Livelli plasmatici di β-amiloide: uno studio pilota in pazienti affetti da depressione bipolare

INTRODUZIONE: I pazienti affetti da disturbi dell’umore mostrano un aumentato rischio di demenza e di declino cognitivo, correlato alla gravità del decorso di malattia. Nella malattia di Alzheimer (AD) sono ben studiati il ruolo neurotossico della ß-amiloide (Aß) così come le variazioni nei livelli dei suoi peptidi solubili. Una riduzione di Aß42, un aumento di Aß40 e un aumento del rapporto Aß40/42 sono stati riscontrati nel plasma di pazienti a rischio di AD e con AD in fase conclamata. Risultati analoghi sono stati rilevati in pazienti depressi, per lo più anziani. Nell’uomo è stata rilevata una relazione tra depressione e variazioni dei livelli periferici dei peptidi Aß suggerendo la possibilità di un danno neuronale Aß-mediato. Il presente studio si propone di valutare i livelli plasmatici dei peptidi Aß in un campione di pazienti depressi confrontandoli con quelli di un campione di soggetti sani e di correlare le caratteristiche di decorso dei pazienti con i livelli dei peptidi Aß. PAZIENTI E METODI Pazienti: Sono stati reclutati 25 pazienti con episodio depressivo maggiore in corso e 25 soggetti di controllo con anamnesi negativa per disturbi somatici, psichiatrici, neurologici e abuso di sostanze. Contestualmente alla valutazione clinica, è stato effettuato un prelievo ematico per la determinazione dei livelli plasmatici di Aß40 e Aß42. Strumenti di valutazione clinica: MINI, HRSD-21, MMSE. Metodi di laboratorio: L’analisi dei livelli di Aß40 e Aß42 è stata effettuata tramite appositi kit ELISA. RISULTATI: I pazienti hanno mostrato valori plasmatici di Aß42 significativamente più bassi rispetto ai controlli e un rapporto Aß40/Aß42 più alto. Sono emerse, inoltre, le seguenti correlazioni statisticamente significative: - Aß42 correla negativamente con la durata di malattia - Aß40 correla positivamente con il numero di episodi affettivi - il rapporto Aß40/Aß42 correla positivamente con il numero di episodi affettivi - il rapporto Aß40/Aß42 correla positivamente con i punteggi della HRSD-21 - il rapporto Aß40/Aß42 correla negativamente con i punteggi della MMSE DISCUSSIONE: Questi risultati sono in linea con studi precedenti che avevano rilevato variazioni dei peptidi Aß periferici in pazienti depressi rispetto a controlli sani. Tuttavia questo studio è il primo a rilevare in un campione di depressi eterogeneo per età valori di Aß42 inferiori e un rapporto Aß40/Aß42 superiore rispetto a controlli sani e ad individuare una correlazione tra i livelli dei peptidi Aß e la gravità del decorso. CONCLUSIONI: Emerge la necessità di integrare nel follow-up dei pazienti depressi una accurata valutazione di tipo neuropsicologico al fine di identificare precocemente i deficit cognitivi e di avviare percorsi terapeutici adeguati. Ulteriori ricerche sono necessarie per capire se la neurotossicità Aß mediata abbia un ruolo fisiopatologico nei disturbi dell’umore tale da sostenere l’aumentato rischio di demenza e declino cognitivo riscontrato nei pazienti bipolari

Polymorphism Analysis of Genes Involved in Xenobiotic Metabolism and Circadian Rhythm in Human Breast Cancer

Individual response to xenobiotic exposures depends on the dynamics of xenobiotic metabolism and the circadian clock system, among other factors. Since these systems are closely related, polymorphisms in their key genes may have an impact on how carcinogenic compounds are metabolized, and therefore on the risk of tumor development. Whereas the mammary gland is exposed to agents that damage DNA, it was considered of high interest to study xenobiotic metabolizing genes (XMG) and clock genes in this tissue. Our aim was to analyze genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphisms in the XMG N-acetyl transferase 2 (NAT2) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), and in the clock genes period 3 (PER3) and CLOCK in human breast tumor samples. As well, it was if these polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium. 65 samples were genotyped for polymorphisms in GSTT1 (null), NAT2 (C481T, G590A and G857A), CLOCK (T3111C) and PER3 (length polymorphism), by PCR and PCR-RFLP. For GSTT1, 20% of the samples showed total absence of the gene. When NAT2 genotypes were grouped by their associated acetylator phenotype, 5% of rapid, 49% of intermediate and 46% of slow acetylator phenotypes were indicated. Allele frequencies for CLOCK were T=0.78 and C=0.22; for PER3, they were 0.66 for the 4-repeats allele and 0.34 for the 5-repeats allele. Linkage disequilibrium test indicated evidence of strong linkage between NAT2 and CLOCK (χ2=13.076; p=0.005). With regard to allele and genotype frequencies, our results are in agreement with those reported for similar populations. The evidence of linkage disequilibrium in our breast cancer samples is interesting and requires further investigation. This work constitutes a first approximation to a combined study of polymorphisms in XMG and clock genes in breast cancer Argentinian patients. Future studies will attempt to address the role of these and other polymorphisms in cancer risk, prognosis and response to treatment.Fil: Cerliani, María Belén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular; ArgentinaFil: Richard, Silvina Mariel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celular; Argentin

Galectin-1 is essential for efficient liver regeneration following hepatectomy

Galectin-1 (Gal1) is a known immune/inflammatory regulator which actsboth extracellularly and intracellularly, modulating innate and adaptive immuneresponses. Here, we explored the role of Gal1 in liver regeneration using 70% partial hepatectomy (PHx) of C57BL/6 wild type and Gal1-knockout (Gal1-KO, Lgals1-/-) mice. Gene or protein expression, in liver samples collected at time intervals from 2 to 168 hours post-operation, was tested by either RT-PCR or by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. We demonstrated that Gal1 transcript and protein expression was induced in the liver tissue of wild type mice upon PHx. Liver regeneration following PHx was significantly delayed in the Gal1-KO compared to the control liver. This delay was accompanied by a decreased Akt phosphorylation, and accumulation of the hepatocyte nuclear p21 protein in the Gal1-KO versus control livers at 24 and 48 hours following PHx. Transcripts of several known regulators of inflammation, cell cycle and cell signaling, including some known PHx-induced genes, were aberrantly expressed (mainly down-regulated) in Gal1-KO compared to control livers at 2, 6 and 24 hours post-PHx. Transient steatosis, which is imperative for liver regeneration following PHx, was significantly delayed and decreased in the Gal1- KO compared to the control liver and was accompanied by a significantly decreased expression in the mutant liver of several genes encoding lipid metabolism regulators.Our results demonstrate that Gal1 protein is essential for efficient liver regeneration following PHx through the regulation of liver inflammation, hepatic cell proliferation, and the control of lipid storage in the regenerating liver.Fil: Potikha, Tamara. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; IsraelFil: Ella, Ezra. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; IsraelFil: Cerliani, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Mizrahi, Lina. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; IsraelFil: Pappo, Orit. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; IsraelFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; ArgentinaFil: Galun, Eithan. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; IsraelFil: Goldenberg, Daniel S.. Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center; Israe

Regulatory role of glycans in the control of hypoxia-driven angiogenesis and sensitivity to anti-angiogenic treatment

Abnormal glycosylation is a typical hallmark of the transition from healthy to neoplastic tissues. Although the importance of glycans and glycan-binding proteins in cancer-related processes such as tumor cell adhesion, migration, metastasis and immune escape has been largely appreciated, our awareness of the impact of lectin-glycan recognition in tumor vascularization is relatively new. Regulated glycosylation can influence vascular biology by controlling trafficking, endocytosis and signaling of endothelial cell (EC) receptors including vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, platelet EC adhesion molecule, Notch and integrins. In addition, glycans may control angiogenesis by regulating migration of endothelial tip cells and influencing EC survival and vascular permeability. Recent evidence indicated that changes in the EC surface glycome may also serve ?on-and-off? switches that control galectin binding to signaling receptors by displaying or masking-specific glycan epitopes. These glycosylation-dependent lectin-receptor interactions can link tumor hypoxia to EC signaling and control tumor sensitivity to anti-angiogenic treatment.Fil: Croci Russo, Diego Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Cerliani, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Pinto, Nicolás Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Morosi, Luciano Gastón. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Departamento de Química Biológica; Argentin

The MPA mouse breast cancer model: evidence for a role of progesterone receptors in breast cancer

More than 60% of all breast neoplasias are ductal carcinomas expressing estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR). In contrast, most of the spontaneous, chemically or MMTV induced tumors, as well as tumors arising in genetically modified mice do not express hormone receptors. We developed a model of breast cancer in which the administration of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) to BALB/c female mice induces mammary ductal carcinomas with a mean latency of 52 weeks and an incidence of about 80%. These tumors are hormone-dependent, metastatic, express both ER and PR, and are maintained by syngeneic transplants. The model has been further refined to include mammary carcinomas that evolve through different stages of hormone dependency, as well as several hormone-responsive cell lines. In this review, we describe the main features of this tumor model, highlighting the role of PR as a trigger of key signaling pathways mediating tumor growth. In addition, we discussthe relevance of this model in comparison with other currently used breast cancer models pointing out its advantages and limitations and how, this model may be suitable to unravel key questions in breast cancer.Fil: Lanari, Claudia Lee Malvina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Lamb, Caroline Ana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Fabris, Victoria Teresa. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Helguero, Luisa A.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Soldati, Rocío. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Bottino, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Giulianelli, Sebastian Jesus. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Cerliani, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Wargon, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; ArgentinaFil: Molinolo, Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Fundación de Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental; Argentina. Public Health Service. National Institute Of Health; Estados Unido

Association between PER3 length polymorphism and onco-hematological diseases and its influence on patients functionality

Circadian clock gene PER3 and its length polymorphism may have a role in oncogenesis as clock genes act as key regulators of cell cycle and DNA repair pathways. The polymorphism may affect the condition of patients who show disrupted circadian rhythm due to tumor development. The aim was to assess the association between PER3 polymorphism and onco-hematological diseases, and analyze whether this variant has an impact on patient’s functionality. We conducted a case-control study on 125 patients with onco-hematological diseases and 310 control patients. PER3 allelic variants were detected by using polymerase chain reaction. Sociodemographic data and information on patient’s habits and functionality were obtained through questionnaire. Genotypes 4/5 + 5/5 showed an odd ratio (OR) = 1.39, with no statistical significance. However, those genotypes were associated with a two-fold increase in the risk of acute/chronic lymphoblastic/myeloblastic leukemia, taken all together. The occurrence of “changes in humor during last two months” was significantly associated with onco-hematological diseases. “Fatigue on awakening” and “self-reported snore” were associated with cases carrying the 4/5 or 5/5 genotypes. The results suggested that PER3 polymorphism may have a role in the risk of leukemia, and might be a possible marker for individual differences in susceptibility to sleep disruption. This work provides insights for the identification of individuals at high risk of cancer, and those who are more susceptible to circadian disruption, which may decrease the physiological defenses against the tumor

Targeting galectin-1 overcomes breast cancer-associated immunosuppression and prevents metastatic disease

Galectin-1 (Gal1), an evolutionarily conserved glycan-binding protein, contributes to the creation of an immunosuppressed microenvironment at sites of tumor growth. In spite of considerable progress in elucidating its role in tumor-immune escape, the mechanisms underlying the inhibitory functions of Gal1 remain obscure. Here, we investigated the contribution of tumor Gal1 to tumor growth, metastasis, and immunosuppression in breast cancer. We found that the frequency of Gal1(+) cells in human breast cancer biopsies correlated positively with tumor grade, while specimens from patients with benign hyperplasia showed negative or limited Gal1 staining. To examine the pathophysiologic relevance of Gal1 in breast cancer, we used the metastatic mouse mammary tumor 4T1, which expresses and secretes substantial amounts of Gal1. Silencing Gal1 expression in this model induced a marked reduction in both tumor growth and the number of lung metastases. This effect was abrogated when mice were inoculated with wild-type 4T1 tumor cells in their contralateral flank, suggesting involvement of a systemic modulation of the immune response. Gal1 attenuation in 4T1 cells also reduced the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(+) Foxp3(+) regulatory T (T(reg)) cells within the tumor, draining lymph nodes, spleen, and lung metastases. Further, it abrogated the immunosuppressive function of T(reg) cells and selectively lowered the expression of the T-cell regulatory molecule LAT (linker for activation of T cells) on these cells, disarming their suppressive activity. Taken together, our results offer a preclinical proof of concept that therapeutic targeting of Gal1 can overcome breast cancer-associated immunosuppression and can prevent metastatic disease.Fil: D'alotto Moreno, Tomas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Croci Russo, Diego Omar. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Cerliani, Juan Pablo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Martínez Allo, Verónica Candela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Dergan Dylon, Leonardo Sebastian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Mendez Huergo, Santiago Patricio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Stupirski, Juan Carlos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Mazal, Daniel. Centro Hospitalario Pereira Rossell. Servicio de Anatomía Patologica,; UruguayFil: Osinaga, Eduardo. Universidad de la Republica; UruguayFil: Toscano, Marta Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Sundblad, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Gabriel Adrian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Química Biológica; ArgentinaFil: Salatino, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (i); Argentin

Polymorphism Analysis of Genes Involved in Xenobiotic Metabolism and Circadian Rhythm in Human Breast Cancer

Individual response to xenobiotic exposures depends on the dynamics of xenobiotic metabolism and the circadian clock system, among other factors. Since these systems are closely related, polymorphisms in their key genes may have an impact on how carcinogenic compounds are metabolized, and therefore on the risk of tumor development. Whereas the mammary gland is exposed to agents that damage DNA, it was considered of high interest to study xenobiotic metabolizing genes (XMG) and clock genes in this tissue. Our aim was to analyze genotype and allele frequencies of polymorphisms in the XMG N-acetyl transferase 2 (NAT2) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1), and in the clock genes period 3 (PER3) and CLOCK in human breast tumor samples. As well, it was if these polymorphisms were in linkage disequilibrium. 65 samples were genotyped for polymorphisms in GSTT1 (null), NAT2 (C481T, G590A and G857A), CLOCK (T3111C) and PER3 (length polymorphism), by PCR and PCR-RFLP. For GSTT1, 20% of the samples showed total absence of the gene. When NAT2 genotypes were grouped by their associated acetylator phenotype, 5% of rapid, 49% of intermediate and 46% of slow acetylator phenotypes were indicated. Allele frequencies for CLOCK were T=0.78 and C=0.22; for PER3, they were 0.66 for the 4-repeats allele and 0.34 for the 5-repeats allele. Linkage disequilibrium test indicated evidence of strong linkage between NAT2 and CLOCK (χ2=13.076; p=0.005). With regard to allele and genotype frequencies, our results are in agreement with those reported for similar populations. The evidence of linkage disequilibrium in our breast cancer samples is interesting and requires further investigation. This work constitutes a first approximation to a combined study of polymorphisms in XMG and clock genes in breast cancer Argentinian patients. Future studies will attempt to address the role of these and other polymorphisms in cancer risk, prognosis and response to treatment.Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Celula

Picture free recall performance linked to the brain's structural connectome

Memory functions are highly variable between healthy humans. The neural correlates of this variability remain largely unknown.; Here, we investigated how differences in free recall performance are associated with DTI-based properties of the brain's structural connectome and with grey matter volumes in 664 healthy young individuals tested in the same MR scanner.; Global structural connectivity, but not overall or regional grey matter volumes, positively correlated with recall performance. Moreover, a set of 22 inter-regional connections, including some with no previously reported relation to human memory, such as the connection between the temporal pole and the nucleus accumbens, explained 7.8% of phenotypic variance.; In conclusion, this large-scale study indicates that individual memory performance is associated with the level of structural brain connectivity