Platelet Apoptosis in Adult Immune Thrombocytopenia: Insights into the Mechanism of Damage Triggered by Auto-antibodies

Mechanisms leading to decreased platelet count in immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are heterogeneous. This study describes increased platelet apoptosis involving loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), caspase 3 activation (aCasp3) and phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization in a cohort of adult ITP patients. Apoptosis was not related to platelet activation, as PAC-1 binding, P-selectin exposure and GPIb-IX internalization were not increased. Besides, ITP platelets were more sensitive to apoptotic stimulus in terms of aCasp3. Incubation of normal platelets with ITP plasma induced loss of ΔΨm, while PS exposure and aCasp3 remained unaltered. The increase in PS exposure observed in ITP platelets could be reproduced in normal platelets incubated with ITP plasma by adding normal CD3+ lymphocytes to the system as effector cells. Addition of leupeptin -a cathepsin B inhibitor- to this system protected platelets from apoptosis. Increased PS exposure was also observed when normal platelets and CD3+ lymphocytes were incubated with purified IgG from ITP patients and was absent when ITP plasma was depleted of auto-antibodies, pointing to the latter as responsible for platelet damage. Apoptosis was present in platelets from all patients carrying anti-GPIIb-IIIa and anti-GPIb auto-antibodies but was absent in the patient with anti-GPIa-IIa auto-antibodies. Platelet damage inversely correlated with platelet count and decreased during treatment with a thrombopoietin receptor agonist. These results point to a key role for auto-antibodies in platelet apoptosis and suggest that antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity is the mechanism underlying this phenomenon.Fil: Goette, Nora Paula. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Glembotsky, Ana Claudia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Lev, Paola Roxana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Grodzielski, Matías. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Contrufo, Geraldine. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Pierdominici, Marta S.. Departamento de Hematología, Hospital Ramos Mejía, Buenos Aires, Argentina; ArgentinaFil: Espasandin, Yesica Romina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Riveros, Dardo Alberto. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas “Norberto Quirno”; ArgentinaFil: García, Alejandro Jorge. Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas “Norberto Quirno”; ArgentinaFil: Molinas, Felisa Concepción. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Heller, Paula Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; ArgentinaFil: Marta, Rosana Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Investigaciones Médicas; Argentin

Dihydropyridine Receptors as Voltage Sensors for a Depolarization-evoked, IP3R-mediated, Slow Calcium Signal in Skeletal Muscle Cells

The dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR), normally a voltage-dependent calcium channel, functions in skeletal muscle essentially as a voltage sensor, triggering intracellular calcium release for excitation-contraction coupling. In addition to this fast calcium release, via ryanodine receptor (RYR) channels, depolarization of skeletal myotubes evokes slow calcium waves, unrelated to contraction, that involve the cell nucleus (Jaimovich, E., R. Reyes, J.L. Liberona, and J.A. Powell. 2000. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 278:C998–C1010). We tested the hypothesis that DHPR may also be the voltage sensor for these slow calcium signals. In cultures of primary rat myotubes, 10 μM nifedipine (a DHPR inhibitor) completely blocked the slow calcium (fluo-3-fluorescence) transient after 47 mM K+ depolarization and only partially reduced the fast Ca2+ signal. Dysgenic myotubes from the GLT cell line, which do not express the α1 subunit of the DHPR, did not show either type of calcium transient following depolarization. After transfection of the α1 DNA into the GLT cells, K+ depolarization induced slow calcium transients that were similar to those present in normal C2C12 and normal NLT cell lines. Slow calcium transients in transfected cells were blocked by nifedipine as well as by the G protein inhibitor, pertussis toxin, but not by ryanodine, the RYR inhibitor. Since slow Ca2+ transients appear to be mediated by IP3, we measured the increase of IP3 mass after K+ depolarization. The IP3 transient seen in control cells was inhibited by nifedipine and was absent in nontransfected dysgenic cells, but α1-transfected cells recovered the depolarization-induced IP3 transient. In normal myotubes, 10 μM nifedipine, but not ryanodine, inhibited c-jun and c-fos mRNA increase after K+ depolarization. These results suggest a role for DHPR-mediated calcium signals in regulation of early gene expression. A model of excitation-transcription coupling is presented in which both G proteins and IP3 appear as important downstream mediators after sensing of depolarization by DHPR

Self-references of early childhood educators in affective contingent situations

El estudio de la vivencia subjetiva de la educadora de la primera infancia ha estado circunscrito predominantemente al contenido de su relato, sin ahondar en aspectos vivenciales más íntimos de su experiencia profesional. Considerando que la necesidad de una respuesta inmediata a los infantes es una característica propia del aula inicial, el presente estudio tiene por objetivo la descripción de las referencias subjetivas de estas profesionales ante situaciones educativas de carácter contingencial y afectivo. Participó un número de 30 educadoras de la primera infancia, mediante una entrevista semiestructurada con enfoque fenomenológico, dando paso a la construcción de 11 categorías de contenido emergente: ocho de carácter semántico y tres meta-esquemas de la aparición secuencial del contenido. Destaca la proclividad de estas profesionales a actuar con premura e intuitivamente; seguir procedimientos preestablecidos; sentir, reforzar y contener afectiva y constantemente al infante; identificar beneficios y tensiones en la comunicación con la familia; entre otras. Los hallazgos acentuaron varias formas de explicitar verbalmente sus acciones profesionales frente a la situación contingente de connotación afectiva, desde donde emergen las estrategias que son comúnmente utilizadas. Se delinean algunas contribuciones para la formación en competencias socio-afectivas en educación inicial, así como nuevas líneas de investigación.The study of the subjective experience of early childhood educators has been predominantly circumscribed to the talk content, without delving into more intimate experiential aspects of their professional experience. Considering that the need for an immediate response to infants is a characteristic of the initial classroom, this study aims to describe the subjective references of these professionals in educational situations of a contingency and affective nature. A number of 30 early childhood educators participated, through a semi-structured interview within a phenomenological approach, giving way to the construction of 11 categories of emerging content: eight of a semantic nature and three meta-schemes of the sequential appearance of the content. The proclivity of these professionals to act quickly and intuitively stands out; follow preestablished procedures; constantly and emotionally feel, reinforce and contain the infants; identify the benefits and tensions when communicating with the family; among others. The findings account for the ways of verbally professional actions in the face of the contingent situation with an affective connotation, from which the strategies that are commonly used emerge. Some of the contributions to training in socio-affective skills in initial education are outlined, as well as new lines of research

Advances and gaps in SARS-CoV-2 infection models

AU The:global Pleaseco response nfirmthata tollhe Coronavirus adinglevelsa Disease rerepres 2019 entedcor (COVID-19) rectly: is now facing new challenges such as vaccine inequity and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). Preclinical models of disease, in particular animal models, are essential to investigate VOC pathogenesis, vaccine correlates of protection and postexposure therapies. Here, we provide an update from the World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 modeling expert group (WHO-COM) assembled by WHO, regarding advances in preclinical models. In particular, we discuss how animal model research is playing a key role to evaluate VOC virulence, transmission and immune escape, and how animal models are being refined to recapitulate COVID-19 demographic variables such as comorbidities and age.The authors received no specific funding for this work.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Kainate, N-methylaspartate and other excitatory amino acids increase calcium influx into rat brain cortex cells in vitro

Kainate (0.62-5 mM) was found to increase the initial rate of influx of 45Ca and of 22Na into the non-inulin space of rat thin brain cortex slices incubated in vitro, and to shorten the equilibration time for both these ions. N-methyl-dl-aspartate (50-1000 μM), l-glutamate (0.62-5 mM), dl-homocysteate (0.62-2.5 mM), and ibotenate (6-170 μM) also significantly increased the influx of 45Ca into the non-inulin space of this preparation, while the non-neurotoxic acidic amino N-acetyl-l-aspartate, and α-methy-dl-aspartate (both 1.25-5 mM), did not increase such influx. We suggest that enhanced calcium uptaje may represent the basis for the neurotoxic effects of these compounds. © 1983

Membrane depolarization induces calcium-dependent upregulation of Hsp70 and Hmox-1 in skeletal muscle cells

Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are a conserved family of cytoprotective polypeptides, synthesized by cells in response to stress. Hsp70 and heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox-1) are induced by a variety of cellular stressors in skeletal muscle, playing a role in long-term adaptations and muscle fibers regeneration. Though HSPs expression after exercise has been intensely investigated, the molecular mechanisms concerning Hsp70 and Hmox-1 induction are poorly understood. The aim of this work was to investigate the involvement of calcium in Hsp70 and Hmox-1 expression upon depolarization of skeletal muscle cells. We observed that depolarization of myotubes increased both mRNA levels and protein expression for Hsp70 and Hmox-1. Stimulation in the presence of intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA-AM resulted in a complete inhibition of Hsp70-induced expression. It is known that inositol-1,4,5-trisphophate (IP3)- mediated slow Ca2+ transients, evoked by membrane depolarization, are involved in the regulatio

Neuropathological changes in the rat brain cortex in vitro: effects of kainic acid and of ion substitutions

The ionic mechanisms that may contribute to the neurotoxicity of kainic acid, were studied in a system of rat thin neocortical slices superfused in vitro. Slices superfused for 3 h under control conditions showed an essentially normal aspect when studied by light microscopy. Presence of 30 μM kainate in the superfusion fluid induced neuronal swelling, nuclear condensation and signs of necrosis in some cells, while other neurons, especially in deeper layers, appeared dark and condensed, with microvacuolation. The neuropil presented numerous profiles of swollen dendrites. When the slices were superfused with chloride-free medium, a large number of pyknotic neurons was seen. This was further enhanced by 30 μM kainate, which produced no swelling in this medium. These effects of Cl-free medium were almost entirely prevented in Cl-free medium without calcium and with 0.1 mM of EGTA. Sodium-free medium induced a marked neuronal swelling that was not much changed by kainate. When calcium in a

Glutamate in rat brain cortex synaptic vesicles: influence of the vesicle isolation procedure

Rat brain cortex synaptic vesicles have been isolated by 3 different procedures. The one of Hata et al. (J. Neurochem., 27 (1976) 139) gave synaptic vesicles with a high glutamate content, but also, as judged by [3H]ouabain binding and electron microscopy, wiih considerable contamination by plasma membrane vesicles. This did not allow a precise estimation of the glutamate content of each synaptic vesicle. The second procedure used (Life Sci., 21 (1977) 1075), in which the tissue is homogenized with an all glass homogenizer, yielded vesicles of higher purity, but with no glutamate. A slightly modified Kadota and Kadota procedure (J. Cell Biol., 58 (1973) 135) gave synaptic vesicles of a very high purity that were filtered on a Sepharose 4B column, and there, the synaptic vesicle fraction of highest purity was estimated to contain 3640 glutamate molecules in each glutameric vesicle. This is equivalent to an intravesicular concentration of 0.21 M, that is, at least 10 times higher than t