Psoriasis is a common skin disorder characterized by hyperproliferation and aberrant differentiation of epidermal keratinocytes and inflammation. We previously showed that phosphatidylglycerol (PG) can regulate keratinocyte function and suppress skin inflammation. Based on data suggesting that PG can inhibit toll-like receptor (TLR) activation induced by microorganisms and their components, we determined whether PG can inhibit TLR activation in response to antimicrobial peptides. These peptides, which are up-regulated in psoriasis, are known to function as danger-associated molecular patterns (i.e., DAMPs) to activate TLRs and the innate immune system. Because S100A9 is elevated in psoriatic skin and in animal models of psoriasis, we selected S100A9 as a representative antimicrobial peptide DAMP. We showed that in primary keratinocytes and a macrophage cell line, PG suppressed inflammatory mediator production induced by recombinant S100A9 functioning through both TLR2 and TLR4. In addition, PG, but not phosphatidylcholine, inhibited downstream S100A9-elicited TLR2 and NF-kB activation. These results, to our knowledge previously unreported, show PG's ability to inhibit DAMP-induced TLR activation, thereby reducing inflammatory signals. In addition, topical PG ameliorated skin lesions and inflammation in a mouse model of psoriasis. Together, these results suggest the possibility of developing PG as a therapy for psoriasis.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the characteristics of the circadian rest-activity rhythm of cancer patients. Thirty-one in-patients, consisting of 19 males and 12 females, were randomly selected from the Regional Cancer Center, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Raipur, India. The rest-activity rhythm was studied non-invasively by wrist actigraphy, and compared with 35 age-matched apparently healthy subjects (22 males and 13 females). All subjects wore an Actiwatch (AW64, Mini Mitter Co. Inc., USA) for at least 4-7 consecutive days. Fifteen-second epoch length was selected for gathering actigraphy data. In addition, several sleep parameters, such as time in bed, assumed sleep, actual sleep time, actual wake time, sleep efficiency, sleep latency, sleep bouts, wake bouts, and fragmentation index, were also recorded. Data were analyzed using several statistical techniques, such as cosinor rhythmometry, spectral analysis, ANOVA, Duncan's multiple-range test, and t-test. Dichotomy index (I

Androgen and androgen receptors (AR) play critical roles in the proliferation of prostate cancer through transcriptional regulation of target genes. Here, we found that androgens upregulated the expression of dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), which is involved in the induction of mitochondrial fission (MF), a common event in mitosis and apoptosis. Clinical tissue samples and various prostate cancer cell lines revealed a positive correlation between Drp1 and AR levels. Treatment of androgen-sensitive cells with an AR agonist, R1881, and antagonist, bicalutamide, showed that Drp1 is transcriptionally regulated by androgens, as confirmed by an AR ChIP-seq assay. Live imaging experiments using pAcGFP1-Mito stably transfected LNCaP (mito-green) cells revealed that androgen did not induce significant MF by itself, although Drp1 was upregulated. However, when treated with CGP37157 (CGP), an inhibitor of mitochondrial Ca2+ efflux, these cells exhibited MF, which was further enhanced by pre-treatment with R1881, suggesting that androgen-induced Drp1 facilitated CGP-induced MF. This enhanced MF was correlated with increased apoptosis. Transfection with DN-Drp1 (K38A) rescued cells from increased apoptosis, confirming the role of androgen-induced Drp1 in the observed apoptosis with combination treatment. Further, we found that CGP reduced the expression of Mfn1, a protein that promotes mitochondrial fusion, a process which opposes fission. We suggest that androgen-increased Drp1 enhanced MF leading to apoptosis. The present study demonstrates a novel role for androgens in the regulation of mitochondrial morphology that could potentially be utilized in prostate cancer therapy.

The results of this study suggest that high dose rate interstitial brachytherapy was appropriate for the treatment of early staged carcinoma of eye lid.

Leptin plays an important role in the regulation of feed intake, energy metabolism, growth and reproduction of cattle. We used the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique to screen for DNA polymorphisms of the leptin gene in 403 cattle belonging to various breeds of Bos indicus (Hariana, Sahiwal, Gir and Nimari cattle), Bos taurus (Holstein Friesian (HF) and Jersey cattle) as well as Bos taurus x Bos indicus crossbreds (½ HF x ½ Hariana). In all the cattle we amplified two regions of the leptin gene, a 522 bp fragment comprising the partial intron 2 and exon 3 and another 94 bp fragment consisting of part of exon 2. Digestion of 522 bp PCR products with the BsaAI restriction enzyme revealed three genotypes in all the breeds of cattle studied. This is the first report of the presence of leptin gene polymorphism in purebred Bos indicus cattle of Indian origin (indicine cattle). Almost similar gene and genotype frequencies were observed in all the breed groups, while the frequency of mutant homozygotes (AA) was very low (0.03 to 0.07). On digestion of the 94 bp fragment with the Kpn2I restriction enzyme, three genotypes were observed in HF, Jersey and crossbred cattle. The CC genotype had the highest frequency (0.68) in crossbreds whereas the frequency of CT heterozygotes was highest (0.69) in HF cattle. This mutation was absent in all the breeds of indicine cattle. The results suggest that the BsaAI-RFLP mutation has occurred far back in evolution before the divergence of taurine and indicine cattle while the Kpn2I mutation has occurred recently as indicated by the fact that this mutation was only detected in taurine cattle. Variations at DNA level contribute to the genetic characterization of livestock populations and this may help to identify possible hybridization events as well as past evolutionary trends. Variation in the exonic region of a gene may lead to changes in amino acids which alter the expressed protein, and although intronic variation does not change the amino acid sequence of the protein it may play a significant role in gene splicing or the binding of regulatory proteins during transcription. In livestock, such variations in DNA may also be associated with, or linked to, economic traits, which are governed by many genes each having a small effect (Gelderman, 1997). However, the major gene model suggests that only a few genes may account for relatively large proportion of the genetic variation (Lande, 1981), such major genes being the genes usually involved in the biology of a trait and are the candidate genes for marker identification. There is also the possibility that major genes may be linked with some quantitative trait loci (QTL) contributing to a major part of the variation in traits. Leptin is a protein involved intricately in the growth and metabolism of animals and which plays an important role in the regulation of feed intake, energy metabolism, growth and reproduction of cattle (Ramsay and Cranwell, 1999) and thus the leptin gene ...

Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) is a water and glycerol channel expressed in epidermal keratinocytes. Despite many studies, controversy remains about the role of AQP3 in keratinocyte differentiation. Previously, our laboratory has shown co-localization of AQP3 and phospholipase D2 (PLD2) in caveolin-rich membrane microdomains. We hypothesized that AQP3 transports glycerol and "funnels" this primary alcohol to PLD2 to form a pro-differentiative signal, such that the action of AQP3 to induce differentiation should require PLD2. To test this idea, we re-expressed AQP3 in mouse keratinocytes derived from AQP3-knockout mice. The re-expression of AQP3, which increased [3H]glycerol uptake, also induced mRNA and protein expression of epidermal differentiation markers such as keratin 1, keratin 10, and loricrin, with or without the induction of differentiation by an elevated extracellular calcium concentration. Re-expression of AQP3 had no effect on the expression of the proliferation markers keratin 5 and cyclin D1. Furthermore, a selective inhibitor of PLD2, CAY10594, and a lipase-dead (LD) PLD2 mutant, but not a LD PLD1 mutant, significantly inhibited AQP3 re-expression-induced differentiation marker expression with calcium elevation, suggesting a role for PLD2 in this process. Thus, our results indicate that AQP3 has a pro-differentiative role in epidermal keratinocytes and that PLD2 activity is necessary for this effect.

Monomethylfumarate (MMF) is thought to be the bioactive ingredient of the drug Fumaderm (Biogen Idec, Cambridge, MA), licensed in Germany since 1994 for the treatment of moderate-tosevere psoriasis. Psoriasis is a common inflammatory hyperproliferative skin disorder that involves cross-talk between different cell types, including immune cells and keratinocytes. Psoriatic lesions are characterized by hyperproliferation, aberrant differentiation, and inflammation, with the psoriatic cytokine network maintained by communication between immune cells and keratinocytes. Recently, there is increasing evidence regarding the pivotal role of keratinocytes in mediating the disease process, and these cells can be regarded as safe therapeutic targets. From the data available on human subjects treated with Fumaderm, MMF is an effective antipsoriatic agent with known effects on immune cells. However, little is known about its direct effects on keratinocytes. We hypothesized that MMF has direct antiproliferative, prodifferentiative, and anti-inflammatory effects on keratinocytes. Indeed, MMF dose-dependently inhibited [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation into DNA, indicating a direct antiproliferative action on keratinocytes. MMF significantly increased the protein level of keratin 10, the early keratinocyte differentiation marker, and the activity of transglutaminase, a late differentiation marker. These results are consistent with an ability of MMF to promote keratinocyte differentiation and inhibit proliferation, thereby improving psoriatic lesions. In 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced keratinocytes, MMF significantly inhibited the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-a (TNFa), interleukin-6, and interleukin-1a as well as the production of TNFa. Our results support the notion that MMF has direct antiproliferative, prodifferentiative, and anti-inflammatory effects on keratinocytes, highlighting its potential use as a multifactorial antipsoriatic agent.

Aquaporin- (AQP) 3, a water and glycerol channel, plays an important role in epidermal function, with studies showing its involvement in keratinocyte proliferation, differentiation, and migration and in epidermal wound healing and barrier repair. Increasing speculation about the use of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors to treat skin diseases led us to investigate HDAC's role in the regulation of AQP3. The broad-spectrum HDAC inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid induced AQP3 mRNA and protein expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in normal keratinocytes. The SAHA-induced increase in AQP3 levels resulted in enhanced [H]glycerol uptake in normal but not in AQP3-knockout keratinocytes, confirming that the expressed AQP3 was functional. Use of HDAC inhibitors with different specificities limited our exploration of the responsible HDAC member to HDAC1, HDAC2, or HDAC3. Cre-recombinase-mediated knockdown and overexpression of HDAC3 suggested a role for HDAC3 in suppressing AQP3 expression basally. Further investigation implicated p53 as a transcription factor involved in regulating HDAC inhibitor-induced AQP3 expression. Thus, our study supports the regulation of AQP3 expression by HDAC3 and p53. Because suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid is already approved to treat cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, it could potentially be used as a therapy for skin diseases like psoriasis, where AQP3 is abnormally expressed.