosome and showing the same phenotype as "naturally-occurring" appR strains. All appR strains analysed so far showed other similar deficiencies. The possibility that mutated appR gene products might function as weak substitutes for a functional cAMP-CRP complex is discussed.