RNA结合蛋白与巨噬细胞炎症因子表达

RNA结合蛋白(RNA-binding proteins,RBPs)是转录后基因表达的关键调控因子,参与剪接、出核、翻译和稳定性等RNA代谢调控。RBPs表达或功能异常可导致炎症性疾病、代谢性疾病以及神经系统疾病等多种疾病的发生发展。炎症是机体对外界刺激及损伤的防御性免疫反应。巨噬细胞作为机体重要的免疫细胞,通过快速响应刺激并且释放大量炎症因子,进而调控炎症反应。巨噬细胞中炎症因子的表达受到转录以及转录后水平的调控。其中,RBPs参与大量RNA的转录后调控过程。研究发现,一方面,RBPs直接结合炎症因子mRNA中的顺式作用元件,参与其mRNA稳定性和翻译等过程,例如TTP(tristetraprolin);另一方面,某些RBPs通过参与炎症信号通路中一些关键基因mRNA的稳定性、翻译或选择性剪接调控,进而间接影响炎症因子表达及分泌。例如,剪接因子3A亚基1(splicing factor 3A subunit 1, SF3A1)。本文主要总结RBPs在mRNA稳定性、翻译和选择性剪接不同转录后水平调控巨噬细胞炎症因子表达的作用机制。这些RBPs从不同的层面直接或者间接参与调控炎症因子的表达,有些相互协同,有些相互拮抗,是宏观的、整体的对机体炎症反应的调控。深入探讨RBPs调控巨噬细胞炎症因子以及炎症反应的作用机制,对于从不同角度认识、预防以及治疗炎症性相关疾病,具有重要意义。     

戊型肝炎病毒感染激活补体系统

为了探究补体系统与戊型肝炎病毒复制的相关性,分别在HEV感染的A549细胞和BALB/c小鼠中检测C3aR、CD55和CD59蛋白的表达.利用RT-qPCR定量检测细胞和组织中补体的表达,采用免疫组化法检测HEV感染BALB/c小鼠中补体CD59及C5b-9的表达,ELISA检测补体相关炎症因子的变化.HEV感染可以激活补体蛋白C3aR、C5b-9、CD55和CD59的表达,引起补体蛋白相关炎症因子IL-10表达水平下降,IL-12和TNF-α的表达水平的上升,从而导致机体的炎症反应,加剧组织损伤.HEV感染激活补体系统并参与早期的抗病毒反应,HEV感染对补体的持续激活导致炎症因子过度表达,加重机体损伤.     

小胶质细胞与早老性痴呆症脑内炎症

早老性痴呆患者脑内存在炎症反应已被越来越多的证据支持。作为脑内的主要免疫细胞,小胶质细胞在中枢神经系统炎症过程中被过度激活,表达或释放细胞因子和炎症介质,是早老性痴呆发生发展的重要因素。抑制小胶质细胞激活、缓解炎症损伤,对延缓早老性痴呆的发展具有重要的的意义。     

炎症与动脉粥样硬化及冠状动脉疾病的关系

炎症在冠状动脉疾病和其他动脉粥样硬化性疾病中起着重要作用.在动脉粥样硬化早期病变处存在大量的免疫细胞,它们所分泌的一系列细胞因子加速病变的进程,激活炎症反应导致急性冠脉综合症的发生.动脉粥样硬化,是冠状动脉疾病的主要病因,是一种炎性疾病,炎症因子参与到免疫反应过程中,使得动脉壁处的病变得以发生、蔓延和活化.     

Th2型γδ T细胞参与急性RSV感染所诱发的气道炎症反应

γδ T细胞是机体重要的固有免疫细胞,参与肺组织炎性病变及哮喘的发生发展。但迄今为止,γδT细胞在呼吸道合胞病毒感染所诱发的气道炎症反应中的作用尚不十分清楚。研究通过建立RSV急性感染的实验动物模型,采用HE染色、Real-timeRT-PCR、流式细胞术等实验方法,旨在揭示γδT细胞在感染性气道炎症发生中的作用及其相关作用机制。结果显示,RSV感染导致BALA/c鼠肺炎性细胞浸润,其中嗜酸性粒细胞增加明显;同时肺组织局部Th2型细胞因子IL-4、IL-13 mRNA表达升高;RSV感染后,肺组织γδT细胞总数,特别是活化的CD69+γδT细胞数量显著增加,其中分泌Th2型细胞因子IL-4和IL-13的γδT细胞数量增加明显,而分泌Th1型细胞因子IFN-γ的γδT细胞数量显著减少,证实γδT细胞通过分泌Th2型细胞因子介导RSV感染诱发的气道炎症反应。     

血管内皮祖细胞与炎性因子相关性的研究进展

内皮祖细胞(EPCs)是一种能直接分化为血管内皮细胞的前体细胞,不仅参与胚胎期的血管发生,还存在于骨髓、外周血和脐血中,在成体血管新生和受损内膜的再内皮化中发挥重要作用.然而,血管发生和炎症反应是两个密切联系的过程,血管损伤通常伴有局部促炎症介质的释放.多种炎症介质通过不同信号通路影响内皮祖细胞的数量和功能,从而影响损伤血管的修复和再生,参与炎症反应的发生和发展.本文结合近年来的研究进展,就EPCs与炎性相关因子如C-反应蛋白、肿瘤坏死因子-α、白细胞介素-1β、血管生成素、基质细胞衍生因子-1等的关系作一综述.     

阿尔采末病中的炎症反应

阿尔采末病 (Alzheimer病 )是常见的老年病之一 ,其发病机制尚不明确 ,但已有大量相关的实验结果和假说 ,其中脑内的免疫炎症反应是一个重要的方面。小胶质细胞和星形胶质细胞是参与脑内炎症反应的主要免疫细胞。小胶质细胞可吞噬淀粉样蛋白 ,激活补体系统 ,释放大量炎性介质 ,激活星形胶质细胞。星形胶质细胞活化后参与淀粉样蛋白和其他病理沉积物的吞噬 ,也释放某些炎性细胞因子 ,部分反馈性抑制小胶质细胞活性。此外 ,脑内的炎症反应还与环氧酶、磷脂酶及自由基等密切相关。目前包括抑制胆碱脂酶活性、抗氧化、抑制淀粉样蛋白生成及聚集等在内的治疗方案均不能达到理想的疗效 ,而流行病学调查和临床实验回顾表明部分非甾体抗炎药可以降低其发病危险性 ,因此开发疗效更好、特异性更强、副作用低的抗炎药物是较有前景的方向     

血管紧张素Ⅱ对单核/巨噬细胞的致炎作用及其药物干预

动脉粥样硬化斑块形成和破裂的重要原因是病变部位炎症反应的加剧,而巨噬细胞作为粥样斑块内主要的炎症细胞,在炎症反应中起主导作用.血管紧张素Ⅱ作为一种重要促炎因子,促进单核/巨噬细胞浸润于动脉粥样硬化斑块,激活斑块内的巨噬细胞,上调各种炎症因子,从而参与动脉粥样硬化的发生发展过程.血管紧张素转化酶抑制剂、AngⅡ受体阻断剂、调血脂药、干扰素-β、雌激素等药物可减轻血管紧张素Ⅱ诱导的血管壁炎症反应,发挥抗动脉粥样硬化作用.     

梅毒螺旋体Tp0751重组蛋白诱导人单核细胞表达前炎症细胞因子的研究

炎症和持续的获得性免疫应答被认为是造成梅毒螺旋体感染后机体病理损伤的主要原因.Tp膜蛋白是介导炎症反应的主要成分,可能为Tp的主要致病因子.因此对Tp膜蛋白的研究是认识其对宿主的致病性和进行致病机制研究的关键.目前国内外类似研究甚少.因此有必要进行Tp膜蛋白的致病性研究.本研究旨在探讨Tp0751重组蛋白潜在的前炎症活性.结果表明,Tp0751重组蛋白可以时间和剂量依赖方式诱导THP-1细胞表达CKs(IL-1β,TNF-α和IL-6).进一步研究表明,Tp0751重组蛋白可以激活NF-κB的表达;TLR2抗体、CD14抗体、MAPKs/p38特异性抑制剂SB203580和NF-κB抑制剂PDTC均可明显抑制NF-κB的激活和CKs的表达.初步结果证实,Tp0751重组蛋白可通过TLR2和CD14途径激活MAPKs/p38和NF-κB诱导THP-1表达CKs,其可能是Tp的一个重要的致病因子.     

AIM2炎症小体介导细胞焦亡的研究进展

细胞焦亡是一种程序性细胞死亡，参与了多种疾病的发生发展，而炎症反应在细胞焦亡中的作用是目前的研究热点。炎症小体是炎症反应的重要组成部分，其中黑色素瘤缺乏因子2 (absent in melanoma 2,AIM2)炎症小体的激活是诱发由含半胱氨酸的天冬氨酸蛋白酶1 (caspase-1)介导的细胞焦亡的重要因素。靶向AIM2炎症小体激活与细胞焦亡可作为临床相关疾病治疗的有效策略，本文综述了AIM2炎症小体介导的细胞焦亡的研究进展。     

Cutting edge: T cell Ig mucin-3 reduces inflammatory heart disease by increasing CTLA-4 during innate immunity

Autoimmune diseases can be reduced or even prevented if proinflammatory immune responses are appropriately down-regulated. Receptors (such as CTLA-4), cytokines (such as TGF-beta), and specialized cells (such as CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells) work together to keep immune responses in check. T cell Ig mucin (Tim) family proteins are key regulators of inflammation, providing an inhibitory signal that dampens proinflammatory responses and thereby reducing autoimmune and allergic responses. We show in this study that reducing Tim-3 signaling during the innate immune response to viral infection in BALB/c mice reduces CD80 costimulatory molecule expression on mast cells and macrophages and reduces innate CTLA-4 levels in CD4+ T cells, resulting in decreased T regulatory cell populations and increased inflammatory heart disease. These results indicate that regulation of inflammation in the heart begins during innate immunity and that Tim-3 signaling on cells of the innate immune system critically influences regulation of the adaptive immune response.     

Mitochondrial function in immune cells in health and disease

One of the main functions of mitochondria is production of ATP for cellular energy needs, however, it becomes more recognized that mitochondria are involved in differentiation and activation processes of immune cells. Upon activation, immune cells have a high need for energy. Immune cells have different strategies to generate this energy. In pro-inflammatory cells, such as activated monocytes and activated T and B cells, the energy is generated by increasing glycolysis, while in regulatory cells, such as regulatory T cells or M2 macrophages, energy is generated by increasing mitochondrial function and beta-oxidation.Except for being important for energy supply during activation, mitochondria also induce immune responses. During an infection, they release mitochondrial danger associated molecules (DAMPs) that resemble structures of bacterial derived pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Such mitochondrial DAMPS are for instance mitochondrial DNA with hypomethylated CpG motifs or a specific lipid that is only present in prokaryotic bacteria and mitochondria, i.e. cardiolipin. Via release of such DAMPs, mitochondria guide the immune response towards an inflammatory response against pathogens. This is an important mechanism in early detection of an infection and in stimulating and sustaining immune responses to fight infections. However, mitochondrial DAMPs may also have a negative impact. If mitochondrial DAMPs are released by damaged cells, without the presence of an infection, such as after a trauma, mitochondrial DAMPs may induce an undesired inflammatory response, resulting in tissue damage and organ dysfunction. Thus, immune cells have developed mechanisms to prevent such undesired immune activation by mitochondrial components.In the present narrative review, we will describe the current view of mitochondria in regulation of immune responses. We will also discuss the current knowledge on disturbed mitochondrial function in immune cells in various immunological diseases.     

Conventional, regulatory, and unconventional T cells in the immunologic response to Helicobacter pylori

Infection by the gastroduodenal pathogen Helicobacter pylori elicits a complex immunologic response in the mucosa involving neutrophils, plasma cells, eosinophils, and lymphocytes, of which T cells are the principal orchestrators of immunity. While so-called classical T cells (e.g. T-helper cells) that are activated by peptide fragments presented on antigen-presenting cells have received much attention in H. pylori infection, there exists a diverse array of other T cell populations that are potentially important for the outcome of the ensuing immune response, some of which have not been extensively studied in H. pylori infection. Pathogen-specific regulatory T cells that control and prevent the development of immunopathology associated with H. pylori infection have been investigated, but these cells can also benefit the bacterium in helping to prolong the chronicity of the infection by suppressing protective immune responses. An overlooked T cell population, the more recently described Th17 cells, may play a role in H. pylori-induced inflammation, due to triggering responses that ultimately lead to the recruitment of polymorphs, including neutrophils. The so-called innate or unconventional T cells, that include two conserved T cell subsets expressing invariant antigen-specific receptors, the CD1d-restricted natural killer T cells which are activated by glycolipids, and the mucosal-associated invariant T cells which play a role in defense against orally acquired pathogens in the intestinal mucosa, have only begun to receive attention. A greater knowledge of the range of T cell responses induced by H. pylori is required for a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of this bacterium and its ability to perpetuate chronic infection, and could reveal new strategies for therapeutic exploitation.     

An overview of inflammation: mechanism and consequences

Inflammation is an essential response provided by the immune systems that ensures the survival during infection and tissue injury. Inflammatory responses are essential for the maintenance of normal tissue homeostasis. The molecular mechanism of inflammation is quite a complicated process which is initiated by the recognition of specific molecular patterns associated with either infection or tissue injury. The entire process of the inflammatory response is mediated by several key regulators involved in the selective expression of proinflammatory molecules. Prolonged inflammations are often associated with severe detrimental side effects on health. Alterations in inflammatory responses due to persistent inducers or genetic variations are on the rise over the last couple of decades, causing a variety of inflammatory diseases and pathophysiological conditions.     

产白介素-17T细胞在肺部细菌感染中的研究进展

目前产白介素-17(IL-17)T细胞主要包括了产IL-17 CD4+T细胞即Th17细胞、产IL-17γδT细胞和产IL-17 CD8+T细胞等。随着对Th17这一系细胞功能研究的不断深入,发现它们能通过产生IL-17和IL-22等细胞因子参与炎症反应。该文将对产IL-17 T细胞在肺部细菌感染中所起作用的最近研究进展进行综述。     

An overview of inflammation: mechanism and consequences

Inflammation is an essential response provided by the immune systems that ensures the survival during infection and tissue injury.Inflammatory responses are essential for the maintenance of normal tissue homeostasis.The molecular mechanism of inflammation is quite a complicated process which is initiated by the recognition of specific molecular patterns associated with either infection or tissue injury.The entire process of the inflammatory response is mediated by several key regulators involved in the selective expression of proinflammatory molecules.Prolonged inflammations are often associated with severe detrimental side effects on health.Alterations in inflammatory responses due to persistent inducers or genetic variations are on the rise over the last couple of decades,causing a variety of inflammatory diseases and pathophysiological conditions.     

Notch signaling and its emerging role in autoimmunity

Studies of notch signaling in immune cells have uncovered critical roles for this pathway both during the differentiation and effector function phases of immune responses. Cells of the myeloid lineage, including macrophages and dendritic cells, function as key components of innate immune defense against infection and, by acting as antigen presenting cells, can instruct cells of the adaptive immune response, specifically CD4 and CD8 T cells. Tight regulation of this functional interaction is needed to ensure a well-balanced immune response and its dysregulation may indirectly or directly cause the tissue damage characteristic of autoimmune diseases. In this review, the focus will be placed on those recent findings which support a role for notch signaling in inflammatory responses mediated by macrophages and other myeloid lineage cells, as well as peripheral T cells, and their relevance to inflammatory and autoimmne diseases.     

Cell death in allergic diseases

Apoptosis, the most common form of cell death, is a key mechanism in the build up and maintenance of both innate and adaptive immunity. Central to the apoptotic process is a family of intracellular cysteine proteases with aspartate-specificity, called caspases. Caspases are counter-regulated by multiple anti-apoptotic molecules, and the expression of the latter in leukocytes is largely dependent on survival factors. Therefore, the physiologic rates of apoptosis change under pathologic conditions. For instance, in inflammation, the expression of survival factors is usually elevated, resulting in increased cell survival and consequently in the accumulation of the involved immune cells. In many allergic diseases, eosinophil apoptosis is delayed contributing to both blood and tissue eosinophilia. Besides eosinophils, apoptosis of other leukocytes is also frequently prevented or delayed during allergic inflammatory processes. In contrast to inflammatory cells, accelerated cell death is often observed in epithelial cells, a mechanism, which amplifies or at least maintains allergic inflammation. In conclusion, deregulated cell death is a common phenomenon of allergic diseases that likely plays an important role in their pathogenesis. Whether the apoptosis is too little or too much depends on the cell type. In this review, we discuss the regulation of the lifespan of the participating leukocytes in allergic inflammatory responses.