A liver protein fraction regulating hormone-dependent in vitro transcription from the vitellogenin genes induces their expression in Xenopus oocytes.

Xenopus laevis oocytes were used to assay for trans-acting factors shown previously to be involved in the liver-specific regulation of the vitellogenin genes in vitro. To this end, crude liver nuclear extracts obtained from adult estrogen-induced Xenopus females were fractionated by heparin-Sepharose chromatography using successive elutions with 0.1, 0.35, 0.6, and 1.0 M KCl. When these four fractions were injected into oocytes, only the 0.6-M KCl protein fraction significantly stimulated mRNA synthesis from the endogenous B class vitellogenin genes. This same fraction induced estrogen-dependent in vitro transcription from the vitellogenin B1 promoter, suggesting that it contains at least a minimal set of basal transcription factors as well as two positive factors essential for vitellogenin in vitro transcription, i.e. the NF-I-like liver factor B and the estrogen receptor (ER). The presence of these two latter factors was determined by footprinting and gel retardation assays, respectively. In contrast, injection of an expression vector carrying the sequence encoding the ER was unable to activate transcription from the oocyte chromosomal vitellogenin genes. This suggests that the ER alone cannot overcome tissue-specific barriers and that one or several additional liver components participate in mediating tissue-specific expression of the vitellogenin genes. In this respect, we present evidence that the oocyte germinal vesicles contain an NF-I-like activity different from that found in hepatocytes of adult frogs. This observation might explain the lack of vitellogenin gene activation in oocytes injected with the ER cDNA only.

Cloning of an interferon-gamma regulated human melanoma-associated antigen: identity to the intercellular adhesion molecule ICAM-1.

The human melanoma-associated antigen identified by the monoclonal antibody (mAb) Me14-D12 is a cell surface protein whose expression is induced by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). We have recently reported the molecular cloning of a genomic probe specific for the gene and mRNA of this protein. By screening with the genomic probe, we have now isolated a full length 3.0 kb cDNA from a Raji cell line-derived lambda-gt10 library. Sequence analysis of this cDNA showed a 99.8% homology with the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Mouse Ltk- cells stably transfected with the human cDNA clone were found to express the ICAM-1 antigenic determinants detected by mAb Me14-D12 and a reference anti-ICAM-1 mAb, as judged by surface immunofluorescence. Immunoprecipitation of surface-iodinated proteins with mAb Me14-D12 revealed the presence of a 90 kD molecule with identical mobility to ICAM-1. In addition, mAb Me14-D12 could inhibit the phorbolester-stimulated aggregation of U937 cells. The findings show that the human melanoma-associated Me14-D12 antigen is the adhesion molecule ICAM-1.

Induction of macrophage nitric oxide production by interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha is enhanced by interleukin-10.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) has been reported to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and microbicidal activity of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-stimulated macrophages (M phi) by preventing the secretion of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) which serves as an autocrine activating signal. We have examined the effects of recombinant IL-10 on the capacity of IFN-gamma together with exogenous TNF-alpha to induce NO synthesis by bone marrow-derived M phi. Under these conditions and in contrast to its reported deactivating potential, IL-10 strongly enhanced NO synthesis measured as nitrite (NO2-) release (half maximal stimulation at approximately 10 U/ml). IL-10 further increased NO2- production by M phi stimulated in the presence of optimal concentrations of prostaglandin E2, a positive modulator of M phi activation by IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha. Increased steady state levels of NO synthase mRNA were observed in 4-h IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha cultures and enhanced NO2(-)-release was evident 24 h but not 48 h after stimulation. These results suggest that the effects of IL-10 on M phi function are more complex than previously recognized.

Simultaneous coexpression of memory-related and effector-related genes by individual human CD8 T cells depends on antigen specificity and differentiation.

Phenotypic and functional cell properties are usually analyzed at the level of defined cell populations but not single cells. Yet, large differences between individual cells may have important functional consequences. It is likely that T-cell-mediated immunity depends on the polyfunctionality of individual T cells, rather than the sum of functions of responding T-cell subpopulations. We performed highly sensitive single-cell gene expression profiling, allowing the direct ex vivo characterization of individual virus-specific and tumor-specific T cells from healthy donors and melanoma patients. We have previously shown that vaccination with the natural tumor peptide Melan-A-induced T cells with superior effector functions as compared with vaccination with the analog peptide optimized for enhanced HLA-A*0201 binding. Here we found that natural peptide vaccination induced tumor-reactive CD8 T cells with frequent coexpression of both memory/homing-associated genes (CD27, IL7R, EOMES, CXCR3, and CCR5) and effector-related genes (IFNG, KLRD1, PRF1, and GZMB), comparable with protective Epstein-Barr virus-specific and cytomegalovirus-specific T cells. In contrast, memory/homing-associated and effector-associated genes were less frequently coexpressed after vaccination with the analog peptide. Remarkably, these findings reveal a previously unknown level of gene expression diversity among vaccine-specific and virus-specific T cells with the simultaneous coexpression of multiple memory/homing-related and effector-related genes by the same cell. Such broad functional gene expression signatures within antigen-specific T cells may be critical for mounting efficient responses to pathogens or tumors. In summary, direct ex vivo high-resolution molecular characterization of individual T cells provides key insights into the processes shaping the functional properties of tumor-specific and virus-specific T cells.

Expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha gene is stimulated by stress and follows a diurnal rhythm.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are nuclear hormone receptors that can be activated by fatty acids and peroxisome proliferators. The PPAR alpha subtype mediates the pleiotropic effects of these activators in liver and regulates several target genes involved in fatty acid catabolism. In primary hepatocytes cultured in vitro, the PPAR alpha gene is regulated at the transcriptional level by glucocorticoids. We investigated if this hormonal regulation also occurs in the whole animal in physiological situations leading to increased plasma corticosterone levels in rats. We show here that an immobilization stress is a potent and rapid stimulator of PPAR alpha expression in liver but not in hippocampus. The injection of the synthetic glucocorticoid dexamethasone into adult rats produces a similar increase in PPAR alpha expression in liver, whereas the administration of the antiglucocorticoid RU 486 inhibits the stress-dependent stimulation. We conclude that glucocorticoids are major mediators of the stress response. Consistent with this hormonal regulation, hepatic PPAR alpha mRNA and protein levels follow a diurnal rhythm, which parallels that of circulating corticosterone. To test the effects of variations in PPAR alpha expression on PPAR alpha target gene activity, high glucocorticoid-dependent PPAR alpha expression was mimicked in cultured primary hepatocytes. Under these conditions, hormonal stimulation of receptor expression synergizes with receptor activation by WY-14,643 to induce the expression of the PPAR alpha target gene acyl-CoA oxidase. Together, these results show that regulation of the PPAR alpha expression levels efficiently modulates PPAR activator signaling and thus may affect downstream metabolic pathways involved in lipid homeostasis.

Transgenic reexpression of GLUT1 or GLUT2 in pancreatic beta cells rescues GLUT2-null mice from early death and restores normal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

GLUT2-null mice are hyperglycemic, hypoinsulinemic, hyperglucagonemic, and glycosuric and die within the first 3 weeks of life. Their endocrine pancreas shows a loss of first phase glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and inverse alpha to beta cell ratio. Here we show that reexpression by transgenesis of either GLUT1 or GLUT2 in the pancreatic beta cells of these mice allowed mouse survival and breeding. The rescued mice had normal-fed glycemia but fasted hypoglycemia, glycosuria, and an elevated glucagon to insulin ratio. Glucose tolerance was, however, normal. In vivo, insulin secretion assessed following hyperglycemic clamps was normal. In vitro, islet perifusion studies revealed that first phase of insulin secretion was restored as well by GLUT1 or GLUT2, and this was accompanied by normalization of the glucose utilization rate. The ratio of pancreatic insulin to glucagon and volume densities of alpha to beta cells were, however, not corrected. These data demonstrate that 1) reexpression of GLUT1 or GLUT2 in beta cells is sufficient to rescue GLUT2-null mice from lethality, 2) GLUT1 as well as GLUT2 can restore normal GSIS, 3) restoration of GSIS does not correct the abnormal composition of the endocrine pancreas. Thus, normal GSIS does not depend on transporter affinity but on the rate of uptake at stimulatory glucose concentrations.

Down-regulation of interferon signature in systemic lupus erythematosus patients by active immunization with interferon α-kinoid.

OBJECTIVE: We developed interferon-α-kinoid (IFN-K), a drug composed of inactivated IFNα coupled to a carrier protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin. In human IFNα-transgenic mice, IFN-K induces polyclonal antibodies that neutralize all 13 subtypes of human IFNα. We also previously demonstrated that IFN-K slows disease progression in a mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study was undertaken to examine the safety, immunogenicity, and biologic effects of active immunization with IFN-K in patients with SLE. METHODS: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase I/II dose-escalation study comparing 3 or 4 doses of 30 μg, 60 μg, 120 μg, or 240 μg of IFN-K or placebo in 28 women with mild to moderate SLE. RESULTS: IFN-K was well tolerated. Two SLE flares were reported as serious adverse events, one in the placebo group and the other in a patient who concomitantly stopped corticosteroids 2 days after the first IFN-K dose, due to mild fever not related to infection. Transcriptome analysis was used to separate patients at baseline into IFN signature-positive and -negative groups, based on the spontaneous expression of IFN-induced genes. IFN-K induced anti-IFNα antibodies in all immunized patients. Notably, significantly higher anti-IFNα titers were found in signature-positive patients than in signature-negative patients. In IFN signature-positive patients, IFN-K significantly reduced the expression of IFN-induced genes. The decrease in IFN score correlated with the anti-IFNα antibody titer. Serum complement C3 levels were significantly increased in patients with high anti-IFNα antibody titers. CONCLUSION: These results show that IFN-K is well tolerated, immunogenic, and significantly improves disease biomarkers in SLE patients, indicating that further studies of its clinical efficacy are warranted.

Mice from a genetically resistant background lacking the interferon gamma receptor are susceptible to infection with Leishmania major but mount a polarized T helper cell 1-type CD4+ T cell response.

Mice with homologous disruption of the gene coding for the ligand-binding chain of the interferon (IFN) gamma receptor and derived from a strain genetically resistant to infection with Leishmania major have been used to study further the role of this cytokine in the differentiation of functional CD4+ T cell subsets in vivo and resistance to infection. Wild-type 129/Sv/Ev mice are resistant to infection with this parasite, developing only small lesions, which resolve spontaneously within 6 wk. In contrast, mice lacking the IFN-gamma receptor develop large, progressing lesions. After infection, lymph nodes (LN) and spleens from both wild-type and knockout mice showed an expansion of CD4+ cells producing IFN-gamma as revealed by measuring IFN-gamma in supernatants of specifically stimulated CD4+ T cells, by enumerating IFN-gamma-producing T cells, and by Northern blot analysis of IFN-gamma transcripts. No biologically active interleukin (IL) 4 was detected in supernatants of in vitro-stimulated LN or spleen cells from infected wild-type or deficient mice. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis with primers specific for IL-4 showed similar IL-4 message levels in LN from both types of mice. The IL-4 message levels observed were comparable to those found in similarly infected C57BL/6 mice and significantly lower than the levels found in BALB/c mice. Anti-IFN-gamma treatment of both types of mice failed to alter the pattern of cytokines produced after infection. These data show that even in the absence of IFN-gamma receptors, T helper cell (Th) 1-type responses still develop in genetically resistant mice with no evidence for the expansion of Th2 cells.

Transcriptomics of In Vitro Immune-Stimulated Hemocytes from the Manila Clam Ruditapes philippinarum Using High-Throughput Sequencing

The Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) is a worldwide cultured bivalve species with important commercial value. Diseases affecting this species can result in large economic losses. Because knowledge of the molecular mechanisms of the immune response in bivalves, especially clams, is scarce and fragmentary, we sequenced RNA from immune-stimulated R. philippinarum hemocytes by 454-pyrosequencing to identify genes involved in their immune defense against infectious diseases.

Sleep in vitro : Erk pathway regulates sleep duration and sleep related genes

To date, for most biological and physiological phenomena, the scientific community has reach a consensus on their related function, except for sleep, which has an undetermined, albeit mystery, function. To further our understanding of sleep function(s), we first focused on the level of complexity at which sleep-like phenomenon can be observed. This lead to the development of an in vitro model. The second approach was to understand the molecular and cellular pathways regulating sleep and wakefulness, using both our in vitro and in vivo models. The third approach (ongoing) is to look across evolution when sleep or wakefulness appears. (1) To address the question as to whether sleep is a cellular property and how this is linked to the entire brain functioning, we developed a model of sleep in vitro by using dissociated primary cortical cultures. We aimed at simulating the major characteristics of sleep and wakefulness in vitro. We have shown that mature cortical cultures display a spontaneous electrical activity similar to sleep. When these cultures are stimulated by waking neurotransmitters, they show a tonic firing activity, similar to wakefulness, but return spontaneously to the "sleep-like" state 24h after stimulation. We have also shown that transcriptional, electrophysiological, and metabolic correlates of sleep and wakefulness can be reliably detected in dissociated cortical cultures. (2) To further understand at which molecular and cellular levels changes between sleep and wakefulness occur, we have used a pharmacological and systematic gene transcription approach in vitro and discovered a major role played by the Erk pathway. Indeed, pharmacological inhibition of this pathway in living animals decreased sleep by 2 hours per day and consolidated both sleep and wakefulness by reducing their fragmentation. (3) Finally, we tried to evaluate the presence of sleep in one of the most primitive species with a neural network. We set up Hydra as a model organism. We hypothesized that sleep as a cellular (neuronal) property may occur with the appearance of the most primitive nervous system. We were able to show that Hydra have periodic rest phases amounting to up to 5 hours per day. In conclusion, our work established an in vitro model to study sleep, discovered one of the major signaling pathways regulating vigilance states, and strongly suggests that sleep is a cellular property highly conserved at the molecular level during evolution. -- Jusqu'à ce jour, la communauté scientifique s'est mise d'accord sur la fonction d'une majorité des processus physiologiques, excepté pour le sommeil. En effet, la fonction du sommeil reste un mystère, et aucun consensus n'est atteint le concernant. Pour mieux comprendre la ou les fonctions du sommeil, (1) nous nous sommes d'abord concentré sur le niveau de complexité auquel un état ressemblant au sommeil peut être observé. Nous avons ainsi développé un modèle du sommeil in vitro, (2) nous avons disséqué les mécanismes moléculaires et cellulaires qui pourraient réguler le sommeil, (3) nous avons cherché à savoir si un état de sommeil peut être trouvé dans l'hydre, l'animal le plus primitif avec un système nerveux. (1) Pour répondre à la question de savoir à quel niveau de complexité apparaît un état de sommeil ou d'éveil, nous avons développé un modèle du sommeil, en utilisant des cellules dissociées de cortex. Nous avons essayé de reproduire les corrélats du sommeil et de l'éveil in vitro. Pour ce faire, nous avons développé des cultures qui montrent les signes électrophysiologiques du sommeil, puis quand stimulées chimiquement passent à un état proche de l'éveil et retournent dans un état de sommeil 24 heures après la stimulation. Notre modèle n'est pas parfait, mais nous avons montré que nous pouvions obtenir les corrélats électrophysiologiques, transcriptionnels et métaboliques du sommeil dans des cellules corticales dissociées. (2) Pour mieux comprendre ce qui se passe au niveau moléculaire et cellulaire durant les différents états de vigilance, nous avons utilisé ce modèle in vitro pour disséquer les différentes voies de signalisation moléculaire. Nous avons donc bloqué pharmacologiquement les voies majeures. Nous avons mis en évidence la voie Erkl/2 qui joue un rôle majeur dans la régulation du sommeil et dans la transcription des gènes qui corrèlent avec le cycle veille-sommeil. En effet, l'inhibition pharmacologique de cette voie chez la souris diminue de 2 heures la quantité du sommeil journalier et consolide l'éveil et le sommeil en diminuant leur fragmentation. (3) Finalement, nous avons cherché la présence du sommeil chez l'Hydre. Pour cela, nous avons étudié le comportement de l'Hydre pendant 24-48h et montrons que des périodes d'inactivité, semblable au sommeil, sont présentes dans cette espèce primitive. L'ensemble de ces travaux indique que le sommeil est une propriété cellulaire, présent chez tout animal avec un système nerveux et régulé par une voie de signalisation phylogénétiquement conservée.

Viral and cellular modulation of virus-induced apoptosis in experimental infection models

The aim of this study was to investigate herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)- and measles virus (MV)-induced cell death. HSV-1 with deletion in genes encoding infected cell protein (ICP)4 and protein kinase Us3 (d120) induced apoptosis and cathepsin activation in epithelial (HEp-2) and monocytic (U937) cells. Inhibition of cathepsin activity decreased the amount of d120-induced apoptosis indicating that d120-induced apoptosis could be cathepsin-mediated. Also, HSV-1 infection increased caspase activation suggesting that d120-induced apoptosis is probably caspase-mediated. Cystatin treatment decreased the activity of cathepsins and the replication of HSV-1 indicating that cathepsins contribute to HSV-1 infection. Interestingly, d120 induced also necroptosis in monocytic cells. This is the first report on necroptosis in HSV-1- infected cells. MV induced apoptosis in uninfected bystander T lymphocytes, probably via interaction of MV-infected monocytes with uninfected lymphocytes. The expression of death receptor Fas was clearly increased on the surface of lymphocytes. The number of apoptotic cells and the activation of cathepsins and caspases were increased in MVinfected U937 cells suggesting that MV-induced apoptosis could be cathepsin- and caspase-mediated. Cystatin treatment inhibited cathepsin activities but not MV-induced apoptosis. Besides HSV-1-induced apoptosis, innate immune responses were studied in HSV-1-infection. HSV-1 viruses with either ICP4 and Us3, or Us3 deletion only, increased the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and stimulated its downstream pathways leading to increased expression of type I interferon gene and to functional interferons. These findings suggest that besides controlling apoptosis, HSV-1 ICP4 and Us3 genes are involved in the control of TLR3 response in infected cell.

Interferon gamma is a key cytokine in lung phase immunity to schistosomes but what is its precise role?

Vaccination of mice with radiation-attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma mansoni induces a high level of protection against challenge with normal larvae. The immune effector mechanism, which operates in the lungs, is a cell-mediated delayed-type hypersensitivity response and involves the formation of a tight focus of mononuclear cells around embolised larvae. CD4+ T cells with Th1 characteristics are a major component of the infiltrate. They secrete abundant interferon gamma (IFNg) upon antigen stimulation in vitro, whilst in vivo neutralisation of the cytokine results in 90% abrogation of immunity. IFNg can induce a large number of genes and an attempt has been made to identify the ones which are essential components of the effector mechanism. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is such a candidate and nitric oxide (NO) is produced by cultures of airway leucocytes from the lungs of vaccinated mice post-challenge. However, the continued resistance of mice with a disrupted iNOS gene indicates that NO has only a minor role in the protective response. Mice with a disrupted IFNg receptor gene have been used to dissect the role of the cytokine. After vaccination and challenge, CD4+ T cells from the pulmonary interstitium have reduced levels of ICAM-1 and LFA-1 expression, compared to wild-type animals, which coincides with a reduced cohesiveness of foci. However, immunity is not significantly impaired in mice with a disrupted ICAM-1 gene, and focus formation is normal. Similarly, a role has not been found for CD2/CD48 interactions in cell aggregation. Possible IFNg-inducible molecules yet to be fully investigated include other ligand-receptor pairs, chemokines, and tumour necrosis factor a.

Effect of metabolic control on interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells from type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the production of cytokines, interferon-g (INF-g) and interleukin-10 (IL-10), in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients and to correlate it with inadequate and adequate metabolic control. We studied 11 type 1 and 13 type 2 diabetic patients and 21 healthy individuals divided into two groups (N = 11 and 10) paired by sex and age with type 1 and type 2 diabetic patients. The PBMC cultures were stimulated with concanavalin-A to measure INF-g and IL-10 supernatant concentration by ELISA. For patients with inadequate metabolic control, the cultures were performed on the first day of hospitalization and again after intensive treatment to achieve adequate control. INF-g levels in the supernatants of type 1 diabetic patient cultures were higher compared to type 2 diabetic patients with adequate metabolic control (P < 0.001). Additionally, INF-g and IL-10 tended to increase the liberation of PBMC from type 1 and 2 diabetic patients with adequate metabolic control (P = 0.009 and 0.09, respectively). The increased levels of INF-g and IL-10 released from PBMC of type 1 and 2 diabetic patients with adequate metabolic control suggest that diabetic control improves the capacity of activation and maintenance of the immune response, reducing the susceptibility to infections.

Interleukin-10-dependent down-regulation of interferon-gamma response to Leishmania by Mycobacterium leprae antigens during the clinical course of a coinfection

We have described a case of a patient with an intriguing association of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis with lepromatous leprosy, two opposite polar forms of these spectral diseases. In the present follow-up study, we investigated the effect of the addition of Mycobacterium leprae antigens on interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) production in Leishmania antigen-stimulated cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from this patient. For this purpose, PBMC cultures were stimulated with crude L. braziliensis and/or M. leprae whole-cell antigen extracts or with concanavalin A. In some experiments, neutralizing anti-human interleukin (IL)-10 antibodies were added to the cultures. IFN-γ and IL-10 levels in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA. During active leprosy, M. leprae antigens induced 72.3% suppression of the IFN-γ response to L. braziliensis antigen, and this suppression was abolished by IL-10 neutralization. Interestingly, the suppressive effect of M. leprae antigen was lost after the cure of leprosy and the disappearance of this effect was accompanied by exacerbation of mucosal leishmaniasis. Considered together, these results provide evidence that the concomitant lepromatous leprosy induced an IL-10-mediated regulatory response that controlled the immunopathology of mucosal leishmaniasis, demonstrating that, in the context of this coinfection, the specific immune response to one pathogen can influence the immune response to the other pathogen and the clinical course of the disease caused by it. Our findings may contribute to a better understanding of the Leishmania/M. leprae coinfection and of the immunopathogenesis of mucosal leishmaniasis.

Genome-wide location analysis and expression studies reveal a role for p110 CUX1 in the activation of DNA replication genes.

Proteolytic processing of the CUX1 transcription factor generates an isoform, p110 that accelerates entry into S phase. To identify targets of p110 CUX1 that are involved in cell cycle progression, we performed genome-wide location analysis using a promoter microarray. Since there are no antibodies that specifically recognize p110, but not the full-length protein, we expressed physiological levels of a p110 isoform with two tags and purified chromatin by tandem affinity purification (ChAP). Conventional ChIP performed on synchronized populations of cells confirmed that p110 CUX1 is recruited to the promoter of cell cycle-related targets preferentially during S phase. Multiple approaches including silencing RNA (siRNA), transient infection with retroviral vectors, constitutive expression and reporter assays demonstrated that most cell cycle targets are activated whereas a few are repressed or not affected by p110 CUX1. Functional classes that were over-represented among targets included DNA replication initiation. Consistent with this finding, constitutive expression of p110 CUX1 led to a premature and more robust induction of replication genes during cell cycle progression, and stimulated the long-term replication of a plasmid bearing the oriP replicator of Epstein Barr virus (EBV).