Analysis on the types of chemokines expressed by the murine thymic epithelial cell line MTEC1

Six kinds of chemokines including SDF-1α, IP-10, KC, RANTES, MCP-1 and Lymphotactin have been amplified using the primers designed by ourselves with RT-PCR from the total RNA of a medullary-type murine thymic epithelial cell line MTEC1 cells. The amplified cDNA fragments of the chemokines have been identified by nucleotide sequencing and Northern blot analysis. The results demonstrate that there are two different splicing forms of SDF-1 mRNA existing in MTEC1. The concentrated culture supernatant of MTEC1 shows an intermediate level of chemotaxis to CD4⁻CD8⁻ thymocytes, which conforms to the biological function of SDF-1.     

Cell migration to the chemokine CXCL8: Paxillin is activated and regulates adhesion and cell motility

The chemokine CXCL8 is a powerful inducer of directional cell motility, primarily during inflammation. In this study, we found that CXCL8 stimulation led to paxillin phosphorylation in normal neutrophils, and that both CXCL8 receptors (CXCR1 and CXCR2) mediated CXCL8-induced paxillin phosphorylation. In CXCR2-transfected cells, the process depended on G_αi and G_αs coupling to CXCR2. Dominant negative (DN) paxillin increased CXCL8-induced adhesion and migration, indicating that endogenous paxillin keeps migration at submaximal levels. Furthermore, using activating antibodies to β1 integrins, analyses with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) DN variant (FRNK) and co-immunoprecipitations of FAK and paxillin, we found that β1 integrin ligation cooperates with CXCL8-induced stimulation, leading to FAK activation and thereafter to FAK-mediated paxillin phosphorylation. Our findings indicate that paxillin keeps directional motility at a restrained magnitude, and suggest that perturbations in its activation may lead to chemotactic imbalance and to pathological conditions associated with excessive or reduced leukocyte migration. R. Mintz, T. Meshel: These authors contributed equally to this work. Received 31 July 2008; received after revision 14 December 2008; accepted 16 December 2008     

家鸡单核细胞趋化因子MCP-1克隆、融合表达及序列分析

本研究从鸡cDNA文库中,通过菌落PCR筛选获得单核细胞趋化激活因子(MCP-1)基因的cDNA,将该cDNA中的ORF插入到pET-28a( )质粒(携带T7/lac启动子序列和His-Tag标签序列)中,得到pET-mcp-1质粒;重组质粒转化E.coliBL21(DE3)后,经IPTG诱导表达得到MCP-1和His-Tag的融合蛋白(HisTag-MCP-1)。该基因不仅具有CC趋化因子家族Cys-Cys氨基酸模序,并且与结构和功能相关的氨基酸高度保守。     

Astrocytes in multiple sclerosis: A product of their environment

It has long been thought that astrocytes, like other glial cells, simply provide a support mechanism for neuronal function in the healthy and inflamed central nervous system (CNS). However, recent evidence suggests that astrocytes play an active and dual role in CNS inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Astrocytes not only have the ability to enhance immune responses and inhibit myelin repair, but they can also be protective and limit CNS inflammation while supporting oligodendrocyte and axonal regeneration. The particular impact of these cells on the pathogenesis and repair of an inflammatory demyelinating process is dependent upon a number of factors, including the stage of the disease, the type and microenvironment of the lesion, and the interactions with other cell types and factors that influence their activation. In this review, we summarize recent data supporting the idea that astrocytes play a complex role in the regulation of CNS autoimmunity.     

人类CCR2的同源模建和分子动力学模拟

CCR2是一种单核细胞化学引诱蛋白的受体,在各种疾病感染,发炎,损伤中起着重要作用,也是艾滋病感染的一种共同受体.通过同源模建和1ns限制下的分子动力学模拟,获得了人类CCR2(hCCR2)的一个3D模型,对这个模型进行结构分析并计算出N末端残基的Cα原子离开平衡位置的平均距离,其结果显示,这个模型的主要功能区位于1MLSTSRSRFIRNT NESGEEVTTFFDYDYGAPCHKFDVKQIG42区域.     

MCP-1和CCR2在SE初期小鼠脑海马中的表达变化

为了探讨趋化因子MCP-1及其受体CCR2是否参与了SE初期的病理过程,应用SE的匹罗卡品模型,检测SE 30min、SE 1h、SE 2h和SE 1d时,MCP-1及其受体CCR2的mRNA在小鼠海马的表达情况.结果显示,MCP-1及其受体CCR2在小鼠海马组成型表达.与对照组相比,SE 1h时,MCP-1在海马CA1区显著下调(P 0.01);SE 1d时,CCR2在CA3区显著下调(P 0.05).结果说明,MCP-1及其受体CCR2在成年小鼠海马的活动中具有重要的生理功能;MCP-1/CCR2的下调与SE初期病理过程相关,可能由于下调导致了它们的神经保护作用减弱.     

Interleukin-17: a mediator of inflammatory responses

Interleukin-17 (IL-17) is a prototype member of a new cytokine family with six species identified to date. IL-17 is secreted mainly by activated CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T lymphocytes, while its receptor is distributed ubiquitously. IL-17 has been classified as a proinflammatory cytokine because of its ability to induce the expression of many mediators of inflammation, most strikingly those that are involved in the proliferation, maturation and chemotaxis of neutrophils. Increased levels of IL-17 have been associated with several conditions, including airway inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, intraperitoneal abscesses and adhesions, inflammatory bowel disease, allograft rejection, psoriasis, cancer and multiple sclerosis. This review provides an overview of IL-17 activities, concentrating on those that lead to neutrophil recruitment.Received 13 June 2003; received after revision 27 August 2003; accepted 1 September 2003