Juxtanodin: An oligodendroglial protein that promotes cellular arborization and 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide-3′-phosphodiesterase trafficking

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America1023211527-1153

Proteomic mapping provides powerful insights into functional myelin biology

Myelin is a dynamic, functionally active membrane necessary for rapid action potential conduction, axon survival, and cytoarchitecture. The number of debilitating neurological disorders that occur when myelin is disrupted emphasizes its importance. Using high-resolution 2D gel electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and immunoblotting, we have developed an extensive proteomic map of proteins present in myelin, identifying 98 proteins corresponding to at least 130 of the ≈200 spots on the map. This proteomic map has been applied to analyses of the localization and function of selected proteins, providing a powerful tool to investigate the diverse functions of myelin

CYP450 phenotyping and accurate mass identification of metabolites of the 8-aminoquinoline, anti-malarial drug primaquine

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The 8-aminoquinoline (8AQ) drug primaquine (PQ) is currently the only approved drug effective against the persistent liver stage of the hypnozoite forming strains <it>Plasmodium vivax</it> and <it>Plasmodium ovale</it> as well as Stage V gametocytes of <it>Plasmodium falciparum</it>. To date, several groups have investigated the toxicity observed in the 8AQ class, however, exact mechanisms and/or metabolic species responsible for PQ’s haemotoxic and anti-malarial properties are not fully understood.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In the present study, the metabolism of PQ was evaluated using <it>in vitro</it> recombinant metabolic enzymes from the cytochrome P450 (CYP) and mono-amine oxidase (MAO) families. Based on this information, metabolite identification experiments were performed using nominal and accurate mass measurements.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Relative activity factor (RAF)-weighted intrinsic clearance values show the relative role of each enzyme to be MAO-A, 2C19, 3A4, and 2D6, with 76.1, 17.0, 5.2, and 1.7% contributions to PQ metabolism, respectively. CYP 2D6 was shown to produce at least six different oxidative metabolites along with demethylations, while MAO-A products derived from the PQ aldehyde, a pre-cursor to carboxy PQ. CYPs 2C19 and 3A4 produced only trace levels of hydroxylated species.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As a result of this work, CYP 2D6 and MAO-A have been implicated as the key enzymes associated with PQ metabolism, and metabolites previously identified as potentially playing a role in efficacy and haemolytic toxicity have been attributed to production via CYP 2D6 mediated pathways.</p

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP): change of serum IgG dimer levels during treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins

Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) is an effective treatment in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). In most patients, the optimal IVIg dose and regime is unknown. Polyvalent immunoglobulin (Ig) G form idiotypic/anti-idiotypic antibody pairs in serum and IVIg preparations. We determined IgG dimer levels before and after IVIg treatment in CIDP patients with the aim to explore their utility to serve as a surrogate marker for treatment response. Methods: IgG was purified from serum of five controls without treatment, as well as from serum of 16 CIDP patients, two patients with Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), and one patient with myasthenia gravis before and after treatment with IVIg. IgG dimer levels were determined by size exclusion chromatography. IgG dimer formation was correlated with clinical response to IVIg treatment in CIDP. Re-monomerized IgG dimer fractions were analyzed for immunoreactivity against peripheral nerve tissue. Results: IgG dimer levels were significantly higher in post-compared to pre-IVIg infusion samples. Low post-treatment IgG dimer levels in CIDP patients were associated with clinical worsening during IVIg treatment. Re-monomerized IgG dimer fractions from CIDP patients showed immunoreactivity against peripheral nerve tissue, whereas similarly treated samples from MFS patients showed immunoreactivity against GQ1b. Conclusion: Assessment of IgG dimer levels could be a novel approach to monitor CIDP patients during IVIg treatment, but further studies in larger cohorts are warranted to explore their utility to serve as a potential therapeutic biomarker for IVIg treatment response in CIDP