Erratum to: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived mitochondria (PN-101) attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting NFκB signaling pathway.

[Erratum to: BMB Reports 2022; 55(3): 136-141, PMID: 34488927, PMCID: PMC8972135] The BMB Reports would like to correct in BMB Rep. 55(3):136-141, titled "Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived mitochondria (PN-101) attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting NFκB signaling pathway". This research was supported by NRF-2016R1A2B4007640 grant (to C-H Kim). Since grant number is incorrect, this information has now been corrected as follows: We would like to thank various Paean Biotechnology Inc. members who participated in the project. This work was supported by NRF-2018M3A9B5023055 grant (to C-H Kim). The authors apologize for any inconvenience or confusion that may be caused by this error. The ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of Original PDF version have been corrected.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived mitochondria (PN-101) attenuate LPS-induced inflammatory responses by inhibiting NFκB signaling pathway.

Inflammation is one of the body's natural responses to injury and illness as part of the healing process. However, persistent inflammation can lead to chronic inflammatory diseases and multi-organ failure. Altered mitochondrial function has been implicated in several acute and chronic inflammatory diseases by inducing an abnormal inflammatory response. Therefore, treating inflammatory diseases by recovering mitochondrial function may be a potential therapeutic approach. Recently, mitochondrial transplantation has been proven to be beneficial in hyperinflammatory animal models. However, it is unclear how mitochondrial transplantation attenuates inflammatory responses induced by external stimuli. Here, we isolated mitochondria from umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, referred as to PN-101. We found that PN-101 could significantly reduce LPS-induced mortality in mice. In addition, in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-treated THP-1 macrophages, PN-101 attenuated LPS-induced increase production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory effect of PN-101 was mediated by blockade of phosphorylation, nuclear translocation, and trans-activity of NFκB. Taken together, our results demonstrate that PN-101 has therapeutic potential to attenuate pathological inflammatory responses. [BMB Reports 2022; 55(3): 136-141].

Effect of cysteine-free human fibroblast growth factor-5s mutant (FGF5sC93S) on hair growth.

Treatment for hair loss is largely limited, and any beneficial effects are often transient. Based on the critical role of the FGF5 isoform, FGF5s, in the hair growth cycle, it may be a good therapeutic candidate for the prevention of hair loss, as well as the promotion of hair growth. To investigate its potential use for hair growth, a mutant form of the FGF5s protein (FGF5sC93S) was generated, expressed, and purified. The FGF5sC93S mutant was able to antagonize FGF5-induced mitogenic activity, which normally triggers the conversion of hair follicles from the anagen phase to the catagen phase. In addition, the FGF5sC93S mutant efficiently suppressed gene expression induced by FGF5 both human outer root sheath (hORS) and human dermal papilla (hDP) cells. Administration of FGF5sC93S proteins onto the scalps of human subjects significantly increased the total number of hairs at 24 weeks. Together, our data demonstrate that a mutant form of the FGF5s protein could be used as a potential hair promoting agent.

Corrigendum: The Effect of Micro-Spicule Containing Epidermal Growth Factor on Periocular Wrinkles.

[This corrects the article on p. 187 in vol. 29, PMID: 28392646.].

Enhanced Production of Soluble Recombinant Proteins With an In Situ-Removable Fusion Partner in a Cell-Free Synthesis System.

High-yield production of soluble protein is a common concern in diverse fields of biotechnology. In this study, a strategy of using an engineered nucleotide sequence of ubiquitin for enhancing the production of soluble proteins in a cell-free synthesis system is presented. When examined for a series of proteins that otherwise were poorly expressed, N-terminal fusion with ubiquitin significantly increased both the expression levels and solubility of the translational products. The effect of ubiquitin fusion was also markedly augmented by engineering the nucleotide sequence of ubiquitin, leading to several fold enhancements in soluble production of target proteins. Recombinant proteins were produced with their native amino acid sequences through in situ removal of ubiquitin during cell-free synthesis reactions in the presence of a deubiquitinase. The presented strategy could be employed as a facile route to prepare soluble proteins required for various applications.

The Effect of Micro-Spicule Containing Epidermal Growth Factor on Periocular Wrinkles.

BACKGROUND: Micro-needle patches have been recently used to increase skin permeability, which improves drug delivery, and for cosmetic purposes. However, these patches may often have limited efficacy due to insufficient skin penetration and reduced compliance caused by discomfort. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy and the safety of soluble micro-spicule containing epidermal growth factor (MS-EGF) for the treatment of periocular wrinkles. METHODS: Twenty healthy volunteers aged 33 to 54 years were enrolled in a randomized, controlled, split-face study. For 4 weeks, a periocular wrinkle was treated daily with either a soluble MS-EGF cream or a cream containing EGF alone. All subjects underwent 8 weeks of follow-up. Efficacy was assessed using an ultrasonic measurement of dermal depth and density, digital skin image analysis, 5-point photonumeric scale for periocular wrinkles and subjective satisfaction. RESULTS: MS-EGF group showed statistically significant increase of dermal depth and density compared to EGF alone group after 4 and 8 weeks. In addition, there was a marked improvement shown in clinical and 3-dimensional skin image in MS-EGF group. The treatments were well-tolerated; no significant side-effect was noted. CONCLUSION: The MS-EGF formulation may represent an effective and biocompatible advance in the treatment of periocular wrinkles.

Identification of BCP-20 (FBXO39) as a cancer/testis antigen from colon cancer patients by SEREX.

Cancer/Testis (CT) antigens are considered promising target molecules for immunotherapy. To identify potential CT antigens, we performed immunoscreening of a testis cDNA library with sera from colon cancer patients by SEREX. We isolated 114 positive cDNA clones comprising 90 different antigens, designated BCP-1 through BCP-90. Quantitative real-time and conventional RT-PCR analysis showed that BCP-20, -33, and -41 antigens were expressed strongly only in a normal testis and detected in 22 cases (39%), 12 cases (21%), and 17 cases (30%), respectively, from 57 colon tumors. BCP-20 was also detected in various cancer cell lines including breast, colon, hepatoma, renal, thyroid anaplastic, ovary, sarcoma, and lung. By ELISA analysis, anti-BCP-20 antibody was detected in 3 of 50 colon cancer and 1 of 24 gastric cancer patients while healthy donors were three positive (3/50). But the BCP-20 antibody levels of patients with colon cancer showed significantly higher titers than those of healthy donors. These data suggest that the BCP-20 gene is a new CT antigen and may be useful for diagnosis and immunotherapy.

In vitro immunomodulatory activity of Bo-yang-hwan-o-tang.

Bo-yang-hwan-o-tang (BHT), an herbal decoction has been mainly used for improvement of blood flow in oriental medicine. Its in vivo immunomodulation was recently demonstrated but the effective mechanisms have not been described. This study was carried out to evaluate in vitro immunomodulatory activity of BHT. Water extract of BHT significantly promoted in vitro proliferative responses of mouse spleen cells (SPC) and also further enhanced the proliferation of SPC stimulated with anti-CD3 antibody. Unexpectedly, addition of BHT extract did not affect proliferation of both resting and CD3-activated T cells, whereas it showed a strong mitogenic activity on B cells. Flow cytometric analysis of CFSE-stained SPC showed that BHT-mediated enhancement of CD3-activated SPC proliferation is due to T cell, but not B cell, division. Mixed culture experiment combining T and mitomycin C-treated B cells demonstrated that BHT-mediated enhancement of CD3-activated T cell proliferation was dependent on the presence of B cells. However, B cell-derived factors were not involved in BHT effect on T cell proliferation. In the presence of B cells, BHT treatment resulted in a great enhancement in IL-2 production of CD3-activated T cells, and BHT effect on T cell proliferation was completely abrogated by addition of exogenous IL-2, indicating that IL-2 plays a critical role in BHT-mediated enhancement of CD3-activated T cell proliferation. Taken together, our data revealed that BHT possesses a potent B cell mitogenic activity and also can enhance activated T cell response through B cell regulation.

Regulation of lymphocyte clustering by CD30-mediated ICAM-1 up-regulation.

CD30 is expressed transiently on activated B and T lymphocytes and constitutively on several B- and T cell lymphomas. CD30 functions include participation in negative selection of thymocytes, costimulation of activated T cells, isotype switching of B cells, and regulation of the effector activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Although CD30 is not a marker for T helper 2 (TH2) cells, it may participate in the polarization of TH1 and TH2 cells. The pleiotropic functions of CD30 are initiated by interaction of CD30-expressing cells with other immune competent cells expressing CD30-L and providing the signals for modulation of effector cell activity. Here, we report that CD30 signals generated by anti-CD30 on activated, normal murine T cells strongly up-regulate the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1, CD54), and to a lesser extent, ICAM-2 (CD102). CD30 signals moreover delay the subsequent decline of ICAM expression. CD30 cross-linking did not alter the expression of CD11a/CD18 (LFA-1), the counter receptor for ICAM abundant on T cells. CD30-mediated ICAM-1 up-regulation is independent of cytokine secretion and appears to be transmitted directly through NF-kappaB activation. CD30-mediated up-regulation of ICAM-1 expression led to a significant increase in cluster formation of lymph node cells. Increased lymphocyte self-aggregation mediated by CD30 may set the stage for fraternal signaling to modulate lymphocyte function.