6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase form a supramolecular complex in human neutrophils that undergoes retrograde trafficking during pregnancy

Immunology of Pregnancy and Systemic Consequences

Pregnancy is an immunological paradox, with renowned Nobel Prize winning transplantation biologist Sir Peter Brian Medawar being the first to introduce this concept back in 1953. This concept considers how the maternal immune system can tolerate the developing fetus, which is 50% antigenically foreign to the uterus. There have been significant advances in our understanding of the immune system in regulating fertility, pregnancy and in complications of these, and what was once considered a paradox can be seen as a highly evolved system. Indeed, the complexity of the maternal-fetal interface along with our ever-advancing knowledge of immune cells and mediators means that we have a better understanding of these interactions, with gaps still present.  This chapter will summarise the key aspects of the role of the immune system at each stage of pregnancy and highlight the recent advances in our knowledge.

Regulation of Neutrophil NADPH Oxidase, NOX2: A Crucial Effector in Neutrophil Phenotype and Function

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), produced by the phagocyte NADPH oxidase, NOX2, are involved in many leukocyte functions. An excessive or inappropriate ROS production can lead to oxidative stress and tissue damage. On the other hand, an absence of ROS production due to a lack of a functional NADPH oxidase is associated with recurrent infections as well as inflammation disorders. Thus, it is clear that the enzyme NADPH oxidase must be tightly regulated. The NOX2 complex bears both membrane and cytosolic subunits. The membrane subunits constitute the flavocytochrome b₅₅₈, consisting of gp91^phox (Nox2) and p22^phox subunits. The cytosolic subunits form a complex in resting cells and are made of three subunits (p47^phox, p40^phox, p67^phox). Upon leukocyte stimulation, the cytosolic subunits and the small GTPase Rac assemble with the flavocytochrome b₅₅₈ in order to make a functional complex. Depending on the stimulus, the NADPH oxidase can assemble either at the phagosomal membrane or at the plasma membrane. Many studies have explored NOX2 activation; however, how this activation is sustained and regulated is still not completely clear. Here we review the multiple roles of NOX2 in neutrophil functions, with a focus on description of its components and their assembly mechanisms. We then explain the role of energy metabolism and phosphoinositides in regulating NADPH oxidase activity. In particular, we discuss: 1) the link between metabolic pathways and NOX2 activity regulation through neutrophil activation and the level of released ROS, and 2) the role of membrane phosphoinositides in controlling the duration of NOX2 activity.

Enzyme Trafficking and Co-Clustering Precede and Accurately Predict Human Breast Cancer Recurrences: An Interdisciplinary Review

Although great effort has been expended to understand cancer's origins, less attention has been given to the primary cause of cancer deaths - cancer recurrences and their sequelae. This interdisciplinary review addresses mechanistic features of aggressive cancer by studying metabolic enzyme patterns within ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast lesions. DCIS lesions from patients who did or did not experience a breast cancer recurrence were compared. Several proteins, including phospho-Ser226-glucose transporter type 1, phosphofructokinase type L and phosphofructokinase/fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase type 4 are found in nucleoli of ductal epithelial cells in samples from patients who will not subsequently recur, but traffic to the cell periphery in samples from patients who will experience a cancer recurrence. Large co-clusters of enzymes near plasmalemmata will enhance product formation because enzyme concentrations in clusters are very high while solvent molecules and solutes diffuse through small channels. These structural changes will accelerate aerobic glycolysis. Agglomerations of pentose phosphate pathway and glutathione synthesis enzymes enhance GSH formation. As aggressive cancer lesions are incomplete at early stages, they may be unrecognizable. We have found that machine learning provides superior analyses of tissue images and may be used to identify biomarker patterns associated with recurrent and non-recurrent patients with high accuracy. This suggests a new prognostic test to predict DCIS patients who are likely to recur and those who are at low risk for recurrence. Mechanistic interpretations provide a deeper understanding of anti-cancer drug action and suggest that aggressive metastatic cancer cells are sensitive to reductive chemotherapy.

6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase and its crystal structures

6-Phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH; EC 1.1.1.44) catalyses the oxidative decarboxylation of 6-phosphogluconate to ribulose 5-phosphate in the context of the oxidative part of the pentose phosphate pathway. Depending on the species, it can be a homodimer or a homotetramer. Oligomerization plays a functional role not only because the active site is at the interface between subunits but also due to the interlocking tail-modulating activity, similar to that of isocitrate dehydrogenase and malic enzyme, which catalyse a similar type of reaction. Since the pioneering crystal structure of sheep liver 6PGDH, which allowed motifs common to the β-hydroxyacid dehydrogenase superfamily to be recognized, several other 6PGDH crystal structures have been solved, including those of ternary complexes. These showed that more than one conformation exists, as had been suggested for many years from enzyme studies in solution. It is inferred that an asymmetrical conformation with a rearrangement of one of the two subunits underlies the homotropic cooperativity. There has been particular interest in the presence or absence of sulfate during crystallization. This might be related to the fact that this ion, which is a competitive inhibitor that binds in the active site, can induce the same 6PGDH configuration as in the complexes with physiological ligands. Mutagenesis, inhibitors, kinetic and binding studies, post-translational modifications and research on the enzyme in cancer cells have been complementary to the crystallographic studies. Computational modelling and new structural studies will probably help to refine the understanding of the functioning of this enzyme, which represents a promising therapeutic target in immunity, cancer and infective diseases. 6PGDH also has applied-science potential as a biosensor or a biobattery. To this end, the enzyme has been efficiently immobilized on specific polymers and nanoparticles. This review spans the 6PGDH literature and all of the 6PGDH crystal structure data files held by the Protein Data Bank.

Specific innate immune cells uptake fetal antigen and display homeostatic phenotypes in the maternal circulation

Pregnancy represents a period when the mother undergoes significant immunological changes to promote tolerance of the fetal semi-allograft. Such tolerance results from the exposure of the maternal immune system to fetal antigens (Ags), a process that has been widely investigated at the maternal-fetal interface and in the adjacent draining lymph nodes. However, the peripheral mechanisms of maternal-fetal crosstalk are poorly understood. Herein, we hypothesized that specific innate immune cells interact with fetal Ags in the maternal circulation. To test this hypothesis, a mouse model was utilized in which transgenic male mice expressing the chicken ovalbumin (OVA) Ag under the beta-actin promoter were allogeneically mated with wild-type females to allow for tracking of the fetal Ag. Fetal Ag-carrying Ly6G+ and F4/80+ cells were identified in the maternal circulation, where they were more abundant in the second half of pregnancy. Such innate immune cells displayed unique phenotypes: while Ly6G+ cells expressed high levels of MHC-II and CD80 together with low levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, F4/80+ cells up-regulated the expression of CD86 as well as the anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β. In vitro studies using allogeneic GFP+ placental particles revealed that maternal peripheral Ly6G+ and F4/80+ cells phagocytose fetal Ags in mid and late murine pregnancy. Importantly, cytotrophoblast-derived particles were also engulfed in vitro by CD15+ and CD14+ cells from women in the second and third trimester, providing translational evidence that this process also occurs in humans. Collectively, this study demonstrates novel interactions between specific maternal circulating innate immune cells and fetal Ags, thereby shedding light on the systemic mechanisms of maternal-fetal crosstalk.

Maternal Immunological Adaptation During Normal Pregnancy

The risk and severity of specific infections are increased during pregnancy due to a combination of physiological and immunological changes. Characterizing the maternal immune system during pregnancy is important to understand how the maternal immune system maintains tolerance towards the allogeneic fetus. This may also inform strategies to prevent maternal fatalities due to infections and optimize maternal vaccination to best protect the mother-fetus dyad and the infant after birth. In this review, we describe what is known about the immunological changes that occur during a normal pregnancy.

Spatial locations of certain enzymes and transporters within preinvasive ductal epithelial cells predict human breast cancer recurrences

Some patients treated for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) of the breast will experience cancer recurrences, whereas other patients will not. Unfortunately, current techniques cannot identify which preinvasive lesions will lead to recurrent cancer. Because the mechanism of cancer recurrence is unknown, it is difficult to design a test that detects its activity. We propose that certain pentose phosphate pathway enzymes, glutathione synthesis enzymes, and RhoA cluster at the epithelial cell periphery before cancer recurrences. Enzyme clustering enhances metabolic flux. Using fluorescence microscopy, we show that phosphophorylated glucose transporter type-1, transketolase-like protein-1, glutathione synthetase, GTP-loaded RhoA, and RhoA accumulate as a peripheral layer near the epithelial cell surface in surgical biopsies of women who will suffer recurrences, but not in samples from women who will not experience recurrences as judged using 2×2 contingency tables. Machine-learning studies of phospho-glucose transporter type 1-labeled tissue sections of patients with DCIS demonstrated strong cross-validation and holdout performance. A machine study of individual cribriform, papillary, micropapillary, and comedo forms of DCIS demonstrated 97% precision and 95% recall in the detection of samples from women who will not experience a recurrence and 90% precision and 94% recall in the detection of lesions that will become recurrent. A holdout study of these patients showed 73% true negatives, 18% true positives, 4% false positives, and 4% false negatives at a 50% threshold. This work suggests mechanistic features of cancer recurrences that may contribute to a new clinical test distinguishing high from low-recurrence risk in patients with DCIS.

ROS and glutathionylation balance cytoskeletal dynamics in neutrophil extracellular trap formation

Neutrophils can release their genomic DNA as extracellular traps (NETs), which ensnare bacteria and limit their replication. Stojkov et al. find that modulation of cytoskeletal dynamics by reactive oxygen species and glutathionylation controls the degranulation and release of mitochondrial DNA required for NET formation.

The antimicrobial defense activity of neutrophils partly depends on their ability to form neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), but the underlying mechanism controlling NET formation remains unclear. We demonstrate that inhibiting cytoskeletal dynamics with pharmacological agents or by genetic manipulation prevents the degranulation of neutrophils and mitochondrial DNA release required for NET formation. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein–deficient neutrophils are unable to polymerize actin and exhibit a block in both degranulation and DNA release. Similarly, neutrophils with a genetic defect in NADPH oxidase fail to induce either actin and tubulin polymerization or NET formation on activation. Moreover, neutrophils deficient in glutaredoxin 1 (Grx1), an enzyme required for deglutathionylation of actin and tubulin, are unable to polymerize either cytoskeletal network and fail to degranulate or release DNA. Collectively, cytoskeletal dynamics are achieved as a balance between reactive oxygen species–regulated effects on polymerization and glutathionylation on the one hand and the Grx1-mediated deglutathionylation that is required for NET formation on the other.

Glutathione prevents preterm parturition and fetal death by targeting macrophage-induced reactive oxygen species production in the myometrium

Preterm birth is an inflammatory process resulting from the massive infiltration of innate immune cells and the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the myometrium. However, proinflammatory cytokines, which induce labor in vivo, fail to induce labor-associated features in human myometrial cells (MCs). We thus aimed to investigate if reactive oxygen species (ROS) production could be the missing step between immune cell activation and MC response. Indeed, we found that ROS production is increased in the human preterm laboring myometrium (27% ROS producing cells, respectively, versus 2% in nonlaboring controls), with 90% ROS production in macrophages. Using LPS-stimulated myometrial samples and cell coculture experiments, we demonstrated that ROS production is required for labor onset. Furthermore, we showed that ROS are required first in the NADPH oxidase (NADPHox)-2/NF-κB-dependent macrophage response to inflammatory stimuli but, more importantly, to trigger macrophage-induced MCs transactivation. Remarkably, in a murine model of LPS-induced preterm labor (inducing delivery within 17 hours, with no pup survival), cotreatment with glutathione delayed labor onset up to 94 hours and prevented in utero fetal distress, allowing 46% pups to survive. These results suggest that targeting ROS production with the macrophage-permeable antioxidant glutathione could constitute a promising strategy to prevent preterm birth.

Systemic increase in human maternal circulating CD14+CD16- MCP-1+ monocytes as a marker of labor

OBJECTIVES

To study the influence of pregnancy and labor on the proportion and level of activation of monocyte subpopulations in human pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN

Peripheral blood samples were obtained from healthy nonpregnant women (n = 6); women in the third-trimester of healthy pregnancies (n = 18) and women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (n = 46), just before delivery for the last 2 groups. Monocyte subpopulations were characterized by flow cytometry using CD14, CD16, and activation level using macrophage chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and CCR2 antibodies.

RESULTS

The relative proportion of each monocyte subset in nonpregnant women was similar to that in women with healthy or complicated pregnancies. However, pregnancy was associated with a significant decrease in MCP-1 expressing monocytes (79.5% ± 19.8% vs 9.3% ± 6.8% and 11.9% ± 8.3% for nonpregnant, healthy pregnancy, and preterm premature rupture of membranes (respectively, P < .05). Spontaneous labor was associated with a return to nonpregnant values for the proportion of MCP-1 expressing monocytes in both normal (74.4% ± 16.9) and preterm premature rupture of membranes pregnancy (68.4% ± 35.6), irrespective of the mode of delivery (vaginal or cesarean section). This was not observed in women who delivered without spontaneous labor onset. CCR-2 (MCP-1 receptor) expression was not modified in monocytes at the time of labor, but was significantly increased in granulocytes (3646 ± 1080 vs 7338 ± 2718 for nonlaboring and laboring preterm premature rupture of membranes, respectively, P < .05) CONCLUSION: In light of previous reports of a role for MCP-1 in labor, our results suggest the downregulation of activation levels of monocytes, via MCP-1 expression might be involved in maternofetal immune tolerance. Monocyte reactivation might be associated with labor.

High capacity for leukotriene biosynthesis in peripheral blood during pregnancy

Pregnancy is accompanied by major immunological changes to maintain both tolerance for the fetus and immune competence. Leukotrienes are powerful 5-lipoxygenase-derived inflammatory mediators and the characteristics of leukotriene-related diseases (e.g., asthma, allergic rhinitis) change during pregnancy. Here, we show that pregnancy affects leukotriene synthesis in human blood and leukocytes. 5-Lipoxygenase product formation in stimulated blood of pregnant women was significantly higher than in non-pregnant females. Although a pregnancy-related increase in neutrophil and monocyte counts may explain these observations, granulocytes of pregnant donors have lower leukotriene-synthetic capacities. On the other hand, granulocytes from non-pregnant woman produced more leukotrienes when resuspended in plasma of pregnant women than of non-pregnant females. Together, we show that leukotriene biosynthesis in maternal blood is increased by the interrelations of higher leukocyte numbers, lower cellular capacity for leukotriene synthesis and stimulatory effects of plasma. This bias may affect leukotriene-related diseases during pregnancy and their pharmacological treatment.

[Superoxide-anion production by neutrophil granulocytes in healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women]

Data on respiratory burst activity of granulocytes from healthy and preeclamptic pregnant women are contradictory. To further investigate a possible role of reactive oxygen species in the etiology of preeclampsia, the induced superoxide-anion generation by granulocytes from non-pregnant, healthy pregnant and preeclamptic pregnant women were measured. The reciprocal effects of heat-inactivated and non-inactivated plasma on superoxide production by neutrophils from non-pregnant, healthy pregnant and preeclamptic pregnant subjects were also examined. Superoxide generation was measured by ferricytochrome c reduction. Both phorbol-12.13-dibutirate- and N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-induced superoxide production was significantly decreased in normal pregnancy compared to results obtained in non-pregnant and preeclamptic pregnant women. Phorbol-12.13-dibutirate-induced superoxide generation by non-pregnant and preeclamptic neutrophils was significantly inhibited by heat-inactivated and non-inactivated healthy pregnant plasma. N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated superoxide production by non-pregnant and preeclamptic granulocytes was suppressed only by non-inactivated healthy pregnant plasma. Phorbol-12.13-dibutirate-induced superoxide generation of healthy pregnant neutrophils was significantly increased by inactivated and non-inactivated non-pregnant and preeclamptic plasma. N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine-stimulated superoxide production by healthy pregnant granulocytes was significantly enhanced following treatment of the cells with non-inactivated non-pregnant and preeclamptic pregnant plasma. Deficient superoxide generation in normal pregnancy may be caused by maternal immunosuppressive factors. The failure of reduction in superoxide production in preeclampsia may be partly responsible for endothelial dysfunction. Apart from oxidative stress, a possible role of inefficient maternal immunosuppression should also be considered in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia.

Coupling of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase with NADPH oxidase in neutrophils: Nox2 activity regulation by NADPH availability

It is well known that activation of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase requires the association of cytosolic proteins (p67-phox, p47-phox, p40-phox, and Rac) with the membrane cytochrome b(558), leading to its conformation change. Recently, the phagocyte NADPH oxidase complex was isolated in a constitutively active form. In this complex, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH), an enzyme involved in the production of intracellular NADPH, was identified. This protein was absent from the oxidase complex isolated from B lymphocytes, suggesting a specific interaction with the neutrophil NADPH oxidase. To clarify the implication of 6PGDH in the NADPH oxidase activity, a siRNA approach was conducted in neutrophil-like PLB985 cells. NADPH oxidase activity of siRNA-transfected cells was shown to be decreased. Similar results were obtained in vitro, after reconstitution of oxidase activity with subcellular fractions isolated from siRNA-transfected cells. Interestingly, the Michaelis constant (K(m)) of Nox2 for NADPH increases in 6PGDH-depleted cells. Moreover, 6PGDH coimmunoprecipitated with oxidase cytosolic factors from cytosol of stimulated cells. Data suggested that the affinity of Nox2 for NADPH is increased in the presence of 6PGDH on cell stimulation. The present work proposes a new way of NADPH oxidase activity regulation by modulating Nox2 affinity for NADPH.

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils and T lymphocytes: strange bedfellows or brothers in arms?

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) are linked invariably to the innate immune response, particularly to the defence against bacterial infection. T lymphocytes are studied mainly in virus infections, the defence against tumours, the development and progression of chronic inflammatory processes, in autoimmune phenomena and in materno-fetal tolerance. There is, however, increasing evidence for communication and interactions between PMN and T cells that we discuss here in the context of different physiological and pathological conditions, including acute and chronic inflammatory disease, defence against tumours, and maintenance of pregnancy.

Synergistic activation of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and NAD(P)H oxidase by Src kinase elevates superoxide in type 2 diabetic, Zucker fa/fa, rat liver

Glucose metabolism through the glycolysis and hexosamine pathway has been shown to be altered in type 2 diabetes. However, the fate of glucose through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is currently unclear. In this study, we determined whether the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), the rate-limiting enzyme in the PPP, is modulated in the liver of Zucker obese fa/fa rats (9-11 weeks of age). We found that G6PD expression and activity, NADPH levels, and 6-phosphogluconate generation were significantly increased in the liver of fa/fa rats. Inhibition of PI3 kinase and Src kinases decreased (p < 0.05) G6PD activity in the fa/fa but not in the lean rat liver, suggesting that G6PD activity is regulated by PI3/Src kinase signaling pathways. G6PD-derived NADPH increased (p < 0.05) superoxide anion levels by 70-90% in fa/fa vs lean rat liver, which was inhibited by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor gp91(ds-tat) (50 microM) and G6PD inhibitors 6-aminonicotinamide (1 mM) and dehydroepiandrosterone (100 microM), therefore indicating that elevated G6PD activity may be responsible for mediating superoxide generation. Interestingly, we also found a positive correlation between liver hypertrophy/increased G6PD activity (r2 = 0.77; p = 0.0009) and liver hypertrophy/superoxide production (r2 = 0.51; p = 0.0091) in fa/fa rats. Increased G6PD and NADPH oxidase expression and activity, in young hyperglycemic and hyperinsulinemic rats before the development of diabetes, seems to be a contributing factor in the induction of oxidative stress. Because inhibition of G6PD activity decreases oxidative stress, we conclude that G6PD behaves as a pro-oxidant in the fa/fa rat liver in type 2 diabetes.

Galactose metabolism in yeast-structure and regulation of the leloir pathway enzymes and the genes encoding them

The enzymes of the Leloir pathway catalyze the conversion of galactose to a more metabolically useful version, glucose-6-phosphate. This pathway is required as galactose itself cannot be used for glycolysis directly. In most organisms, including the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, five enzymes are required to catalyze this conversion: a galactose mutarotase, a galactokinase, a galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase, a UDP-galactose-4-epimerase, and a phosphoglucomutase. In yeast, the genes encoding these enzymes are tightly controlled at the level of transcription and are only transcribed under specific sets of conditions. In the presence of glucose, the genes encoding the Leloir pathway enzymes (often called the GAL genes) are repressed through the action of a transcriptional repressor Mig1p. In the presence of galactose, but in the absence of glucose, the concerted actions of three other proteins Gal4p, Gal80p, and Gal3p, and two small molecules (galactose and ATP) enable the rapid and high-level activation of the GAL genes. The precise molecular mechanism of the GAL genetic switch is controversial. Recent work on solving the three-dimensional structures of the various GAL enzymes proteins and the GAL transcriptional switch proteins affords a unique opportunity to delve into the precise, and potentially unambiguous, molecular mechanism of a highly exploited transcriptional circuit. Understanding the details of the transcriptional and metabolic events that occur in this pathway can be used as a paradigm for understanding the integration of metabolism and transcriptional control more generally, and will assist our understanding of fundamental biochemical processes and how these might be exploited.

Cumulative physiological events influence the inflammatory response of the bovine udder to Escherichia coli infections during the transition period

A high proportion of intramammary coliform infections present at parturition develop disease characterized by severe inflammatory signs and sepsis during the first 60 to 70 d of lactation. In the lactating bovine mammary gland, the innate immune system plays a critical role in determining the outcome of these infections. Since the beginning of the 1990s, research has increased significantly on bovine mammary innate defense mechanisms in connection with the pathogenesis of coliform mastitis. Neutrophils are key effector cells of the innate immune response to intramammary infection, and their function is influenced by many physiological events that occur during the transition period. Opportunistic infections occur when the integrity of the host immune system is compromised by physical and physiological conditions that make the host more susceptible. The innate immune system of many periparturient cows is immunocompromised. It is unlikely that periparturient immunosuppression is the result of a single physiological factor; more likely, several entities act in concert, with profound effects on the function of many organ systems of the periparturient dairy cow. Their defense system is unable to modulate the complex network of innate immune responses, leading to incomplete resolution of the pathogen and the inflammatory reaction. During the last 30 yr, most efforts have been focused on neutrophil diapedesis, phagocytosis, and bacterial killing. How these functions modulate the clinical outcome of coliform mastitis, and how they can be influenced by hormones and metabolism has been the subject of intensive research and is the focus of this review. The afferent (sensing) arm of innate immunity, which enables host recognition of a diverse array of pathogens, is the subject of intense research interest and may contribute to the variable inflammatory response to intramammary infections during different stages of lactation. The development of novel interventions that modulate the inflammatory response or contribute to the elimination of the pathogen or both may offer therapeutic promise in the treatment of mastitis in periparturient cows.

Oxidant release is dramatically increased by elevated glucose concentrations in neutrophils from pregnant women

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the mechanism of oxidative stress at glucose levels accompanying diabetic pregnancy. Specifically, we hypothesize that elevated glucose overwhelms hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS) down-regulation observed during pregnancy.

METHODS

Peripheral blood cells from normal healthy pregnant women were exposed to heightened glucose levels to provide an in vitro model of the effects of diabetic pregnancy. Changes in NAD(P)H, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) production were evaluated in single cells.

RESULTS

Altered metabolic dynamics, as judged by NAD(P)H autofluorescence of neutrophils from both pregnant and non-pregnant women, were observed during incubation with 14 mM glucose, a pathophysiologic level. In parallel, increased production of ROS and NO was observed. The ROS and NO levels attained in cells from pregnant women were greater than those observed in cells from non-pregnant women. Inhibitors of the HMS and NAD(P)H oxidase blocked these effects. These metabolic and oxidant changes required approximately one minute, suggesting that transient glucose spikes during pregnancy could trigger this response.

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated glucose levels enhance HMS activity and oxidant production in cells from pregnant women. This mechanism may be generally applicable in understanding the role of diabetes in materno-fetal health.

Characterization of theSaccharomyces cerevisiaegalactose mutarotase/UDP-galactose 4-epimerase protein, Gal10p

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and some related yeasts are unusual in that two of the enzyme activities (galactose mutarotase and UDP-galactose 4-epimerase) required for the Leloir pathway of d-galactose catabolism are contained within a single protein-Gal10p. The recently solved structure of the protein shows that the two domains are separate and have similar folds to the separate enzymes from other species. The biochemical properties of Gal10p have been investigated using recombinant protein expressed in, and purified from, Escherichia coli. Protein-protein crosslinking confirmed that Gal10p is a dimer in solution and this state is unaffected by the presence of substrates. The steady-state kinetic parameters of the epimerase reaction are similar to those of the human enzyme, and are not affected by simultaneous activity at the mutarotase active site. The mutarotase active site has a strong preference for galactose over glucose, and is not affected by simultaneous epimerase activity. This absence of reciprocal kinetic effects between the active sites suggests that they act independently and do not influence or regulate each other.

Myeloperoxidase accumulates at the neutrophil surface and enhances cell metabolism and oxidant release during pregnancy

Pregnancy is a unique immunological state. Pregnancy neutrophils differ from those of non-pregnant women as they cannot be fully activated for oxidant production, but yet have higher levels of unstimulated oxidant production. Although reduced activation is due to decreased hexose monophosphate shunt activity, the mechanism enhancing basal oxidant levels is unknown. We hypothesize that myeloperoxidase (MPO) trafficking affects the basal oxidant release by maternal neutrophils. Immunofluorescence microscopy has demonstrated MPO at the surface of pregnancy neutrophils, whereas non-pregnancy cells do not exhibit surface MPO. Adherent pregnancy neutrophils were characterized by high-amplitude metabolic oscillations, which were blocked by MPO inactivation. Conversely, metabolic oscillatory amplitudes of control neutrophils were heightened by incubation with PMA or exogenous MPO. Importantly, MPO decoration of cell surfaces and high-amplitude metabolic oscillations were observed for neutrophils from pregnant but not from non-pregnant mice. However, cells from pregnant MPO knockout mice did not exhibit MPO expression or high-amplitude metabolic oscillations. Unstimulated neutrophils from pregnant women were found to release reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) and reactive nitrogen intermediates (RNI), but cells from non-pregnant women did not. MPO inhibition returned ROM and RNI formation to non-pregnant levels. Hence, MPO trafficking influences metabolic activity and oxidant production in pregnancy.

IFN-gamma primes RAW264 macrophages and human monocytes for enhanced oxidant production in response to CpG DNA via metabolic signaling: roles of TLR9 and myeloperoxidase trafficking

Macrophages and monocytes are activated by CpG DNA motifs to produce NO, which is enhanced dramatically by IFN-gamma. We hypothesize that synergistic cellular responses to IFN-gamma and CpG DNA are due to cross-talk between metabolic signaling pathways of leukocytes. Adherent RAW264.7 macrophages and human monocytes exhibited NAD(P)H autofluorescence oscillation periods of approximately 20 s. IFN-gamma increased the oscillatory amplitude, which was required for CpG DNA-mediated metabolic changes. These alterations in metabolic dynamics required the appropriate combinations of murine/human TLR9 and murine/human-specific CpG DNA. Other factors that also promoted an increase in metabolic oscillatory amplitude could substitute for IFN-gamma. Because recent studies have shown that the metabolic frequency is coupled to the hexose monophosphate shunt, and the amplitude is coupled to the peroxidase cycle, we tested the hypothesis that myeloperoxidase (MPO) participates in IFN-gamma priming for oxidant production. MPO inhibitors blocked cell responses to IFN-gamma and CpG DNA. In the absence of IFN-gamma exposure, the effects of CpG DNA could be duplicated by MPO addition to cell samples. Moreover, monocytes from MPO knockout mice were metabolically unresponsive to IFN-gamma and CpG DNA. NAD(P)H frequency doubling responses due to CpG DNA were blocked by an inhibitor of the hexose monophosphate shunt. Because NAD(P)H participates in electron trafficking to NO and superoxide anions, we tested oxidant production. Although CpG DNA alone had no effect, IFN-gamma plus CpG enhanced NO and reactive oxygen metabolite release compared with IFN-gamma treatment alone. We suggest that amplitude and frequency modulation of cellular metabolic oscillations contribute to intracellular signaling synergy.

Trophoblast contact deactivates human neutrophils

Trophoblasts are fetal epithelial cells that form an interface between mother and offspring. To evaluate their anti-inflammatory capacity, we tested the hypothesis that trophoblasts deactivate neutrophils using single-cell assays. Several biophysical (Ca2+ and NAD(P)H oscillation frequency) and physiological (oxidant production) markers of activated neutrophils revert to a nonactivated phenotype as activated cells make contact with trophoblasts. Indistinguishable results were obtained using syncytiotrophoblasts and in experiments using trophoblasts and neutrophils from the same mother to recapitulate the semiallogeneic system. These changes suggest reduced hexose monophosphate shunt (HMS) activity. We discovered that two metabolic regulatory points, glucose transport and HMS enzyme trafficking, are affected by trophoblasts. This restriction in HMS activity deactivates neutrophils, thereby limiting oxidative DNA damage within trophoblasts.

A role for TLRs in the regulation of immune cell migration by first trimester trophoblast cells

Normal pregnancy is characterized by the presence of innate immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface. Originally, it was postulated that the presence of these leukocytes was due to an immune response toward paternal Ags expressed by the invading trophoblasts. Instead, we and others postulate that these innate immune cells are necessary for successful implantation and pregnancy. However, elevated leukocyte infiltration may be an underlying cause of pregnancy complications, such as preterm labor or preeclampsia. Furthermore, such conditions have been attributed to an intrauterine infection. Therefore, we hypothesize that first trimester trophoblast cells, upon recognition of microbes through TLRs, may coordinate an immune response by recruiting cells of the innate immune system to the maternal-fetal interface. In this study, we have demonstrated that human first trimester trophoblast cells constitutively secrete the chemokines growth-related oncogene, growth-related oncogene alpha, IL-8, and MCP-1 and are able to recruit monocytes and NK cells, and to a lesser degree, neutrophils. Following the ligation of TLR-3 by the viral ligand, poly(I:C), or TLR-4 by bacterial LPS, trophoblast secretion of chemokines is significantly increased and this in turn results in elevated monocyte and neutrophil chemotaxis. In addition, TLR-3 stimulation also induces trophoblast cells to secrete RANTES. These results suggest a novel mechanism by which first trimester trophoblast cells may differentially modulate the maternal immune system during normal pregnancy and in the presence of an intrauterine infection. Such altered trophoblast cell responses might contribute to the pathogenesis of certain pregnancy complications.

Apparent role of dynein in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase trafficking in neutrophils from pregnant women

To better understand the mechanisms of metabolic microcompartmentalization associated with neutrophil hexose monophosphate shunt activity during pregnancy, we have studied the intracellular trafficking of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDase). Microtubule motor proteins colocalize with G6PDase. Dynein inhibitors block G6PDase accumulation at the microtubule-organizing center in pregnancy cells. On this basis, we conclude that microtubule motor proteins participate in hexose monophosphate shunt enzyme transport within leukocytes.

Spatiotemporal chemical dynamics in living cells: from information trafficking to cell physiology

Biological thought in the 20th century was dominated by the study of structures at increasingly minute levels. For biology to advance beyond structural reductionism and contribute its full measure to clinical care, living biological structures must be understood in the context of their collective chemical processes at the relevant chemical time-scales. Using high-speed fluorescence microscopy, we have studied intra- and inter-cellular signaling using shutter speeds ( approximately 100 ns) that remove the effects of wave motion and diffusion from optical images. By collecting a series of such images, stop-action movies of signal trafficking in living cells are created; these have revealed a new level of spatiotemporal chemical organization within cells. Numerous types of chemical waves have been found in living cells expressing a great variety of physical properties. In this article I will review some of these basic findings, discuss these events in the context of information trafficking, and illustrate the potential implications of this work in medicine.

Transaldolase is part of a supramolecular complex containing glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in human neutrophils that undergoes retrograde trafficking during pregnancy

Previous studies have shown that glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDase) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase form a supramolecular complex in human neutrophils that undergoes retrograde trafficking in cells from pregnant women, but anterograde trafficking in cells from nonpregnant individuals. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques, we now demonstrate that transaldolase (TALase), a key regulatory enzyme in the nonoxidative branch of the hexose monophosphate shunt, is in close physical proximity with G6PDase, but not with lactate dehydrogenase, thus suggesting the formation of a TALase-G6PDase complex. Moreover, immunofluorescence microscopy demonstrated that TALase undergoes anterograde trafficking in neutrophils from nonpregnant individuals, whereas retrograde trafficking is found during pregnancy. However, pregnancy did not affect lactate dehydrogenase distribution. Colchicine treatment blocked the retrograde distribution of TALase, suggesting that microtubules are involved in TALase trafficking. We suggest that TALase is part of a supramolecular hexose monophosphate shunt complex, which likely increases the efficiency of the shunt via substrate channeling. We further suggest that TALase's retrograde motion contributes to uncoupling the shunt from its source of glucose-6-phosphate at the plasma membrane, thereby blunting nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (reduced form) production and downstream oxidant production by neutrophils.