PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Jun Zou

Publications and source records attributed to Jun Zou.

42 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed2002

Microarray profile of differentially expressed genes in a monkey model of allergic asthma.

BACKGROUND: Inhalation of Ascaris suum antigen by allergic monkeys causes an immediate bronchoconstriction and delayed allergic reaction, including a pulmonary inflammatory infiltrate. To identify genes involved in this process, the gene-expression pattern of allergic monkey lungs was profiled by microarrays. Monkeys were challenged by inhalation of A. suum antigen or given interleukin-4 (IL-4) treatment; lung tissue was collected at 4, 18 or 24 h after antigen challenge or 24 h after IL-4. Each challenged monkey lung was compared to a pool of normal, unchallenged monkey lungs. RESULTS: Of the approximately 40,000 cDNAs represented on the microarray, expression levels of 169 changed by more than 2.5-fold in at least one of the pairwise probe comparisons; these cDNAs encoded 149 genes, of which two thirds are known genes. The largest number of regulated genes was observed 4 h after challenge. Confirmation of differential expression in the original tissue was obtained for 95% of a set of these genes using real-time PCR. Cluster analysis revealed at least five groups of genes with unique expression patterns. One cluster contained genes for several chemokine mediators including eotaxin, PARC, MCP-1 and MCP-3. Genes involved in tissue remodeling and antioxidant responses were also identified as regulated by antigen and IL-4 or by antigen only. CONCLUSION: This study provides a large-scale profile of gene expression in the primate lung following allergen or IL-4 challenge. It shows that microarrays, with real-time PCR, are a powerful tool for identifying and validating differentially expressed genes in a disease model.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

The first cytokine sequence within cartilaginous fish: IL-1 beta in the small spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula).

Cartilaginous fish are considered the most primitive living jawed vertebrates with a complex immune system typical of all jawed vertebrates. Cytokine homologs are found within jawless and bony fish, although no cytokine or cytokine receptor genes have been sequenced in cartilaginous fish. In this study the complete coding sequence of the small spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) IL-1beta gene is presented that contains a short 5' untranslated region (54 bp), a 903-bp open reading frame, a 379-bp 3' untranslated region, a polyadenylation signal, and eight mRNA instability motifs. The predicted translation (301 amino acids) has highest identity to trout IL-1beta (31.7%), with greatest homology within the putative 12 beta-sheets. The IL-1 family signature is also present, but there is no apparent signal peptide. As with other nonmammalian IL-1beta sequences, the IL-1-converting enzyme cut site is absent. Expression of the IL-1beta transcript is detectable by RT-PCR in the spleen and testes, induced in vivo with LPS. Furthermore, a 7-fold increase of transcript levels in splenocytes incubated for 5 h with LPS was seen. The genomic organization comprises six exons and five introns with highest homology seen in exons encoding the largest amount of secondary structure per amino acid. Southern blot analysis suggests at least two copies of the IL-1beta gene or genes related to the 3' end of the IL-1beta sequence are present in the catshark. The cloning of IL-1beta in S. canicula, the first cytokine sequenced within cartilaginous fish, verifies previous bioactivity evidence for the presence of inflammatory cytokines.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Cloning of a Salmo salar interleukin-1 receptor-like cDNA.

The interleukin-1 receptor/toll-like receptor (IL-1R/TLR) superfamily, defined by a cytosolic Toll/IL-1R (TIR) signalling domain, participates in host responses to injury and infection. We describe in this study the cloning of a cDNA encoding a Salmo salar interleukin-1 receptor-like protein (SalIL-1RLP). SalIL-1RLP comprises a potential signal peptide, three extracellular immunoglobulin domains, a short transmembrane region and an intracellular region that contains the TIR domain. The predicted amino acid sequence of SalIL-1RLP displays 43-44% similarities and 31% identities to chicken and human IL-1RI sequences. Within the intracellular region, SalIL-1RLP displays highest similarity (59%) and identity (46%) to the chicken IL-1RI sequence. Two different 5' distal UTRs were identified among six salmon IL-1RLP clones. The six clones, however, displayed identical 5' proximal UTRs, coding regions and 3' UTRs. SalIL-1RLP expression is induced in liver, head kidney, spleen and gills upon injection of salmon with bacterial lipopolysaccharide. Sequence comparisons, protein domain structures, expression patterns and phylogenetic analyses indicate that SalIL-1RLP is most closely related to type I interleukin-1 receptors and interleukin-1 receptor related proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Immunostimulation in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following intraperitoneal administration of Ergosan.

The present work provides information concerning the immunostimulatory activity of Ergosan, an algal based product, injected intraperitoneally in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Ergosan is composed of 0.002% unspecified plant extract, 1% alginic acid from Laminaria digitata, and 98.998% algal based carrier. Migration of leucocytes into the peritoneal cavity was stimulated at doses > or =1 mg ml(-1). A single dose of 1mg significantly augmented the proportion of neutrophils, degree of phagocytosis, respiratory burst activity and expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and one of the two known isoforms of trout tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF2) in peritoneal leucocytes at 1 day post-injection. Humoral immune parameters were less responsive to intraperitoneal Ergosan administration, with complement stimulation only evident in the 1mg treated group at 2 days post-injection. Antiprotease and lysozyme activity were unaffected by Ergosan over a 7-day time period at the doses examined.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed2002

Evolution of interleukin-1beta.

All jawed vertebrates possess a complex immune system, which is capable of anticipatory and innate immune responses. Jawless vertebrates possess an equally complex immune system but with no evidence of an anticipatory immune response. From these findings it has been speculated that the initiation and regulation of the immune system within vertebrates will be equally complex, although very little has been done to look at the evolution of cytokine genes, despite well-known biological activities within vertebrates. In recent years, cytokines, which have been well characterised within mammals, have begun to be cloned and sequenced within non-mammalian vertebrates, with the number of cytokine sequences available from primitive vertebrates growing rapidly. The identification of cytokines, which are mammalian homologues, will give a better insight into where immune system communicators arose and may also reveal molecules, which are unique to certain organisms. Work has focussed on interleukin-1 (IL-1), a major mediator of inflammation which initiates and/or increases a wide variety of non-structural, function associated genes that are characteristically expressed during inflammation. Other than mammalian IL-1beta sequences there are now full cDNA sequences and genomic organisations available from bird, amphibian, bony fish and cartilaginous fish, with many of these genes having been obtained using an homology cloning approach. This review considers how the IL-1beta gene has changed through vertebrate evolution and whether its role and regulation are conserved within selected non-mammalian vertebrates.

Amino Acid Sequence↗