Interleukin-4 receptors on human blood mononuclear cells

We have studied regulation of the expression of the interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4R) on human blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) using both 125I-IL-4 binding assay and flow cytometric analysis of biotinylated IL-4 (B-IL-4) binding. PBMC express approximately 300 high-affinity IL-4R per cell (Kd = 25-100 pM). Activation of PBMC for 60-80 hr by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or concanavalin A (Con A) results in a 2- to 4.5-fold increase of IL-4R number without alteration of IL-4R affinity for IL-4. Binding of B-IL-4 showed that IL-4R expression is upregulated on virtually all PHA-stimulated PBMC, whereas it mostly concerns larger cells among Con A-activated PBMC. Reculture of PHA-blasts with 1 nM IL-4 further upregulates IL-4R expression to a level approximately 10-fold higher than observed on freshly isolated PBMC. Interestingly, IL-4 is able to reinduce high IL-4R levels on cells that have been deprived of IL-4 for 20 hr and IL-2 is almost as efficient. Finally, SDS-PAGE analysis of IL-4-binding molecules on unstimulated, PHA- and PHA/IL-4-activated PBMC revealed the same three peptides of MW 140-130, 80-75, and 70-65 kDa, as shown on human cell lines.     

Co-expression of chemotactic ligand receptors on human peripheral blood monocytes

Directed migration of monocytes is dependent upon interaction of cell surface receptors and specific chemotactic ligands. To determine whether circulating human monocytes express multiple chemotactic ligand receptors or whether subpopulations of monocytes exist with a single receptor specificity, nonoverlapping fluorescent probes for two chemotactic ligands, N-formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanine (FMLP) and C5a, were developed to simultaneously evaluate the expression of receptors for these ligands on individual monocytes. The subsequent incubation with different fluorochrome labeled C5a and FMLP probes and monoclonal antibodies specific for antigenic determinants on distinct subsets of mononuclear cells followed by analysis with dual parameter flow microfluorometry indicated that cells that express C5a and FMLP receptors are the OKM1, Mac-1, and Fc gamma receptor positive population. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that approximately 90% of peripheral blood monocytes expressed FMLP receptors, and the majority of FMLP+ cells were also C5a receptor positive. In addition, a parallel spectrum of chemotactic ligand receptor density from low to high levels was demonstrated for both C5a and FMLP. Additional analysis revealed that the density of chemotactic ligand receptors on resting peripheral blood monocytes did not correlate with monocyte maturation levels measured by HLA-DR expression. Elucidation of the monocyte chemotactic receptor-ligand interactions that lead to migration and/or activation may provide insight into the regulation of monocyte function in inflammation.     

Demonstration and characterization of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 receptors in human mononuclear blood cells

Circulating human mononuclear blood cells were studied for the presence of specific 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol) binding macromolecules. Cells were isolated by density gradient centrifugation and characterized by surface markers. Specific reversible high affinity binding by a 3.5 S macromolecule was demonstrated in malignant B-cells and circulating monocytes. In monocytes specific calcitriol binding was found both in the presence and absence of vitamin D3 to saturate the vitamin D3 binding serum protein. No specific calcitriol binding was found in resting B or T lymphocytes. The data suggest a role of calcitriol in the control of mononuclear blood cell proliferation/differentiation.     

Parathyroid hormone receptors in circulating human mononuclear leukocytes

In this article we demonstrate receptors for parathyroid hormone in circulating mononuclear leukocytes using the radioiodinated analogue (8,18 norleucine, 34 tyrosine) bPTH 1-34 (bovine parathyroid hormone 1-34). Specific binding, which is reversible and saturable, equilibrates within 5 min at 0-4 degrees C with a calculated KD of 8.9 X 10(-11) M. This binding has a pH maximum of 7.0, is magnesium-dependent, and is inversely related to medium calcium concentration. Such binding is completely inhibited by simultaneous addition of 4 ng/ml of bovine parathyroid hormone 1-34, 5 ng/ml of bovine parathyroid hormone 1-84, or 5 ng/ml (8,18 norleucine, 34 Tyr) of 3-34 bPTH, but is unaffected by a biologically inactive parathyroid hormone fragment or other unrelated peptide hormones. Cyclic AMP accumulation increases 3-fold after 5 min exposure of mononuclear leukocytes to bPTH 1-34 in concentrations as low as 1 X 10(-9) M. Lymphocytes appear to be the circulating cells which interact with PTH as indicated by the observations that: 1) lymphocyte-enriched preparations bind three times as much radioligand/cell as do mixed mononuclear leukocytes, 2) monocytes, platelets, granulocytes, and erythrocytes do not bind PTH, and 3) monocytes, but not lymphocytes, degrade the hormone.     

Norepinephrine inhibits energy metabolism of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells via adrenergic receptors

Previous studies demonstrated that the adaptive response to stressors and inflammatory signals involves the activation of the automotic nervous system. Catecholamines have been shown to modulate the activity of various immune effector cells directly via membrane adrenergic receptors. Here, we investigated immediate effects of norepinephrine on energy metabolism of immune cells. Norepinephrine inhibits oxygen consumption of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells at concentrations that are relevant to its physiological range. The -adrenoreceptor antagonist propranolol, but not the -adrenoreceptor antagonist phentolamine reversed the norepinephrine induced inhibition in quiescent cells. Conversely, phentolamine but not propranolol is capable of blocking norepinephrine mediated effects in mitogen activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Our data indicate that the sensitization of - and -adrenoreceptors on immune cells is differentially regulated, and that these processes depend on the activation state of these cells. These findings have important implications for the understanding of stress-induced suppression of immune function and may contribute to the elucidation of the pathogenesis of immunologically mediated diseases.     

Co-expression of Oct-4 and Nestin in human breast cancers

The aim is to investigate the clinical implications of the Oct-4 and Nestin protein in human breast cancers. A total of 346 cases including 26 fresh and 320 paraffin-embedded tumor tissues were selected for characterizing the frequency of CD44⁺CD24⁻ tumor cells by flow cytometry and the differential expression of the stem cell-related genes between CD44⁺CD24⁻ and non-CD44⁺CD24⁻ tumor cells was analyzed by PCR Array and immunofluorescence. In comparison with the non-CD44⁺CD24⁻ tumor cells, the CD44⁺CD24⁻, particularly for those with high percentage of Oct-4⁺ and Nestin⁺, tumor cells had higher tumorigenicity by forming mammospheres in vitro. More importantly, 42 (13.125%) out of 320 tumor tissues were positive for Oct-4 and Nestin staining. Universal analysis and multivariate analysis revealed that the expression of Oct-4 and Nestin was associated significantly with younger age, pathogenic degrees, lymph node metastasis and triple-negative breast cancer independently (P < 0.05) as well as shorter survival (P = 0.001). Oct-4 and Nestin were important regulators of the development of breast cancer, and Oct-4 and Nestin may be used as predictors for the prognosis of breast cancers.     

猪细小病毒VP2与大肠杆菌不耐热肠毒素B亚单位在干酪乳杆菌表面共表达

将分别编码猪细小病毒(PPV)主要免疫保护性抗原VP2蛋白与大肠杆菌不耐热肠毒素B亚单位(LTB)基因插入乳酸杆菌细胞表面表达载体pPG中, 成功构建了重组表达载体pPG-VP2-LTB, 将其电转化干酪乳杆菌Lactobacillus casei 393, 获得了表达猪细小病毒VP2-LTB融合蛋白的重组乳酸菌表达系统, 经2%乳糖诱导, SDS-PAGE和Western-blot检测表明, 有大小约78 kD的蛋白得到了表达, 具有与天然病毒蛋白一样的抗原特异性, 全细胞ELISA结果表明, LTB同     

Interferon-gamma augments hydrolysis of LTA4 to LTB4 by endothelial cells

LTB4 is a potent mediator of inflammation acting at local sites of inflammation. LTB4 increases the lymphocyte binding to and penetration through the endothelium. In this paper we demonstrate that while endothelial cells were unable to metabolize LTB4 from arachidonic acid they were able to hydrolyse LTA4 into LTB4 in a granulocyte-endothelial co-culture assay. This hydrolysis is markedly increased if endothelial cells were pretreated with IFN-gamma prior to the assay. The IFN-gamma induced effect was shown to be time- and dose-dependent. The ability of endothelial cells to hydrolyse LTA4 to LTB4 may provide an answer how LTB4 can be produced in large quantities by nonheamatopoetic cells (i.e. by endothelial cells) at sites of acute inflammation.     

LTB4 stimulates growth of human pancreatic cancer cells via MAPK and PI-3 kinase pathways

We have previously shown the importance of LTB4 in human pancreatic cancer. LTB4 receptor antagonists block growth and induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LTB4 on proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells and the mechanisms involved. LTB4 stimulated DNA synthesis and proliferation of both PANC-1 and AsPC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells, as measured by thymidine incorporation and cell number. LTB4 stimulated rapid and transient activation of MEK and ERK1/2 kinases. The MEK inhibitors, PD98059 and U0126, blocked LTB4-stimulated ERK1/2 activation and cell proliferation. LTB4 also stimulated phosphorylation of p38 MAPK; however, the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, failed to block LTB4-stimulated growth. The activity of JNK/SAPK was not affected by LTB4 treatment. Phosphorylation of Akt was also induced by LTB4 and this effect was blocked by the PI-3 kinase inhibitor wortmannin, which also partially blocked LTB4-stimulated cell proliferation. In conclusion, LTB4 stimulates proliferation of human pancreatic cancer cells through MEK/ERK and PI-3 kinase/Akt pathways, while p38 MPAK and JNK/SAPK are not involved.     

Co-expression of two fibrolytic enzyme genes in CHO cells and transgenic mice

Cellulose is the main non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in plant cell walls and acts as anti-nutritional factor in animal feed. However, monogastric animals do not synthesize enzymes that cleave such plant structural polysaccharides and thus waste of resources and pollute the environment. We described the vectors construction and co-expressions of a multi-functional cellulase EGX (with the activities of exo-β-1,4-glucanase, endo-β-1,4-glucanase, and endo-β-1,4-xylanase activities) from mollusca, Ampullaria crossean and a β-glucosidase BGL1 from Asperjillus niger in CHO cells and the transgenic mice. The recombinant enzymes were synthesised, secreted by the direction of pig PSP signal peptide and functionally active in the eukaryote systems including both of CHO cells and transgenic mice by RT-PCR analysis, western blot analysis and cellulolytic enzymes activities assays. Expressions were salivary glands-specific dependent under the control of pig PSP promoter in transgenic mice. 2A peptide was used as the self-cleaving sequence to mediate co-expression of the fusion genes and the cleavage efficiency was very high both in vitro and in vivo according to the western blot analysis. In summary, we have demonstrated that the single ORF containing EGX and BGL1 were co-expressed by 2A peptide in CHO cells and transgenic mice. It presents a viable technology for efficient disruption of plant cell wall and liberation of nutrients. To our knowledge, this is the first report using 2A sequence to produce multiple cellulases in mammalian cells and transgenic animals.     

Effect of exercise duration on density and coupling of beta-adrenergic receptors on human mononuclear cells

The effect of maximal exercise on lymphocyte beta-adrenergic receptors was examined in 26 normal subjects. Exercise increased O2 consumption (Vo2) from 5 +/- 1 to 50 +/- 4 ml.min-1.kg-1, plasma norepinephrine level from 188 +/- 28 to 2,682 +/- 160 pg/ml, and plasma epinephrine level from 94 +/- 72 to 857 +/- 180 pg/ml. The density of beta-adrenergic receptors on lymphocytes obtained at rest was 31 +/- 3.7 fmol/mg protein; exercise increased the density of receptors by 86 +/- 33% (range 0-257%) to 58.3 +/- 1.5 fmol/mg protein but did not alter the affinity of the receptor for [125I]iodopindolol or the coupling of the receptor to the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein. The density of beta-adrenergic receptors increased progressively throughout exercise and paralleled the increase in heart rate. The magnitude of the change in the density of beta-adrenergic receptors did not correlate with the magnitude of the increase in heart rate, Vo2, or plasma levels of catecholamines. The density of receptors was still elevated 15 min after completion of exercise but fell below base line 1 h after peak exercise to 18.2 +/- 6.7 fmol/mg protein (P less than 0.05 vs. base-line levels). These results demonstrate that exhaustive exercise results in a progressive increase in the number of beta-adrenergic receptors on lymphocyte membranes, followed by a reduction in the density of receptors during the recovery phase of exercise. Despite a significant increase in the level of plasma catecholamines, the receptor remains coupled to the guanine nucleotide-binding regulatory protein.     

Glucocorticoid receptors in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in relation to explosive performance in elite handball players

A crude extract from Angelica sinensis (ASCE), which mainly consists of polysaccharides, prevents ethanol- or indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal damage and promotes ulcer healing. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that ASCE has a direct stimulating effect on gastric epithelial cells for wound healing. We found that ASCE significantly promoted the migration of epithelial cells over an artificial wound on the surface of an RGM-1 monolayer. The extract also stimulated DNA synthesis in a dose-dependent manner and concomitantly increased EGF mRNA expression. Co-incubation of ASCE with anti-EGF antibody reduced the speed of migration and the DNA synthesis, which however were still higher than the control without ASCE. These results strongly suggest that ASCE has a direct wound healing effect on gastric mucosa, and this is acting partially through an EGF-mediated pathway.     

Constitutive dimerization of human serotonin 5-HT4 receptors in living cells

Serotonin 5-HT4 receptor isoforms are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) with distinct pharmacological properties and may represent a valuable target for the treatment of many human disorders. Here, we have explored the process of dimerization of human 5-HT4 receptor (h5-HT4R) by means of co-immunoprecipitation and bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Constitutive h5-HT4(d)R dimer was observed in living cells and membrane preparation of CHO and HEK293 cells. 5-HT4R ligands did not influence the constitutive energy transfer of the h5-HT4(d)R splice variant in intact cells and isolated plasma membranes. In addition, we found that h5-HT4(d)R and h5-HT4(g)R which structurally differ in the length of their C-terminal tails were able to form constitutive heterodimers independently of their activation state. Finally, we found that coexpression of h5-HT4R and beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR) led to their heterodimerization. Given the large number of h5-HT4R isoforms which are coexpressed in a same tissue, our results points out the complexity by which this 5-HTR sub-type mediates its biological effects.     

Regulation of glucocorticoid receptors in human mononuclear cells: effects of glucocorticoid treatment, Cushing's disease and ketoconazole

Glucocorticoid receptors (GcR) were determined by a whole cell assay in human mononulear leukocytes (hMNL) from control subjects, patients receiving glucocorticoid therapy for systemic diseases and Cushing's disease patients with or without ketoconazole therapy. Prolonged corticosteroid treatment resulted in down-regulation of GcR, while the mean level of GcR in Cushing's disease was normal. In this group, however, receptor levels and morning plasma cortisol values showed a negative correlation, indicating a subtle down-regulatory effect. Furthermore, GcR were unaltered after these patients received ketoconazole, in spite of a marked reduction in morning plasma cortisol and urinary free cortisol. We also observed that ketoconazole was a weak competitor of GcR in intact cells, although it significantly inhibited [3H] dexamethasone binding in cytosolic preparations from rat tissues. The results suggested that GcR in hMNL are down-regulated by synthetic steroids given in vivo, but they showed very mild down-regulation in hypercortisolemic patients suffering from Cushing's disease. Finally, we did not observed either up-regulation or antagonism of GcR by ketoconazole treatment, at the time that cortisol levels of patients with Cushing's disease were reduced. This indicates that the beneficial effects of ketoconazole in Cushing's disease are due to adrenal cortisol suppression and not to interaction with GcR of target cells, and that the process of GcR regulation in hMNL is a complex phenomenon awaiting further elucidation.     

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human blood mononuclear cells

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD; EC 1.3.1.2) catalyzes the rate-limiting reaction in the catabolism of endogenous uracil and thymine and exogenous fluoropyrimidines. DPD activity was studied in human blood mononuclear cell supernatants utilizing a new and sensitive radiochromatographic assay. Total DPD activity showed a linear correlation with supernatant protein concentration. The affinity constants (Km) for NADPH and thymine were approximately 10 and 1 mumol/l, respectively. Maximal activity (Vmax) was observed at 0.25 mmol/l NADPH and 10 mumol/l thymine, respectively. DPD activity in normal individuals was 8.0 +/- (SD) 2.2 nmol/mg protein/h, and ranged from 4.4 to 12.3 nmol/mg/h (n = 25). This activity range was quite similar to values obtained in patients with metastatic solid tumors treated with fluorodeoxyuridine (FUdR; n = 33, p = 0.57). No correlation was found to exist between mononuclear leucocyte DPD activity and the observed toxicity of FUdR in the tested patients. A bimodal distribution of DPD activity was observed in the patients and in normal individuals. The entire study population tested could be divided into two groups with respect to DPD activity; one group with high (greater than 8 nmol/mg/h) activity and another with low (less than 8 nmol/mg/h) activity. The possibility that sex differences may have been responsible for this distribution of DPD activity could not be excluded. The findings of this study are relevant to the pharmacogenetics of fluoropyrimidines in humans.