Anthrax Lethal Toxin Downregulates Claudin-5 Expression in Human Endothelial Tight Junctions.
Anthrax lethal toxin downregulates claudin-5 expression in human endothelial tight junctions.
PLoS One. 2013; 8(4): e62576
D’Agnillo F, Williams MC, Moayeri M, Warfel JM
Vascular leakage pathologies such as pleural effusion and hemorrhage are hallmarks of anthrax pathogenesis. We previously reported that anthrax lethal toxin (LT), the major virulence factor of anthrax, reduces barrier function in cultured primary human microvascular endothelial cells. Here, we show that LT-induced barrier dysfunction is accompanied by the reduced expression of the endothelial tight junction (TJ) protein claudin-5 but no change in the expression of other TJ components occludin, ZO-1, ZO-2, or the adherens junction (AJ) protein VE-cadherin. The downregulation of claudin-5 correlated temporally and dose-dependently with the reduction of transendothelial electrical resistance. LT-induced loss of claudin-5 was independent of cell death and preceded the appearance of actin stress fibers and altered AJ morphology. Pharmacological inhibition of MEK-1/2, two kinases that are proteolytically inactivated by LT, showed a similar reduction in claudin-5 expression. We found that LT reduced claudin-5 mRNA levels but did not accelerate the rate of claudin-5 degradation. Mice challenged with LT also showed significant reduction in claudin-5 expression. Together, these findings support a possible role for LT disruption of endothelial TJs in the vascular leakage pathologies of anthrax. HubMed – drug
Interferon-Beta Induces Distinct Gene Expression Response Patterns in Human Monocytes versus T cells.
PLoS One. 2013; 8(4): e62366
Henig N, Avidan N, Mandel I, Staun-Ram E, Ginzburg E, Paperna T, Pinter RY, Miller A
BACKGROUND: Monocytes, which are key players in innate immunity, are outnumbered by neutrophils and lymphocytes among peripheral white blood cells. The cytokine interferon-? (IFN-?) is widely used as an immunomodulatory drug for multiple sclerosis and its functional pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been previously described. The aim of the present study was to identify novel, cell-specific IFN-? functions and pathways in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-?-activated monocytes that may have been missed in studies using PBMCs. METHODOLOGYPRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Whole genome gene expression profiles of human monocytes and T cells were compared following in vitro priming to TNF-? and overnight exposure to IFN-?. Statistical analyses of the gene expression data revealed a cell-type-specific change of 699 transcripts, 667 monocyte-specific transcripts, 21 T cell-specific transcripts and 11 transcripts with either a difference in the response direction or a difference in the magnitude of response. RT-PCR revealed a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), exhibiting responses to IFN-? that are modulated by TNF-? in monocytes, such as RIPK2 and CD83, but not in T cells or PBMCs. Known IFN-? promoter response elements, such as ISRE, were enriched in T cell DEGs but not in monocyte DEGs. The overall directionality of the gene expression regulation by IFN-? was different in T cells and monocytes, with up-regulation more prevalent in T cells, and a similar extent of up and down-regulation recorded in monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: By focusing on the response of distinct cell types and by evaluating the combined effects of two cytokines with pro and anti-inflammatory activities, we were able to present two new findings First, new IFN-? response pathways and genes, some of which were monocytes specific; second, a cell-specific modulation of the IFN-? response transcriptome by TNF-?. HubMed – drug
Mitochondrial peroxiredoxin 3 regulates sensory cell survival in the cochlea.
PLoS One. 2013; 8(4): e61999
Chen FQ, Zheng HW, Schacht J, Sha SH
This study delineates the role of peroxiredoxin 3 (Prx3) in hair cell death induced by several etiologies of acquired hearing loss (noise trauma, aminoglycoside treatment, age). In vivo, Prx3 transiently increased in mouse cochlear hair cells after traumatic noise exposure, kanamycin treatment, or with progressing age before any cell loss occurred; when Prx3 declined, hair cell loss began. Maintenance of high Prx3 levels via treatment with the radical scavenger 2,3-dihydroxybenzoate prevented kanamycin-induced hair cell death. Conversely, reducing Prx3 levels with Prx3 siRNA increased the severity of noise-induced trauma. In mouse organ of Corti explants, reactive oxygen species and levels of Prx3 mRNA and protein increased concomitantly at early times of drug challenge. When Prx3 levels declined after prolonged treatment, hair cells began to die. The radical scavenger p-phenylenediamine maintained Prx3 levels and attenuated gentamicin-induced hair cell death. Our results suggest that Prx3 is up-regulated in response to oxidative stress and that maintenance of Prx3 levels in hair cells is a critical factor in their susceptibility to acquired hearing loss. HubMed – drug
Synergistic effect of ctla-4 blockade and cancer chemotherapy in the induction of anti-tumor immunity.
PLoS One. 2013; 8(4): e61895
Lesterhuis WJ, Salmons J, Nowak AK, Rozali EN, Khong A, Dick IM, Harken JA, Robinson BW, Lake RA
Several chemotherapeutics exert immunomodulatory effects. One of these is the nucleoside analogue gemcitabine, which is widely used in patients with lung cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma and several other types of cancer, but with limited efficacy. We hypothesized that the immunopotentiating effects of this drug are partly restrained by the inhibitory T cell molecule CTLA-4 and thus could be augmented by combining it with a blocking antibody against CTLA-4, which on its own has recently shown beneficial clinical effects in the treatment of patients with metastatic melanoma. Here we show, using two non-immunogenic murine tumor models, that treatment with gemcitabine chemotherapy in combination with CTLA-4 blockade results in the induction of a potent anti-tumor immune response. Depletion experiments demonstrated that both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells are required for optimal therapeutic effect. Mice treated with the combination exhibited tumor regression and long-term protective immunity. In addition, we show that the efficacy of the combination is moderated by the timing of administration of the two agents. Our results show that immune checkpoint blockade and cytotoxic chemotherapy can have a synergistic effect in the treatment of cancer. These results provide a basis to pursue combination therapies with anti-CTLA-4 and immunopotentiating chemotherapy and have important implications for future studies in cancer patients. Since both drugs are approved for use in patients our data can be immediately translated into clinical trials. HubMed – drug