Circulating Th17, Th22, and Th1 Cells Are Increased in Psoriasis

Th17, Th22, and Th1 cells are detected in psoriatic skin lesions and implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis, but inflammatory T cell numbers in blood, as well as the relative importance of each cell type, is unclear. Using 7-color flow cytometry, circulating Th17, Th22, and Th1 cells were quantified in 21 untreated psoriatics and 17 healthy individuals. CCR6 was the best cell surface marker for IL-17A+ cells when compared with IL-23R or CD161. CCR6+, IL-17A+, IL-22+, CCR6+IL-17A+, CCR6+IL-22+, CCR6+tumor necrosis factor-α+, IL-17A+IFN-γ-, IL-17A+IL-22+IFN-γ-, and IL-17A+IL-22-IFN-γ- cells were increased in psoriatics (all values P<0.001), indicating elevations in circulating Th17 cells, using multiple criteria to define these cells. Th22 (IL-17A-IL-22+IFN-γ-, P<0.05) and Th1 (IL-17A-IFN-γ+, P<0.05) cells were also increased in psoriatics, but to a lesser extent. Inhibition of either NF-κB or STAT3 in vitro blocked cytokine production by both Th17 and Th1 cells. Circulating levels of Th17 and Th1 cells decreased in a subset of five psoriasis patients serially evaluated following induction therapy with infliximab. In summary, elevated numbers of circulating inflammatory T cells may contribute to cutaneous inflammation and systemic inflammatory disease that occurs in individuals with psoriasis

Myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotide complexed with berberine promotes differentiation of chicken myoblasts

Myoblasts are myogenic precursors that develop into myotubes during muscle formation. Improving efficiency of myoblast differentiation is important for advancing meat production by domestic animals. We recently identified novel oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) termed myogenetic ODNs (myoDNs) that promote the differentiation of mammalian myoblasts. An isoquinoline alkaloid, berberine, forms a complex with one of the myoDNs, iSN04, and enhances its activities. This study investigated the effects of myoDNs on chicken myoblasts to elucidate their species-specific actions. Seven myoDNs (iSN01-iSN07) were found to facilitate the differentiation of chicken myoblasts into myosin heavy chain (MHC)-positive myotubes. The iSN04-berberine complex exhibited a higher myogenetic activity than iSN04 alone, which was shown to enhance the differentiation of myoblasts into myotubes and the upregulated of myogenic gene expression (MyoD, myogenin, MHC, and myomaker). These data indicate that myoDNs promoting chicken myoblast differentiation may be used as potential feed additives in broiler diets.ArticleAnimal Science Journal. 92(1) : e13597 (2021)journal articl

Distinct cell proliferation, myogenic differentiation, and gene expression in skeletal muscle myoblasts of layer and broiler chickens

Myoblasts play a central role during skeletal muscle formation and growth. Precise understanding of myoblast properties is thus indispensable for meat production. Herein, we report the cellular characteristics and gene expression profiles of primary-cultured myoblasts of layer and broiler chickens. Broiler myoblasts actively proliferated and promptly differentiated into myotubes compared to layer myoblasts, which corresponds well with the muscle phenotype of broilers. Transcriptomes of layer and broiler myoblasts during differentiation were quantified by RNA sequencing. Ontology analyses of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) provided a series of extracellular proteins as putative markers for characterization of chicken myogenic cells. Another ontology analyses demonstrated that broiler myogenic cells are rich in cell cycle factors and muscle components. Independent of these semantic studies, principal component analysis (PCA) statistically defined two gene sets: one governing myogenic differentiation and the other segregating layers and broilers. Thirteen candidate genes were identified with a combined study of the DEGs and PCA that potentially contribute to proliferation or differentiation of chicken myoblasts. We experimentally proved that one of the candidates, enkephalin, an opioid peptide, suppresses myoblast growth. Our results present a new perspective that the opioids present in feeds may influence muscle development of domestic animals.Articlejournal articl

Development of the 12-Base Short Dimeric Myogenetic Oligodeoxynucleotide That Induces Myogenic Differentiation

A myogenetic oligodeoxynucleotide (myoDN), iSN04 (5′-AGA TTA GGG TGA GGG TGA-3′), is a single-stranded 18-base telomeric DNA that serves as an anti-nucleolin aptamer and induces myogenic differentiation, which is expected to be a nucleic acid drug for the prevention of disease-associated muscle wasting. To improve the drug efficacy and synthesis cost of myoDN, shortening the sequence while maintaining its structure-based function is a major challenge. Here, we report the novel 12-base non-telomeric myoDN, iMyo01 (5′-TTG GGT GGG GAA-3′), which has comparable myogenic activity to iSN04. iMyo01 as well as iSN04 promoted myotube formation of primary-cultured human myoblasts with upregulation of myogenic gene expression. Both iMyo01 and iSN04 interacted with nucleolin, but iMyo01 did not bind to berberine, the isoquinoline alkaloid that stabilizes iSN04. Nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that iMyo01 forms a G-quadruplex structure despite its short sequence. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and a computational molecular dynamics simulation indicated that iMyo01 forms a homodimer to generate a G-quadruplex. These results provide new insights into the aptamer truncation technology that preserves aptamer conformation and bioactivity for the development of efficient nucleic acid drugs.ArticleBioTech 2024, 13(2), 11journal articl

通常の学級に在籍する支援を要する児童の「気付き」と早期支援 : 支援内容検討ガイドの作成と評価

近年、増加傾向にある「小学校通常の学級に在籍する支援を要する児童」を早期に支援するために、小学校１～３学年を対象とする「支援内容検討ガイド」を作成した。本ガイドは通常の学級担任による実態把握及び必要に応じて支援の手掛かりを選ぶ「支援内容検討シート」と校内支援の円滑な流れを示す「校内支援体制マップ」で構成した。「支援内容検討ガイド」の妥当性について、１～３学年の担任・特別支援教育コーディネーターへのアンケート調査による評価と、あわせて事例児の担任による実践を行い、その効果について検証した。その結果、本ガイドの有用性が示された一方で、今後の活用性を高める上では「通常の学級担任への負担感」へのさらなる配慮と「多様化する児童の実態」に対応する必要性が示唆された