细胞因子受体超家族与信号转导

细胞因子受体超家族及其介导信号转导的新途径已引起人们的广泛注意.主要包括受体结构特征, Janus激酶(JAKs)的作用,信号转导及转录激活因子(STAT)和Ras蛋白的激活,以及细胞因子信号转导的异常与临床疾病的关系等.有助于人们正确认识细胞因子的生物学效应.     

乳房肥大乳腺组织中泌乳素及其受体的表达

目的:研究泌乳素(PRL)及其受体(PRLR)在乳房肥大和正常体积乳房中的表达情况,探讨乳腺组织中PRL、PRLR的表达与乳房肥大的相关性,为乳房肥大的治疗提供方向。方法:收集2013年1月~2013年4月第四军医大学西京医院26例乳房肥大患者和16例因单纯乳房下垂行乳房悬吊术患者的乳腺组织,采用免疫组织化学法检测乳腺组织标本中PRL和PRLR的表达。结果:PRL在乳房肥大组和正常体积乳房组乳腺组织中的阳性细胞率分别为88.46℅和56.25℅,两组比较差异有统计学意义(P0.05),且两组的PRL阳性的细胞面积、平均光密度值和累积光密度值均有统计学差异(P0.05)。乳房肥大组和正常体积乳房组乳腺组织中PRLR的阳性细胞率分别为76.92℅和75.00℅,两组比较无明显的统计学差异(P0.05),且两组间的PRLR阳性的细胞面积、平均光密度值、累积光密度值均无明显的统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:乳房肥大的发生可能与乳腺组织中泌乳素的表达升高有关,而与乳腺组织中泌乳素受体的表达无关。     

舒芬太尼联合地佐辛用于剖宫产术后镇痛的疗效及对患者血清泌乳素水平的影响

目的:探讨舒芬太尼联合地佐辛对剖宫产患者术后镇痛的效果及对患者血清泌乳素水平的影响。方法:选取我院收治的剖腹产患者90例,随机分为对照组及实验组,对照组给予舒芬太尼联合托烷司琼术后镇痛,实验组给予舒芬太尼联合地佐辛术后镇痛。观察并比较两组患者的镇痛效果及血清泌乳素PRL水平的影响,以及不良反应的发生情况等。结果:与术前比较,两组患者治疗后血清泌乳素PRL水平均升高,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);与对照组比较,实验组治疗后血清PRL水平较高,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05);与对照组比较,实验组镇痛VAS评分、初次泌乳时间及泌乳充足时间、不良反应发生率均较低,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:剖宫产术后应用舒芬太尼联合地佐辛的临床镇痛效果理想,在维持镇痛效果的同时,降低药物用量,减轻对脑垂体的刺激,提高泌乳素分泌,有效降低不良反应,值得临床推广应用。     

半胱氨酰白三烯及其受体的信号转导通路研究进展

半胱氨酰白三烯(Cysteinyl-leukotrienes,CysLTs)能够产生广泛的促炎作用,例如促进气道和血管平滑肌收缩,通透性增加导致的原生质渗出及水肿,粘液分泌增多等。CysLTs在哮喘、过敏性鼻炎、心血管等疾病中是一类很重要的生物活性介质。白三烯受体(Cysteinyl-LT receptors,CysLTRs)的亚型分类是基于使用天然激动剂和各种拮抗剂而获得的亲和力和功能方面的数据进行划分的。通过不同的信号转导通路CysLTs及其受体在不同组织器官产生了不同的生物学作用,本文介绍了CysLTs及其受体的下游信号转导通路研究的最新进展。     

γ-干扰素信号通路及功能相关基因

γ-干扰素(IFN-γ)是细胞因子超家族中IFN家族的重要成员,具有抗病毒、抗肿瘤及免疫调节等多种生物学功能。IFN-γ在其效应细胞内多种信号转导途径的交互作用及其相关刺激基因的表达,导致了其生物学功能的复杂性和多样性。章对IFN-γ及其受体的结构和功能;IFN-γ介导的多条信号转导通路,以及IFN-γ刺激基因的生物学功能等作概述。     

细胞外钙受体相互作用蛋白的研究进展

细胞外钙受体(CaR)为G蛋白偶联受体超家族中的成员,它的大部分作用是以Gαi,Gαq和Gα12/13为中介的,但由G蛋白α亚基介导的作用并不能完全解释CaR的生物学效应.与CaR相互作用蛋白如抑制蛋白、G蛋白受体激酶、受体激活修饰蛋白、丝蛋白、钾通道、小窝蛋白等结构和信号蛋白赋予CaR独特的信号转导特征,并能够更充分说明CaR在不同组织和细胞中所发挥的作用.本文将对上述几种与其相互作用蛋白及它们所产生的生物学效应做一综述.     

蛋白酶活化受体-2的研究进展

蛋白酶活化受体(protease-activated receptors,PARs)属于G蛋白偶联受体家族成员,其N-末端被蛋白酶裂解后,可形成新的N-末端。新N-末端能够结合、激活自身受体。PAR-2是PARs的成员之一,其激活、灭活、脱敏、复敏、及其与信号转导途径的关系,尤其是与疾病(如呼吸道慢性炎症)的关系正倍受关注。     

血清泌乳素水平对泌乳素瘤患者的临床价值研究

目的:分析术前血清泌乳素水平对泌乳素瘤患者的临床价值。方法:选择2011年1月至2016年12月于青岛大学附属医院行垂体腺瘤切除术且术前测得泌乳素(prolactin,PRL)水平、术后行病理免疫组化染色的垂体腺瘤164例,通过Spearman相关分析PRL水平与肿瘤大小的相关性,通过Kappa值判断PRL水平与病理诊断的一致性。采用ROC曲线获得PRL水平最佳临床诊断临界值。结果:(1)164例垂体瘤患者中,病理诊断单激素PRL瘤25例,主要表现为男性性功能低下及头痛、头晕,女性月经紊乱、闭经、泌乳;(2)术前PRL水平与年龄、性别无显著相关性(P均0.05),与肿瘤大小呈中度正相关(r=0.530,P0.05);(3)以正常范围上限值(23.3 ng/m L)为基线,分别以PRL23.3 ng/mL(1倍)、46.6 ng/m L(2倍)、69.9 ng/ml(3倍)、100 ng/mL、150 ng/m L、200 ng/mL为诊断标准,与病理免疫组化的一致性分析显示PRL69.9ng/m L作为诊断标准时符合率和Kappa系数最高,分别为82.3%和0.533;(4)以病理免疫组化作为诊断金标准作泌乳素瘤ROC曲线,以血清PRL为69.785 ng/m L作为诊断标准时,曲线下面积最大,此时符合率和Kappa系数分别为82.3%和0.553,灵敏度49.1%,特异度98.3%。结论:泌乳素瘤血清学诊断与病理免疫组化诊断一致性较高,血清PRL水平69.9 ng/mL(3倍于正常上限值)是诊断泌乳素瘤的最佳参考值。     

白细胞介素-31及其受体研究进展

IL-31由CD4+Th2细胞产生,其受体是由IL-31Rα与OSMRβ(Oncostatin M receptorβ)组成的异二聚体,IL-31及其受体在人和小鼠多种组织中表达,二者结合后主要通过JAK-STAT通路和MPAK通路来进行信号转导发挥效应。IL-31的生物学功能还不完全清楚,初步研究表明IL-31可能在瘙痒症、特应性皮炎、诱导细胞因子、参与2型炎症反应及炎症性肠病等方面发挥作用。     

190CT3多肽调节白血病细胞增殖分化的实验研究

白血病抑制因子（LIF）是一种多效性细胞因子,作用于多种细胞组织发挥不同的生物学作用。其生物学效应依赖于其结合靶细胞膜上的LIF受体a亚基（gp190）,与8亚基（gp130）形成异源性二聚体,从而激活下游信号转导通路。LIF因子可通过激活JAK-STAT和RAS-MAPK途径,调节白血病细胞的增殖分化。我们根据gp190细胞内区功能域设计了小分子-190CT3,     

Prolactin and endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer: The next potential hope for breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer, a hormone-dependent tumour, generally includes four molecular subtypes (luminal A, luminal B, HER2 enriched and triple-negative) based on oestrogen receptor, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2. Multiple hormones in the body regulate the development of breast cancer. Endocrine therapy is one of the primary treatments for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, but endocrine resistance is the primary clinical cause of treatment failure. Prolactin (PRL) is a protein hormone secreted by the pituitary gland, mainly promoting mammary gland growth, stimulating and maintaining lactation. Previous studies suggest that high PRL levels can increase the risk of invasive breast cancer in women. The expression levels of PRL and PRLR in breast cancer cells and breast cancer tissues are elevated in most ER⁺ and ER⁻ tumours. PRL activates downstream signalling pathways and affects endocrine therapy resistance by combining with prolactin receptor (PRLR). In this review, we illustrated and summarized the correlations between endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer and PRL, as well as the pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical practices. The study on PRL and its receptor would help explore reversing endocrine therapy-resistance for breast cancer.     

Immunoregulation of autocrine prolactin: Suppressing the expression of costimulatory molecules and cytokines in T lymphocytes by prolactin receptor knockdown

Ample evidence indicates that prolactin (PRL) secreted from the pituitary gland plays an important role in a variety of human immune responses. However, the immunoregulation of autocrine PRL in T lymphocytes is not fully understood. To evaluate the role of autocrine PRL in T lymphocyte activation, PRL receptor (PRLR) in Jurkat cells was silenced by lentivirus-mediated stable expression of PRLR shRNAi. Knockdown of PRLR resulted in a considerable reduction of phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced T cell proliferation. Moreover, the synthesis and secretion of CD137, CD154, IL-2 and IL-4 were significantly decreased, while the production of CD28, IFN-γ and IL-10 was not affected in PHA-primed PRLR-deficient cells. These results demonstrate the importance of autocrine regulation of the PRL signaling in T lymphocyte growth and activation, and support a mechanism by which autocrine PRL participates in the immunoregulation through selectively influencing the expression of certain critical costimulatory molecules and cytokines.     

Structural Characterization of the Stem-Stem Dimerization Interface between Prolactin Receptor Chains Complexed with the Natural Hormone

The most promising approach to targeting the tumor-growth-promoting actions of prolactin (PRL) mediated by its autocrine/paracrine pathway has been the development of specific PRL receptor (PRLR) antagonists. However, the optimization of such antagonists requires a thorough understanding of the activation mechanism of PRLR. We have thus conducted a systematic X-ray crystallographic study in order to visualize the successive steps of PRLR activation by PRL. We report here the structure at 3.35 Å resolution of the 1:2 complex between natural PRL and two PRLR chains (PRLR1 and PRLR2), corresponding to the final activated state of PRLR. Further than our previously published structure involving an affinity-matured PRL variant, this structure allowed to visualize for the first time the loop L5 spanning PRLR2 residues Thr133-Phe140, revealing its central implication for the three intermolecular interfaces of the complex. We equally succeeded in obtaining a comprehensive picture of the PRLR-PRLR dimerization interface, also called stem-stem interface. Site-directed mutagenesis was conducted to probe the energetic importance of stem-stem contacts highlighted by the structure. Surprisingly, in spite of significant structural differences between the PRL/PRLR₂ complex and the 1:2 growth hormone/growth hormone receptor complex, our mutational data suggest that hot-spot residues that stabilize the receptor dimerization interface are equivalent in the two complexes. This study provides a new overall picture of the structural features of PRLR involved in stabilizing its complex with PRL.     

Prolactin Induces Apoptosis of Lactotropes in Female Rodents

Anterior pituitary cell turnover occurring during female sexual cycle is a poorly understood process that involves complex regulation of cell proliferation and apoptosis by multiple hormones. In rats, the prolactin (PRL) surge that occurs at proestrus coincides with the highest apoptotic rate. Since anterior pituitary cells express the prolactin receptor (PRLR), we aimed to address the actual role of PRL in the regulation of pituitary cell turnover in cycling females. We showed that acute hyperprolactinemia induced in ovariectomized rats using PRL injection or dopamine antagonist treatment rapidly increased apoptosis and decreased proliferation specifically of PRL producing cells (lactotropes), suggesting a direct regulation of these cell responses by PRL. To demonstrate that apoptosis naturally occurring at proestrus was regulated by transient elevation of endogenous PRL levels, we used PRLR-deficient female mice (PRLRKO) in which PRL signaling is totally abolished. According to our hypothesis, no increase in lactotrope apoptotic rate was observed at proestrus, which likely contributes to pituitary tumorigenesis observed in these animals. To decipher the molecular mechanisms underlying PRL effects, we explored the isoform-specific pattern of PRLR expression in cycling wild type females. This analysis revealed dramatic changes of long versus short PRLR ratio during the estrous cycle, which is particularly relevant since these isoforms exhibit distinct signaling properties. This pattern was markedly altered in a model of chronic PRLR signaling blockade involving transgenic mice expressing a pure PRLR antagonist (TG^{Δ1–9-G129R-hPRL}), providing evidence that PRL regulates the expression of its own receptor in an isoform-specific manner. Taken together, these results demonstrate that i) the PRL surge occurring during proestrus is a major proapoptotic signal for lactotropes, and ii) partial or total deficiencies in PRLR signaling in the anterior pituitary may result in pituitary hyperplasia and eventual prolactinoma development, as observed in TG^{Δ1–9-G129R-hPRL} and PRLRKO mice, respectively.     

Expression of prolactin receptors in normal canine mammary tissue, canine mammary adenomas and mammary adenocarcinomas

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Mammary tumors represent the most common neoplastic disease in female dogs. Recently, the promoting role of prolactin (PRL) in the development of human breast carcinoma has been shown. Possible proliferative, anti-apoptotic, migratory and angiogenic effects of PRL on human mammary cancer cells in vitro and in vivo were suggested. The effects of PRL are mediated by its receptor, and alterations in receptor expression are likely to play a role in tumor development. Currently, not much data is available about prolactin receptor (PRLR) expression in canine mammary tumors. To set the basis for investigations on the role of PRL in mammary tumorigenesis in this species, prolactin receptor expression was evaluated by semi-quantitative real time PCR and immunohistochemistry on 10 formalin-fixed, paraffinembedded samples each of canine non-neoplastic mammary tissue, mammary adenomas and adenocarcinomas. RESULTS: The highest PRLR expression levels were found in normal mammary tissue, while adenomas, and to an even higher degree adenocarcinomas, showed a significant decrease in prolactin receptor expression. Compared to normal tissue, PRLR mRNA was reduced 2.4 fold (p =0.0261) in adenomas and 4.8 fold (p = 0.008) in adenocarcinomas. PRLR mRNA expression was significantly lower in malignant than in benign lesions (p = 0.0165). Immunohistochemistry demonstrated PRLR expression in all three tissue types with signals mostly limited to epithelial cells. CONCLUSIONS: Malignant transformation of mammary tissue was associated with a decline in prolactin receptor expression. Further studies are warranted to address the functional significance of this finding.     

Prolactin upregulates its receptors and inhibits lipolysis and leptin release in male rat adipose tissue

Prolactin (PRL) is recognized as a metabolic regulator during lactation, but little information exists on its actions in male adipose tissue. We examined whether PRL affects the expression of its receptors (PRLR), lipolysis, and adipokine secretion in male rats. Both long and short PRLR isoforms were induced 40-50-fold during differentiation of epididymal preadipocytes, with a 10-fold higher expression of the long isoform. PRL upregulated both isoforms before and after differentiation. PRL suppressed lipolysis in epididymal explants and mature adipocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner, which was reversed by a Jak2 inhibitor. PRL also inhibited leptin, but not adiponectin, release. We conclude that PRL inhibits lipolysis and leptin release by acting directly on adipocytes via interaction with either of its receptors and activation of a Jak2-dependent signaling pathway(s). This is the first demonstration of substantial effects of PRL on male adipocytes.     

Prolactin receptor signaling is essential for perinatal brown adipocyte function: a role for insulin-like growth factor-2

Background

The lactogenic hormones prolactin (PRL) and placental lactogens (PL) play central roles in reproduction and mammary development. Their actions are mediated via binding to PRL receptor (PRLR), highly expressed in brown adipose tissue (BAT), yet their impact on adipocyte function and metabolism remains unclear.

Methodology/Principal Findings

PRLR knockout (KO) newborn mice were phenotypically characterized in terms of thermoregulation and their BAT differentiation assayed for gene expression studies. Derived brown preadipocyte cell lines were established to evaluate the molecular mechanisms involved in PRL signaling on BAT function. Here, we report that newborn mice lacking PRLR have hypotrophic BAT depots that express low levels of adipocyte nuclear receptor PPARγ2, its coactivator PGC-1α, uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) and the β3 adrenoceptor, reducing mouse viability during cold challenge. Immortalized PRLR KO preadipocytes fail to undergo differentiation into mature adipocytes, a defect reversed by reintroduction of PRLR. That the effects of the lactogens in BAT are at least partly mediated by Insulin-like Growth Factor-2 (IGF-2) is supported by: i) a striking reduction in BAT IGF-2 expression in PRLR KO mice and in PRLR-deficient preadipocytes; ii) induction of cellular IGF-2 expression by PRL through JAK2/STAT5 pathway activation; and iii) reversal of defective differentiation in PRLR KO cells by exogenous IGF-2.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that the lactogens act in concert with IGF-2 to control brown adipocyte differentiation and growth. Given the prominent role of brown adipose tissue during the perinatal period, our results identified prolactin receptor signaling as a major player and a potential therapeutic target in protecting newborn mammals against hypothermia.