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Biomedical subjects

Mie Mochizuki

Publications and source records attributed to Mie Mochizuki.

12 recordsLinked to original sources

The association of CTLA4 polymorphism with type 1 diabetes is concentrated in patients complicated with autoimmune thyroid disease: a multicenter collaborative study in Japan.

CONTEXT: Transracial studies are a powerful tool for genetic association studies of multifactorial diseases, such as type 1 diabetes. The low incidence of type 1 diabetes in Asian countries, however, makes it difficult to perform large-scale studies in Asia. OBJECTIVE: To overcome this, we have assembled a multicenter study group in Japan and studied the association of CTLA4 polymorphisms with type 1 diabetes relative to autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) phenotypes. SUBJECTS: Subjects included a total of 1837 samples, including 1114 cases (769 with type 1 diabetes and 345 with AITD) and 723 control subjects. METHODS: The +6230G>A and +49G>A polymorphisms of CTLA4 as well as HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 were genotyped. RESULTS: The +6230G>A polymorphism was significantly associated with type 1 diabetes complicated with AITD (odds ratio, 1.54; P = 0.027) and with AITD alone (odds ratio, 1.31; P = 0.045) but not with type 1 diabetes without AITD. The association with type 1 diabetes positive for autoantibodies to both pancreatic islets and thyroid was particularly strong (odds ratio, 1.87; P = 0.001). Type 1 diabetic patients with the disease-associated GG genotype were characterized by a significantly higher frequency of AITD (P = 0.013), of positivity for both AITD and antiislet autoantibody (P = 0.00086), and of high-risk HLA genotypes (P = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: Given the high frequency of AITD in patients with type 1 diabetes, these data suggest the possibility that the association of CTLA4 with type 1 diabetes in previous studies may have been secondary to AITD, suggesting the importance of subclassification of type 1 diabetes relative to AITD in genetic studies.

Adult↗

Role of 15-deoxy delta(12,14) prostaglandin J2 and Nrf2 pathways in protection against acute lung injury.

RATIONALE: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a disease process that is characterized by diffuse inflammation in the lung parenchyma. Recent studies demonstrated that cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) induced at the late phase of inflammation aids in the resolution of inflammation by generating 15-deoxy-delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2). Transcription factor Nrf2 is activated by electrophiles and exerts antiinflammatory effects by inducing the gene expression of antioxidant and detoxification enzymes. OBJECTIVES: Because 15d-PGJ2 is an endogenous electrophile, we hypothesized that it protects against ALI by activating Nrf2. METHODS: To test this hypothesis, we generated a reversible ALI model by intratracheal injection of carrageenin, an inducer of acute inflammation, whose stimulation has been known to induce COX-2. MAIN RESULTS: We found that ALI induced by carrageenin was markedly exacerbated in Nrf2-knockout mice, compared with wild-type mice. Analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluids also revealed that the magnitude and the duration of acute inflammation, indicated by albumin concentration and the number of neutrophils, were significantly enhanced in Nrf2-knockout mice. Treatment of wild-type mice with NS-398, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, significantly exacerbated ALI to the level of Nrf2-knockout mice. In the lungs of NS-398-treated wild-type mice, both the accumulation of 15d-PGJ2 and the induction of Nrf2 target antioxidant genes were significantly attenuated. Exogenous administration of 15d-PGJ2 reversed the exacerbating effects of NS-398 with the induction of antioxidant genes. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated in vivo that 15d-PGJ2 plays a protective role against ALI by exploiting the Nrf2-mediated transcriptional pathway.

Animals↗

Promoter activity of human tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 gene with novel single nucleotide polymorphisms.

OBJECTIVE: The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) -418G > C in the TIMP2 gene promoter region has been shown to be associated with in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The purpose of this study was to search for novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the TIMP2 promoter region around the -418G > C locus, and to investigate whether any of these SNP, including -418G > C, had an influence on TIMP2 transcription activity. METHODOLOGY: DNA sequencing was performed on a 689 base-pair polymerase chain reaction fragment of the promoter region. The novel SNP were characterized and genotype analysis was performed for COPD and control subjects. A reporter gene assay was performed using the wild-type promoter (-418G/-177C/+34C) and the mutant-type promoter (-418C/-177T/+34A). RESULTS: Nine novel SNP were identified. The SNP -177C > T and +34C > A were in complete linkage disequilibrium with -418G > C. The other seven SNP were not associated with COPD. No significant difference was detected in the reporter gene assay between the activities of the wild-type and the mutant-type promoters. CONCLUSIONS: The SNP -418G > C, -177C > T and +34C > A, might not themselves be functional from a transcriptional point of view in the development of COPD, but may be in linkage disequilibrium with other functional polymorphisms.

Base Pairing↗

Treatment with alpha-galactosylceramide attenuates the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis is an end-stage disorder for which efficacious therapeutic options are not readily available. Although its pathogenesis is poorly understood, pulmonary fibrosis occurs as a result of various inflammations. NKT cells modulate inflammation because of their ability to produce large amounts of cytokines by stimulation with their glycolipid ligand. In the present study, we investigated the effects of alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer), a selective NKT cell ligand, on the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Treatment of mice with alpha-GalCer prolonged their survival under bleomycin administration by attenuating the development of pulmonary fibrosis. The protective effects of alpha-GalCer were associated with an increase in the pulmonary level of IFN-gamma and a decrease in the pulmonary level of fibrogenic cytokines such as TGF-beta and connective tissue growth factor. The initial pulmonary inflammation caused by bleomycin was also attenuated by alpha-GalCer with the reduction of the macrophage inflammatory protein-2 level. The protective effects of alpha-GalCer were markedly reduced in mice lacking NKT cells or as a result of treatment with anti-IFN-gamma Ab. These results suggest that alpha-GalCer suppresses bleomycin-induced acute pulmonary inflammation and thus attenuates the development of pulmonary fibrosis possibly by regulating several cytokine levels.

Acute Disease↗

Transcription factor Nrf2 regulates inflammation by mediating the effect of 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin j(2).

Activated macrophages express high levels of Nrf2, a transcription factor that positively regulates the gene expression of antioxidant and detoxication enzymes. In this study, we examined how Nrf2 contributes to the anti-inflammatory process. As a model system of acute inflammation, we administered carrageenan to induce pleurisy and found that in Nrf2-deficient mice, tissue invasion by neutrophils persisted during inflammation and the recruitment of macrophages was delayed. Using an antibody against 15-deoxy-Delta(12,14)-prostaglandin J(2) (15d-PGJ(2)), it was observed that macrophages from pleural lavage accumulate 15d-PGJ(2). We show that in mouse peritoneal macrophages 15d-PGJ(2) can activate Nrf2 by forming adducts with Keap1, resulting in an Nrf2-dependent induction of heme oxygenase 1 and peroxiredoxin I (PrxI) gene expression. Administration of the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor NS-398 to mice with carrageenan-induced pleurisy caused persistence of neutrophil recruitment and, in macrophages, attenuated the 15d-PGJ(2) accumulation and PrxI expression. Administration of 15d-PGJ(2) into the pleural space of NS-398-treated wild-type mice largely counteracted both the decrease in PrxI and persistence of neutrophil recruitment. In contrast, these changes did not occur in the Nrf2-deficient mice. These results demonstrate that Nrf2 regulates the inflammation process downstream of 15d-PGJ(2) by orchestrating the recruitment of inflammatory cells and regulating the gene expression within those cells.

Animals↗

Distinct diagnostic criteria of fulminant type 1 diabetes based on serum C-peptide response and HbA1c levels at onset.

OBJECTIVE: Diagnostic criteria in fulminant type 1 diabetes, a novel subtype of type 1 diabetes, remain unclear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed basal and longitudinal changes of serum C-peptide levels during a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in 125 consecutively recruited patients with type 1 diabetes including fulminant type 1 diabetes (n = 25) and acute-onset type 1 diabetes (n = 100). Discriminating criteria of fulminant type 1 diabetes were examined using receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The integrated values of serum C-peptide response during OGTT (SigmaC-peptide) in fulminant type 1 diabetes at onset, 1 year, and 2 years after onset were markedly lower than those in acute-onset type 1 diabetes. None of the patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes had improvement of C-peptide response to OGTT. Fasting C-peptide values at onset in fulminant type 1 diabetes were significantly lower than those in acute-onset type 1 diabetes. We established diagnostic criteria of serum C-peptide and HbA(1c) levels at onset that discriminate fulminant type 1 diabetes from acute-onset type 1 diabetes with high sensitivity and specificity: a criterion in which the levels of both the fasting C-peptide is <or=0.033 nmol/l and HbA(1c) is <or=8.0% or a criterion in which the levels of both the SigmaC-peptide is <or=0.540 nmol/l and HbA(1c) is <or=8.0%. CONCLUSIONS: Fulminant type 1 diabetes has extremely low beta-cell function at onset that rarely recovers after onset. Sensitive and specific diagnostic criteria were established for detection of fulminant type 1 diabetes based on serum C-peptide and HbA(1c) levels at onset.

Adolescent↗

Anti-inflammatory activity of creatine supplementation in endothelial cells in vitro.

1 Creatine (CR) supplementation augments muscle strength in skeletal muscle cells by increasing intracellular energy pools. However, the effect of CR supplementation on endothelial cells remains to be clarified. 2 In this study, we investigated whether CR supplementation had any anti-inflammatory activity against human pulmonary endothelial cells in culture. 3 We confirmed that supplementation with 0.5 mM CR significantly increased both intracellular CR and phosphocreatine (PC) through a CR transporter while keeping intracellular ATP levels constant independent of CR supplementation and a CR transporter antagonist. 4 In the assay system of endothelial permeability, supplementation with 5 mM CR significantly suppressed the endothelial permeability induced by serotonin and H(2)O(2). 5 In cell adhesion experiments, supplementation with 5 mM CR significantly suppressed neutrophil adhesion to endothelial cells. 6 In the measurement of adhesion molecules, CR supplementation with more than 0.5 mM CR significantly inhibited the expressions of ICAM-1 and E-selectin on endothelial cells, and the inhibition was significantly suppressed by an adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonist. 7 The present study suggests that CR supplementation has anti-inflammatory activities against endothelial cells.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Association of the CTLA-4 gene 49 A/G polymorphism with type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroid disease in Japanese children.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role of the T-lymphocyte-associated-4 (CTLA-4) polymorphism in the susceptibility to child-onset type 1 diabetes with regard to its clinical characteristics and complications with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) in the Japanese population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The CTLA-4 49 A/G polymorphism was detected by the PCR-restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) method in 97 type 1 diabetic subjects and 20 patients with Graves' disease, a cohort which included 4 patients who also had type 1 diabetes. RESULTS: The genotypes and allele frequencies of this polymorphism did not differ between the type 1 diabetic subjects and the control subjects. The G allele frequency was 63.9% in the type 1 diabetic subjects. The G allele frequency in the subgroup of patients with a high titer of autoantibodies to the GAD antibody (Ab) was 72.9% (P = 0.0499 vs. control subjects); in the subgroup of patients without HLA DRB1*0405, it was 72.6% (P = 0.0271 vs. control subjects); and in the subgroup of patients with a residual beta-cell function, it was 78.6% (P = 0.0391 vs. control subjects). The G allele frequency in the patients with Graves' disease was also significantly higher at 78.1% (P = 0.0405 vs. control subjects). Furthermore, the frequency in our diabetic subjects complicated with Graves' disease was even higher (87.5%). CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that a distinct association exists between the G allele of CTLA-4 and high values of GAD Ab, residual beta-cell function, and the absence of HLA-DRB1*0405.

Adolescent↗

S-carboxymethylcysteine inhibits neutrophil activation mediated by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine.

In this study, the possible mechanisms of action for the inhibitory effects of S-carboxymethylcysteine on the activation of human neutrophils by N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP) were investigated. Preincubation of neutrophils with more than 10 microg/ml of S-carboxymethylcysteine was found to impair neutrophil chemotactic activity toward FMLP, and to inhibit FMLP-mediated neutrophil adherence to pulmonary vascular endothelial cells. Preincubation of neutrophils with 10 and 100 microg/ml of S-carboxymethylcysteine decreased in the production of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP(3)) and diacylglycerol in neutrophils stimulated with FMLP, respectively. Preincubation of neutrophils with S-carboxymethylcysteine did not affect the cellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels in neutrophils stimulated with FMLP. S-carboxymethylcysteine inhibited the enzymatic activity of phosphatidyl inositol-specific phospholipase C in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner. These findings indicate that S-carboxymethylcysteine attenuates FMLP-stimulated neutrophil activation at least in part by inhibiting phosphatidyl inositol-specific phospholipase C-mediated signal transduction.

Carbocysteine↗

Ebselen suppresses late airway responses and airway inflammation in guinea pigs.

Although ebselen, a seleno-organic compound, inhibits inflammation in various animal models, its efficacy as an anti-asthma drug remains to be clarified. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of ebselen on a guinea pig asthma model. Ebselen was orally administered at dosages of 1-20 mg/kg 2 h before an ovalbumin (OA) challenge, and then airway responses, airway inflammation, the generation of superoxide, H(2)O(2), and nitrotyrosine, and the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were evaluated. Sensitized animals challenged with OA aerosol showed dual airflow limitations, i.e., immediate and late airway responses (IAR and LAR). Ebselen significantly inhibited LAR at dosages greater than 10 mg/kg, but did not inhibit IAR at any dosage. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) examination showed that airway inflammation was significantly suppressed by ebselen at 10 mg/kg. The generation of superoxide and H(2)O(2) occurred on endothelial cells of LAR bronchi, and was inhibited by 10 mg/kg of ebselen. Superoxide generation was inhibited by diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI), a NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitor, but not by allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. Immunoreactivities for iNOS and nitrotyrosine were also observed on endothelial cells of LAR bronchi and were abolished in ebselen-treated animals. The present findings suggest that ebselen can be applied as a new therapeutic agent for asthma. The possible mechanisms by which ebselen inhibits LAR likely involve suppression of oxidant formation and iNOS induction in endothelial cells.

Airway Resistance↗

The association of Ala45Thr polymorphism in NeuroD with child-onset Type 1a diabetes in Japanese.

Recently Iwata et al. reported that the polymorphism in NeuroD exon 2(Ala45Thr) was associated with adult-onset Type 1 diabetes in Japanese. Furthermore, the mutations in the NeuroD as a regulator of insulin transcription have been reported to result in Type 2 diabetes. We, therefore, aimed to clarify the role of this Ala45Thr polymorphism in the susceptibility to Type 1a, immune-mediated, diabetes of child-onset Japanese patients. Eighty patients with child-onset Type 1 diabetes were examined along with 121 non-diabetic subjects as the controls. The polymorphism in Ala45Thr was defined using the PCR-RFLP method. The GAD Ab, IA-2 Ab, HLA-DRB1 genotypes and residual beta-cell function at 3 years from onset were evaluated in relation to the difference in this polymorphism. The frequency of the Ala45Thr heterozygotes was significantly higher in the Type 1 diabetic patients than in the controls (21.3 versus 9.9%, P=0.0252). The frequency of loss of beta-cell function was higher in heterozygotes patients than in wild type homozygotes patients (P=0.0112). Type 1 diabetic patients with DRB1*0901 allele showed a significantly higher frequency, 27.9%, of the Ala45Thr variant than the controls (P=0.0041). In conclusion, the Ala45Thr polymorphism contributes to the risk of development of, and to the early deterioration of beta-cell function, in Type 1a diabetes among the Japanese population.

Adolescent↗