1 681 181 BRAIN LIPOTOXICITY OF PHYTANIC ACID AND VERY LONG-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS. HARMFUL CELLULAR/MITOCHONDRIAL ACTIVITIES IN REFSUM DISEASE AND X-LINKED ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY. IT IS INCREASINGLY UNDERSTOOD THAT IN THE AGING BRAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE CASE OF PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, SOME FATTY ACIDS AT PATHOLOGICALLY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS EXERT DETRIMENTAL ACTIVITIES. TO STUDY SUCH ACTIVITIES, WE HERE ANALYZE GENETIC DISEASES, WHICH ARE DUE TO COMPROMISED METABOLISM OF SPECIFIC FATTY ACIDS, EITHER THE BRANCHED-CHAIN PHYTANIC ACID OR VERY LONG-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS (VLCFAS). MICROMOLAR CONCENTRATIONS OF PHYTANIC ACID OR OF VLCFAS DISTURB THE INTEGRITY OF NEURAL CELLS BY IMPAIRING CA(2+) HOMEOSTASIS, ENHANCING OXIDATIVE STRESS OR DE-ENERGIZING MITOCHONDRIA. FINALLY, THESE COMBINED HARMFUL ACTIVITIES ACCELERATE CELL DEATH. MITOCHONDRIA ARE MORE SEVERELY TARGETED BY PHYTANIC ACID THAN BY VLCFAS. THE INSERTION OF VLCFAS INTO THE INNER MEMBRANE DISTORTS THE ARRANGEMENT OF MEMBRANE CONSTITUENTS AND THEIR FUNCTIONAL INTERACTIONS. PHYTANIC ACID EXERTS SPECIFIC PROTONOPHORIC ACTIVITY, INDUCES REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) GENERATION, AND REDUCES ATP GENERATION. A CLEAR INHIBITION OF THE NA(+), K(+)-ATPASE ACTIVITY BY PHYTANIC ACID HAS ALSO BEEN REPORTED. IN ADDITION TO THE INSTANTANEOUS EFFECTS, A CHRONIC EXPOSURE OF BRAIN CELLS TO LOW MICROMOLAR CONCENTRATIONS OF PHYTANIC ACID MAY PRODUCE NEURONAL DAMAGE IN REFSUM DISEASE BY ALTERING EPIGENETIC TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION. MYELIN-PRODUCING OLIGODENDROCYTES RESPOND WITH PARTICULAR SENSITIVITY TO VLCFAS. DELETERIOUS ACTIVITY OF VLCFAS ON ENERGY-DEPENDENT MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTIONS DECLINES WITH INCREASING THE HYDROCARBON CHAIN LENGTH (C22:0 > C24:0 > C26:0). IN CONTRAST, THE REVERSE SEQUENCE HOLDS TRUE FOR CELL DEATH INDUCTION BY VLCFAS (C22:0 < C24:0 < C26:0). IN ADRENOLEUKODYSTROPHY, THE UPTAKE OF VLCFAS BY PEROXISOMES IS IMPAIRED BY DEFECTS OF THE ABCD1 TRANSPORTER. STUDYING MITOCHONDRIA FROM ABCD1-DEFICIENT AND WILD-TYPE MICE PROVES THAT THE ENERGY-DEPENDENT FUNCTIONS ARE NOT ALTERED IN THE DISEASE MODEL. THUS, A DEFECTIVE ABCD1 APPARENTLY EXERTS NO OBVIOUS ADAPTIVE PRESSURE ON MITOCHONDRIA. FURTHER RESEARCH HAS TO ELUCIDATE THE DETAILED MECHANISTIC BASIS FOR THE FAILURES CAUSING FATTY ACID-MEDIATED NEURODEGENERATION AND SHOULD HELP TO PROVIDE POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTIONS. 2016 2 238 33 ADENOSINE KINASE: A KEY REGULATOR OF PURINERGIC PHYSIOLOGY. ADENOSINE (ADO) IS AN ESSENTIAL BIOMOLECULE FOR LIFE THAT PROVIDES CRITICAL REGULATION OF ENERGY UTILIZATION AND HOMEOSTASIS. ADENOSINE KINASE (ADK) IS AN EVOLUTIONARY ANCIENT RIBOKINASE DERIVED FROM BACTERIAL SUGAR KINASES THAT IS WIDELY EXPRESSED IN ALL FORMS OF LIFE, TISSUES AND ORGAN SYSTEMS THAT TIGHTLY REGULATES INTRACELLULAR AND EXTRACELLULAR ADO CONCENTRATIONS. THE FACILE ABILITY OF ADK TO ALTER ADO AVAILABILITY PROVIDES A "SITE AND EVENT" SPECIFICITY TO THE ENDOGENOUS PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF ADO IN SITUATIONS OF CELLULAR STRESS. IN ADDITION TO MODULATING THE ABILITY OF ADO TO ACTIVATE ITS COGNATE RECEPTORS (P1 RECEPTORS), NUCLEAR ADK ISOFORM ACTIVITY HAS BEEN LINKED TO EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS BASED ON TRANSMETHYLATION PATHWAYS. PREVIOUS DRUG DISCOVERY RESEARCH HAS TARGETED ADK INHIBITION AS A THERAPEUTIC APPROACH TO MANAGE EPILEPSY, PAIN, AND INFLAMMATION. THESE EFFORTS GENERATED MULTIPLE CLASSES OF HIGHLY POTENT AND SELECTIVE INHIBITORS. HOWEVER, CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT OF EARLY ADK INHIBITORS WAS STOPPED DUE TO APPARENT MECHANISTIC TOXICITY AND THE LACK OF SUITABLE TRANSLATIONAL MARKERS. NEW INSIGHTS REGARDING THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF THE NUCLEAR ADK ISOFORM (ADK-LONG) IN THE EPIGENETIC MODULATION OF MALADAPTIVE DNA METHYLATION OFFERS THE POSSIBILITY OF IDENTIFYING NOVEL ADK-ISOFORM SELECTIVE INHIBITORS AND NEW INTERVENTIONAL STRATEGIES THAT ARE INDEPENDENT OF ADO RECEPTOR ACTIVATION. 2021 3 1679 35 DRUG RESISTANCE IN GIARDIA DUODENALIS. GIARDIA DUODENALIS IS A MICROAEROPHILIC PARASITE OF THE HUMAN GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT AND A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DIARRHEAL AND POST-INFECTIOUS CHRONIC GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE WORLD-WIDE. TREATMENT OF G. DUODENALIS INFECTION CURRENTLY RELIES ON A SMALL NUMBER OF DRUG CLASSES. NITROHETEROCYCLICS, IN PARTICULAR METRONIDAZOLE, HAVE REPRESENTED THE FRONT LINE TREATMENT FOR THE LAST 40 YEARS. NITROHETEROCYCLIC-RESISTANT G. DUODENALIS HAVE BEEN ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS AND CREATED IN VITRO, PROMPTING CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH INTO THE BIOMOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE. THESE COMPOUNDS ARE REDOX-ACTIVE AND ARE BELIEVED TO DAMAGE PROTEINS AND DNA AFTER BEING ACTIVATED BY OXIDOREDUCTASE ENZYMES IN METABOLICALLY ACTIVE CELLS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE EXPLORE THE MOLECULAR PHENOTYPES OF NITROHETEROCYCLIC-RESISTANT G. DUODENALIS DESCRIBED TO DATE IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROTIST'S UNUSUAL GLYCOLYTIC AND ANTIOXIDANT SYSTEMS. WE PROPOSE THAT RESISTANCE MECHANISMS ARE LIKELY TO EXTEND WELL BEYOND CURRENTLY DESCRIBED RESISTANCE-ASSOCIATED ENZYMES (I.E., PYRUVATE FERREDOXIN OXIDOREDUCTASES AND NITROREDUCTASES), TO INCLUDE NAD(P)H- AND FLAVIN-GENERATING PATHWAYS, AND POSSIBLY REDOX-SENSITIVE EPIGENETIC REGULATION. MECHANISMS THAT ALLOW G. DUODENALIS TO TOLERATE OXIDATIVE STRESS MAY LEAD TO RESISTANCE AGAINST BOTH OXYGEN AND NITROHETEROCYCLICS, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL CONTROL. THE PRESENT REVIEW HIGHLIGHTS THE POTENTIAL FOR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY TOOLS AND ADVANCED BIOINFORMATICS TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE MULTIFACETED MECHANISMS OF NITROHETEROCYCLIC RESISTANCE IN THIS IMPORTANT PATHOGEN. 2015 4 760 28 CASZ1: CURRENT IMPLICATIONS IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND CANCERS. CASTOR ZINC FINGER 1 (CASZ1) IS A C2H2 ZINC FINGER FAMILY PROTEIN THAT HAS TWO SPLICING VARIANTS, CASZ1A AND CASZ1B. IT IS INVOLVED IN MULTIPLE PHYSIOLOGICAL PROCESSES, SUCH AS TISSUE DIFFERENTIATION AND ALDOSTERONE ANTAGONISM. GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERNATIONS OF CASZ1 HAVE BEEN CHARACTERIZED IN MULTIPLE CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS, SUCH AS CONGENITAL HEART DISEASES, CHRONIC VENOUS DISEASES, AND HYPERTENSION. HOWEVER, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW CASZ1 MECHANICALLY PARTICIPATES IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF THESE DISEASES. OVER THE PAST DECADES, AT FIRST GLANCE, PARADOXICAL INFLUENCES ON CELL BEHAVIORS AND PROGRESSIONS OF DIFFERENT CANCER TYPES HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED FOR CASZ1, WHICH MAY BE EXPLAINED BY A "DOUBLE-AGENT" ROLE FOR CASZ1. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE PHYSIOLOGICAL FUNCTION OF CASZ1, AND FOCUS ON THE ASSOCIATION OF CASZ1 ABERRATIONS WITH THE PATHOGENESIS OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND CANCERS. 2023 5 5511 27 RIBONUCLEASES IN TUMOR GROWTH. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES DATA ON AMBIGUOUS BIOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF RIBONUCLEASES (RNASES) AT TUMOR GROWTH. IN SOME CASES THE RAISED LEVEL OF ENZYME ACTIVITY IN BIOLOGICAL FLUIDS CAN BE REGARDED AS AN ADDITIONAL MARKER OF MALIGNANT GROWTH (PANCREAS CANCER, CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA, ETC.). AT THE SAME TIME THE ACTIVITY OF RNASES IS OFTEN LOWERED IN TUMOR TISSUE. HIGH SUBSTRATE SPECIFICITY OF PARTICULAR RNASES PROVIDES METABOLIC BALANCE BETWEEN VARIOUS KINDS OF RNAS WITH VARIOUS HALF-TIME EXCHANGE TURN. RNASES ARE THE IMPORTANT FACTORS OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE ACTIVITY IN CELLS. THE ACTIVITY OF RNASES IS ADJUSTABLE BY INHIBITORS AND OTHER FACTORS, AND DEFINES TIME OF EXISTENCE OF DIFFERENT KINDS OF RNAS. RNASES (THE MODIFIED VARIANTS OF RNASE A, RNASES OF SEMEN FLUID OF THE CATTLE, RNASE OF AMPHIBIA OOCYTES) CAN BE USED AS ANTI-TUMOR THERAPEUTIC AGENTS. ON THE OTHER HAND, SOME INHIBITORS OF RNASES OF NATURAL OR SYNTHETIC ORIGIN WERE DEMONSTRATED TO BE PERSPECTIVE DRUGS THAT INHIBIT TUMOR GROWTH. 2009 6 2640 30 EPIGENOMIC AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING IDENTIFIES IMPAIRED GLYOXYLATE DETOXIFICATION IN NAFLD AS A RISK FACTOR FOR HYPEROXALURIA. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS (E.G. DNA METHYLATION) IN NAFLD AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO DISEASE PROGRESSION AND EXTRAHEPATIC COMPLICATIONS ARE POORLY EXPLORED. HERE, WE USE AN INTEGRATED EPIGENOME AND TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF MOUSE NAFLD HEPATOCYTES AND IDENTIFY ALTERATIONS IN GLYOXYLATE METABOLISM, A PATHWAY RELEVANT IN KIDNEY DAMAGE VIA OXALATE RELEASE-A HARMFUL WASTE PRODUCT AND KIDNEY STONE-PROMOTING FACTOR. DOWNREGULATION AND HYPERMETHYLATION OF ALANINE-GLYOXYLATE AMINOTRANSFERASE (AGXT), WHICH DETOXIFIES GLYOXYLATE, PREVENTING EXCESSIVE OXALATE ACCUMULATION, IS ACCOMPANIED BY INCREASED OXALATE FORMATION AFTER METABOLISM OF THE PRECURSOR HYDROXYPROLINE. VIRAL-MEDIATED AGXT TRANSFER OR INHIBITING HYDROXYPROLINE CATABOLISM RESCUES EXCESSIVE OXALATE RELEASE. IN HUMAN STEATOTIC HEPATOCYTES, AGXT IS ALSO DOWNREGULATED AND HYPERMETHYLATED, AND IN NAFLD ADOLESCENTS, STEATOSIS SEVERITY CORRELATES WITH URINARY OXALATE EXCRETION. THUS, THIS WORK IDENTIFIES A REDUCED CAPACITY OF THE STEATOTIC LIVER TO DETOXIFY GLYOXYLATE, TRIGGERING ELEVATED OXALATE, AND PROVIDES A MECHANISTIC EXPLANATION FOR THE INCREASED RISK OF KIDNEY STONES AND CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN NAFLD PATIENTS. 2021 7 768 42 CD47 (CLUSTER OF DIFFERENTIATION 47). CD47, ALSO KNOWN AS INTEGRIN-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN, IS A CONSTITUTIVELY AND UBIQUITOUSLY EXPRESSED TRANSMEMBRANE RECEPTOR. CD47 IS CONSERVED ACROSS AMNIOTES INCLUDING MAMMALS, REPTILES, AND BIRDS. EXPRESSION IS INCREASED IN MANY CANCERS AND, IN NON-MALIGNANT CELLS, BY STRESS AND WITH AGING. THE UP-REGULATION OF CD47 EXPRESSION IS GENERALLY EPIGENETIC, WHEREAS GENE AMPLIFICATION OCCURS WITH LOW FREQUENCY IN SOME CANCERS. CD47 IS A HIGH AFFINITY SIGNALING RECEPTOR FOR THE SECRETED PROTEIN THROMBOSPONDIN-1 (THBS1) AND THE COUNTER-RECEPTOR FOR SIGNAL REGULATORY PROTEIN-ALPHA (SIRPA, SIRPALPHA) AND SIRPGAMMA (SIRPG). CD47 INTERACTION WITH SIRPALPHA SERVES AS A MARKER OF SELF TO INNATE IMMUNE CELLS AND THEREBY PROTECTS CANCER CELLS FROM PHAGOCYTIC CLEARANCE. CONSEQUENTLY, HIGHER CD47 CORRELATES WITH A POOR PROGNOSIS IN SOME CANCERS, AND THERAPEUTIC BLOCKADE CAN SUPPRESS TUMOR GROWTH BY ENHANCING INNATE ANTITUMOR IMMUNITY. CD47 EXPRESSED ON CYTOTOXIC T CELLS, DENDRITIC CELLS, AND NK CELLS MEDIATES INHIBITORY THBS1 SIGNALING THAT FURTHER LIMITS ANTITUMOR IMMUNITY. CD47 LATERALLY ASSOCIATES WITH SEVERAL INTEGRINS AND THEREBY REGULATES CELL ADHESION AND MIGRATION. CD47 HAS ADDITIONAL LATERAL BINDING PARTNERS IN SPECIFIC CELL TYPES, AND LIGATION OF CD47 IN SOME CASES MODULATES THEIR FUNCTION. THBS1-CD47 SIGNALING IN NON-MALIGNANT CELLS INHIBITS NITRIC OXIDE/CGMP, CALCIUM, AND VEGF SIGNALING, MITOCHONDRIAL HOMEOSTASIS, STEM CELL MAINTENANCE, PROTECTIVE AUTOPHAGY, AND DNA DAMAGE RESPONSE, AND PROMOTES NADPH OXIDASE ACTIVITY. CD47 SIGNALING IS A PHYSIOLOGICAL REGULATOR OF PLATELET ACTIVATION, ANGIOGENESIS AND BLOOD FLOW. THBS1/CD47 SIGNALING IS FREQUENTLY DYSREGULATED IN CHRONIC DISEASES. 2021 8 3130 47 GLAST BUT NOT LEAST--DISTRIBUTION, FUNCTION, GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS OF L-GLUTAMATE TRANSPORT IN BRAIN--FOCUS ON GLAST/EAAT1. SYNAPTICALLY RELEASED L-GLUTAMATE, THE MOST IMPORTANT EXCITATORY NEUROTRANSMITTER IN THE CNS, IS REMOVED FROM EXTRACELLULAR SPACE BY FAST AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORT MEDIATED BY SEVERAL TRANSPORTERS; THE MOST ABUNDANT ONES ARE EAAT1/GLAST AND EAAT2/GLT1. THE REVIEW FIRST SUMMARIZES THEIR LOCATION, FUNCTIONS AND BASIC CHARACTERISTICS. WE THEN LOOK AT GENETICS AND EPIGENETICS OF EAAT1/GLAST AND EAAT2/GLT1 AND PERFORM IN SILICO ANALYSES OF THEIR PROMOTER REGIONS. THERE IS ONE CPG ISLAND IN SLC1A2 (EAAT2/GLT1) GENE AND NONE IN SLC1A3 (EAAT1/GLAST) SUGGESTING THAT DNA METHYLATION IS NOT THE MOST IMPORTANT EPIGENETIC MECHANISM REGULATING EAAT1/GLAST LEVELS IN BRAIN. THERE ARE TARGETS FOR SPECIFIC MIRNA IN SLC1A2 (EAAT2/GLT1) GENE. WE ALSO NOTE THAT WHILE DEFECTS IN EAAT2/GLT1 HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH VARIOUS PATHOLOGICAL STATES INCLUDING CHRONIC NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ON POSSIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DEFECTIVE OR DYSFUNCTIONAL EAAT1/GLAST TO ANY SPECIFIC BRAIN DISEASE. FINALLY, WE REVIEW EVIDENCE OF EAAT1/GLAST INVOLVEMENT IN MECHANISMS OF BRAIN RESPONSE TO ALCOHOLISM AND PRESENT SOME PRELIMINARY DATA SHOWING THAT ETHANOL, AT CONCENTRATIONS WHICH MAY BE REACHED FOLLOWING HEAVY DRINKING, CAN HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF EAAT1/GLAST IN CULTURED ASTROCYTES; THE EFFECT IS BLOCKED BY BACLOFEN, A GABA-B RECEPTOR AGONIST AND A DRUG POTENTIALLY USEFUL IN THE TREATMENT OF ALCOHOLISM. WE ARGUE THAT MORE RESEARCH EFFORT SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON EAAT1/GLAST, PARTICULARLY IN RELATION TO ALCOHOLISM AND DRUG ADDICTION. 2015 9 2818 17 FIBROSIS UNDER ARREST. APPROXIMATELY 5% OF PEOPLE THAT ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR ANY REASON DEVELOP ACUTE KIDNEY FAILURE, WHICH, IN SOME CASES, PROGRESSES TO A CHRONIC CONDITION RESULTING IN FIBROSIS OF THE KIDNEY AND PERMANENT CHANGES IN THE ORGAN'S FUNCTION. TWO NEW STUDIES SUGGEST THAT CELL CYCLE ARREST OF EPITHELIAL CELLS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS HAVE KEY ROLES IN THE SWITCH TO CHRONIC DISEASE (PAGES 535-543 AND 544-550). 2010 10 1109 25 COMMERCIAL PROCESSED SOY-BASED FOOD PRODUCT CONTAINS GLYCATED AND GLYCOXIDATED LUNASIN PROTEOFORMS. NUTRACEUTICALS HAVE BEEN PROPOSED TO EXERT POSITIVE EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND CONFER PROTECTION AGAINST MANY CHRONIC DISEASES. A MAJOR BIOACTIVE COMPONENT OF SOY-BASED FOODS IS LUNASIN PEPTIDE, WHICH HAS POTENTIAL TO EXERT A MAJOR IMPACT ON THE HEALTH OF HUMAN CONSUMERS WORLDWIDE, BUT THE BIOCHEMICAL FEATURES OF DIETARY LUNASIN STILL REMAIN POORLY CHARACTERIZED. IN THIS STUDY, LUNASIN WAS PURIFIED FROM A SOY-BASED FOOD PRODUCT VIA STRONG ANION EXCHANGE SOLID PHASE EXTRACTION AND THEN SUBJECTED TO TOP-DOWN MASS SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS THAT REVEALED IN DETAIL THE MOLECULAR DIVERSITY OF LUNASIN IN PROCESSED SOYBEAN FOODS. WE DETECTED MULTIPLE GLYCATED PROTEOFORMS TOGETHER WITH POTENTIALLY TOXIC ADVANCED GLYCATION END PRODUCTS (AGES) DERIVED FROM LUNASIN. IN BOTH CASES, MODIFICATION SITES WERE LYS24 AND LYS29 LOCATED AT THE HELICAL REGION THAT SHOWS STRUCTURAL HOMOLOGY WITH A CONSERVED REGION OF CHROMATIN-BINDING PROTEINS. THE IDENTIFIED POST-TRANSLATIONAL MODIFICATIONS MAY HAVE AN IMPORTANT REPERCUSSION ON LUNASIN EPIGENETIC REGULATORY CAPACITY. TAKING TOGETHER, OUR RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER CHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF COMMERCIAL PROCESSED FOOD PRODUCTS TO ASSESS THEIR IMPACT ON CONSUMER'S HEALTH AND RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES. 2016 11 35 28 A CHROMATIN ACTIVITY-BASED CHEMOPROTEOMIC APPROACH REVEALS A TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSOME FOR GENE-SPECIFIC SILENCING. IMMUNE CELLS DEVELOP ENDOTOXIN TOLERANCE (ET) AFTER PROLONGED STIMULATION. ET INCREASES THE LEVEL OF A REPRESSION MARK H3K9ME2 IN THE TRANSCRIPTIONALLY SILENT CHROMATIN SPECIFICALLY ASSOCIATED WITH PRO-INFLAMMATORY GENES. HOWEVER, IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT PROTEINS ARE FUNCTIONALLY INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS. HERE WE SHOW THAT A NOVEL CHROMATIN ACTIVITY-BASED CHEMOPROTEOMIC (CHAC) APPROACH CAN DISSECT THE FUNCTIONAL CHROMATIN PROTEIN COMPLEXES THAT REGULATE ET-ASSOCIATED INFLAMMATION. USING UNC0638 THAT BINDS THE ENZYMATICALLY ACTIVE H3K9-SPECIFIC METHYLTRANSFERASE G9A/GLP, CHAC REVEALS THAT G9A IS CONSTITUTIVELY ACTIVE AT A G9A-DEPENDENT MEGA-DALTON REPRESSOME IN PRIMARY ENDOTOXIN-TOLERANT MACROPHAGES. G9A/GLP BROADLY IMPACTS THE ET-SPECIFIC REPROGRAMMING OF THE HISTONE CODE LANDSCAPE, CHROMATIN REMODELLING AND THE ACTIVITIES OF SELECT TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS. WE DISCOVER THAT THE G9A-DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC ENVIRONMENT PROMOTES THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL REPRESSION ACTIVITY OF C-MYC FOR GENE-SPECIFIC CO-REGULATION OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. CHAC MAY ALSO BE APPLICABLE TO DISSECT OTHER FUNCTIONAL PROTEIN COMPLEXES IN THE CONTEXT OF PHENOTYPIC CHROMATIN ARCHITECTURES. 2014 12 3626 26 IN-SILICO DISCOVERY OF DUAL ACTIVE MOLECULE TO RESTORE SYNAPTIC WIRING AGAINST AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER VIA HDAC2 AND H3R INHIBITION. METAL-DEPENDENT HISTONE DEACETYLASES (HDACS) ARE ESSENTIAL EPIGENETIC REGULATORS; THEIR MOLECULAR AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ROLES IN MEDICALLY CRITICAL DISEASES SUCH AS NEUROPSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS, NEURODEGENERATION, AND CANCER ARE BEING STUDIED GLOBALLY. HDAC2'S DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM MAKES IT AN APPEALING THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR CHRONIC NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES LIKE AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER. IN THIS STUDY, WE IDENTIFIED H3R INHIBITOR MOLECULES THAT ARE COMPUTATIONALLY EFFECTIVE AT BINDING TO THE HDAC2 METAL-COORDINATED BINDING SITE. THE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THE IMPORTANCE OF PITOLISANT IN SCREENING THE POTENTIAL H3R INHIBITORS BY USING A HYBRID WORKFLOW OF LIGAND AND RECEPTOR-BASED DRUG DISCOVERY. THE SCREENED LEAD COMPOUNDS WITH PUBCHEM SIDS 103179850, 103185945, AND 103362074 SHOW VIABLE BINDING WITH HDAC2 IN SILICO. THE IMPORTANCE OF LIGAND CONTACTS WITH THE ZN2+ ION IN THE HDAC2 CATALYTIC SITE IS ALSO DISCUSSED AND INVESTIGATED FOR A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ENZYME INHIBITION. THE PROPOSED H3R INHIBITORS 103179850, 103185945, AND 103362074 ARE ESTIMATED AS DUAL-ACTIVE MOLECULES TO BLOCK THE HDAC2-MEDIATED DEACETYLATION OF THE EAAT2 GENE (SLC1A2) AND H3R-MEDIATED SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION IRREGULARITY AND ARE, THEREFORE, OPEN FOR EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION. 2022 13 460 33 ARACHIDONIC ACID 15-LIPOXYGENASE: EFFECTS OF ITS EXPRESSION, METABOLITES, AND GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC VARIATIONS ON AIRWAY INFLAMMATION. ARACHIDONIC ACID 15-LIPOXYGENASE (ALOX15) IS AN ENZYME THAT CAN OXIDIZE POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS. ALOX15 IS STRONGLY EXPRESSED IN AIRWAY EPITHELIAL CELLS, WHERE IT CATALYZES THE CONVERSION OF ARACHIDONIC ACID TO 15-HYDROXYEICOSATETRAENOIC ACID (15-HETE) INVOLVED IN VARIOUS AIRWAY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. INTERLEUKIN (IL)-4 AND IL-13 INDUCE ALOX15 EXPRESSION BY ACTIVATING JAK2 AND TYK2 KINASES AS WELL AS SIGNAL TRANSDUCERS AND ACTIVATORS OF TRANSCRIPTION (STATS) 1/3/5/6. ALOX15 UP-REGULATION AND SUBSEQUENT ASSOCIATION WITH PHOSPHATIDYLETHANOLAMINE-BINDING PROTEIN 1 (PEBP1) ACTIVATE THE MITOGEN-ACTIVATED EXTRACELLULAR SIGNAL-REGULATED KINASE (MEK)-EXTRACELLULAR SIGNAL-REGULATED KINASE (ERK) PATHWAY, THUS INDUCING EOSINOPHIL-MEDIATED AIRWAY INFLAMMATION. IN ADDITION, ALOX15 PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN PROMOTING THE MIGRATION OF IMMUNE CELLS, SUCH AS IMMATURE DENDRITIC CELLS, ACTIVATED T CELLS, AND MAST CELLS, AND AIRWAY REMODELING, INCLUDING GOBLET CELL DIFFERENTIATION. GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES HAVE REVEALED MULTIPLE ALOX15 VARIANTS AND THEIR SIGNIFICANT CORRELATION WITH THE RISK OF DEVELOPING AIRWAY DISEASES. THE EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF THE ALOX15 GENE, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO CLOSELY RELATE WITH AIRWAY INFLAMMATION. THIS REVIEW SUMMARIZES THE ROLE OF ALOX15 IN DIFFERENT PHENOTYPES OF ASTHMA, CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE, CHRONIC RHINOSINUSITIS, ASPIRIN-EXACERBATED RESPIRATORY DISEASE, AND NASAL POLYPS, SUGGESTING NEW TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR THESE AIRWAY INFLAMMATORY DISEASES WITH COMPLEX ETIOLOGY AND POOR TREATMENT RESPONSE. 2021 14 2080 32 EPIGENETIC DNA METHYLATION OF EBI3 MODULATES HUMAN INTERLEUKIN-35 FORMATION VIA NFKB SIGNALING: A PROMISING THERAPEUTIC OPTION IN ULCERATIVE COLITIS. ULCERATIVE COLITIS (UC), A SEVERE CHRONIC DISEASE WITH UNCLEAR ETIOLOGY THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED RISK FOR COLORECTAL CANCER, IS ACCOMPANIED BY DYSREGULATION OF CYTOKINES. EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS-INDUCED GENE 3 (EBI3) ENCODES A SUBUNIT IN THE UNIQUE HETERODIMERIC IL-12 CYTOKINE FAMILY OF EITHER PRO- OR ANTI-INFLAMMATORY FUNCTION. AFTER HAVING RECENTLY DEMONSTRATED THAT UPREGULATION OF EBI3 BY HISTONE ACETYLATION ALLEVIATES DISEASE SYMPTOMS IN A DEXTRAN SULFATE SODIUM (DSS)-TREATED MOUSE MODEL OF CHRONIC COLITIS, WE NOW AIMED TO EXAMINE A POSSIBLE FURTHER EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF EBI3 BY DNA METHYLATION UNDER INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS. TREATMENT WITH THE DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR (DNMTI) DECITABINE (DAC) AND TNFALPHA LED TO SYNERGISTIC UPREGULATION OF EBI3 IN HUMAN COLON EPITHELIAL CELLS (HCEC). USE OF DIFFERENT SIGNALING PATHWAY INHIBITORS INDICATED NFKAPPAB SIGNALING WAS NECESSARY AND PROPORTIONAL TO THE SYNERGISTIC EBI3 INDUCTION. MALDI-TOF/MS AND HPLC-ESI-MS/MS ANALYSIS OF DAC/TNFALPHA-TREATED HCEC IDENTIFIED IL-12P35 AS THE MOST PROBABLE BINDING PARTNER TO FORM A FUNCTIONAL PROTEIN. EBI3/IL-12P35 HETERODIMERS (IL-35) INDUCE THEIR OWN GENE UPREGULATION, SOMETHING THAT WAS INDEED OBSERVED IN HCEC CULTURED WITH MEDIA FROM PREVIOUSLY DAC/TNFALPHA-TREATED HCEC. THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT UNDER INFLAMMATORY AND DEMETHYLATING CONDITIONS THE UPREGULATION OF EBI3 RESULTS IN THE FORMATION OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY IL-35, WHICH MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AS A THERAPEUTIC TARGET IN COLITIS. 2021 15 582 28 BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC KAVA EXPOSURE IN ADULT ZEBRAFISH. KAVA KAVA (PIPER METHYSTICUM) IS A MEDICINAL PLANT CONTAINING KAVALACTONES THAT EXERT POTENT SEDATIVE, ANALGESIC AND ANTI-STRESS ACTION. HOWEVER, THEIR PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS AND MOLECULAR TARGETS REMAIN POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RERIO) HAS RECENTLY EMERGED AS A POWERFUL NEW MODEL ORGANISM FOR NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH AND DRUG DISCOVERY. HERE, WE EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO KAVA AND KAVALACTONES ON ADULT ZEBRAFISH ANXIETY, AGGRESSION AND SOCIALITY, AS WELL AS ON THEIR NEUROCHEMICAL, NEUROENDOCRINE AND GENOMIC RESPONSES. SUPPORTING EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED MOLECULAR TARGETS, ACUTE KAVA AND KAVALACTONES EVOKED DOSE-DEPENDENT BEHAVIORAL INHIBITION, UPREGULATED BRAIN EXPRESSION OF EARLY PROTOONCOGENES C-FOS AND C-JUN, ELEVATED BRAIN MONOAMINES AND LOWERED WHOLE-BODY CORTISOL. CHRONIC 7-DAY KAVA EXPOSURE EVOKED SIMILAR BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS, DID NOT ALTER CORTISOL LEVELS, AND FAILED TO EVOKE WITHDRAWAL-LIKE STATES UPON DISCONTINUATION. HOWEVER, CHRONIC KAVA UPREGULATED SEVERAL MICROGLIAL (INOS, EGR-2, CD11B), ASTROCYTAL (C3, C4B, S100A), EPIGENETIC (NCOA-1) AND PRO-INFLAMMATORY (IL-1BETA, IL-6, TNFA) BIOMARKER GENES, DOWNREGULATED CD206 AND IL-4, AND DID NOT AFFECT MAJOR APOPTOTIC GENES IN THE BRAIN. COLLECTIVELY, THIS STUDY SUPPORTS ROBUST, EVOLUTIONARILY CONSERVED BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF KAVA AND KAVALACTONES IN ZEBRAFISH, IMPLICATES BRAIN MONOAMINES IN THEIR ACUTE EFFECTS, AND PROVIDES NOVEL IMPORTANT INSIGHTS INTO POTENTIAL ROLE OF NEUROGLIAL AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS IN LONG-TERM KAVA USE. 2020 16 3381 29 HLA AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES: TYPE 1 DIABETES (T1D) AS AN EXAMPLE. AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES NEED TO BE CONSIDERED AT A GENETIC AND MECHANISTIC LEVEL. T1D IS AN AUTOIMMUNE, CHRONIC, MULTIFACTORIAL AND POLYGENIC DISEASE CHARACTERIZED BY THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PANCREATIC BETA-CELLS ASSOCIATED WITH LONG TERM DYSFUNCTION OF SEVERAL ORGANS AND TISSUES. MECHANISMS OF SUSCEPTIBILITY INCLUDE EPI-GENETIC AND POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL EFFECTS THAT REGULATE TRANSMISSION AND EXPRESSION OF THE INHERITED GENES. THE HLA COMPLEX, CONSTITUTES THE MOST RELEVANT REGION CONTRIBUTING 50% OF THE INHERITED RISK FOR T1D. AN ADDITIONAL 17 GENES WITH VARIABLE BUT SMALL EFFECTS HAVE BEEN DESCRIBED. IN NON-CAUCASIANS, THE PRESENCE OF E-DRBETA1-74 AND/OR D-DRBETA1-57 ARE RELEVANT IN PREDISPOSITION. THE "DIABETOGENIC HAPLOTYPES" IN MEXICANS WERE DRB1*0301-DQA1*0501-DQB1*0201 (OR = 21.4); DRB1*0405-DQA1-*0301-DQB1*0302 (OR = 44.5) AND THE SAME DQA1/DQB1 WITH DRB1*0404/*0401 CONFERRING LOWER RISK, INCREASING (OR = 61.3) WITH AN EARLY AGE AT ONSET AND A HETEROZYGOTE DR3/DR4 GENOTYPE. IN MOST POPULATIONS, THE ABSENCE OF D-57 AND THE PRESENCE OF R-52 ARE IMPORTANT TO THE SUSCEPTIBILITY, BUT IN HISPANICS, ALL DR4S (INCLUDING THE PROTECTIVE DRB1*0403/*0407/*0411) ARE IN LINKAGE DISEQUILIBRIUM WITH DQA1/DQB1 SUSCEPTIBILITY ALLELES. THUS, SUSCEPTIBILITY ALLELES IN LATIN AMERICAN MESTIZOS ARE OF MEDITERRANEAN ANCESTRY WHEREAS PROTECTIVE ALLELES ARE OF AMERINDIAN ORIGIN. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE COMPLEXITY OF T1D AND SOME ASPECTS OF PREVENTION/INTERVENTION BASED ON IMMUNOGENETICS. 2006 17 1282 35 DECIPHERING THE ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF DABUSHEN DECOCTION OF AMELIORATING OSTEOARTHRITIS VIA PPARGAMMA PRESERVATION BY TARGETING DNMT1. OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A MULTIFACTORIAL AND CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE JOINT DISEASE. DUE TO THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF CURRENTLY USED DRUGS, A SAFER AND MORE EFFECTIVE THERAPY FOR TREATING OA IS NEEDED. PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR-GAMMA (PPARGAMMA) IS A KEY PROTEIN PROTECTING CARTILAGE. DNMT1-MEDIATED HYPERMETHYLATION OF PPARGAMMA PROMOTER LEADS TO ITS SUPPRESSION. THEREFORE, DNMT1 MIGHT BE AN EFFECTIVE TARGET FOR EXERTING CARTILAGE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS BY REGULATING THE EPIGENETIC EXPRESSION OF PPARGAMMA. DABUSHEN DECOCTION (DD) IS A REPRESENTATIVE PRESCRIPTION OF DUNHUANG ANCIENT MEDICAL PRESCRIPTION, WHICH HAS A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC EFFECT ON OA. SO FAR, THE RESEARCH OF THE EFFICACY AND MATERIAL BASIS OF DD IN THE TREATMENT OF OA REMAINS UNCLEAR. IN THIS STUDY, MICRO-CT, HE STAINING, S-O STAINING, AND IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY ANALYSIS WERE USED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT DD INCREASED THE EXPRESSION OF PPARGAMMA AND COLLAGEN SYNTHESIS IN AN OA RAT MODEL. NEXT, THE STRUCTURE OF DNMT1 WAS USED TO SCREEN THE ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF DD BY MOLECULAR DOCKING METHOD FOR TREATMENT OA. SEVEN POTENTIAL ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS, INCLUDING ISOLIQUIRITIGENIN, EMODIN, TAXIFOLIN, CATALPOL, ALISOL A, ZINGERONE, AND SCHISANDRIN C WERE HITED. THE PROTECTIVE EFFECT OF THE POTENTIAL ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS TO CHONDROCYTES WERE EVALUATED BY PROTEIN CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS, IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE ASSAYS, AND EX VIVO CULTURE OF RAT KNEE CARTILAGE. THE FIVE CONSTITUENTS, SUCH AS ALISOL A, EMODIN, TAXIFOLIN, ISOLIQUIRITIGENIN, AND SCHISANDRIN C COULD PROMOTE THE EXPRESSION OF PPARGAMMA AND AMELIORATE IL-1BETA-INDUCED DOWNREGULATION OF COLLAGEN II AND THE PRODUCTION OF MMP-13. ALISOL A AND EMODIN COULD EFFECTIVELY MITIGATE CARTILAGE DAMAGE. AT LAST, MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS WITH MM-GBSA METHOD WAS APPLIED TO INVESTIGATE THE INTERACTION PATTERN OF THE ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS AND DNMT1 COMPLEXES. THE FIVE CONSTITUENTS, SUCH AS ALISOL A, EMODIN, TAXIFOLIN, ISOLIQUIRITIGENIN, AND SCHISANDRIN C ACHIEVED A STABLE BINDING PATTERN WITH DNMT1, IN WHICH ALISOL A HAS A RELATIVELY HIGH BINDING FREE ENERGY. IN CONCLUSION, THIS STUDY ELUCIDATES THAT THE ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS OF DD (ALISOL A, EMODIN, TAXIFOLIN, ISOLIQUIRITIGENIN, AND SCHISANDRIN C) COULD AMELIORATE OSTEOARTHRITIS VIA PPARGAMMA PRESERVATION BY TARGETING DNMT1.THESE FINDINGS FACILITATED CLINICAL USE OF DD AND PROVIDED A VALUABLE STRATEGY FOR DEVELOPING NATURAL EPIGENETIC MODULATORS FROM CHINESE HERBAL FORMULA. 2022 18 6636 42 UNRAVELING A NEW PLAYER IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS PATHOGENESIS: THE RNA-BINDING PROTEIN HUR. BACKGROUND: ELAV-LIKE PROTEINS ARE A SMALL FAMILY OF RNA-BINDING PROTEINS THAT ARE FUNDAMENTAL PLAYERS IN POST-TRANSCRIPTIONAL MECHANISMS AND ARE INVOLVED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF NEUROLOGIC AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS. HUR, THE UBIQUITOUSLY EXPRESSED MEMBER OF THE FAMILY, IS ALSO IMPLICATED IN SUSTAINING INFLAMMATION AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, SUPPORTING THE PRODUCTION OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES. INFLAMMATION PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS), WHICH REPRESENTS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF PERMANENT PHYSICAL DISABILITY IN YOUNG ADULTS. MS IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AFFECTING THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, WITH A COMPLEX AETIOLOGY INVOLVING GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. NO DATA ARE AVAILABLE ON THE POTENTIAL ENTANGLEMENT OF HUR IN MS PATHOGENESIS IN PATIENTS. IN THE PRESENT WORK, WE AIMED AT EXPLORING HUR PROTEIN LEVELS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS (PBMCS) FROM MS PATIENTS, COMPARED TO HEALTHY CONTROLS. TO FURTHER ELUCIDATE THE POSSIBLE INVOLVEMENT OF HUR IN MS, WE ALSO INVESTIGATED THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THIS SPECIFIC RNA-BINDING PROTEIN AND HSP70-2 PROTEIN, ALSO CONSIDERING THE HSP70-2 RS1061581 POLYMORPHISM, GIVEN THAT HSP70-2 MRNA HAS BEEN REPORTED AS A HUR TARGET AND THIS SPECIFIC POLYMORPHISM TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH MS RISK. METHODS: ALLELES AND GENOTYPES FOR HSP70-2 RS1061581 POLYMORPHISM WERE ASSESSED, BY USING A POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM, FOLLOWED BY DIGESTION WITH RESTRICTION ENZYME, IN MS PATIENTS AND HEALTHY CONTROLS. PBMCS FROM A SUBGROUP OF PATIENTS AND CONTROLS WERE USED TO EVALUATE HUR AND HSP70-2 PROTEIN CONTENT BY WESTERN BLOT. RESULTS: PBMCS FROM 52 MS PATIENTS HAD A LOWER HUR AND HIGHER HSP70-2 PROTEIN CONTENT COMPARED TO 43 HEALTHY CONTROLS. AN INCREASE OF 100 UNITS OF HUR SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED THE RISK OF DEVELOPING MS BY 9.8% (OR: 0.902, 95% CI: 0.83-0.98), CONTROLLING FOR HSP70-2 PROTEIN EXPRESSION, HSP70-2 RS1061581 GENOTYPE, AGE AND SEX. MOREOVER, HOLDING HUR LEVELS, AN INCREASE OF 100 UNITS OF HSP70-2 PROTEIN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED THE MS RISK BY 18.1% (OR: 1.181, 95% CI: 1.03-1.36) AND THE GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY OF DEVELOPING MS FOR HSP70-2 RS1061581 GG CARRIERS IS CONFIRMED. OF INTEREST, MS PATIENTS WITH A MODERATE TO SEVERE FORM OF MS (MSSS >/= 3) SHOWED A TREND TOWARDS A REDUCTION OF HUR PROTEIN LEVELS COMPARED TO PATIENTS WITH MILD DISEASE SEVERITY (MSSS < 3). CONCLUSIONS: HUR PROTEIN LEVELS ARE REDUCED IN MS PATIENTS COMPARED TO HEALTHY SUBJECTS, AND THE PROTEIN AMOUNT MAY CONTINUE TO DECLINE WITH DISEASE PROGRESSION, SUGGESTING A PUTATIVE ROLE OF THIS RNA-BINDING PROTEIN. MOREOVER, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT MS PATHOLOGY MAY HAVE DISRUPTED THE LINK BETWEEN HUR AND ITS TARGET TRANSCRIPT HSP70-2. IT WILL BE IMPORTANT TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE EXACT ROLE OF HUR IN MS, CONSIDERING THE COMPLEX INTERPLAY WITH OTHER RNA-BINDING FACTORS AND TARGET MRNAS. 2020 19 2263 29 EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AT THE MOGAT1 LOCUS MAY LINK NEONATAL OVERNUTRITION WITH LONG-TERM HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. POSTNATAL OVERFEEDING INCREASES THE RISK OF CHRONIC DISEASES LATER IN LIFE, INCLUDING OBESITY, INSULIN RESISTANCE, HEPATIC STEATOSIS, AND TYPE 2 DIABETES. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MIGHT UNDERLIE THE LONG-LASTING EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY NUTRITION. HERE WE AIMED TO EXPLORE THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT OF INSULIN RESISTANCE AND HEPATIC STEATOSIS, AND WE EXAMINED THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF DNA METHYLATION AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS TO LONG-TERM PROGRAMMING OF METABOLIC DISEASE. WE USED A WELL-CHARACTERIZED MOUSE MODEL OF NEONATAL OVERFEEDING AND EARLY ADIPOSITY BY LITTER SIZE REDUCTION. NEONATAL OVERFEEDING LED TO HEPATIC INSULIN RESISTANCE VERY EARLY IN LIFE THAT PERSISTED THROUGHOUT ADULTHOOD DESPITE NORMALIZING FOOD INTAKE. UP-REGULATION OF MONOACYLGLYCEROL O-ACYLTRANSFERASE ( MOGAT) 1 CONCEIVABLY MEDIATES HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE THROUGH INCREASING INTRACELLULAR DIACYLGLYCEROL CONTENT. EARLY AND SUSTAINED DEREGULATION OF MOGAT1 WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A COMBINATION OF HISTONE MODIFICATIONS THAT MIGHT FAVOR MOGAT1 EXPRESSION. IN SUM, POSTNATAL OVERFEEDING CAUSES EXTREMELY RAPID DERANGEMENTS OF HEPATIC INSULIN SENSITIVITY THAT REMAIN RELATIVELY STABLE UNTIL ADULTHOOD. EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, PARTICULARLY HISTONE MODIFICATIONS, COULD CONTRIBUTE TO SUCH LONG-LASTING EFFECTS. OUR DATA SUGGEST THAT TARGETING HEPATIC MONOACYLGLYCEROL ACYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY DURING EARLY LIFE MIGHT PROVIDE A NOVEL STRATEGY TO IMPROVE HEPATIC INSULIN SENSITIVITY AND PREVENT LATE-ONSET INSULIN RESISTANCE AND FATTY LIVER DISEASE.-RAMON-KRAUEL, M., PENTINAT, T., BLOKS, V. W., CEBRIA, J., RIBO, S., PEREZ-WIENESE, R., VILA, M., PALACIOS-MARIN, I., FERNANDEZ-PEREZ, A., VALLEJO, M., TELLEZ, N., RODRIGUEZ, M. A., YANES, O., LERIN, C., DIAZ, R., PLOSCH, T., TIETGE, U. J. F., JIMENEZ-CHILLARON, J. C. EPIGENETIC PROGRAMMING AT THE MOGAT1 LOCUS MAY LINK NEONATAL OVERNUTRITION WITH LONG-TERM HEPATIC STEATOSIS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE. 2018 20 5353 30 RE-EVALUATION OF POLIHEXANIDE USE IN WOUND ANTISEPSIS IN ORDER TO CLARIFY AMBIGUITIES OF TWO ANIMAL STUDIES. OBJECTIVE: DUE TO CLASSIFICATION OF THE AGENT POLIHEXANIDE (PHMB) IN CATEGORY 2 'MAY CAUSE CANCER' BY THE COMMITTEE FOR RISK ASSESSMENT OF THE EUROPEAN CHEMICALS AGENCY IN 2011, THE USERS OF WOUND ANTISEPTICS MAY BE HIGHLY CONFUSED. IN 2017, THIS STATEMENT WAS UPDATED, DEFINING PHMB UP TO 0.1% AS A PRESERVATIVE SAFE IN ALL COSMETIC PRODUCTS. IN THE INTEREST OF PATIENT SAFETY, A SCIENTIFIC CLARIFICATION OF THE POTENTIAL CARCINOGENICITY OF PHMB IS NECESSARY. METHODS: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM (MDT) OF MICROBIOLOGISTS, SURGEONS, DERMATOLOGISTS AND BIOCHEMISTS CONDUCTED A BENEFIT-RISK ASSESSMENT TO CLARIFY THE HAZARD OF ANTISEPTIC USE OF PHMB. RESULTS: IN TWO ANIMAL STUDIES, FROM WHICH THE ASSESSMENT OF A CARCINOGENIC RISK WAS DERIVED, PHMB WAS ADMINISTERED ORALLY OVER TWO YEARS IN EXTREMELY HIGH CONCENTRATIONS FAR ABOVE THE NO(A)EL (NO-OBSERVED-(ADVERSE-) EFFECT LEVEL) IN RATS AND MICE. FEEDING IN THE NO(A)EL RANGE RESULTED IN NO ABNORMAL EFFECTS. IN ONE MALE IN THE HIGHEST DOSE GROUP OF 4000PPM PHMB, AN ADENOCARCINOMA WAS FOUND, WHICH THE AUTHOR ATTRIBUTED TO CHRONIC INFLAMMATION OF THE COLON WITH SYSTEMIC ATYPICAL EXPOSURE. THE INCREASING INCIDENCE OF HEMANGIOSARCOMAS HIGHLY PROBABLY RESULTED FROM INCREASED ENDOTHELIAL PROLIFERATION, TRIGGERED BY THE EXCEEDINGLY HIGH DOSAGE FED, BECAUSE PHMB IS NOT GENOTOXIC AND THERE IS NO EVIDENCE FOR EPIGENETIC EFFECTS. DISCUSSION: IT IS WELL KNOWN THAT PHMB IS NOT ABSORBED WHEN APPLIED TOPICALLY. CONSIDERING THE ABSENCE OF GENOTOXICITY AND EPIGENETIC EFFECTS TOGETHER WITH THE INTERPRETATION OF THE ANIMAL STUDIES, IT IS THE CONSENSUS OF THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPERTS THAT A CARCINOGENIC RISK FROM PHMB-USE FOR WOUND ANTISEPSIS CAN BE RULED OUT. CONCLUSION: ON THIS BASIS AND CONSIDERING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS, TOLERABILITY AND CLINICAL EVIDENCE, THE INDICATIONS FOR PHMB BASED WOUND ANTISEPTICS ARE JUSTIFIED. 2019