miR-375在变应性鼻炎小鼠鼻黏膜上皮细胞凋亡中的调控作用

目的探讨miR-375在变应性鼻炎小鼠鼻黏膜上皮细胞凋亡和炎症反应中的调控作用。方法运用卵清蛋白(OVA)致敏的小鼠变应性鼻炎模型,使用实时定量PCR(qRT-PCR)、蛋白质印迹试验(Western Blot)、酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)、免疫组织化学检测鼻黏膜上皮细胞内miR-375、JAK2、细胞凋亡相关蛋白(JAK2蛋白,裂解的蛋白酶3(Cleaved caspase 3),聚[ADP-核糖]聚合酶裂解酶(Cleaved PARP),蛋白酶3(Caspase 3),聚[ADP-核糖]聚合酶(PARP),p-STAT3蛋白,STAT3蛋白和β肌动蛋白(β-actin))和血浆IL-6、TNF-α、IL-10的表达水平。结果miR-375在变应性鼻炎小鼠的鼻黏膜上皮细胞中表达降低,而JAK2表达增高;JAK2蛋白、p-STAT3蛋白和裂解的蛋白酶3均在OVA组表达增高;给OVA致敏的变应性鼻炎小鼠注射miR-375模拟物可以导致血清IL-6、TNF-α的分泌下降,而IL-10分泌增加,该作用可以被带有过表达JAK2的腺病毒感染后而减弱。结论miR-375/JAK2调控通路存在于变应性鼻炎鼻黏膜上皮细胞中,并通过JAK2/STAT3信号通路调控细胞的凋亡和炎症反应,miR-375在变应性鼻炎的病程中有保护性机制。     

Hepatitis B virus e antigen (HBeAg) may have a negative effect on dendritic cell generation

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) continues to be a serious worldwide health problem despite the use of protective HBV vaccines and therapeutic regimens against chronic HBV infection. Chronic HBV patients cannot induce sufficient immune responses against the virus. HBV and its antigens are believed to suppress immune responses during chronic infection. Hence, studying the role of HBV in immune suppression is very important for the development of alternative therapeutic strategies for HBV infections.     

Influenza virus-induced dendritic cell maturation is associated with the induction of strong T cell immunity to a coadministered,normally nonimmunogenic protein

We evaluated the proposal that during microbial infection, dendritic cells (DCs) undergo maturation and present a mixture of peptides derived from the microbe as well as harmless environmental antigens. Mice were exposed to an aerosol of endotoxin free ovalbumin (OVA) in the absence or presence of influenza virus. In its absence, OVA failed to induce B and T cell responses and even tolerized, but with influenza, OVA-specific antibodies and CD8+ cytolytic T lymphocytes developed. With or without infection, OVA was presented selectively in the draining mediastinal lymph nodes, as assessed by the comparable proliferation of infused, CD8+ and CD4+, TCR transgenic T cells. In the absence of influenza, these OVA-specific T cells produced little IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, and IFN-gamma, but with infection, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells made high levels of IL-2 and IFN-gamma. The OVA plus influenza-treated mice also showed accelerated recovery to a challenge with recombinant vaccinia OVA virus. CD11c+ DCs from the mediastinal lymph nodes of infected mice selectively stimulated both OVA- and influenza-specific T cells and underwent maturation, with higher levels of MHC class II, CD80, and CD86 molecules. The relatively slow (2-3 d) kinetics of maturation correlated closely to the time at which OVA inhalation elicited specific antibodies. Therefore respiratory infection can induce DC maturation and simultaneously B and T cell immunity to an innocuous antigen inhaled concurrently.     

Nerve growth factor promotes expression of costimulatory molecules and release of cytokines in dendritic cells involved in Th2 response through LPS-induced p75NTR

Introduction: Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays an important role in asthmatic inflammatory responses. However, the effects of NGF on dendritic cells (DCs) in asthmatic inflammation remain unknown. Therefore, we examined the effects of NGF on co-stimulatory molecules and the release of cytokines after ovalbumin (OVA) and a low dose of LPS (low LPS) stimulation of dendritic cells. Methods: Bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) were collected from 6- to 8-week-old wide or TLR4^?/? mice. BMDCs were treated with OVA and/or low LPS for 12h, and then stimulated with NGF for 24h. ELISA and flow cytometry were performed to measure TSLP, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12 production and MHCII and CD86 expression on BMDCs. BMDCs were exposed to p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) inhibitor (TAT-Pep5) or NF-kB inhibitor (QNZ) 30 min prior to NGF 1 h after NGF intervention, the levels of RelA and RelB in cytoplasmic and nuclear were detected by west blot. Co-cultured BMDCs with naïve CD4⁺ T cells, and ELISA was used to detect IL-4 and INF-γ levels. Results: NGF was found to markedly promote OVA and low LPS-induced expression of MHCII, CD86, secretion of TSLP and IL-6, and Th2-response-stimulating capacity of BMDCs. NGF affected BMDCs through LPS-induced p75NTR expression. TAT-Pep5 or QNZ could attenuate the promotive effect of NGF. Conclusions: NGF facilitates OVA with lowLPS-induced maturation of mouse BMDCs through LPS-up-regulated p75 NTR via activation of NF-κB pathways, providing another mechanism for the involvement of NGF in the Th2 response.     

Plasmodium falciparum synthetic LbL microparticle vaccine elicits protective neutralizing antibody and parasite-specific cellular immune responses

Epitopes of the circumsporozoite (CS) protein of Plasmodium falciparum, the most pathogenic species of the malaria parasite, have been shown to elicit protective immunity in experimental animals and human volunteers. The mechanisms of immunity include parasite-neutralizing antibodies that can inhibit parasite motility in the skin at the site of infection and in the bloodstream during transit to the hepatocyte host cell and also block interaction with host cell receptors on hepatocytes. In addition, specific CD4+ and CD8+ cellular mechanisms target the intracellular hepatic forms, thus preventing release of erythrocytic stage parasites from the infected hepatocyte and the ensuing blood stage cycle responsible for clinical disease. An innovative method for producing particle vaccines, layer-by-layer (LbL) fabrication of polypeptide films on solid CaCO₃ cores, was used to produce synthetic malaria vaccines containing a tri-epitope CS peptide T1BT* comprising the antibody epitope of the CS repeat region (B) and two T-cell epitopes, the highly conserved T1 epitope and the universal epitope T*. Mice immunized with microparticles loaded with T1BT* peptide developed parasite-neutralizing antibodies and malaria-specific T-cell responses including cytotoxic effector T-cells. Protection from liver stage infection following challenge with live sporozoites from infected mosquitoes correlated with neutralizing antibody levels. Although some immunized mice with low or undetectable neutralizing antibodies were also protected, depletion of T-cells prior to challenge resulted in the majority of mice remaining resistant to challenge. In addition, mice immunized with microparticles bearing only T-cell epitopes were not protected, demonstrating that cellular immunity alone was not sufficient for protective immunity. Although the microparticles without adjuvant were immunogenic and protective, a simple modification with the lipopeptide TLR2 agonist Pam₃Cys increased the potency and efficacy of the LbL vaccine candidate. This study demonstrates the potential of LbL particles as promising malaria vaccine candidates using the T1BT* epitopes from the P. falciparum CS protein.     

Exacerbating effects of PM2.5 in OVA-sensitized and challenged mice and the expression of TRPA1 and TRPV1 proteins in lungs

Objective: To investigate the effects of particulate matter ≤ 2.5 microns (PM2.5) on asthma-related phenotypes and on lung expression of TRPA1 and TRPV1 proteins in a mouse model of asthma. Methods: Female BALB/c mice were utilized to establish 28- and 42-day asthma models. Mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) and challenged with OVA, OVA plus normal saline (NS), or OVA plus PM2.5 at two doses, 1.6 or 8.0 mg kg^?1. PM2.5 was instilled intratracheally without anesthesia. After the final OVA challenge was performed, 24 hours later, the changes in airway resistance (RI) and lung dynamic compliance (Cdyn) in response to acetylcholine chloride (ACH) were evaluated, and blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were taken at that time. The number of eosinophils in blood and various leukocytes in BALF were determined. Lung protein was extracted and probed for TRPA1 and TRPV1 expression. Interleukin (IL)-13, substance P (SP), prostaglandin D₂ (PGD₂) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in BALF were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: PM2.5 treated mice showed significantly greater changes in the number of inflammatory cells in blood and BALF, in RI and Cdyn in response to ACH, and in lung histopathology, indicated by inflammatory cell infiltration, thickened bronchial smooth muscles and bronchial mucosa damage, compared to controls. In addition, higher expression of TRPA1 and TRPV1 in lung and IL-13, SP, PGD₂ and NGF in BALF were seen in mice exposed to PM2.5. All effects were most pronounced in mice in the 42-day model. Conclusions: PM2.5 exacerbates effects of asthma in this model, possibly by regulating TRPA1 and TRPV1 and the relevant neurokines.