NLRP3炎症体与炎症性疾病

炎症体是胱天蛋白酶的活化平台,并促进一些前炎症细胞因子如IL-1β、IL-18和IL-33的成熟,启动机体的先天性免疫防御功能。炎症体的激活和失调与人类先天及后天的炎症性疾病都密切相关。通过对NLRP1、NL-RP3、IPAF和AIM2炎症体调节机制的研究,可为家族性周期性自身炎症反应、痛风、II型糖尿病等的治疗提供新的靶点。主要就NLRP3炎症体的组成、分布和调节机制及与NLRP3炎症体相关的炎症性疾病进行了简要介绍。     

NLRP3炎性小体激活调控机制及其在类风湿性关节炎中的潜在作用

NOD样受体热蛋白结构域相关蛋白3(NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3,NLRP3)炎性小体是一种多蛋白复合物,在非特异性免疫中发挥重要作用,可以通过K+外流、溶酶体损伤、线粒体功能障碍和活性氧生成等途径被激活,产生具有生物活性的白介素-1β(interleukin-1β,IL-1β)、IL-18和肿瘤坏死因子α(tumor necrosis factor alpha,TNF-α),从而导致细胞死亡,激活适应性免疫。NLRP3基因多态性、表达水平、激活状态都与类风湿性关节炎的疾病进程关系密切,并且NLRP3炎性小体异常激活驱动的慢性炎症在类风湿性关节炎发生发展中发挥重要作用。本文就NLRP3炎性小体的分子结构、基本生物学功能及其与类风湿性关节炎疾病进程之间的相关性作一综述,以期为防治该类自身免疫性疾病提供新思路。     

NLRP3炎症小体与2型糖尿病的研究进展

NLRP3炎症小体作为固有免疫系统的重要组成部分,在2型糖尿病的发病过程中起着重要作用,而白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)是介导其发挥作用的关键因子。核糖体蛋白质合成、嘌呤受体P2X7、活性氧敏感的硫氧还原蛋白相互作用蛋白(TXNIP)与NLRP3炎症小体激活密切相关。肥胖时胰岛素作用的靶组织中NLRP3、IL-1β表达均增高,其介导的炎症反应在胰岛β细胞功能障碍、凋亡以及胰岛素抵抗发生过程中起关键作用。NLRP3炎症小体被多种途径激活,从而上调胰岛和脂肪组织中IL-1β的表达,促进胰岛β细胞凋亡及胰岛素抵抗的发生发展,导致糖尿病的产生。     

NLRP3炎症小体介导的炎症相关疾病研究进展

炎症小体在炎症相关疾病的发生发展中发挥重要作用,其中NLRP3炎症小体能够被多种病原相关分子模式(pathogen-associated molecular patterns,PAMPs)和损伤相关分子模式(damage-associated molecular patterns,DAMPs)激活,进而活化caspase-1,释放成熟形式的IL-1β和IL-18,引起机体的炎症反应,并参与多种疾病的发生发展,包括2型糖尿病、痛风、动脉粥样硬化、神经退行性疾病、肿瘤、炎症性肠病等。因此,研究NLRP3炎症小体的作用机制不仅有助于加深对炎症性疾病发生发展的认识,也为寻找此类疾病的潜在治疗靶点提供了新的思路。就NLRP3炎症小体在炎症相关疾病中的研究进展作一综述。     

炎性体与器官移植

炎性体是指存在于细胞质内能够激活半胱天冬酶-1（caspase-1）的大分子复合物,活化的caspase-1通过酶切白细胞介素-1β（IL-1β）和白细胞介素-18（IL-18）前体分子而生成具有生物学活性的IL-1β和IL-18.近来研究发现,炎性体分子NLRP1、NLRP2、NLRP5、CARD8、CASP5的基因型与移植的临床结果相关,心脏移植排斥反应时ASC和IL-1β的表达升高,缺血再灌注损伤中NLRP3炎性体激活增加IL-1β分泌,表明炎性体的激活与移植排斥反应和缺血再灌注损伤密切相关,但诱导炎性体活化的配体和参与的炎性体分子有待进一步研究.     

炎症小体调控机制的研究进展

炎症小体(Inflammasome)是一种由机体胞浆内模式识别受体(PRRs)参与组成的多蛋白复合体,主要参与天然免疫反应中caspase-1激活,并介导IL-1β、IL-18的前体产生成熟细胞因子以及诱导细胞凋亡。NLRP3、NLRC4、NLRP1、AIM2是目前研究较多的炎症小体,对其结构、组成成分、作用机制等方面已有较为深入的研究,而主要只对炎症小体的活化及负性调控机制的研究进展进行了综述。     

NLRP3炎性体与代谢性疾病的研究进展

代谢性疾病是由体内氨基酸、葡萄糖和脂质代谢紊乱引起的一类疾病,慢性炎症反应是其重要特征之一.Nod样受体蛋白3(Nod-like receptor protein 3,NLRP3)炎性体是位于细胞内的一种蛋白质复合体,主要功能为活化半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶1(caspase-1)以间接调控白介素1β(IL-1β)、IL-18和IL-33等的成熟和分泌.NLRP3炎性体是炎性体相关研究的热点,多种内源性或外源性危险信号通过激活这一蛋白质复合体上调炎性因子的表达水平,从而促进多种代谢性疾病的发生发展.本文对NLRP3炎性体的结构、功能、调节以及在代谢性疾病中的作用做一综述,以期为代谢性疾病的防治提供新靶点.     

NLRP3炎症小体在真菌感染中的作用机制研究进展

炎症小体(Inflammasome)是细胞内识别危险信号的多蛋白复合体,是固有免疫的重要组成部分,NOD样受体家族含热蛋白结构域蛋白3炎症小体(NLRP3)是目前研究最多的一种炎症小体。真菌感染中,NLRP3炎症小体通路募集半胱天冬蛋白酶的前体半胱氨酸天冬氨酸蛋白酶1(pro-caspase-1)自身剪切活化,活化后的半胱天冬蛋白酶(Caspase-1),通过对促炎因子IL-1β(interleukin-1β, IL-1β)和IL-18(interleukin-18, IL-18)的激活,引起宿主的炎症反应,在宿主免疫应答中发挥了重要作用。     

NLRP3炎症小体的负向调控机制

NLRP3炎症小体是由NOD样受体(NOD-like receptor, NLR) NLRP3、接头蛋白ASC和胱冬肽酶-1(Caspase-1)所形成的多聚蛋白复合体,能够感受来自病原微生物的病原相关分子模式(pathogen-associated molecular patterns, PAMPs)和胞内自身危险信号-危险相关分子模式(danger-associated molecular patterns, DAMPs),促进细胞因子IL-1β和IL-18的成熟和分泌、引起细胞焦亡,从而在多种生理、病理过程中发挥重要作用. NLRP3炎症小体是目前研究最深入的炎症小体,其表达水平和活化强度与多种疾病的发生、发展密切相关,如感染性疾病、痛风、Ⅱ型糖尿病、动脉粥样硬化、阿尔兹海默症及癌症等.因此,阐明NLRP3炎症小体活化的调控机制,对于揭示这些疾病发生、发展的机理,寻找免疫调节治疗的新途径具有重要意义.本文详细介绍了NLRP3炎症小体的负向调控机制.     

NLRP3炎症小体及其相关通路与动脉粥样硬化研究进展

动脉粥样硬化所导致的心血管病是人类致死致残的重要原因。炎症因素作为重要危险因素已得到研究者共识,越来越多的证据表明炎症参与了从早期内皮功能障碍到晚期斑块破裂的AS形成的各个阶段。CANTOS研究作为测试AS炎症假说的第一个大规模临床试验,为寻找IL-1β介导的炎症性AS的潜在治疗靶点提供依据。Nod样受体蛋白3炎症小体作为固有免疫系统的一种识别受体,可引起半胱氨酸天冬氨酸特异性蛋白酶1激活,产生和释放成熟的促炎因子白细胞介素1-β,参与炎症反应发生发展。本文对胆固醇结晶,氧化低密度脂蛋白,血流动力学改变,斑块内细胞代谢方式变化等对NLRP3炎症体激活机制以及NLRP3炎症小体的激活途径和临床治疗方法进行综述,以期通过对NLRP3及其相关通路的研究,为临床动脉粥样硬化治疗提供新思路。     

A Unique Protease Cleavage Site Predicted in the Spike Protein of the Novel Pneumonia Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Potentially Related to Viral Transmissibility

正Dear Editor,In December 2019, a novel human coronavirus caused an epidemic of severe pneumonia(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19) in Wuhan, Hubei, China(Wu et al. 2020; Zhu et al. 2020). So far, this virus has spread to all areas of China and even to other countries. The epidemic has caused 67,102 confirmed infections with 1526 fatal cases     

Curcuminoids as inhibitors of thioredoxin reductase: A receptor based pharmacophore study with distance mapping of the active site

Curcumin is the yellow pigment of turmeric that interacts irreversibly forming an adduct with thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), an enzyme responsible for redox control of cell and defence against oxidative stress. Docking at both the active sites of TrxR was performed to compare the potency of three naturally occurring curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin. Results show that active sites of TrxR occur at the junction of E and F chains. Volume and area of both cavities is predicted. It has been concluded by distance mapping of the most active conformations that Se atom of catalytic residue SeCYS498, is at a distance of 3.56 from C13 of demethoxy curcumin at the E chain active site, whereas C13 carbon atom forms adduct with Se atom of SeCys 498. We report that at least one methoxy group in curcuminoids is necessary for interation with catalytic residues of thioredoxin. Pharmacophore of both active sites of the TrxR receptor for curcumin and demethoxy curcumin molecules has been drawn and proposed for design and synthesis of most probable potent antiproliferative synthetic drugs.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

Enterovirus 71 3C proteolytically processes the histone H3 N-terminal tail during infection

Highlights
1. The N-terminal tail of histone H3 is specifically cleaved during EV71 infection.
2. Viral protease 3C is identified as a protease responsible for proteolytically processing the N-terminal H3 tail.
3. Our finding reveals a new epigenetic regulatory mechanism for Enterovirus 71 in virus-host interactions.     

Detection of EBV and HHV6 in the Brain Tissue of Patients with Rasmussen’s Encephalitis

Rasmussen’s encephalitis (RE) is a rare pediatric neurological disorder, and the exact etiology is not clear. Viral infection may be involved in the pathogenesis of RE, but conflicting results have reported. In this study, we evaluated the expression of both Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and human herpes virus (HHV) 6 antigens in brain sections from 30 patients with RE and 16 control individuals by immunohistochemistry. In the RE group, EBV and HHV6 antigens were detected in 56.7% (17/30) and 50% (15/30) of individuals, respectively. In contrast, no detectable EBV and HHV6 antigen expression was found in brain tissues of the control group. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in 20.0% (6/30) of individuals. In particular, a 4-year-old boy had a typical clinical course, including a medical history of viral encephalitis, intractable epilepsy, and hemispheric atrophy. The co-expression of EBV and HHV6 was detected in neurons and astrocytes in the brain tissue, accompanied by a high frequency of CD8⁺ T cells. Our results suggest that EBV and HHV6 infection and the activation of CD8⁺ T cells are involved in the pathogenesis of RE.     

Perinatal Vertical Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in Ruili,a Town on the Border between China and Myanmar

正Dear Editor,Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an arbovirus in the family of Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus, is transmitted by the A.aegyptii or A. albopictus mosquito, and causes disease in humans characterized by fever, rash, and arthralgia (Silva and Dermody 2017; Suhrbier 2019). It was first reported in 1953 in Tanzania, and caused only a few outbreaks and sporadic cases in Africa and Asia in last century. However, in the epidemic in 2004, CHIKV acquired mutations that conferred enhanced transmission by the A. albopictus mosquito(Schuffenecker et al. 2006). Since then, it has successively caused outbreaks in Africa, the Indian Ocean, South East Asia, the South America, and Europe (Zeller et al. 2016).     

Development of a Novel Reverse Transcription Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Method for Rapid Detection of SARS-CoV-2

In conclusion, the novel visual RT-LAMP assay is a simple, rapid, and sensitive approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2, and it is ready for application in primary care and community hospitals or health care centers, and even patients' own houses in response to the current SARS-CoV-2 epidemic because the assay does not require sophisticated equipment and skilled personnel. Furthermore, it is also ready to be used in fields for screening samples from wild animals and environments to facilitate the identification of potential intermediate hosts that mediate the cross-species transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from bats to humans.