Fang Xie

Age is a major risk factor in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but the underlying cause is unknown. We find increased Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) signaling and M2 characteristics in eyes of aged mice, revealing immune changes in aging. ROCK isoforms determine macrophage polarization into M1 and M2 subtypes. M2-like macrophages accumulated in AMD, but not in normal eyes, suggesting that these macrophages may be linked to macular degeneration. M2 macrophages injected into the mouse eye exacerbated choroidal neovascular lesions, while M1 macrophages ameliorated them, supporting a causal role for macrophage subtypes in AMD. Selective ROCK2 inhibition with a small molecule decreased M2-like macrophages and choroidal neovascularization. ROCK2 inhibition upregulated M1 markers without affecting macrophage recruitment, underlining the plasticity of these macrophages. These results reveal age-induced innate immune imbalance as underlying AMD pathogenesis. Targeting macrophage plasticity opens up new possibilities for more effective AMD treatment.

Despite widespread use of taxanes, mechanisms of action and resistance in vivo remain to be established, and there is no way of predicting who will respond to therapy. This study examined prostate cancer (PCa) xenografts and patient samples to identify in vivo mechanisms of taxane action and resistance. Docetaxel drug-target engagement was assessed by confocal anti-tubulin immunofluorescence to quantify microtubule bundling in interphase cells and aberrant mitoses. Tumor biopsies from metastatic PCa patients obtained 2 to 5 days after their first dose of docetaxel or cabazitaxel were processed to assess microtubule bundling, which correlated with clinical response. Microtubule bundling was evident in PCa xenografts 2 to 3 days after docetaxel treatment but was decreased or lost with acquired resistance. Biopsies after treatment with leuprolide plus docetaxel showed extensive microtubule bundling as did biopsies obtained 2 to 3 days after initiation of docetaxel or cabazitaxel in 2 patients with castration-resistant PCa with clinical responses. In contrast, microtubule bundling in biopsies 2 to 3 days after the first dose of docetaxel was markedly lower in 4 nonresponding patients. These findings indicate that taxanes target both mitotic and interphase cells in vivo and that resistance is through mechanisms that impair drug-target engagement. Moreover, the findings suggest that microtubule bundling after initial taxane treatment may be a predictive biomarker for clinical response.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), especially evolutionarily conserved miRNAs play critical roles in regulating various biological process. However, the functions of conserved miRNAs in longevity are still largely unknown. Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) was recently shown to extend lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans, but its molecular mechanisms have not been fully understood. In the present study, we characterize that microRNA mediated a novel longevity pathway of APS in C. elegans. We found that APS markedly extended the lifespan of C. elegans at the second and the fourth stages. A highly conserved miRNA miR-124 was significantly upregulated in APS-treated C. elegans. Overexpression miR-124 caused the lifespan extension of C. elegans and vice versa, indicating miR-124 regulates the longevity of C. elegans. Using luciferase assay, atf-6 was established as a target gene of miR-124 which acting on three binding sites at atf-6 3′UTR. Consistently, agomir-cel-miR-124 was also shown to inhibit ATF-6 expression in C. elegans. APS-treated C. elegans showed the down-regulation of atf-6 at protein level. Furthermore, the knockdown of atf-6 by RNAi extended the lifespan of C. elegans, indicating atf-6 regulated by miR-124 contributes to lifespan extension. Taken together, miR-124 regulating ATF-6 is a new potential longevity signal pathway, which underlies the lifespan-extending effects of APS in C. elegans. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 242–251, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.