Silke Meister

Autoantibodies against double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and nucleosomes represent a hallmark of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the mechanisms involved in breaking the immunological tolerance against these poorly immunogenic nuclear components are not fully understood. Impaired phagocytosis of apoptotic cells with consecutive release of nuclear antigens may contribute to the immune pathogenesis. The architectural chromosomal protein and proinflammatory mediator high mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) is tightly attached to the chromatin of apoptotic cells. We demonstrate that HMGB1 remains bound to nucleosomes released from late apoptotic cells in vitro. HMGB1-nucleosome complexes were also detected in plasma from SLE patients. HMGB1-containing nucleosomes from apoptotic cells induced secretion of interleukin (IL) 1beta, IL-6, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha and expression of costimulatory molecules in macrophages and dendritic cells (DC), respectively. Neither HMGB1-free nucleosomes from viable cells nor nucleosomes from apoptotic cells lacking HMGB1 induced cytokine production or DC activation. HMGB1-containing nucleosomes from apoptotic cells induced anti-dsDNA and antihistone IgG responses in a Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2-dependent manner, whereas nucleosomes from living cells did not. In conclusion, HMGB1-nucleosome complexes activate antigen presenting cells and, thereby, may crucially contribute to the pathogenesis of SLE via breaking the immunological tolerance against nucleosomes/dsDNA.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable plasma cell neoplasia characterized by the production of large amounts of monoclonal immunoglobulins. The proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341, Velcade) induces apoptosis in various malignant cells and has been approved for treatment of refractory multiple myeloma. Inhibition of the antiapoptotic transcription factor nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) apparently contributes to the antitumor effects of bortezomib; however, this mechanism cannot fully explain the exceptional sensitivity of myeloma cells. Extensive protein synthesis as in myeloma cells is inherently accompanied by unfolded proteins, including defective ribosomal products (DRiPs), which need to be degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. Therefore, we hypothesized that the proapoptotic effect of bortezomib in multiple myeloma is mainly due to the accumulation of unfolded proteins in cells with high protein biosynthesis. Using the IgG-secreting human myeloma cell line JK-6L and murine muH-chain-transfected Ag8.H myeloma cells, apoptosis induction upon proteasome inhibition was clearly correlated with the amount of immunoglobulin production. Preferentially in immunoglobulin-high myeloma cells, bortezomib triggered activation of caspases and induction of proapoptotic CHOP, a component of the terminal unfolded protein response induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. In immunoglobulin-high cells, bortezomib increased the levels of proapoptotic Bax while reducing antiapoptotic Bcl-2. Finally, IgG-DRiPs were detected in proteasome inhibitor-treated cells. Hence, proteasome inhibitors induce apoptosis preferentially in cells with high synthesis rate of immunoglobulin associated with accumulation of unfolded proteins/DRiPs inducing ER stress. These findings further elucidate the antitumor activities of proteasome inhibitors and have important implications for optimizing clinical applications.

The research on high hydrostatic pressure in medicine and life sciences is multifaceted. According to the used pressure head the research has to be divided into two different parts. To study physiological aspects of pressure on eukaryotic cells physiological pressure (pHHP; < 100 MPa) is used. pHHP induces morphological alterations in the cellular organelles and evokes a reversible stress response similar to the well known heat shock response. pHHP induces highly reversible alterations and normally does not affect cellular viability. The treatment of eukaryotic cells with nonphysiological pressure (HHP; ≥ 100 MPa) reveals different outcomes. Treatment with HHP < 150 MPa does not markedly affect viability of human cells, but induces apoptosis in murine cells. In human cells apoptosis is observed after treatment with ≥ 200 MPa. Moreover, HHP treatment with > 300 MPa leads to necrosis. Therefore, HHP plays a role for the sterilisation of human transplants, of food stuff, and pharmaceuticals. Human tumour cells subjected to HHP > 300 MPa display a necrotic phenotype along with a gelificated cytoplasm, preserve their shape, and retain their immunogenicity. These observations favour the use of HHP to produce whole cell based tumour vaccines. Further experiments revealed that the increment of pressure as well as the pressure holding time influences the cell death of tumour cells. We conclude that high hydrostatic pressure offers both, an economic, easy to apply, clean, and fast technique for the generation of vaccines, and a promising tool to study physiological aspects. Keywords: High hydrostatic pressure, stress response, cell death, apoptosis, necrosis, immunogenicity, tumour vaccine, transplants

The architectural chromosomal protein high-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1) acts as an alarmin when released from cells. It is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. HMGB1 can undergo post-translational modifications including oxidation. However, the mechanisms and functional relevance of HMGB1 oxidation are not yet understood. Increased concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been reported during apoptosis and necrosis. Hence, we investigated the oxidative status of HMGB1 in dead cells. Immunoblot analyses under reducing and non-reducing conditions revealed that HMGB1 is oxidized in dead cells. Moreover, tagging of oxidized cysteine residues by a maleimide moiety linked to polyethylene glycol showed that HMGB1 passively released from primary and secondary necrotic cells was predominantly oxidized. Also HMGB1 in plasma of patients with systemic lupus was reversibly oxidized. In conclusion, HMGB1 undergoes reversible oxidative modifications at cysteine residues during cell death, which may modulate its biological properties.