ALBERT

Description: Primary fibrinolysis revealing a prostatic adenocarcinoma is rare. Most of the case are limited to biological abnormalities. Here, we describe an unusual case of hematuria and primary fibriolysis as the presenting manifestation of metastatic prostate cancer in a 52-year-old man. The patient consulted for hematuria, ecchymosis and bleeding gums for a month. B-type ultrasound examination showed normal image of prostate. Peripheral blood test showed that the counts of white blood cell, red blood cell and platelet were all in normal range. APTT, prothrombin time and thrombin time were normal. But fibrinogen levels continued to lower than 1.1g/l despite infusions of cryoprecipitate and fresh frozen plasma. Further tests suggested that D-dimer was 9.58 mg/l (normal range:

Description: MMSET, identified by its fusion to the IgH locus in t(4;14)-associated multiple myeloma, possesses domains found within chromatin regulators, including the SET domain. MMSET protein is overexpressed and highly associated with chromatin in myeloma cell lines carrying t(4;14). MMSET possesses methyltransferase activity for core histone H3 lysine 4 and histone 4 lysine 20, whereas MMSET made in cells only modified H4. Segments of MMSET fused to the Gal4 DNA binding domain repressed transcription of a chromatin-embedded Gal4 reporter gene. MMSET-mediated repression was associated with increased H4K20 methylation gene and loss of histone acetylation. Consistent with this repressive activity, MMSET could form a complex with HDAC1 and HDAC2, mSin3a, and the histone demethylase LSD1, suggesting that it is a component of corepressor complexes. Furthermore, MMSET coexpression enhances HDAC1- and HDAC2-mediated repression in transcriptional reporter assays. Finally, shRNA-mediated knockdown of MMSET compromised viability of a myeloma cell line, suggesting a biologic role for the protein in malignant cell growth. Collectively, these data suggest that, by acting directly as a modifier of chromatin as well as through binding of other chromatin-modifying enzymes, MMSET influences gene expression and potentially acts as a pathogenic agent in multiple myeloma.

Description: We describe a 21-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) who first presented with an thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), and compare the clinical manifestations and prognosis between SLE patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in the reported literature. At the time of admission, she was suffering from petechia, purpura and had neurological symptoms. Laboratory findings demonstrated haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopaenia and high levels of fragmentocytes. Serological test results were highly positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) with a particle fluorescent pattern, and also detected antibodies against Smith antibody, RNP antibody and SSA antibody but was negative for dsDNA. Direct Coombs-test was positive and D-dimer was negtive. The activity of ADAMTS13 was significantly reduced even after 4 times plasmapheresis. TTP as presenting sign in the patient with SLE was diagnosed. After 5 times plasmapheresis treatments and immunosuppressive therapy she recovered and abnormal laboratory tests were gradually returned to normal. With a follow-up of 20 months, she had a normal life. Compared with other reports, TTP can be differentiated from other thrombotic microangiopathic syndromes by its normal levels of prothrombin time, partially activated thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen and direct Coombs-test. But TTP might also be a complication of SLE and the manifestations of TTP are similar to those in SLE. The detection of the fragmentation of peripheral red blood cells helped the early diagnosis of TTP. Coomb’s test might be positive when patient with TTP had SLE. ADAMTS13 and its inhibitory antibody had an important role in the pathogenesis of TTP. Plasma exchange combined with corticosteroid and cyclophsphamide should be used as early as possible in TTP patient with SLE. The prognosis was related to the treatment time and methods including plasmapheresis.

Description: Over 40% of cases of multiple myeloma (MM) are associated with translocations of the immunoglobulin heavy (IgH) chain gene gene. The t(4;14) translocation, present in ca. 20% of myeloma cases, results in the overexpression of two potential oncogenes, MMSET and FGFR3, via juxtaposition of their endogenous promoters to regulatory elements of the IgH locus. The presence of t(4;14), and MMSET overexpression, is an adverse prognostic factor in MM irrespective of FGFR3 expression. MMSET contains several conserved motifs found in proteins involved in chromatin function (PWWP, HMG, PHD domains) and in the epigenetic control of transcription (SET domain). Accordingly, we found that the two main isoforms of the MMSET protein exhibit exclusive nuclear localization in both transfected fibroblasts and myeloma cells carrying t(4;14). Towards our goal of defining the ability of MMSET to affect gene regulation and contribute to the disease pathogenesis, we found that the SET domain of MMSET possesses in vitro methyltransferase activity specific for core histones H3 and H4. Using a computational approach and theoretical extrapolation from the solved NMR structure of vSET, we identified residues in the active site of MMSET essential for catalysis, whose mutation drastically reduces enzymatic activity. Reporter assays using Gal4 fusion constructs showed that both the amino terminus of MMSET, containing the PWWP and HMG domains, as well as the SET-containing carboxy terminus act as transcriptional repressors. MMSET interacts physically and functionally with a number of known co-repressor molecules, such as HDAC1, HDAC2, Sin3a, and SIRT1, but not HDAC4 or HDAC6. As such, MMSET co-expression enhances HDAC1 and HDAC2-mediated repression in transcriptional reporter assays, and MMSET repression is partially relieved by the addition of an HDAC inhibitor. A yeast two hybrid screen identified a number of other functional partners of MMSET, including ZNF331/RITA (Rearranged in Thyroid Adenoma), a KRAB domain/zinc finger protein previously implicated in malignancy. MMSET and ZNF331 co-localize in the nuclei of transfected fibroblasts, co-immunoprecipitate, and display cooperative repression in reporter assays. Collectively, these data support the idea that MMSET is a biologically active, bifunctional transcriptional mediator acting as a HMT enzyme in chromatin remodeling and as a complex adaptor in the recruitment of repressor species. Presently we are modeling the biological effects of MMSET through a conditional overexpression system in a B cell line. While low levels of MMSET are ubiquitiously expressed, induction of high levels of MMSET expression in the B cell line is associated with growth suppression and G1 arrest. While paradoxical for a presumed oncoprotein, such actions have been observed for other disease-associated proteins such as Runx1/MTG8. In contrast, a myeloma cell line harboring t(4;14) proliferates in the presence of high level MMSET expression. RNAi-mediated knockdown of MMSET in these cells induces apoptotic cell death. This suggests that MMSET may be critical for growth and survival of myeloma cells. Profiling of gene expression changes in these systems should link the transcriptional and biological activities of MMSET.

Description: Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) act as vehicles that transfer HIV to their target CD4+ cells through an intercellular junction, termed the virologic synapse. The molecules that are involved in this process remain largely unidentified. In this study, we used photoaffinity labeling and a proteomic approach to identify new proteins that facilitate HIV-1 transfer. We identified ectopic mitochondrial ATP synthase as a factor that mediates HIV-1 transfer between APCs and CD4+ target cells. Monoclonal antibodies against the β-subunit of ATP synthase inhibited APC-mediated transfer of multiple strains HIV-1 to CD4+ target cells. Likewise, the specific inhibitors of ATPase, citreoviridin and IF1, completely blocked APC-mediated transfer of HIV-1 at the APC-target cell interaction step. Confocal fluorescent microscopy showed localization of extracellular ATP synthase at junctions between APC and CD4+ target cells. We conclude that ectopic ATP synthase could be an accessible molecular target for inhibiting HIV-1 proliferation in vivo.