Objective-Oxidative stress is proposed as an important factor in osteoarthritis (OA). We therefore investigated the expression of the three superoxide dismutase (SOD) antioxidant enzymes in OA.Methods-SOD expression was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry using human femoral head cartilage. SOD2 expression in Dunkin Hartley guinea pig knee articular cartilage was determined by immunohistochemistry. The DNA methylation status of the SOD2 promoter was determined using bisulfite sequencing. RNA interference was used to determine the consequence of SOD2 depletion on the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) using MitoSOX™ and collagenases, matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1) and MMP-13, gene expression.Results-All three SOD were abundantly expressed in human cartilage but were markedly down-regulated in end-stage OA cartilage, especially SOD2. In the Dunkin Hartley guinea pig spontaneous OA model SOD2 expression was decreased in the medial tibial chondyle cartilage prior to, and following, the development of OA-like lesions. The SOD2 promoter had significant DNA methylation alterations in OA cartilage. Depletion of SOD2 in chondrocytes gave an increase in ROS but a decrease in collagenase expression.Conclusion-This is the first comprehensive expression profile of all SOD genes in cartilage and importantly, using an animal model, we show that a reduction in SOD2 is associated with the earliest stages of OA. We found that a decrease in SOD2 associates with an increase in ROS and but a reduction of collagenase gene expression, demonstrating the complexities of ROS function.

Joubert syndrome and related disorders are autosomal recessive multisystem diseases characterized by cerebellar vermis aplasia/hypoplasia, retinal degeneration and cystic kidney disease. There are five known genes; mutations of which give rise to a spectrum of renal cystic diseases the most common of which is nephronophthisis, a disorder characterized by early loss of urinary concentrating ability, renal fibrosis, corticomedullary cyst formation and renal failure. Many of the proteins encoded by these genes interact with one another and are located at adherens junctions or the primary cilia and or basal bodies. Here we characterize Jouberin, a multi-domain protein encoded by the AHI1 gene. Immunohistochemistry with a novel antibody showed that endogenous Jouberin is expressed in brain, kidney and HEK293 cells. In the kidney, Jouberin co-localized with aquaporin-2 in the collecting ducts. We show that Jouberin interacts with nephrocystin-1 as determined by yeast-2-hybrid system and this was confirmed by exogenous and endogenous co-immunoprecipitation in HEK293 cells. Jouberin is expressed at cell-cell junctions, primary cilia and basal body of mIMCD3 cells while a Jouberin-GFP construct localized to centrosomes in subconfluent and dividing MDCK cells. Our results suggest that Jouberin is a protein whose expression pattern supports both the adherens junction and the ciliary hypotheses for abnormalities leading to nephronophthisis.

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Summary A high proportion of females of the C3H strain of mice develop tumours of the mammary gland which are caused by mouse mammary tumour virus (MMTV) transmitted through the milk. We have examined whether administration of mouse interferon (IFN) to nursing mothers and/or their suckling offspring only during the period of nursing, can affect the incidence of tumours developing in these animals. In two separate experiments, animals receiving IFN by direct injection while suckling, and remaining virgin showed a marked and statistically significant decrease in tumour incidence. Mice receiving the same or a tenfold higher dose of IFN while lactating showed no such reduction in tumour incidence, even if they had also received IFN while suckling. The results suggest that IFN can affect the initial establishment of the MMTV infection in suckling mice sufficiently to delay tumour development provided the animals are not exposed to the hormonal stimulus of pregnancy and lactation.

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