Connexin 43 upregulation in burns promotes burn conversion through spread of apoptotic death signals

BackgroundBurn wounds continue to worsen after initial injury in a process known as burn conversion, which lasts about 3–5 days. It causes burn wounds to enlarge and deepen, leading to greater morbidity. Apoptosis is one of the factors contributing to the conversion of the zone of stasis into the zone of coagulation. Suppression of apoptosis has been associated with reducing burn conversion. Connexin 43 (Cx43) gap junctions facilitate the spread of apoptotic signals from dying cells to healthy neighbouring cells in injured tissues through the bystander effect.ObjectivesThe study is to understand the role of Cx43 in burn conversion.MethodsIn our study, 15 burn tissue samples were arranged into three groups as early (beginning of burn conversion), intermediate (extensive burn conversion) and late (established burn conversion) burns.ResultsWe found a striking increase in the amount of Cx43 protein expressed in the dermal fibroblasts (identified with heat shock protein 47 (HSP47) staining) in the zone of stasis in early and intermediate burns. These dermal fibroblasts also express high levels of cleaved-Caspase 3 indicating on-going apoptosis.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that elevation of Cx43 may play an active role in burn conversion spreading apoptosis in the early and intermediate burn wound.     

七氟醚对低温全心缺血-再灌注心脏电传导及Cx43 Ser368磷酸化的影响

目的 观察七氟醚对低温全心缺血-再灌注心室肌电传导及Cx43 Ser368磷酸化的影响。
方法 制备成功的离体灌注工作心脏24只,随机分为三组：对照组（C组）、低温全心缺血-再灌注组（IR组）和1.0 MAC七氟醚处理组（Sev组）,每组8只。C组：37 ℃ K-H液平衡灌注15 min后继续灌注37 ℃ K-H液105 min;IR组：37 ℃ K-H液平衡灌注15 min后继续灌注37 ℃ K-H液15 min,注射Thomas液（4 ℃,20 ml/kg）使心脏停搏60 min,4 ℃ K-H液保护心脏,停搏30 min时半量复灌Thomas液（4 ℃,10 ml/kg）,60 min时使用37 ℃ K-H液再灌注30 min;Sev组：37 ℃ K-H液平衡灌注15 min后继续灌注含饱和1.0 MAC七氟醚的37 ℃ K-H液15 min,注射Thomas液（4 ℃,20 ml/kg）使心脏停搏60 min,4 ℃ K-H液保护心脏,停搏30 min时半量复灌Thomas液（4 ℃,10 ml/kg）,60 min时使用含饱和1.0 MAC七氟醚的37 ℃ K-H液再灌注30 min。于再灌注即刻至灌注结束,记录离体心脏复跳时间（再灌注即刻至心脏首次跳动所需的时间）,室性心律失常（室性早搏、室性心动过速、室性颤动）发生情况和持续时间。采用心脏刺激仪行程控刺激,测定并记录有效不应期（ERP）、传导速度(CV）。采用免疫印迹法检测心室肌组织Cx43和Cx43 Ser368蛋白相对含量。
结果 与C组比较,IR组和Sev组ERP明显延长,CV明显减慢（P＜0.05）;IR组Cx43及Cx43 Ser368蛋白相对含量明显降低（P＜0.05）。与IR组比较,Sev组心脏复跳时间明显缩短,心律失常发生率明显降低,心律失常持续时间明显缩短,ERP明显缩短,CV明显增快,Cx43及Cx43 Ser368蛋白相对含量明显升高（P＜0.05）。
结论 七氟醚可以上调低温全心缺血-再灌注心室肌组织Cx43和Cx43 Ser368的表达,促使心室肌电传导增快、有效不应期缩短,降低再灌注心律失常的发生。     

Acceleration of TDP43 and FUS/TLS protein expressions in the preconditioned hippocampus following repeated transient ischemia

The 43‐kDa transactivation response DNA binding protein (TDP43), fused in sarcoma/translocated in liposarcoma (FUS/TLS), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and β‐amyloid (Aβ) are induced and involved in cerebral ischemia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Alzheimer's disease (AD), but their relationships in ischemic tolerance have never been examined, although they could be involved in endogenous neuroprotection under ischemic preconditioning. In the present study, Mongolian gerbils were subjected to one or three incidents of basically nonlethal 2‐min transient common carotid arteries occlusion (tCCAO). Hippocampal CA1 neurons were lost only in the 2‐min three times group at 3 and 7 days, which then gradually recovered from 1 to 6 months. Inductions of TDP43 and FUS/TLS were accelerated from 3 months to 7 days or from 7 days to 1 day, respectively, after 2‐min three times ischemia compared with once. The cytoplasmic stainings of TDP43 and FUS/TLS showed a further acceleration of the peaks from 1 months to 3 days or from 1 months to 7 days, respectively, after 2‐min three times ischemia compared with once. In contrast, HSP70 was induced only at 7 days after 2‐min tCCAO for three times, with no expression for Aβ. These data show that ischemic preconditioning offers a way to induce endogenous neuroprotection and neurogenesis in gerbils, with TDP43, FUS/TLS, and HSP70 involved in this function. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Bunina bodies in motor and non‐motor neurons revisited: A pathological study of an ALS patient after long‐term survival on a respirator

Bunina bodies (BBs) are small eosinophilic neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions (NCIs) found in the remaining lower motor neurons (LMNs) of patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (SALS), being a specific feature of the cellular pathology. We examined a case of SALS, unassociated with TDP‐43 or C9ORF72 mutation, of 12 years duration in a 75‐year‐old man, who had received artificial respiratory support for 9 years, and showed widespread multisystem degeneration with TDP‐43 pathology. Interestingly, in this patient, many NCIs reminiscent of BBs were observed in the oculomotor nucleus, medullary reticular formation and cerebellar dentate nucleus. As BBs in the cerebellar dentate nucleus have not been previously described, we performed ultrastructural and immunohistochemical studies of these NCIs to gain further insight into the nature of BBs. In each region, the ultrastructural features of these NCIs were shown to be identical to those of BBs previously described in LMNs. These three regions and the relatively well preserved sacral anterior horns (S1 and S2) and facial motor nucleus were immunostained with antibodies against cystatin C (CC) and TDP‐43. Importantly, it was revealed that BBs exhibiting immunoreactivity for CC were a feature of LMNs, but not of non‐motor neurons, and that in the cerebellar dentate nucleus, the ratio of neurons with BBs and TDP‐43 inclusions/neurons with BBs was significantly lower than in other regions. These findings suggest that the occurrence of BBs with CC immunoreactivity is intrinsically associated with the particular cellular properties of LMNs, and that the mechanism responsible for the formation of BBs is distinct from that for TDP‐43 inclusions.     

Is synaptic loss a unique hallmark of Alzheimer's disease?

Synapses may represent a key nidus for dementia including Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Here we review published studies and present new ideas related to the question of the specificity of synapse loss in AD. Currently, AD is defined by the regional presence of neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. The severity of involvement by those pathological hallmarks tends to correlate both with antemortem cognitive status, and also with synapse loss in multiple brain areas. Recent studies from large autopsy series have led to a new standard of excellence with regard to clinical–pathological correlation and to improved comprehension of the numerous brain diseases of the elderly. These studies have provided evidence that it is the rule rather than the exception for brains of aged individuals to demonstrate pathologies (often multiple) other than AD plaques and tangles. For many of these comorbid pathologies, the extent of synapse loss is imperfectly understood but could be substantial. These findings indicate that synapse loss is probably not a hallmark specific to AD but rather a change common to many diseases associated with dementia.     

The Portal Vertex of KSHV Promotes Docking of Capsids at the Nuclear Pores

Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a cancer-related herpesvirus. Like other herpesviruses, the KSHV icosahedral capsid includes a portal vertex, composed of 12 protein subunits encoded by open reading frame (ORF) 43, which enables packaging and release of the viral genome into the nucleus through the nuclear pore complex (NPC). Capsid vertex-specific component (CVSC) tegument proteins, which directly mediate docking at the NPCs, are organized on the capsid vertices and are enriched on the portal vertex. Whether and how the portal vertex is selected for docking at the NPC is unknown. Here, we investigated the docking of incoming ORF43-null KSHV capsids at the NPCs, and describe a significantly lower fraction of capsids attached to the nuclear envelope compared to wild-type (WT) capsids. Like WT capsids, nuclear envelope-associated ORF43-null capsids co-localized with different nucleoporins (Nups) and did not detach upon salt treatment. Inhibition of nuclear export did not alter WT capsid docking. As ORF43-null capsids exhibit lower extent of association with the NPCs, we conclude that although not essential, the portal has a role in mediating the interaction of the CVSC proteins with Nups, and suggest a model whereby WT capsids can dock at the nuclear envelope through a non-portal penton vertex, resulting in an infection ‘dead end’.     

Thapsigargin Is a Broad-Spectrum Inhibitor of Major Human Respiratory Viruses: Coronavirus,Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Influenza A Virus

The long-term control strategy of SARS-CoV-2 and other major respiratory viruses needs to include antivirals to treat acute infections, in addition to the judicious use of effective vaccines. Whilst COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out for mass vaccination, the modest number of antivirals in use or development for any disease bears testament to the challenges of antiviral development. We recently showed that non-cytotoxic levels of thapsigargin (TG), an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca²⁺ ATPase pump, induces a potent host innate immune antiviral response that blocks influenza A virus replication. Here we show that TG is also highly effective in blocking the replication of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), common cold coronavirus OC43, SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus in immortalized or primary human cells. TG’s antiviral performance was significantly better than remdesivir and ribavirin in their respective inhibition of OC43 and RSV. Notably, TG was just as inhibitory to coronaviruses (OC43 and SARS-CoV-2) and influenza viruses (USSR H1N1 and pdm 2009 H1N1) in separate infections as in co-infections. Post-infection oral gavage of acid-stable TG protected mice against a lethal influenza virus challenge. Together with its ability to inhibit the different viruses before or during active infection, and with an antiviral duration of at least 48 h post-TG exposure, we propose that TG (or its derivatives) is a promising broad-spectrum inhibitor against SARS-CoV-2, OC43, RSV and influenza virus.     

缝隙连接与心肌损伤

缝隙连接(Gap Junction GJ)在心肌细胞间是实现电藕联及化学信息交换的重要结构基础.本文综述了国际上研究结果,阐述缝隙连接生理病理学功能,在心肌损伤的发生,发展中的作用及与缺血预处理之间的关系.