(Press-News.org) Prolactin reduces arthritis inflammation
Inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are the result of cartilage damage and loss. Chondrocytes are the only cells that are found in cartilage and their death is linked to decreased cartilage health. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Carmen Clapp and colleagues at the National University of Mexico identify prolactin as a potential treatment for inflammatory joint disease. Prolactin treatment prevented chondrocyte death and associated cartilage degradation. In a rat model of inflammatory arthritis, prolactin treatment reduced inflammation, bone erosion, joint swelling, and pain. This study indicates that prolactin therapy has the potential to relieve many symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory-related diseases.
TITLE:
Prolactin promotes cartilage survival and attenuates inflammation in inflammatory arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Carmen Clapp
National University of Mexico, Queretaro, , MEX
Phone: 52442 2381028; Fax: 52442 2340344; E-mail: clapp@servidor.unam.mx
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69485?key=2d78378940de873cad9b
Identification of a molecule linking bone loss and bone formation
Bone integrity requires skeletal remodeling, which involves both bone formation and resorption. It has been previously shown that the formation of new bone is triggered by degradation of older bone. However, it is unknown how these two processes coordinate for skeletal maintenance. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Sunao Takeshita and colleagues at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology identify a protein, CTHRC1 that is secreted by bone adsorbing cells (osteoclasts) and helps initiate bone formation. The authors found that CTHRC1 secretion in bone coincided with bone remodeling and an increase in bone-producing cells. Mice with osteoclasts that did not produce CTHRC1 had lower bone mass than normal animals. This group also found that as animals aged, Cthrch1 expression decreased, suggesting a role for this molecule in age related bone loss. Together these data imply CTHRC1 as a target for treatment and diagnosis of bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
TITLE:
Osteoclast-secreted Cthrc1 in the coupling of bone resorption to formation
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sunao Takeshita
National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Obu, UNK, JPN
Phone: 81-562-44-5651 ext5047; Fax: 81-562-44-6595; E-mail: sunao@ncgg.go.jp
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69493?key=9b1ed5fcb851687ded70
Defense against bacterial infection in chronic granulomatous disease
Patients suffering from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) are prone to recurrent and potentially life threatening bouts of infection due to the inability of phagocytic cells to kill invading microorganisms. Normal phagocytes release reactive oxygen compounds in response to infection, but this defense is lacking in phagocytes of people with CGD. In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Griffin Rodgers and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health identify a neutrophil granule protein, OLFM4 as a potential therapeutic target for CGD patients. In a mouse model of CGD, deletion of Olfm4 protected the mice from infection with Staphylococcus aureus. The protective effect of Olmf4 deletion in CGD mice extended to multiple strains of S. aureus, including a community-associated strain of MRSA. This study suggests that targeting OLMF4 in CGD patients may enhance their ability to fight off bacterial infection.
TITLE:
Olfm4 deletion enhances defense against Staphylococcus aureus in CGD mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Griffin Platt Rodgers
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 301-496-5741; E-mail: gr5n@nih.gov
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68453?key=332f5fa569aa60f1cb13
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE:
Congenital amegakaryotic thrombocytopenia iPS cells exhibit defective MPL-mediated signaling
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Koji Eto
Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JPN
Phone: +81-75-366-7075; Fax: +81-76-366-7095; E-mail: kojieto@cira.kyoto-u.ac.jp
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64721?key=0a6b68c66dec749d3077
TITLE:
Myeloperoxidase, paraoxonase-1 and HDL form a functional ternary complex
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Stanley L. Hazen
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
Phone: 216-445-9763; Fax: 216-444-9404; E-mail: hazens@ccf.org
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67478?key=246677e58b7424a3044c
TITLE: Mobilizing monocytes to cross-present circulating viral antigen in chronic infection
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Adam Gehring
Saint Louis University, School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
Phone: +1 (314) 977-8711; Fax: +1 (314) 977-8717; E-mail: gehringa@slu.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66043?key=fe39ad417022bed4fe30
### END
JCI early table of contents for Aug. 1, 2013
2013-08-01
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Prolactin reduces arthritis inflammation
2013-08-01
Inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are the result of cartilage damage and loss. Chondrocytes are the only cells that are found in cartilage and their death is linked to decreased cartilage health. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Carmen Clapp and colleagues at the National University of Mexico identify prolactin as a potential treatment for inflammatory joint disease. Prolactin treatment prevented chondrocyte death and associated cartilage degradation. In a rat model of inflammatory arthritis, prolactin treatment reduced inflammation, ...
Identification of a molecule linking bone loss and bone formation
2013-08-01
Bone integrity requires skeletal remodeling, which involves both bone formation and resorption. It has been previously shown that the formation of new bone is triggered by degradation of older bone. However, it is unknown how these two processes coordinate for skeletal maintenance. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Sunao Takeshita and colleagues at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology identify a protein, CTHRC1 that is secreted by bone adsorbing cells (osteoclasts) and helps initiate bone formation. The authors found that CTHRC1 secretion ...
Defense against bacterial infection in chronic granulomatous disease
2013-08-01
Patients suffering from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) are prone to recurrent and potentially life threatening bouts of infection due to the inability of phagocytic cells to kill invading microorganisms. Normal phagocytes release reactive oxygen compounds in response to infection, but this defense is lacking in phagocytes of people with CGD. In the current issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Griffin Rodgers and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health identify a neutrophil granule protein, OLFM4 as a potential therapeutic target for CGD patients. ...
We each live in our own little world -- smellwise
2013-08-01
There are some smells we all find revolting. But toward a handful of odors, different people display different sensitivities—some can smell them, while some can't, or some find them appealing, while others don't. A pair of studies appearing online on August 1 in the journal Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, now identifies the genetic differences that underpin the differences in smell sensitivity and perception in different individuals. The researchers tested nearly 200 people for their sensitivity for ten different chemical compounds that are commonly found in ...
Neuroscientists find protein linked to cognitive deficits in Angelman syndrome
2013-08-01
A team of neuroscientists has identified a protein in laboratory mice linked to impairments similar to those afflicted with Angelman syndrome (AS)—a condition associated with symptoms that include autism, intellectual disability, and motor abnormalities.
The findings appear in the journal Cell Reports.
"By isolating a protein that contributes to cognitive deficits in Angelman syndrome, these findings mark a step forward in not only addressing AS, but perhaps other developmental disorders as well," said Eric Klann, a professor in New York University's Center for Neural ...
Boning up: McMaster researchers find home of best stem cells for bone marrow transplants
2013-08-01
Hamilton, ON (August 1, 2013) –McMaster University researchers have revealed the location of human blood stem cells that may improve bone marrow transplants. The best stem cells are at the ends of the bone.
It is hoped this discovery will lead to lowering the amount of bone marrow needed for a donation while increasing regeneration and lessening rejection in the recipient patients, says principal investigator Mick Bhatia, professor and scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute.
In a paper published online today by the journal Cell ...
Bacteria hold the clues to trade-offs in financial investments and evolution
2013-08-01
Scientists have found that bacteria have the potential to teach valuable investment lessons. The research, published in the journal Ecology Letters, takes advantage of the fact that bacteria, like humans, have limited resources and are constantly faced with investment decisions. Bacteria though are successful with their investments and have colonised every inch of the surface of our planet.
The researchers, from the Universities of Exeter and Sydney, used mathematical models and lab-based synthetic biology, to predict bacterial investment crashes and boom-bust cycles. ...
UC San Diego researchers develop efficient model for generating human iPSCs
2013-08-01
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report a simple, easily reproducible RNA-based method of generating human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in the August 1 edition of Cell Stem Cell. Their approach has broad applicability for the successful production of iPSCs for use in human stem cell studies and eventual cell therapies.
Partially funded by grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the methods developed by the UC San Diego researchers dramatically ...
Fly study finds 2 new drivers of RNA editing
2013-08-01
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — RNA editing gives organisms a way to adapt the instructions that their DNA provides for making proteins. Few people would have described RNA editing as a simple process, but a new paper in Nature Communications demonstrates the process as more complex and difficult to predict than previously assumed. The study, done in living fruit flies, discovered two new mechanisms that govern editing in a key neurodevelopmental gene.
RNA editing is governed not only by sequences of RNA nucleotides (the letters A, C, G, and U) and corresponding ...
Ultrasound patch heals venous ulcers in human trial
2013-08-01
In a small clinical study, researchers administered a new method for treating chronic wounds using a novel ultrasound applicator that can be worn like a band-aid. The applicator delivers low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound directly to wounds, and was found to significantly accelerate healing in five patients with venous ulcers. Venous ulcers are caused when valves in the veins malfunction, causing blood to pool in the leg instead of returning to the heart. This pooling, called venous stasis, can cause proteins and cells in the vein to leak into the surrounding tissue ...