趋化因子 CXCL16及其受体 CXCR6在恶性肿瘤中的表达与作用

趋化因子在恶性肿瘤的发生、发展、肿瘤微环境形成及抗肿瘤免疫中发挥了重要作用。新的趋化因子CXCL16及其受体 CXCR6正日益受到关注。研究发现 CXCL16/CXCR6在多种人类恶性肿瘤中高表达,在多数肿瘤中可促进肿瘤的生长、转移和复发,但在有些肿瘤中却作用相反。此外,CXCL16/CXCR6还可通过诱导CD4+/CD8+T 细胞、自然杀伤细胞等免疫细胞参与抗肿瘤免疫以及肿瘤微环境的形成。明确 CXCL16/CXCR6在肿瘤中的作用及其分子机制将有助于抗肿瘤研究的深入。     

Lipid mediators in epithelial cell-cell interactions

Epithelial cells which line mucosal surfaces (e.g. lung, intestine) play a central role in the coordination of the inflammatory response. In both the healthy and diseased mucosa, epithelia lie anatomically positioned in close proximity to a number of other cell types, including leukocytes, fibroblasts, smooth muscle cells and vascular endothelia. This complex architecture supports a unique microenvironment for biochemical cell-cell crosstalk. Our previous studies and work by others have elucidated lipid mediator signaling networks emanating from epithelial cell-cell interactive pathways, and have defined a number of targets for development of effective therapeutics. This short review will focus on recently defined pathways of lipid mediator function in the mucosa, particularly with regard to the role of the epithelium.     

Up—Regulation of CCR5 and CXCR4 Expression on Human Monocytes by Interferon Gamma

Chemokine receptors, mainly CCR5 and CXCR4, have been proved to be the important coreceptors in HIV-1 entry. HIV-1 disease progression is, in general, characterized by an initial predominance of CCR5 using macrophage tropic, non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) isolates, switching later to CXCR4 using T-cell tropic,syncytium-inducing (SI) isolates. How this shift occurs and how the shift can be controlled are still unclear.Since patients with rapid decline of T cell counts have constantly high levels of IFN-7 in the sera and lymphoidnodes, we investigated the influence of this cytokine on the expression of the HIV-1 coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4 on the cell surfaces of human monocytic cell line U937 and promonocyte NB4. IFN-γ could intensively enhance the expression of both, while a low level of CCR5 expression was detected in two cell lines before stimulation. The results of semiquantitative RT-PCR also confirm the up-regulation. As the newly generated X4-strains have been demonstrated to be insensitive to chemokine in some reports, IFN-7 may play an important role in selecting CXCR4-used strains.     

Leukocyte recruitment in atherosclerosis: Potential targets for therapeutic approaches?

Atherosclerosis is a complex inflammatory disease involving cellular migration and interaction. Vascular injury in response to different cardiovascular risk factors enhances endothelial dysfunction, which in turn promotes the expression of inflammatory markers and transendothelial leukocyte migration. Recruitment of leukocytes from the blood stream into the vessel intima is a crucial step for the development of the disease. Recent findings have highlighted the role of chemokines, chemokine receptors, adhesion molecules, and gap junctions in this process by acting as chemoattractant, adhesive, or intercellular communication molecules. In this short review, we summarize new data concerning the different steps from leukocyte arrest to transendothelial migration and discuss potential new therapeutic approaches concerning these processes. Received 15 March 2006; received after revision 19 May 2006; accepted 13 June 2006     

Modulation of chemokine receptor activity through dimerization and crosstalk

Chemokines are small, secreted proteins that bind to the chemokine receptor subfamily of class A G protein-coupled receptors. Collectively, these receptor-ligand pairs are responsible for diverse physiological responses including immune cell trafficking, development and mitogenic signaling, both in the context of homeostasis and disease. However, chemokines and their receptors are not isolated entities, but instead function in complex networks involving homo- and heterodimer formation as well as crosstalk with other signaling complexes. Here the functional consequences of chemokine receptor activity, from the perspective of both direct physical associations with other receptors and indirect crosstalk with orthogonal signaling pathways, are reviewed. Modulation of chemokine receptor activity through these mechanisms has significant implications in physiological and pathological processes, as well as drug discovery and drug efficacy. The integration of signals downstream of chemokine and other receptors will be key to understanding how cells fine-tune their response to a variety of stimuli, including therapeutics. Received 19 October 2008; received after revision 7 November 2008; accepted 11 November 2008 C. L. Salanga, M. O’Hayre: These authors contributed equally.