生长激素受体的研究进展

生长激素（GH）在促进动物生长、发育等代谢过程中起着重要作用,GH发挥生理作用的第一步是与靶细胞膜表面的生长激素受体（CHR）结合。现已基本阐明了CHR的结构及由CHR介导的信号转导途径,对GHR基因表达调节的机制也有了一定的了解。GHR是由约620个氨基酸组成的单链跨膜糖蛋白,其胞外区、跨膜区及胞区内分别由约245、25及350个氨基酸组成。由GHR介导的信号转导途径主要有：①酪氨酸激酶系统;②蛋白激酶C途径;③胰岛素受体底物途径。营养状况及GH等内分泌因子对GHR的表达也有调节作用。     

白血病抑制因子受体与细胞内信号分子

白血病抑制因子（ＬＩＦ）与细胞膜上的ＬＩＦ受体β亚基结合并使之与ｇｐ１３０形成异源性二聚化后,ＬＩＦ受体β亚基细胞内区的３个Ｔｙｒ和ｇｐ１３０的４个Ｔｙｒ（均呈（ＹＸＸＱ结构）分别激活ＪＡＫ酶,ＭＡＰＫ,Ｆｅｓ,Ｂｔｋ,Ｔｅｃ激酶,ＰＴＰ１Ｄ和ＳＴＡＴＳ等,Ｃ－ｍｙｃ,Ｃ－ｍｙｂ的转录活性下降,以及ＪｕｎＢ,ＩＲＦ１和Ｓｔａｔ３的转录活性上升促进细胞分化,抑制细胞增殖,从而维持垂体功能,促进神经肌     

β肾上腺素受体的丝裂原活化蛋白激酶信号途径

β肾上腺素受体（β－AR）除了通过经典的信号途径介导细胞生物功能外,还可以激活丝裂原活化蛋白激酶（MAPK）信号途径,活化后的MAPK参与调节多种细胞生物学活动。然而,将β-AR与MAPK信号联系起来的分子机制还需要进一步的研究。     

母胎界面自然杀伤细胞的研究进展

自然杀伤(natural killer,NK)细胞是母胎界面丰度最高的免疫细胞,在妊娠早期的子宫蜕膜中大量积聚.研究表明母胎界面NK细胞具有独特表型和功能,在妊娠期免疫耐受调节、子宫内膜蜕膜化、滋养细胞侵袭、子宫螺旋动脉重塑、胎盘形成和胎儿生长、发育等多方面都发挥关键作用,但是其在妊娠中的功能及其作用机制还有待深入研究...     

Toll 样受体研究进展

Toll样受体（Toll－like receptors,TLRs）是新近发现的先天性免疫系统中的细胞跨膜受体及病原模式识别受体之一,在急性炎症反应细胞吞噬作用的调节和细胞信号转导及细胞凋亡中起重要作用,简要综述了Toll样受体的发现、分布、基因定位与结构特点、配体特异性及其介导的信号通路,并对其研究意义与前景作了简述。     

G蛋白偶联受体二聚化研究进展

G蛋白偶联受体是细胞膜受体最大的家族,参与调节多种生理过程,在信号识别及转导中具有重要作用,传统观点认为G蛋白偶联受体作为单体起作用,近年来,越来越多的证据表明,G蛋白偶联受体不仅能以二聚体形式存在,而且在细胞信号转导中起重要作用,尤其是对阿片受体异源二聚体的研究,推动了这一领域的研究。本文综述了G蛋白偶联受体二聚化研究进展,以及同源和异源二聚体的结构与功能。     

血管紧张素受体的研究进展

血管紧张素Ⅱ受体（ＡＴＲ）是机体肾素－血管紧张素系统（ＲＡＳ）的重要组成分之一,介导血管紧张素Ⅱ的生理学效应,参与血管舒缩,水盐代谢和醛固酮分泌以及血管平滑肌增生和功能调节等,是ＲＡＳ系统作用于效应器的关键步骤,本文对ＡＴＲ分型,生物学效应,基因表达调控及信号转导途径进行综述。     

植物受体蛋白激酶的研究进展

在植物中存在一种由胞外结构域、跨膜区域和胞内的蛋白激酶区域三部分组成的跨膜受体蛋白激酶（receptor-lik protein kinases,RLKs)。该蛋白一方面作为胞外特异配基的受体,同时本身又是一种蛋白激酶。研究表明,植物细胞中的RLKs可能参与了植物细胞抗逆反应,植物形态发生、自交不亲和等生理生化反应,作者将从RLKs的结构、种类,基因表达方式及其植物生长和发育过程中的作用做简要介绍。     

植物向光素受体与信号转导机制研究进展

向光素(phototropin,PHOT)是继光敏色素、隐花色素之后分离的植物蓝光受体。PHOT介导蓝光诱导的向光反应,叶绿体运动,气孔开放、叶片伸展及叶片定位等生理反应。近年来关于PHOT受体介导这些生理反应的分子机制探讨愈来愈受研究者的广泛关注。主要从拟南芥PHOT结构及信号转导方面的研究进展进行综述。     

Evaluation of natural killer cell activity

Natural killer (NK) cells are being appreciated not only for their ability to recognize and lyse tumor cells and virus-infected cells but also for their immunoregulatory properties. NK cells provide a first line of defense against invading pathogens with a two pronged attack, lysis of infected cells and secretion of cytokines and chemokines with potent antipathogen effects. This article describes the standard chromium release assay, which measures the ability of NK cells derived from the peripheral blood to lyse appropriate target cells.     

Identification of a single killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene in the porcine leukocyte receptor complex on chromosome 6q

Human killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are expressed on natural killer (NK) cells and are involved in their immunoreactivity. While KIR with a long cytoplasmic tail deliver an inhibitory signal when bound to their respective major histocompatibility complex class I ligands, KIR with a short cytoplasmic tail can activate NK responses. The expansion of the KIR gene family originally appeared to be a phenomenon restricted to primates (human, apes, and monkeys) in comparison to rodents, which via convergent evolution have numerous C-type lectin-like Ly49 molecules that function analogously. Further studies have shown that multiple KIR are also present in cow and horse. In this study, we have identified by comparative genomics the first and possibly only KIR gene, named KIR2DL1, in the domesticated pig (Sus scrofa) allowing further evolutionary comparisons to be made. It encodes a protein with two extracellular immunoglobulin domains (D0 + D2), and a long cytoplasmic tail containing two inhibitory motifs. We have mapped the pig KIR2DL1 gene to chromosome 6q. Flanked by LILRa, LILRb, and LILRc, members of the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LILR) family, on the centromeric end, and FCAR, NCR1, NALP7, NALP2, and GP6 on the telomeric end, pig demonstrates conservation of synteny with the human leukocyte receptor complex (LRC). Both the porcine KIR and LILR genes have diverged sufficiently to no longer be clearly orthologous with known human LRC family members.     

NK细胞和NKT细胞发育的转录调控

自然杀伤（natural killer,NK）细胞和自然杀伤T（natural killer T,NKT）细胞是参与机体抗病毒免疫和肿瘤免疫的两群淋巴细胞亚群,是介导先天性免疫（innate immunity）应答和调节适应性免疫（adaptive immunity）应答的重要效应细胞。近年来,随着对NK细胞和NKT细胞及其转录调控因子研究的不断深入,NK细胞和NKT细胞的发育机制逐步被阐明,这将为提高NK细胞和NKT细胞的抗病毒和肿瘤免疫疗效提供新的策略。     

Association of supervillin with KIR2DL1 regulates the inhibitory signaling of natural killer cells

Inhibitory signaling is crucial in the regulation of the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells. Here, we show that KIR2DL1, an inhibitory receptor of NK cells, associates with supervillin, an F-actin binding protein. Interaction of supervillin with KIR2DL1 is dependent on the KIR2DL1 receptor stimulation and requires the phosphorylation of tyrosines in both ITIM motifs. “Knockdown” of expression of supervillin by RNA interference (RNAi) restores the KIR2DL1-suppressed cytotoxicity of NK cells. Inhibition of supervillin by RNAi also enhances the polarization of cytolytic granules (both granzyme B and perforin) to the synapse formed between YTS-GFP-KIR2DL1 NK cells and 721.221-HLA-Cw4 target cells. Further study reveals that supervillin is required for KIR2DL1-mediated inhibition of Vav1 and ERK phoshorylation. Moreover, we have found that binding of supervillin with KIR2DL1 facilitates the recruitment of SHPs especially SHP-2 to KIR2DL1 receptor. Thus, our findings demonstrate that supervillin is a novel molecule that associates with KIR2DL1 receptor and regulates the inhibitory signaling in NK cells.     

Avian influenza virus directly infects human natural killer cells and inhibits cell activity

Natural killer (NK) cell is a key component of innate immunity and plays an important role in host defense against virus infection by directly destroying infected cells. Influenza is a respiratory disease transmitted in the early phase of virus infection. Evasion of host innate immunity including NK cells is critical for the virus to expand and establish a successful acute infection. Previously, we showed that human influenza H1N1 virus infects NK cells and induces cell apoptosis, as well as inhibits NK cell activity. In this study, we further demonstrated that avian influenza virus also directly targeted NK cells as an immunoevasion strategy. The avian virus infected human NK cells and induced cell apoptosis. In addition, avian influenza virion and HA protein inhibited NK cell cytotoxicity. This novel strategy has obvious advantages for avian influenza virus, allowing the virus sufficient time to expand and subsequent spread before the onset of the specific immune response. Our findings provide an important clue for the immunopathogenesis of avian influenza, and also suggest that direct targeting NK cells may be a common strategy used by both human and avian influenza viruses to evade NK cell immunity.

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Complexity in cattle <Emphasis Type="Italic">KIR</Emphasis> genes: transcription and genome analysis

Killer immunoglobulin (Ig)-like receptors (KIRs) are the major functional natural killer (NK) cell receptors in human. The presence of KIR genes has only recently been demonstrated in other (non-primate) species, and their expression, genomic arrangement, and function in these species have yet to be investigated. In this study, we describe the KIR gene family in cattle. KIR sequences were amplified from cDNA derived from four animals. Seventeen new sequences were identified in total. Some are alleles of two previously described genes, and the remainder are representative of at least four additional genes. These cDNA data, together with analysis of the cattle genome sequence, confirm that, as in humans, cattle have multiple inhibitory and activating KIR genes, with variable haplotype composition, and putative framework genes. In contrast to human, the majority of the cattle KIR genes encode three Ig-domain KIRs; most of the inhibitory genes encode only one immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM), and the activating genes encode molecules with arginine rather than the more usual lysine in the transmembrane domain. A divergent gene, 2DL1, encodes a two Ig-domain KIR with an unusual D0-D2 structure, and a distinct signaling domain with two ITIMs. Similarity to pig and human two Ig-domain (D0-D2) KIRs suggest these may be more related to an ancestral gene than the other cattle KIR genes. Cattle have multiple NKG2A-related genes and at least one Ly49 gene; thus, the data presented here suggest that they have the potential to express more major histocompatibility complex-binding NK receptors than other species.     

自然杀伤T细胞抗胞内菌感染的研究进展

自然杀伤T细胞(NKT细胞)是免疫细胞中一类具有特定标记的T细胞亚群,能特异性识别南抗原呈递细胞表面CD1d分子所呈递的糖脂类抗原.活化后的NKT细胞能分泌多种细胞因子,参与机体的天然免疫和获得性免疫反应,还能直接杀伤靶细胞,具有效应细胞的功能.研究发现,NKT细胞在抗胞内菌感染中发挥着重要作用.     

Unravelling natural killer cell function: triggering and inhibitory human NK receptors

Natural killer (NK) cells represent a highly specialized lymphoid population characterized by a potent cytolytic activity against tumor or virally infected cells. Their function is finely regulated by a series of inhibitory or activating receptors. The inhibitory receptors, specific for major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, allow NK cells to discriminate between normal cells and cells that have lost the expression of MHC class I (e.g., tumor cells). The major receptors responsible for NK cell triggering are NKp46, NKp30, NKp44 and NKG2D. The NK-mediated lysis of tumor cells involves several such receptors, while killing of dendritic cells involves only NKp30. The target-cell ligands recognized by some receptors have been identified, but those to which major receptors bind are not yet known. Nevertheless, functional data suggest that they are primarily expressed on cells upon activation, proliferation or tumor transformation. Thus, the ability of NK cells to lyse target cells requires both the lack of surface MHC class I molecules and the expression of appropriate ligands that trigger NK receptors.     

Heatstroke induces a reduction of natural killer cell activity in rats

Experiments were carried out to determine the changes of natural killer (NK) cell activity that occurred during heatstroke in rats pretreated with or without interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist (IL-1ra). After the onset of heatstroke, all the splenic NK cell activity, the effector-target cell conjugation, and the NK cell numbers were decreased in rats. Additionally, an increase in the plasma IL-1 level was associated with arterial hypotension, cerebral ischemia and hyperthermia during rat heatstroke. Pretreatment with an IL-1ra reversed in part the heatstroke-induced inhibition of NK cell activity. Thus it appears that the inhibition of NK cell activity produced by activation of IL-1 receptor mechanism is associated with the increased susceptibility to infection that is well described in heatstroke.