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Cutaneous xanthoma consist of foam cells that originate from monocytes or macrophages and accumulate in perivascular areas of the skin. The main component of these cells is oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL). In this study, we show that mast cells surround the accumulated foam cells, suggesting their involvement in xanthoma formation. Coculture of THP-1 or U937 monocytes with the human mast cell line LUVA upregulated their uptake of oxLDL. Positive staining for intracellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) at the borders between mast cells and foam cells was seen in pathological specimens of the most common cutaneous xanthoma, xanthelasma palpebrarum, and in cocultures. In the latter, ICAM1 messenger RNA levels were upregulated. The administration of anti-ICAM-1 blocking antibody inhibited the increase in oxLDL uptake by THP-1 or U937 monocytes cocultured with LUVA. Taken together, these results suggest a role for mast cells in the formation of xanthelasma palpebrarum and the involvement of ICAM-1 in this process., (© 2023 Japanese Society of Pathology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Increasing food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem, and efforts are being made to use waste food as potential livestock feed material. The amount of self-supplied feed is lower in Japan than in other countries, and the government recommends FLW use for animal feed. Sake (Japanese rice wine) is a traditional alcoholic beverage. During the sake manufacturing process, large amounts of squeezed solids or "lees" (sake lees) are generated. Sake lees are nutritious and functional, but are prone to spoilage. In this study, we investigated whether sake lees should be mixed with animal feed immediately or after drying. To assess the usefulness of sake lees as a poultry feed ingredient and determine the effect of sake lees on intestinal immunity, we performed a feeding trial with three treatments: a raw sake lees (RSL) diet, dried sake lees (DSL) diet, and control diet. Three-week-old broilers were fed these diets ( n =8 per group) for two weeks. We then calculated feed efficiency and performed RT-qPCR to assess the effects of diet on intestinal immunity. The growth performance in the RSL diet group was equivalent to that in the control diet group. The DSL diet became difficult for broilers to eat, resulting in decreased growth performance. In the ileum of RSL-diet broilers, the mRNA expression levels of TGF- β 1 and avian β -defensin (AvBD)12 were significantly increased compared to those of control diet broilers ( p <0.05), and a significant correlation was observed between the two genes ( p <0.05). Our results indicated that sake lees should not be dried and should be mixed immediately with feed, and this sake lees when fed to chicken activates the intestinal immunity. However, sake lees have a lower fat content than corn, and it is thus important to combine sake lees with high-energy feed., (2022, Japan Poultry Science Association.)

Putatively, colostral proteins are partly absorbed and transferred to blood circulation in newborn piglets, which suggests that colostrum ingestion alters the protein composition of their blood. Here, we conducted a pilot study to estimate the changes in the protein composition of piglet blood. Plasma collected from piglets pre- and post-ingestion of colostrum (PreC and PostC) was analyzed by shotgun proteomics. Proteins in colostrum were also analyzed. We identified 393 and 427 proteins in PreC and PostC plasma, respectively, and 596 colostral proteins. Whereas 202 unique proteins were identified in PostC, PreC and PostC commonly shared 225 proteins. By contrast, when compared with PreC, 54 proteins in PostC had their emPAI values increased >2-fold. Notably, using plasma samples collected from a separate experiment, the concentrations of growth differentiation factor 8 and haptoglobin were higher in PostC than in PreC, which was validated by ELISA. Approximately 60% of the uniquely identified or highly concentrated proteins in PostC were also found in colostrum, which were likely, at least partly, transferred from colostrum. The present study demonstrated that the protein composition of plasma of newborn piglets drastically changed post-colostrum ingestion, partly due to transfer of colostral proteins., (© 2022 Japanese Society of Animal Science.)

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) containing bridged nucleic acids (BNAs) have been proven to be very powerful. However, ensuring a reliable discovery and translational development scheme for this class of ASOs with wider therapeutic windows remains a fundamental challenge. We here demonstrate the robustness of our scheme in the context of the selection of ASOs having two different BNA chemistries (2,'4'-BNA/locked nucleic acid [LNA] and amido-bridged nucleic acid [AmNA]) targeting human proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9). The scheme features a two-step process, including (1) a unique and sensitive in vitro screening approach, called Ca 2+ enrichment of medium (CEM) transfection, and (2) a ligand-targeted drug delivery approach to better reach target tissues, averting unintended accumulation of ASOs. Using CEM screening, we identified a candidate ASO that shows >70% cholesterol-lowering action in monkeys. An N -acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) ligand then was appended to the candidate ASO to further broaden the therapeutic margin by altering the molecule's pharmacokinetics. The GalNAc conjugate, HsPCSK9-1811-LNA, was found to be at least ten times more potent in non-human primates (compared with the unconjugated counterpart), with reduced nephrotoxicity in rats. Overall, we successfully showed that our drug development scheme is better suited for selecting clinically relevant BNA-based ASOs, especially for the treatment of liver-associated diseases., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Oligonucleotides modified with 2'- O,4'- C-spirocyclopropylene-bridged nucleic acid (scpBNA) exhibit excellent duplex-forming ability with their complementary single-stranded RNA (ssRNA). Here, we demonstrate that scpBNA bearing a 2-thiothymine (scpBNA-S 2 T) or 2-selenothymine (scpBNA-Se 2 T) nucleobase provides robust mismatch discrimination capabilities to oligonucleotides without compromising their high binding affinities toward the full complementary ssRNA. X-ray crystallographic analysis of a self-assembling oligonucleotide featuring 2',4'-BNA/LNA-2-thiothymine (2',4'-BNA/LNA-S 2 T, where 2',4'-BNA and LNA stand for "2'- O,4'- C-methylene-bridged nucleic acid" and "locked nucleic acid", respectively), a prototype of scpBNA-S 2 T, revealed that the 2-thiocarbonyl moiety plays a crucial role in the destabilization of thymine-guanine mismatched wobble base pairs.

Phosphorothioate modification of oligonucleotides is one of the most promising chemical modifications in nucleic acid therapeutics. Structurally similar 5'-thio or phosphorothiolate-modified nucleotides, in which the 5'-bridging oxygen atom is replaced with a sulfur atom, are attracting attention and gaining importance in oligonucleotide-based research. In our present study, we synthesized 5'-thio-2',4'-BNA/LNA monomers bearing thymine or 5-methylcytosine nucleobase. The 5'-thio-2',4'-BNA/LNA monomers were successfully incorporated into target oligonucleotides, and their nuclease stability and binding affinity with complementary strands were evaluated., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Conformationally restricted nucleoside analogues 2',4'-BNA/LNA-7-deazaguanine (LNA- 7c G) and 2',4'-BNA/LNA-8-aza-7-deazaguanine (LNA- 8n7c G), which avoid extra hydrogen bond formation at the 7-position of the guanine nucleobase, were successfully synthesized and incorporated into oligonucleotides. While the LNA- 7c G-containing oligonucleotides show high duplex-forming ability with complementary DNA and RNA similar to LNA-G, the LNA- 8n7c G-containing oligonucleotide has lower binding affinity than that of natural 2'-deoxyguanosine. This disparity in thermostability is also observed in 7-deazaadenosine analogues (LNA- 7c A, LNA- 8n7c A). Thermodynamic parameters and computational chemistry revealed that an inappropriate glycosidic torsion angle χ of 2',4'-BNA/LNA-8-aza-7-deazapurine analogues destabilizes duplex formation in contrast to 2',4'-BNA/LNA-7-deazapurine analogues. This result indicates that the nucleobase rotation angle plays an important role in duplex binding affinity. In addition, LNA- 7c G-modified oligonucleotide effectively suppresses aggregation even in a guanine-rich sequence.

Although a lot of food-derived peptides have been applied for medical use and therapeutic nutrition, the function of feed-derived peptides on nutritional physiology in chickens has not been clarified so far. Our previous study revealed that wheat gluten digested by trypsin could enhance the absorption of amino acids from small intestine. In the present study, we studied the influence of trypsin-digested wheat gluten peptides with different molecular weight (MW) on the intestinal absorption of amino acids in chickens. Wheat gluten was digested by trypsin and fractionated by using the ultrafiltration membrane. Wheat gluten peptides were divided into 3 fractions with different MW; MW more than 10,000, MW 3,000-10,000 and MW less than 3,000. Phosphate buffered saline and whole wheat gluten digesta were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. All of wheat gluten peptides were mixed with 2.5 M glucose-10 mM amino acid solution and administrated into the crop with a stomach tube. At 20 min after oral administration, blood samples were taken from mesenteric vein. Plasma amino acid concentration was determined using an automatic amino acid analyzer. The peptide fraction with MW more than 10,000 increased the intestinal absorption of phenylalanine and proline. The peptide fraction with MW 3,000-10,000 increased the intestinal absorption of proline. These results suggest that wheat gluten peptide with high MW might have the potency to enhance the absorption of aromatic amino acids from small intestine of young chickens., (2016, Japan Poultry Science Association.)

Phosphorothioate modification is one of the most widely investigated and promising chemical modifications in oligonucleotide (ON) based therapeutics. Structurally similar 5'-thio or phosphorothiolate-modified nucleotides, in which a 5'-bridging oxygen is replaced with a sulfur atom, are gaining importance for ON-based research. Several reports have been published describing the synthesis of 5'-thio-modified ONs but no detailed in vitro and in vivo data are available. Here, we report the synthesis of 5'-thio-modified 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine. 5'-Thio-modified thymidine and 2'-deoxy-5-methylcytidine were incorporated into target ONs, then we evaluated their binding affinity, nuclease stability, RNase H mediated scission, stability in blood serum, and in vitro and in vivo activity. This is the first report showing the influence of 5'-thio-modified antisense ONs in in vitro and in vivo experiments.

Double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) templates can hybridize to and accelerate cleavage of oligonucleotides containing a P3'→N5' phosphoramidate (P-N) linkage. This dsDNA-templated cleavage of P-N linkages could be due to conformational strain placed on the linkage upon triplex formation. To determine whether duplex formation also induced conformational strain, we examined the reactivity of the oligonucleotides with a P-N linkage in the presence of single-stranded templates, and compared these reactions to those with dsDNA templates. P-N oligonucleotides that are cleaved upon duplex formation could be used as probes to detect single-stranded nucleic acids.

We recently reported double-stranded DNA-templated cleavage of oligonucleotides as a sequence-specific DNA-detecting method. In this method, triplex-forming oligonucleotides (TFOs) modified with 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA were used as a DNA-detecting probe. This modification introduced a P3'→N5' linkage (P-N linkage) in the backbone of the TFO, which was quickly cleaved under acidic conditions when it formed a triplex. The prompt fission of the P-N linkage was assumed to be driven by a conformational strain placed on the linkage upon triplex formation. Therefore, chemical modifications around the P-N linkage should change the reactivity by altering the microenvironment. We synthesized 5'-aminomethyl type nucleic acids, and incorporated them into TFOs instead of 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA to investigate the effect of 5'-elongation. In addition, 2',4'-BNA/LNA or 2',5'-linked DNA were introduced at the 3'- and/or 5'-neighboring residues of 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA to reveal neighboring residual effects. We evaluated the triplex stability and reaction properties of these TFOs, and found out that chemical modifications around the P-N linkage greatly affected their reaction properties. Notably, 2',5'-linked DNA at the 3' position flanking 5'-amino-2',4'-BNA brought significantly higher reactivity, and we succeeded in indicating that a TFO with this modification is promising as a DNA analysis tool.