In this study, chronic compression of cervical spinal cord was introduced into twy/twy mice and the role of MK2 signaling pathway was investigated in this disease.twy/twy mice aged 6-24 weeks were used and the inflammatory response in the cervical spinal cord was observed. The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were used as controls. MK2 inhibitor (PF-3644022, 30 mg/kg) was administered intragastrically to twy/twy mice. The motor behavior was firstly observed in these three groups by Catwalk gait analysis. And the cervical spinal cord between C2 and C3 of vertebral segments was analyzed by MRI and Western blot assay.The stride length of paws and interlimb coordination reduced in twy/twy mice. However, at 4 weeks after PF-3644022 treatment, a marked improvement was observed in the motor function. The expressions of inflammation related factors (such as IL-1β, NF-κB, TNF-α, MK2 and p-MK2) and apoptosis related proteins (such as cleaved caspase-8 and bax/bcl-2) in the spinal cord of twy/twy mice significantly increased as compared to controls, but 4-week treatment with PF-3644022 markedly reduced the expressions of these factors and apoptotic proteins in the cervical spinal cord.MK2 signaling pathway is involved in the chronic compression induced inflammation of the cervical spinal cord. Thus, to inhibit the MK2 pathway may used to improve the outcome and prevent the deterioration of neurological dysfunction.
Objective The present study was designed to explore the inhibitory effect of antisense VEGF-(165) cDNA on angiogenesis,growth rate of human neuroblastoma.Methods The eukaryotic expression vectors bearing antisense VEGF-(165) cDNA or sense VEGF-(165) cDNA were constructed.The stable cell lines transfected with the sense or antisense VEGF-(165) cDNA were established by using the selective medium containing 400?mg/L of G418.These cell lines were further studied for the exogenous antisense VEGF mRNA expression by RT-PCR and inhibition of expression of endogenous VEGF protein by immunocytochemical staining and ELISA.The proliferation of the transfected cells was analyzed by MTT method.Transfected cells were subcutaneously transplanted into nude mice and the growth of tumor masses was observed and weighted.Results The antisense VEGF was only detected in SH-SY5Y/AsVEGF cells by RT-PCR.The expression of VEGF protein was dramatically declined in the SH-SY5Y/AsVEGF cells compared with the original cells and empty vector transfected cells by immunocytochemical staining and ELISA.There was no effect of antisense VEGF transfection on cell proliferation in vitro.The growth of tumor mass with the cells transfected with antisense VEGF was significantly decreased in nude mice.Conclusion Antisense VEGF cDNA transfection to SH-SY5Y cells can effectively inhibit the expression of endogenous VEGF protein and tumor growth in nude mice.
The influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 virus remains a critical global health concern and causes high levels of morbidity and mortality. Severe acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are the major outcomes among severely infected patients. Our previous study found that interleukin (IL)-17A production by humans or mice infected with influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 substantially contributes to ALI and subsequent morbidity and mortality. However, the cell types responsible for IL-17A production during the early stage of severe influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 infection remained unknown. In this study, a mouse model of severe influenza A (H1N1) pdm09 infection was established. Our results show that, in the lungs of infected mice, the percentage of γδT cells, but not the percentages of CD4+Th and CD8+Tc cells, gradually increased and peaked at 3 days post-infection (dpi). Further analysis revealed that the Vγ4+γδT subset, but not the Vγ1+γδT subset, was significantly increased among the γδT cells. At 3 dpi, the virus induced significant increases in IL-17A in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum. IL-17A was predominantly secreted by γδT cells (especially the Vγ4+γδT subset), but not CD4+Th and CD8+Tc cells at the early stage of infection, and IL-1β and/or IL-23 were sufficient to induce IL-17A production by γδT cells. In addition to secreting IL-17A, γδT cells secreted interferon (IFN)-γ and expressed both an activation-associated molecule, natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D), and an apoptosis-associated molecule, FasL. Depletion of γδT cells or the Vγ4+γδT subset significantly rescued the virus-induced weight loss and improved the survival rate by decreasing IL-17A secretion and reducing immunopathological injury. This study demonstrated that, by secreting IL-17A, lung Vγ4+γδT cells, at least, in part mediated influenza A (H1N1) pdm09-induced immunopathological injury. This mechanism might serve as a promising new target for the prevention and treatment of ALI induced by influenza A (H1N1) pdm09.
Infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) are increasingly common and can result in significant mortality rates due to the development of sepsis. To examine the potential usage of a recombinant Ad5-BPI(23)-Fcγ1 virus as a biological treatment against systemic infection by GNB, a construct containing the human bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI) gene, encoding the functional N terminus (amino acid residues 1-199) of human BPI, and the Fcγ1 gene, encoding the Fc segment of human immunoglobulin G1, was inserted into an adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) chromosome to produce a recombinant Ad5-BPI(23)-Fcγ1 virus. Human A549 cells in culture and BALB/c mice were infected with the recombinant Ad5-BPI(23)-Fcγ1 virus and BPI(23)-Fcγ1 expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis and ELISA. The concentrations of BPI(23)-Fcγ1 protein were 5.59 µg ml(-1) in vitro and 21.37 ng ml(-1) in vivo and it was observed that these concentrations were sufficient to decrease endotoxin concentrations while enhancing bactericidal activity. In addition, mice treated with the recombinant Ad5-BPI(23)-Fcγ1 virus had decreased levels of IL-1β and TNF-α and were protected from an E. coli O111 : B4 challenge. Our data support the concept that Ad5-mediated BPI(23)-Fcγ1 gene delivery could be used as an ancillary biological treatment in the management of infection caused by GNB.
MAVS is a critical adaptor required for activating an innate antiviral immune response against viral infection. The activation of MAVS requires modification of the Lys63-linked ubiquitination and formation of prion-like aggregates. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating MAVS activity remain largely obscured. In this study, we identified a deubiquitinase YOD1, also known as a member of the ovarian tumor family, as a negative regulator of MAVS activation in both human and murine cells. YOD1 was recruited to mitochondria to interact with MAVS through its UBX and Znf domains after viral infection. Subsequently, YOD1 cleaved the K63-linked ubiquitination and abrogated the formation of prion-like aggregates of MAVS, which led to attenuation of IRF3, P65 activation, and IFN-β production. Knockdown of YOD1 potentiated IRF3 and P65 activation, IFN-β production, and antiviral innate immune response to RNA virus. Our findings thus provided, to our knowledge, novel insights into the regulatory cascade of the cellular antiviral response through YOD1-mediated K63-linked deubiquitination and aggregation of MAVS.
Cytokine-like 1 (CYTL1) was first identified in CD34+ cells derived from bone marrow and cord blood. The biological functions of CYTL1 remain largely unknown. Here, we reveal a relationship between CYTL1 expression and the biological characteristics of neuroblastoma (NB). The expression of CYTL1 was detected in 10 human tumor cell lines and human NB tissues by RT-PCR and real-time PCR. The inhibitory effect of CYTL1 knockdown on the proliferation, migration and invasion of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells was studied using the CCK-8 assay and Transwell chamber assays. Among the 10 human tumor cell lines that we examined, CYTL1 was expressed only in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells. Furthermore, we also observed high levels of CYTL1 expression in human NB tissues. When CYTL1 expression was blocked by siRNA, SH-SY5Y cells showed decreased proliferation, migration and invasion activities. Taken together, our results showed the first evidence of CYTL1 expression in SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and human NB tissues, revealed a possible link between CYTL1 and NB development, and suggested CYTL1 as a potential therapeutic target and diagnosis biomarker for NB.
Severe infection with influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 virus is characterized by acute lung injury. The limited efficacy of anti-viral drugs indicates an urgent need for additional therapies. We have previously reported that neutralization of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) could significantly rescue the thymic atrophy induced by severe influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection in BALB/c mice. A deeper investigation was conducted into the influence of neutralizing IFN-γ to the BALB/c mice weight, survival rate, and lung injury.The BALB/c mice was infected with severe influenza A (H1N1)pdm09. Monoclonal antibodies against IFN-γ were injected into the abdominal cavities of the mice. After neutralization of IFN-γ occurred in mice infected by severe ∖ influenza A (H1N1)pdm09, observing the influence of neutralizing IFN-γ to the BALB/c mice weight, survival rate, lung injury.Our results here showed that anti-IFN-γ therapy alleviated the acute lung injury in this mouse model. Neutralization of IFN-γ led to a significant reduction in the lung microvascular leak and the cellular infiltrate in the lung tissue, and also improved the outcome in mice mortality. Several pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1α, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and the chemokines including G-CSF, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in serum samples were found to be significantly reduced after anti-IFN-γ treatment.These results suggested that IFN-γ plays an important role in acute lung injury induced by severe influenza A (H1N1)pdm09 infection, and monoclonal antibodies against IFN-γ could be useful as a potential therapeutic remedy for future influenza pandemics.