BackgroundChronic inflammation is a characteristic feature of diabetic cutaneous wounds. We sought to delineate novel mechanisms involved in the impairment of resolution of inflammation in diabetic cutaneous wounds. At the wound-site, efficient dead cell clearance (efferocytosis) is a pre-requisite for the timely resolution of inflammation and successful healing.Methodology/Principal FindingsMacrophages isolated from wounds of diabetic mice showed significant impairment in efferocytosis. Impaired efferocytosis was associated with significantly higher burden of apoptotic cells in wound tissue as well as higher expression of pro-inflammatory and lower expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Observations related to apoptotic cell load at the wound site in mice were validated in the wound tissue of diabetic and non-diabetic patients. Forced Fas ligand driven elevation of apoptotic cell burden at the wound site augmented pro-inflammatory and attenuated anti-inflammatory cytokine response. Furthermore, successful efferocytosis switched wound macrophages from pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory mode.Conclusions/SignificanceTaken together, this study presents first evidence demonstrating that diabetic wounds suffer from dysfunctional macrophage efferocytosis resulting in increased apoptotic cell burden at the wound site. This burden, in turn, prolongs the inflammatory phase and complicates wound healing.

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Pressure overload associated with hypertension is an important pathological factor leading to heart remodeling and ultimately heart failure partially due to cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Here we show that endogenous NO signaling plays a critical role in mechanical stretch-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Mechanical stretch induced elevated expression of both eNOS and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and increased synthesis of NO. A sustained increase in iNOS expression was also found in hearts of hypertensive rats in vivo. Blockade of NO signaling by inhibitors of NOS (L-NAME and AMT) or downstream guanylyl cyclase (ODQ) strongly inhibited stretch-induced apoptosis, mitochondria depolarization, and cytochrome c release, suggesting that NO is required in stretch-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The expression of iNOS, but not eNOS, was blocked by L-NAME and ODQ, indicating that the iNOS induction is NO dependent. The initial elevation of NO is likely due to Ca(2+)-dependent activation of eNOS because elimination of intracellular calcium by EGTA-AM inhibited both iNOS induction and NO elevation. Other calcium signaling inhibitors (nifedipine, ryanodine, thapsigargin, and ionic gadolinium) also attenuated the initial NO elevation. These data indicate that mechanical signals initiate Ca(2+)-dependent NO synthesis, which is further amplified by activation of NO-induced iNOS expression, to regulate cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

Normal hepatocytes do not express endogenous uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) in adult liver, although Kupffer cells do, and it is strikingly induced in hepatocytes in steatotic liver and obese conditions. However, the direct link of UCP2 with the pathogenic development of liver diseases and liver injury remains elusive. Here we report that targeted expression of UCP2 to mouse liver increases susceptibility to acute liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and galactosamine (GalN). UCP2 appears to enhance proton leak, leading to mild uncoupling in a guanosine diphosphate-repressible manner. Indeed, mitochondria from the genetically manipulated mouse liver have increased state 4 respiration, lower respiratory control ratio, and reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels, which altered mitochondrial physiology. To address the underlying mechanism of how UCP2 and the reduced energy coupling efficiency enhance cell death in mouse liver, we show that the reduced ATP levels lead to activation of 5AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and its downstream effector, c-Jun N-terminal kinase; thus, the increased sensitivity toward LPS/GalN-induces apoptosis. Importantly, we show that inhibition of UCP2 activity by its pharmacological inhibitor genipin prevents LPS/GalN-induced ATP reduction, AMPK activation, and apoptosis. Also, inhibition of ATP production by oligomycin promotes LPS/GalN-induced cell death both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusion: Our results clearly show that targeted expression of UCP2 in liver may result in compromised mitochondrial physiology that contributes to enhanced cell death and suggests a potential role of UCP2 in the development of liver diseases. (HEPATOLOGY 2009;50:1204-1216

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The extensive use of antibiotics has, in recent years, caused antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance in Escherichia coli to gradually develop into a worldwide problem. These resistant E. coli could be transmitted to humans through animal products and animal feces in the environment, thereby creating a problem for bacterial treatment for humans and animals and resulting in a public health issue. Monitoring the resistance of E. coli throughout the broiler fattening period is therefore of great significance for both the poultry industry and public health. In this longitudinal study, samples were taken from 6 conventional broiler fattening farms in Shandong Province, China, at 3 different times within 1 fattening period. The overall isolation rate of E. coli was 53.04% (375/707). Antibiotic resistance was very common in the E. coli isolated from these farms, and differed for different antibiotics, with ampicillin having the highest rate (92.86%) and cefoxitin the lowest (10.12%). Multidrug resistance was as high as 91.07%. More importantly, both the resistance rate of E. coli to the different drugs and the detection rate of drug resistance genes increased over time. The mobile colistin resistance ( mcr-1 ) gene was detected in 24.40% of the strains, and these strains often carried other drug resistance genes, such as those conferring aminoglycoside, β-lactamase, tetracycline, and sulfonamide resistance. Antimicrobial resistance and drug resistance genes in E. coli were least common in the early fattening stage. The individual detection rates of sul1 , sul3 , aacC4 , aphA3 , and mcr-1 were significantly lower ( P < 0.05) for the early fattening stage than for the middle and late stages. The rational use of antibiotics, in conjunction with the improvement of the breeding environment during the entire broiler fattening cycle, will be helpful in the development of the poultry industry and the protection of public health.

Studies on macrophage gene expression have historically focused on events leading to RNA polymerase II recruitment and transcription initiation whereas the contribution of post-initiation steps to macrophage activation remains poorly understood. Here, we report widespread promoter-proximal RNA polymerase II pausing in resting macrophages, marked by broad co-localization of the negative elongation factor (NELF) complex and facilitated by PU.1. Upon inflammatory stimulation, over 60% of activated transcriptome is regulated by polymerase pause-release and a transient genome-wide NELF dissociation from chromatin, unexpectedly, independent of CDK9, a presumed NELF kinase. Genetic disruption of NELF in macrophages enhanced transcription of AP-1-encoding Fos and Jun and, consequently, AP-1 targets including Il10. Augmented expression of IL-10, a critical anti-inflammatory cytokine, in turn, attenuated production of pro-inflammatory mediators and, ultimately, macrophage-mediated inflammation in vivo. Together, these findings establish a previously unappreciated role of NELF in constraining transcription of inflammation inhibitors thereby enabling inflammatory macrophage activation.

Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with risk of esophageal cancer (EC). However, investigation of genetic basis from the perspective of systematic biology and integrative genomics remains scarce.In this study, we explored genetic basis of EC based on GWAS data and implemented a series of bioinformatics methods including functional annotation, expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis, pathway enrichment analysis and pathway grouped network analysis.Two hundred and thirteen risk SNPs were identified, in which 44 SNPs were found to have significantly differential gene expression in esophageal tissues by eQTL analysis. By pathway enrichment analysis, 170 risk genes mapped by risk SNPs were enriched into 38 significant GO terms and 17 significant KEGG pathways, which were significantly grouped into 9 sub-networks by pathway grouped network analysis. The 9 groups of interconnected pathways were mainly involved with muscle cell proliferation, cellular response to interleukin-6, cell adhesion molecules, and ethanol oxidation, which might participate in the development of EC.Our findings provide genetic evidence and new insight for exploring the molecular mechanisms of EC.