Cyclosporine therapy of rat heart allograft recipients and release of interleukins (IL 1, IL 2, IL 3): a role for IL 3 in graft tolerance?

LEW rat recipients of (LEW X BN)F1 strain heterotopic cardiac transplants treated with cyclosporine A (CsA) (15 mg/kg/day intramuscularly, 7 days) retain grafts indefinitely despite drug withdrawal. Donor-specific suppressor T cells that are active in passive transfer experiments have been harvested from long-term CsA-treated hosts. Although CsA is known to inhibit in vitro cytokine release, the in vivo effects of the CsA on the lymphokine cascade are not known. We investigated the action of the drug upon spontaneous and mitogen-induced interleukin 1 (IL 1), interleukin 2 (IL 2), and interleukin 3 (IL 3) release by spleen cells obtained from the following groups of rats: 1) normal, i.e., untreated and ungrafted; 2) grafted, acutely rejecting; 3) grafted, actively treated; and 4) under CsA-induced state of "tolerance." The results demonstrate that in vivo CsA therapy inhibits monocyte (IL 1 release) as well as lymphocyte function (IL 2 and IL 3 release) only during the inductive phase (the 7 days of treatment). During the "tolerant" phase, mitogen (Con A and LPS)-induced release of interleukins was quantitatively similar to that noted in normal animals. In contrast, a remarkable increase in the spontaneous production of IL 3 was observed in the "tolerant" group. Because cytokine release is not inhibited in the "tolerant" state, our data strongly support the concept that maintenance of the state of unresponsiveness is governed by the emergence of suppressor cells. The correlation of increased spontaneous production of IL 3 during this period leads us to postulate that this interleukin may be implicated in the activation or clonal expansion of suppressor cells, and hence may play a role in graft tolerance.     

Associations of the IL2Rα, IL4Rα, IL10Rα, and IFN γ R1 cytokine receptor genes with AIDS progression in a French AIDS cohort

We have performed an extensive analysis of Th1/Th2 cytokine receptors IL2Rα, IL4Rα, IL10Rα, and IFNγR1 gene polymorphisms to evaluate their impact on AIDS progression. The coding regions and promoters of these genes were sequenced in the genetics of resistance to immunodeficiency virus cohort, composed of 327 HIV-1-positive patients with extreme progression phenotypes, slow and rapid progressors, and of 446 healthy control subjects, all of them of Caucasian descent. Overall, 104 single nucleotide polymorphisms and four insertions/deletions with a minor allelic frequency higher than 1% were identified, 21 of them being newly characterized. We observed weak associations for 13 polymorphisms of IL2Rα, IL4Rα, IL10Rα, and IFNγR1, and 11 haplotypes of IL2Rα, IL4Rα, and IFNγR1. However, we could not relate these positive signals to any relevant biological information on the gene function. To affirm these putative associations in AIDS, further confirmation on other AIDS cohorts will be needed. This complete catalog of polymorphisms in IL2Rα, IL4Rα, IL10Rα, and IFNγR1 cytokine receptor genes should also be useful for investigating associations in other immune-related diseases.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at     

Genetic association of IDE,POU2F1, PON1, IL1α and IL1β with type 2 diabetes in Pakistani population

A number of genes are known to be involved in glucose homeostasis. Mutations and polymorphisms in candidate genes may effect insulin production, action or resistance. This study was designed to report the association of genetic polymorphism with the type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Pakistani population. A total of 458 subjects (case n = 288, control n = 170) participated in the study. Nine single nucleotide polymorphisms were investigated in genes IDE (rs6583813 C>T, rs7910977 C>T), POU2F1 (rs3767434 A>T, rs10918682 A>T, rs2146727 A>G), WFS1 (rs734312 A>G), PON1 (rs854560 T>A), IL1α (rs1800587 C>T) and IL1β (rs1143634 C>T). Genotyping was performed by DNA sequencing after nested polymerase chain reaction of targeted regions. Results indicated that rs7910977 in IDE showed significant association with the development of T2D [P = 0.012, OR 1.677 (95 % CI 1.112–2.438)]. The rs10918682 in POU2F1 was associated with T2D [P < 0.001, OR 3.606 (95 % CI 2.165–6.005)]. The rs854560 in PON1was associated with incidences of T2D and increased the risk of cardiovascular complications [P = 0.031, OR 0.663 (95 % CI 0.455–0.965)] in diabetics. The rs734312 from WFS1 gene was associated with diabetes at genotype level (P < 0.01). Haplotype analysis of rs1800587–rs1143634 depicted CC haplotype increased the susceptibility to diabetes (P < 0.05). Haplotype GAA from rs2146727–10918682–rs3767434 was protective against diabetes (P < 0.01) and GGA exhibited the association with T2D (P < 0.01). Haplotype CT from rs6583813–rs7910977 was protective against diabetes (P = 0.02). Our study provided evidence to IDE, PON1, WFS1, POU2F1, IL1α and IL1β associated with T2D in Pakistanis.     

Genetic variants of TNFα, IL10, IL1β, CTLA4 and TGFβ1 modulate the indices of alcohol-induced liver injury in East Indian population

Alcohol induced liver disease or alcoholic liver disease (ALD), a complex trait, encompasses a gamut of pathophysiological alterations in the liver due to continuous exposure to a toxic amount of alcohol (more than 80g per day). Of all chronic heavy drinkers, only 15-20% develops hepatitis or cirrhosis concomitantly or in succession. Several studies revealed that inter-individual as well as inter-ethnic genetic variation is one of the major factors that predispose to ALD. The role of genetic factors in ALD has long been sought for in ethnically distinct population groups. ALD is fast emerging as an important cause of chronic liver disease in India; even in populations such as "Bengalis" who were "culturally immune" earlier. While the genetic involvement in the pathogenesis of ALD is being sought for in different races, the complex pathophysiology of ALD as well as the knowledge of population level diversity of the relevant alcohol metabolizing and inflammatory pathways mandates the need for well designed studies of genetic factors in ethnically distinct population groups. An array of cytokines plays a critical role as mediators of injury, inflammation, fibrosis and cirrhosis in ALD. We, therefore, studied the association of polymorphisms in five relevant cytokine genes with "clinically significant" ALD in an ethnic "Bengali" population in Eastern India. Compared with "alcoholic" controls without liver disease (n=110), TNFα -238AA genotype, IL1β -511CC genotype, TGFβ1 -509CC genotype and IL10 -592AA genotype were significantly overrepresented in ALD patients (n=181; OR=2.4 and 95% CI 1.2-5.5, P(genotype)=0.042, P(allelic)=0.008; OR=2.7 and 95% CI 1.2-5.9, P(genotype)=0.018, P(allelic)=0.023; OR=4.7 and 95% CI 1.7-13.1, P(genotype)=0.003, P(allelic)=0.014; and OR=2.2 and 95% CI 1.1-4.8, P(genotype)=0.04, P(allelic)=0.039 respectively). Moreover a cumulative genetic risk analysis revealed a significant trend for developing ALD with an increase in the number of risk alleles on IL10 and TGFβ1 loci among alcoholics. The risk genotype of IL1β and TGFβ1 also influences the total bilirubin, albumin and alanine aminotransferase levels among alcoholic "Bengalis". The present study is the first case-control study from Eastern India that comprehensively identified polymorphic markers in TNFα, IL10, IL1β and TGFβ1 genes to be associated with ALD in the Bengali population, accentuating the significance of genetic factors in clinical expressions of ALD.     

人重组IL6／IL2融合蛋白的变化,复性及纯化

经超声破碎,分离已表达ＣＨ９２５包涵体,较系统地研究变性剂浓度、融合蛋白浓度对蛋白折叠的影响,在还原型及氧化型谷胱复性条件下,成功地将融合蛋白ＣＨ９２５折叠成具有ＩＬ６及ＩＬ２双活性蛋白,ＩＬ６的比活为２．３×１０＾８Ｕ／ｍｇ,ＩＬ２比活为２．２×１０６Ｕ／ｍｇ。经阴离子交换,凝过滤层析,获得一定纯度的ＣＨ９２５,配合反相ＨＰＬＣ,洗脱收集蛋白峰,ＣＨ９２５纯度为９８％。     

Gene–Gene and Gene-Sex Epistatic Interactions of MiR146a,IRF5, IKZF1, ETS1 and IL21 in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Several confirmed genetic susceptibility loci involved in the interferon signaling and Th17/B cell response for SLE in Chinese Han populations have been described. Available data also indicate that sex-specific genetic differences contribute to SLE susceptibility. The aim of this study was to test for gene–gene/gene-sex epistasis (interactions) in these known lupus susceptibility loci. Six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in MiR146a, IRF5, IKZF1, ETS1 and IL21 were genotyped by Sequenom MassArray system. A total of 1,825 subjects (858 SLE patients and 967 controls) were included in the final analysis. Epistasis was tested by additive model, multiplicative model and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method. Additive interaction analysis revealed interactions between IRF5 and IKZF1 (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.48–3.44 [P = 1.21×10⁴]). A similar tendency was also observed between IL21 and ETS1 by parametric methods. In addition, multiple high dimensional gene-gene or gene-sex interactions (three-and four-way) were identified by MDR analysis. Our study identified novel gene–gene/gene-sex interactions in lupus. Furthermore, these findings highlight sex, interferon pathway, and Th17/B cells as important contributors to the pathogenesis of SLE.     

Association of IL1β and IL4 gene polymorphisms with nasal polyps in a Polish population

Imbalance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines may regulate the inflammatory reaction in the nasal polyps. Polymorphisms in the regulatory regions of the cytokines genes may influence their expression. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between an IL-1β and IL-4 promoter polymorphisms and nasal polyps. The C-511T promoter polymorphism of the IL-1β gene and C-590T promoter polymorphism of the IL-4 gene were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in 208 Polish patients with nasal polyps and 200 healthy Polish subjects. The risk of susceptibility to NP was significantly higher in patients with NP who had ?511 T/T genotype of IL1β than in controls (OR 3.07; 95 % CI 1.18–7.99). No statistically significant differences were found between NP patients and the control group with regard to genotype distribution and allele frequencies of C/T polymorphism of IL4 gene. Our study demonstrated that the TT genotype for C-511T mutation associated with the risk of developing NP in a Polish population.     

Regulation of gene expression,growth,and cell survival by IL—4：Contribution of multiple signaling pathways

Interleukin-4 is a cytokine produced by activated T cells,mast cells,and basophils that elicits many important biological responses[1](see Tab 1).These responses range from the regulation of helper T cell differentiation[2] and the production of IgE[3] to the regulation of the adhesive properties of endothelial cells via VCAM-1[4],In keeping with these diverse biological effects,high-affinity binding sites for IL-4(Kd 20 to 300pM) have been detected on many hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cell types at levels ranging from 50 to 5000 sites per cell[5].This review will focus on the discrete signal transduction pathways activated by the IL-4 recxeptor and the coordination of these individual pathways in the regulation of a final biological outcome.     

IL—1β,IL—lra对戊四氮致痫大鼠行为及皮层,海马脑电的 …

目的：了解白细胞介素１β（ＩＬ－１β）在癫痫发作中的作用。方法：采用记录脑图（ＥＥＧ）同时观察行为的方法,观察ＩＬ－１β和ＩＬ－１受体拮抗剂（ＩＬ－１ｒａ）测脑室注射对戊四氮（ＰＴＺ）致痫大鼠和皮层、海马ＥＥＧ的影响。结果：ＩＬ－１β能明显缩短ＰＴＺ致大鼠急性惊厥发作及痫波发放的潜伏期,增加痫波的发放频率。ＩＬ－１ｒａ能减少急性惊厥痫波放频率,对急性惊厥发主痫波发放的潜伏期和惊厥发作强度无明显影响     

Regulation of expression of Sertoli cell glucose transporters 1 and 3 by FSH,IL1β, and bFGF at two different time-points in pubertal development

Sertoli cells are necessary to provide adequate levels of lactate for germ cell development. Lactate production is hormonally regulated by follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and by a large set of intratesticular regulators such as interleukin-1β (IL1β) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). Little is known regarding the critical step in the production of this metabolite, viz., the entrance of glucose into the cell as mediated by GLUTs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression of the glucose transporters GLUT1 and GLUT3 and its possible regulation by FSH, IL1β, and bFGF in Sertoli cells at two different time-points in sexual development. Sertoli cells retaining the ability to undergo mitosis (obtained from 8-day-old rats) and in the process of terminal differentiation (obtained from 20-day-old rats) were examined. Testicular tissue sections and Sertoli cell monolayers obtained from 8- and 20-day-old rats showed positive immunostaining for GLUT1 and GLUT3 proteins. GLUT1 and GLUT3 mRNA levels were detected at the two ages analyzed. Treatment of Sertoli cells obtained from 8- and 20-day-old rats with FSH, IL1β, and bFGF for various periods of time (12, 24, and 48 h) increased GLUT1 without changing GLUT3 mRNA levels. Our results thus show that Sertoli cells express GLUT1 and GLUT3 throughout pubertal development, and that, in Sertoli cells, only GLUT1 is regulated by hormones during pubertal development. Hormonal regulation of GLUT1 expression and consequently glucose uptake and lactate production may be a key molecular event in the regulation of spermatogenesis by hormones. The work was supported by grants from the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 25365) and CONICET (PIP 5479), Argentina. R.M.F., C.H.E., C.S.B., and M.S.B. are established investigators of CONICET. G.M.N. is a recipient of a CONICET fellowship and a teaching assistant of Departamento de Bioquímica Humana, Facultad de Medicina, UBA. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that would prejudice the impartiality of this scientific work.     

人白细胞介素家族的新成员—IL—19，IL—20，IL—21，IL—22，IL—23

白细胞介素是激活的T细胞分泌的一类细胞因子,它们在免疫调节中发挥重要作用,具有很高的临床应用价值。迄今为止,已有23种人白细胞介素被发现,构成了一个庞大的家族,其中2000－2001年间,就有5种人白细胞介素家族最新成员的序列被阐明,本文简单介绍了它们的结构,诱导表达方式,功能,及其信号相关受体等各个方面的最新研究进展。     

IL17A impairs blood–testis barrier integrity and induces testicular inflammation

Experimental autoimmune orchitis is a useful model for studying testicular inflammation and germ/immune cell interactions. Th17 cells and their hallmark cytokine IL17A were reported to be involved in the development of autoimmune orchitis. The aim of the present work is to investigate the pathogenic role of IL17A in rat testis. In vitro experiments were performed in order to analyze effects of IL17A on Sertoli cell tight junctions. The addition of IL17A to normal rat Sertoli cell cultures induced a significant decline in transepithelial electrical resistance and a reduction of occludin expression and redistribution of occludin and claudin 11, altering the Sertoli cell tight junction barrier. Intratesticular injection of 1 μg of recombinant rat IL17A to Sprague–Dawley rats induced increased blood–testis barrier permeability, as shown by the presence of biotin tracer in the seminiferous tubule adluminal compartment, and delocalization of occludin and claudin 11. Results showed that IL17A induced focal inflammatory cell infiltration in the interstitium and germ cell sloughing in adjacent seminiferous tubules. Moreover, an increase in TUNEL+ apoptotic germ cells was also observed. Inflammatory ED1+ macrophages were the main population infiltrating the interstitium following IL17A injection. This correlated with an increase in mRNA expression of the monocyte chemoattractant protein Ccl2, its receptor Ccr2 and the vascular cell adhesion molecule Vcam1. Overall results suggest a relevant role of IL17A in the development of testicular inflammation, facilitating the recruitment of immune cells to the testicular interstitium and inducing impairment of blood–testis barrier function.     

植物多糖对IL2及IL6产生的影响

免疫学的发展,为中医药的研究开拓了新的前景。许多免疫学指标的检测促进了中药有效成分的研究[1]。本实验选择中药有效成分淫羊藿及银杏的多糖成分对小鼠白细胞介素产生的影响,探讨其对免疫功能的作用,为中药治疗某些疾病提供科学的依据。三材料与方法1．1材料Balb／c小鼠中国医科大学实验动物部提供,6～8周龄,牛体重20±2g。植物多糖成分淫羊藿多糖（EpimediumKoreanumpolysaccharids,EPS）采朝鲜淫羊藿茎叶,经水及稀醇提取,Sevage法除去蛋白质,又半透膜透析,醇沉后超滤得到分子量为30000～80000的物质,经大连物化所鉴定内…     

Unravelling Human Trypanotolerance: IL8 is Associated with Infection Control whereas IL10 and TNFα Are Associated with Subsequent Disease Development

In West Africa, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, causing human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), is associated with a great diversity of infection outcomes. In addition to patients who can be diagnosed in the early hemolymphatic phase (stage 1) or meningoencephalitic phase (stage 2), a number of individuals can mount long-lasting specific serological responses while the results of microscopic investigations are negative (SERO TL+). Evidence is now increasing to indicate that these are asymptomatic subjects with low-grade parasitemia. The goal of our study was to investigate the type of immune response occurring in these “trypanotolerant” subjects. Cytokines levels were measured in healthy endemic controls (n = 40), stage 1 (n = 10), early stage 2 (n = 19), and late stage 2 patients (n = 23) and in a cohort of SERO TL+ individuals (n = 60) who were followed up for two years to assess the evolution of their parasitological and serological status. In contrast to HAT patients which T-cell responses appeared to be activated with increased levels of IL2, IL4, and IL10, SERO TL+ exhibited high levels of proinflammatory cytokines (IL6, IL8 and TNFα) and an almost absence of IL12p70. In SERO TL+, high levels of IL10 and low levels of TNFα were associated with an increased risk of developing HAT whereas high levels of IL8 predicted that serology would become negative. Further studies using high throughput technologies, hopefully will provide a more detailed view of the critical molecules or pathways underlying the trypanotolerant phenotype.