Identification of the cathelicidin peptide LL-37 as agonist for the type I insulin-like growth factor receptor

The human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein-18 and its C terminal peptide, LL-37, displays broad antimicrobial activity that is mediated through direct contact with the microbial cell membrane. In addition, recent studies reveal that LL-37 is involved in diverse biological processes such as immunomodulation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and wound healing. An intriguing role for LL-37 in carcinogenesis is also beginning to emerge and the aim of this paper was to explore if and how LL-37 contributes to the signaling involved in tumor development. To this end, we investigated the putative interaction between LL-37 and growth factor receptors known to be involved in tumor growth and progression. Among several receptors tested, LL-37 bound with the highest affinity to insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R), a receptor that is strongly linked to malignant cellular transformation. Furthermore, this interaction resulted in a dose-dependent phosphorylation and ubiquitination of IGF-1R, with downstream signaling confined to the mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-pathway but not affecting phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/Akt signaling. We found that signaling induced by LL-37 was dependent on the recruitment of β-arrestin to the fully functional IGF-1R and by using mutant receptors we demonstrated that LL-37 signaling is dependent on β-arrestin-1 binding to the C-terminus of IGF-1R. When analyzing the biological consequences of increased ERK activation induced by LL-37, we found that it resulted in enhanced migration and invasion of malignant cells in an IGF-1R/β-arrestin manner, but did not affect cell proliferation. These results indicate that LL-37 may act as a partial agonist for IGF-1R, with subsequent intra-cellular signaling activation driven by the binding of β-arrestin-1 to the IGF-1R. Functional experiments show that LL-37-dependent activation of the IGF-1R signaling resulted in increased migratory and invasive potential of malignant cells

Effects of copy number variations on brain structure and risk for psychiatric illness: Large-scale studies from the ENIGMA working groups on CNVs

The Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis copy number variant (ENIGMA-CNV) and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Working Groups (22q-ENIGMA WGs) were created to gain insight into the involvement of genetic factors in human brain development and related cognitive, psychiatric and behavioral manifestations. To that end, the ENIGMA-CNV WG has collated CNV and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from ~49,000 individuals across 38 global research sites, yielding one of the largest studies to date on the effects of CNVs on brain structures in the general population. The 22q-ENIGMA WG includes 12 international research centers that assessed over 533 individuals with a confirmed 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, 40 with 22q11.2 duplications, and 333 typically developing controls, creating the largest-ever 22q11.2 CNV neuroimaging data set. In this review, we outline the ENIGMA infrastructure and procedures for multi-site analysis of CNVs and MRI data. So far, ENIGMA has identified effects of the 22q11.2, 16p11.2 distal, 15q11.2, and 1q21.1 distal CNVs on subcortical and cortical brain structures. Each CNV is associated with differences in cognitive, neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric traits, with characteristic patterns of brain structural abnormalities. Evidence of gene-dosage effects on distinct brain regions also emerged, providing further insight into genotype–phenotype relationships. Taken together, these results offer a more comprehensive picture of molecular mechanisms involved in typical and atypical brain development. This “genotype-first” approach also contributes to our understanding of the etiopathogenesis of brain disorders. Finally, we outline future directions to better understand effects of CNVs on brain structure and behavior

MAP1B mutations cause intellectual disability and extensive white matter deficit

Publisher's version (útgefin grein). Publisher's note: Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Discovery of coding variants in genes that confer risk of neurodevelopmental disorders is an important step towards understanding the pathophysiology of these disorders. Wholegenome sequencing of 31,463 Icelanders uncovers a frameshift variant (E712KfsTer10) in microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP1B) that associates with ID/low IQ in a large pedigree (genome-wide corrected P = 0.022). Additional stop-gain variants in MAP1B (E1032Ter and R1664Ter) validate the association with ID and IQ. Carriers have 24% less white matter (WM) volume (β = −2.1SD, P = 5.1 × 10−8), 47% less corpus callosum (CC) volume (β = −2.4SD, P = 5.5 × 10−10) and lower brain-wide fractional anisotropy (P = 6.7 × 10−4). In summary, we show that loss of MAP1B function affects general cognitive ability through a profound, brain-wide WM deficit with likely disordered or compromised axons.We are grateful to the participants and we thank the psychologists, nurses and staff, in particular Berglind Eiriksdottir, at the Research Recruitment Center and technicians and staff at Röntgen Domus. We also thank the staff at deCODE genetics core facilities and all our colleagues for their important contribution to this work. L.J. received support from the Swedish Society of Medicine, the Swedish Brain Foundation and Swedish Society for Medical Research. The research leading to these results has received support from the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking under grant agreements’ no. 115008 (NEWMEDS) and no. 115300 (EUAIMS) of which resources are composed of EFPIA in-kind contribution and financial contribution from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (EU-FP7/2007-2013), EU-FP7 funded grant no. 602450 (IMAGEMEND) and EU funded FP7-People-2011-IAPP grant agreement no. 286213 (PsychDPC).Peer Reviewe

Endocrinologic, neurologic, and visual morbidity after treatment for craniopharyngioma

Craniopharyngiomas are locally aggressive tumors which typically are focused in the sellar and suprasellar region near a number of critical neural and vascular structures mediating endocrinologic, behavioral, and visual functions. The present study aims to summarize and compare the published literature regarding morbidity resulting from treatment of craniopharyngioma. We performed a comprehensive search of the published English language literature to identify studies publishing outcome data of patients undergoing surgery for craniopharyngioma. Comparisons of the rates of endocrine, vascular, neurological, and visual complications were performed using Pearson’s chi-squared test, and covariates of interest were fitted into a multivariate logistic regression model. In our data set, 540 patients underwent surgical resection of their tumor. 138 patients received biopsy alone followed by some form of radiotherapy. Mean overall follow-up for all patients in these studies was 54 ± 1.8 months. The overall rate of new endocrinopathy for all patients undergoing surgical resection of their mass was 37% (95% CI = 33–41). Patients receiving GTR had over 2.5 times the rate of developing at least one endocrinopathy compared to patients receiving STR alone or STR + XRT (52 vs. 19 vs. 20%, χ2P < 0.00001). On multivariate analysis, GTR conferred a significant increase in the risk of endocrinopathy compared to STR + XRT (OR = 3.45, 95% CI = 2.05–5.81, P < 0.00001), after controlling for study size and the presence of significant hypothalamic involvement. There was a statistical trend towards worse visual outcomes in patients receiving XRT after STR compared to GTR or STR alone (GTR = 3.5% vs. STR 2.1% vs. STR + XRT 6.4%, P = 0.11). Given the difficulty in obtaining class 1 data regarding the treatment of this tumor, this study can serve as an estimate of expected outcomes for these patients, and guide decision making until these data are available

ICAR: endoscopic skull‐base surgery

n/

Rare SLC13A1 variants associate with intervertebral disc disorder highlighting role of sulfate in disc pathology.

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked DownloadBack pain is a common and debilitating disorder with largely unknown underlying biology. Here we report a genome-wide association study of back pain using diagnoses assigned in clinical practice; dorsalgia (119,100 cases, 909,847 controls) and intervertebral disc disorder (IDD) (58,854 cases, 922,958 controls). We identify 41 variants at 33 loci. The most significant association (ORIDD = 0.92, P = 1.6 × 10-39; ORdorsalgia = 0.92, P = 7.2 × 10-15) is with a 3'UTR variant (rs1871452-T) in CHST3, encoding a sulfotransferase enzyme expressed in intervertebral discs. The largest effects on IDD are conferred by rare (MAF = 0.07 - 0.32%) loss-of-function (LoF) variants in SLC13A1, encoding a sodium-sulfate co-transporter (LoF burden OR = 1.44, P = 3.1 × 10-11); variants that also associate with reduced serum sulfate. Genes implicated by this study are involved in cartilage and bone biology, as well as neurological and inflammatory processes.European Commission European Commission Joint Research Centre Novo Nordisk Foundation Novocure Limite

TRAVEL MODE CHOICE OF THE ELDERLY: EFFECTS OF PERSONAL, HOUSEHOLD, NEIGHBORHOOD, AND TRIP CHARACTERISTICS

The travel patterns and travel mode choice of the elderly are analyzed. The elderly are here defined as those who are both 65 or older and retired. A rapid increase in the older population and their proportion in society has tremendous implications for transportation planning and the policy arena. Previous studies on mode choice have been largely focused on working-age people, and existing studies on the travel mode choice of the elderly are limited to descriptive analyses. A systematic analysis is presented of the mode choice of the elderly and how it relates to activity purpose. It is found that neighborhood and trip characteristics, as well as personal and household characteristics, are associated with the mode choice of this group. For example, the elderly are more likely to use transit if they live within five blocks of a bus stop, and they are more likely to share a ride with others when chaining trips, doing errands, or going to a medical appointment and are less likely to use transit when going shopping or doing errands. The elderly prefer walking when going on recreational or personal trips. Those with a higher income are more likely to drive or carpool. The results shed light on the mode choice of the elderly and contribute to the development of a transportation policy framework that considers the elderly. The results suggest that transportation strategies must move beyond private automobiles to prepare adequately for the increasing number of the elderly in society and their mobility needs

RELATIONSHIP OF SHOPPING ACTIVITY DURATION AND TRAVEL TIME WITH PLANNING-LEVEL NETWORK AND SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS

The journey to work has been extensively studied. The majority of travel, however, takes place outside that context. The concept of time use as applied to travel behavior has developed with the understanding that travel occurs in relation to the spatial separation of activities and according to the needs and constraints imposed on travelers by their time schedules, sociodemographic characteristics, and network characteristics. The statistical methodology used to elucidate the underlying motivations affecting travel to evening shopping activities, a largely unstudied area of travel behavior, is described. Methods of testing for selectivity bias and endogeneity are also described and applied. Corrective measures are taken and explained, including instrumental variables and system methods of regression. Travel time and activity duration are found to be endogenous and positively correlated. Travel time increases with greater vehicle ownership, duration of preceding work activity, transit use, and duration of free time preceding the trip. Travel time decreases for trips that start later in the evening and later in the week and with increased destination-node density. For teenagers aged 15 to 17, activity duration increases with number of passengers when preceded by longer shopping activities. Activity duration decreases with greater percentages of high-rent housing in the census tract, with household size, with number of workday trips, and for men