Gene regulation by steroid hormones is mediated through an interaction of the hormone receptors with DNA regulatory sequences called hormone regulatory or responsive elements (HRE). An analysis of the HRE's in the DNA of mouse mammary tumour provirus, human metallothionein IIA gene, chicken lysozyme gene, chicken and Xenopus vitellogenin genes, growth hormones genes, Moloney murine sarcoma provirus, rabbit uteroglobin gene, rat tyrosine aminotransferase gene, rat tryptophan oxygenase gene and rat acidic glycoprotein gene, yields the following consensus for positively modulated glucocorticoid responsive elements (GRE): 5'-GGTACAnnnTGTTCT-3'. This element can also mediate induction by progesterone and probably by androgens, but not by estrogens. Detailed analysis of the DNA protection pattern suggests that a dimer of the hormone receptor interacts with this palindromic 15-mer. In genes that are negatively regulated by glucocorticoids an imperfect copy of the GRE is found, and repression is probably due to competition between hormone receptor and other transcription factors or enhancer binding proteins for binding to overlapping DNA sequences. The receptors without bound hormone are able to interact specifically with DNA in vitro, but binding of hormone is needed for transcriptional activation in vivo. This could be due, at least in part, to changes in the rate parameters of the receptor-DNA interaction induced by binding of the hormone to the receptor. The possible role of precise chromatin organization in glucocorticoid induction is discussed on the basis of the nucleosome phasing found in the LTR region of mouse mammary tumour virus.

The transfer of specific Ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid sequences, the T-DNA, from Agrobacterium tumefaciens to a wide range of plants results in the formation of crown gall tumors. These tissues differ from most plant cells in that they can be grown in vitro in the absence of added phytohormones. Here, data are presented that offer an explanation for the auxin-independent phenotype of crown gall tissues. It is shown that crude cell-free extracts prepared from three bacterial species harboring pTiA6 gene 1 could convert L-tryptophan to indole-3-acetamide; control extracts lacking gene 1 could not carry out the reaction. Other reports indicate that the pTiA6 gene 2 product can convert indole-3-acetamide to indole-3-acetic acid, a naturally occurring auxin of plants. It is concluded that the auxin-independent phenotype of crown gall tissue involves the introduction of Ti plasmid sequences encoding a two-step pathway for auxin synthesis.

Ran is a small signaling GTPase that is involved in nucleocytoplasmic transport. Two additional functions of animal Ran in the formation of spindle asters and the reassembly of the nuclear envelope in mitotic cells have been recently reported. In contrast to Ras or Rho, Ran is not associated with membranes. Instead, the spatial sequestering of its accessory proteins, the Ran GTPase-activating protein RanGAP and the nucleotide exchange factor RCC1, appears to define the local concentration of RanGTP vs. RanGDP involved in signaling. Mammalian RanGAP is bound to the nuclear pore by a mechanism involving the attachment of small ubiquitin-related modifier protein (SUMO) to its C terminus and the subsequent binding of the SUMOylated domain to the nucleoporin Nup358. Here we show that plant RanGAP utilizes a different mechanism for nuclear envelope association, involving a novel targeting domain that appears to be unique to plants. The N-terminal WPP domain is highly conserved among plant RanGAPs and the small, plant-specific nuclear envelope-associated protein MAF1, but not present in yeast or animal RanGAP. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion proteins showed that it is necessary for RanGAP targeting and sufficient to target the heterologous protein GFP to the plant nuclear rim. The highly conserved tryptophan and proline residues of the WPP motif are necessary for its function. The 110-aa WPP domain is the first nuclear-envelope targeting domain identified in plants. Its fundamental difference to its mammalian counterpart implies that different mechanisms have evolved in plants and animals to anchor RanGAP at the nuclear surface.

In Arabidopsis thaliana, tryptophan pathway genes are induced in response to starvation, wounding, and pathogen attack, resulting in increased production of tryptophan and secondary metabolites important for development and defense. The Arabidopsis tryptophan pathway therefore provides an ideal system for elucidating how environmental stimuli are transduced into changes in plant gene expression. To characterize the factors that regulate the first gene in the pathway, ASA1, which is the key point of control, we have isolated altered tryptophan regulation (atr) mutants with deregulated expression of ASA1. One of these mutants, atr1D is dominant for increased transcription of ASA1 in specific seedling tissues. We have used atr1D to clone the ATR1 gene based on its map position. ATR1 encodes a Myb-like transcription factor that modulates ASA1 expression. The ATR1 transcript also includes a 5' regulatory region with three short ORFs, one of which is prematurely terminated by the atr1D mutation. Thus, ATR1 defines the first characterized tryptophan gene regulator in plants, and the atr1D mutation defines a sequence important for ATR1 expression.

Intestinal enteroendocrine cells (IECs) secrete gut peptides in response to both nutrients and non-nutrients. Glucose and amino acids both stimulate gut peptide secretion. Our hypothesis was that the facilitative glucose transporter, GLUT2, could act as a glucose sensor and the calcium-sensing receptor, CasR, could detect amino acids in the intestine to modify gut peptide secretion. We used isolated loops of rat small intestine to study the secretion of gluco-insulinotropic peptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) secretion stimulated by luminal perfusion of nutrients or bile acid. Inhibition of the sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) with phloridzin partially inhibited GIP, GLP-1 and PYY secretion by 45%, suggesting another glucose sensor might be involved in modulating peptide secretion. The response was completely abolished in the presence of the GLUT2 inhibitors phloretin or cytochalasin B. Given that GLUT2 modified gut peptide secretion stimulated by glucose, we investigated whether it was involved in the secretion of gut peptide by other gut peptide secretagogues. Phloretin completely abolished gut peptide secretion stimulated by artificial sweetener (sucralose), dipeptide (glycylsarcosine), lipid (oleoylethanolamine), short chain fatty acid (propionate) and major rat bile acid (taurocholate) indicating a fundamental position for GLUT2 in the gut peptide secretory mechanism. We investigated how GLUT2 was able to influence gut peptide secretion mediated by a diverse range of stimulators and discovered that GLUT2 affected membrane depolarisation through the closure of K+(ATP)-sensitive channels. In the absence of SGLT1 activity (or presence of phloridzin), the secretion of GIP, GLP-1 and PYY was sensitive to K+(ATP)-sensitive channel modulators tolbutamide and diazoxide. L-amino acids phenylalanine (Phe), tryptophan (Trp), asparagine (Asn), arginine (Arg) and glutamine (Gln) also stimulated GIP, GLP-1 and PYY secretion, which was completely abolished when extracellular Ca2+ was absent. The gut peptide response stimulated by the amino acids was also blocked by the CasR inhibitor Calhex 231 and augmented by the CasR agonist NPS-R568. GLUT2 and CasR regulate K- and L-cell activity in response to nutrient and non-nutrient stimuli.

Regulatory T (T(reg)) cells are a subset of CD25(+)CD4(+) T cells that constitutively express high levels of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) and suppress T-cell activation and effector functions. T(reg) cells are increased in tissues of individuals infected with HIV-1 and macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV(mac251)). In HIV-1 infection, T(reg) cells could exert contrasting effects: they may limit viral replication by decreasing immune activation, or they may increase viral replication by suppressing virusspecific immune response. Thus, the outcome of blocking T(reg) function in HIV/SIV should be empirically tested. Here, we demonstrate that CD25(+) T cells inhibit virus-specific T-cell responses in cultured T cells from blood and lymph nodes of SIV-infected macaques. We investigated the impact of CTLA-4 blockade using the anti-CTLA-4 human antibody MDX-010 in SIV-infected macaques treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART). CTLA-4 blockade decreased expression of the tryptophan-depleting enzyme IDO and the level of the suppressive cytokine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in tissues. CTLA-4 blockade was associated with decreased viral RNA levels in lymph nodes and an increase in the effector function of both SIV-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells. Therefore, blunting T(reg) function in macaques infected with SIV did not have detrimental virologic effects and may provide a valuable approach to complement ART and therapeutic vaccination in the treatment of HIV-1 infection.

FtsZ is the major cytoskeletal protein operating in bacterial cell division. FtsZ assembles into protofilaments in vitro, and there has been some controversy over whether the assembly is isodesmic or cooperative. Assembly has been assayed previously by sedimentation and light scattering. However, these techniques will under-report small polymers. We have now produced a mutant of Escherichia coli FtsZ, L68W, which gives a 250% increase in tryptophan fluorescence upon polymerization. This provides a real-time assay of polymer that is directly proportional to the concentration of subunit interfaces. FtsZ-L68W is functional for cell division, and should therefore be a valid model for studying the thermodynamics and kinetics of FtsZ assembly. We assayed assembly at pH 7.7 and pH 6.5, in 2.5 mM EDTA. EDTA blocks GTP hydrolysis and should give an assembly reaction that is not complicated by the irreversible hydrolysis step. Assembly kinetics was determined with a stopped-flow device for a range of FtsZ concentrations. When assembly was initiated by adding 0.2 mM GTP, fluorescence increase showed a lag, followed by nucleation, elongation, and a plateau. The assembly curves were fit to a cooperative mechanism that included a monomer activation step, a weak dimer nucleus, and elongation. Fragmentation was absent in the model, another characteristic of cooperative assembly. We are left with an enigma: how can the FtsZ protofilament, which appears to be one-subunit thick, assemble with apparent cooperativity?

BACKGROUND

The decrease in levels of estrogens (ER) that occurs in menopause has been correlated with depressive disorders, probably due to ER direct and/or indirect effects in the brain, where these hormones act through both genomic (i.e. interaction as transcription factors with nuclear receptors ER-alpha and ER-beta) and non-genomic (i.e. binding with cell-membrane receptors) mechanisms. With respect to mood related disorders the interaction between ER-beta and the serotonin (5-HT) system is highly relevant. 17beta-Estradiol (E2) induces expression of the enzyme implicated in 5-HT synthesis - tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), and this effect is mediated through ER-beta located in 5-HT cell bodies of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN).

OBJECTIVE

The present studies tested the hypothesis that E2 induces antidepressant-like effects in female ovariectomized (OVX) mice, and that expression of ER-beta is mandatory for such effects.

METHODS

The Forced Swim Test (FST) was used in three experiments to assess (a) dose response effect of E2 in outbred and inbred mouse strains, (b) length of treatment necessary for effect, (c) and role of ER-beta receptors.

RESULTS

E2 (100 or 200 microg/kg), as well as the antidepressant desipramine (DMI), significantly reduced total duration of immobility in the FST in mice from different strains. Four consecutive daily doses (200 microg/kg) were required for such effect, which was absent in mice lacking the gene coding for ER-beta (BERKO mice).

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that E2-induced antidepressant-like effects in mice are mediated through activation of ER-beta. They offer preliminary support to the hypothesis that specific compounds acting at ER-beta may influence mood in postmenopausal women.

The transport of neutral amino acids through the brain capillary endothelial wall, which makes up the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo, is an important control point for the overall regulation of cerebral metabolism, including protein synthesis and neurotransmitter production. The Michaelis-Menten kinetics of BBB amino acid transport have been investigated in vivo with the brain uptake index (BUI) technique, and in vitro with the isolated human brain capillary preparation. The only amino acid that is albumin-bound is tryptophan, and the majority of albumin-bound tryptophan in the plasma is available for transport through the BBB via an enhanced dissociation mechanism that operates at the surface of the brain capillary endothelium. The availability in brain of amino acids is predicted from the BBB Km values to be sharply influenced by supra-physiological concentrations of phenyalanine in the 200-500 microM range. Moreover, the measurement of cerebral protein synthesis with an internal carotid artery perfusion technique and HPLC-based measurements of aminoacyl-transfer RNA specific activities shows an inverse relationship between cerebral protein synthesis and plasma phenyalanine concentrations in the 200-500 microM range. These findings indicate the neurotoxicity of hyperphenylalninemia is not restricted to the phenylketonuria range of approximately 2000 microM, but is exerted in the supra-physiological range of 200-500 microM.

Chronic stress, by initiating changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the immune system, acts as a trigger for anxiety and depression. Both experimental and clinical evidence shows that a rise in the concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines and glucocorticoids, as occurs in chronically stressful situations and in depression, contribute to the behavioural changes associated with depression.A defect in serotonergic function is associated with hypercortisolaemia and the increase in proinflammatory cytokines that accompany depression. Glucocorticoids and proinflammatory cytokines enhance the conversion of tryptophan to kynurenine. In addition to the resulting decrease in the synthesis of brain serotonin, this leads to the formation of neurotoxins such as the glutamate agonist quinolinic acid and contributes to the increase in apoptosis of astrocytes, oligodendroglia and neurons.The importance of the inflammation hypothesis of depression lies in raising the possibility that psychotropic drugs that have a central anti-inflammatory action might provide a new generation of antidepressants.

Tryptophanase, encoded by the gene tnaA, is a catabolic enzyme distinct from the enzymes of tryptophan biosynthesis. Tryptophanase synthesis is induced by tryptophan and is subject to catabolite repression. We studied the mechanism of tna operon induction. Mutants with altered rho factor were partially constitutive for tna expression, implicating rho-dependent transcription termination in the control of tna expression. Measurements of mRNA synthesis from the transcribed leader region preceeding the tna operon suggested that the tna promoter was constitutive and that in the absence of inducer, transcription terminated in the leader region. Upon induction, this transcription termination was relieved. Cis-acting constitutive mutants had genetic alterations in the tna leader region. These lesions defined a site that is homologous to the bacteriophage lambda boxA sequence, which is thought to play a role in antitermination control of lambda lytic gene expression. We propose that tna expression is subject to transcription antitermination control. We hypothesize that a tryptophan-activated antiterminator protein mediates induction by suppressing the rho-dependent termination sites in the leader region, thus allowing transcription to proceed into the tna operon structural gene region.

Control of tryptophan metabolism by indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) in dendritic cells (DCs) is a highly versatile regulator of innate and adaptive immune responses. In acute reactions, the otherwise inflammatory cytokine interferon γ (IFN-γ) acts in a feedback fashion to induce IDO's enzymatic function--and thus prevent potentially harmful, exaggerated responses--through the combined effects of tryptophan starvation and tryptophan catabolites acting via the aryl hydrocarbon receptor of T cells. IDO, however, is also involved in the maintenance of stable tolerance to self in noninflammatory contexts, thus restraining autoimmunity. Exposure, indeed, of mouse plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) to transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) provides IDO with regulatory effects that are distinct, in nature, from its enzymic activity. Once phosphorylated, IDO mediates signaling events culminating in self-amplification and maintenance of a stably regulatory condition in pDCs. Therefore, IDO has dual immunoregulatory functions driven by distinct cytokines. Firstly, the IFN-γ-IDO axis is crucial in generating and sustaining the function of regulatory T cells. Secondly, a nonenzymic function of IDO--as a signaling molecule--contributes to TGF-β-driven tolerance. The latter function is part of a regulatory circuit in pDCs whereby--in response to TGF-β--the kinase Fyn mediates tyrosine phosphorylation of IDO-associated immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs, resulting in downstream effects that regulate gene expression and preside over a proper, homeostatic balance between immunity and tolerance. All these aspects are covered in this review.

The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan metabolism is linked to antimicrobial activity and modulation of immune responses but its role in stem cell biology is unknown. We show that human and mouse mesenchymal and neural stem cells (MSCs and NSCs) express the complete KP, including indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO) and IDO2, that it is highly regulated by type I (IFN-β) and II interferons (IFN-γ), and that its transcriptional modulation depends on the type of interferon, cell type and species. IFN-γ inhibited proliferation and altered human and mouse MSC neural, adipocytic and osteocytic differentiation via the activation of IDO. A functional KP present in MSCs, NSCs and perhaps other stem cell types offers novel therapeutic opportunities for optimisation of stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

The urea-soluble proteins from the nucleus of two young, two aged, and two early-stage nuclear cataract lenses were subjected to tryptic digestion and analysis by 2D LC-MS/MS. Several novel post-translational modifications were identified. Deamidation was, by far, the most common modification. A number of differences were found in cataract compared to normal lenses, most notably an increase in the number of oxidized tryptophan residues. Semiquantitative analysis revealed that there appeared to be a trend toward increased levels of deamidation with age; however, there was no apparent increase upon the onset of nuclear cataract. This is in contrast to Trp oxidation, where an increase in the extent of modification was apparent in cataract lenses when compared to aged normal lenses. These findings suggest Trp oxidation may be involved in nuclear cataract development.

We have isolated two regulatory mutants altered in the leader region of the Escherichia coli tryptophan (trp) operon. In one mutant, trpL29, the AUG translation start codon for the trip leader peptide is replaced by AUA. The other mutant, trpL75, has a G leads to A change at residue 75, immediately after the UGA translation stop codon for the trp leader peptide. In vivo, trpL29 and trpL75 increase the efficiency of transcription termination at the trp attenuator 3- to 5-fold. trpL29 and trpL75 also fail to respond fully to tryptophan starvation and other conditions that normally relieve transcription termination at the trp attenuator. The trpL29 mutation, which presumably reduces synthesis of the trp leader peptide, is cis dominant. The effect of starvation for a number of the amino acids in the trp leader peptide was determined. Only starvation for tryptophan and arginine, amino acids that occur at residues 10, 11, and 12 of the 14-residue trp leader peptide, elicits relief of transcription termination. Our findings suggest that translation of trp leader RNA is involved in regulation of transcription termination at the attenuator. A model is discussed in which the location of the ribosome synthesizing the leader peptide is communicated to the RNA polymerase transcribing the leader region.

We have isolated, sequenced, and expressed a cold-specific cDNA clone, Wcs120, that specifically hybridizes to a major mRNA species of approximately 1650 nucleotides from cold-acclimated wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The accumulation of this mRNA was induced in less than 24 hours of cold treatment, and remained at a high steady-state level during the entire period of cold acclimation in the two freezing-tolerant genotypes of wheat tested. The expression of Wcs120 was transient in a less-tolerant genotype even though the genomic organization of the Wcs120 and the relative copy number were the same in the three genotypes. The mRNA level decreased rapidly during deacclimation and was not induced by heat shock, drought, or abscisic acid. The Wcs120 cDNA contains a long open reading frame encoding a protein of 390 amino acids. The encoded protein is boiling stable, highly hydrophilic, and has a compositional bias for glycine (26.7%), threonine (16.7%), and histidine (10.8%), although cysteine, phenylalanine, and tryptophan were absent. The WCS120 protein contains two repeated domains. Domain A has the consensus amino acid sequence GEKKGVMENIKEKLPGGHGDHQQ, which is repeated 6 times, whereas domain B has the sequence TGGTYGQQGHTGTT, which is repeated 11 times. The two domains were also found in barley dehydrins and rice abscisic acid-induced protein families. The expression of this cDNA in Escherichia coli, using the T(7) RNA polymerase promoter, produced a protein of 50 kilodaltons with an isoelectric point of 7.3, and this product comigrated with a major protein synthesized in vivo and in vitro during cold acclimation.

Intraspecific aggression is influenced in numerous animal groups by the previous behavioral experiences of the competitors. The underlying mechanisms are, however, mostly obscure. We present evidence that a form of experience-dependent plasticity of aggression in crickets is mediated by octopamine, the invertebrate counterpart of noradrenaline. In a forced-fight paradigm, the experience of flying maximized the aggressiveness of crickets at their first encounter and accelerated the subsequent recovery of aggressiveness of the normally submissive losers, without enhancing general excitability as evaluated from the animals' startle responses to wind stimulation. This effect is transitory and concurrent with the activation of the octopaminergic system that accompanies flight. Hemocoel injections of the octopamine agonist chlordimeform (CDM) had similar effects on aggression but also enhanced startle responses. Serotonin depletion, achieved using alpha-methyl-tryptophan, enhanced startle responses without influencing aggression, indicating that the effect of CDM on aggression is not attributable to increased general excitation. Contrasting this, aggressiveness was depressed, and the effect of flying was essentially abolished, in crickets depleted of octopamine and dopamine using alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine (AMT). CDM restored aggressiveness in AMT-treated crickets, indicating that their depressed aggressiveness is attributable to octopamine depletion rather than to dopamine depletion or nonspecific defects. Finally, the flight effect was blocked in crickets treated with the octopamine receptor antagonist epinastine, or with the alpha-adrenoceptor and octopamine receptor antagonist phentolamine, but not with the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol. The idea that activity-specific induction of the octopaminergic system underlies other forms of experience-dependent plasticity of aggressive motivation in insects is discussed.

Auxotrophic mutants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have been proposed as new vaccine candidates. We have analyzed the virulence and vaccine potential of M. tuberculosis strains containing defined mutations in genes involved in methionine (metB), proline (proC), or tryptophan (trpD) amino acid biosynthesis. The metB mutant was a prototrophic strain, whereas the proC and trpD mutants were auxotrophic for proline and tryptophan, respectively. Following infection of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, H37Rv and the metB mutant strain survived intracellularly for over 10 days, whereas over 90% of proC and trpD mutants were killed during this time. In SCID mice, both H37Rv and the metB mutant were highly virulent, with mouse median survival times (MST) of 28.5 and 42 days, respectively. The proC mutant was significantly attenuated (MST, 130 days), whereas the trpD mutant was essentially avirulent in an immunocompromised host. Following infection of immunocompetent DBA mice with H37Rv, mice survived for a median of 83.5 days and the metB mutant now showed a clear reduction in virulence, with two of five infected mice surviving for 360 days. Both proC and trpD mutants were avirulent (MST of >360 days). In vaccination studies, prior infection with either the proC or trpD mutant gave protection equivalent (proC mutant) to or better (trpD mutant) than BCG against challenge with M. tuberculosis H37Rv. In summary, proC and trpD genes are essential for the virulence of M. tuberculosis, and mutants with disruptions in either of these genes show strong potential as vaccine candidates.

Studies performed during the past decade have shown that the rates at which certain neurons produce and release their neurotransmitters can be affected by precursor availability, and thus by the changes in plasma composition that occur after ingestion of the precursors in purified form or as constituents of foods. Thus, tryptophan administration or a plasma ratio of tryptophan to other large neutral amino acids, thereby raising brain tryptophan levels, increasing the substrate saturation of tryptophan hydroxylase, and accelerating the synthesis and release of serotonin. Tyrosine administration or a high-protein meal similarly elevates brain tyrosine and can accelerate catecholamine synthesis in the CNS and sympathoadrenal cells, while the consumption of lecithin or choline increases brain choline levels and neuronal acetylcholine synthesis. The physiologic and biochemical mechanisms that must exist in order for nutrient consumption to affect neurotransmitte synthesis have been characterized and include: 1) the lack of significant feedback control of plasma levels of the precursor; 2) the lack of a real "bloodbrain barrier" for the precursor, i.e. the ability of the plasma level of the precursor to control its influx into, or efflux from, the CNS; 3) the existence of a low-affinity (and thus unsaturated) transport system mediating the flux of the precursor between blood and brain; 4) low-affinity kinetics for the enzyme that initiates the conversion of the precursor to the transmitter; and, 5) the lack of end-product inhibition of the enzyme, in vivo, by its ultimate product, the neurotransmitter. The extent to which neurotransmitter synthesis in any particular aminergic neuron happens to be affected by changes in the availability of its precursor probably varies directly with the neuron's firing frequency. This relationship allows precursor administration to produce selective physiologic effects by enhancing neurotransmitter release from some but not all of the neurons potentially capable of utilizing the precursor for this purpose. It also allows the investigator to predict when administering the precursor might be useful for amplifying a physiologic process, or for treating a pathologic state. (for example, tyrosine administration raises blood pressure in hypotensive rats, lowers it in hypertensive animals, and has little effect on blood pressure in normotensive animals; the elevation in blood pressure probably reflects enhanced catecholamine release from sympathoadrenal cells, while the reduction in hypertensive animals probably results from increased catecholamine release within the brain-stem.) Such predictions are now being tested clinically in many institution. Available evidence suggests that lecithin or cholie administration can diminish the frequency of abnormal movements in patients with tardive dyskinesia...

Derangement in pulmonary surfactant or its components and alveolar collapse are common findings in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Surfactant proteins play important roles in innate host defense and normal function of the lung. We examined associations between IPF and genetic polymorphic variants of surfactant proteins, SP-A1, SP-A2, SP-B, SP-C, and SP-D. One SP-A1 (6A(4)) allele and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that characterize the 6A(4) allele, and one SP-B (B1580_C) were found with higher frequency ( P</=0.01) in nonsmoker and smoker IPF ( n=84) subgroups, respectively, compared with healthy controls ( n=194). To explore whether a <em>tryptophan</em> (present in 6A(4)) or an arginine (present in other SP-A1 alleles and in all SP-A2 alleles) at amino acid 219 alters protein behavior, two truncated proteins that varied only at amino acid 219 were oxidized by exposure to ozone. Differences in the absorption spectra (310-350 nm) between the two truncated recombinant SP-A proteins were observed both before and after protein oxidation, suggesting allele-specific aggregation differences attributable to amino acid 219. The SP-B SNP B1580_C (odds ratio:7.63; confidence interval:1.64-35.4; P</=0.01), to be a risk factor for IPF smokers, has also been shown to be a risk factor for other pulmonary diseases. The SP-C and SP-D SNPs and SP-B-linked microsatellite markers studied did not associate with IPF. These findings indicate that surfactant protein variants may serve as markers to identify subgroups of patients at risk, and we speculate that these contribute to IPF pathogenesis.

Kynurenic acid is a tryptophan metabolite provided with antagonist activity on ionotropic glutamate and alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. We noticed that in rats with a dialysis probe placed in the head of their caudate nuclei, local administration of kynurenic acid (30-100 nM) significantly reduced glutamate output. Qualitatively and quantitatively similar effects were observed after systemic administration of kynurenine hydroxylase inhibitors, a procedure able to increase brain kynurenate concentrations. Interestingly, in microdialysis studies, methyllycaconitine (0.3-10 nM), a selective alpha7 nicotinic receptor antagonist, also reduced glutamate output. In isolated superfused striatal synaptosomes, kynurenic acid (100 nM), but not methyllycaconitine, inhibited the depolarization (KCl 12.5 mM)-induced release of transmitter or previously taken-up [3H]-D-aspartate. This inhibition was not modified by glycine, N-methyl-D-aspartate or subtype-selective kainate receptor agents, while CNQX or DNQX (10 microM), two AMPA and kainate receptor antagonists, reduced kynurenic acid effects. Low concentrations of kynurenic acid, however, did not modify [3H]-kainate (high and low affinity) or [3H]-AMPA binding to rat brain membranes. Finally, because metabotropic glutamate (mGlu) receptors modulate transmitter release in striatal preparations, we evaluated, with negative results, kynurenic acid (1-100 nM) effects in cells transfected with mGlu1, mGlu2, mGlu4 or mGlu5 receptors. In conclusion, our data show that kynurenate-induced inhibition of glutamate release is not mediated by glutamate receptors. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, however, may contribute to the inhibitory effects of kynurenate found in microdialysis studies, but not in those found in isolated synaptosomes.

This overview tries to bridge the gap between psychoneuroimmunological findings and recent results from pharmacological, neurochemical and genetic studies in schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a disorder of dopaminergic neurotransmission, but modulation of the dopaminergic system by glutamatergic neurotransmission seems to play a key role. This view is supported by genetic findings of the neuregulin- and dysbindin genes, which have functional impact on the glutamatergic system. Glutamatergic hypofunction, however, is mediated by the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonism. The only endogenous NMDA receptor antagonist identified up to now is kynurenic acid (KYNA). Despite the NMDA receptor antagonism, KYNA also blocks, in lower doses, the nicotinergic acetycholine receptor, i.e., increased KYNA levels can explain psychotic symptoms and cognitive deterioration. KYNA levels are described to be higher in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in critical central nervous system (CNS) regions of schizophrenics as compared to controls. Another line of evidence suggests that a (prenatal) infection is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Due to an early sensitization process of the immune system or to a (chronic) infection, which is not cleared through the immune response, an immune imbalance between the type-1 and the type-2 immune responses takes place in schizophrenia. The type-1 response is partially inhibited, while the type-2 response is over-activated. This immune constellation is associated with inhibition of the enzyme indoleamine dioxygenase (IDO), because IDO - located in astrocytes and microglial cells - is inhibited by type-2 cytokines. IDO catalyzes the first step in tryptophan metabolism, the degradation from tryptophan to kynurenine, as does tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO). Due to the inhibition of IDO, tryptophan-kynurenine is predominantly metabolized by TDO, which is located in astrocytes, not in microglial or other CNS cells. In schizophrenia, astrocytes in particular are activated, as increased levels of S100B appear. Additionally, they do not have the enzymatic equipment for the normal metabolism-route of tryptophan. Due to the lack of kynurenine hydroxylase (KYN-OHase) in astrocytes, KYNA accumulates in the CNS, while the metabolic pathway in microglial cells is blocked. Accordingly, an increase of TDO activity has been observed in critical CNS regions of schizophrenics. These mechanisms result in an accumulation of KYNA in critical CNS regions. Thus, the immune-mediated glutamatergic-dopaminergic dysregulation may lead to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia. Therapeutic consequences, e.g., the use of anti-inflammatory cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors, which can also decrease KYNA directly, are discussed.

The original 1969 Lancet paper proposed in depression the activity of liver tryptophan-pyrrolase is stimulated by raised blood corticosteroids levels, and metabolism of tryptophan is shunted away from serotonin production, and towards kynurenine production. Discovery of neurotropic activity of kynurenines suggested that up-regulation of the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway not only augmented serotonin deficiency but also underlined depression-associated anxiety, psychosis and cognitive decline. The present review of genetic and hormonal factors regulating kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism suggests that this pathway mediates both genetic and environmental mechanisms of depression. Rate-limiting enzymes of kynurenine formation, tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO) and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) are activated by stress hormones (TDO) and/or by pro-inflammatory cytokines (IDO). Simultaneous presence of high producers alleles of proinflammatory cytokines genes (e.g., interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha) determines the genetic predisposition to depression via up-regulation of IDO while impact of environmental stresses is mediated via hormonal activation of TDO. Tryptophan-kynurenine pathway represents a major meeting point of gene-environment interaction in depression and a new target for pharmacological intervention.

Here, we present evidence that Lrp6, a coreceptor for Wnt ligands, is required for the normal formation of somites and bones. By positional cloning, we demonstrate that a novel spontaneous mutation ringelschwanz (rs) in the mouse is caused by a point mutation in Lrp6, leading to an amino acid substitution of tryptophan for the evolutionarily conserved residue arginine at codon 886 (R886W). We show that rs is a hypomorphic Lrp6 allele by a genetic complementation test with Lrp6-null mice, and that the mutated protein cannot efficiently transduce signals through the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Homozygous rs mice, many of which are remarkably viable, exhibit a combination of multiple Wnt-deficient phenotypes, including dysmorphologies of the axial skeleton, digits and the neural tube. The establishment of the anteroposterior somite compartments, the epithelialization of nascent somites, and the formation of segment borders are disturbed in rs mutants, leading to a characteristic form of vertebral malformations, similar to dysmorphologies in individuals suffering from spondylocostal dysostosis. Marker expression study suggests that Lrp6 is required for the crosstalk between the Wnt and notch-delta signaling pathways during somitogenesis. Furthermore, the Lrp6 dysfunction in rs leads to delayed ossification at birth and to a low bone mass phenotype in adults. Together, we propose that Lrp6 is one of the key genetic components for the pathogenesis of vertebral segmentation defects and of osteoporosis in humans.