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Blood. 2003 Mar 1;101(5):1987-95. Epub 2002 Oct 10.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha induces a caspase-independent death pathway in human neutrophils.
Maianski NA, Roos D, Kuijpers TW.
Sanquin Research at Central Laboratory of the Netherlands Blood Transfusion Service, Landsteiner Laboratory, and Emma Children's Hospital, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is a cytokine with multiple roles in the immune system, including the induction and potentiation of cellular functions in neutrophils (PMNs). TNF-alpha also induces apoptotic signals leading to the activation of several caspases, which are involved in different steps of the process of cell death. Inhibition of caspases usually increases cell survival. Here, we found that inhibition of caspases by the general caspase inhibitor zVAD-fmk did not prevent TNF-alpha-induced PMN death. After 6 hours of incubation, TNF-alpha alone caused PMN death with characteristic apoptotic features (typical morphologic changes, DNA laddering, external phosphatidyl serine [PS] exposure in the plasma membrane, Bax clustering and translocation to the mitochondria, and degradation of mitochondria), which coincided with activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3. However, in the presence of TNF-alpha, PMNs died even when caspases were completely inhibited. This type of cell death lacked nuclear features of apoptosis (ie, no DNA laddering but aberrant hyperlobulated nuclei without typical chromatin condensation) and demonstrated no Bax redistribution, but it did show mitochondria clustering and plasma membrane PS exposure. In contrast, Fas-triggered PMN apoptosis was completely blocked by zVAD-fmk. Experiments with scavengers of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and with inhibitors of mitochondrial respiration, with PMN-derived cytoplasts (which lack mitochondria) and with PMNs from patients with chronic granulomatous disease (which have impaired nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate [NADPH] oxidase) indicated that TNF-alpha/zVAD-fmk-induced cell death depends on mitochondria-derived ROS. Thus, TNF-alpha can induce a "classical," caspase-dependent and a "nonclassical" caspase-independent cell death.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12393608&dopt=Abstract
Blood. 2002 Dec 1;100(12):4049-58. Epub 2002 Jul 25.
Antagonistic effect of NK cells on alternatively activated monocytes: a contribution of NK cells to CTL generation.
Geldhof AB, Van Ginderachter JA, Liu Y, Noel W, Raes G, De Baetselier P.
Department of Cellular Immunology, Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, St Genesius Rode, Belgium. abgeldhub.ac.be
Natural killer (NK) cells fulfill essential accessory functions for the priming of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). On the basis of a NKG2D-ligand-positive tumor model, we obtained results implicating NK-mediated regulatory as well as NK-mediated cytolytic activities in the initiation and persistence of CTL activity. Indeed, CD8(+) T-cell-dependent tumor rejection requires NK cell function in vivo, because tumors will progress both on depletion of NK cells or in the absence of optimal NK activity. Here we provide evidence that the absence of NK cells during subcutaneous tumor growth will abrogate generation of antitumor CTL responses and that this process can be linked to the expansion of alternatively activated monocytes. Indeed, our in vitro studies demonstrate that in splenic cultures from NK-deficient tumor-bearing mice, lack of type 1-associated cytokines correlates with the presence of type 2 (alternatively activated) monocytes and the production of type 2 cytokines. Furthermore, these type 2 monocyte-containing splenic adherent populations potently suppress subsequent memory CTL restimulation. We evaluated the role of NK lytic effector functions in the efficient switch of the immune system toward classical (type 1) activation by including differentially activated monocytic populations as targets in cytotoxicity assays. The results indicate that the accessory function of NK cells depends partially on the ability of activated NK cells to preferentially engage type 2 antigen-presenting cells. Thus, when the immune system tends to be type 2 oriented, NK cells can drive an efficient type 2 --> type 1 switch in the population of antigen-presenting cells to provide signaling for the generation of CTLs.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12393627&dopt=Abstract
J Bacteriol. 2003 Jan;185(1):231-42.
Multiple promoter inversions generate surface antigenic variation in Mycoplasma penetrans.
Horino A, Sasaki Y, Sasaki T, Kenri T.
Department of Bacterial Pathogenesis and Infection Control, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo 208-0011, Japan.
Mycoplasma penetrans is a newly identified species of the genus MYCOPLASMA: It was first isolated from a urine sample from a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patient. M. penetrans changes its surface antigen profile with high frequency. The changes originate from ON<==>OFF phase variations of the P35 family of surface membrane lipoproteins. The P35 family lipoproteins are major antigens recognized by the human immune system during M. penetrans infection and are encoded by the mpl genes. Phase variations of P35 family lipoproteins occur at the transcriptional level of mpl genes; however, the precise genetic mechanisms are unknown. In this study, the molecular mechanisms of surface antigen profile change in M. penetrans were investigated. The focus was on the 46-kDa protein that is present in M. penetrans strain HF-2 but not in the type strain, GTU. The 46-kDa protein was the product of a previously reported mpl gene, pepIMP13, with an amino-terminal sequence identical to that of the P35 family lipoproteins. Nucleotide sequencing analysis of the pepIMP13 gene region revealed that the promoter-containing 135-bp DNA of this gene had the structure of an invertible element that functioned as a switch for gene expression. In addition, all of the mpl genes of M. penetrans HF-2 were identified using the whole-genome sequence data that has recently become available for this bacterium. There are at least 38 mpl genes in the M. penetrans HF-2 genome. Interestingly, most of these mpl genes possess invertible promoter-like sequences, similar to those of the pepIMP13 gene promoter. A model for the generation of surface antigenic variation by multiple promoter inversions is proposed.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12486060&dopt=Abstract
Blood. 2002 Dec 15;100(13):4427-32. Epub 2002 Aug 15.
Fas-mediated apoptosis is important in regulating cell replication and death in trisomy 8 hematopoietic cells but not in cells with other cytogenetic abnormalities.
Sloand EM, Kim S, Fuhrer M, Risitano AM, Nakamura R, Maciejewski JP, Barrett AJ, Young NS.
Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892-1652, USA. sloandhlbi.nih.gov
Increased apoptosis of hematopoietic progenitor cells has been implicated in the pathophysiology of cytopenias associated with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs), and inhibition by immunosuppression may account for the success of this treatment in some patients. We examined bone marrow and peripheral blood of 25 patients with chromosomal abnormalities associated with MDS (monosomy 7, trisomy 8, and 5q-) for evidence of apoptosis. When fresh bone marrow was examined, the number of apoptotic and Fas-expressing CD34 cells was increased in patients with trisomy 8, but decreased in monosomy 7, as compared with healthy control donor marrow. Fas expression was increased in the trisomy 8 cells and decreased in the monosomy 7 cells when compared with normal cells from the same patient. Trisomy 8 cells were more likely to express activated caspase-3 than were normal cells. For bone marrow cells cultured with Fas agonist or Fas antagonist, the percentage of cells with trisomy 8 was significantly decreased in most cases after Fas receptor triggering and increased by Fas ligand (Fas-L) antagonist (P < 0.01), suggesting increased Fas susceptibility of cells with trisomy 8. No such changes were seen in cultures of cells with 5q- or monosomy 7. Fas antagonist facilitated the expansion of cells with trisomy 8 only. Cells with trisomy 8 appear to be more susceptible to Fas-mediated apoptosis. Clinical data demonstrating the responsiveness of some patients with trisomy 8 to anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporine (CsA) would favor an active role of the immune system in this syndrome.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12393649&dopt=Abstract
Blood. 2002 Dec 1;100(12):3950-9. Epub 2002 Jul 25.
Tumor suppression induced by intratumor administration of adenovirus vector expressing NK4, a 4-kringle antagonist of hepatocyte growth factor, and naive dendritic cells.
Kikuchi T, Maemondo M, Narumi K, Matsumoto K, Nakamura T, Nukiwa T.
Department of Respiratory Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Division of Cancer Control, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan. kikuchdac.tohoku.ac.jp
NK4, a 4-kringle antagonist of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), is a potent inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis and functions independently of its HGF-antagonistic activity. We have shown previously that in vivo genetic modification of tumors with an adenovirus vector that expresses NK4 (AdNK4) restrains tumor angiogenesis and slows the rate of tumor growth in vivo. In the present study, we investigated the hypothesis that this can be made more efficient by also administering bone marrow-generated dendritic cells (DCs) to the tumor. The data show that the growth of mouse subcutaneous tumors is significantly suppressed by direct administration of DCs into established tumors that had been pretreated with AdNK4 3 days previously. The synergistic antitumor effect produced by the combination therapy of AdNK4 with DCs correlated with the in vivo priming of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Analysis of mice treated with fluorescence-labeled DCs suggested that DCs injected into the flank tumor could migrate to lymphoid organs in vivo for activation of immune-relevant processes. Knockout mice experiments demonstrated that the tumor regression produced by this combination therapy depends on both major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I antigen presentation of DCs injected into the tumors and CD8(+) T cells of the treated host. Finally, a mechanism for this synergism was suggested by the histological observation that tumor necrosis and apoptosis were induced by genetic engineering of the tumors to express NK4. These findings should be useful in designing novel strategies that use a combination of 2 monotherapies directed against the vascular and immune systems for cancer therapy.
online pharmacy ref. source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12393687&dopt=Abstract
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