Angiogenesis and chemokines in rheumatoid arthritis and other systemic inflammatory rheumatic diseases

Angiogenesis, the formation of new vessels, is important in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory diseases. Chemotactic cytokines termed chemokines mediate the ingress of leukocytes, including neutrophils and monocytes into the inflamed synovium. In this review, authors discuss the role of the most important angiogenic factors and angiogenesis inhibitors, as well as relevant chemokines and chemokine receptors involved in chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases. RA was chosen as a prototype to discuss these issues, as the majority of studies on the role of angiogenesis and chemokines in inflammatory diseases were carried out in arthritis. However, other systemic inflammatory (autoimmune) diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), polymyositis/dermatomyositis (PM/DM) and systemic vasculites are also discussed in this context. As a number of chemokines may also play a role in neovascularizaton, this issue is also described here. Apart from discussing the pathogenic role of angiogenesis and chemokines, authors also review the regulation of angiogenesis and chemokine production by other inflammatory meditors, as well as the important relevance of neovascularization and chemokines for antirheumatic intervention.     

Chemokines in cardiovascular remodeling: clinical and therapeutic implications

Chemokines are newly discovered molecules that mediate the migration of leukocytes into inflammed tissues and control the inflammatory reactions in various immune-mediated diseases. Both in animal models and in human specimens, chemokine expression is associated with atherosclerotic lesion development and vascular remodeling and restenosis after angioplasty. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that chemokines play an important role in the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndromes, post-infarction left ventricular remodeling and chronic heart failure. The capacity to control activation and movement of inflammatory cells suggests that chemokines and their receptors might provide novel targets for therapeutic intervention in a number of conditions characterized by chronic inflammation, including cardiovascular diseases. The present review summarizes current knowledge regarding the potential pathogenic role of chemokines in major cardiovascular disorders, as well as the modulation of the chemokine network as a novel, interesting therapeutic modality in this field.     

The role of chemokines in Schistosoma mansoni infection: insights from human disease and murine models

Chemokines are a superfamily of low-molecular-weight cytokines that were initially described for their chemoattractant activity. It is now clear chemokines have several other activities that modulate immune processes. More than 50 chemokines ligands and at least 19 receptors have been described to date. Depending on the number of N-terminal cysteine residues, chemokines are grouped in the subfamilies CXC, CC, C or CX3C. A growing body of evidence suggests a role for chemokines in the pathogenesis of several inflammatory diseases. Our studies involving mice and humans infected with Schistosoma mansoni suggest an important role of the chemokine CCL3 and its receptors (CCR1 and CCR5) in the pathogenesis of severe schistosomiasis. We suggest that the differential activation of CCR1 or CCR5 during the course of schistosomiasis may dictate the outcome of the disease.     

Chemokines in health and disease

Chemokines and their receptors play a key role in development and homeostasis as well as in the pathogenesis of tumors and autoimmune diseases. Chemokines are involved in the implantation of the early conceptus, the migration of subsets of cells during embryonic development, and the overall growth of the embryo. Chemokines also have an important role in the development and maintenance of innate and adaptive immunity. In addition, they play a significant role in wound healing and angiogenesis. When the physiological role of chemokines is subverted or chronically amplified, disease often follows. Chemokines are involved in the pathobiology of chronic inflammation, tumorigenesis and metastasis, as well as autoimmune diseases. This article reviews the role of chemokines and their receptors in normal and disease processes and the potential for using chemokine antagonists for appropriate targeted therapy.     

Neurochemokines: a menage a trois providing new insights on the functions of chemokines in the central nervous system

Recent observations suggest that besides their role in the immune system, chemokines have important functions in the brain. There is a great line of evidence to suggest that chemokines are a unique class of neurotransmitters/neuromodulators, which regulate many biological aspects as diverse as neurodevelopment, neuroinflammation and synaptic transmission. In physiopathological conditions, many chemokines are synthesized in activated astrocytes and microglial cells, suggesting their involvement in brain defense mechanisms. However, when evoking chemokine functions in the nervous system, it is important to make a distinction between resting conditions and various pathological states including inflammatory diseases, autoimmune or neurodegenerative disorders in which chemokine functions have been extensively studied. We illustrate here the emergent concept of the neuromodulatory/neurotransmitter activities of neurochemokines and their potential role as a regulatory alarm system and as a group of messenger molecules for the crosstalk between neurons and cells from their surrounding microenvironment. In this deliberately challenging review, we provide novel hypotheses on the role of these subtle messenger molecules in brain functions leading to the evidence that previous dogmas concerning chemokines should be reconsidered.     

Targeting chemokine receptors in allergic disease

The directed migration of cells in response to chemical cues is known as chemoattraction, and plays a key role in the temporal and spatial positioning of cells in lower- and higher-order life forms. Key molecules in this process are the chemotactic cytokines, or chemokines, which, in humans, constitute a family of approx. 40 molecules. Chemokines exert their effects by binding to specific GPCRs (G-protein-coupled receptors) which are present on a wide variety of mature cells and their progenitors, notably leucocytes. The inappropriate or excessive generation of chemokines is a key component of the inflammatory response observed in several clinically important diseases, notably allergic diseases such as asthma. Consequently, much time and effort has been directed towards understanding which chemokine receptors and ligands are important in the allergic response with a view to therapeutic intervention. Such strategies can take several forms, although, as the superfamily of GPCRs has historically proved amenable to blockade by small molecules, the development of specific antagonists has been has been a major focus of several groups. In the present review, I detail the roles of chemokines and their receptors in allergic disease and also highlight current progress in the development of relevant chemokine receptor antagonists.     

Identification, sequence characterization, and analysis of expression profiles of three novel CC chemokines from domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos)

Chemokines are low-molecular weight-chemotactic cytokines, which are involved in lymphocyte trafficking and migration of leucocytes to sites of injury, in immune surveillance and in healing process. They also play a role in pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Three novel CC chemokines were identified from domestic duck (Anas platyrhynchos) by screening of an enriched cDNA library constructed from mitogen-stimulated splenic mononuclear cells. Two of the clones (AB163 and AB330) had a very high nucleotide (both about 81%) and predicted amino acid level (71 and 76%, respectively) identity to the reported chicken macrophage inflammatory protein 1- (MIP-1; SCYA4) and regulated upon activation of normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES; SCYA5) sequences. In phylogenetic analysis, these molecules clustered together with corresponding chemokines reported from other vertebrates. The third clone (AB187) had highest homology to chicken MIP-1 (36% amino acid identity) and showed closer relation to a number of chemokines belonging to monocyte chemoattractant proteins and MIP-1 chemokines. Expression of these molecules was upregulated upon mitogen stimulation of splenocytes as detected by semiquantitative RT-PCR. AB187 showed several fold increases (about 8.5 times) in the mRNA expression. Basal level expression of some of these chemokines was detected in both lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, including spleen, liver, lung, and bone marrow. Considering the importance of this animal species as a model for diseases such as chronic human hepatitis B, further studies will offer valuable insights into the role of these molecules in immunopathology of such diseases.The nucleotide sequences that are reported in this paper have been submitted to the NCBI Genbank database. Accession nos. AB163 (AY641435), AB187 (AY641436), and AB330 (AY641437).     

Antimicrobial peptides in the interactions between insects and flagellate parasites

Innate immunity has a key role in the control of microbial infections in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In insects, including vectors that transmit parasites that cause major human and animal diseases, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are important components of innate immunity. AMPs are induced upon parasitic infections and can participate in regulating parasite development in the digestive tract and in the hemolymph. This review presents our current knowledge of a field that is in its infancy: the role of innate immunity in different models of insects infected with flagellate parasites, and in particular the potential role of AMPs in regulating these parasitic infections.     

Inflammation in EAE: Role of chemokine/cytokine expression by resident and infiltrating cells

Experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) which has many clinical and pathological features in common with multiple sclerosis (MS). Comparison of the histopathology of EAE and MS reveals a close similarity suggesting that these two diseases share common pathogenetic mechanisms. Immunologic processes are widely accepted to contribute to the initiation and continuation of the diseases and recent studies have indicated that microglia, astrocytes and the infiltrating immune cells have separate roles in the pathogenesis of the MS lesion (1,2). The role of cytokines as important regulatory elements in these immune processes has been well established in EAE and the presence of cytokines in cells at the edge of MS lesions has also been observed (3–7). However, the role of chemokines in the initial inflammatory process as well as in the unique demyelinating event associated with MS and EAE has only recently been examined. A few studies have detected the transient presence of selected chemokines at the earliest sign of leukocyte infiltration of CNS tissue and have suggested astrocytes as their cellular source (8–10). Based on these studies, chemokines have been postulated as a promising target for future therapy of CNS inflammation. This review summarizes the events that occur during the inflammatory process in EAE and discusses the roles of cytokine and chemokine expression by the resident and infiltrating cells participating in the process. Special issue dedicated to Dr. Marion E. Smith.     

食线虫真菌资源研究概况

食线虫真菌是指寄生、捕捉、定殖和毒害线虫的一类真菌,这类真菌是自然界中线虫种群控制的重要因子,也是动植物病害生物防治的重要研究材料,具有特殊的研究意义和经济价值。目前全世界共报道700余种食线虫真菌,包括捕食线虫真菌380余种,线虫内寄生真菌120余种,产毒真菌270余种和大量机会真菌。针对丰富的食线虫真菌资源,近年来世界各国尤其是中国科学家对其进行了广泛研究,在捕食线虫真菌资源的分类、系统进化、生态分布、有性无性联系等方面的研究取得了重要进展,在线虫内寄生真菌侵染宿主的方式及产毒真菌的次生代谢产物挖掘等方面也进行了广泛研究,文章综述了以上研究进展并简述了食线虫真菌资源的生物防治应用概况。     

Extraction and partial characterization of polyphenol oxidase from banana (Musa acuminata Grande naine) roots.

Polyphenol oxidase activity (PPO, EC 1.14.18.1, monophenol monooxygenase, and EC 1.10.3.2, o-diphenoloxidase) has been extensively studied in banana fruit for its role in enzymatic browning. Rapid discolouration of leaf, stem and root tissue after injury and strong pigmentation of tissue extracts indicate that PPO and phenolic compounds are ubiquitous in vegetative tissue of banana as well. They hamper biochemical and molecular studies in banana, as cumbersome adaptations of extraction protocols are required. On the other hand, PPO and phenolic compounds could be an important part of the plant's defence system against pests and diseases, including root parasitic nematodes. To facilitate future studies in this area, extraction and assay conditions for PPO from roots of banana (Musa acuminata AAA, Grande naine) were optimized. Highest enzyme activities were obtained in a 0.2 M phosphate buffer at pH 7.0 with 5% insoluble polyvinylpyrrolidone and 0.25% Triton X-100. The lowest K(m) values were obtained for dopamine and D-catechin. Monophenolase activity was shown with p-cresol. Banana root PPO was strongly inhibited by dithiothreitol and sodium metabisulfite. In root sections, oxidation of dopamine strongly co-localized with aerenchyma in the cortex. The experiments revealed indications for the involvement of root PPO and dopamine in resistance of banana against the parasitic nematode Radopholus similis.     

Monocyte chemotactic protein-3.

Monocyte chemotactic protein-3 (MCP-3) belongs to the MCP subgroup of CC chemokines that are structurally closely related but, which differ in receptor usage and hence in biological activities. MCP-3 is one of the most pluripotent chemokines since it activates all types of leukocytes, by binding to at least four different chemokine receptors. The natural protein is heterogeneous due to glycosylation and NH2-terminal processing. Only small amounts of MCP-3 are induced in various cell types by endogeneous (cytokines) or exogeneous (bacteria, viruses) agents. Nevertheless, this omnipotent chemokine, inducible in most body compartments, might play an important role in normal homeostasis as well as in various pathologies including cancer, auto-immune diseases and chronic inflammation.     

趋化因子及趋化因子受体3在自身免疫疾病中的作用

人体在防御和清除入侵病原体等异物时,有一种使白细胞趋集的功能,有一些低分子量的物质能引起这种功能称之为趋化剂或趋化因子。这些小蛋白因其有定向细胞趋化作用而得名。经研究表明,趋化因子受体3（CXCR3）趋化因子可能在自身免疫内分泌疾病中起到致病作用。此外,血清中CXCR3趋化因子的判定可能辅助检测免疫活性。CXCR3和优先参与趋化Th1细胞的因子。该受体连接的趋化因子10（CXCL10）不仅参与白细胞募集,还诱导T细胞增殖的异源体和抗原的刺激。趋化因子10正调节Th1细胞产物并且负调节Th2细胞的产物。免疫反应纤维结合素（INF）产物可增强特异的炎症反应。当被激活或者发现炎症和肿瘤细胞后趋化因子受体3-B在内皮细胞中表达并且其结合的趋化因子10,趋化因子9和趋化因子11激活后产生血管抑制作用。     

Diseases of the Callitrichidae: a review.

The Callitrichidae contains four genera that embrace up to 50 species and subspecies found in neotropical habitats. Certain members have either naturally occurring or induced conditions that serve as important models of human disease. They include viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections, nutritional deficiencies, neoplasia, and various other conditions. The spontaneous diseases of captive callitrichids and those to which these species are experimentally susceptible were reviewed.     

组织蛋白酶L的结构与功能

组织蛋白酶L（cathepsin L,CTSL）是溶酶体半胱氨酸蛋白酶家族的主要成员,具有非常独特的合成和转运方式.CTSL前体酶原的前体肽含有ERF/WNIN模体和GNFD 模体.CTSL的空间结构主要由α螺旋构成的L结构域以及由β折叠构成的R结构域组成.大量研究工作表明,CTSL在体内生理和病理过程中,以及在寄生动物中都发挥着极其重要的功能.其生理作用广泛涉及到蛋白质水解、抗原提呈、T细胞分选、细胞凋亡以及胚胎发育等方面.CTSL还与多种类型的肿瘤发生、心血管疾病以及肾病等密切相关.另外,CTSL在寄生动物中也发挥着独特的作用.本文针对CTST的最新研究进展做了简要总结及分析,并指出了相关研究的发展趋势.     

睡眠呼吸暂停综合症与炎症反应及血管内皮调节相关性的研究进展

阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征(Obstructive sleep apnea,OSA)是一种发病率高,具有一定潜在危险的全身性疾病,同时也是心脑血管疾病的一个独立危险因素。其主要病理生理改变是睡眠过程中反复发生低氧和再氧合而引起的氧化应激反应,引发炎症反应而导致心、脑血管为主的多系统损害。流行病学研究证据表明,一些循环水平的炎症因子在OSA患者中升高,与心脑血管疾病发病风险相关。包括细胞粘附分子如粘附分子-1(intercellular adhesion molecule-1,ICAM-1)和选择素(selectins),细胞因子如肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-a)和白细胞介素-6(interleukin-6,IL-6),趋化因子如白细胞介素-8(interleukin 8,IL-8)和C-反应蛋白(C-reactive protein)。此外,动脉粥样硬化是OSA导致心脑血管疾病的重要的机制,OSA后的炎症反应在动脉粥样硬化形成及发展的过程中起着至关重要的作用,本文重点对OSA后炎症因子启动及血管内皮调节的新近研究进行综述。     

Protozoan encounters with Toll-like receptor signalling pathways: implications for host parasitism

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have emerged as a major receptor family involved in non-self recognition. They have a vital role in triggering innate immunity and orchestrate the acquired immune response during bacterial and viral infection. However, the role of TLRs during infection with protozoan pathogens is less clear. Nevertheless, our understanding of how these parasitic microorganisms engage the host TLR signalling system has now entered a phase of rapid expansion. This Review describes recent insights into how parasitic protozoans are sensed by TLR molecules, and how the TLR system itself can be targeted by these microbial pathogens for their own survival.     

Senescence in polyploid giant cancer cells: A road that leads to chemoresistance

Cellular senescence has been associated with age-related diseases, wound healing, fibrosis, diabetes and cancer. Senescent cells lack the capacity to proliferate, but are known to aggravate tumorigenesis. The polyploid giant cells arise from the cancer cell population mainly due to genotoxic stress caused by chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. They exhibit features of senescence and have been reported to secrete an array of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. These small molecules can bind to their receptors located on the surface of neighboring cells and activate/deactivate relevant signaling pathways, thereby modulating the tumor microenvironment. Some of these signaling cascade(s) might play a role in imparting therapy resistance to the cancer cells. This review throws light on the incidence of senescence and how the senescent polyploid giant cells affect the tumor microenvironment. Their role in giving rise to chemoresistant cancer cell population as well as acquired chemoresistance in the neighboring cancer cells along with various potential and established therapeutic avenues have also been discussed.