Role of Molecular Mimickry of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Protein with Platelet GPIIIa in Hepatitis C-Related Immunologic Thrombocytopenia

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 398-398
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Michael A. Nardi ◽  
William Borkowsky ◽  
Simon Karpatkin

Abstract HIV-ITP patients have a unique Ab against platelet GPIIIa49-66 which induces oxidative platelet fragmentation in the absence of complement (Cell106: 551, 2001; JCI113: 973, 2004). Since HCV-ITP, like HIV-ITP, is associated with circulating immune complexes, we asked whether the complexes could contain platelet fragments induced by oxidative platelet fragmentation and whether HCV-ITP could be induced by molecular mimickry with an HCV peptide. The incidence of Hepatitis-C related ITP varies from 10–40% increasing with severity of liver disease. HIV-ITP is more frequent in drug abusers compared to non-drug abusers (37% vs 16%); and more severe in HIV-drug abusers than non-drug abusers (platelets <10,000/ul in 52% vs 9%). A striking feature of HIV-infection in drug abusers is the frequent co-infection with HCV. HCV infection in non-drug abusers (~30%) increase to 90% in drug abusers. We asked whether coinfection with HCV facilitates ITP, and if so, which would be the mechanism. We screened a 7 mer peptide phage library with anti-GPIIIa49-66 Ab as bait for peptides showing homology sequences with HCV protein. Three clones had 70% homology with HCV protein, as well as a non-conserved core envelope 1 peptide, PHC09 (SAIHIRNASG). Three additional non-conserved envelope 1 peptides with 70% homology for PHC09 were found in the NIH data base (PHC09-H4, PHC09-H5 and PHC09-H6). The envelope 1 protein is a known neutralizing HCV epitope reactive with human MoAb vs 12 different HCV Envelope 1 isolates, containing the candidate linear epitope _ _ RN_SG_Y_. Sera from dually infected thrombocytopenic patients with HCV and HIV-ITP reacted strongly with PHC09 and correlated inversely with platelet count r2=0.7, p<0.01, n=15. Ab raised against this peptide in GPIIIa −/− mice induced severe thrombocytopenia in wild-type mice, n=4. Affinity-purified IgG against PHC09 induced oxidative platelet fragmentation in vitro, n=5. Drug abusers dually infected with HCV and HIV had a greater incidence and severity of thrombocytopenia (<30,000/ul) in 8/15 dually infected patients compared to 2/15 HCV-ITP (p<0.025) or 3/15 HIV-ITP patients (p=0.06). This was associated with a greater incidence and titer of anti-GPIIIa49-66 Ab in 12/15 HCV-HIV-ITP compared to 2/15 HCV-ITP (P=0.001) or 6/15 HIV-ITP patients (p<0.05). They also had a greater incidence of anti PHC09 Ab in 10/15 HCV-HIV-ITP patients compared to 3/15 HCV-ITP (p=0.004) or 1/15 HIV-ITP patients (p=0.001). Similar findings were obtained with PHC09-H5. NZB/W F1 mice injected with recombinant core envelope 1 developed Ab titers vs PHC09 and significantly lowered their platelet count by 60%, compared to controls, P<0.001. Anti-PHC09 Ab correlated inversely with platelet count, r2=0.63, n=15, P<0.05, n=8. Thus, 1) HCV-ITP complexes contain anti-PHC09 Ab capable of inducing oxidative platelet fragmentation; 2) HCV-ITP can be induced by molecular mimickry with HCV core envelope 1 protein, PHC09; 3) Dually infected ITP drug abusers with HIV and HCV have greater titers of anti-GPIIIa49-66/PHC09 Ab than HCV-ITP or HIV-ITP patients and more severe thrombocytopenia.

Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 113 (17) ◽  
pp. 4086-4093 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Zhang ◽  
Michael A. Nardi ◽  
William Borkowsky ◽  
Zongdong Li ◽  
Simon Karpatkin

Abstract Patients with HIV-1 immune-related thrombocytopenia (HIV-1–ITP) have a unique Ab against platelet GPIIIa49-66 capable of inducing oxidative platelet fragmentation in the absence of complement. HIV-1–seropositive drug abusers are more prone to develop immune thrombocytopenia than non–drug abusers and have a higher coinfection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) than non–drug abusers (90% vs 30%). Molecular mimicry was sought by screening a phage peptide library with anti–GPIIIa49-66 antibody as bait for peptides sharing homology sequences with HCV. Several phage peptide clones had 70% homology with HCV protein. Sera from dually infected thrombocytopenic patients with HCV and HIV-ITP reacted strongly with 4 nonconserved peptides from HCV core envelope 1. Reactivity correlated inversely with platelet count (r2 = 0.7, P < .01). Ab raised against peptide PHC09 in GPIIIa−/− mice induced thrombocytopenia in wild-type mice. Affinity-purified IgG against PHC09 induced oxidative platelet fragmentation in vitro. Drug abusers dually infected with HCV and HIV-1 had a greater incidence and severity of thrombocytopenia as well as titer of anti–GPIIIa49-66/PHC09 Ab. NZB/W F1 mice injected with recombinant core envelope 1 developed Ab versus PHC09 and significantly decreased their platelet count (P < .001). Thus, HCV core envelope 1 can induce thrombocytopenia by molecular mimicry with GPIIIa49-66.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 6865
Author(s):  
Eun Seon Lee ◽  
Joung Hun Park ◽  
Seong Dong Wi ◽  
Ho Byoung Chae ◽  
Seol Ki Paeng ◽  
...  

The thioredoxin-h (Trx-h) family of Arabidopsis thaliana comprises cytosolic disulfide reductases. However, the physiological function of Trx-h2, which contains an additional 19 amino acids at its N-terminus, remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular function of Trx-h2 both in vitro and in vivo and found that Arabidopsis Trx-h2 overexpression (Trx-h2OE) lines showed significantly longer roots than wild-type plants under cold stress. Therefore, we further investigated the role of Trx-h2 under cold stress. Our results revealed that Trx-h2 functions as an RNA chaperone by melting misfolded and non-functional RNAs, and by facilitating their correct folding into active forms with native conformation. We showed that Trx-h2 binds to and efficiently melts nucleic acids (ssDNA, dsDNA, and RNA), and facilitates the export of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm under cold stress. Moreover, overexpression of Trx-h2 increased the survival rate of the cold-sensitive E. coli BX04 cells under low temperature. Thus, our data show that Trx-h2 performs function as an RNA chaperone under cold stress, thus increasing plant cold tolerance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 1825
Author(s):  
Li Hao ◽  
Aaron J. Marshall ◽  
Lixin Liu

Bam32 (B cell adaptor molecule of 32 kDa) functions in the immune responses of various leukocytes. However, the role of neutrophil Bam32 in inflammation is entirely unknown. Here, we determined the role of Bam32 in chemokine CXCL2-induced neutrophil chemotaxis in three mouse models of neutrophil recruitment. By using intravital microscopy in the mouse cremaster muscle, we found that transmigrated neutrophil number, neutrophil chemotaxis velocity, and total neutrophil chemotaxis distance were increased in Bam32−/− mice when compared with wild-type (WT) mice. In CXCL2-induced mouse peritonitis, the total emigrated neutrophils were increased in Bam32−/− mice at 2 but not 4 h. The CXCL2-induced chemotaxis distance and migration velocity of isolated Bam32−/− neutrophils in vitro were increased. We examined the activation of small GTPases Rac1, Rac2, and Rap1; the levels of phospho-Akt2 and total Akt2; and their crosstalk with Bam32 in neutrophils. The deficiency of Bam32 suppressed Rap1 activation without changing the activation of Rac1 and Rac2. The pharmacological inhibition of Rap1 by geranylgeranyltransferase I inhibitor (GGTI298) increased WT neutrophil chemotaxis. In addition, the deficiency of Bam32, as well as the inhibition of Rap1 activation, increased the levels of CXCL2-induced Akt1/2 phosphorylation at Thr308/309 in neutrophils. The inhibition of Akt by SH-5 attenuated CXCL2-induced adhesion and emigration in Bam32−/− mice. Together, our results reveal that Bam32 has a suppressive role in chemokine-induced neutrophil chemotaxis by regulating Rap1 activation and that this role of Bam32 in chemokine-induced neutrophil recruitment relies on the activation of PI3K effector Akt.


2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (3) ◽  
pp. H337-H345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Gotha ◽  
Sang Yup Lim ◽  
Azriel B. Osherov ◽  
Rafael Wolff ◽  
Beiping Qiang ◽  
...  

Perlecan is a proteoglycan composed of a 470-kDa core protein linked to three heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycan chains. The intact proteoglycan inhibits the smooth muscle cell (SMC) response to vascular injury. Hspg2Δ3/Δ3 (MΔ3/Δ3) mice produce a mutant perlecan lacking the HS side chains. The objective of this study was to determine differences between these two types of perlecan in modifying SMC activities to the arterial injury response, in order to define the specific role of the HS side chains. In vitro proliferative and migratory activities were compared in SMC isolated from MΔ3/Δ3 and wild-type mice. Proliferation of MΔ3/Δ3 SMC was 1.5× greater than in wild type ( P < 0.001), increased by addition of growth factors, and showed a 42% greater migratory response than wild-type cells to PDGF-BB ( P < 0.001). In MΔ3/Δ3 SMC adhesion to fibronectin, and collagen types I and IV was significantly greater than wild type. Addition of DRL-12582, an inducer of perlecan expression, decreased proliferation and migratory response to PDGF-BB stimulation in wild-type SMC compared with MΔ3/Δ3. In an in vivo carotid artery wire injury model, the medial thickness, medial area/lumen ratio, and macrophage infiltration were significantly increased in the MΔ3/Δ3 mice, indicating a prominent role of the HS side chain in limiting vascular injury response. Mutant perlecan that lacks HS side chains had a marked reduction in the inhibition of in vitro SMC function and the in vivo arterial response to injury, indicating the critical role of HS side chains in perlecan function in the vessel wall.


2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8565-8574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Greenberg ◽  
Paul Schedl

ABSTRACT The Drosophila melanogaster GAGA factor (encoded by the Trithorax-like [Trl] gene) is required for correct chromatin architecture at diverse chromosomal sites. The Trl gene encodes two alternatively spliced isoforms of the GAGA factor (GAGA-519 and GAGA-581) that are identical except for the length and sequence of the C-terminal glutamine-rich (Q) domain. In vitro and tissue culture experiments failed to find any functional difference between the two isoforms. We made a set of transgenes that constitutively express cDNAs coding for either of the isoforms with the goal of elucidating their roles in vivo. Phenotypic analysis of the transgenes in Trl mutant background led us to the conclusion that GAGA-519 and GAGA-581 perform different, albeit largely overlapping, functions. We also expressed a fusion protein with LacZ disrupting the Q domain of GAGA-519. This LacZ fusion protein compensated for the loss of wild-type GAGA factor to a surprisingly large extent. This suggests that the Q domain either is not required for the essential functions performed by the GAGA protein or is exclusively used for tetramer formation. These results are inconsistent with a major role of the Q domain in chromatin remodeling or transcriptional activation. We also found that GAGA-LacZ was able to associate with sites not normally occupied by the GAGA factor, pointing to a role of the Q domain in binding site choice in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul White ◽  
Samuel F. Haysom ◽  
Matthew G. Iadanza ◽  
Anna J. Higgins ◽  
Jonathan M. Machin ◽  
...  

AbstractThe folding of β-barrel outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in Gram-negative bacteria is catalysed by the β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM). How lateral opening in the β-barrel of the major subunit BamA assists in OMP folding, and the contribution of membrane disruption to BAM catalysis remain unresolved. Here, we use an anti-BamA monoclonal antibody fragment (Fab1) and two disulphide-crosslinked BAM variants (lid-locked (LL), and POTRA-5-locked (P5L)) to dissect these roles. Despite being lethal in vivo, we show that all complexes catalyse folding in vitro, albeit less efficiently than wild-type BAM. CryoEM reveals that while Fab1 and BAM-P5L trap an open-barrel state, BAM-LL contains a mixture of closed and contorted, partially-open structures. Finally, all three complexes globally destabilise the lipid bilayer, while BamA does not, revealing that the BAM lipoproteins are required for this function. Together the results provide insights into the role of BAM structure and lipid dynamics in OMP folding.


2011 ◽  
Vol 109 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen M Andres ◽  
Chengqun Huang ◽  
Eric P Ratliff ◽  
Genaro Hernandez ◽  
Pamela Lee ◽  
...  

Autophagy-dependent mitochondrial turnover in response to cellular stress is necessary for maintaining cellular homeostasis. However, the mechanisms that govern the selective targeting of damaged mitochondria are poorly understood. Parkin, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, has been shown to be essential for the selective clearance of damaged mitochondria. Parkin is expressed in the heart, yet its function has not been investigated in the context of cardioprotection. We previously reported that autophagy is required for cardioprotection by ischemic preconditioning (IPC). In the present study, we used simulated ischemia in vitro and IPC in hearts (in vivo and ex vivo) to investigate the role of Parkin in mediating cardioprotection. In HL-1 cells, simulated ischemia induced Parkin translocation to mitochondria and mitochondrial elimination. Mitochondrial loss was blunted in Atg5-deficient cells, revealing the requirement for autophagy in mitochondrial elimination. Consistent with previous reports implicating p62/SQSTM1 in mitophagy, we found that downregulation of p62 attenuated mitophagy and exacerbated cell death in HL-1 cardiomyocytes subjected to simulated ischemia. While wild type mice showed p62 translocation to mitochondria after IPC, Parkin knockout mice exhibited attenuated translocation of p62 to mitochondria. Importantly, ablation of Parkin in mice abolished the cardioprotective effects of IPC. These results reveal for the first time the crucial role of Parkin and mitophagy in cardioprotection.


1984 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda J. Reha-Krantz ◽  
Sükran Parmaksizoglu

The effect of temperature on genetically well-defined mutational pathways was examined in the bacteriophage T4. The mutational site was a T4 rII ochre mutant which could revert to rII+ via a transversion or to the amber convertant via a transition. Temperature did not strongly affect any of the pathways examined in a wild-type background; however, increased temperature reduced the mutational activity of a mutator DNA polymerase mutant. Possible models to explain the role of temperature in mutagenesis are discussed as well as the significance of low temperatures for in vitro mutagenesis reactions.Key words: bacteriophage T4, mutator, transition, transversion, temperature effects.


1990 ◽  
Vol 272 (3) ◽  
pp. 797-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
E S Gonos ◽  
J P Goddard

The role of a tRNA-like structure within the 5′-flanking sequence of a human tRNA(Glu) gene in the modulation of its transcription in vitro by HeLa cell extracts has been investigated using several deletion mutants of a recombinant of the gene which lacked part or all of the tRNA-like structure. The transcriptional efficiency of four mutants was the same as that of the wild-type recombinant, two mutants had decreased transcriptional efficiency, one was more efficient, and one, lacking part of the 5′ intragenic control region, was inactive. Correlation of the transcriptional efficiencies with the position and the size of the 5′-flanking sequence that was deleted indicated that the tRNA-like structure may be deleted without loss of transcriptional efficiency. Current models for the modulation of tRNA gene transcription by the 5′-flanking sequence are assessed in the light of the results obtained, and a potential model is presented.


2007 ◽  
Vol 98 (10) ◽  
pp. 806-812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vandana Dole ◽  
Wolfgang Bergmeier ◽  
Ian Patten ◽  
Junichi Hirahashi ◽  
Tanya Mayadas ◽  
...  

SummaryWe have previously shown that activated platelets in circulation stimulate release of endothelial Weibel-Palade bodies thus increasing leukocyte rolling in venules. P-selectin on the activated platelets mediates adhesion to leukocytes via PSGL-1 and is rapidly shed into plasma. We were interested in studying the role of PSGL-1 in regulating expression and function of platelet P-selectin. We show here that PSGL-1 is critical for the activation of endothelial cells in venules of mice infused with activated platelets. The interaction of platelet P-selectin with PSGL-1 is also required for P-selectin shedding, as P-selectin was retained significantly longer on the surface of activated platelets infused into PSGL-1-/- compared to wild-type mice. The leukocyte integrin αMβ2 (Mac-1) was not required for P-selectin shedding. In addition to shedding, P-selectin can be downregulated from the platelet surface through internalization and this is the predominant mechanism in the absence of PSGL-1. We demonstrate that leukocyte- neutrophil elastase,known to cleave P-selectin in vitro, is not the major sheddase for P-selectin in vivo. In conclusion, interaction of platelet P-selectin with PSGL-1 is crucial for activation of the endothelium andWeibel-Palade body secretion. The interaction with PSGL-1 also results in rapid shedding of P-selectin thus downregulating the inflammatory potential of the platelet.


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