CCL28 is a CC chemokine signaling via CCR10 and CCR3 that is selectively expressed in certain mucosal tissues such as exocrine glands, trachea, and colon. Notably, these tissues commonly secrete low-salt fluids. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that salivary glands expressed CCL28 mRNA at the highest levels among various mouse tissues. Single cells prepared from mouse parotid glands indeed contained a major fraction of CD3−B220low cells that expressed CCR10 at high levels and CCR3 at low levels and responded to CCL28 in chemotaxis assays. Morphologically, these cells are typical plasma cells. By immunohistochemistry, acinar epithelial cells in human and mouse salivary glands were strongly positive for CCL28. Furthermore, human saliva and milk were found to contain CCL28 at high concentrations. Moreover, the C terminus of human CCL28 has a significant sequence similarity to histatin-5, a histidine-rich candidacidal peptide in human saliva. Subsequently, we demonstrated that human and mouse CCL28 had a potent antimicrobial activity against Candida albicans, Gram-negative bacteria, and Gram-positive bacteria. The C-terminal 28-aa peptide of human CCL28 also displayed a selective candidacidal activity. In contrast, CCL27, which is most similar to CCL28 and shares CCR10, showed no such potent antimicrobial activity. Like most other antimicrobial peptides, CCL28 exerted its antimicrobial activity in low-salt conditions and rapidly induced membrane permeability in target microbes. Collectively, CCL28 may play dual roles in mucosal immunity as a chemoattractant for cells expressing CCR10 and/or CCR3 such as plasma cells and also as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial protein secreted into low-salt body fluids.

CCL25 (also known as thymus-expressed chemokine) and CCL28 (also known as mucosae-associated epithelial chemokine) play important roles in mucosal immunity by recruiting IgA Ab-secreting cells (ASCs) into mucosal lamina propria. However, their exact roles in vivo still remain to be defined. In this study, we first demonstrated in mice that IgA ASCs in small intestine expressed CCR9, CCR10, and CXCR4 on the cell surface and migrated to their respective ligands CCL25, CCL28, and CXCL12 (also known as stromal cell-derived factor 1), whereas IgA ASCs in colon mainly expressed CCR10 and CXCR4 and migrated to CCL28 and CXCL12. Reciprocally, the epithelial cells of small intestine were immunologically positive for CCL25 and CCL28, whereas those of colon were positive for CCL28 and CXCL12. Furthermore, the venular endothelial cells in small intestine were positive for CCL25 and CCL28, whereas those in colon were positive for CCL28, suggesting their direct roles in extravasation of IgA ASCs. Consistently, in mice orally immunized with cholera toxin (CT), anti-CCL25 suppressed homing of CT-specific IgA ASCs into small intestine, whereas anti-CCL28 suppressed homing of CT-specific IgA ASCs into both small intestine and colon. Reciprocally, CT-specific ASCs and IgA titers in the blood were increased in mice treated with anti-CCL25 or anti-CCL28. Anti-CXCL12 had no such effects. Finally, both CCL25 and CCL28 were capable of enhancing α4 integrin-dependent adhesion of IgA ASCs to mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule-1 and VCAM-1. Collectively, CCL25 and CCL28 play essential roles in intestinal homing of IgA ASCs primarily by mediating their extravasation into intestinal lamina propria.

The establishment of effective therapeutic interventions for prion diseases is necessary. We report on a newly developed amyloidophilic compound that displays therapeutic efficacy when administered orally. This compound inhibited abnormal prion protein formation in prion-infected neuroblastoma cells in a prion straindependent manner: effectively for RML prion and marginally for 22L prion and Fukuoka-1 prion. When the highest dose (0.2% [wt/wt] in feed) was given orally to cerebrally RML prion-inoculated mice from inoculation until the terminal stage of disease, it extended the incubation periods by 2.3 times compared to the control. The compound exerted therapeutic efficacy in a prion strain-dependent manner such as that observed in the cell culture study: most effective for RML prion, less effective for 22L prion or Fukuoka-1 prion, and marginally effective for 263K prion. Its effectiveness depended on an earlier start of administration. The glycoform pattern of the abnormal prion protein in the treated mice was modified and showed predominance of the diglycosylated form, which resembled that of 263K prion, suggesting that diglycosylated forms of abnormal prion protein might be least sensitive or resistant to the compound. The mechanism of the prion strain-dependent effectiveness needs to be elucidated and managed. Nevertheless, the identification of an orally available amyloidophilic chemical encourages the pursuit of chemotherapy for prion diseases.

Our findings indicate that the patient has somatic mosaicism of a novel NLRC4 mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first case showing that somatic mutation of NLRC4 causes autoinflammatory symptoms compatible with NOMID. The present study demonstrates the significance of prospective genetic screening combined with iPSC-based phenotype dissection for individualized diagnoses.

Our data support the significance of ligand-independent autoinflammation in the pathophysiology of Blau syndrome. Our comprehensive isogenic disease-specific iPSC panel provides a useful platform for probing therapeutic and diagnostic clues for the treatment of patients with Blau syndrome.

No abstract

The electrochemical window of solid electrolytes (SEs) plays a crucial role in designing active material-SE interfaces in high-energy-density all-solidstate batteries (ASSBs). However, the suitable electrochemical window for individual active materials is not yet investigated, as the electrochemical window of SEs is overestimated. In this study, the oxidation onset voltages (OOVs) of several SEs, namely those compatible with Li 2 S as a high-capacity positive electrode material are determined. Results reveal that SEs with low OOVs decrease the capacity and increase the interfacial resistance of the corresponding ASSBs. The OOVs of SEs must exceed that of Li 2 S by more than 0.2 V to achieve high capacity, which in turn depends on SE ionic conductivity. Therefore, an Li 2 S positive electrode is combined with pseudobinary Li-oxyacid salts as SEs, exhibiting high OOVs and ionic conductivities, to afford a high-capacity (500 Wh kg −1 ) ASSB with high Li 2 S content.

SummaryNakajo-Nishimura syndrome (NNS) is an immunoproteasome-associated autoinflammatory disorder caused by a mutation of the PSMB8 gene. Although dysfunction of the immunoproteasome causes various cellular stresses attributed to the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in NNS, the underlying mechanisms of the autoinflammation are still largely unknown. To investigate and understand the mechanisms and signal pathways in NNS, we established a panel of isogenic pluripotent stem cell (PSC) lines with PSMB8 mutation. Activity of the immunoproteasome in PSMB8-mutant PSC-derived myeloid cell lines (MT-MLs) was reduced even without stimulation compared with non-mutant-MLs. In addition, MT-MLs showed an overproduction of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, with elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and phosphorylated p38 MAPK levels. Treatment with p38 MAPK inhibitor and antioxidants decreased the abnormal production of cytokines and chemokines. The current PSC model revealed a specific ROS-mediated inflammatory pathway, providing a platform for the discovery of alternative therapeutic options for NNS and related immunoproteasome disorders.