Plasma Hsp90 levels in patients with systemic sclerosis and relation to lung and skin involvement: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Abstract

Our previous study demonstrated increased expression of Heat shock protein (Hsp) 90 in the skin of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). We aimed to evaluate plasma Hsp90 in SSc and characterize its association with SSc-related features. Ninety-two SSc patients and 92 age-/sex-matched healthy controls were recruited for the cross-sectional analysis. The longitudinal analysis comprised 30 patients with SSc associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) routinely treated with cyclophosphamide. Hsp90 was increased in SSc compared to healthy controls. Hsp90 correlated positively with C-reactive protein and negatively with pulmonary function tests: forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO). In patients with diffuse cutaneous (dc) SSc, Hsp90 positively correlated with the modified Rodnan skin score. In SSc-ILD patients treated with cyclophosphamide, no differences in Hsp90 were found between baseline and after 1, 6, or 12 months of therapy. However, baseline Hsp90 predicts the 12-month change in DLCO. This study shows that Hsp90 plasma levels are increased in SSc patients compared to age-/sex-matched healthy controls. Elevated Hsp90 in SSc is associated with increased inflammatory activity, worse lung functions, and in dcSSc, with the extent of skin involvement. Baseline plasma Hsp90 predicts the 12-month change in DLCO in SSc-ILD patients treated with cyclophosphamide.

Neuropilin 1: A Novel Entry Factor for SARS-CoV-2 Infection and a Potential Therapeutic Target

“… 10 , 14–19 In addition to ACE2, CD147 protein has been identified as a co-receptor in host cells to enhance the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to enter human cells, and cause COVID-19 disease. 11 , 14 , 16 , 17 , 20 , 21 …”

Quantitative assessment of retinal thickness and vessel density using optical coherence tomography angiography in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and glaucoma

“…the introduction of OCT angiography (OCTA), a modern technique for non-invasive imaging of retinal blood vessels in vivo, it has been demonstrated that retinal vessel density is significantly reduced in patients with AD, likely due to abnormal Aβ deposits that build up inside blood vessel walls [18][19][20][21]. Latest studies demonstrated significant correlations between retinal vessel density and cognitive function domains [22,23], apolipoprotein E genotype AD [24], and cerebral volumetric changes [25]. However, OCTA imaging has also provided evidence of microvascular impairment owing to reduced vessel density within the peripapillary area and the macula in POAG [26].…”

Antibiotic tolerance, persistence, and resistance of the evolved minimal cell, Mycoplasma mycoides JCVI-Syn3B

“…This result is also coherent with our recently published data, which established that interfering with protein degradation by forming a proteolytic queue at ClpXP will increase tolerance levels dramatically ( Deter et al, 2019 ). Transcriptomic analysis of queuing-tolerant population showed upregulation of genes related to metabolism and energy ( Deter et al., 2021 ). However, other studies reported that ppGpp and ATP reduction are not essential for persistence ( Pontes and Groisman, 2019 ; Chowdhury et al., 2016 ; Bhaskar et al., 2018 ).…”

“…Since persistence and tolerance are present in phylogenetically diversified bacterial species ( Wilmaerts et al., 2019b ; Meylan et al., 2018 ), it is feasible that an underlying genetic mechanism is conserved in evolutionarily related microorganisms, and the most likely candidates are essential genes or the disruption of crucial networks. In our recent work, we demonstrate that antibiotic tolerance in Escherichia coli may result from a whole-cell response and can occur through multiple pathways or networks, which may work simultaneously and cooperatively to survive against antibiotics ( Deter et al., 2021 ).…”