Role and regulation of MKP-1 in airway inflammation

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) is a protein with anti-inflammatory properties and the archetypal member of the dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) family that have emerged over the past decade as playing an instrumental role in the regulation of airway inflammation. Not only does MKP-1 serve a critical role as a negative feedback effector, controlling the extent and duration of pro-inflammatory MAPK signalling in airway cells, upregulation of this endogenous phosphatase has also emerged as being one of the key cellular mechanism responsible for the beneficial actions of clinically-used respiratory medicines, including beta(2)-agonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors and corticosteroids. Herein, we review the role and regulation of MKP-1 in the context of airway inflammation. We initially outline the structure and biochemistry of MKP-1 and summarise the multi-layered molecular mechanisms responsible for MKP-1 production more generally. We then focus in on some of the key in vitro studies in cell types relevant to airway disease that explain how MKP-1 can be regulated in airway inflammation at the transcriptional, post-translation and post-translational level. And finally, we address some of the potential challenges with MKP-1 upregulation that need to be explored further to fully exploit the potential of MKP-1 to repress airway inflammation in chronic respiratory disease

Distinct nonrandom patterns of chromosomal deletions in giant-cell lesions of bone

Cytogenetic analyses were performed on a bone giant cell reparative granuloma (GCRG) and on three bone giant cell tumors (GCT). The present GCRG case is the second to be described cytogenetically. A modal chromosome number of 46 was observed in all samples. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were detected in all cases. The numerical alterations most frequently observed involved the loss of chromosomes 17 and 18. Among the structural anomalies observed, there was preferential involvement of chromosomes 6 and 10. Three GCT cases presented del(10)(p13) and two cases presented del(6)(q25) (1 GCRG and 1 GCT). These breakpoints mapped on 10p and 6q may harbour genes of importance in the development of bone giant cell tumors