Re: RNase L/Elastase/Elastase and calpain differences/Cort

[Guest guest]

Hi Cort

Thanks for your reply.

About Calpain: I have been looking at the De Meirleir diagram:

http://www.redlabsusa.com/DECISIONTREE.swf and wondering what could

be splitting the RnaseL at the right hand side of the diagram, since

it is not elastase, according to the diagram.

(By the way: If the diagram is correct then there might be a mistake

in figure 1. in Dr. Barratts summary of De Meirleir talk, as I think

Elastase should not be increased on the right hand side

(http://www.ahmf.org/05currentper.htm).

Could fragmentation of RnaseL on the right hand side of the diagram

be due to Calpain? On the right hand side Nitric Oxide is decreased,

and I have seen that Nitric Oxide can regulate Calpain-mediated

proteolysis:

" Nitric oxide inhibits calpain-mediated proteolysis of talin in

skeletal muscle cells "

http://ajpcell.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/279/3/C806

Concerning Cathepsin G - I had not thought about that. When I look

it up, it seems as if is of the same family as Elastase, but

Elastase is inhibited by alpha 1-antitrypsin and Cathepsin G is

inhibited by alpha 1-antichymotrypsin. I`ll try to read more about

it.

About whether my daughter`s increasing elastase level is an

indication of a bacterial infection: We can see from a blood test

that the level of antibodies to six different gut bacteria has

increased - among these bacteria are two strains of Pseudomonas.

So maybe the increased elastase activity is a result of increasing

blood infections in combination with an increased (but maybe still

dysfunctional) immune response - as I don`t think that the increase

in antibody levels alone could result in such a large increase in

elastase activity.

ne

> I dont know why De Meirleir et al seem to have 'dropped' calpain.

It maybe that they haven't dropped calpain but they can only do so

much and are just concentrating on elastase.

>Are the increased elastase levels an indication of a bacterial

infection in your daughter?

>Theres also cathepsin G - it also fragmented Rnase L in the tests -

but it has not been heard from since. Something must make it an

unlikely candidate.