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Mortality of migratory bat species at wind energy facilities is a well-documented phenomenon, and mitigation and management are partially constrained by the current limited knowledge of bat migratory movements. Analyses of biochemical signatures in bat tissues ("intrinsic markers") can provide information about the migratory origins of individual bats. Many tissue samples for intrinsic marker analysis may be collected from living and dead bats, including carcasses collected at wind energy facilities. In this paper, we review the full suite of available intrinsic marker analysis techniques that may be used to study bat migration, with the goal of summarizing the current literature and highlighting knowledge gaps and opportunities. We discuss applications of the stable isotopes of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, sulfur; radiogenic strontium isotopes; trace elements and contaminants; and the combination of these markers with each other and with other extrinsic markers. We further discuss the tissue types that may be analyzed for each and provide a synthesis of the generalized workflow required to link bats to origins using intrinsic markers. While stable hydrogen isotope techniques have clearly been the leading approach to infer migratory bat movement patterns across the landscape, here we emphasize a variety of lesser used intrinsic markers (i.e., strontium, trace elements, contaminants) that may address new study areas or answer novel research questions.

Tuberculosis is a global health threat that affects millions of people every year, and treatment-limiting toxicity remains a considerable source of treatment failure. Recent reports have characterized the nature of hPXR -mediated hepatotoxicity and the systemic toxicity of antitubercular drugs. The antitubercular drug isoniazid plays a role in such pathologic states as acute intermittent porphyria, anemia, hepatotoxicity, hypercoagulable states (deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or ischemic stroke), pellagra (vitamin B 3 deficiency), peripheral neuropathy, and vitamin B 6 deficiency. However, the mechanisms by which isoniazid administration leads to these states are unclear. To elucidate the mechanism of rifampicin- and isoniazid-induced liver and systemic injury, we performed tandem mass tag mass spectrometry-based proteomic screening of mPxr - / - and hPXR mice treated with combinations of rifampicin and isoniazid. Proteomic profiling analysis suggested that the hPXR liver proteome is affected by antitubercular therapy to disrupt [Fe-S] cluster assembly machinery, [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing proteins, cytochrome P450 enzymes, heme biosynthesis, homocysteine catabolism, oxidative stress responses, vitamin B 3 metabolism, and vitamin B 6 metabolism. These novel findings provide insight into the etiology of some of these processes and potential targets for subsequent investigations. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD019505., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Background: Despite its relatively low incidence, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a leading cause of cancer deaths because of the aggressive growth/metastasis of the tumor, the lack of early symptoms, and the poor treatment options. Basic research to identify potential therapeutic targets for PDAC is greatly needed., Methods: We used a negative-selection genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify essential genes in the PANC-1 human pancreatic carcinoma cell line. We validated the top hits with follow-up siRNA screens, using the HPNE, HPAF-II, AsPC-1, and Mia PaCa-2 cell lines., Results: The PSMA6 gene was an identified candidate hit after the CRISPR screen, siRNA validation screen, and siRNA deconvolution screen. Spheroid formation assays and flow cytometry analysis showed that PSMA6 is critical for survival in many pancreatic ductal carcinoma cell models. Lastly, as PSMA6 protein is a proteosomal subunit of the 20S core complex, we showed that bortezomib, a proteasome inhibitor, was especially toxic in PANC-1 cells., Conclusions: Further study of PSMA6 and the proteasome subunit that it encodes, along with other hits identified in our CRISPR screens, may provide valuable insights into potential therapeutic targets for PDAC.

In a mouse model, rifampicin and isoniazid combination treatment results in cholestatic liver injury that is associated with an increase in protoporphyrin IX, the penultimate heme precursor. Both ferrochelatase (FECH/Fech) and aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1/Alas1) are crucial enzymes in regulating heme biosynthesis. Isoniazid has recently been reported to upregulate Alas1 but downregulate Fech protein levels in mice; however, the mechanism by which isoniazid mediates disruption of heme synthesis has been unclear. Two metabolites of isoniazid, pyridoxal isonicotinoyl hydrazone (PIH, the isoniazid-vitamin B6 conjugate) and hydrazine, have been detected in the urine of humans treated with isoniazid. Here we show that, in primary human hepatocytes and the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2/C3A, (1) isoniazid treatment increases Alas1 protein levels but decreases Fech levels; (2) hydrazine treatment upregulates Alas1 protein and Alas1 mRNA levels; (3) PIH treatment decreases Fech protein levels, but not Fech mRNA levels; and (4) PIH is detected after isoniazid treatment, with levels increasing further when exogenous vitamin B6 analogs are coadministered. In addition, the PIH-mediated downregulation of human FECH is associated with iron chelation. Together, these data demonstrate that hydrazine upregulates ALAS1, whereas PIH downregulates FECH, suggesting that the metabolites of isoniazid mediate its disruption of heme biosynthesis by contributing to protoporphyrin IX accumulation., (© The Author(s) 2018. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Increases in levels of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX; a heme precursor) may be driven by xenobiotic induction of aminolevulinic acid synthase 1 (ALAS1) expression. ALAS1 is the rate-limiting enzyme of heme biosynthesis and may be upregulated to satisfy the increased need for heme in CYP450 enzymes. Therefore, a high-throughput fluorescence spectroscopy method that detects PPIX would enable the screening of drugs that increase ALAS1 through nuclear hormone receptor-mediated induction of transcription that may cause toxicity or even provide utility in the diagnosis or treatment of cancers that have elevated cellular PPIX levels. This chapter describes a high-throughput plate-based imaging technique for determining cellular protoporphyrin levels by using the GE Healthcare InCell 6000 confocal imaging system to detect the presence and location of PPIX in each cell and may be adapted for use with other imaging systems. Laser excitation and a scientific-grade complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) camera generate short exposure times, decreasing photobleaching in the target cells that may result in inaccurate measurements of PPIX and increasing screening throughput. Nuclear staining was detected by using a laser with 405-nm excitation and 455-nm emission wavelengths, and the presence of PPIX was measured using 405-nm excitation and 706-nm emission wavelengths. Image analysis involving top-hat segmentation on both nuclear and PPIX staining was performed by using the InCell Analyzer Workstation software. This assay may be adapted to screen for PPIX formation, degradation, and transportation effectors. Indeed, the inclusion of PPIX transport inhibition would be expected to further widen the linear range of fluorescence and improve the method.

Herbal supplements are a significant source of drug-drug interactions (DDIs), herb-drug interactions, and hepatotoxicity. Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes metabolize a large number of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals and herbal supplements. This metabolism of pharmaceuticals and supplements can be augmented by concomitant use of either pharmaceuticals or supplements. The xenobiotic receptors constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) and the pregnane X receptor (PXR) can respond to xenobiotics by increasing the expression of a large number of genes that are involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics, including CYP450s. Conversely, but not exclusively, many xenobiotics can inhibit the activity of CYP450s. Induction of the expression or inhibition of the activity of CYP450s can result in DDIs and toxicity. Currently, the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration does not require the investigation of the interactions of herbal supplements and CYP450s. This review provides a summary of herbal supplements that inhibit CYP450s, induce the expression of CYP450s, and/or whose toxicity is mediated by CYP450s., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Muscle differentiation is a complex process in which muscle progenitor cells undergo determination and eventually cellular fusion. This process is heavily regulated by such master transcription factors as MYOD and members of the MEF2 family. Here, we show that the transcription factor ZNF148 plays a direct role in human muscle cell differentiation. Downregulation of ZNF148 drives the formation of a muscle phenotype with rapid expression of myosin heavy chain, even in proliferative conditions. This phenotype was most likely mediated by the robust and swift upregulation of MYOD and MEF2C.

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) is a xenobiotic receptor that regulates the detoxification and clearance of drugs and foreign compounds from the liver. There has been mounting evidence of crosstalk between the drug metabolism pathway and the energy metabolism pathway, but little is known about this cross-regulation. To further delineate the energy metabolism and drug metabolism crosstalk in this study, we exposed HepG2 cells to varying glucose concentrations. We observed that PXR activity was induced under high-glucose conditions. This finding is consistent with previous clinical reports of increased drug clearance in patients with untreated diabetes. We demonstrated that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) modulates PXR transcriptional activity and that pharmacologically manipulated AMPK activation exhibits an inverse relation to PXR activity. Activation of AMPK was shown to downregulate PXR activity and, consistent with that, potentiate the response of cells to the drug. Taken together, our results delineate a hitherto unreported axis of regulation that involves the energy status of the cell, PXR regulation, and drug sensitivity.

The pregnane X receptor (PXR) plays an important and diverse role in mediating xenobiotic induction of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters. Several protein isoforms of PXR exist, and they have differential transcriptional activity upon target genes; transcript variants 3 (PXR3) and 4 (PXR4) do not induce target gene expression, whereas transcript variants 1 (PXR1) and 2 (PXR2) respond to agonist by activating target gene expression. PXR protein variants also display differences in protein-protein interactions; PXR1 interacts with p53, whereas PXR3 does not. Furthermore, the transcript variants of PXR that encode these protein isoforms are differentially regulated by methylation and deletions in the respective promoters of the variants, and their expression differs in various human cancers and also in cancerous tissue compared to adjacent normal tissues. PXR1 and PXR4 mRNA are downregulated by methylation in cancerous tissue and have divergent effects on cellular proliferation when ectopically overexpressed. Additional detailed and comparative mechanistic studies are required to predict the effect of PXR transcript variant expression on carcinogenesis, therapeutic response, and the development of toxicity.

Introduction: The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing foreign substances. The continuous exposure of the liver to xenobiotics sometimes leads to impaired liver function, referred to as drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The pregnane X receptor (PXR) tightly regulates the expression of genes in the hepatic drug-clearance system and its undesired activation plays a role in DILI., Areas Covered: This review focuses on the recent progress in understanding PXR-mediated DILI and highlights the efforts made to assess and manage PXR-mediated DILI during drug development., Expert Opinion: Future efforts are needed to further elucidate the mechanisms of PXR-mediated liver injury, including the epigenetic regulation and polymorphisms of PXR. Novel in vitro models containing functional PXR could improve our ability to predict and assess DILI during drug development. PXR inhibitors may provide chemical tools to validate the potential of PXR as a therapeutic target and to develop drugs to be used in the clinic to manage PXR-mediated DILI.

Reaction of H(3)L(1), the Schiff base condensate of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine with three equivalents of 5-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxaldehyde, with manganese(II)perchlorate or iron(II)tetrafluoroborate results in the isolation of [MH(3)L(1)]X(2) (M = Mn and X = ClO(4) and M = Fe and X = BF(4)). These complexes are high spin d(5) and d(6), respectively, as inferred from the long M-N bond distances obtained by single crystal X-ray diffraction for both and variable temperature magnetic susceptibility and Mössbauer spectroscopy for the iron complex. Aerobic treatment of a solution of [CoH(3)L(1)](2+) with three equivalents of potassium hydroxide produced [CoL(1)]. Homonuclear pseudo-dimers were prepared by the aerobic reaction of [FeH(3)L(1)](BF(4))(2) with 1.5 equivalents of potassium hydroxide to give {[FeH(1.5)L(1)](BF(4))}(2) or by the metathesis reaction of [FeH(2)L(1)][FeHL(1)](ClO(4))(2) with sodium hexafluorophosphate to give [FeH(3)L(1)][FeL(1)](PF(6))(2). The complexes were characterized by EA, IR, ESI-MS, variable temperature single crystal x-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy. The iron(III) atom is low spin while the iron(II) atom is spin crossover. Heteronuclear pseudo-dimers were prepared by the 1:1 reaction of [FeH(3)L(1)](BF(4))(2) or [MnH(3)L(1)](ClO(4))(2) with [CoL(1)]. [MH(3)L(1)][CoL(1)](X)(2) (M = Fe and X = BF(4) or M = Mn and X = ClO(4)), were characterized by IR, EA, variable temperature single crystal X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy in the iron case. The data support a spin crossover and high spin assignment for the iron(II) and manganese(II), respectively. DFT calculations demonstrate that the spin state of the iron(II) atom in {[FeH(3)L(1)][FeL(1)]}(2+) changes from high spin to low spin as the iron(II)-iron(III) distance decreases. This is supported by experimental results and is a result of hydrogen bonding interactions which cause a significant compression of the M(II)-N(pyrazole) bond distances.

Reaction of iron(II) and the 3 : 1 Schiff base condensate of 5-methylpyrazole-3-carboxaldehyde and tris(2-aminoethyl)amine in air gives a pseudo-dimer complex with a triple helix structure made of Delta-Delta and Lambda-Lambda pairings of spin crossover iron(II) and low spin iron(III) cations that are held together by three pi-pi and hydrogen bonding interactions.

The reaction of a copper(II) or nickel(II) imidazolate complex (M[CBP-PHEN-4-CHO-Im]) with zinc(II)tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) in toluene results in the formation of an imidazolate bridged heterobinuclear axial adduct. Conversion of the four-coordinated Zn(TPP) to the five-coordinated species is followed in the visible region between 700 and 500 nm. Isosbestic behavior is exhibited at 523, 556, 588, and 638 nm by solutions of Zn(TPP) to which varying amounts of the metal imidazolate complex are added, indicating the existence of an equilibrium between Zn(TPP) and its axial adduct. The products exhibit maxima beta and alpha bands at 566 and 606 nm, respectively, which are red-shifted from 548 and 588 nm for Zn(TPP) and yield epsilon alpha/epsilon beta ratios of 0.57 and 0.55 for the Ni(II) and Cu(II) adducts, respectively. The binding of the metal imidazolate complexes is thought to closely resemble that of N-methylimidazole, N-CH3Im, rather than imidazolate, owing to the close spectral similarities with the adduct of the former and significant differences from the latter. Formation constants were determined using the 548-nm beta band of Zn(TPP) in the 293-308 K range by the method of Rose and Drago. At 25 degrees C, K = 152,000 M-1 and 110,000 M-1 for the copper and nickel adducts, respectively. Comparison of these values to that of 54,100 M-1 for N-CH3Im indicates that the metal-imidazolate complexes are considerably more reactive. Van't Hoff plots for the two series are very similar with enthalpies of -41.9 and -43.3 kJ/mole respectively. The structural core of these complexes is similar to the imidazolate bridged model of cytochrome c oxidase in that they contain a metal imidazolate axially adducted to a metalloporphyrin.