Human Cellular Immune Response to the Saliva of Phlebotomus papatasi Is Mediated by IL-10-Producing CD8+ T Cells and Th1-Polarized CD4+ Lymphocytes

Cutaneous leishmaniasis affects millions of people worldwide and is caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. The parasite is transmitted during sand fly bites. While probing the skin for a blood meal, vectors salivate into the host's skin. Sand fly saliva contains several components that increase hemorrhage and interfere with the host's inflammatory response. Data obtained in mice originally indicate that immunization against saliva protected from leishmaniasis supporting possibility that leishmaniasis could be prevented by a vaccine based on sand fly saliva. Herein we investigated the nature and the importance of the cellular immune response developed against sand fly saliva by individuals at risk of cutaneous leishmaniasis due to Leishmania major. We demonstrated that the immunity against saliva is dominated by the activation of lymphocytes producing a suppressive cytokine called IL-10. These data may preclude the protective effect of sand fly saliva pre-exposure in humans. Further experiments revealed that the production of IL-10 masked the presence of a second kind of lymphocytes producing IFN-γ, a rather protective cytokine. The latter finding highlights the importance of the identification of the proteins activating the latter lymphocytes in order to develop vaccines based on selected proteins from the saliva of sand flies

Markers of subtypes in inflammatory breast cancer studied by immunohistochemistry: Prominent expression of P-cadherin

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a distinct and aggressive form of locally-advanced breast cancer with high metastatic potential. In Tunisia, IBC is associated with a high death rate. Among the major molecular subtypes, basal breast carcinomas are poorly differentiated, have metastatic potential and poor prognosis, but respond relatively well to chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of molecular subtypes in IBC and identify factors that may explain the poor prognosis of IBC.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To determine breast cancer subtypes we studied by immunohistochemistry the expression of 12 proteins in a series of 91 Tunisian IBC and 541 non-IBC deposited in tissue microarrays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We considered infiltrating ductal cases only. We found 33.8% of basal cases in IBC vs 15.9% in non-IBC (p < 0.001), 33.3% of ERBB2-overexpressing cases in IBC vs 14.5% in non-IBC (p < 0.001), and 29.3% of luminal cases in IBC vs 59.9% in non-IBC (p < 0.001). The most differentially-expressed protein between IBCs and non-IBCs was P-cadherin. P-cadherin expression was found in 75.9% of all IBC vs 48.2% of all non-IBC (p < 0.001), 95% of IBC vs 69% of non-IBC (p = 0.02) in basal cases, and 82% of IBC vs 43% of non-IBC (p < 0.001) in luminal cases. Logistic regression determined that the most discriminating markers between IBCs and non-IBCs were P-cadherin (OR = 4.9, p = 0.0019) MIB1 (OR = 3.6, p = 0.001), CK14 (OR = 2.7, p = 0.02), and ERBB2 (OR = 2.3, p = 0.06).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Tunisian IBCs are characterized by frequent basal and ERBB2 phenotypes. Surprisingly, luminal IBC also express the basal marker P-cadherin. This profile suggests a specificity that needs further investigation.</p

Genome profiling of ERBB2-amplified breast cancers

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Around 20% of breast cancers (BC) show <it>ERBB2 </it>gene amplification and overexpression of the ERBB2 tyrosine kinase receptor. They are associated with a poor prognosis but can benefit from targeted therapy. A better knowledge of these BCs, genomically and biologically heterogeneous, may help understand their behavior and design new therapeutic strategies.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We defined the high resolution genome and gene expression profiles of 54 <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs using 244K oligonucleotide array-comparative genomic hybridization and whole-genome DNA microarrays. Expression of ERBB2, phosphorylated ERBB2, EGFR, IGF1R and FOXA1 proteins was assessed by immunohistochemistry to evaluate the functional ERBB2 status and identify co-expressions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>First, we identified the <it>ERBB2</it>-<it>C17orf37</it>-<it>GRB7 </it>genomic segment as the minimal common 17q12-q21 amplicon, and <it>CRKRS </it>and <it>IKZF3 </it>as the most frequent centromeric and telomeric amplicon borders, respectively. Second, GISTIC analysis identified 17 other genome regions affected by copy number aberration (CNA) (amplifications, gains, losses). The expression of 37 genes of these regions was deregulated. Third, two types of heterogeneity were observed in <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs. The genomic profiles of estrogen receptor-postive (ER+) and negative (ER-) <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs were different. The WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway was involved in ER- <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs, and <it>PVT1 </it>and <it>TRPS1 </it>were candidate oncogenes associated with ER+ <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs. The size of the <it>ERBB2 </it>amplicon was different in inflammatory (IBC) and non-inflammatory BCs. <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified IBCs were characterized by the downregulated and upregulated mRNA expression of ten and two genes in proportion to CNA, respectively. IHC results showed (i) a linear relationship between <it>ERBB2 </it>gene amplification and its gene and protein expressions with a good correlation between ERBB2 expression and phosphorylation status; (ii) a potential signaling cross-talk between EGFR or IGF1R and ERBB2, which could influence response of <it>ERBB2</it>-positive BCs to inhibitors. FOXA1 was frequently coexpressed with ERBB2 but its expression did not impact on the outcome of patients with <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified tumors.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have shown that ER+ and ER- <it>ERBB2</it>-amplified BCs are different, distinguished <it>ERBB2 </it>amplicons in IBC and non-IBC, and identified genomic features that may be useful in the design of alternative therapeutical strategies.</p

Clinical improvement in a patient with monostotic melorheostosis after treatment with denosumab: a case report

Abstract Background A 20-year-old Danish woman with melorheostosis in her right femoral shaft and disabling pain in the affected area, whose symptoms did not in the long term respond to zoledronic acid, experienced continuous remission of pain after treatment with denosumab. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report on denosumab treatment for melorheostosis. Case presentation Radiologic findings and bone biopsy showed irregular cortical hyperostosis in the right femoral shaft with increased tracer uptake on Tc99-bone scan. The diagnosis of melorheostosis was made based on the radiological findings. There was a good initial response to zoledronic acid administration, but after relapse of pain, the second and third administrations had a poor effect. As a second line of treatment denosumab was administered at 8-week intervals, the frequency was based on our patient’s symptoms and on biochemical markers of bone turnover. Conclusion This is the first report indicating that denosumab has a place in the treatment of melorheostosis when the effect of bisphosphonate treatment is insufficient

Axonal Regeneration and Neuronal Function Are Preserved in Motor Neurons Lacking ß-Actin In Vivo

The proper localization of ß-actin mRNA and protein is essential for growth cone guidance and axon elongation in cultured neurons. In addition, decreased levels of ß-actin mRNA and protein have been identified in the growth cones of motor neurons cultured from a mouse model of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), suggesting that ß-actin loss-of-function at growth cones or pre-synaptic nerve terminals could contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease. However, the role of ß-actin in motor neurons in vivo and its potential relevance to disease has yet to be examined. We therefore generated motor neuron specific ß-actin knock-out mice (Actb-MNsKO) to investigate the function of ß-actin in motor neurons in vivo. Surprisingly, ß-actin was not required for motor neuron viability or neuromuscular junction maintenance. Skeletal muscle from Actb-MNsKO mice showed no histological indication of denervation and did not significantly differ from controls in several measurements of physiologic function. Finally, motor axon regeneration was unimpaired in Actb-MNsKO mice, suggesting that ß-actin is not required for motor neuron function or regeneration in vivo

Neocortical Axon Arbors Trade-off Material and Conduction Delay Conservation

The brain contains a complex network of axons rapidly communicating information between billions of synaptically connected neurons. The morphology of individual axons, therefore, defines the course of information flow within the brain. More than a century ago, Ramón y Cajal proposed that conservation laws to save material (wire) length and limit conduction delay regulate the design of individual axon arbors in cerebral cortex. Yet the spatial and temporal communication costs of single neocortical axons remain undefined. Here, using reconstructions of in vivo labelled excitatory spiny cell and inhibitory basket cell intracortical axons combined with a variety of graph optimization algorithms, we empirically investigated Cajal's conservation laws in cerebral cortex for whole three-dimensional (3D) axon arbors, to our knowledge the first study of its kind. We found intracortical axons were significantly longer than optimal. The temporal cost of cortical axons was also suboptimal though far superior to wire-minimized arbors. We discovered that cortical axon branching appears to promote a low temporal dispersion of axonal latencies and a tight relationship between cortical distance and axonal latency. In addition, inhibitory basket cell axonal latencies may occur within a much narrower temporal window than excitatory spiny cell axons, which may help boost signal detection. Thus, to optimize neuronal network communication we find that a modest excess of axonal wire is traded-off to enhance arbor temporal economy and precision. Our results offer insight into the principles of brain organization and communication in and development of grey matter, where temporal precision is a crucial prerequisite for coincidence detection, synchronization and rapid network oscillations

Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias

Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias (ARCA) are a heterogeneous group of rare neurological disorders involving both central and peripheral nervous system, and in some case other systems and organs, and characterized by degeneration or abnormal development of cerebellum and spinal cord, autosomal recessive inheritance and, in most cases, early onset occurring before the age of 20 years. This group encompasses a large number of rare diseases, the most frequent in Caucasian population being Friedreich ataxia (estimated prevalence 2–4/100,000), ataxia-telangiectasia (1–2.5/100,000) and early onset cerebellar ataxia with retained tendon reflexes (1/100,000). Other forms ARCA are much less common. Based on clinicogenetic criteria, five main types ARCA can be distinguished: congenital ataxias (developmental disorder), ataxias associated with metabolic disorders, ataxias with a DNA repair defect, degenerative ataxias, and ataxia associated with other features. These diseases are due to mutations in specific genes, some of which have been identified, such as frataxin in Friedreich ataxia, α-tocopherol transfer protein in ataxia with vitamin E deficiency (AVED), aprataxin in ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA1), and senataxin in ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA2). Clinical diagnosis is confirmed by ancillary tests such as neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging, scanning), electrophysiological examination, and mutation analysis when the causative gene is identified. Correct clinical and genetic diagnosis is important for appropriate genetic counseling and prognosis and, in some instances, pharmacological treatment. Due to autosomal recessive inheritance, previous familial history of affected individuals is unlikely. For most ARCA there is no specific drug treatment except for coenzyme Q10 deficiency and abetalipoproteinemia