cDNA cloning of rat proteasome subunit RC1, a homologue of RING10 located in the human MHC class II region

AbstractThe nucleotide sequence of a cDNA that encodes a new subunit, named RC1, of rat proteasomes (multicatalytic proteinase complexes) has been determined. The polypeptide predicted from the open reading frame consisted of 208 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 23,130, which is consistent with the size obtained by electrophoretic analysis of purified RC1. The partial amino acid sequences of several fragments of RC1, obtained by protein chemical analyses, were found to be in excellent accordance with those deduced from the cDNA sequence. Surprisingly, the overall structure of RC1 was found to be almost identical to that of recently isolated RING10, whose gene is located in the class II region of the human MHC gene cluster. This finding suggests that RC1 is a homologue of human RING10, supporting the proposal that proteasomes are involved in the antigen processing pathway

Significant effect of polymorphisms in CYP2D6 and ABCC2 on clinical outcomes of adjuvant tamoxifen therapy for breast cancer patients

Purpose The clinical efficacy of tamoxifen is suspected to be influenced by the activity of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters involved in the formation, metabolism, and elimination of its active forms. We investigated relationships of polymorphisms in transporter genes and CYP2D6 to clinical outcome of patients receiving tamoxifen. Patients and Methods We studied 282 patients with hormone receptor–positive, invasive breast cancer receiving tamoxifen monotherapy, including 67 patients who have been previously reported. We investigated the effects of allelic variants of CYP2D6 and haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (tag-SNPs) of ABCB1, ABCC2, and ABCG2 on recurrence-free survival using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analysis. Plasma concentrations of tamoxifen metabolites were measured in 98 patients receiving tamoxifen 20 mg/d. Results CYP2D6 variants were significantly associated with shorter recurrence-free survival (P = .000036; hazard ratio [HR] = 9.52; 95% CI, 2.79 to 32.45 in patients with two variant alleles v patients without variant alleles). Among 51 tag-SNPs in transporter genes, a significant association was found at rs3740065 in ABCC2 (P = .00017; HR = 10.64; 95% CI, 1.44 to 78.88 in patients with AA v GG genotypes). The number of risk alleles of CYP2D6 and ABCC2 showed cumulative effects on recurrence-free survival (P = .000000055). Patients carrying four risk alleles had 45.25-fold higher risk compared with patients with ≤ one risk allele. CYP2D6 variants were associated with lower plasma levels of endoxifen and 4-hydroxytamoxifen (P = .0000043 and .00052), whereas no significant difference was found among ABCC2 genotype groups. Conclusion Our results suggest that polymorphisms in CYP2D6 and ABCC2 are important predictors for the prognosis of patients with breast cancer treated with tamoxifen

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target

Nanomolar phosphate supply and its recycling drive net community production in the subtropical North Pacific

Primary productivity in the oligotrophic ocean sustains Earth’s ecosystems, but nutrient concentrations are vanishingly low. Here the authors measure nanomolar macronutrient concentrations in the North Pacific and find that net community production is sustained through high rates of phosphorus recycling

Nanomolar phosphate supply and its recycling drive net community production in the subtropical North Pacific [data]

このデータセットを利用した論文はこちら: http://id.nii.ac.jp/1342/00002091

Capecitabine in Combination with Endocrine Therapy as Maintenance Therapy after Bevacizumab Plus Paclitaxel Induction Therapy for Hormone Receptor-Positive, HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer: KBCSG-TR1214

Optimal treatment strategies for hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative advanced and/or metastatic breast cancer (AMBC) remain uncertain. We investigated the clinical usefulness of adding capecitabine to maintenance endocrine therapy after induction chemotherapy and the efficacy of reinduction chemotherapy. Patients who had received bevacizumab–paclitaxel induction therapy and did not have progressive disease (PD) were randomized to maintenance therapy with endocrine therapy alone (group E) or endocrine plus capecitabine (1657 mg/m2/day on days 1–21, q4w) (group EC). In case of PD after maintenance therapy, patients received bevacizumab–paclitaxel reinduction therapy. Ninety patients were randomized. The median progression-free survival (PFS) under maintenance therapy (primary endpoint) was significantly longer in group EC (11.1 {95% CI, 8.0–11.8} months) than in group E (4.3 {3.6–6.0} months) (hazard ratio, 0.53; p < 0.01). At 24 months from the induction therapy start, the overall survival (OS) was significantly longer in group EC than in group E (hazard ratio, 0.41; p = 0.046). No difference was found in the time to failure of strategy (13.9 and 16.6 months in groups E and EC, respectively). Increased capecitabine-associated toxicities in group EC were tolerable. Addition of capecitabine to maintenance endocrine therapy may be a beneficial option after induction chemotherapy for HR-positive, HER2-negative AMBC patients