bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Two Clusters of Acidic Amino Acids Near the NH2 Terminus of Complement Component C4 α′-Chain Are Important for C2 Binding
Authors: Pan Qun , Ebanks Roger O. , Isenman David E. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractPrevious work has indicated a role for the NH2-terminal segment of the C3 α′-chain in the binding interactions of C3b with a number of its protein ligands. In particular, we have identified two clusters of acidic residues, namely, E736 and E737 and to a lesser extent D730 and E731, as being important in the binding of C3b to factor B and complement receptor 1 and the binding of iC3b to complement receptor 3. Whereas human C3 and C4 have an overall sequence identity of 29%, over a segment near the NH2 termini of their respective α′-chains the sequence identity is 56% (70% chemical similarity). Given the functional similarity between the C4b-C2 and C3b-B interactions in the respective formation of the classical and alternative pathway C3 convertases, as well as the sequence conservation of two acidic clusters, we hypothesized that residues 744EED and 749DEDD within the NH2-terminal segment of the C4 α′-chain would mediate in part the binding of C2 to C4b. We tested this hypothesis using three independent approaches. Site-directed mutagenesis experiments revealed that replacing subsets of the charged residues by their isosteric amides within either acidic cluster resulted in molecules having reduced C2 binding activity. Moreover, a synthetic peptide (C4 residues 740–756) encompassing the two acidic clusters was a specific inhibitor of the binding of C2 to red cell-associated C4b. Finally, Ab raised against the above peptide was able to block the interaction between red cell-associated C4b and fluid phase C2. Taken together, these results strongly suggest that the NH2-terminal acidic residue-rich segment of C4 α′-chain contributes importantly to the interaction of C4b with C2.
Pigs Express Multiple Forms of Decay-Accelerating Factor (CD55), All of Which Contain Only Three Short Consensus Repeats
Authors: Pérez de la Lastra J. M. , Harris C. L. , Hinchliffe S. J. , Holt D. S. , Rushmere N. K. , Morgan B. Paul 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe report the cloning of cDNAs encoding multiple isoforms of the pig analogue of human decay-accelerating factor (DAF; CD55). Screening of a pig muscle cDNA library using a human DAF probe identified a single clone that encoded a DAF-like molecule comprising three short consensus repeats (SCR) homologous with the amino-terminal three SCR in human DAF, a serine/threonine-rich (ST) region, and sequence compatible with a transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that pig DAF was expressed in a wide range of tissues. Additional isoforms of DAF were sought using RT-PCR and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends followed by sequencing. Isoforms containing a GPI anchor and with differing lengths of ST region were identified; no isoform containing a fourth SCR was found. Cloning of the GPI-anchored isoform from granulocytes confirmed that it was identical with the original transmembrane isoform through the three SCR and first portion of ST and was derived from a frame shift caused by splicing out 176 bp of sequence. A panel of mAbs was generated and used to analyze the distribution and anchoring of pig DAF in circulating cells. Pig DAF was expressed on all circulating cells and was transmembrane anchored on erythrocytes, but completely or partially GPI anchored on granulocytes and mononuclear cells. The transmembrane isoform of pig DAF was expressed on Chinese hamster ovary cells and was shown to affect regulatory activity for the classical pathway of human complement, but was only marginally active against pig serum.
Mycobacterium tuberculosisInfection in Complement Receptor 3-Deficient Mice
Authors: Hu Chenggang , Mayadas-Norton Tanya , Tanaka Katie , Chan John , Salgame Padmini 
Published: April 2014

AbstractComplement receptor type 3 (CR3) present on macrophages is used by Mycobacterium tuberculosis as one of its major phagocytic receptors. In this study, we examined the in vivo significance of CR3-mediated phagocytosis on the pathogenesis of disease caused by M. tuberculosis. The outcome of tuberculous infection in mice deficient in the CD11b subunit of CR3 (CR3−/−) on a mixed 129SV and C57BL background and control wild-type counterparts was comparable with respect to survival, bacterial burden, granulomatous lesion development, and cytokine expression in the spleen and lungs. M. tuberculosis infection was also examined in CR3−/− mice on C57BL/6 and BALB/c backgrounds and was found to be similar. In conclusion, our results suggest that in the absence of CR3, M. tuberculosis is able to gain entry into host cells via alternative phagocytic receptors and establish infection. The data also indicate that absence of CR3 does not alter disease course in either the relatively resistant C57BL/6 or the relatively susceptible BALB/c strains of mice.
Expression of the Cytolethal Distending Toxin (Cdt) Operon inActinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans:Evidence That the CdtB Protein Is Responsible for G2 Arrest of the Cell Cycle in Human T Cells
Authors: Shenker Bruce J. , Hoffmaster Roselle H. , McKay Terry L. , Demuth Donald R. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractWe have previously shown that Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans produces an immunosuppressive factor that is encoded by the cdtB gene, which is homologous to a family of cytolethal distending toxins (Cdt) expressed by several Gram-negative bacteria. In this study, we report that the cdt locus in A. actinomycetemcomitans is composed of five open reading frames, designated orf1, orf2, cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. The deduced amino acid sequences of the five open reading frames are highly conserved among A. actinomycetemcomitans strains 652, Y4, 29522, and HK1651. There is also strong homology with the Cdt proteins of Haemophilus ducreyi (87–91%), but only partial homology with that of Campylobacter jejuni and Escherichia coli (29–48%). Analysis of A. actinomycetemcomitans mRNA by RT-PCR suggests that the two small open reading frames upstream of cdtA are coexpressed with cdtA, cdtB, and cdtC. We next utilized a series of plasmids that express various combinations of the cdt genes to determine their requirement for expression of immunoinhibitory activity. Cell extracts of E. coli transformed with each of the plasmids were tested for their capacity to induce G2 arrest in the cell cycle of PHA-activated human T cells. These experiments suggest that expression of cdtB alone is sufficient to induce G2 arrest in human T cells, but do not exclude the possibility that cdtC also contributes to cell cycle arrest. The implications of our results with respect to the function of the individual Cdt proteins are discussed.
γδ-T Cells Are Critical for Survival and Early Proinflammatory Cytokine Gene Expression During MurineKlebsiellaPneumonia
Authors: Moore Thomas A. , Moore Bethany B. , Newstead Michael W. , Standiford Theodore J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractAlthough cells of the innate inflammatory response, such as macrophages and neutrophils, have been extensively studied in the arena of Gram-negative bacterial pneumonia, a role for T cells remains unknown. To study the role of specific T cell populations in bacterial pneumonia, mice deleted of their TCR β- and/or δ-chain were intratracheally inoculated with Klebsiella pneumoniae. γδ T cell knockout mice displayed increased mortality at both early and late time points. In contrast, mice specifically lacking only αβ-T cells were no more susceptible than wild-type mice. Pulmonary bacterial clearance in γδ-T cell knockout mice was unimpaired. Interestingly, these mice displayed increased peripheral blood dissemination. Rapid up-regulation of IFN-γ and TNF-α gene expression, critical during bacterial infections, was markedly impaired in lung and liver tissue from γδ-T cell-deficient mice 24 h postinfection. The increased peripheral blood bacterial dissemination correlated with impaired hepatic bacterial clearance following pulmonary infection and increased hepatic injury as measured by plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity. Combined, these data suggest that mice lacking γδ-T cells have an impaired ability to resolve disseminated bacterial infections subsequent to the initial pulmonary infection. These data indicate that γδ-T cells comprise a critical component of the acute inflammatory response toward extracellular Gram-negative bacterial infections and are vital for the early production of the proinflammatory cytokines IFN-γ and TNF-α.
The Chemokine Macrophage-Inflammatory Protein-1α and Its Receptor CCR1 Control Pulmonary Inflammation and Antiviral Host Defense in Paramyxovirus Infection
Authors: Domachowske Joseph B. , Bonville Cynthia A. , Gao Ji-Liang , Murphy Philip M. , Easton Andrew J. , Rosenberg Helene F. 
Published: April 2014

Abstract
In this work, we explore the responses of specific gene-deleted mice to infection with the paramyxovirus pneumonia virus of mice (PVM). We have shown previously that infection of wild type mice with PVM results in pulmonary neutrophilia and eosinophilia accompanied by local production of macrophage-inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α). Here we examine the role of MIP-1α in the pathogenesis of this disease using mice deficient in MIP-1α or its receptor, CCR1. The inflammatory response to PVM in MIP-1α-deficient mice was minimal, with ∼10–60 neutrophils/ml and no eosinophils detected in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Higher levels of infectious virus were recovered from lung tissue excised from MIP-1α-deficient than from fully competent mice, suggesting that the inflammatory response limits the rate of virus replication in vivo. PVM infection of CCR1-deficient mice was also associated with attenuated inflammation, with enhanced recovery of infectious virus, and with accelerated mortality. These results suggest that the MIP-1α/CCR1-mediated acute inflammatory response protects mice by delaying the lethal sequelae of infection.
Differential Regulation of Responsiveness to fMLP and C5a Upon Dendritic Cell Maturation: Correlation with Receptor Expression
Authors: Yang De , Chen Qian , Stoll Sabine , Chen Xin , Howard O. M. Zack , Oppenheim Joost J. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe trafficking of immature and mature dendritic cells (DCs) to different anatomical sites in vivo is critical for fulfilling their roles in the induction of Ag-specific immune responses. Although this process is complex and regulated by many mediators, the capacity of DCs to migrate is predominantly dependent on the expression of particular chemotactic receptors on the surface of DCs that enable them to move along chemotactic gradients formed by the corresponding chemokines and/or classical chemoattractants. Here we show that immature DCs (iDCs) respond to both fMLP and C5a as determined by chemotaxis and Ca2+ mobilization, whereas mature DCs (mDCs) respond to C5a, but not fMLP. Additionally, iDCs express the receptors for both fMLP and C5a at mRNA and protein levels. Upon maturation of DCs, fMLP receptor expression is almost completely absent, whereas C5a receptor mRNA and protein expression is maintained. Concomitantly, mDCs migrate chemotactically and mobilize intracellular Ca2+ in response to C5a, but not fMLP. Thus the interaction between C5a and its receptor is likely involved in the regulation of trafficking of both iDCs and mDCs, whereas fMLP mobilizes only iDCs. The differential responsiveness to fMLP and C5a of iDCs and mDCs suggests that they play different roles in the initiation of immune responses.
TNF-α-Induced Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression in Human Lung Epithelial Cells: Involvement of the Phospholipase C-γ2, Protein Kinase C-α, Tyrosine Kinase, NF-κB-Inducing Kinase, and I-κB Kinase 1/2 Pathway
Authors: Chen Ching-Chow , Sun Yi-Tao , Chen Jun-Jie , Chiu Kuo-Tung 
Published: April 2014

AbstractTNF-α induced a dose- and time-dependent increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression and PGE2 formation in human NCI-H292 epithelial cells. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that COX-2 was expressed in cytosol and nuclear envelope. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (genistein or herbimycin) or phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C inhibitor (U73122) blocked TNF-α-induced COX-2 expression. TNF-α also stimulated phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and protein kinase C (PKC) activity, and both were abolished by genistein or U73122. The PKC inhibitor, staurosporine, also inhibited TNF-α-induced response. The 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA), a PKC activator, also stimulated COX-2 expression, this effect being inhibited by genistein or herbimycin. NF-κB DNA-protein binding and COX-2 promoter activity were enhanced by TNF-α, and these effects were inhibited by genistein, U73122, staurosporine, or pyrolidine dithiocarbamate. TPA stimulated both NF-κB DNA-protein binding and COX-2 promoter activity, these effects being inhibited by genistein, herbimycin, or pyrolidine dithiocarbamate. The TNF-α-induced, but not the TPA-induced, COX-2 promoter activity was inhibited by phospholipase C-γ2 mutants, and the COX-2 promoter activity induced by either agent was attenuated by dominant-negative mutants of PKC-α, NF-κB-inducing kinase, or I-κB (inhibitory protein that dissociates from NF-κB) kinase (IKK)1 or 2. IKK activity was stimulated by both TNF-α and TPA, and these effects were inhibited by staurosporine or herbimycin. These results suggest that, in NCI-H292 epithelial cells, TNF-α might activate phospholipase C-γ2 via an upstream tyrosine kinase to induce activation of PKC-α and protein tyrosine kinase, resulting in the activation of NF-κB-inducing kinase and IKK1/2, and NF-κB in the COX-2 promoter, then initiation of COX-2 expression and PGE2 release.
TNF-α Associated with Extracellular Matrix Fibronectin Provides a Stop Signal for Chemotactically Migrating T Cells
Authors: Franitza Suzanne , Hershkoviz Rami , Kam Na’aman , Lichtenstein Nurit , Vaday Gayle G. , Alon Ronen , Lider Ofer 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe migration of T cells into extravascular sites of inflammation is regulated by information derived from the molecular structure of the invaded tissue and from chemokine and cytokine gradients in the context of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Although recent studies have highlighted the role of particular chemoattractants in leukocyte migration, to date little is known about how specific combinations of contextual signals control the migration of leukocytes and their localization at sites of inflammation. Here we studied the interplay between a pleiotropic cytokine, TNF-α, and two prototypic chemoattractants, RANTES and stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α), on human CD45RO+ T cells migrating within an ECM-like context. For this purpose, we used a newly constructed three-dimensional gel system designed to follow, in real time, the migration of individual leukocytes along chemotactic gradients in vitro. We found that TNF-α, which binds the ECM protein fibronectin and lacks adhesion- and migration-promoting effects of its own, can act as a proadhesive cytokine on T cells exposed to RANTES and SDF-1α. Furthermore, fibronectin-complexed TNF-α provided anchorage signals to the T cells as they moved directionally along chemoattractive gradients. This effect of TNF-α required an intact TNF-α receptor II subtype on the migrating T cells. The anchoring effect of TNF-α appears to be specific; IL-2, an integrin-activating proadhesive cytokine, does not transmit stoppage signals to T cell migration induced by RANTES. Thus, TNF-α present in the ECM at sites of inflammation may function to anchor T cells recruited to these sites by chemotactic signals.
CCR3-Active Chemokines Promote Rapid Detachment of Eosinophils from VCAM-1 In Vitro
Authors: Tachimoto Hiroshi , Burdick Monica M. , Hudson Sherry A. , Kikuchi Matsuo , Konstantopoulos Konstantinos , Bochner Bruce S. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractSelective eosinophil recruitment is the result of orchestrated events involving cell adhesion molecules, chemokines, and their receptors. The mechanisms by which chemokines regulate eosinophil adhesion and migration via integrins are not fully understood. In our study, we examined the effect of CCR3-active chemokines on eosinophil adhesion to VCAM-1 and BSA under both static and flow conditions. When eotaxin-2 or other CCR3-active chemokines were added to adherent eosinophils, it induced rapid and sustained eosinophil detachment from VCAM-1 in a concentration-dependent manner. Adhesion was detectably reduced within 3 min and was further reduced at 10–60 min. Simultaneously, eotaxin-2 enhanced eosinophil adhesion to BSA. Preincubation of eosinophils with the CCR3-blocking mAb 7B11 completely prevented chemokine-induced changes in adhesion to VCAM-1 and BSA. Using a different protocol, pretreatment of eosinophils with chemokines for 0–30 min before their use in adhesion assays resulted in inhibition of VCAM-1 adhesion and enhancement of BSA adhesion. By flow cytometry, expression of α4 integrins and a β1 integrin activation epitope on eosinophils was decreased by eotaxin-2. In a flow-based adhesion assay, eotaxin-2 reduced eosinophil accumulation and the strength of attachment to VCAM-1. These results show that eotaxin-2 rapidly reduced α4 integrin function while increasing β2 integrin function. These findings suggest that chemokines facilitate migration of eosinophils by shifting usage away from β1 integrins toward β2 integrins.
Reduction of Inflammatory Cytokines and Prostaglandin E2 by IL-13 Gene Therapy in Rheumatoid Arthritis Synovium
Authors: Woods James M. , Katschke Kenneth J. , Tokuhira Michihide , Kurata Hirokazu , Arai Ken-Ichi , Campbell Phillip L. , Koch Alisa E. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractThe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint is characterized by an inflammatory synovial pannus which mediates tissue destruction. IL-13 is a cytokine that inhibits activated monocytes/macrophages from secreting a variety of proinflammatory molecules. The aim of this study was to examine whether gene therapy-delivered IL-13 could reduce the production of key proinflammatory mediators in RA synovial tissue (ST) explants. Adenoviral vectors encoding the genes for human IL-13 (AxCAIL-13) and bacterial β-galactosidase were generated and examined for protein production. Vectors were used to infect RA ST explants and RA synovial fibroblasts, and conditioned medium (CM) was collected at various times for analysis by ELISA and competitive immunoassay. AxCAIL-13 decreased the production of RA ST explant proinflammatory IL-1β by 85% after 24 h. Likewise, TNF-α levels were decreased by 82 and 75% whereas IL-8 levels were reduced 54 and 82% after 24 and 48 h, respectively, in RA ST explant CM. Monocyte chemotactic protein-1 concentrations were decreased by 88% after 72 h in RA ST explant CM. RA ST explant epithelial neutrophil-activating peptide-78 concentrations were decreased 85 and 94% whereas growth-related gene product-α levels were decreased by 77 and 85% at 24 and 48 h, respectively, by AxCAIL-13. Further, IL-13 significantly decreased PGE2 and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α production. These results demonstrate that increased expression of IL-13 via gene therapy may decrease RA-associated inflammation by reducing secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and PGE2.
Type IIA Secretory Phospholipase A2 Up-Regulates Cyclooxygenase-2 and Amplifies Cytokine-Mediated Prostaglandin Production in Human Rheumatoid Synoviocytes
Authors: Bidgood Matthew J. , Jamal Omar S. , Cunningham Anne M. , Brooks Peter M. , Scott Kieran F. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractHuman type IIA secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) is induced in association with several immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. We have evaluated the effect of sPLA2-IIA on PG production in primary synovial fibroblasts from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). At concentrations found in the synovial fluid of RA patients, exogenously added sPLA2-IIA dose-dependently amplified TNF-α-stimulated PGE2 production by cultured synovial fibroblasts. Enhancement of TNF-α-stimulated PGE2 production in synovial cells was accompanied by increased expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2)-α. Blockade of COX-2 enzyme activity with the selective inhibitor NS-398 prevented both TNF-α-stimulated and sPLA2-IIA-amplified PGE2 production without affecting COX-2 protein induction. However, both sPLA2-IIA-amplified PGE2 production and enhanced COX-2 expression were blocked by the sPLA2 inhibitor LY311727. Colocalization studies using triple-labeling immunofluorescence microscopy showed that sPLA2-IIA and cPLA2-α are coexpressed with COX-2 in discrete populations of CD14-positive synovial macrophages and synovial tissue fibroblasts from RA patients. Based on these findings, we propose a model whereby the enhanced expression of sPLA2-IIA by RA synovial cells up-regulates TNF-α-mediated PG production via superinduction of COX-2. Therefore, sPLA2-IIA may be a critical modulator of cytokine-mediated synovial inflammation in RA.
IL-10 Is Induced in the Reperfused Myocardium and May Modulate the Reaction to Injury
Authors: Frangogiannis Nikolaos G. , Mendoza Leonardo H. , Lindsey Merry L. , Ballantyne Christie M. , Michael Lloyd H. , Smith C. Wayne , Entman Mark L. 
Published: April 2014

AbstractReperfusion of the ischemic myocardium is associated with a dramatic inflammatory response leading to TNF-α release, IL-6 induction, and subsequent neutrophil-mediated cytotoxic injury. Because inflammation is also an important factor in cardiac repair, we hypothesized the presence of components of the inflammatory reaction with a possible role in suppressing acute injury. Thus, we investigated the role of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine capable of modulating extracellular matrix biosynthesis, following an experimental canine myocardial infarction. Using our canine model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion, we demonstrated significant up-regulation of IL-10 mRNA and protein in the ischemic and reperfused myocardium. IL-10 expression was first detected at 5 h and peaked following 96–120 h of reperfusion. In contrast, IL-4 and IL-13, also associated with suppression of acute inflammation and macrophage deactivation, were not expressed. In the ischemic canine heart, CD5-positive lymphocytes were the predominant source of IL-10 in the myocardial infarct. In the absence of reperfusion, no significant induction of IL-10 mRNA was noted. In addition, IL-12, a Th1-related cytokine associated with macrophage activation, was not detected in the ischemic myocardium. In vitro experiments demonstrated late postischemic cardiac-lymph-induced tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 mRNA expression in isolated canine mononuclear cells. This effect was inhibited when the incubation contained a neutralizing Ab to IL-10. Our findings suggest that lymphocytes infiltrating the ischemic and reperfused myocardium express IL-10 and may have a significant role in healing by modulating mononuclear cell phenotype and inducing TIMP-1 expression.