Isogarcinol Is a New Immunosuppressant.

Isogarcinol is a new immunosuppressant.

PLoS One. 2013; 8(6): e66503
Cen J, Shi M, Yang Y, Fu Y, Zhou H, Wang M, Su Z, Wei Q

Calcineurin (CN), a unique protein phosphatase, plays an important role in immune regulation. In this study we used CN as a target enzyme to investigate the immunosuppressive properties of a series of natural compounds from Garcinia mangostana L., and discovered an active compound, isogarcinol. Enzymatic assays showed that isogarcinol inhibited CN in a dose-dependent manner. At concentrations resulting in relatively low cytotoxicity isogarcinol significantly inhibited proliferation of murine spleen T-lymphocytes induced by concanavalin A (ConA) and the mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR). In addition, it performed much better in acute toxicity tests and via oral administration in mice than cyclosporin A (CsA), with few adverse reactions and low toxicity in experimental animals. Oral administration of isogarcinol in mice resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) and prolonged graft survival in allogeneic skin transplantation. These findings suggest that isogarcinol could serve as a new oral immunomodulatory drug for preventing transplant rejection, and for long-term medication in autoimmune diseases. HubMed – drug

 

Suppression of autoimmune retinal inflammation by an antiangiogenic drug.

PLoS One. 2013; 8(6): e66219
Yoshimura T, Benny O, Bazinet L, D’Amato RJ

Chronic and recurrent uveitis account for approximately 10% of legal blindness in the western world. Autoimmune uveitis is driven by activated CD4(+) T cells that differentiate into effector T helper cells (Th1, Th2, and Th17) which release proinflammatory cytokines that damage the retina. In this study we investigated the effect of the methionine aminopeptidase 2 (MetAP2) inhibitor, Lodamin, on T cell activation and differentiation. MetAp2 is an enzyme which regulates cellular protein synthesis and is highly expressed in T cells. Lodamin was found to suppress T cell receptor (TCR) mediated T cell proliferation and reduced the production of Th1 and Th17 cells. Further, Lodamin suppressed overall inflammation in the mouse model of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU) by a six fold. This effect was attributed in part to a reduction in retinal proinflammatory cytokines, down regulation of MetAP2 expression in purified lymph node CD4(+) T cells, and a general normalization of the systemic immune reaction. HubMed – drug

 

Fitness Costs of Mutations at the HIV-1 Capsid Hexamerization Interface.

PLoS One. 2013; 8(6): e66065
Manocheewa S, Swain JV, Lanxon-Cookson E, Rolland M, Mullins JI

The recently available x-ray crystal structure of HIV-1 capsid hexamers has provided insight into the molecular interactions crucial for the virus’s mature capsid formation. Amino acid changes at these interaction points are likely to have a strong impact on capsid functionality and, hence, viral infectivity and replication fitness. To test this hypothesis, we introduced the most frequently observed single amino acid substitution at 30 sites: 12 at the capsid hexamerization interface and 18 at non-interface sites. Mutations at the interface sites were more likely to be lethal (Fisher’s exact test p?=?0.027) and had greater negative impact on viral replication fitness (Wilcoxon rank sum test p?=?0.040). Among the interface mutations studied, those located in the cluster of hydrophobic contacts at NTD-NTD interface and those that disrupted NTD-CTD inter-domain helix capping hydrogen bonds were the most detrimental, indicating that these interactions are particularly important for maintaining capsid structure and/or function. These functionally constrained sites provide potential targets for novel HIV drug development and vaccine immunogen design. HubMed – drug