The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) recognizes environmental xenobiotics and is originally thought to be involved in the metabolism (detoxification) of the substances. Recently, AhR is highlighted as an important regulator of inflammation. Notably, accumulating evidence suggests that activation of the AhR suppresses inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Therefore, non-toxic AhR activators become attractive drug candidates for IBD. This study identified 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (DHNA), a precursor of menaquinone (vitamin K2) abundantly produced by Propionibacterium freudenreichii ET-3 isolated from Swiss-type cheese, as an AhR activator. DHNA activated the AhR pathway in human intestinal epithelial cell line Caco2 cells and in the mouse intestine. Oral treatment of mice with DHNA induced anti-microbial proteins RegIIIβ and γ in the intestine, altered intestinal microbial flora and inhibited dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis, which recapitulated the phenotypes of AhR activation in the gut. As DHNA is commercially available in Japan as a prebiotic supplement without severe adverse effects, DHNA or its derivatives might become a promising drug candidate for IBD via AhR activation. The results also implicate that intestinal AhR might act not only as a sensor for xenobiotics in diet and water but also for commensal bacterial activity because DHNA is a precursor of vitamin K2 produced by vitamin K2-synthesizing commensal bacteria as well as propionic bacteria. Hence, DHNA might be a key bacterial metabolite in the host-microbe interaction to maintain intestinal microbial ecosystem.

Background & AimsThe circadian clock drives daily rhythms in behavior and physiology. A recent study suggests that intestinal permeability is also under control of the circadian clock. However, the precise mechanisms remain largely unknown. Because intestinal permeability depends on tight junction (TJ) that regulates the epithelial paracellular pathway, this study investigated whether the circadian clock regulates the expression levels of TJ proteins in the intestine.MethodsThe expression levels of TJ proteins in the large intestinal epithelium and colonic permeability were analyzed every 4, 6, or 12 hours between wild-type mice and mice with a mutation of a key clock gene Period2 (Per2; mPer2m/m). In addition, the susceptibility to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis was compared between wild-type mice and mPer2m/m mice.ResultsThe mRNA and protein expression levels of Occludin and Claudin-1 exhibited daily variations in the colonic epithelium in wild-type mice, whereas they were constitutively high in mPer2m/m mice. Colonic permeability in wild-type mice exhibited daily variations, which was inversely associated with the expression levels of Occludin and Claudin-1 proteins, whereas it was constitutively low in mPer2m/m mice. mPer2m/m mice were more resistant to the colonic injury induced by DSS than wild-type mice.ConclusionsOccludin and Claudin-1 expressions in the large intestine are under the circadian control, which is associated with temporal regulation of colonic permeability and also susceptibility to colitis.

M alignant glioma is the most common brain tumor in adults; it has an aggressive lethal nature and a median survival of only 14 months, despite the standard established therapy of maximum resection followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Several immunotherapies, such as dendritic cell therapy, have been evaluated as new adjuvant approaches. However, the efficacy of immunotherapy for patients with malignant glioma is limited for several reasons, including the anatomical isolation of the central nervous system by the blood-brain barrier, the absence of a lymphatic drainage system, and the ability of glioma cells to escape recognition by the immune system. Recent studies suggest that indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), the initial rate-limiting enzyme in tryptophan (Trp) metabolism, may be involved in such tumor-induced escape from immunosurveillance, showing an immunosuppressive function.14,27 IDO is expressed in various human cancers such as malignant melanoma, ovarabbreviatioNs FACS = fluorescence-activated cell sorter; GAPDH = glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; IDO = indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase; IDO-KD = IDO-knockdown; INF-g = interferon-g; PBS = phosphate-buffered saline; RT-PCR = real-time polymerase chain reaction; SEM = standard error of the mean; shRNA = short hairpin RNA; TMZ = temozolomide; Treg = regulatory T cell; Trp = tryptophan; 1-MT = 1-methyl-l-tryptophan. Thus, IDO may be a therapeutic target for malignant cancer. The authors have recently shown that IDO expression is markedly increased in human glioblastoma and secondary glioblastoma with malignant change, suggesting that IDO targeting may also have therapeutic potential for patients with glioma. The aim of this study was to investigate the antitumor effect of IDO inhibition and to examine the synergistic function of IDO inhibitor and temozolomide (TMZ) in a murine glioma model. methods Murine glioma GL261 cells and human glioma U87 cells were included in this study. The authors used 3 mouse models to study glioma cell growth: 1) a subcutaneous ectopic model, 2) a syngeneic intracranial orthotopic model, and 3) an allogenic intracranial orthotopic model. IDO inhibition was achieved via knockdown of IDO in GL261 cells using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) and through oral administration of the IDO inhibitor, 1-methyl-l-tryptophan (1-MT). Tumor volume in the subcutaneous model and survival time in the intracranial model were evaluated. results In the subcutaneous model, oral administration of 1-MT significantly suppressed tumor growth, and synergistic antitumor effects of 1-MT and TMZ were observed (p < 0.01). Mice containing intracranially inoculated IDO knockdown cells had a significantly longer survival period as compared with control mice (p < 0.01). coNclusioNs These results suggest that IDO expression is implicated in immunosuppression and tumor progression in glioma cells. Therefore, combining IDO inhibition with standard TMZ treatment could be an encouraging therapeutic strategy for patients with malignant glioma.

Yeast Atg8 and its mammalian homolog LC3 are ubiquitinlike proteins involved in autophagy, a primary pathway for degradation of cytosolic constituents in vacuoles/lysosomes. Whereas the lipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was identified as the sole in vivo target of their conjugation reactions, in vitro studies showed that the same system can mediate the conjugation of these proteins with phosphatidylserine as efficiently as with PE. Here, we show that, in contrast to PE conjugation, the in vitro phosphatidylserine conjugation of Atg8 is markedly suppressed at physiological pH. Furthermore, the addition of acidic phospholipids to liposomes also results in the preferential formation of the Atg8-PE conjugate. We have successfully captured authentic thioester intermediates, allowing us to elucidate which step in the conjugation reaction is affected by these changes in pH and membrane lipid composition. We propose that these factors contribute to the selective formation of Atg8-PE in the cell.