No abstract

No abstract

Cysteine dioxygenase is a non-heme mononuclear iron metalloenzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of cysteine to cysteine sulfinic acid with addition of molecular dioxygen. This irreversible oxidative catabolism of cysteine initiates several important metabolic pathways related to diverse sulfurate compounds. Cysteine dioxygenase is therefore very important for maintaining the proper hepatic concentration of intracellular free cysteine. Mechanisms for mouse and rat cysteine dioxygenases have recently been reported based on their crystal structures in the absence of substrates, although there is still a lack of direct evidence. Here we report the first crystal structure of human cysteine dioxygenase in complex with its substrate L-cysteine to 2.7 Å , together with enzymatic activity and metal content assays of several single point mutants. Our results provide an insight into a new mechanism of cysteine thiol dioxygenation catalyzed by cysteine dioxygenase, which is tightly associated with a thioether-bonded tyrosine-cysteine cofactor involving Tyr-157 and Cys-93. This cross-linked protein-derived cofactor plays several key roles different from those in galactose oxidase. This report provides a new potential target for therapy of diseases related to human cysteine dioxygenase, including neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases.Cysteine dioxygenase (CDO, 2 EC 1.13.11.20) is a non-heme mononuclear iron metalloenzyme that catalyzes the irreversible oxidation of cysteine to cysteine sulfinic acid (CSA) with addition of molecular oxygen (1) (Structure 1). This oxidative catabolism of cysteine initiates several important metabolic pathways related to pyruvate and several sulfurate compounds, including sulfate, hypotaurine, and taurine. CDO is expressed at appreciable levels in the brain, kidney, and lung, with extremely high levels in liver tissue (2-5), where CDO plays an important role in maintaining the hepatic concentration of intracellular free cysteine within a proper narrow range (6). When the levels of cysteine decrease below this range, the increase of CDO ubiquitination rate results in rapid degradation of the ubiquitinated portion by the 26 S proteasome system (7,8). However, the precise means by which cysteine regulates CDO ubiquitination remain unknown.Intracellular free cysteine is cytotoxic and neuroexcitotoxic due to oxidative damage via formation of free radicals in the presence of iron (9 -11). Elevated cysteine levels were reported previously in relation to several neurodegenerative diseases, including the well known Parkinson and Alzheimer diseases (12-14), and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (15, 16). CDO is considered to be involved in these diseases due to its function in regulating free cysteine levels.Sequence alignment classifies CDO as a member of the cupin superfamily (see Fig. 1), whose members possess what may be the most diverse range of functions, encompassing ϳ18 subclasses. Nonetheless, neither of the exact characteristic conserved sequenc...

Heterodimeric bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) were exhibited to be more potent than and thus potential substitutes for homodimeric BMPs whose clinical application is limited for the drawbacks resulted from their higher effective doses. This study aims to delineate the biofunctional characteristics of recombinant human BMP2/7 (rhBMP2/7) heterodimer in inducing osteoblastogenesis of MC3T3-E1 through in vitro time-course and dose-response studies. rhBMP2/7 heterodimer induced cell migration with a significantly lower optimal concentration and higher peak effect than the respective homodimers. rhBMP2/7 heterodimer induced cell differentiation with significantly lower threshold concentrations but similar maximum effects. On day 28, the area of calcium depositions induced by 50 ng/mL rhBMP2/7 was 12- or 38-fold more than that of 50 ng/mL rhBMP2 or 50 ng/mL rhBMP7, respectively. The results indicated that rhBMP2/7 heterodimer was an osteoblastogenesis inducer of not higher potency but lower effective concentration compared with rhBMP2 and rhBMP7 homodimers.

This study aimed to compare the effects of bone morphogenetic protein BMP2/7 heterodimer and BMP homodimers on bone regeneration in bone defects model. Identical peri-implant bone defects model were created using proper controls on the frontal skull in 18 minipigs. Collagen sponges with low-dose (30 ng/mL) BMP2/7 heterodimer, BMP2 or BMP7 homodimer were filled in the defects. New bone formation and the expression of type I collagen (Col1), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and osteocalcin (OCN) were evaluated after 2, 3, and 6 weeks of implantation. BMP2/7 resulted in significantly higher new bone areas percentage in the defect region than BMP2 and BMP7 (p<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining of Col1, ALP and OCN was stronger in BMP2/7 group than BMP2, BMP7 and control group (p<0.05). These results demonstrate that BMP2/7 heterodimer is a stronger inducer of osteoblastogenesis and could be applied at low dose to reduce the cost and side effects of BMP homodimers.

Aim: To evaluate the outcomes of an apically repositioned flap (ARF) plus xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) in augmenting keratinized mucosa width (KMW) around dental implants when compared with ARF plus free gingival grafts (FGG).Materials and methods: Twenty-six participants with at least one site with KMW ≤2 mm were randomized into FGG or XCM group. Clinical examinations were performed at baseline and at 2 and 6 months after surgery, including KMW, keratinized mucosa thickness, gingival index (GI), and probing depth (PD). Post-operative pain and patient satisfaction were also evaluated.Results: At 6 months, FGG attained a greater increase of KMW and thicker mucosa than XCM (4.1 ± 1.6 mm vs. 1.8 ± 1.0 mm, p < .001; 1.7 ± 0.6 mm vs. 1.2 ± 0.3 mm, p < .01). Regarding GI, PD, post-operative pain, aesthetic outcomes, and patient satisfaction, no significant difference could be detected. Moreover, the operation time of XCM group was shorter (60 ± 9 min vs. 39 ± 8 min, p < .001).Conclusions: FGG could result in greater increase of KMW than XCM, though both could increase KMW, maintain peri-implant health, and attain comparable aesthetic outcomes. The use of XCM was associated with reduced operation time. K E Y W O R D Scollagen matrix, dental implants, free gingival graft, keratinized mucosa, randomized controlled trial Clinical RelevanceScientific rationale for study: The clinical efficacy of xenogeneic collagen matrix (XCM) for augmenting keratinized mucosa width (KMW) around implants has been documented. However, limited randomized controlled trials have compared the performance of XCM with free gingival grafts (FGG).Principal findings: FGG resulted in greater increase of KMW, though both XCM and FGG could attain >2 mm KMW. The use of XCM was associated with reduced operation time.Practical implications: FGG is a predictable option in augmenting KMW around implants. XCM could be a valid alternative for patients with a certain amount of keratinized tissue surrounding surgical sites at baseline and low acceptance for soft tissue graft harvesting.Jia-Ping Huang and Jia-Mei Liu contributed equally to this study.

Background Women with congenital heart disease are considered at high risk for adverse events. Therefore, we aim to establish 2 prediction models for mothers and their offspring, which can predict the risk of adverse events occurred in pregnant women with congenital heart disease. Methods and Results A total of 318 pregnant women with congenital heart disease were included; 213 women were divided into the development cohort, and 105 women were divided into the validation cohort. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator was used for predictor selection. After validation, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to develop the model. Machine learning algorithms (support vector machine, random forest, AdaBoost, decision tree, k‐nearest neighbor, naïve Bayes, and multilayer perceptron) were used to further verify the predictive ability of the model. Forty‐one (12.9%) women experienced adverse maternal events, and 93 (29.2%) neonates experienced adverse neonatal events. Seven high‐risk factors were discovered in the maternal model, including New York Heart Association class, Eisenmenger syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular ejection fraction, sinus tachycardia, arterial blood oxygen saturation, and pregnancy duration. The machine learning–based algorithms showed that the maternal model had an accuracy of 0.76 to 0.86 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.74–0.87) in the development cohort, and 0.72 to 0.86 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.68–0.80) in the validation cohort. Three high‐risk factors were discovered in the neonatal model, including Eisenmenger syndrome, preeclampsia, and arterial blood oxygen saturation. The machine learning–based algorithms showed that the neonatal model had an accuracy of 0.75 to 0.80 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.71–0.77) in the development cohort, and 0.72 to 0.79 (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve=0.69–0.76) in the validation cohort. Conclusions Two prenatal risk assessment models for both adverse maternal and neonatal events were established, which might assist clinicians in tailoring precise management and therapy in pregnant women with congenital heart disease.

Large‐volume bone defects can result from congenital malformation, trauma, infection, inflammation and cancer. At present, it remains challenging to treat these bone defects with clinically available interventions. Allografts, xenografts and most synthetic materials have no intrinsic osteoinductivity, and so an alternative approach is to functionalize the biomaterial with osteoinductive agents, such as bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2). Because it has been previously demonstrated that human salivary histatin‐1 (Hst1) promotes endothelial cell adhesion, migration and angiogenesis, we examine here whether Hst1 can promote BMP2‐induced bone regeneration. Rats were given subcutaneous implants of absorbable collagen sponge membranes seeded with 0, 50, 200 or 500 μg Hst1 per sample and 0 or 2 μg BMP2 per sample. At 18 days postsurgery, rats were sacrificed, and implanted regional tissue was removed for micro computed tomography (microCT) analyses of new bone (bone volume, trabecular number and trabecular separation). Four samples per group were decalcified and subjected to immunohistochemical staining to analyze osteogenic and angiogenic markers. We observed that Hst1 increased BMP2‐induced new bone formation in a dose‐dependent manner. Co‐administration of 500 μg Hst1 and BMP2 resulted in the highest observed bone volume and trabecular number, the lowest trabecular separation and the highest expression of osteogenic markers and angiogenic markers. Our results suggest that coadministration of Hst1 may enhance BMP2‐induced osteogenesis and angiogenesis, and thus may have potential for development into a treatment for large‐volume bone defects.