Although biochemical properties of 2-Cys peroxiredoxins (Prxs) have been extensively studied, their real physiological functions in higher eukaryotic cells remain obscure and certainly warrant further study. Here we demonstrated that human (h) PrxII, a cytosolic isotype of human 2-Cys Prx, has dual functions as a peroxidase and a molecular chaperone, and that these different functions are closely associated with its adoption of distinct protein structures. Upon exposure to oxidative stress, hPrxII assumes a high molecular weight complex structure that has a highly efficient chaperone function. However, the subsequent removal of stressors induces the dissociation of this protein structure into low molecular weight proteins and triggers a chaperone-toperoxidase functional switch. The formation of a high molecular weight hPrxII complex depends on the hyperoxidation of its N-terminal peroxidatic Cys residue as well as on its C-terminal domain, which contains a "YF motif" that is exclusively found in eukaryotic 2-Cys Prxs. A C-terminally truncated hPrxII exists as low and oligomeric protein species and does not respond to oxidative stress. Moreover, this C-terminal deletion of hPrxII converted it from an oxidation-sensitive to a hyperoxidation-resistant form of peroxidase. When functioning as a chaperone, hPrxII protects HeLa cells from H 2 O 2 -induced cell death, as measured by a terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP nickend labeling assay and fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis.

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Histamine releasing factor/translationally controlled tumor protein (HRF/TCTP) stimulates cancer progression and allergic responses, but the role of HRF/TCTP in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remains undefined. In this study, we explored the pathogenic significance of HRF/TCTP and evaluated the therapeutic effects of HRF/TCTP blockade in RA. HRF/TCTP transgenic (TG) and knockdown (KD) mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were used to determine the experimental phenotypes of RA. HRF/TCTP levels in the sera of RA patients were measured and compared to those from patients with osteoarthritis (OA), ankylosing spondylitis, Behçet’s disease, and healthy controls. HRF/TCTP expression was also assessed in the synovium and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) obtained from RA or OA patients. Finally, we assessed the effects of HRF/TCTP and dimerized HRF/TCTP-binding peptide-2 (dTBP2), an HRF/TCTP inhibitor, in RA-FLSs and CIA mice. Our clinical, radiological, histological, and biochemical analyses indicate that inflammatory responses and joint destruction were increased in HRF/TCTP TG mice and decreased in KD mice compared to wild-type littermates. HRF/TCTP levels in the sera, synovial fluid, synovium, and FLSs were higher in patients with RA than in control groups. Serum levels of HRF/TCTP correlated well with RA disease activity. The tumor-like aggressiveness of RA-FLSs was exacerbated by HRF/TCTP stimulation and ameliorated by dTBP2 treatment. dTBP2 exerted protective and therapeutic effects in CIA mice and had no detrimental effects in a murine tuberculosis model. Our results indicate that HRF/TCTP is a novel biomarker and therapeutic target for the diagnosis and treatment of RA.

>> Piping systems play an important role in gas and oil transferring system. In the piping system, there are many elements, such as valves and flow meters. In order to check their normal operating conditions, each signal from each element is displayed on the monitor in the pipe control room. By the way, there are several accidental cases in the piping system even if all signals from the local elements are judged to be normal on the monitor in the control room. Further, opposite cases often happen even the monitor shows abnormal while the local elements work normal. To overcome this abnormal functions, it is not so easy to construct the environment in which sensors detecting the working states of all elements installed in the piping system. In this paper, a new non-contact measurement technique which can calculate the elements' delicate displacements by using a PIV(particle image velocimetry) and diagnose their working states by using a neural network is proposed. The measurement system consists of a host computer, a micro system, a telescope and a high-resolution camera. As a preliminary test, the constructed measurement system was applied to measure delicate vibrations of mobile phones. For practical application, a pneumatic system was measured by the constructed system.