HSF-1 enhances cardioprotective potential of stem cells via exosome biogenesis and their miRNA cargo enrichment

Stem cell therapy provides a hope to no option heart disease patient group. Stem cells work via different mechanisms of which paracrine mechanism is reported to justify most of the effects. Therefore, identifying the control arms for paracrine cocktail production is necessary to tailor stem cell functions in disease contextual manner. In this study, we describe a novel paracrine cocktail regulatory axis, in stem cells, to enhance their cardioprotective abilities. We identified that HSF1 knockout resulted in reduced cardiac regenerative abilities of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) while its overexpression had opposite effects. Altered exosome biognesis and their miRNA cargo enrichment were found to be underlying these altered regenerative abilities. Decreased production of exosomes by MSCs accompanied their loss of HSF1 and vice versa. Moreover, the exosomes derived from HSF1 depleted MSCs showed significantly reduced candidate miRNA expression (miR-145, miR-146, 199-3p, 199b and miR-590) compared to those obtained from HSF1 overexpressing MSCs. We further discovered that HSF1 mediates miRNAs' enrichment into exosomes via Y binding protein 1 (YBX1) and showed, by loss and gain of function strategies, that miRNAs' enrichment in mesenchymal stem cell derived exosomes is deregulated with altered YBX1 expression. It was finally demonstrated that absence of YBX1 in MSCs, with normal HSF1 expression, resulted in significant accumulation of candidate miRNAs into the cells. Together, our data shows that HSF1 plays a critical role in determining the regenerative potential of stem cells. HSF1 does that by affecting exosome biogenesis and miRNA cargo sorting via regulation of YBX1 gene expression.

Validation of the Polish version of P-QoL questionnaire

OBJECTIVE

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common morbidity that affects many women and significantly decreases quality of life. The severity and the impact of the prolapse on the quality of life are important parameters in the management and follow-up of affected patients. The aim of this validation study was to validate the Polish version of the Prolapse Quality of Life questionnaire (P-QoL).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The P-QOL questionnaire was translated into Polish and administered to women recruited from two gynecological outpatient clinics (n = 231). Both symptomatic and asymptomatic women were included in the study and examined in supine position using the Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System (POP-Q). The validity was assessed by comparing symptom scores and quality-of-life scores between symptomatic and asymptomatic women.

RESULTS

A total number of 154 symptomatic and 77 asymptomatic women were included. There was a strong correlation between severity of the disease based on physical findings (POP-Q scale) and the P-QoL scores in main prolapse quality-of-life domains. The overall scores for each life domain were significantly different between symptomatic and asymptomatic women (p < 0.001). All the questions regarding symptoms showed significant differences (p < 0.001) between both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The Polish version of P-QoL is a valid, reliable, and easily comprehensible instrument to assess quality of life and symptoms in Polish-speaking women suffering from urogenital prolapse.

Abstract 3975: Ovarian cancer cells release arginase-1-containing exosomes to suppress antitumor immune response

Aim/Background: Depletion of essential (L-tryptophan) or semi-essential (L-arginine) amino acids has been shown to suppress antitumor immune responses. Arginase-1 (Arg-1) is a cytosolic enzyme catalyzing degradation of L-arginine to L-ornithine and urea. Several studies have shown the presence of abundant Arg-1 in either tumor cells or in tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells of neutrophilic or monocytic origin. This in turn, leads to downregulation of CD3-zeta levels in T cells and correlates with suppressed antitumor immunity. In patients with ovarian cancer (OvCa), exosomes released by tumor cells (TEX) are detected in body fluids including plasma or ascites and carry proteins that are expressed by OvCa cells. Here we report that OvCa cells release Arg-1 in TEX and investigate the influence of OvCa TEX-derived Arg-1 on the antitumor effector mechanisms of immune response.

Methods: TEX were isolated by ultracentrifugation or exclusion chromatography and verified by Western blotting, NanoSight and electron microscopy. The presence of Arg-1 in TEX was determined by Western blotting and the Arg-1 activity was assessed using an enzymatic assay that measured conversion of arginine into urea. Immunohistochemical Arg-1 expression data in primary OvCa lesions were correlated to clinico-pathological characteristics. Effects of TEX Arg-1 on immune cells were analyzed by in vitro proliferation assay and flow cytometry.

Results: OvCa ascites contained higher levels of exosomal Arg-1 as compared with the fluids obtained from benign ovarian cysts. Enzymatically active Arg-1 was detected in TEX derived from patients’ ascites as well as from ovarian cancer cell lines. High Arg-1 expression in correlated negatively with intratumoral T-cell infiltrates and CD3-zeta expression and was associated with shorter time to recurrence (TTR). In vitro, OvCa-derived Arg-1-positive TEX inhibited CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell proliferation and decreased T-cell receptor expression. We also observed that co-culture of bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (DC) with TEX isolated from OvCa cells results in the transfer of functionally active Arg-1 that inhibits DCs-primed proliferation of OVA-antigen specific OT-I T cells. We have used TEX isolated from OvCa cells transfected with V5-tagged Arg-1 for these experiments to ensure that this is OvCa-derived, but not endogenous DC-derived arginase that suppresses T cell proliferation. All these in vitro effects were reversed by a novel Arg-1 inhibitor (OAT-1746).

Conclusions: Our findings provide the first evidence for the role of Arg-1 in the formation of an immunosuppressive microenvironment in OvCa. We identify a novel mechanism of exosomal Arg-1 distribution from the tumor cells to antigen presenting cells. Inhibition of Arg-1 activity may be an attractive novel anti-cancer strategy.

Funding:  NCN - OPUS 6 Program 2013/11/B/NZ6/02790, NCBIR – STRATEGMED2/265503/3/NCBIR/15

Citation Format: Malgorzata Czystowska, Marta Szajnik, Kavita Ramji, Slawomir Gruca, Artur Stefanowicz, Jakub Golab, Dominika Nowis. Ovarian cancer cells release arginase-1-containing exosomes to suppress antitumor immune response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3975. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3975

Elective cesarean section on psychiatric indications - the phenomenon analysis, report of two cases and psychiatric clinical recommendations

OBJECTIVES

In Poland, no guidelines concerning the mode of delivery in patients with psychiatric disorders have so far been developed. The most common psychiatric diagnosis discussed in the Polish literature in the context of the indications for the elective caesarean section is tokophobia. It was confirmed in recent studies that intense fear of childbirth, requiring medical interventions is an important predictor of postpartum depression. Other studies have shown that emergency delivery causes long lasting posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The aim of this paper is to discuss the different mental disorders, which may determine psychiatric indications for elective CS.

METHODS

A literature review and analysis of two cases. Review of the literature was made via MEDLINE and based on such a keywords as: mental health, mode of delivery, caesarean section, psychiatric indications for CS. In the analysis, papers based on population studies and essential because of the potential clinical decisions concerning psychiatric indications for CS were taken into account first.

RESULTS

Psychiatric indications for the preferred type of delivery are determined individually. They are mainly based on the ability of the psychiatric patient to cooperate with obstetric staff during vaginal delivery. The second area of psychiatric indications is a strong fear of labour that results in the need for psychiatric consultation in the last trimester of pregnancy or the perinatal period.

CONCLUSIONS

Antenatal care of women with mental disorders requires close cooperation between the obstetricians and psychiatrists specialised in the mental disorders due to somatic state. Such cooperation should lead to preventing both obstetric and psychiatric complications during the pregnancy and labour in women experiencing symptoms of mental disorders.

["Mid-stimulation psychosis" in the course of in vitro fertilization procedure with the use of clomiphene citrate and bromocriptine - case study]

AIM

A few cases of psychosis induced by clomiphene citrate have been described so far. However, data on the prevalence of psychotic symptoms among women treated for infertility are inconclusive. Still a little is known about possible psychiatric complications of medications used in assisted reproduction techniques (ART). We present a case of a patient who developed transient psychotic symptoms in the course of the in vitro fertilization procedures. To our kiiowledge, this is the first case of 'mid-stimulation psychosis', which has been observed during ART using clomiphene.citrate and bromocriptine. The aim of this study is to describe the determinants ofpharmacotherapy undertaken in ART,.which can result in the development of psychotic symptoms.

METHODS

The Case presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of clomiphene citrate for ovulation induction in combination with bromocriptine used for chronic hyperprolactinemia is a likely mechanism that might have triggered psychotic symptoms in the case presented. However, combination therapy with clomiphen citrate and.bromocriptine may be the pharmacological model of hyper-dopaminergia followed by chaotic changes in serum estrogen levels and might lead to an increased sensitivity of dopamine receptors. The above therapeutic schema may increase susceptibility to the development of psychotic symptoms in treated women. This impact should be considered in the case of any psychotic complications in patients undergoing assisted reproduction techniques