Intravascular heavy chain-modification of hyaluronan during endotoxic shock

During inflammation, the covalent linking of the ubiquitous extracellular polysaccharide hyaluronan (HA) with the heavy chains (HC) of the serum protein inter alpha inhibitor (IαI) is exclusively mediated by the enzyme tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-stimulated-gene-6 (TSG-6). While significant advances have been made regarding how HC-modified HA (HC-HA) is an important regulator of inflammation, it remains unclear why HC-HA plays a critical role in promoting survival in intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced endotoxemia while exerting only a modest role in the outcomes following intratracheal exposure to LPS. To address this gap, the two models of intraperitoneal LPS-induced endotoxic shock and intratracheal LPS-induced acute lung injury were directly compared in TSG-6 knockout mice and littermate controls. HC-HA formation, endogenous TSG-6 activity, and inflammatory markers were assessed in plasma and lung tissue. TSG-6 knockout mice exhibited accelerated mortality during endotoxic shock. While both intraperitoneal and intratracheal LPS induced HC-HA formation in lung parenchyma, only systemically-induced endotoxemia increased plasma TSG-6 levels and intravascular HC-HA formation. Cultured human lung microvascular endothelial cells secreted TSG-6 in response to both TNFα and IL1β stimulation, indicating that, in addition to inflammatory cells, the endothelium may secrete TSG-6 into circulation during systemic inflammation. These data show for the first time that LPS-induced systemic inflammation is uniquely characterized by significant vascular induction of TSG-6 and HC-HA, which may contribute to improved outcomes of endotoxemia.     

激素对亚洲玉米螟幼虫滞育的影响

激素对亚洲玉米螟幼虫滞育的影响＊赵章武＊＊曹梅讯（中国科学院上海昆虫研究所上海２０００２５）亚洲玉米螟Ｏｓｔｒｉｎｉａｆｕｒｎａｃａｌｉｓ是我国乃至亚洲地区的重要农业害虫之一。它具有兼性滞育的特点,年发生１～７代,以末龄老熟滞育幼虫越冬。来年春天终止...     

水稻幼芽细胞生物膜上的赤霉素结合蛋白的结合特性

在水稻 (Oryza sativa)幼芽中存在膜结合的赤霉素结合蛋白 ,其与 GA3 结合的平衡解离常数(Kd)为 6.5× 1 0 -8mol/ L,总浓度为 0 .3 pmol· mg-1 蛋白质。结合蛋白与 GA3 结合活力在 0℃时比 2 5℃时高 1 4 0 %。它与 GA3 结合的最适 p H为 5。 GA3 与此结合蛋白的结合量随反应时间延长而增加 ,1 h达最大值 ,以后又逐渐下降。 IAA、ABA可与 GA3 竞争赤霉素结合蛋白。     

CD1 molecules efficiently present antigen in immature dendritic cells and traffic independently of MHC class II during dendritic cell maturation

Upon exposure to Ag and inflammatory stimuli, dendritic cells (DCs) undergo a series of dynamic cellular events, referred to as DC maturation, that involve facilitated peptide Ag loading onto MHC class II molecules and their subsequent transport to the cell surface. Besides MHC molecules, human DCs prominently express molecules of the CD1 family (CD1a, -b, -c, and -d) and mediate CD1-dependent presentation of lipid and glycolipid Ags to T cells, but the impact of DC maturation upon CD1 trafficking and Ag presentation is unknown. Using monocyte-derived immature DCs and those stimulated with TNF-alpha for maturation, we observed that none of the CD1 isoforms underwent changes in intracellular trafficking that mimicked MHC class II molecules during DC maturation. In contrast to the striking increase in surface expression of MHC class II on mature DCs, the surface expression of CD1 molecules was either increased only slightly (for CD1b and CD1c) or decreased (for CD1a). In addition, unlike MHC class II, DC maturation-associated transport from lysosomes to the plasma membrane was not readily detected for CD1b despite the fact that both molecules were prominently expressed in the same MIIC lysosomal compartments before maturation. Consistent with this, DCs efficiently presented CD1b-restricted lipid Ags to specific T cells similarly in immature and mature DCs. Thus, DC maturation-independent pathways for lipid Ag presentation by CD1 may play a crucial role in host defense, even before DCs are able to induce maximum activation of peptide Ag-specific T cells.