[Bone marrow fibrosis in primary myelofibrosis in relation to myelodysplasia- and age-related mutations of hematopoietic cells]

Besides histopathological findings, there are no indicators of increased risk for fibrotic progression in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Age-related clonal hematopoiesis (ARCH) or clonal hematopoiesis of indetermined potential (CHIP) are frequent findings in the elderly and combinations with MPN driver mutations (JAK2, MPL, and CALR) have been described. To determine the impact of ARCH/CHIP-related mutations for the development of fibrosis in primary myelofibrosis (PMF), the mutational status of cases with fibrotic progression from grade 0 to grade 2/3 (n = 77) as evidenced by follow-up bone marrow biopsies (median 6.2 years) was compared to prefibrotic PMF samples without the development of fibrosis (n = 27; median follow-up 7.3 years). Frequent ARCH/CHIP-associated mutations (TET2, ASXL1, DNMT3A) demonstrable at presentation were not connected with fibrotic progression. However, mutations that are rarely found in ARCH/CHIP (SRSF2, U2AF1, SF3B1, IDH1/2, and EZH2) were present in 24.7% of cases with later development of fibrosis and not detectable in cases staying free from fibrosis (P = 0.0028). Determination of tumor mutational burden (TMB) in a subgroup of cases (n = 32) did not show significant differences (7.68 mutations/MB vs. 6.85 mutations/MB). We conclude that mutations rarely found in ARCH/CHIP provide an independent risk factor for rapid fibrotic progression (median 2.0 years) when already manifest at first presentation.

[Liquid biopsy in tumor diagnostics : Applications, perspectives, and limitations of the "cancer liquidome"]

The detection of tumor-specific genetic alterations in body fluids as an addition to or even replacement for established tissue-based tumor diagnostics is currently a hot topic in academic research and industry. Progress in methods for nucleic acid analyses together with promising results from clinical studies have raised great expectations for cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy monitoring by means of a minimally invasive blood draw. Individual focused assays have already been introduced into routine diagnostics and represent a valuable option in cases where no tissue samples are available. However, before the use of liquid biopsy outside of clinical studies is enforced and more complex markers (like tumor mutational burden) are analyzed, several practical challenges and principal problems have to be addressed. This review focusses on the detection of free-circulating nucleic acids in blood plasma and critically discusses established and future applications as well as challenges and limitations of this new method.

The retinal environment induces microglia-like properties in recruited myeloid cells

Background

Microglia are essential to the development of the CNS and its homeostasis. Our prior findings suggested a niche model to describe the behaviors of retinal microglia. Here, we ask whether new myeloid cells recruited to the retina are constrained to resemble endogenous microglia morphologically and functionally.

Methods

Use of CD11c^DTR/GFP transgenic mouse allowed identification of two niches of retinal microglia distinguished by being GFP^lo or GFP^hi. We also used transgenic mice in which CX3CR1⁺ cells expressed YFP and were depletable following tamoxifen-induced expression of diphtheria toxin subunit A. We employed several ablation and injury stimulation protocols to examine the origin and fate of myeloid cells repopulating the retina. Analysis of retinal myeloid cells was done by microscopy, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR.

Results

We found that the origin of new GFP^hi and GFP^lo myeloid cells in the retina of CD11c^DTR/GFP mice, whether recruited or local, depended on the ablation and stimulation protocols. Regardless of origin, new GFP^lo and GFP^hi retinal myeloid cells were CD45^medCD11b⁺Ly6G⁻Ly6C^loIba1⁺F4/80⁺, similar to endogenous microglia. Following tamoxifen-induced diphtheria toxin ablation, myeloid cell repopulation differed in the retina compared to the brain and optic nerve. Stimulation of replacement GFP^hi cells was substantially attenuated in repopulating retinas after tamoxifen-induced diphtheria toxin ablation compared to control or radiation-ablated mice. In radiation bone marrow chimeric mice, replacement GFP^hi myeloid cells from the circulation were slow to repopulate the retina unless stimulated by an optic nerve crush injury. However, once stimulated, recruited GFP^hi cells were found to concentrate on injured retinal ganglion cells and were morphologically similar to GFP^hi cells in non-ablated control CD11c^DTR/GFP mice.

Conclusions

The results support the idea that GFP^hi cells in the CD11c^DTR/GFP mouse, whether recruited or from resident microglia, mark a unique niche of activated retinal myeloid cells. We conclude that the retinal environment has a potent influence on the function, morphology, and proliferative capacity of new myeloid cells regardless of their origin, compelling them to be equivalent to the endogenous microglia.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12974-019-1546-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

[Possibilities and limitations of molecular pathology in dermatohistology]

Malignant tumours, infections caused by microorganisms or genodermatoses are diagnosed with additional help of molecular pathology methods. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and in situ hybridisations play an important role. It remains to be seen if methods such as "liquid biopsies" or "single cell genomics" can be developed as routine diagnostics. High technical efforts, high costs and no possibility for resistency testing is accompanied by fast verification, high sensitivity and high specificity. Overall, molecular pathology results have to be combined with the clinical picture, histology or immunohistochemistry and culturing results to achieve a correct diagnosis for the patient.

Rare compound heterozygous variants in PNKP identified by whole exome sequencing in a German patient with ataxia-oculomotor apraxia 4 and pilocytic astrocytoma

Ataxia-oculomotor apraxia type 4 (AOA4) is a rare autosomal recessive neurologic disorder. The phenotype is characterized by ataxia, oculomotor apraxia, peripheral neuropathy and dystonia. AOA4 is caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in the PNKP gene encoding a polynucleotide kinase 3'-phosphatase with an important function in DNA-damage repair. By whole exome sequencing, we identified 2 variants within the PNKP gene in a 27-year-old German woman with a clinical AOA phenotype combined with a cerebellar pilocytic astrocytoma diagnosed at 23 years of age. One variant, a duplication in exon 14 resulting in the frameshift c.1253_1269dup p.(Thr424fs*49), has previously been described as pathogenic, for example, in cases of AOA4. The second variant, representing a nonsense mutation in exon 17, c.1545C>G p.(Tyr515*), has not yet been described and is predicted to cause a loss of the 7 C-terminal amino acids. This is the first description of AOA4 in a patient with central European descent. Furthermore, the occurrence of a pilocytic astrocytoma has not been described before in an AOA4 patient. Our data demonstrate compound heterozygous PNKP germline variants in a German patient with AOA4 and provide evidence for a possible link with tumor predisposition. Localization of the 2 variants in human PNKP NP_009185.2. NM_007254.3:c.1253_1269dup p.(Thr424fs*49) is predicted to cause a frameshift within the kinase domain, NM_007254.3:c.1545C>G p.(Tyr515*) is predicted to cause loss of 2 C-terminal amino acids of the kinase domain and 5 additional C-terminal amino acids.

Proceedings of the Frontiers of Retrovirology Conference 2016

Oral presentations

Session 1: Entry & uncoating

O1 Host cell polo-like kinases (PLKs) promote early prototype foamy virus (PFV) replication

Irena Zurnic, Sylvia Hütter, Ute Lehmann, Nicole Stanke, Juliane Reh, Tobias Kern, Fabian Lindel, Gesche Gerresheim, Martin Hamann, Erik Müllers, Paul Lesbats, Peter Cherepanov, Erik Serrao, Alan Engelman, Dirk Lindemann

O2 A novel entry/uncoating assay reveals the presence of at least two species of viral capsids during synchronized HIV-1 infection

Claire Da Silva Santos, Kevin Tartour, Andrea Cimarelli

O3 Dynamics of nuclear envelope association and nuclear import of HIV-1 complexes

Rya Burdick, Jianbo Chen, Jaya Sastri, Wei-Shau Hu, Vinay Pathak

O4 Human papillomavirus protein E4 potently enhances the susceptibility to HIV infection

Oliver T. Keppler

Session 2: Reverse transcription & integration

O5 Structure and function of HIV-1 integrase post translational modifications

Karine Pradeau, Sylvia Eiler, Nicolas Levy, Sarah Lennon, Sarah Cianferani, Stéphane Emiliani, Marc Ruff

O6 Regulation of retroviral integration by RNA polymerase II associated factors and chromatin structure

Vincent Parissi

Session 3: Transcription and latency

O7 A novel single-cell analysis pipeline to identify specific biomarkers of HIV permissiveness

Sylvie Rato, Antonio Rausell, Miguel Munoz, Amalio Telenti, Angela Ciuffi

O8 A capsid-dependent integration program linking T cell activation to HIV-1 gene expression

Alexander Zhyvoloup, Anat Melamed, Ian Anderson, Delphine Planas, Janos Kriston-Vizi, Robin Ketteler, Chen-Hsuin Lee, Andy Merritt, Petronela Ancuta, Charles Bangham, Ariberto Fassati

O9 Characterisation of new RNA polymerase III and RNA polymerase II transcriptional promoters in the Bovine Leukemia Virus genome

Anthony Rodari, Benoit Van Driessche, Mathilde Galais, Nadége Delacourt, Sylvain Fauquenoy, Caroline Vanhulle, Anna Kula, Arsène Burny, Olivier Rohr, Carine Van Lint

O10 Tissue-specific dendritic cells differentially modulate latent HIV-1 reservoirs

Thijs van Montfort, Renee van der Sluis, Dave Speijer, Ben Berkhout

Session 4: RNA trafficking & packaging

O11 A novel cis-acting element affecting HIV replication

Bo Meng, Andrzej Rutkowski, Neil Berry, Lars Dölken, Andrew Lever

O12 Tolerance of HIV’s late gene expression towards stepwise codon adaptation

Thomas Schuster, Benedikt Asbach, Ralf Wagner

Session 5: Assembly & release

O13 Importance of the tax-inducible actin-bundling protein fascin for transmission of human T cell leukemia virus Type 1 (HTLV-1)

Christine Gross, Veit Wiesmann, Martina Kalmer, Thomas Wittenberg, Jan Gettemans, Andrea K. Thoma-Kress

O14 Lentiviral nef proteins antagonize TIM-mediated inhibition of viral release

Minghua Li, Eric O. Freed, Shan-Lu Liu

Session 6: Pathogenesis & evolution

O15 SEVI and semen prolong the half-life of HIV-1

Janis Müller, Jan Münch

O16 CD169⁺ macrophages mediate retrovirus trans-infection of permissive lymphocytes to establish infection in vivo

Xaver Sewald, Pradeep Uchil, Mark Ladinsky, Jagadish Beloor, Ruoxi Pi, Christin Herrmann, Nasim Motamedi, Thomas Murooka, Michael Brehm, Dale Greiner, Thorsten Mempel, Pamela Bjorkman, Priti Kumar, Walther Mothes

O17 Efficient replication of a vpu containing SIVagm construct in African Green Monkeys requires an HIV-1 nef gene

Simone Joas, Erica Parrish, Clement Wesley Gnanadurai, Edina Lump, Christina M. Stürzel, Nicholas F. Parrish, Ulrike Sauermann, Katharina Töpfer, Tina Schultheiss, Steven Bosinger, Guido Silvestri, Cristian Apetrei, Nicholas Huot, Michaela Müller-Trutwin, Daniel Sauter, Beatrice H. Hahn, Christiane Stahl-Hennig, Frank Kirchhoff

O18 Reprogramming initiates mobilization of endogenous mutagenic LINE-1, Alu and SVA retrotransposons in human induced pluripotent stem cells with consequences for host gene expression

Gerald Schumann, Sabine Jung-Klawitter, Nina V. Fuchs, Kyle R. Upton, Martin Muñoz-Lopez, Ruchi Shukla, Jichang Wang, Marta Garcia-Canadas, Cesar Lopez-Ruiz, Daniel J. Gerhardt, Attila Sebe, Ivana Grabundzija, Patricia Gerdes, Sylvia Merkert, Andres Pulgarin, Anja Bock, Ulrike Held, Anett Witthuhn, Alexandra Haase, Ernst J. Wolvetang, Ulrich Martin, Zoltán Ivics, Zsuzsanna Izsvák, J. Garcia-Perez, Geoffrey J. Faulkner

O19 NF-κB activation induces expression of human endogenous retrovirus and particle production

Tara Hurst, Aris Katzourakis, Gkikas Magiorkinis

Session 7a and b: Innate sensing & intrinsic immunity

O20 Identification of the phosphatase acting on T592 in SAMHD1 during M/G₁ transition

Kerstin Schott, Rita Derua, Janna Seifried, Andreas Reuter, Heike Schmitz, Christiane Tondera, Alberto Brandariz-Nuñez, Felipe Diaz-Griffero, Veerle Janssens, Renate König

O21 Vpx overcomes a SAMHD1-independent block to HIV reverse transcription that is specific to resting CD4 T cells

Hanna-Mari Baldauf, Lena Stegmann, Sarah-Marie Schwarz, Maud Trotard, Margarethe Martin, Gina Lenzi, Manja Burggraf, Xiaoyu Pan, Oliver I. Fregoso, Efrem S. Lim, Libin Abraham, Elina Erikson, Laura Nguyen, Ina Ambiel, Frank Rutsch, Renate König, Baek Kim, Michael Emerman, Oliver T. Fackler, Oliver T. Keppler

O22 The role of SAMHD1 in antiviral restriction and immune sensing in the mouse

Sabine Wittmann, Rayk Behrendt, Bianca Volkmann, Kristin Eissmann, Thomas Gramberg

O23 T cells expressing reduced restriction factors are preferentially infected in therapy naïve HIV-1 patients

Sebastian Bolduan, Herwig Koppensteiner, Stefanie Regensburg, Ruth Brack-Werner, Rika Draenert, Michael Schindler

O24 cGAS-mediated innate immunity spreads through HIV-1 env-induced membrane fusion sites from infected to uninfected primary HIV-1 target cells

Aurélie Ducroux, Shuting Xu, Aparna Ponnurangam, Sergej Franz, Angelina Malassa, Ellen Ewald, Christine Goffinet

O25 Perturbation of innate RNA and DNA sensing by human T cell leukemia virus type 1 oncoproteins

Sin-Yee Fung, Ching-Ping Chan, Chun-Kit Yuen, Kin-Hang Kok, Chin-Ping Chan, Dong-Yan Jin

O26 Induction and anti-viral activity of Interferon α subtypes in HIV-1 infection

Ulf Dittmer

O27 Vpu-mediated counteraction of tetherin is a major determinant of HIV-1 interferon resistance

Dorota Kmiec, Shilpa Iyer, Christina Stürzel, Daniel Sauter, Beatrice Hahn, Frank Kirchhoff

O28 DNA repair protein Rad18 restricts HIV-1 and LINE-1 life cycle

Yasuo Ariumi, Mariko Yasuda-Inoue, Koudai Kawano, Satoshi Tateishi, Priscilla Turelli

O29 Natural mutations in IFITM3 allow escape from post-translational regulation and toggle antiviral specificity

Alex Compton, Nicolas Roy, Françoise Porrot, Anne Billet, Nicoletta Casartelli, Jacob Yount, Chen Liang, Oliver Schwartz

Session 8: Adaptive immunity & immune evasion

O30 Observing evolution in HIV-1 infection: phylogenetics and mutant selection windows to infer the influence of the autologous antibody response on the viral quasispecies

Carsten Magnus, Lucia Reh, Penny Moore, Therese Uhr, Jacqueline Weber, Lynn Morris, Alexandra Trkola

O31 Dose and subtype specific analyses of the anti-HIV effects of IFN-alpha family members

Rashel V. Grindberg, Erika Schlaepfer, Gideon Schreiber, Viviana Simon, Roberto F. Speck

Session 9: Novel antiviral strategies

O32 LEDGIN-mediated inhibition of the integrase-LEDGF/p75 interaction reduces reactivation of residual latent HIV

Zeger Debyser, Lenard Vranckx, Jonas Demeulemeester, Suha Saleh, Eric Verdin, Anna Cereseto, Frauke Christ, Rik Gijsbers

O33 NKG2D-mediated clearance of reactivated viral reservoirs by natural killer cells

O34 Inhibition of HIV reactivation in brain cells by AAV-mediated delivery of CRISPR/Cas9

O35 CRISPR-Cas9 as antiviral: potent HIV-1 inhibition, but rapid virus escape and the subsequent design of escape-proof antiviral strategies

Ben Berkhout, Gang Wang, Na Zhao, Atze T. Das

Session 10: Recent advances in HIV vaccine development

O36 Priming with a potent HIV-1 DNA vaccine frames the quality of T cell and antibody responses prior to a poxvirus and protein boost

Benedikt Asbach, Josef Köstler, Beatriz Perdiguero, Mariano Esteban, Bertram L. Jacobs, David C. Montefiori, Celia C. LaBranche, Nicole L. Yates, Georgia D. Tomaras, Guido Ferrari, Kathryn E. Foulds, Mario Roederer, Gary Landucci, Donald N. Forthal, Michael S. Seaman, Natalie Hawkins, Steven G. Self, Sanjay Phogat, James Tartaglia, Susan W. Barnett, Brian Burke, Anthony D. Cristillo, Song Ding, Jonathan L. Heeney, Giuseppe Pantaleo, Ralf Wagner

O37 Passive immunisation with a neutralising antibody against HIV-1 Env prevents infection of the first cells in a mucosal challenge rhesus monkey model

Christiane Stahl-Hennig, Viktoria Stab, Armin Ensser, Ulrike Sauermann, Bettina Tippler, Dennis Burton, Matthias Tenbusch, Klaus Überla

O38 HIV antibody Fc-glycoforms drive B cell affinity maturation

Galit Alter, Giuseppe Lofano, Anne-Sophie Dugast, Viraj Kulkarni, Todd Suscovich

Poster presentations

Topic 1: Entry & uncoating

P1 Dynein light chain is required for murine leukemia virus infection

Tatiana Opazo, Felipe Barraza, Diego Herrera, Andrea Garces, Tomas Schwenke, Diego Tapia, Jorge Cancino, Gloria Arriagada

P2 Peptide paratope mimics of the broadly neutralising HIV-1 antibody b12

Christina Haußner, Dominik Damm, Anette Rohrhofer, Barbara Schmidt, Jutta Eichler

P3 Investigating cellular pathways involved in the transmission of HIV-1 between dendritic cells and T cells using RNAi screening techniques

Rebecca Midgley, James Wheeldon, Vincent Piguet

P4 Co-receptor tropism in HIV-1, HIV-2 monotypic and dual infections

Priyanka Khopkar, Megha Rohamare, Smita Kulkarni

P5 Characterisation of the role of CIB1 and CIB2 as HIV-1 helper factors

Ana Godinho-Santos, Allan Hance, Joao Goncalves, Fabrizio Mammano

P6 Buffering deleterious polymorphisms in the highly constrained C2 region of HIV-1 envelope by the flexible V3 domain

Romain Gasser, Meriem Hamoudi, Martina Pellicciotta, Zhicheng Zhou, Clara Visdeloup, Philippe Colin, Martine Braibant, Bernard Lagane, Matteo Negroni

P7 Entry inhibition of HERV-K(HML-2) by an Env-IgG fusion protein

Jula Wamara, Norbert Bannert

Topic 2: Reverse transcription & integration

P8 The R263K/H51Y resistance substitutions in HIV integrase decreases levels of integrated HIV DNA over time

Thibault Mesplede, Nathan Osman, Kaitlin Anstett, Jiaming Calvin Liang, Hanh Thi Pham, Mark Wainberg

P9 The Retrovirus Integration Database (RID)

Wei Shao, Jigui Shan, Mary Kearney, Xiaolin Wu, Frank Maldarelli, John Mellors, Brian Luke, John Coffin, Stephen Hughes

P10 The small molecule 3G11 inhibits HIV-1 reverse transcription

Thomas Fricke, Silvana Opp, Caitlin Shepard, Dmitri Ivanov, Baek Kim, Jose Valle-Casuso, Felipe Diaz-Griffero

P11 Dual and opposite regulation of HIV-1 integration by hRAD51: impact on therapeutical approaches using homologous DNA repair modulators

Vincent Parissi

P12 A flexible motif essential for integration by HIV-1 integrase

Marine Kanja, Pierre Cappy, Matteo Negroni, Daniela Lener

P13 Interaction between HIV-1 integrase and the host protein Ku70: identification of the binding site and study of the influence on integrase-proteasome interplay

Ekaterina Knyazhanskaya, Andrey Anisenko, Timofey Zatsepin, Marina Gottikh

P14 Normalisation based method for deep sequencing of somatic retroelement integrations in human genome

Alexander Komkov, Anastasia Minervina, Gaiaz Nugmanov, Vadim Nazarov, Konstantin Khodosevich, Ilgar Mamedov, Yuri Lebedev

Topic 3: Transcription and latency

P15 BCA2/RABRING7 restricts HIV-1 transcription by preventing the nuclear translocation of NF-κB

Marta Colomer-Lluch, Ruth Serra-Moreno

P16 MATR3 post-transcriptional regulation of HIV-1 transcription during latency

Ambra Sarracino, Anna Kula, Lavina Gharu, Alexander Pasternak, Carine Van Lint, Alessandro Marcello

P17 HIV-1 tat intersects the SUMO pathway to regulate HIV-1 promoter activity

Ann Marie McCartin, Anurag Kulkarni, Valentin Le Douce, Virginie Gautier

P18 Conservation in HIV-1 Vpr guides tertiary gRNA folding and alternative splicing

Ann Baeyens, Evelien Naessens, Anouk Van Nuffel, Karin Weening, Anne-Marie Reilly, Eva Claeys, Wim Trypsteen, Linos Vandekerckhove, Sven Eyckerman, Kris Gevaert, Bruno Verhasselt

P19 The majority of reactivatable latent HIV are genetically distinct

Hoi Ping Mok, Nicholas Norton, Axel Fun, Jack Hirst, Mark Wills, Andrew Lever

P20 Do mutations in the tat exonic splice enhancer contribute to HIV-1 latency?

Nicholas Norton, Hoi Ping Mok, Jack Hirst, Andrew Lever

P21 Culture-to-Ct: A fast and direct RT-qPCR HIV gene reactivation screening method using primary T cell culture

Valentin Le Douce, Ann Marie McCartin, Virginie Gautier

P22 A novel approach to define populations of early silenced proviruses

Dalibor Miklik, Filip Senigl, Jiri Hejnar

Topic 4: RNA trafficking & packaging

P23 Functional analysis of the structure and conformation of HIV-1 genome RNA DIS

Jun-ichi Sakuragi, Sayuri Sakuragi, Masaru Yokoyama, Tatsuo Shioda, Hironori Sato

P24 Regulation of foamy viral env splicing controls gag and pol expression

Jochen Bodem, Rebecca Moschall, Sarah Denk, Steffen Erkelenz, Christian Schenk, Heiner Schaal

Topic 5: Assembly & release

P25 Transfer of HTLV-1 p8 to target T cells depends on VASP: a novel interaction partner of p8

Norbert Donhauser, Ellen Socher, Sebastian Millen, Heinrich Sticht, Andrea K. Thoma-Kress

P26 COL4A1 and COL4A2 are novel HTLV-1 tax targets with a putative role in virus transmission

Christine Gross, Sebastian Millen, Melanie Mann, Klaus Überla, Andrea K. Thoma-Kress

P27 The C terminus of foamy virus gag protein is required for particle formation, and virus budding: starting assembly at the C terminus?

Guochao Wei, Matthew J. Betts, Yang Liu, Timo Kehl, Robert B. Russell, Martin Löchelt

P28 Generation of an antigen-capture ELISA and analysis of Rec and Staufen-1 effects on HERV-K(HML-2) virus particle production

Oliver Hohn, Saeed Mostafa, Kirsten Hanke, Stephen Norley, Norbert Bannert

P29 Antagonism of BST-2/tetherin is a conserved function of primary HIV-2 Env glycoproteins

Chia-Yen Chen, Masashi Shingai, Pedro Borrego, Nuno Taveira, Klaus Strebel

P30 Mutations in the packaging signal region of the HIV-1 genome cause a late domain mutant phenotype

Chris Hellmund, Bo Meng, Andrew Lever

P31 p6 regulates membrane association of HIV-1 gag

Melanie Friedrich, Friedrich Hahn, Christian Setz, Pia Rauch, Kirsten Fraedrich, Alina Matthaei, Petra Henklein, Maximilian Traxdorf, Torgils Fossen, Ulrich Schubert

Topic 6: Pathogenesis & evolution

P32 Molecular and structural basis of protein evolution during viral adaptation

Aya Khwaja, Meytal Galilee, Akram Alian

P33 HIV-1 enhancement and neutralisation by soluble gp120 and its role for the selection of the R5-tropic “best fit”

Birco Schwalbe, Heiko Hauser, Michael Schreiber

P34 An insertion of seven amino acids in the Env cytoplasmic tail of Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 2 (HIV-2) selected during disease progression enhances viral replication

François Dufrasne, Mara Lucchetti, Patrick Goubau, Jean Ruelle

P35 Cell-associated HIV-1 unspliced to multiply spliced RNA ratio at 12 weeks ART correlates with markers of immune activation and apoptosis and predicts the CD4 T-cell count at 96 weeks ART

Mirte Scherpenisse, Ben Berkhout, Alexander Pasternak

P36 Faster progression in non-B subtype HIV-1-infected patients than Korean subclade of subtype B is accompanied by higher variation and no induction of gross deletion in non-B nef gene by Korean red ginseng treatment

Young-Keol Cho, Jungeun Kim, Daeun Jeong

P37 Aberrant expression of ERVWE1 endogenous retrovirus and overexpression of TET dioxygenases are characteristic features of seminoma

Katerina Trejbalova, Martina Benesova, Dana Kucerova, Zdenka Vernerova, Rachel Amouroux, Petra Hajkova, Jiri Hejnar

P38 Life history of the oldest lentivirus: characterisation of ELVgv integrations and the TRIM5 selection pattern in dermoptera

Daniel Elleder, Tomas Hron, Helena Farkasova, Abinash Padhi, Jan Paces

P39 Characterisation of a highly divergent endogenous retrovirus in the equine germ line

Henan Zhu, Robert Gifford, Pablo Murcia

P40 The emergence of pandemic retroviral infection in small ruminants

Maria Luisa Carrozza, Anna-Maria Niewiadomska, Maurizio Mazzei, Mounir Abi-Said, Joseph Hughes, Stéphane Hué, Robert Gifford

P41 Near full-length genome (NFLG) Characterisation of HIV-1 subtype B identified in South Africa

Adetayo Obasa, Graeme Jacobs, Susan Engelbrecht

P42 Acquisition of Vpu-mediated tetherin antagonism by an HIV-1 group O strain

Katharina Mack, Kathrin Starz, Daniel Sauter, Matthias Geyer, Frederic Bibollet-Ruche, Christina Stürzel, Marie Leoz, Jean Christophe Plantier, Beatrice H. Hahn, Frank Kirchhoff

P43 The human endogenous retrovirus type K is involved in cancer stem cell markers expression and in human melanoma malignancy

Ayele Argaw-Denboba, Emanuela Balestrieri, Annalucia Serafino, Ilaria Bucci, Chiara Cipriani, Corrado Spadafora, Paolo Sinibaldi-Vallebona, Claudia Matteucci

P44 Natural infection of Indian non-human primates by unique lentiviruses

S. Nandi Jayashree, Ujjwal Neogi, Anil K. Chhangani, Shravan Sing Rathore, Bajrang R. J. Mathur

P45 Free cervical cancer screening among HIV-positive women receiving antiretroviral treatment in Nigeria

Adeyemi Abati

P46 Molecular evolutionary status of feline immunodeficiency virus in Turkey

B. Taylan Koç, Tuba Çiğdem Oğuzoğlu

Topic 7: Innate sensing & intrinsic immunity

P47 Cell-to-cell contact with HTLV-1-infected T cells reduces dendritic cell immune functions and contributes to infection in trans.

Takatoshi Shimauchi, Stephan Caucheteux, Jocelyn Turpin, Katja Finsterbusch, Charles Bangham, Yoshiki Tokura, Vincent Piguet

P48 Deciphering the mechanisms of HIV-1 exacerbation induced by Mycobacterium tuberculosis in monocytes/macrophages

Shanti Souriant, Luciana Balboa, Karine Pingris, Denise Kviatcowsky, Brigitte Raynaud-Messina, Céline Cougoule, Ingrid Mercier, Marcelo Kuroda, Pablo González-Montaner, Sandra Inwentarz, Eduardo Jose Moraña, Maria del Carmen Sasiain, Olivier Neyrolles, Isabelle Maridonneau-Parini, Geanncarlo Lugo-Villarino, Christel Vérollet

P49 The SAMHD1-mediated inhibition of LINE-1 retroelements is regulated by phosphorylation

Alexandra Herrmann, Sabine Wittmann, Caitlin Shepard, Dominique Thomas, Nerea Ferreirós Bouzas, Baek Kim, Thomas Gramberg

P50 Activities of nuclear envelope protein SUN2 in HIV infection

Xavier Lahaye, Anvita Bhargava, Takeshi Satoh, Matteo Gentili, Silvia Cerboni, Aymeric Silvin, Cécile Conrad, Hakim Ahmed-Belkacem, Elisa C. Rodriguez, Jean-François Guichou, Nathalie Bosquet, Matthieu Piel, Roger Le Grand, Megan King, Jean-Michel Pawlotsky, Nicolas Manel

P51 Activation of TLR7/8 with a small molecule agonist induces a novel restriction to HIV-1 infection of monocytes

Henning Hofmann, Benedicte Vanwalscappel, Nicolin Bloch, Nathaniel Landau

P52 Steady state between the DNA polymerase and Rnase H domain activities of reverse transcriptases determines the sensitivity of retroviruses to inhibition by APOBEC3 proteins

Stanislav Indik, Benedikt Hagen

P53 HIV restriction in mature dendritic cells is related to p21 induction and p21-mediated control of the dNTP pool and SAMHD1 activity.

José Carlos Valle-Casuso, Awatef Allouch, Annie David, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Michaela Müller-Trutwin, Monsef Benkirane, Gianfranco Pancino, Asier Saez-Cirion

P54 IFITM protens restrict HIV-1 protein synthesis

Wing-Yiu Lee, Chen Liang, Richard Sloan

P55 Characterisation and functional analysis of the novel restriction factor Serinc5

Bianca Schulte, Silvana Opp, Felipe Diaz-Griffero

P56 piRNA sequences are common in Human Endogenous Retroviral Sequences (HERVs): An antiretroviral restriction mechanism?

Jonas Blomberg, Luana Vargiu, Patricia Rodriguez-Tomé, Enzo Tramontano, Göran Sperber

P57 Ferroportin restricts HIV-1 infection in sickle cell disease

Namita Kumari, Tatiana Ammosova, Sharmeen Diaz, Patricia Oneal, Sergei Nekhai

P58 APOBEC3G modulates the response to antiretroviral drugs in humanized mice

Audrey Fahrny, Gustavo Gers-Huber, Annette Audigé, Roberto F. Speck, Anitha Jayaprakash, Ravi Sachidanandam, Matt Hernandez, Marsha Dillon-White, Viviana Simon

P59 High-throughput epigenetic analysis of evolutionarily young endogenous retrovirus presents in the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) genome

Tomas Hron, Helena Farkasova, Daniel Elleder

P60 Characterisation of the expression of novel endogenous retroviruses and immune interactions in a macaque model

Neil Berry, Emmanuel Maze, Claire Ham, Neil Almond, Greg Towers, Robert Belshaw

P61 HIV-1 restriction by orthologs of SERINC3 and SERINC5

Patrícia de Sousa-Pereira, Joana Abrantes, Massimo Pizzato, Pedro J. Esteves, Oliver T. Fackler, Oliver T. Keppler, Hanna-Mari Baldauf

P62 TRIM19/PML restricts HIV infection in a cell type-dependent manner

Bianca Volkmann, Tanja Kahle, Kristin Eissmann, Alexandra Herrmann, Sven Schmitt, Sabine Wittmann, Laura Merkel, Nina Reuter, Thomas Stamminger, Thomas Gramberg

P63 Recent invasion of the mule deer genome by a retrovirus

Helena Farkasova, Tomas Hron, Daniel Elleder

P64 Does the antiviral protein SAMHD1 influence mitochondrial function?

Ilaria Dalla Rosa, Kate Bishop, Antonella Spinazzola, Harriet Groom

P65 cGAMP transfers intercellularly via HIV-1 Env-mediated cell–cell fusion sites and triggers an innate immune response in primary target cells

Shuting Xu, Aurélie Ducroux, Aparna Ponnurangam, Sergej Franz, Gabrielle Vieyres, Mathias Müsken, Thomas Zillinger, Angelina Malassa, Ellen Ewald, Veit Hornung, Winfried Barchet, Susanne Häussler, Thomas Pietschmann, Christine Goffinet

P66 Pre-infection transcript levels of FAM26F in PBMCS inform about overall plasma viral load in acute and postacute phase after SIV-infection

Ulrike Sauermann, Aneela Javed, Nicole Leuchte, Gabriela Salinas, Lennart Opitz, Christiane Stahl-Hennig, Sieghart Sopper

P67 Sequence-function analysis of three T cell receptors targeting the HIV-1 p17 epitope SLYNTVATL

Christiane Mummert, Christian Hofmann, Angela G. Hückelhoven, Silke Bergmann, Sandra M. Müller-Schmucker, Ellen G. Harrer, Jan Dörrie, Niels Schaft, Thomas Harrer

P68 An immunodominant region of the envelope glycoprotein of small ruminant lentiviruses may function as decoy antigen

Laure Cardinaux, M.-L. Zahno, H.-R. Vogt, R. Zanoni, G. Bertoni

P69 Impact of immune activation, immune exhaustion, broadly neutralising antibodies and viral reservoirs on disease progression in HIV-infected children

Maximilian Muenchhoff, Philip Goulder, Oliver Keppler

Topic 9: Novel antiviral strategies

P70 Identification of natural compounds as new antiviral products by bioassay-guided fractionation

Alexandra Herrmann, Stephanie Rebensburg, Markus Helfer, Michael Schindler, Ruth Brack-Werner

P71 The PPARG antagonism disconnects the HIV replication and effector functions in Th17 cells

Yuwei Zhang, Huicheng Chen, Delphine Planas, Annie Bernier, Annie Gosselin, Jean-Pierre Routy, Petronela Ancuta

P72 Characterisation of a multiresistant subtype AG reverse transcriptase: AZT resistance, sensitivity to RNase H inhibitors and inhibitor binding

Birgitta Wöhrl, Anna Schneider, Angela Corona, Imke Spöring, Mareike Jordan, Bernd Buchholz, Elias Maccioni, Roberto Di Santo, Jochen Bodem, Enzo Tramontano, Kristian Schweimer

P73 Insigths into the acetylation pattern of HDAC inhibitors and their potential role in HIV therapy

Christian Schölz, Brian Weinert, Sebastian Wagner, Petra Beli, Yasuyuki Miyake, Jun Qi, Lars Jensen, Werner Streicher, Anna McCarthy, Nicholas Westwood, Sonia Lain, Jürgen Cox, Patrick Matthias, Matthias Mann, James Bradner, Chunaram Choudhary

P74 HPV-derived and seminal amyloid peptides enhance HIV-1 infection and impair the efficacy of broadly neutralising antibodies and antiretroviral drugs

Marcel Stern, Oliver T. Keppler

P75 D(−)lentiginosine inhibits both proliferation and virus expression in cells infected by HTLV-1 in vitro

Elena Valletta, Caterina Frezza, Claudia Matteucci, Francesca Marino-Merlo, Sandro Grelli, Anna Lucia Serafino, Antonio Mastino, Beatrice Macchi

P76 HIV-1 resistance analyses of the Cape Winelands districts, South Africa

Sello Mikasi, Graeme Jacobs, Susan Engelbrecht

Topic 10: Recent advances in HIV vaccine development

P77 Induction of complex retrovirus antigen-specific immune responses by adenovirus-based vectors depends on the order of vector administration

Meike Kaulfuß, Sonja Windmann, Wibke Bayer

P78 Direct impact of structural properties of HIV-1 Env on the regulation of the humoral immune response

Rebecca Heß, Michael Storcksdieck gen. Bonsmann, Viktoria Stab, Carsten Kirschning, Bernd Lepenies, Matthias Tenbusch, Klaus Überla

P79 Lentiviral virus-like particles mediate gerenration of T-follicular helper cells in vitro

Anne Kolenbrander, Klaus Überla, Vladimir Temchura

P80 Recruitment of HIV-1 Vpr to DNA damage sites and protection of proviral DNA from nuclease activity

Kenta Iijima, Junya Kobayashi, Yukihito Ishizaka

Immunoproteasome deficiency protects in the retina after optic nerve crush

The immunoproteasome is upregulated by disease, oxidative stress, and inflammatory cytokines, suggesting an expanded role for the immunoproteasome in stress signaling that goes beyond its canonical role in generating peptides for antigen presentation. The signaling pathways that are regulated by the immunoproteasome remain elusive. However, previous studies suggest a role for the immunoproteasome in the regulation of PTEN and NF-κB signaling. One well-known pathway upstream of NF-κB and downstream of PTEN is the Akt signaling pathway, which is responsible for mediating cellular survival and is modulated after optic nerve crush (ONC). This study investigated the role of retinal immunoproteasome after injury induced by ONC, focusing on the Akt cell survival pathway. Retinas or retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from wild type (WT) and knockout (KO) mice lacking either one (LMP2) or two (LMP7 and MECL-1) catalytic subunits of the immunoproteasome were utilized in this study. We show that mRNA and protein levels of the immunoproteasome subunits are significantly upregulated in WT retinas following ONC. Mice lacking the immunoproteasome subunits show either a delayed or dampened apoptotic response as well as altered Akt signaling, compared to WT mice after ONC. Treatment of the RPE cells with insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) to stimulate Akt signaling confirmed that the immunoproteasome modulates this pathway, and most likely modulates parallel pathways as well. This study links the inducible expression of the immunoproteasome following retinal injury to Akt signaling, which is important in many disease pathways.

TEMHEAD: a single-arm multicentre phase II study of temsirolimus in platin- and cetuximab refractory recurrent and/or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) of the German SCCHN Group (AIO)

BACKGROUND

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is a common disease, which has a poor prognosis after failure of therapy. Activation of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR axis is commonly detected in recurrent or metastatic SCCHN, and provided the rationale for the clinical phase II trial in pretreated SCCHN.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The primary end point was the progression-free survival rate (PFR) at 12 weeks. Forty eligible patients have been recruited after failure of platinum chemotherapy and cetuximab. A preplanned futility analysis was successfully passed after ≥1 success was detected in 20 patients. Secondary objectives consisted of progression-free survival (PFS), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), safety and tolerability, and predictive biomarkers for KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA mutations, and HPV status. Archived tumor tissue was analyzed for DNA sequence.

RESULTS

A total of 40 patients were eligible. The PFR at 12 weeks was 40% (95% CI 25.0-54.6). The median PFS and OS were 56 days (95% CI 36-113 days) and 152 days (76-256 days), respectively. In 33 assessable patients, disease stabilization occurred in 57.6%, with tumor shrinkage in 13 patients (39.4%). Overall, the treatment was well tolerated. Fatigue (47.5%), anemia (25.0%), nausea (20.0%), and pneumonia (20.0%) were the most common adverse events. Neither PIK3CA mutations, nor HPV status were predictive for success with temsirolimus treatment. No mutations were found for KRAS or BRAF.

CONCLUSION

Tumor shrinkage and efficacy parameter indicate that inhibition of the PI3K-AKT-mTOR axis was a putative novel treatment paradigm for SCCHN. We could not identify parameters predictive for treatment success of temsirolimus, which underscores the need for refinement of the molecular analysis in future studies.

CLINICAL TRIALS NUMBER

NCT01172769.

Long-lasting tumour response to sorafenib therapy in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

The multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib still remains the only approved agent for advanced HCC. Its benefits typically involve disease stabilisation, whereas an induction of response is rare. We report a series of five cases with extraordinary response to sorafenib. For two patients complete response to sorafenib was reported with a recurrence-free survival of 51 and 21 months. In another HCC patient pretreated with transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) sorafenib treatment resulted in a complete response with no evidence of disease 18 months after first diagnosis. In patient 4 with unresectable HCC and sorafenib therapy secondary resectability and subsequent liver transplantation was achieved. Patient 5 had stabilised disease for 48 months after TACE and sorafenib treatment. Sorafenib may be very potent in individual patients. Excellent interdisciplinary strategies are required to achieve best results. There is an urgent need of predictive biomarkers to identify HCC patients that will benefit the most.

[Conversion to tapentadol PR improves analgesia and quality of life in patients with severe and chronic pain despite using tramadol > 300 mg/d]

STUDY OBJECTIVE

This subgroup analysis of a non-interventional study involving general practitioners and internists investigated the administration of tapentadol PR (prolonged release) in patients with widely-utilized tramadol pretreatment in routine clinical practice in Germany.

METHODS

Data of all patients in the study cohort who had tramadol as the only opioid in their previous therapy were included in the analysis (n = 685); among them especially the 99 patients with tramadol dosages exceeding 300 mg/d were focused. Data collection during the 3-month observation period included previous and concomitant analgesic treatment, tapentadol PR dosage, pain intensity, sleep and quality of life parameters, and tolerability of tapentadol PR.

RESULTS

Back pain was the most common cause of pain (n = 86/99), other pain diagnoses were (partly additionally) recorded in 68 cases. A mixed type of pain dominated. The previous tramadol therapy was usually combined with non-opioids (n = 74), co-analgesics (n = 44) and analgesic rescue medication (n = 35). Tapentadol PR therapy reduced the mean initial pain intensity of 7.3 ± 1.5 to 3.1 ± 1.8 points (NRS-11, 11-point pain scale, n = 96) at the end of observation, using an average dosage of 218.7 mg/d. Tapentadol PR was finally applied as the sole analgesic in 32/95 patients. 69/96 patients achieved a clinically meaningful pain relief of at least 50 %, while 63 patients gained a pain reduction of ≥ 4 NRS-points. 89/95 patients reached or exceeded their additional individual treatment goal. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in pain-related impairments of daily activities and an improvement in quality of life with an overall good tolerability of tapentadol PR. Treatment with tapentadol PR was assessed positively by physicians and patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Data analysis shows a clinically relevant benefit in patients unsuccessfully pretreated with tramadol by consecutive conversion to the potent analgesic tapentadol PR.

Retinal dendritic cell recruitment, but not function, was inhibited in MyD88 and TRIF deficient mice

BACKGROUND

Immune system cells are known to affect loss of neurons due to injury or disease. Recruitment of immune cells following retinal/CNS injury has been shown to affect the health and survival of neurons in several models. We detected close, physical contact between dendritic cells and retinal ganglion cells following an optic nerve crush, and sought to understand the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

CD11c-DTR/GFP mice producing a chimeric protein of diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) and GFP from a transgenic CD11c promoter were used in conjunction with mice deficient in MyD88 and/or TRIF. Retinal ganglion cell injury was induced by an optic nerve crush, and the resulting interactions of the GFPhi cells and retinal ganglion cells were examined.

RESULTS

Recruitment of GFPhi dendritic cells to the retina was significantly compromised in MyD88 and TRIF knockout mice. GFPhi dendritic cells played a significant role in clearing fluorescent-labeled retinal ganglion cells post-injury in the CD11c-DTR/GFP mice. In the TRIF and MyD88 deficient mice, the resting level of GFPhi dendritic cells was lower, and their influx was reduced following the optic nerve crush injury. The reduction in GFPhi dendritic cell numbers led to their replacement in the uptake of fluorescent-labeled debris by GFPlo microglia/macrophages. Depletion of GFPhi dendritic cells by treatment with diphtheria toxin also led to their displacement by GFPlo microglia/macrophages, which then assumed close contact with the injured neurons.

CONCLUSIONS

The contribution of recruited cells to the injury response was substantial, and regulated by MyD88 and TRIF. However, the presence of these adaptor proteins was not required for interaction with neurons, or the phagocytosis of debris. The data suggested a two-niche model in which resident microglia were maintained at a constant level post-optic nerve crush, while the injury-stimulated recruitment of dendritic cells and macrophages led to their transient appearance in numbers equivalent to or greater than the resident microglia.

Der Aufbau von Nd2NiO4 und seine Verwandtschaft zu La2NiO4 und La2CuO4 / The Structure of Nd2NiO4 and its Relationship to La2NiO4 and La2CuO4

Single crystals of Nd2NiO4 were prepared by plasma and CO2-LASER technique and analysed by X-ray single crystal methods. Nd2NiO4 is the first compound of the orthorhombically dis-torted La2CuO4-type.

[Myeloproliferative neoplasms: histopathological and molecular pathological diagnosis]

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (chronic myeloproliferative disorders according to former nomenclature) comprise chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, primary myelofibrosis, chronic eosinophilic leukemia, chronic neutrophilic leukemia and systemic mastocytosis. All disorders have excessive proliferation of one or more hematopoietic lineages in common and progress with different probability to blast crisis or fibrosis. A further common feature is provided by the activating mutation of tyrosin kinases and associated pathways of signal transduction (BCR-ABL, JAK2(V617F), MPL(W515L/K), KIT(D816V) and FIP1L1-PDGFRA) causative for the abnormal proliferation. With regard to diagnosis and therapy these mutations are of utmost importance because they enable the exclusion of reactive processes, contribute with varying specificity to subtyping of MPN and are at least partly sensitive to targeted therapy. The molecular mechanisms of blastic and fibrotic progression are not yet understood.

Local activation of dendritic cells alters the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease in the retina

Interest in the identities, properties, functions, and origins of local APC in CNS tissues is growing. We recently reported that dendritic cells (DC) distinct from microglia were present in quiescent retina and rapidly responded to injured neurons. In this study, the disease-promoting and regulatory contributions of these APC in experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) were examined. Local delivery of purified, exogenous DC or monocytes from bone marrow substantially increased the incidence and severity of EAU induced by adoptive transfer of activated, autoreactive CD4 or CD8 T cells that was limited to the manipulated eye. In vitro assays of APC activity of DC from quiescent retina showed that they promoted generation of Foxp3(+) T cells and inhibited activation of naive T cells by splenic DC and Ag. Conversely, in vitro assays of DC purified from injured retina demonstrated an enhanced ability to activate T cells and reduced induction of Foxp3(+) T cells. These findings were supported by the observation that in situ activation of DC before adoptive transfer of β-galactosidase-specific T cells dramatically increased severity and incidence of EAU. Recruitment of T cells into retina by local delivery of Ag in vivo showed that quiescent retina promoted development of parenchymal Foxp3(+) T cells, but assays of preinjured retina did not. Together, these results demonstrated that local conditions in the retina determined APC function and affected the pathogenesis of EAU by both CD4 and CD8 T cells.

PIOfix-study: effects of pioglitazone/metformin fixed combination in comparison with a combination of metformin with glimepiride on diabetic dyslipidemia

OBJECTIVE

Dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetes is characterized by elevated triglyceride levels, decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and a predominance of small dense low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. Also, patients suffer from β-cell dysfunction, chronic systemic inflammation, increased hormonal visceral adipose tissue activity, and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of a fixed pioglitazone + metformin (PM) combination (vs. glimepiride + metformin [GM]) on diabetic dyslipidemia.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

A total of 288 type 2 diabetes patients completed this double-blind parallel study (187 men, 101 women; age [mean ± SD], 59 ± 10 years; body mass index, 32.6 ± 5.1 kg/m(2); hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], 7.3 ± 0.8%). They were randomized to PM or GM for 6 months. Observation parameters at baseline and end point included HDL, LDL, triglycerides, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, total adiponectin, intact proinsulin, and high-sensitivity C-reactive peptide (hsCRP).

RESULTS

HDL increased in the PM group by 0.08 ± 0.25 mmol/L (GM, -0.01 ± 0.2.8 mmol/L; P < 0.001 vs. PM), whereas LDL increased in both groups (GM, 0.25 ± 0.90 mmol/L; PM, 0.29 ± 0.66 mmol/L; difference not significant between groups). Improvements were seen for triglycerides (PM, -0.47 ± 1.30; GM, -0.19 ± 1.39 mmol/L), HbA1c (PM, -0.8 ± 0.9%; GM, -1.0 ± 0.9%), and glucose (PM, -1.2 ± 2.1; GM, -1.2 ± 2.2 mmol/L). Decreases in fasting insulin (PM, -5.2 ± 11.9; GM, -0.1 ± 9.8 μU/mL; P < 0.001 between groups), hsCRP (PM, -0.9 ± 1.9; GM, 0.0 ± 1.8 mg/L; P < 0.001), and fasting intact proinsulin (PM, -5.5 ± 11.1; GM, -0.1 ± 10.0 pmol/L; P < 0.001) and an increase in adiponectin (PM, +6.8 ± 6.4 mg/L; GM, +0.7 ± 2.7 mg/L; P < 0.001) were seen in the PM arm, only.

CONCLUSIONS

With comparable glycemic control, the fixed PM combination was more efficacious on HDL cholesterol improvement than the GM combination. Additional positive effects were observed for biomarkers of lipid metabolism, β-cell function, activity of the visceral adipose tissue, and chronic systemic inflammation.

The fixed combination of pioglitazone and metformin improves biomarkers of platelet function and chronic inflammation in type 2 diabetes patients: results from the PIOfix study

BACKGROUND

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is characterized by a proinflammatory and procoagulant condition. This study investigates the impact of a pioglitazone plus metformin therapy on biomarkers of inflammation and platelet activation in comparison to a treatment with glimepiride plus metformin.

METHODS

The study was designed as a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded two-arm trial. Patients with T2DM and dyslipidemia under metformin monotherapy with hemoglobin A1c value between 6.5% and 9.0% were eligible for trial participation. Blood was drawn at baseline and after 24 weeks of treatment from patients of five centers. Markers of inflammation and thrombocyte function (soluble CD40 ligand, thromboxane, vWillebrand factor, adhesion molecules, clotting reaction) were evaluated subsequently in a central laboratory.

RESULTS

A total of 46 patients were included in the final analyses. Mean (± standard deviation) age was 58.5 ± 9.0 years (13 women, 33 men; disease duration 6.3 ± 5.0 years; body mass index 32.0 ± 4.8 kg/m(2)). A total of 25 patients were treated with pioglitazone plus metformin, and 21 patients were in the glimepiride arm. There was a significant decline of E-selectin (-3.7 ± 4.8 ng/ml, p < .001 versus baseline), vWillebrand factor (-19.5 ± 32.0%, p < .05), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein concentrations (-1.08 ± 0.91 mg/liter, p < .05) in the metformin + pioglitazone arm only (metformin + glimepiride, -0.5 ± 3.4 ng/ml, +1.4 ± 33.2%, + 0.08 ± 0.72 mg/liter, respectively, all not significant). Also, all other surrogate markers for platelet function and inflammation showed slight improvements in the metformin + pioglitazone arm but not in the metformin + glimepiride arm.

CONCLUSIONS

The fixed metformin + pioglitazone combination treatment showed an overall improvement of laboratory surrogate markers, indicating improvement of platelet function and of chronic systemic inflammation, which was not seen with metformin + glimepiride.

SH3TC2, a protein mutant in Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy, links peripheral nerve myelination to endosomal recycling

Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy and gene targeting in mice revealed an essential role for the SH3TC2 gene in peripheral nerve myelination. SH3TC2 expression is restricted to Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system, and the gene product, SH3TC2, localizes to the perinuclear recycling compartment. Here, we show that SH3TC2 interacts with the small guanosine triphosphatase Rab11, which is known to regulate the recycling of internalized membranes and receptors back to the cell surface. Results of protein binding studies and transferrin receptor trafficking are in line with a role of SH3TC2 as a Rab11 effector molecule. Consistent with a function of Rab11 in Schwann cell myelination, SH3TC2 mutations that cause neuropathy disrupt the SH3TC2/Rab11 interaction, and forced expression of dominant negative Rab11 strongly impairs myelin formation in vitro. Our data indicate that the SH3TC2/Rab11 interaction is relevant for peripheral nerve pathophysiology and place endosomal recycling on the list of cellular mechanisms involved in Schwann cell myelination.

Limitations of the HOMA-B score for assessment of beta-cell functionality in interventional trials-results from the PIOglim study

BACKGROUND

Drugs with unspecific stimulating effects on beta-cell secretion increase the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-B score, indicating improved beta-cell "function." We investigated whether the beta-cell protection provided by adding pioglitazone (PIO) to glimepiride (GLIM) in comparison to up-titrating the GLIM dose alone is reflected by appropriate changes in several measures of beta-cell function, including HOMA-B score.

METHODS

This double-blind, parallel prospective 6-month study was performed with 82 patients (47 men, 35 women; age, 61 +/- 9 years; duration of disease, 5.3 +/- 4.4 years; body mass index, 32.6 +/- 6.0 kg/m(2); hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], 7.3 +/- 0.7%) with GLIM monotherapy (1-3 mg). They were randomized to receive a GLIM + PIO combination with up-titration (2 mg + 30 mg/4 mg + 30 mg/4 mg + 4 mg) or to remain on GLIM (up-titration 4/5/6 mg). Observation parameters determined at baseline and end point included HOMA-B, HOMA-IR, HbA1c, glucose, insulin, and intact proinsulin.

RESULTS

There was a slight increase in the HOMA-B score in the GLIM group but not in the GLIM + PIO arm (baseline/end point: for GLIM, 71 +/- 48/88 +/- 64; for PIO + GLIM, 74 +/- 56/69 +/- 52). Improvements in the other observation parameters were predominantly detected in the PIO + GLIM group (HbA1c, 7.20 +/- 0.61%/6.36 +/- 0.90%; HOMA-IR, 7.0 +/- 4.5/4.1 +/- 2.1; intact proinsulin, 12.4 +/- 10.3/7.6 +/- 4.8 pmol/L [all P < 0.05 vs. baseline]) compared with the GLIM group (HbA1c, 7.45 +/- 0.69%/7.15 +/- 0.97% [P < 0.05]; HOMA-IR, 7.4 +/- 4.5/7.5 +/- 4.3 [not significant]; intact proinsulin, 17.3 +/- 21.6/16.3 +/- 15.5 pmol/L [not significant]).

CONCLUSIONS

The PIO + GLIM combination led to overall improvement of laboratory biomarkers for beta-cell function, except for HOMA-B. Glimepiride up-titration had no such effects but increased the HOMA-B score. HOMA-B seems to provide misleading results when used as a diagnostic tool in patients treated with sulfonylurea drugs. A corrective term for consideration of proinsulin in the HOMA-B equation may address this limitation.

Dendritic cells are early responders to retinal injury

The presence and activity of dendritic cells (DC) in retina is controversial, as these cells are difficult to identify in retina due to limited markers and sparse numbers. Transgenic mice that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) on the CD11c promoter to label DC allowed the visualization and quantification of retinal DC. Two retina injury models, the optic nerve crush (ONC) and light injury, were used to study their injury response. Many GFP(+) DC were tightly associated with retinal ganglion cell nerve fibers following ONC, while very few microglia (GFP(-)CD11b(+) cells) were found in close contact. The GFP(+) cells were greatly elevated in the outer plexiform layer following photic injury. All of the GFP(+) DC were CD11b(+), suggesting a myeloid origin. In addition, the GFP(+) DC upregulated expression of MHC class II after injury, while the GFP(-)CD11b(+) microglia did not. This study shows that DC were found in the retina and that they rapidly responded to neural injuries. We propose that they are a previously overlooked population, distinct from microglia, and may be important in the injury response.

Peripheral induction of tolerance by retinal antigen expression

The contribution of peripheral expression of tissue-specific CNS Ags to the generation of tolerance is uncertain. To study this question, we examined mice transgenic (Tg) for expression of beta-galactosidase (beta gal) on the retinal photoreceptor cell arrestin promoter, in conjunction with TCR Tg mice producing CD4(+) T cells specific for beta gal (beta galTCR). Several strategies were used to test the hypothesis that betagal expressed in the retina supported thymus-independent tolerance and regulatory T cell development. Retinal expression generated an immunoregulatory response that depressed development of immune responses to beta gal following systemic immunization with beta gal. This regulation was transferable to naive mice by CD3(+)4(+)25(+) T cells from naive retinal beta gal(+) donors. Experiments that removed the beta gal(+) retina by enucleation showed that subsequent development of a regulatory response was lost. Adoptive transfer of CD25(-) beta galTCR T cells into retinal beta gal Tg mice on the Rag(-/-) background led to regulatory activity that limited lymphopenia-induced proliferation of beta galTCR T cells in mice with retinal expression of beta gal and inhibited the ear-swelling assay for delayed type hypersensitivity. These results show that retinal expression of very small amounts of a tissue-specific Ag can generate tolerance that includes regulatory T cells.

Investigation of the vascular and pleiotropic effects of atorvastatin and pioglitazone in a population at high cardiovascular risk

We investigated the effect of atorvastatin monotherapy and combined treatment with atorvastatin and pioglitazone on intima-media thickness, vascular function and the cardiovascular risk profile. In all, 148 patients (76 male, 72 female; aged 61.4+/-6.5 years; body mass index [BMI] 29.2+/-4.1 kg/m2; mean +/- SD) with increased cardiovascular (CV) risk factors were randomised. Intima-media thickness (IMT), the augmentation index (Aix@75), the microvascular response to acetylcholine (LDF), lipid status, and plasma levels of intact proinsulin, adiponectin, interleukin-6 (IL-6), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), sCD40L, P-selectin, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and blood lipids were monitored over six months. Atorvastatin treatment, alone and in combination with pioglitazone, revealed a significant regression in IMT (0.923+/-0.013 to 0.874+/-0.012 mm and 0.921+/-0.015 to 0.882+/-0.015 mm; mean +/- SEM; p<0.05 respectively) and Aix@75 (27.3+/-1.2 to 25.9+/-1.4; and 25.6+/-1.4 to 24.8+/-1.7%; p<0.05). The endothelial response to acetylcholine as measured by laser Doppler fluximetry (LDF) improved during combined treatment (373+/-57 to 576+/-153 AU; p<0.05). Addition of pioglitazone to atorva-statin resulted in significant further effects on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), t-PA, P-selectin, adiponectin, triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p<0.05 respectively). Atorvastatin significantly improved IMT and vascular elasticity. Co-administration of pioglitazone provided additional effects on endothelial function, lipid profile and laboratory markers of inflammation.

If the antibody fails--a mass western approach

Sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS) has attracted the interest of plant scientists for decades. It is the key enzyme in sucrose metabolism and is under investigation in various plant species, e.g. spinach, tobacco, poplar, resurrection plants, maize, rice, kiwi and Arabidopsis thaliana. In A. thaliana, there are four distinct SPS isoforms. Their expression is thought to depend on environmental conditions and plant tissue. However, these data were derived from mRNA expression levels only. No data on SPS protein identification from crude extracts have been available until now. An antibody approach failed to distinguish the four isoforms. Therefore, we developed a method for SPS quantification and isoform-specific identification in A. thaliana complex protein samples. Samples were separated on SDS-PAGE, digested and directly applied to liquid chromatography/triple-stage quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC/TSQ-MS). In this approach, known as mass Western, samples were analysed in multi-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode, so that all four SPS isoforms could be measured in one experiment. In addition to the relative quantification, stable isotope-labelled internal peptide standards allowed absolute quantification of SPS proteins. Protein extracts from various plant tissues, samples harvested during the day or the night, and cold-stressed plants were analysed. The stress-specific SPS5a isoform showed increased concentrations in cold-stressed leaf material.

Epigenetic inactivation of microRNA gene hsa-mir-9-1 in human breast cancer

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) represent a new class of small non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression by inducing RNA degradation or interfering with translation. Aberrant miRNA expression has been described for several human malignancies and tumour suppressor functions have been ascribed to this new class of small regulatory RNAs. Accordingly, inactivation due to deletion or mutation has been found in human malignancies. Here, we describe the role of aberrant hypermethylation as an additional mechanism for miRNA gene inactivation in human breast cancer. Aberrant hypermethylation was shown for mir-9-1, mir-124a3, mir-148, mir-152, and mir-663 in 34-86% of cases in a series of 71 primary human breast cancer specimens. For comprehensive methylation analysis, combined bisulphite restriction analysis, bisulphite sequencing, and Pyrosequencing were employed. miRNA gene hypermethylation correlated strongly with methylation of known tumour suppressor genes (p = 0.003). After treatment of various breast cancer cell lines with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, reduction of mir-9-1 gene methylation and concomitant reactivation of expression could be observed. For the mir-9-1 gene, which is already hypermethylated in pre-invasive intraductal lesions, a good correlation between quantitative methylation level and reduction of expression could be demonstrated in a subset of primary human breast cancer specimen (r = 0.8). In conclusion, this study demonstrates that various microRNA genes are also affected by epigenetic inactivation due to aberrant hypermethylation and that this is an early and frequent event in breast cancer development.

Leuprorelin Acetate Every-3-Months Depot Versus Cyclophosphamide, Methotrexate, and Fluorouracil As Adjuvant Treatment in Premenopausal Patients With Node-Positive Breast Cancer: The TABLE Study

Purpose

Ovarian suppression with luteinizing hormone–releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists is an effective adjuvant treatment for premenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER) –positive breast cancer. Whereas monthly LHRH agonist therapy has been well established, the value of every-3-months (3-monthly) formulations is unclear.

Patients and Methods

This randomized phase III trial was performed to compare the 3-monthly depot LHRH agonist leuprorelin acetate (LAD-3M; n = 299) and chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil (CMF; n = 300) in pre- or perimenopausal patients with ER-positive, node-positive breast cancer.

Results

With a median follow-up of 5.8 years, recurrence-free survival was similar for patients treated with LAD-3M or CMF (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19; 95% CI, 0.94 to 1.51; P = .15). There was no substantial heterogeneity in the relative treatment effect among subgroups defined by age, progesterone receptor (PR) status, nodal status, hormone levels, or menstrual recovery after treatment. Exploratory overall survival analysis favored LAD-3M (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.99; P = .005). Chemotherapy-related adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, and alopecia were more common with CMF, whereas symptoms of estrogen suppression such as hot flushes and sweating were initially more pronounced with LAD-3M.

Conclusion

The 3-monthly depot LHRH-agonist leuprorelin acetate is an effective adjuvant treatment in premenopausal patients with hormone receptor–positive, node-positive breast cancer that is not inferior to CMF.