炎症小体在机体血脑屏障损伤中的作用机制研究进展

血脑屏障(blood-brain barrier,BBB)是一种天然的结构和功能屏障,可抑制病原体的进入并严格控制分子进入脑实质,完整的血脑屏障对于维持中枢神经系统内稳态至关重要。这一屏障功能是由特殊的多细胞结构决定的,每一种组成的细胞类型对血脑屏障的完整性都有不可或缺的贡献。炎症小体(inflammasome)是先天免疫系统最重要的组成部分之一,是一种多蛋白复合体。当病原侵入或机体产生过度免疫反应时,能够激活炎症小体并介导大量细胞因子以及趋化因子分泌。细胞因子及趋化因子表达上调会引起血脑屏障破坏,导致病原突破血脑屏障进入中枢神经系统,引发机体各种脑内疾病。本文就感染性疾病与非感染性疾病这两种情况下,对炎症小体介导机体血脑屏障的损伤进行综述,并列举了当前针对血脑屏障损伤的不同修复方式。     

NLRP3炎症小体在流感病毒感染中的作用

NLRP3(NOD-,LRR,and pyrin domain-containing 3)炎症小体能够对多种病原体保守结构和内源性危险信号应答而活化Caspase-1,介导促炎症细胞因子前体Pro-IL-1β和Pro-IL-18的成熟与分泌,启动免疫防御,在抗微生物感染中发挥着重要作用。该文总结了流感病毒的结构与变异、细胞对流感病毒的识别、流感病毒感染过程中NLRP3炎症小体的活化与功能、流感病毒对免疫识别的逃逸等内容。     

病原体与宿主炎症小体相互作用

炎症小体(Inflammasome)是细胞质中多种蛋白组装成的复合物,炎症小体的激活能活化半胱天冬酶-1(caspase-1),进而引起系列促炎细胞因子的成熟与分泌和诱导细胞焦亡。当病原体感染时,炎症小体的激活在宿主天然免疫应答中起重要作用。大量研究表明,多数情况下炎症小体对宿主起保护作用,仅少数情况下保护作用不明显或表现出有利于病原体生存的一面。在长期进化中,病原体也发展出逃避宿主炎症小体作用的策略。病原体可直接抑制炎症小体的激活或减弱炎症小体的作用。本文从病原体感染宿主中炎症小体的作用及病原体对宿主炎性症小体的逃避机制两方面对二者相互作用的最新研究进展进行综述。     

炎症小体在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中的研究进展

炎症小体(inflammasome)是免疫细胞内由多种蛋白质所组成的复合体,属于胞浆型模式识别受体(pattern recognition receptor,PRR)。它作为固有免疫系统的重要组分在机体免疫反应和疾病发生过程中具有重要作用。近年来的研究表明炎症小体是炎症免疫反应的核心。由于能被多种类型的病原体或危险信号所激活,NLRP3(NOD样受体蛋白-3)炎症小体在多种疾病过程中,包括动脉粥样硬化症、家族性周期性自身炎症反应、阿尔海默茨病和2型糖尿病等都发挥了关键作用。因此,NLRP3(NOD样受体蛋白-3)炎症小体可能为各种炎症性疾病,包括动脉粥样硬化的治疗提供新的靶点。本文将对炎症小体在动脉粥样硬化发生发展中发挥的作用进行综述。     

NLRP3炎症小体在脂肪组织纤维化中的作用及运动干预研究进展

脂肪组织纤维化是指白色脂肪组织细胞外基质的过度沉积,是代谢功能障碍的重要诱因,探究其发生机理对代谢相关疾病的防治意义重大。研究表明,NLRP3炎症小体与脂肪组织纤维化关联密切,但其机制尚未完全厘清。作为一种防治慢病的有效策略,运动可通过抑制NLRP3炎症小体活化减轻炎症反应,从而缓解炎症相关疾病的发生与发展。本文就NLRP3炎症小体的生物学特性以及与脂肪组织纤维化的关系进行归纳梳理,总结分析运动通过NLRP3炎症小体调节脂肪组织纤维化的可能机理,以期为脂肪组织炎症相关疾病的防治提供理论参考依据。     

NLRP3炎症小体在糖尿病及运动中作用的研究进展

慢性非感染性炎症反应已经被证明是糖尿病发生和发展过程中的重要标志,伴有大量炎症因子的产生,从而加重疾病进程。运动作为诸多无创性抑制炎症反应的重要干预措施,在改善糖尿病症状中有着极为重要的作用。核苷酸结合寡聚化结构域样受体蛋白3(NOD-like receptor protein 3, NLRP3)炎症小体作为炎症反应的调控因子,通常可以引发多种炎症级联反应和细胞焦亡,与葡萄糖的摄取和血脂异常密切相关。运动可以延缓糖尿病的发病进程,以往的研究聚焦于NLRP3炎症小体对糖尿病的作用,但并未系统阐明运动对该作用的影响。因此,本文综述运动干预通过介导NLRP3炎症小体改善糖尿病症状的研究进展,为运动防治糖尿病提供新的理论基础。     

炎性小体在诱导脊髓损伤神经炎症中的作用

脊髓损伤的治疗与康复一直是医学领域的重大难题,尤其是在改善损伤的神经功能方面进展甚微。继发性损伤是造成脊髓损伤后神经功能障碍的主要原因,炎症反应是继发性损伤阶段最重要的病理过程。急性期通过抑制神经炎症来减轻继发性损伤被认为可减轻神经功能损害而达到神经保护作用。炎性小体是一类蛋白质复合体,由模式识别受体中的NLRs家族和PHYIN家族的受体蛋白质作为主要框架组装并命名,常见的炎性小体包括NLRP1、NLRP3、NLRC4(IPAF)、AIM2等。在感染或受到损伤刺激时,炎性小体在细胞质内组装,并激活促炎症蛋白酶胱天蛋白酶1(caspase-1),活化的胱天蛋白酶1一方面促进促炎症细胞因子IL-1β和IL-18的前体成熟和分泌,另一方面介导细胞焦亡。细胞焦亡以细胞肿胀破裂并释放细胞内容物为特征,是在炎症和应激的病理条件下诱导的程序性细胞死亡方式。促炎症细胞因子和焦亡释放的胞内物质都可作为促炎信号引发炎症反应。近期发现,炎性小体通过诱导促炎因子释放以及介导细胞焦亡等途径, 参与激活脊髓损伤后的炎症级联反应,加重继发性神经炎症。靶向抑制炎性小体的激活可减轻炎症反应,促进神经细胞存活,达到神经保护作用。因此,炎性小体有望成为脊髓损伤治疗的新靶点。本文拟从炎性小体的结构及其在脊髓损伤中的作用、激活机制和治疗前景进行综述,以期为后续研究提供思路。     

自噬与NLRP3炎症小体的相互作用

自噬是一种普遍存在的细胞内稳态机制,通过将细胞质成分运送到溶酶体进行降解,以抵抗病原体感染并促进氨基酸循环。NLRP3炎症小体是一种多蛋白复合物,在多种内源和外源性刺激下被激活,介导促炎细胞因子的分泌,参与炎症的发生。自噬功能失调可导致NLRP3炎症小体的过度激活,引起各种炎症性疾病以及癌症的发生。自噬作为NLRP3炎症小体的一种重要调节方式,可以通过去除NLRP3炎症小体的激活信号、包裹和降解其成分来调控炎症小体。此外,自噬在调控IL-1β的分泌中也起着重要作用。同样,NLRP3炎症小体也调控自噬过程,以平衡宿主防御所需的适当炎症反应以及预防过度、有害炎症的发生。因此,阐明这两个生物学过程之间的相互作用,能够加深对相关疾病发病机制的认识,为疾病治疗及药物研发提供新的思路和理论基础。     

鸟苷酸结合蛋白家族在感染性疾病中调控炎症小体活化的研究进展

鸟苷酸结合蛋白(guanylate-binding proteins,GBP)是一类干扰素诱导蛋白,在应对细菌、病毒、衣原体以及寄生虫等病原体感染时,其发挥的作用存在差异,并且影响感染性疾病的发展和结局。目前,研究者发现在细菌等病原体感染引发的细胞自主免疫中,GBP蛋白通过影响炎症小体的经典和非经典活化途径调控细胞焦亡。本文对GBP家族成员结构、进化特征以及炎症小体的经典和非经典活化途径进行了介绍,综述了GBP蛋白调控炎症小体活化的相关研究进展,归纳总结了GBP蛋白影响不同病原体感染的作用机制,以期为感染性疾病的发病机制和诊疗提供新的基础研究线索。     

NOD样受体在炎症反应中的调控作用

天然免疫(innate immunity)是机体免疫系统直接抵御病原体入侵的最初阶段,通过机体自身的特异性模式识别受体(pattern-recognition receptors,PRRs)来识别病原体特有的保守结构病原相关分子模式(pathogen-associated molecular patterns,PAMPs)。细胞内NOD样受体(NLRs)是胞浆型PRRs中的一个重要家族,病原体侵袭细胞可上调其表达,启动机体的免疫应答和炎症反应,在机体天然免疫应答中发挥独特的功能。最近有研究证明,NLRs的突变与一些人类免疫性疾病相关,并且在细菌感染和炎症反应的控制中起重要作用。该文将讨论NLRs在炎症疾病中的调控作用。     

NLRP6炎症小体与肠道微生态研究进展

NLRP6炎症小体作为炎症反应的核心识别环节,由PRRs、ASC、Caspase三部分组成,可激活下游IL-1β、IL-18等炎症分子.肠道微生态主要由肠道内结构复杂的微生物、种类繁多的代谢物和肠道黏膜屏障组成,参与机体多种重要生命功能,与多种疾病发生发展密切相关.NLRP6炎症小体广泛分布于肠道组织中,可识别肠道内多...     

Lipopolysaccharide detection by the innate immune system may be an uncommon defence strategy used in nature

Since the publication of the Janeway''s Pattern Recognition hypothesis in 1989, study of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and their immuno-stimulatory activities has accelerated. Most studies in this area have been conducted in model organisms, which leaves many open questions about the universality of PAMP biology across living systems. Mammals have evolved multiple proteins that operate as receptors for the PAMP lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria, but LPS is not immuno-stimulatory in all eukaryotes. In this review, we examine the history of LPS as a PAMP in mammals, recent data on LPS structure and its ability to activate mammalian innate immune receptors, and how these activities compare across commonly studied eukaryotes. We discuss why LPS may have evolved to be immuno-stimulatory in some eukaryotes but not others and propose two hypotheses about the evolution of PAMP structure based on the ecology and environmental context of the organism in question. Understanding PAMP structures and stimulatory mechanisms across multi-cellular life will provide insights into the evolutionary origins of innate immunity and may lead to the discovery of new PAMP variations of scientific and therapeutic interest.     

IL-12 and Viral Infections

Interleukin-12 activates natural killer cells and promotes the differentiation of Th1 CD4+ cells; it is a critical factor in viral immunity. IL-12 is secreted by antigen presenting cells including dendritic cells, macrophages and astrocytes, both in tissues and in secondary lymphoid organs. Experimental studies have shown that administration of the cytokine rapidly activates both innate and specific immune responses; this results in enhanced host cellular responses and generally, promotes clearance of virus and host recovery from infection. The observations of many laboratories, studying viral immunity to both RNA and DNA based pathogens, are summarized.     

Isolates of Salmonella typhimurium circumvent NLRP3 inflammasome recognition in macrophages during the chronic phase of infection

Inflammasome signaling results in cell death and release of cytokines from the IL-1 family, which facilitates control over an infection. However, some pathogens such as Salmonella typhimurium (ST) activate various innate immune signaling pathways, including inflammasomes, yet evade these cell death mechanisms, resulting in a chronic infection. Here we investigated inflammasome signaling induced by acute and chronic isolates of ST obtained from different organs. We show that ST isolated from infected mice during the acute phase displays an increased potential to activate inflammasome signaling, which then undergoes a protracted decline during the chronic phase of infection. This decline in inflammasome signaling was associated with reduced expression of virulence factors, including flagella and the Salmonella pathogenicity island I genes. This reduction in cell death of macrophages induced by chronic isolates had the greatest impact on the NLRP3 inflammasome, which correlated with a reduction in caspase-1 activation. Furthermore, rapid cell death induced by Casp-1/11 by ST in macrophages limited the subsequent activation of cell death cascade proteins Casp-8, RipK1, RipK3, and MLKL to prevent the activation of alternative forms of cell death. We observed that the lack of the ability to induce cell death conferred a competitive fitness advantage to ST only during the acute phase of infection. Finally, we show that the chronic isolates displayed a significant attenuation in their ability to infect mice through the oral route. These results reveal that ST adapts during chronic infection by circumventing inflammasome recognition to promote the survival of both the host and the pathogen.     

Control of gasdermin D oligomerization and pyroptosis by the Ragulator-Rag-mTORC1 pathway

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Biology,role and therapeutic potential of circulating histones in acute inflammatory disorders

Histones are positively charged nuclear proteins that facilitate packaging of DNA into nucleosomes common to all eukaryotic cells. Upon cell injury or cell signalling processes, histones are released passively through cell necrosis or actively from immune cells as part of extracellular traps. Extracellular histones function as microbicidal proteins and are pro‐thrombotic, limiting spread of infection or isolating areas of injury to allow for immune cell infiltration, clearance of infection and initiation of tissue regeneration and repair. Histone toxicity, however, is not specific to microbes and contributes to tissue and end‐organ injury, which in cases of systemic inflammation may lead to organ failure and death. This review details the processes of histones release in acute inflammation, the mechanisms of histone‐related tissue toxicity and current and future strategies for therapy targeting histones in acute inflammatory diseases.     

Helicobacter infection in the surfactant protein D-deficient mouse

BACKGROUND: Surfactant protein D (SP-D), a component of innate immunity, is expressed in the gastric mucosa and is up-regulated in the presence of Helicobacter infection. SP-D binds to Helicobacter in vitro, suggesting the involvement of SP-D in Helicobacter-induced immune responses. The aim of this study was to determine the role of SP-D in gastric epithelial defense in vivo. METHODS: Specific pathogen-free SP-D-deficient mice (SP-D(-/-)) and C57BL/6 wild-type controls were challenged by gavage with different doses of Helicobacter felis, a mouse-adapted Helicobacter strain. Mice were assessed for colonization rates and density of infection. Inflammatory responses were measured by neutrophil counting and T-cell responses by proliferation assays on spleen cells stimulated with H. felis sonicate. The in vitro effect of SP-D on Helicobacter uptake by monocyte-derived dendritic cells was assessed by confocal microscopy and FACS analyses. RESULTS: SP-D(-/-) mice were more susceptible to low-dose infectious challenge than C57BL/6 controls (p = .02). The density of colonization was higher in the SP-D(-/-) infected mice. Neutrophil infiltrates were lower in the SP-D(-/-) mice, particularly in the acid-secreting regions of the stomach. T-cell proliferative responses to Helicobacter antigen were reduced in SP-D(-/-) mice (p = .001) after 12 weeks infection. In vitro uptake of Helicobacter by dendritic cells was significantly enhanced in the presence of SP-D (p = .001). CONCLUSION: In the absence of SP-D, Helicobacter uptake by dendritic cells is impaired. This provides an explanation for the diminished inflammation and immune responses in the SP-D(-/-) mice.