Immunomodulatory properties of cystatins |
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Authors: | Vray B Hartmann S Hoebeke J |
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Institution: | (1) Laboratoire d'Immunologie Expérimentale (CP 615), Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 808 route de Lennik, 1070 Brussels (Belgium), Fax +32 2 555 63 60, e-mail: bvray@ulb.ac.de, BE;(2) Chair of Molecular Parasitology, Humboldt-University, Berlin (Germany), DE;(3) Immunologie et Chimie Thérapeutiques, UPR9021 du CNRS, Strasbourg (France), FR |
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Abstract: | Cystatins are natural tight-binding reversible inhibitors of cysteine proteases. Because these cysteine proteases exist in
all living organisms and because they are involved in various biological and pathological processes, the control of these
protease functions by cystatins is of cardinal importance. Cystatins are found in mammals but cystatin-like molecules are
also present in mammals and parasites. In the immune system, cystatins modulate cathepsin activities and antigen presentation.
They also induce tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 10 synthesis, and they stimulate nitric oxide production by interferon
γ-activated murine macrophages. In turn, nitric oxide has inhibitory activity on cysteine proteases, especially those from
parasitic protozoa. Cystatins isolated from parasitic nematodes also have immunomodulatory activities that are distinguishable
from those induced by lipopolysacharide-like molecules from endosymbiotic bacteria. On the whole, cystatins and cystatin-like
molecules belong to a new category of immunomodulatory molecules. Doubtless increasing data will improve our knowledge of
this property, leading to practical applications in immunotherapy.
Received 11 April 2002; accepted 18 April 2002
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ID="*"Corresponding author. |
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Keywords: | , Cystatins, cytokines, NO, antigen presentation, parasitic protozoa, nematodes, |
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