American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 1997
Eotaxin is an eosinophil-specific chemokine associated with the recruitment of eosinophils to the... more Eotaxin is an eosinophil-specific chemokine associated with the recruitment of eosinophils to the site of allergic inflammation. The aims of this study were to determine the expression of eotaxin in nasal biopsies from allergic and nonallergic individuals with chronic severe sinusitis, and to examine whether the expression of this chemokine is upregulated following allergen challenge in the nasal mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis. We also undertook to phenotype of inflammatory cells within the submucosa expressing eotaxin mRNA. Nasal turbinate tissue from 16 individuals with allergic or nonallergic chronic sinusitis and 10 normal controls were examined for the presence of eotaxin mRNA and immunoreactivity by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. The numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA were also determined after either allergen or diluent challenge in atopic subjects with a history of allergic rhinitis. There was a constitutive expression of eotaxin-immunoreactivity and the presence of eotaxin mRNA-positive cells in nasal biopsies from normal individuals. Compared with normal controls, the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA and protein were significantly increased in both allergic and nonallergic sinusitis (P < 0.001). Eotaxin mRNA was expressed by nasal epithelial cells and primarily colocalized to CD68-positive macrophages within the subepithelium. In subjects with allergic rhinitis, allergen challenge markedly increased the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA and immunoreactivity in the epithelial and subepithelial cell layers (P < 0.05). This could be largely attributed to a local increase in eotaxin production within the nasal tissues. The results of this study demonstrate the constitutive expression of eotaxin and show that the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA are increased within the epithelial and subepithelial layers of the nasal mucosa in individuals with chronic sinusitis. Furthermore, allergen challenge of the nasal mucosa in atopic subjects results in a local upregulation of eotaxin expression. These data suggest a potential role for this chemokine in the pathogenesis of allergic and nonallergic eosinophilic inflammation characterizing chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2015
CD5 has been mainly described as a negative regulator of TCR and BCR signaling and recent evidenc... more CD5 has been mainly described as a negative regulator of TCR and BCR signaling and recent evidence has shown an important role for this receptor in delivering pro-survival signals. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain unresolved. TCR crosslinking leads to phosphorylation of three tyrosine residues within the cytoplasmic tail of CD5 (Y429, Y441 and Y463) leading to the recruitment of signaling molecules like PI3K, c-Cbl and RasGAP; nevertheless, the role of these residues in T cell survival has not yet been assessed. In this study, we show that alanine-scanning mutagenesis of such tyrosine residues, either singly or in combination, leads to an increased thymocyte cell death with or without α-CD3 stimulation. Remarkably, the T-cell death observed with each individual tyrosine mutant was Caspase 3-independent. Furthermore, Y429 mutation resulted in a hyper-phosphorylation of ERK suggesting that this tyrosine residue regulates cell survival through down modulation of TCR signaling. Mutation of Y441 or Y463 did not induce hyper-responsiveness to TCR activation, indicating that they promoted T-cell survival by a TCR signal-independent pathway. Our results show that three tyrosine-based domains within CD5 cytoplasmic tail promote T-cell survival through non-overlapping mechanisms. This study also reveals that Y429 domain of CD5, previously described as a "pseudo ITAM", is functionally an ITIM domain in T cells.
Background: Histamine is widely used as a pharmacological tool for the evaluation of airway respo... more Background: Histamine is widely used as a pharmacological tool for the evaluation of airway responsiveness; nevertheless, undesirable and contradictory effects have been described after histamine provocation tests. In previous studies conducted to evaluate airway responsiveness in guinea pig asthma model, the control groups consistently showed high neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) immediately after the histamine challenge. The changes in cytokine and chemokine levels in guinea pig lung associated to histamine induced-neutrophilia are described here. Findings: Immediately and 24 h after histamine challenge, airway wall and BALF eosinophil and neutrophil counts as well as lung cytokine (IL-5, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α and TGF-β) and chemokine (CCL11 and CXCL8) levels were evaluated. Histamine inhalation generated an all-or-none bronchial response, and the dose that induced airway obstruction was similar in all guinea pigs. An immediate increase in neutrophils counts...
Inhibins and Activins are members of the TGF-β superfamily that regulate the differentiation of s... more Inhibins and Activins are members of the TGF-β superfamily that regulate the differentiation of several cell types. These ligands were initially identified as hormones that regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis; however, increasing evidence has demonstrated that they are key regulators in the immune system. We have previously demonstrated that Inhibins are the main Activin ligands expressed in the murine thymus and that they regulate thymocyte differentiation, promoting the DN3-DN4 transition and the selection of SP thymocytes. As Inhibins are mainly produced by thymic stromal cells, which also express Activin receptors and Smad proteins, we hypothesized that Inhibins might play a role in stromal cell differentiation and function. Here, we demonstrate that, in the absence of Inhibins, thymic conventional dendritic cells display reduced levels of MHC Class II (MHCII) and CD86. In addition, the ratio between cTECs and mTECs was affected, indicating that mTEC differentiation was favoured and cTEC diminished in the absence of Inhibins. These changes appeared to impact thymocyte selection leading to a decreased selection of CD4SP thymocytes and increased generation of natural regulatory T cells. These findings demonstrate that Inhibins tune the T cell selection process by regulating both thymocyte and stromal cell differentiation.
ABSTRACT Background Airway eosinophilia and Th2 lymphocytes-recruitment to the lung are one of th... more ABSTRACT Background Airway eosinophilia and Th2 lymphocytes-recruitment to the lung are one of the main pathological features of asthma. It is clear now that the axis chemokine/chemokine receptors have a role in controlling leukocyte recruitment and development of the inflammatory process observed in asthma. Although it has been reported that CCR9 receptor is expressed in asthmatic patients, it is not known whether CCR9 may have a regulatory role of the development of this disease. Our aim was to analyze the expression of CCR9 in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation (WT) and compared to CCR9 deficient (KO) mice. Methods Four groups of 6 to 8 weeks female CCR9-deficient mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injections of 10 micrograms of ovalbumin (OVA) in alum (ALOH3) diluted in PBS, on days 1 and 8 of the established sensitization protocol. Aerosolised OVA was administered (1% in PBS) on days 15, 20 and 34. 24 hours after last OVA exposure, mice were sacrificed and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cells were obtained. Total and differential cell numbers were obtained and characterized cell subpopulations by FACS analysis. Cytokine/chemokine levels were quantified by ELISA and qRT-PCR respectively. Results Total cell numbers in BAL were no significantly different between WT and KO mice. Interestingly, reduction in the numbers of eosinophils was observed in CCR9 KO mice compared to WT mice. Histological analysis of lung tissue demonstrated a reduction in the granulocytic population (eosinophils) in CCR9 KO mice. Analysis of cell subpopulations by FACS demonstrated that CD4+ lymphocytes were significantly reduced but CD8+ and CD19+ lymphocytes numbers were not different between WT and CCR9-deficient mice. A population of CCR9+ Gr1+ was altered in KO mice and it correlated with cytological analysis. Furthermore, histological analysis demonstrated alteration in mucus production in allergic airway in CCR9 deficient mice, accompanied with a no-significant reduction of OVA-specific anti-IgE antibodies in serum at the time of analysis. Conclusions Altogether, these results suggest that CCR9 may be involved in recruitment of granulocytic cell subpopulation into the allergic airways and have an impact in the regulation of the chronic inflammatory process.
Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the traffic of leukocytes under homeostatic... more Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the traffic of leukocytes under homeostatic conditions and during specific immune responses. The chemokine-chemokine receptor system comprises almost 50 chemokines and approximately 20 chemokine receptors; thus, there is no unique ligand for each receptor and the binding of different chemokines to the same receptor might have disparate effects. Complicating the system further, these effects depend on the cellular milieu. In cancer, although chemokines are associated primarily with the generation of a protumoral microenvironment and organ-directed metastasis, they also mediate other phenomena related to disease progression, such as angiogenesis and even chemoresistance. Therefore, the chemokine system is becoming a target in cancer therapeutics. We review the emerging data and correlations between chemokines/chemokine receptors and breast cancer, their implications in cancer progression, and possible therapeutic strategies that exploit the chemokine system.
Studies have reported differences in lung cancer behavior between sex and hormonal status that su... more Studies have reported differences in lung cancer behavior between sex and hormonal status that suggest a role of estrogens and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in lung carcinogenesis. In some types of hormone-dependent cancer, estrogens may regulate CXCL12/CXCR4 expression through ERβ signaling. High expression of CXCL12/CXCR4 is associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer because it promotes tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, in this study we investigated whether lung adenocarcinoma tissues from pre- and postmenopausal women and from men exhibit different ERβ, CXCR4/CXCL12 expression and whether this expression is associated with clinicopathological features. Sixty primary tumor samples of lung adenocarcinoma from pre- and postmenopausal women and from men were collected for this study. Thirty samples of healthy lung tissue adjacent to the tumor site were used as controls. ERβ and CXCL12/CXCR4 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Expression of these proteins was measured by digital image software and compared between sex and hormonal status. Lung adenocarcinomas overexpressed ERβ, CXCR4 and CXCL12 compared to normal lung. Moreover, lung adenocarcinomas from premenopausal women exhibited higher signals for ERβ, CXCL12 and CXCR4 compared to postmenopausal women and to men, who showed lower signals for these proteins. A multivariate analysis revealed a strong association between the immunoreactivity level of ERβ, CXCL12/CXCR4 and both sex and hormonal status, but not with tumor stage and smoking. These results demonstrated that ERβ and CXCL12/CXCR4 expression in lung adenocarcinoma depends on sex and hormonal status, which may partly explain the sex and hormonal differences in lung cancer behavior.
Two major subsets of human Mo are identified based on CD14 and CD16 expression: the classical CD1... more Two major subsets of human Mo are identified based on CD14 and CD16 expression: the classical CD16(-) Mo and the minor CD14(+)CD16(+) Mo. In vitro studies suggested distinct function and differentiation potential for each cell population. However, the in vivo relevance of these findings remains unclear. To evaluate the development and function of human Mo in an in vivo model, we transferred both Mo subpopulations into the peritoneum of immunocompromised mice in homeostatic or inflammatory conditions. Inflammation was induced with soluble LPS or particulate zymosan. CD16(+) were more phagocytic and produced higher amounts of TNF and IL-6 than CD16(-) Mo early after transfer with zymosan. They also produced higher levels of β2-defensin in any condition evaluated, which could represent a new marker for this subpopulation. In contrast, differentiating CD16(-) Mo (24 h after transfer) acquired greater APC capacity in LPS-induced peritonitis, whereas none of the Mo subsets attained this ability with zymosan. CX(3)CL1 supported the survival of both Mo subsets in vivo. Similar Mo subpopulations were present in human peritonitis. These results support the idea of specialized roles of the Mo subset, where CD16(+) might act in an immediate innate immune response, whereas CD16(-) could have a major role as APCs.
American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, 1997
Eotaxin is an eosinophil-specific chemokine associated with the recruitment of eosinophils to the... more Eotaxin is an eosinophil-specific chemokine associated with the recruitment of eosinophils to the site of allergic inflammation. The aims of this study were to determine the expression of eotaxin in nasal biopsies from allergic and nonallergic individuals with chronic severe sinusitis, and to examine whether the expression of this chemokine is upregulated following allergen challenge in the nasal mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis. We also undertook to phenotype of inflammatory cells within the submucosa expressing eotaxin mRNA. Nasal turbinate tissue from 16 individuals with allergic or nonallergic chronic sinusitis and 10 normal controls were examined for the presence of eotaxin mRNA and immunoreactivity by in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. The numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA were also determined after either allergen or diluent challenge in atopic subjects with a history of allergic rhinitis. There was a constitutive expression of eotaxin-immunoreactivity and the presence of eotaxin mRNA-positive cells in nasal biopsies from normal individuals. Compared with normal controls, the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA and protein were significantly increased in both allergic and nonallergic sinusitis (P < 0.001). Eotaxin mRNA was expressed by nasal epithelial cells and primarily colocalized to CD68-positive macrophages within the subepithelium. In subjects with allergic rhinitis, allergen challenge markedly increased the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA and immunoreactivity in the epithelial and subepithelial cell layers (P < 0.05). This could be largely attributed to a local increase in eotaxin production within the nasal tissues. The results of this study demonstrate the constitutive expression of eotaxin and show that the numbers of cells expressing eotaxin mRNA are increased within the epithelial and subepithelial layers of the nasal mucosa in individuals with chronic sinusitis. Furthermore, allergen challenge of the nasal mucosa in atopic subjects results in a local upregulation of eotaxin expression. These data suggest a potential role for this chemokine in the pathogenesis of allergic and nonallergic eosinophilic inflammation characterizing chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2015
CD5 has been mainly described as a negative regulator of TCR and BCR signaling and recent evidenc... more CD5 has been mainly described as a negative regulator of TCR and BCR signaling and recent evidence has shown an important role for this receptor in delivering pro-survival signals. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain unresolved. TCR crosslinking leads to phosphorylation of three tyrosine residues within the cytoplasmic tail of CD5 (Y429, Y441 and Y463) leading to the recruitment of signaling molecules like PI3K, c-Cbl and RasGAP; nevertheless, the role of these residues in T cell survival has not yet been assessed. In this study, we show that alanine-scanning mutagenesis of such tyrosine residues, either singly or in combination, leads to an increased thymocyte cell death with or without α-CD3 stimulation. Remarkably, the T-cell death observed with each individual tyrosine mutant was Caspase 3-independent. Furthermore, Y429 mutation resulted in a hyper-phosphorylation of ERK suggesting that this tyrosine residue regulates cell survival through down modulation of TCR signaling. Mutation of Y441 or Y463 did not induce hyper-responsiveness to TCR activation, indicating that they promoted T-cell survival by a TCR signal-independent pathway. Our results show that three tyrosine-based domains within CD5 cytoplasmic tail promote T-cell survival through non-overlapping mechanisms. This study also reveals that Y429 domain of CD5, previously described as a "pseudo ITAM", is functionally an ITIM domain in T cells.
Background: Histamine is widely used as a pharmacological tool for the evaluation of airway respo... more Background: Histamine is widely used as a pharmacological tool for the evaluation of airway responsiveness; nevertheless, undesirable and contradictory effects have been described after histamine provocation tests. In previous studies conducted to evaluate airway responsiveness in guinea pig asthma model, the control groups consistently showed high neutrophil counts in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) immediately after the histamine challenge. The changes in cytokine and chemokine levels in guinea pig lung associated to histamine induced-neutrophilia are described here. Findings: Immediately and 24 h after histamine challenge, airway wall and BALF eosinophil and neutrophil counts as well as lung cytokine (IL-5, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α and TGF-β) and chemokine (CCL11 and CXCL8) levels were evaluated. Histamine inhalation generated an all-or-none bronchial response, and the dose that induced airway obstruction was similar in all guinea pigs. An immediate increase in neutrophils counts...
Inhibins and Activins are members of the TGF-β superfamily that regulate the differentiation of s... more Inhibins and Activins are members of the TGF-β superfamily that regulate the differentiation of several cell types. These ligands were initially identified as hormones that regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis; however, increasing evidence has demonstrated that they are key regulators in the immune system. We have previously demonstrated that Inhibins are the main Activin ligands expressed in the murine thymus and that they regulate thymocyte differentiation, promoting the DN3-DN4 transition and the selection of SP thymocytes. As Inhibins are mainly produced by thymic stromal cells, which also express Activin receptors and Smad proteins, we hypothesized that Inhibins might play a role in stromal cell differentiation and function. Here, we demonstrate that, in the absence of Inhibins, thymic conventional dendritic cells display reduced levels of MHC Class II (MHCII) and CD86. In addition, the ratio between cTECs and mTECs was affected, indicating that mTEC differentiation was favoured and cTEC diminished in the absence of Inhibins. These changes appeared to impact thymocyte selection leading to a decreased selection of CD4SP thymocytes and increased generation of natural regulatory T cells. These findings demonstrate that Inhibins tune the T cell selection process by regulating both thymocyte and stromal cell differentiation.
ABSTRACT Background Airway eosinophilia and Th2 lymphocytes-recruitment to the lung are one of th... more ABSTRACT Background Airway eosinophilia and Th2 lymphocytes-recruitment to the lung are one of the main pathological features of asthma. It is clear now that the axis chemokine/chemokine receptors have a role in controlling leukocyte recruitment and development of the inflammatory process observed in asthma. Although it has been reported that CCR9 receptor is expressed in asthmatic patients, it is not known whether CCR9 may have a regulatory role of the development of this disease. Our aim was to analyze the expression of CCR9 in a murine model of allergic airway inflammation (WT) and compared to CCR9 deficient (KO) mice. Methods Four groups of 6 to 8 weeks female CCR9-deficient mice were sensitized by intraperitoneal injections of 10 micrograms of ovalbumin (OVA) in alum (ALOH3) diluted in PBS, on days 1 and 8 of the established sensitization protocol. Aerosolised OVA was administered (1% in PBS) on days 15, 20 and 34. 24 hours after last OVA exposure, mice were sacrificed and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cells were obtained. Total and differential cell numbers were obtained and characterized cell subpopulations by FACS analysis. Cytokine/chemokine levels were quantified by ELISA and qRT-PCR respectively. Results Total cell numbers in BAL were no significantly different between WT and KO mice. Interestingly, reduction in the numbers of eosinophils was observed in CCR9 KO mice compared to WT mice. Histological analysis of lung tissue demonstrated a reduction in the granulocytic population (eosinophils) in CCR9 KO mice. Analysis of cell subpopulations by FACS demonstrated that CD4+ lymphocytes were significantly reduced but CD8+ and CD19+ lymphocytes numbers were not different between WT and CCR9-deficient mice. A population of CCR9+ Gr1+ was altered in KO mice and it correlated with cytological analysis. Furthermore, histological analysis demonstrated alteration in mucus production in allergic airway in CCR9 deficient mice, accompanied with a no-significant reduction of OVA-specific anti-IgE antibodies in serum at the time of analysis. Conclusions Altogether, these results suggest that CCR9 may be involved in recruitment of granulocytic cell subpopulation into the allergic airways and have an impact in the regulation of the chronic inflammatory process.
Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the traffic of leukocytes under homeostatic... more Chemokines are small proteins that primarily regulate the traffic of leukocytes under homeostatic conditions and during specific immune responses. The chemokine-chemokine receptor system comprises almost 50 chemokines and approximately 20 chemokine receptors; thus, there is no unique ligand for each receptor and the binding of different chemokines to the same receptor might have disparate effects. Complicating the system further, these effects depend on the cellular milieu. In cancer, although chemokines are associated primarily with the generation of a protumoral microenvironment and organ-directed metastasis, they also mediate other phenomena related to disease progression, such as angiogenesis and even chemoresistance. Therefore, the chemokine system is becoming a target in cancer therapeutics. We review the emerging data and correlations between chemokines/chemokine receptors and breast cancer, their implications in cancer progression, and possible therapeutic strategies that exploit the chemokine system.
Studies have reported differences in lung cancer behavior between sex and hormonal status that su... more Studies have reported differences in lung cancer behavior between sex and hormonal status that suggest a role of estrogens and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) in lung carcinogenesis. In some types of hormone-dependent cancer, estrogens may regulate CXCL12/CXCR4 expression through ERβ signaling. High expression of CXCL12/CXCR4 is associated with poor prognosis in lung cancer because it promotes tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, in this study we investigated whether lung adenocarcinoma tissues from pre- and postmenopausal women and from men exhibit different ERβ, CXCR4/CXCL12 expression and whether this expression is associated with clinicopathological features. Sixty primary tumor samples of lung adenocarcinoma from pre- and postmenopausal women and from men were collected for this study. Thirty samples of healthy lung tissue adjacent to the tumor site were used as controls. ERβ and CXCL12/CXCR4 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Expression of these proteins was measured by digital image software and compared between sex and hormonal status. Lung adenocarcinomas overexpressed ERβ, CXCR4 and CXCL12 compared to normal lung. Moreover, lung adenocarcinomas from premenopausal women exhibited higher signals for ERβ, CXCL12 and CXCR4 compared to postmenopausal women and to men, who showed lower signals for these proteins. A multivariate analysis revealed a strong association between the immunoreactivity level of ERβ, CXCL12/CXCR4 and both sex and hormonal status, but not with tumor stage and smoking. These results demonstrated that ERβ and CXCL12/CXCR4 expression in lung adenocarcinoma depends on sex and hormonal status, which may partly explain the sex and hormonal differences in lung cancer behavior.
Two major subsets of human Mo are identified based on CD14 and CD16 expression: the classical CD1... more Two major subsets of human Mo are identified based on CD14 and CD16 expression: the classical CD16(-) Mo and the minor CD14(+)CD16(+) Mo. In vitro studies suggested distinct function and differentiation potential for each cell population. However, the in vivo relevance of these findings remains unclear. To evaluate the development and function of human Mo in an in vivo model, we transferred both Mo subpopulations into the peritoneum of immunocompromised mice in homeostatic or inflammatory conditions. Inflammation was induced with soluble LPS or particulate zymosan. CD16(+) were more phagocytic and produced higher amounts of TNF and IL-6 than CD16(-) Mo early after transfer with zymosan. They also produced higher levels of β2-defensin in any condition evaluated, which could represent a new marker for this subpopulation. In contrast, differentiating CD16(-) Mo (24 h after transfer) acquired greater APC capacity in LPS-induced peritonitis, whereas none of the Mo subsets attained this ability with zymosan. CX(3)CL1 supported the survival of both Mo subsets in vivo. Similar Mo subpopulations were present in human peritonitis. These results support the idea of specialized roles of the Mo subset, where CD16(+) might act in an immediate innate immune response, whereas CD16(-) could have a major role as APCs.
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