It is proposed here that the delayed cytotoxicity of thioguanine involves the postreplicative DNA mismatch repair system. After incorporation into DNA, the thioguanine is chemically methylated by S-adenosylmethionine to form S6-methylthioguanine. During DNA replication, the S6-methylthioguanine directs incorporation of either thymine or cytosine into the growing DNA strand, and the resultant S6-methylthioguanine-thymine pairs are recognized by the postreplicative mismatch repair system. Azathioprine, an immunosuppressant used in organ transplantation, is partly converted to thioguanine. Because the carcinogenicity of N-nitrosamines depends on formation of O6-alkylguanine in DNA, the formation of the analog S6-methylthioguanine during azathioprine treatment may partly explain the high incidence of cancer after transplantation.

The presence of bacteria in the midgut of mosquitoes antagonizes infectious agents, such as Dengue and Plasmodium, acting as a negative factor in the vectorial competence of the mosquito. Therefore, knowledge of the molecular mechanisms involved in the control of midgut microbiota could help in the development of new tools to reduce transmission. We hypothesized that toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by epithelial cells control bacterial growth in the midgut of Aedes aegypti, the vector of Yellow fever and Dengue viruses. We show that ROS are continuously present in the midgut of sugar-fed (SF) mosquitoes and a blood-meal immediately decreased ROS through a mechanism involving heme-mediated activation of PKC. This event occurred in parallel with an expansion of gut bacteria. Treatment of sugar-fed mosquitoes with increased concentrations of heme led to a dose dependent decrease in ROS levels and a consequent increase in midgut endogenous bacteria. In addition, gene silencing of dual oxidase (Duox) reduced ROS levels and also increased gut flora. Using a model of bacterial oral infection in the gut, we show that the absence of ROS resulted in decreased mosquito resistance to infection, increased midgut epithelial damage, transcriptional modulation of immune-related genes and mortality. As heme is a pro-oxidant molecule released in large amounts upon hemoglobin degradation, oxidative killing of bacteria in the gut would represent a burden to the insect, thereby creating an extra oxidative challenge to the mosquito. We propose that a controlled decrease in ROS levels in the midgut of Aedes aegypti is an adaptation to compensate for the ingestion of heme.

Cyclophilin-D is a peptidylprolyl cis-trans isomerase of the mitochondrial matrix. It is involved in mitochondrial permeability transition, in which the adenine nucleotide translocase of the inner membrane is transformed from an antiporter to a non-selective pore. The permeability transition has been widely considered as a mechanism in both apoptosis and necrosis. The present study examines the effects of cyclophilin-D on the permeability transition and lethal cell injury, using a neuronal (B50) cell line stably overexpressing cyclophilin-D in mitochondria. Cyclophilin-D overexpression rendered isolated mitochondria far more susceptible to the permeability transition induced by Ca2+ and oxidative stress. Similarly, cyclophilin-D overexpression brought forward the onset of the permeability transition in intact cells subjected to oxidative stress. In addition, in the absence of stress, the mitochondria of cells overexpressing cyclophilin-D maintained a lower inner-membrane potential than those of normal cells. All these effects of cyclophilin-D overexpression were abolished by cyclosporin A. It is concluded that cyclophilin-D promotes the permeability transition in B50 cells. However, cyclophilin-D overexpression had opposite effects on apoptosis and necrosis; whereas NO-induced necrosis was promoted, NO- and staurosporine-induced apoptosis were inhibited. These findings indicate that the permeability transition leads to cell necrosis, but argue against its involvement in apoptosis.

Frequent genetic alterations discovered in FGFRs and evidence implicating some as drivers in diverse tumors has been accompanied by rapid progress in targeting FGFRs for anticancer treatments. Wider assessment of the impact of genetic changes on the activation state and drug responses is needed to better link the genomic data and treatment options. We here apply a direct comparative and comprehensive analysis of FGFR3 kinase domain variants representing the diversity of point-mutations reported in this domain. We reinforce the importance of N540K and K650E and establish that not all highly activating mutations (for example R669G) occur at high-frequency and conversely, that some “hotspots” may not be linked to activation. Further structural characterization consolidates a mechanistic view of FGFR kinase activation and extends insights into drug binding. Importantly, using several inhibitors of particular clinical interest (AZD4547, BGJ-398, TKI258, JNJ42756493 and AP24534), we find that some activating mutations (including different replacements of the same residue) result in distinct changes in their efficacy. Considering that there is no approved inhibitor for anticancer treatments based on FGFR-targeting, this information will be immediately translatable to ongoing clinical trials.