bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extracellular Heat Shock Protein-70 Induces Endotoxin Tolerance in THP-1 Cells
Authors: Aneja Rajesh , Odoms Kelli , Dunsmore Katherine , Shanley Thomas P. , Wong Hector R. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Recent data suggest that heat shock protein-70 (HSP-70), an intracellular protein, can exist in the extracellular compartment and signal through the CD14/TLR4 pathway. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that extracellular HSP-70 induces endotoxin (LPS) tolerance. Using human monocyte cell line (THP-1), initial dose-response experiments were conducted to determine a subthreshold concentration of HSP-70 that does not induce NF-κB activity. Differentiated THP-1 cells were preconditioned with subthreshold concentration (0.03 μg/ml HSP-70) for 18 h, followed by LPS stimulation (1 μg/ml) for 4 h. Preconditioning with HSP-70 decreased subsequent LPS-mediated NF-κB-dependent promoter activity and was accompanied by significant decreases of supernatant TNF levels. Furthermore, human monocytes isolated from human volunteers, subsequently preconditioned with HSP-70, demonstrated LPS tolerance as evidenced by abrogated supernatant TNF levels. Additional experiments were conducted to exclude the possibility of endotoxin contamination of HSP-70 by boiling HSP-70 at 100°C for 1 h or preconditioning with equivalent concentrations of endotoxin as present in the HSP-70 preparation. These experiments indicated that induction of tolerance was not secondary to endotoxin contamination. Neutralization experiments with an anti-HSP-70 Ab confirmed the specificity of HSP-70 in tolerance induction. Preconditioning with HSP-70 attenuated cytosolic degradation of inhibitor κB-α and inhibited activation of inhibitor κB kinase following LPS stimulation. HSP-70 preconditioning decreased phosphorylation of the p65 subunit of NF-κB following LPS stimulation. These data suggest a novel role for extracellular HSP-70 in modifying mononuclear cell responses to subsequent LPS challenge.
A JNK-Independent Signaling Pathway Regulates TNFα-Stimulated, c-Jun-Driven FRA-1 Protooncogene Transcription in Pulmonary Epithelial Cells
Authors: Adiseshaiah Pavan , Kalvakolanu Dhananjaya V. , Reddy Sekhar P. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Among the several effectors that mediate TNF-α action is AP-1, which consists of transcription factors belonging to the JUN and FOS families. Although the effects of TNF-α in immune cells, such as the induction of NF-κΒ, are well known, the mechanisms by which it induces transcriptional activation of AP-1 in pulmonary epithelial cells are not well defined. In this study, we report that TNF-α stimulates the expression of the FRA-1 protooncogene in human pulmonary epithelial cells using c-Jun, acting via a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13 acetate response element located at −318. Although TNF-α stimulates phosphorylation of c-Jun, the inhibition of JNK activity had no significant effect on FRA-1 induction. Consistent with this result, ectopic expression of a c-Jun mutant lacking JNK phosphorylation sites had no effect on the TNF-α-induced expression of the promoter. In contrast, inhibition of the ERK pathway or ectopic expression of an ERK1 mutant strikingly reduced FRA-1 transcription. ERK inhibition not only blocked phosphorylation of Elk1, CREB, and ATF1, which constitutively bind to the FRA-1 promoter, but also suppressed the recruitment of c-Jun to the promoter. We found that short interfering RNA-mediated silencing of FRA-1 enhances TNF-α-induced IL-8 expression, whereas overexpression causes an opposite effect. Our findings collectively indicate that ERK signaling plays key roles in both Elk1, CREB, and ATF-1 activation and the subsequent recruitment of c-Jun to the FRA-1 promoter in response to TNF-α in pulmonary epithelial cells.
Urothelial CD44 Facilitates Escherichia coli Infection of the Murine Urinary Tract
Authors: Rouschop Kasper M. A. , Sylva Marc , Teske Gwendoline J. D. , Hoedemaeker Inge , Pals Steven T. , Weening Jan J. , van der Poll Tom , Florquin Sandrine 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Escherichia coli is the most common pathogen found in urinary tract infections (UTIs), mainly affecting children and women. We report that CD44, a hyaluronic acid (HA) binding protein that mediates cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, facilitates the interaction of E. coli with urothelial cells and thus the infection of the host. We found that CD44 is constitutively expressed on urothelial cells and that HA accumulates in E. coli-induced UTI. In CD44-deficient mice, the bacterial outgrowth was dramatically less compared with wild-type mice despite similar granulocyte influx in the bladder and in the kidney as well as comparable cytokines/chemokines levels in both genotypes. E. coli was able to bind HA, which adhered to CD44-positive tubular epithelial cells. Most importantly, the interaction of CD44 on tubular epithelial cells with HA facilitated the migration of E. coli through the epithelial monolayer. The results provide evidence that CD44 on urothelial cells facilitates E. coli UTI. Disruption of the interaction between CD44 and HA in the bladder may provide a new approach to prevent and to treat UTI.
Systemic Inhibition of the Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Limits Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Lung Neutrophil Recruitment through Both Bradykinin and Angiotensin II-Regulated Pathways
Authors: Arndt Patrick G. , Young Scott K. , Poch Katie R. , Nick Jerry A. , Falk Sandor , Schrier Robert W. , Worthen G. Scott 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Recruitment of neutrophils to the lung is a sentinel event in acute lung inflammation. Identifying mechanisms that regulate neutrophil recruitment to the lung may result in strategies to limit lung damage and improve clinical outcomes. Recently, the renin angiotensin system (RAS) has been shown to regulate neutrophil influx in acute inflammatory models of cardiac, neurologic, and gastrointestinal disease. As a role for the RAS in LPS-induced acute lung inflammation has not been described, we undertook this study to examine the possibility that the RAS regulates neutrophil recruitment to the lung after LPS exposure. Pretreatment of mice with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor enalapril, but not the anti-hypertensive hydralazine, decreased pulmonary neutrophil recruitment after exposure to LPS. We hypothesize that inhibition of LPS-induced neutrophil accumulation to the lung with enalapril occurred through both an increase in bradykinin, and a decrease in angiotensin II (ATII), mediated signaling. Bradykinin receptor blockade reversed the inhibitory effect of enalapril on neutrophil recruitment. Similarly, pretreatment with bradykinin receptor agonists inhibited IL-8-induced neutrophil chemotaxis and LPS-induced neutrophil recruitment to the lung. Inhibition of ATII-mediated signaling, with the ATII receptor 1a inhibitor losartan, decreased LPS-induced pulmonary neutrophil recruitment, and this was suggested to occur through decreased PAI-1 levels. LPS-induced PAI-1 levels were diminished in animals pretreated with losartan and in those deficient for the ATII receptor 1a. Taken together, these results suggest that ACE regulates LPS-induced pulmonary neutrophil recruitment via modulation of both bradykinin- and ATII-mediated pathways, each regulating neutrophil recruitment by separate, but distinct, mechanisms.
Metalloproteinases Control Brain Inflammation Induced by Pertussis Toxin in Mice Overexpressing the Chemokine CCL2 in the Central Nervous System
Authors: Toft-Hansen Henrik , Buist Richard , Sun Xue-Jun , Schellenberg Angela , Peeling James , Owens Trevor 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Inflammatory leukocytes infiltrate the CNS parenchyma in neuroinflammation. This involves cellular migration across various structures associated with the blood-brain barrier: the vascular endothelium, the glia limitans, and the perivascular space between them. Leukocytes accumulate spontaneously in the perivascular space in brains of transgenic (Tg) mice that overexpress CCL2 under control of a CNS-specific promoter. The Tg mice show no clinical symptoms, even though leukocytes have crossed the endothelial basement membrane. Pertussis toxin (PTx) given i.p. induced encephalopathy and weight loss in Tg mice. We used flow cytometry, ultra-small superparamagnetic iron oxide-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and immunofluorescent staining to show that encephalopathy involved leukocyte migration across the glia limitans into the brain parenchyma, identifying this as the critical step in inducing clinical symptoms. Metalloproteinase (MPs) enzymes are implicated in leukocyte infiltration in neuroinflammation. Unmanipulated Tg mice had elevated expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-10, and -12 mRNA in the brain. PTx further induced expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1, metalloproteinase disintegrins-12, MMP-8, and -10 in brains of Tg mice. Levels of the microglial-associated MP MMP-15 were not affected in control or PTx-treated Tg mice. PTx also up-regulated expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α mRNA in Tg CNS. Weight loss and parenchymal infiltration, but not perivascular accumulation, were significantly inhibited by the broad-spectrum MP inhibitor BB-94/Batimastat. Our finding that MPs mediate PTx-induced parenchymal infiltration to the chemokine-overexpressing CNS has relevance for the pathogenesis of human diseases involving CNS inflammation, such as multiple sclerosis.
Involvement of the Purinergic P2X7 Receptor in the Formation of Multinucleated Giant Cells
Authors: Lemaire Irma , Falzoni Simonetta , Leduc Natacha , Zhang Bin , Pellegatti Patrizia , Adinolfi Elena , Chiozzi Paola , Di Virgilio Francesco 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Multinucleated giant cells (MGC), a hallmark of chronic inflammatory reactions, remain an enigma of cell biology. There is evidence implicating the purinergic P2X7 receptor in the fusion process leading to MGC. To investigate this, we used HEK 293 cells stably transfected with either 1) the full-length rat P2X7 receptor (P2X7 cells), 2) a rat P2X7 receptor lacking the C-terminal domain (P2X7TC), or 3) a mock vector, and rat alveolar macrophages (MA) expressing the native receptor. P2X7 cells cultured in serum-free medium formed increased numbers of MGC and displayed a higher fusion index compared with mock transfectants. Stimulation of P2X7 pore-forming activity in P2X7 cells by polymyxin B (PMB) further increased significantly the formation of MGC. Conversely, blockers of P2X-receptors including oxidized ATP, brilliant blue G, and pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′-4′-disulfonic acid inhibited significantly MGC formation in both unstimulated and PMB-stimulated P2X7-transfected cells. In contrast, cells transfected with the truncated P2X7TC were devoid of pore-forming activity, did not respond to PMB stimulation, and failed to form enhanced numbers of MGC, thus behaving as mock transfectants. As found for P2X7-transfected cells, PMB also potentiated dose-dependently the formation of multinucleated MA by rat alveolar MA. Pretreatment with oxidized ATP abrogated the PMB stimulatory effects. Together, these data demonstrate unequivocally the participation of P2X7 receptor in the process of MGC formation. Our study also provides evidence suggesting that stimulation of the P2X7 receptor pathway in MA may mediate increased formation of MGC during chronic inflammatory reactions.
Complement-Dependent P-Selectin Expression and Injury following Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Atkinson Carl , Zhu Hong , Qiao Fei , Varela Juan Carlos , Yu Jin , Song Hongbin , Kindy Mark S. , Tomlinson Stephen 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
The mechanisms that contribute to inflammatory damage following ischemic stroke are poorly characterized, but studies indicate a role for both complement and P-selectin. In this study, we show that compared with wild-type mice, C3-deficient mice showed significant improvement in survival, neurological deficit, and infarct size at 24 h after middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion. Furthermore, P-selectin protein expression was undetectable in the cerebral microvasculature of C3-deficient mice following reperfusion, and there was reduced neutrophil influx, reduced microthrombus formation, and increased blood flow postreperfusion in C3-deficient mice. We further investigated the use of a novel complement inhibitory protein in a therapeutic paradigm. Complement receptor 2 (CR2)-Crry inhibits complement activation at the C3 stage and targets to sites of complement activation. Treatment of normal mice with CR2-Crry at 30 min postreperfusion resulted in a similar level of protection to that seen in C3-deficient mice in all of the above-measured parameters. The data demonstrate an important role for complement in cerebrovascular thrombosis, inflammation, and injury following ischemic stroke. P-selectin expression in the cerebrovasculature, which is also implicated in cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury, was shown to be distal to and dependent on complement activation. Data also show that a CR2-targeted approach of complement inhibition provides appropriate bioavailability in cerebral injury to enable complement inhibition at a dose that does not significantly affect systemic levels of serum complement activity, a potential benefit for stroke patients where immunosuppression would be undesirable due to significantly increased susceptibility to lung infection.
FcR-Bearing Myeloid Cells Are Responsible for Triggering Murine Lupus Nephritis
Authors: Bergtold Amy , Gavhane Anamika , D’Agati Vivette , Madaio Michael , Clynes Raphael 
Published: April 2014

AbstractLupus glomerulonephritis is initiated by deposition of IgG-containing immune complexes in renal glomeruli. FcR engagement by immune complexes (IC) is crucial to disease development as uncoupling this pathway in FcRγ−/− abrogates inflammatory responses in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice. To define the roles of FcR-bearing hemopoietic cells and of kidney resident mesangial cells in pathogenesis, (NZB × NZW)F1 bone marrow chimeras were generated. Nephritis developed in (NZB × NZW)F1 mice expressing activating FcRs in hemopoietic cells. Conversely, recipients of FcRγ−/− bone marrow were protected from disease development despite persistent expression of FcRγ in mesangial cell populations. Thus, activating FcRs on circulating hemopoietic cells, rather than on mesangial cells, are required for IC-mediated pathogenesis in (NZB × NZW)F1. Transgenic FcRγ−/− mice expressing FcRγ limited to the CD11b+ monocyte/macrophage compartment developed glomerulonephritis in the anti-glomerular basement disease model, whereas nontransgenic FcRγ−/− mice were completely protected. Thus, direct activation of circulating FcR-bearing myeloid cells, including monocytes/macrophages, by glomerular IC deposits is sufficient to initiate inflammatory responses.
The Chemokine Decoy Receptor M3 Blocks CC Chemokine Ligand 2 and CXC Chemokine Ligand 13 Function In Vivo
Authors: Martin Andrea P. , Canasto-Chibuque Claudia , Shang Limin , Rollins Barrett J. , Lira Sergio A. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Chemokines and their receptors play a key role in immune homeostasis regulating leukocyte migration, differentiation, and function. Viruses have acquired and optimized molecules that interact with the chemokine system. These virus-encoded molecules promote cell entry, facilitate dissemination of infected cells, and enable the virus to evade the immune response. One such molecule in the murine gammaherpesvirus 68 genome is the M3 gene, which encodes a secreted 44-kDa protein that binds with high affinity to certain murine and human chemokines and blocks chemokine signaling in vitro. To test the hypothesis that M3 directly interferes with diverse chemokines in vivo, we examined the interaction of M3 with CCL2 and CXCL13 expressed in the pancreas of transgenic mice. CCL2 expression in the pancreas promoted recruitment of monocytes and dendritic cells; CXCL13 promoted recruitment of B and T lymphocytes. Coexpression of M3 in the pancreas blocked cellular recruitment induced by both CCL2 and CXCL13. These results define M3 as multichemokine blocker and demonstrate its use as a powerful tool to analyze chemokine biology.
Transcriptional Profiling of the Human Monocyte-to-Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization: New Molecules and Patterns of Gene Expression
Authors: Martinez Fernando O. , Gordon Siamon , Locati Massimo , Mantovani Alberto 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Comprehensive analysis of the gene expression profiles associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and polarization toward M1 or M2 phenotypes led to the following main results: 1) M-CSF-driven monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation is associated with activation of cell cycle genes, substantiating the underestimated proliferation potential of monocytes. 2) M-CSF leads to expression of a substantial part of the M2 transcriptome, suggesting that under homeostatic conditions a default shift toward M2 occurs. 3) Modulation of genes involved in metabolic activities is a prominent feature of macrophage differentiation and polarization. 4) Lipid metabolism is a main category of modulated transcripts, with expected up-regulation of cyclo-oxygenase 2 in M1 cells and unexpected cyclo-oxygenase 1 up-regulation in M2 cells. 5) Each step is characterized by a different repertoire of G protein-coupled receptors, with five nucleotide receptors as novel M2-associated genes. 6) The chemokinome of polarized macrophages is profoundly diverse and new differentially expressed chemokines are reported. Thus, transcriptome profiling reveals novel molecules and signatures associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and polarized activation which may represent candidate targets in pathophysiology.
Proteomic Identification of In Vivo Substrates for Matrix Metalloproteinases 2 and 9 Reveals a Mechanism for Resolution of Inflammation
Authors: Greenlee Kendra J. , Corry David B. , Engler David A. , Matsunami Risë K. , Tessier Philippe , Cook Richard G. , Werb Zena , Kheradmand Farrah 
Published: April 2014

AbstractClearance of allergic inflammatory cells from the lung through matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) is necessary to prevent lethal asphyxiation, but mechanistic insight into this essential homeostatic process is lacking. In this study, we have used a proteomics approach to determine how MMPs promote egression of lung inflammatory cells through the airway. MMP2- and MMP9-dependent cleavage of individual Th2 chemokines modulated their chemotactic activity; however, the net effect of complementing bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of allergen-challenged MMP2−/−/MMP9−/− mice with active MMP2 and MMP9 was to markedly enhance its overall chemotactic activity. In the bronchoalveolar fluid of MMP2−/−/MMP9−/− allergic mice, we identified several chemotactic molecules that possessed putative MMP2 and MMP9 cleavage sites and were present as higher molecular mass species. In vitro cleavage assays and mass spectroscopy confirmed that three of the identified proteins, Ym1, S100A8, and S100A9, were substrates of MMP2, MMP9, or both. Function-blocking Abs to S100 proteins significantly altered allergic inflammatory cell migration into the alveolar space. Thus, an important effect of MMPs is to differentially modify chemotactic bioactivity through proteolytic processing of proteins present in the airway. These findings provide a molecular mechanism to explain the enhanced clearance of lung inflammatory cells through the airway and reveal a novel approach to target new therapies for asthma.
Induction of Tolerance to Innocuous Inhaled Antigen Relies on a CCR7-Dependent Dendritic Cell-Mediated Antigen Transport to the Bronchial Lymph Node
Authors: Hintzen Gabriele , Ohl Lars , del Rio Maria-Luisa , Rodriguez-Barbosa Jose-Ignacio , Pabst Oliver , Kocks Jessica R. , Krege Janet , Hardtke Svenja , Förster Reinhold 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Allergic airway diseases such as asthma are caused by a failure of the immune system to induce tolerance against environmental Ags. The underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms that initiate tolerance are only partly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that a CCR7-dependent migration of both CD103+ and CD103− lung dendritic cells (DC) to the bronchial lymph node (brLN) is indispensable for this process. Although inhaled Ag is amply present in the brLN of CCR7-deficient mice, T cells cannot be tolerized because of the impaired migration of Ag-carrying DC and subsequent transport of Ag from the lung to the draining lymph node. Consequently, the repeated inhalation of Ag protects wild-type but not CCR7-deficient mice from developing allergic airway diseases. Thus, the continuous DC-mediated transport of inhaled Ag to the brLN is critical for the induction of tolerance to innocuous Ags.
Porcine Endothelial Cells and Iliac Arteries Transduced with AdenoIL-4 Are Intrinsically Protected, through Akt Activation, against Immediate Injury Caused by Human Complement
Authors: Black Sylvester M. , Grehan John F. , Rivard Andrew L. , Benson Barbara A. , Wahner Andrea E. , Koch Alisa E. , Levay-Young Brett K. , Dalmasso Agustin P. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) can be injured in a variety of pathologic processes that involve activated complement. We reported previously that porcine ECs incubated with exogenous IL-4 or IL-13 are protected from cytotoxicity by human complement and also from apoptosis by TNF-α. The resistance to complement consists of an intrinsic mechanism that is lost a few days after cytokine removal. In our current study, we investigated whether transfer of the IL-4 gene into porcine ECs in vitro and into porcine vascular tissues in vivo would induce efficient and durable protection from human complement. We found that ECs transduced with adenoIL-4 or adenoIL-13 exhibited continuous production of the cytokine and prolonged protection from complement-mediated killing. IL-4 also protected ECs from activation: ECs incubated with IL-4 did not develop cell retraction and intercellular gaps upon stimulation with sublytic complement. The endothelium and subendothelium of pig iliac arteries that were transduced with the IL-4 gene were effectively protected from complement-dependent immediate injury after perfusion with human blood. However, after similar perfusion, the endothelium was immediately lost from arteries that were transduced with a control adenovirus. The protection was not due to up-regulation of the complement regulators decay accelerating factor, membrane cofactor protein, and CD59, or to reduced complement activation, but required the participation of Akt. Although our studies model protection in pig-to-primate xenotransplantation, our findings of IL-4 induction of Akt-mediated protection may be more broadly applicable to EC injury as manifested in ischemia-reperfusion, allotransplantation, and various vascular diseases.