Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression through repression. In this study, we show that histone deacetylase inhibitors (DAIs) that alter the acetylation of histones in chromatin enhance the expression of several genes on tumor cells including: MHC class I, II, and the costimulatory molecule CD40. Enhanced transcription results in a significant increase in protein expression on the tumor cell surface, and expression can be elicited on some tumors that are unresponsive to IFN-γ. The magnitude of induction of these genes cannot be explained by the effect of DAIs on the cell cycle or enhanced apoptosis. Induction of class II genes by DAIs was accompanied by activation of a repressed class II transactivator gene in a plasma cell tumor but, in several other tumor cell lines, class II was induced in the apparent absence of class II transactivator transcripts. These findings also suggest that the abnormalities observed in some tumors in the expression of genes critical to tumor immunity may result from epigenetic alterations in chromatin and gene regulation in addition to well-established mutational mechanisms.

Diabetes is a common comorbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF) that worsens prognosis. The lack of an animal model for CF-related diabetes (CFRD) has made it difficult to dissect how the onset of pancreatic pathology influences the emergence of CFRD. We evaluated the structure and function of the neonatal CF endocrine pancreas using a new CFTR-knockout ferret model. Although CF kits are born with only mild exocrine pancreas disease, progressive exocrine and endocrine pancreatic loss during the first months of life was associated with pancreatic inflammation, spontaneous hyperglycemia, and glucose intolerance. Interestingly, prior to major exocrine pancreas disease, CF kits demonstrated significant abnormalities in blood glucose and insulin regulation, including diminished first-phase and accentuated peak insulin secretion in response to glucose, elevated peak glucose levels following glucose challenge, and variably elevated insulin and C-peptide levels in the nonfasted state. Although there was no difference in lobular insulin and glucagon expression between genotypes at birth, significant alterations in the frequencies of small and large islets were observed. Newborn cultured CF islets demonstrated dysregulated glucose-dependent insulin secretion in comparison to controls, suggesting intrinsic abnormalities in CF islets. These findings demonstrate that early abnormalities exist in the regulation of insulin secretion by the CF endocrine pancreas. IntroductionCystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by defects in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) chloride channel. Cystic fibrosisrelated diabetes (CFRD) is a common complication of CF and affects 20%-25% of adolescents and 40%-50% of individuals over 30 years of age (1,2). CFRD is associated with worsening clinical status, including reduced pulmonary function, increased frequency of pulmonary exacerbations, and a decline in nutritional status (3-7). Furthermore, CFRD leads to increased mortality compared with CF patients without diabetes (4,8). Thus, early diagnosis and treatment are vital to improving clinical outcome of CFRD patients.While the pathophysiology of CFRD is multifactorial, delayed insulin secretion appears to be a key hallmark of disease progression (9-12), and the health of CF patients is improved by insulin therapy prior to and following diagnosis of overt diabetes (13,14). Partial insulin deficiency occurs in part due to islet loss associated with exocrine pancreas disease (15-18). However, CF pancreata at CFRD autopsy demonstrate that remaining islets contain roughly half the number of insulin-positive cells found in non-CF controls (17,18), and this degree of β cell loss is thought to be insufficient to explain diabetes (19). Thus, insulin deficiency in CFRD is relative and not absolute. All stages of CFRD are characterized by abnormalities in circulating insulin levels (10,12,20,21). Impaired first-phase insulin (IFPI) responses are common in CFRD patients, but also occur in approximately 50% of CF children with normal glucose tolerance (9). Cu...

Chronic bacterial lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) are caused by defects in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator chloride channel. Previously, we described that newborn CF transmembrane conductance regulator-knockout ferrets rapidly develop lung infections within the first week of life. Here, we report a more slowly progressing lung bacterial colonization phenotype observed in juvenile to adult CF ferrets reared on a layered antibiotic regimen. Even on antibiotics, CF ferrets were still very susceptible to bacterial lung infection. The severity of lung histopathology ranged from mild to severe, and variably included mucus obstruction of the airways and submucosal glands, air trapping, atelectasis, bronchopneumonia, and interstitial pneumonia. In all CF lungs, significant numbers of bacteria were detected and impaired tracheal mucociliary clearance was observed. Although Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and Enterococcus were observed most frequently in the lungs of CF animals, each animal displayed a predominant bacterial species that accounted for over 50% of the culturable bacteria, with no one bacterial taxon predominating in all animals. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry fingerprinting was used to quantify lung bacteria in 10 CF animals and demonstrated Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Enterococcus, or Escherichia as the most abundant genera. Interestingly, there was significant overlap in the types of bacteria observed in the lung and intestine of a given CF animal, including bacterial taxa unique to the lung and gut of each CF animal analyzed. These findings demonstrate that CF ferrets develop lung disease during the juvenile and adult stages that is similar to patients with CF, and suggest that enteric bacterial flora may seed the lung of CF ferrets.

Human bocavirus virus-1 (HBoV1), a newly discovered autonomous parvovirus with a 5,500 nt genome, efficiently infects human-polarized airway epithelia (HAE) from the apical membrane. We hypothesized that the larger genome and high airway tropism of HBoV1 would be ideal for creating a viral vector for lung gene therapy. To this end, we successfully generated recombinant HBoV1 (rHBoV1) from an open reading frames-disrupted rHBoV1 genome that efficiently transduces HAE from the apical surface. We next evaluated whether HBoV1 capsids could package oversized rAAV2 genomes. These studies created a rAAV2/HBoV1 chimeric virus (5.5 kb genome) capable of apically transducing HAE at 5.6- and 70-fold greater efficiency than rAAV1 or rAAV2 (4.7-kb genomes), respectively. Molecular studies demonstrated that viral uptake from the apical surface was significantly greater for rAAV2/HBoV1 than for rAAV2 or rAAV1, and that polarization of airway epithelial cells was required for HBoV1 capsid-mediated gene transfer. Furthermore, rAAV2/HBoV1-CFTR virus containing the full-length cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene coding sequence and the strong CBA promoter efficiently corrected CFTR-dependent chloride transport in cystic fibrosis (CF) HAE. In summary, using the combined advantages of AAV and HBoV1, we have developed a novel and promising viral vector for CF lung gene therapy and also potentially HBoV1 vaccine development.

Purpose of review Cystic fibrosis is the first human genetic disease to benefit from the directed engineering of three different species of animal models (mice, pigs, and ferrets). Recent studies on the cystic fibrosis pig and ferret models are providing new information about the pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis in various organ systems. Additionally, new conditional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) knockout mice are teaching unexpected lessons about CFTR function in surprising cellular locations. Comparisons between these animal models and the human condition are key to dissecting the complexities of disease pathophysiology in cystic fibrosis. Recent findings Cystic fibrosis pigs and ferrets have provided new models to study the spontaneous development of disease in the lung and pancreas, two organs that are largely spared overt spontaneous disease in cystic fibrosis mice. New cystic fibrosis mouse models are now interrogating CFTR functions involved in growth and inflammation at an organ-based level using conditional knockout technology. Together, these models are providing new insights on the human condition. Summary Basic and clinical cystic fibrosis research will benefit greatly from the comparative pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis mice, pigs, and ferrets. Both similarities and differences between these three cystic fibrosis models will inform pathophysiologically important mechanisms of CFTR function in humans and aid in the development of both organ-specific and general therapies for cystic fibrosis.