Oxidative damage, including modification of nucleic acids, may contribute to dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra (SN) of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). To investigate the extent and distribution of nucleic acid oxidative damage in these vulnerable dopaminergic neurons, we immunohistochemically characterized a common product of nucleic acid oxidation, 8-hydroxyguanosine (8OHG). In PD patients, cytoplasmic 8OHG immunoreactivity was intense in neurons of the SN, and present to a lesser extent in neurons of the nucleus raphe dorsalis and oculomotor nucleus, and occasionally in glia. The proportion of 8OHG immunoreactive SN neurons was significantly greater in PD patients compared to age-matched controls. Midbrain sections from patients with multiple system atrophy-Parkinsonian type (MSA-P) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) also were examined. These showed increased cytoplasmic 8OHG immunoreactivity in SN neurons in both MSA-P and DLB compared to controls; however, the proportion of positive neurons was significantly less than in PD patients. The regional distribution of 8OHG immunoreactive neurons within the SN corresponded to the distribution of neurodegeneration for these three diseases. Nuclear 8OHG immunoreactivity was not observed in any individual. The type of cytoplasmic nucleic acid responsible for 8OHG immunoreactivity was analyzed by preincubating midbrain sections from PD patients with RNase, DNase, or both enzymes. 8OHG immunoreactivity was substantially diminished by either RNase or DNase, and completely ablated by both enzymes. These results suggest that oxidative damage to cytoplasmic nucleic acid is selectively increased in midbrain, especially the SN, of PD patients and much less so in MSA-P and DLB patients. Moreover, oxidative damage to nucleic acid is largely restricted to cytoplasm with both RNA and mitochondrial DNA as targets.

No abstract

Notch3 is a member of an evolutionarily conserved family of cell surface receptors important in cell-fate determination in both vertebrates and invertebrates. Significant data support the role of Notch pathway in cancer development, although the conflicting role of Notch signaling pathways in tumorigenesis suggests that its action is highly context-dependent. Furthermore, although Notch receptors signal primarily through the regulation of hairy enhancer of split (HES) and HES-related (HRT) genes, they are known to crosstalk with other signaling pathways, including the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. Whereas much is known about the role of Notch1 in human cancer, the role of Notch3 in epithelial tumors, such as lung carcinomas, has not been well established. In this study, we show that Notch3 is expressed in 80 of 207 (39%) resected human lung tumors and that its expression is positively correlated with EGF receptor expression. Inhibition of the Notch3 pathway using a dominant-negative receptor dramatically reduces growth in soft agar and increases growth factor dependence. We also find that Notch inhibition increases sensitivity to EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibition and decrease in phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase. These observations support a role for Notch3 signaling in lung cancer, and one potential mechanism of maintaining the neoplastic phenotype is through the modulation of the EGF pathway. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(9): 3555-61)

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with wheezing and childhood asthma. We previously reported that RSV infection prolongs methacholine-induced airway hyperresponsiveness in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized mice. In addition, allergically sensitized RSV-infected (OVA/RSV) mice had more abundant airway epithelial mucus production compared with OVA mice 14 days after infection, whereas there was almost no mucus in mice that were only RSV infected. We hypothesized that this increased mucus was associated with mucosal expression of Muc5ac, a mucus gene expression in airways, and gob-5, a member of the Ca(2)(+)-activated chloride channel family. By histochemical analysis, we found that there was significantly increased staining for gob-5 and Muc5ac in the airways of OVA/RSV mice compared with either OVA mice or allergically sensitized mice that were challenged with inactivated RSV, and virtually no detectable staining in the RSV group. These findings were confirmed by Western blot analysis. The increased mucus expression in the OVA/RSV group was associated with increased lung levels of interleukin-17, a factor known to stimulate airway mucin gene expression. The impact of virus infection combined with allergic inflammation on mucus production may partially explain the more severe disease and airway hyperresponsiveness associated with RSV in the setting of atopy.