Biomedical subjects

Weiping Qin

Publications and source records attributed to Weiping Qin.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Caloric intake and Alzheimer's disease. Experimental approaches and therapeutic implications.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a rapidly growing public health concern with potentially devastating effects. Presently, there are no known cures or effective preventive strategies. While genetic factors are relevant in early-onset cases, they appear to play less of a role in late-onset sporadic AD cases, the most common form of AD. Due to the fact that the disease typically strikes very late in life, delaying symptoms could be as good as a cure for many people. For example, it is now widely accepted that if the onset of the disease could be delayed by even 5 years, the incidence could be cut in half. Both clinical and epidemiological evidence suggests that modification of lifestyle factors such as nutrition may prove crucial to AD management given the mounting experimental evidence suggesting that brain cells are remarkably responsive to "what somebody is doing". Among other nongenetic factors influencing AD, recent studies strongly support the evidence that caloric intake may play a role in the relative risk for AD clinical dementia. Indeed, the effect of diet in AD has been an area of research that has produced promising results, at least experimentally. Most importantly, as mechanistic pathways are defined and their biochemical functions scrutinized, the evidence supporting a direct link between nutrition and AD neuropathology continues to grow. Our work, as well as that of others, has recently resulted in the development of experimental dietary regimens that might promote, attenuate or even reverse features of AD. Most remarkably, while we found that high caloric intake based on saturated fat promotes AD type Beta-amyloidosis, conversely we found that dietary restriction based on reduced carbohydrate intake is able to prevent it. This evidence is very exciting and is, in part, consistent with current epidemiological studies suggesting that obesity and diabetes are associated with a >4-fold increased risk of developing AD. The clarification of the mechanisms through which dietary restriction may beneficially influence AD neuropathology and the eventual discovery of future "mimetics" capable of anti-Beta-amyloidogenic activity will help in the development of "lifestyle therapeutic strategies" in AD and possibly other neurodegenerative disorders.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2006

Neuronal SIRT1 activation as a novel mechanism underlying the prevention of Alzheimer disease amyloid neuropathology by calorie restriction.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+-dependent sirtuins have been identified to be key regulators in the lifespan extending effects of calorie restriction (CR) in a number of species. In this study we report for the first time that promotion of the NAD+-dependent sirtuin, SIRT1-mediated deacetylase activity, may be a mechanism by which CR influences Alzheimer disease (AD)-type amyloid neuropathology. Most importantly, we report that the predicted attenuation of beta-amyloid content in the brain during CR can be reproduced in mouse neurons in vitro by manipulating cellular SIRT1 expression/activity through mechanisms involving the regulation of the serine/threonine Rho kinase ROCK1, known in part for its role in the inhibition of the non-amyloidogenic alpha-secretase processing of the amyloid precursor protein. Conversely, we found that the expression of constitutively active ROCK1 in vitro cultures significantly prevented SIRT1-mediated response, suggesting that alpha-secretase activity is required for SIRT1-mediated prevention of AD-type amyloid neuropathology. Consistently we found that the expression of exogenous human (h) SIRT1 in the brain of hSIRT1 transgenics also resulted in decreased ROCK1 expression and elevated alpha-secretase activity in vivo. These results demonstrate for the first time a role for SIRT1 activation in the brain as a novel mechanism through which CR may influence AD amyloid neuropathology. The study provides a potentially novel pharmacological strategy for AD prevention and/or treatment.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2006

Is there a future for cyclo-oxygenase inhibitors in Alzheimer's disease?

Several epidemiological studies have indicated that the long-term use of NSAIDs, most of which are cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitors, may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. For this reason, anti-inflammatory COX-inhibiting NSAIDs have received increased attention in experimental and therapeutic trials for Alzheimer's disease. However, several recent efforts attempting to demonstrate a therapeutic effect of NSAIDs in Alzheimer's disease have largely failed. Clinicians and scientists currently believe that this lack of success may be attributable to two key problems: (i) clinical trials of NSAIDs have been conducted in patients with late-stage Alzheimer's disease, wherein advanced neurodegeneration may be refractory to anti-inflammatory drug treatment; and (ii) it is not known which of the large family of NSAIDs (i.e. COX-1, COX-2 or mixed inhibitors) is most efficacious in preventing Alzheimer's disease. The wide list of putative functions for COX in the brain, and the significant functional heterogeneity of NSAIDs, which appear to influence the beta-amyloid (Abeta) neuropathology associated with Alzheimer's disease via both COX-dependent and COX-independent pathways, complicate the interpretation of the mechanisms through which COX-inhibiting NSAIDs may beneficially influence Alzheimer's disease. As discussed in this review, for patients at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (e.g. those with mild cognitive impairment), preventative treatment with COX-inhibiting NSAIDs may ultimately represent a viable strategy in the management of clinical Alzheimer's disease. However, the recent evidence showing an increased risk of major cardiovascular events among patients treated with certain COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors leaves many questions unanswered. We suggest that further investigation into the physiological role(s) of COXs in normal health and in disease conditions, and the identification of safer and better tolerated COX inhibitors, will provide renewed impetus to the application of anti-inflammatory strategies for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2006

Calorie restriction attenuates Alzheimer's disease type brain amyloidosis in Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus).

Recent studies from our laboratories and others suggest that calorie restriction (CR) may benefit Alzheimer's disease (AD) by preventing amyloid-beta (Abeta) neuropathology in the mouse models of AD. Moreover, we found that promotion of the NAD+-dependent SIRT1 mediated deacetylase activity, a key regulator in CR extension of life span, may be a mechanism by which CR influences AD-type neuropathology. In this study we continued to explore the role of CR in AD-type brain amyloidosis in Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Monkeys were maintained on the normal and CR diets throughout the entire lifespan until they died of natural causes. We found that 30% CR resulted in reduced contents of Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42 peptides in the temporal cortex of Squirrel monkeys, relative to control (CON) fed monkeys. The decreased contents of cortical Abeta peptide inversely correlated with SIRT1 protein concentrations in the same brain region; no detectable change in total full-length amyloid-beta protein precursor (AbetaPP) level was found. Most interestingly, we found that 30% CR resulted in a select elevation of alpha- but not beta- or gamma- secretase activity which coincided with decreased ROCK1 protein content in the same brain region, relative to CON group. Collectively, the study suggests that investigation of the role of CR in non-human primates may provide a valuable approach for further clarifying the role of CR in AD.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2005

Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in the brain is a downstream effector of insulin resistance- associated promotion of Alzheimer's disease beta-amyloid neuropathology.

The goal of this study was to further explore potential mechanisms through which diabetogenic dietary conditions that result in promotion of insulin resistance (IR), a feature of non-insulin dependant diabetes mellitus (type-2 diabetes), may influence Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using genome-wide array technology, we found that connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a gene product described previously for its involvement in diabetic fibrosis, is elevated in brain tissue in an established mouse model of diet-induced IR. With this evidence we continued to explore the regulation of CTGF in postmortem AD brain tissue and found that CTGF expression correlated with the progression of AD clinical dementia and amyloid neuritic plaque (NP) neuropathology, but not neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) deposition. Consistent with this evidence, we also found that exposure of Tg2576 mice (a model AD-type amyloid neuropathology) to a diabetogenic diet that promotes IR results in a ~2-fold elevation in CTGF steady-state levels in the brain, coincident with a commensurate promotion of AD-type amyloid plaque burden. Finally, using in vitro cellular models of amyloid precursor protein (APP)-processing and Abeta generation/clearance, we confirmed that human recombinant (hr)CTGF may increase Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42 peptide steady-state levels, possibly through a mechanism that involves gamma-secretase activation and decreased insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) steady-state levels in a MAP kinase (MAPK)/ phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3K)/protein kinase-B (AKT)1-dependent manner. The findings in this study tentatively suggest that increased CTGF expression in the brain might be a novel biological predicative factor of AD clinical progression and neuropathology in response to dietary regimens promoting IR conditions.

Aged, 80 and over↗

PubMed2005

Caloric restriction attenuates beta-amyloid neuropathology in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

This study was designed to explore the possibility that caloric restriction (CR) may benefit Alzheimer's disease (AD) by preventing beta-amyloid (Abeta) neuropathology pivotal to the initiation and progression of the disease. We report that a CR dietary regimen prevents Abeta peptides generation and neuritic plaque deposition in the brain of a mouse model of AD neuropathology through mechanisms associated with promotion of anti-amyloidogenic alpha-secretase activity. Study findings support existing epidemiological evidence indicating that caloric intake may influence risk for AD and raises the possibility that CR may be used in preventative measures aimed at delaying the onset of AD amyloid neuropathology.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed2004

Diet-induced insulin resistance promotes amyloidosis in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Recent epidemiological evidence indicates that insulin resistance, a proximal cause of Type II diabetes [a non-insulin dependent form of diabetes mellitus (NIDDM)], is associated with an increased relative risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study we examined the role of dietary conditions leading to NIDDM-like insulin resistance on amyloidosis in Tg2576 mice, which model AD-like neuropathology. We found that diet-induced insulin resistance promoted amyloidogenic beta-amyloid (Abeta) Abeta1-40 and Abeta1-42 peptide generation in the brain that corresponded with increased gamma-secretase activities and decreased insulin degrading enzyme (IDE) activities. Moreover, increased Abeta production also coincided with increased AD-type amyloid plaque burden in the brain and impaired performance in a spatial water maze task. Further exploration of the apparent interrelationship of insulin resistance to brain amyloidosis revealed a functional decrease in insulin receptor (IR)-mediated signal transduction in the brain, as suggested by decreased IR beta-subunit (IRbeta) Y1162/1163 autophosphorylation and reduced phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3)-kinase/pS473-AKT/Protein kinase (PK)-B in these same brain regions. This latter finding is of particular interest given the known inhibitory role of AKT/PKB on glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3alpha activity, which has previously been shown to promote Abeta peptide generation. Most interestingly, we found that decreased pS21-GSK-3alpha and pS9-GSK-3beta phosphorylation, which is an index of GSK activation, positively correlated with the generation of brain C-terminal fragment (CTF)-gamma cleavage product of amyloid precursor protein, an index of gamma-secretase activity, in the brain of insulin-resistant relative to normoglycemic Tg2576 mice. Our study is consistent with the hypothesis that insulin resistance may be an underlying mechanism responsible for the observed increased relative risk for AD neuropathology, and presents the first evidence to suggest that IR signaling can influence Abeta production in the brain.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2004

[Purification and partial characterization of hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) expressed in Escherichia coli].

It has been suggested that non-structural protein 5A (NS5A) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may have a regulatory role similar to other RNA viruses in RNA replication. In order to investigate the replication function of NS5A, we tried to purify recombinant His(6) tagged NS5A expressed in Escherichia coli by a denature-renaturing method. The native lysis buffer was used to remove most of the soluble non-specific proteins. His-NS5A protein was solublized with the denaturing lysis buffer containing 8 mol/L Urea, and then bound to Ni2+ -NTA resin. The protein bound resin was successively washed with buffer containing reducing concentrations of Urea in the presence of NaCl and DTT to renature the protein. The renatured His-NS5A protein was eluted from the resin and it was capable of interacting with glutathione S-transferase fused form NS5Bt (GST-NS5Bt). The purified His-NS5A exhibited an inhibitory effect on RNA-dependent RNA Polymerase (RdRP) activity of GST-NS5Bt in vitro. Conclusively, in this study, we have established a purification method of bacterial recombinant HCV NS5A, and the results support the notion that NS5A may involve in the regulation of HCV replication through direct interaction with NS5B.

DNA Primers↗

PubMed2003

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and COX-1 potentiate beta-amyloid peptide generation through mechanisms that involve gamma-secretase activity.

In previous studies we found that overexpression of the inducible form of cyclooxygenase, COX-2, in the brain exacerbated beta-amyloid (A beta) neuropathology in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. To explore the mechanism through which COX may influence A beta amyloidosis, we used an adenoviral gene transfer system to study the effects of human (h)COX-1 and hCOX-2 isoform expression on A beta peptide generation. We found that expression of hCOXs in human amyloid precursor protein (APP)-overexpressing (Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-APPswe) cells or human neuroglioma (H4-APP751) cells resulting in 10-25 nM prostaglandin (PG)-E2 concentration in the conditioned medium coincided with an approximately 1.8-fold elevation of A beta-(1-40) and A beta-(1-42) peptide generation and an approximately 1.8-fold induction of the C-terminal fragment (CTF)-gamma cleavage product of the APP, an index of gamma-secretase activity. Treatment of APP-overexpressing cells with the non-selective COX inhibitor ibuprofen (1 microM, 48 h) or with the specific gamma-secretase inhibitor L-685,458 significantly attenuated hCOX-1- and hCOX-2-mediated induction of A beta peptide generation and CTF-gamma cleavage product formation. Based on this evidence, we next tested the hypothesis that COX expression might promote A beta peptide generation via a PG-E2-mediated mechanism. We found that exposure of CHO-APPswe or human embryonic kidney (HEK-APPswe) cells to PG-E2 (11-deoxy-PG-E2) at a concentration (10 nM) within the range of PG-E2 found in hCOX-expressing cells similarly promoted (approximately 1.8-fold) the generation of the CTF-gamma cleavage product of APP and commensurate A beta-(1-40) and A beta-(1-42) peptide elevation. The study suggests that expression of COXs may influence A beta peptide generation through mechanisms that involve PG-E2-mediated potentiation of gamma-secretase activity, further supporting a role for COX-2 and COX-1 in Alzheimer's disease neuropathology.

Alzheimer Disease↗

PubMed2003

Highly concentrated Si1-xCx alloy with an ordered superstructure.

An ordered Si-C alloy was observed in the products resulting from thermal reduction of molybdenum disilicide heating rods. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements indicate that the Si1-xCx alloy with x approximately 25% is pure, single crystalline, and possesses a superlattice structure. The superlattice periodicity occurs along the diamond [001] direction and corresponds to the quintupling of the primary (002) periodicity. The possible growth mechanism is discussed. The Mo element is likely to play a crucial role in the growth process of the Si1-xCx alloy, since it can both reduce the energy required for breaking up C clusters and contribute to surface modification, which are of great benefit to enhance the carbon concentration and induce an ordered structure.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Direct interaction between nucleolin and hepatitis C virus NS5B.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), a central catalytic enzyme in HCV replication. While studying the subcellular localization of a NS5B mutant lacking the C-terminal membrane-anchoring domain, NS5Bt, we found that expression of the green fluorescent protein (GFP)-fused form was exclusively nucleolar. Interestingly, the distribution of endogenous nucleolin changed greatly in the cells expressing GFP-NS5B, with nucleolin colocalized with GFP-NS5B in perinuclear regions in addition to the nucleolus, suggesting that NS5B retains the ability to bind nucleolin. The interaction between nucleolin and NS5B was demonstrated by GST pull-down assay. GST pull-down assay results indicated that C-terminal region of nucleolin was important for its binding to NS5B. Scanning clustered alanine substitution mutants library of NS5B revealed two sites on NS5B that binds nucleolin. NS5B amino acids 208-214 and 500-506 were both found to be indispensable for the nucleolin binding. We reported that the latter sequence is essential for oligomerization of NS5B, which is a prerequisite for the RdRP activity. C-terminal nucleolin inhibited the NS5B RdRP activity in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, this indicates the binding ability of nucleolin may be involved in NS5B functions.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A binds RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) NS5B and modulates RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5B is RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), the essential catalytic enzyme for HCV replication. Recently, NS5A has been reported to be important for the establishment of HCV replication in vitro by the adaptive mutations, although its role in viral replication remains uncertain. Here we report that purified bacterial recombinant NS5A and NS5B directly interact with each other in vitro, detected by glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down assay. Furthermore, complex formation of these proteins transiently coexpressed in mammalian cells was detected by coprecipitation. Using terminally and internally truncated NS5A, two discontinuous regions of NS5A (amino acids 105-162 and 277-334) outside of the adaptive mutations were identified to be independently essential for the binding both in vivo and in vitro (Yamashita, T., Kaneko, S., Shirota, Y., Qin, W., Nomura, T., Kobayashi, K., and Mkyrakami, S. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 15479-15486). We previously examined the effect of His-NS5A on RdRP activity of the soluble recombinant NS5Bt in vitro (see Yamashita et al. above). Wild NS5A weakly stimulated at first (when less than 0.1 molar ratio to NS5B) and then inhibited the NS5Bt RdRP activity in a dose-dependent manner. The internal deletion mutants defective in NS5B binding exhibited no inhibitory effect, indicating that the NS5B binding is necessary for the inhibition. Taken together, our results support the idea that NS5A modulates HCV replication as a component of replication complex.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Oligomeric interaction of hepatitis C virus NS5B is critical for catalytic activity of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.

HCV NS5B is an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), a central catalytic enzyme for HCV replication, which has the "palm and fingers" substructure. We recently identified five novel residues critical for RdRP activity (Qin, W., Yamashita, T., Shirota, Y., Lin, Y., Wei, W., and Murakami, S. (2001) Hepatology 33, 728-737). Among them, GLU-18 and His-502, far from the catalytic center, may be involved in conformational change(s) for RdRP activity as addressed in some palm and fingers enzymes. We examined the possibility that NS5B is oligomerized, and we could detect the interaction between two different tagged NS5B proteins in vitro and transiently expressed in mammalian cells. By scanning 27 clustered and then point alanine substitutions in vivo and in vitro, Glu-18 and His-502 were found to be critical for the homomeric interaction in vivo and in vitro, strongly suggesting a close relationship between the oligomerization and RdRP activity of NS5B. All mutants with substitutions at these two residues failed to bind wild type NS5B, however E18H interacted with H502E in vitro and in vivo. Interestingly, the NS5B protein with E18H or H502E did not exhibit RdRP activity, but a mixture of the two mutant proteins did. These results clearly indicate that two residues of HCV NS5B are critical for the oligomerization that is prerequisite to RdRP activity.

Amino Acids↗