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Enhanced expression of NGF receptors in multiple sclerosis lesions.

The receptor for nerve growth factor (NGF) comprises a 75-kDa (NGFRp75) and a tyrosine kinase A (TrkA) subunit. In view of conflicting opinions on the identity of glial targets of NGF in human central nervous system (CNS), we examined the cellular distribution of both NGF receptor subunits in normal CNS and in chronic multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions. For this, we compared the pattern of recognition of 2 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and a polyclonal antiserum to NGFRp75. Only the 2 mAbs specifically recognized NGFRp75, while the polyclonal antiserum showed widespread reactivity. In normal CNS and silent MS lesions, immunohistochemistry with anti-NGFRp75 mAbs and for TrkA revealed perivascular cell reactivity. At the edge of chronic active MS lesions, selective NGFRp75 staining was prominent on reactive astrocytes, while throughout the lesion, NGFRp75 was expressed on microglia/macrophages. The vast majority of mature or precursor oligodendrocytes did not express NGFRp75. Both NGF receptors were co-expressed on a subset of inflammatory cells. Immunoreactivity for NGFRp75 on glial and immune cells did not correlate with the distribution of apoptotic figures, as detected by TUNEL. Thus, expression of NGF receptors in active MS lesions suggests a role for NGF in regulating the autoimmune response at both immune and glial cell levels.

Antibodies↗

Bidirectional modulation of basal forebrain N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor function differentially affects visual attention but not visual discrimination performance.

Basal forebrain neuronal circuits, specifically the corticopetal cholinergic system, mediate attentional abilities. The effects of infusions of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and the competitive NMDA receptor antagonist DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (APV) into the basal forebrain were assessed in rats trained in an operant task designed to generate measures of sustained attention performance. Control animals were trained in a cued visual discrimination task devoid of explicit demands on attentional performance, but involving similar basic operant components as the sustained attention task. The effects of intrabasalis infusions of NMDA (1, 3 and 6nmol) and APV (3, 10 and 20nmol) were tested in separate groups of animals. Infusion of neither drug affected the animals' response accuracy in the cued visual discrimination task, indicating that performance in this task remains insufficient to activate basal forebrain NMDA receptors. Infusions of APV in sustained attention task-performing animals selectively decreased the animals' ability to detect visual signals, but spared their ability to reject non-signal events. Conversely, infusions of NMDA into the basal forebrain did not affect the animals' hit rate but increased their number of false alarms, i.e. "claims" for signals in non-signal trials. The concentrations of NMDA infused into the basal forebrain did not result in neurotoxic effects as demonstrated by a separate experiment, which indicated neurodegeneration following the infusion of 30 nmol NMDA as visualized by the Fluoro-Jade method.The effects of APV correspond with the attentional consequences of other manipulations known to impair the functions of cortical cholinergic input. Conversely, the effects of NMDA infusions agree with the hypothesis that overactivity of cortical cholinergic inputs mediates an abnormal overprocessing of the stimulus situation. Basal forebrain NMDA receptor manipulations assist in determining the role of this neuronal system in cognitive processes.

2-Amino-5-phosphonovalerate↗

Isolation of a novel member of small G protein superfamily and its expression in colon cancer.

AIM: APMCF1 is a novel human gene whose transcripts are up-regulated in apoptotic MCF-7 cells. In order to learn more about this gene's function in other tumors, we cloned its full length cDNA and prepared its polyclonal antibody to investigate its expression in colon cancers with immunohistochemistry. METHODS: With the method of 5' rapid amplification of cDNA end (RACE) and EST assembled in GenBank, we extended the length of APMCF1 at 5' end. Then the sequence encoding the APMCF1 protein was amplified by RT-PCR from the total RNA of apoptotic MCF-7 cells and cloned into the prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-KG to construct recombinant expression vector pGEX-APMCF1. The GST-APMCF1 fusion protein was expressed in E. coli and used to immunize rabbits to get the rabbit anti-APMCF1 serum. The specificity of polyclonal anti-APMCF1 antibody was determined by Western blot. Then we investigated the expression of Apmcf1 in colon cancers and normal colonic mucosa with immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: A cDNA fragment with a length of 1 745 bp was obtained. APMCF1 was mapped to chromosome 3q22.2 and spanned at least 14.8 kb of genomic DNA with seven exons and six introns contained. Bioinformatic analysis showed the protein encoded by APMCF1 contained a small GTP-binding protein (G proteins) domain and was homologous to mouse signal recognition particle receptor beta(SRbeta). A coding region covering 816 bp was cloned and polyclonal anti-APMCF1 antibody was prepared successfully. The immunohistochemistry study showed that APMCF1 had a strong expression in colon cancer. CONCLUSION: APMCF1 may be the gene coding human signal recognition particle receptor beta and belongs to the small-G protein superfamily. Its strong expression pattern in colon cancer suggests it may play a role in colon cancer development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Interactive effects of APOE and CHRNA4 on attention and white matter volume in healthy middle-aged and older adults.

In the present study, we investigated age-related changes in interactions between efficiency of neuronal repair mechanisms and efficiency of cholinergic neurotransmission in the context of attentional orienting. In addition, we explored white matter volume changes as possible neuronal underpinnings. A sample of 230 healthy middle-aged (53-64 years) and older (65-75 years) adults was genotyped for polymorphisms of APOE and CHRNA4, a nicotinic receptor subunit gene. Participants were administered a visuospatial attention task involving letter discrimination with location cues of varying validity. Genotype effects on white matter volume were also investigated in a subset of participants who received MRI scans. APOE interacted with CHRNA4, such that APOE-epsilon4 carriers who were also CHRNA4 TT homozygotes showed disproportionately slowed reaction time (RT) following invalid location cues. The interaction was stronger in the middle-aged participants than in the older participants. There was also a trend for individuals with combined APOE-epsilon4/CHRNA4 TT genotypes to show both lower white matter volume and slower overall RT on the attention task The interaction of a neurotransmission gene (CHRNA4) and a susceptibility gene (APOE) suggests that the efficiency of neuronal repair mechanisms may modulate the cholinergic system to influence attentional function.

Aged↗

The anti-GPIIb-IIIa agents: fundamental and clinical aspects.

The platelet GPIIb/IIIa receptor mediates platelet aggregation induced by all physiologic agonists. Blockade of the receptor, either by monoclonal antibodies or small molecules patterned after the arginine glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) cell recognition domain, prevents arterial thrombosis in animal models much better than does aspirin. c7E3 Fab, the Fab fragment of the mouse/human chimeric antibody 7E3 (abciximab: ReoPro), was shown to reduce ischemic events after angioplasty when given in conjunction with heparin and aspirin to patients at high risk in the EPIC study, but its was associated with an increase in bleeding. Preliminary data from the subsequent EPILOG study, in which a lower dose of heparin was used, demonstrated efficacy in low risk as well as high risk patients and no significant increase in major bleeding. Preliminary data from the CAPTURE study support the use of c7E3 Fab in patients with unstable angina who are candidates for PTCA within 24 hours. Positive trends toward decreased thrombotic events have also been observed in patients treated with small molecule inhibitors of GPIIb/IIIa receptors. This new class of agents thus holds promise for improving the therapy of angioplasty as well as perhaps other thrombotic phenomena.

Abciximab↗

Synergistic and differential modulation of immune responses by Hsp60 and lipopolysaccharide.

Activation of professional antigen-presenting cells (APC) is a crucial step in the initiation of an efficient immune response. In this study we show that Hsp60 mediates immune stimulation by different mechanisms, dependent and independent of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We have demonstrated earlier that both, Hsp60 and LPS, increase antigen-specific interferon (IFN) gamma release in T cells. Here we show that in contrast to LPS Hsp60 induces IFNalpha production in professional APC. Neutralization of IFNalpha as well as the absence of functional IFNalphabeta receptor on APC and T cells interfered with Hsp60-mediated IFNgamma secretion in antigen-dependent T cell activation, strongly suggesting that IFNalpha represents one factor contributing to Hsp60-specific immune stimulation. On the other hand, we show that Hsp60 bound to the cell surface of APC colocalizes with the LPS co-receptor CD14 and LPS binding sites. Hsp60 specifically binds bacterial LPS and both molecules synergistically enhanced IL-12p40 production in APC and IFNgamma release in antigen-dependent T cell activation. This effect was Hsp60-specific and dependent on LPS-binding by Hsp60. Furthermore, we show that Hsp60 exclusively binds to macrophages and DC but not to T or B lymphocytes and that both, T cell stimulation by Hsp60 as well as Hsp60/LPS complexes, strictly depends on the presence of professional APC and is not mediated by B cells. Taken together, our data support an extension of the concept of Hsp60 as an endogenous danger signal: besides its function as a classical danger signal indicating unplanned tissue destruction to the innate immune system, in the incident of bacterial infection extracellular Hsp60 may bind LPS and facilitate microbe recognition by lowering the threshold of pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP) detection and enhancing Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling.

Animals↗

Recognition events that inhibit and activate natural killer cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells exhibit specificity for MHC class I molecules in their interactions with target cells. Instead of activating the cells, the recognition of class I molecules on target cells inhibits NK-cell lytic activity, suggesting that surveillance of normal class I expression by body cells represents a key NK-cell function. Recent advances have been made in identification of the class I specific receptors expressed by NK cells, and in the characterization of their detailed specificity and expression patterns. Other studies are beginning to unravel recognition events that activate NK cells.

Animals↗

Crucial role of DNA methylation in determination of clonally distributed killer cell Ig-like receptor expression patterns in NK cells.

Human NK cells are characterized by the expression of surface receptors of the killer cell Ig-like receptor (KIR) family, which are involved in the specific recognition of pathogenic target cells. Each NK cell expresses and maintains an individual subset of inhibitory and stimulatory KIR and in this way contributes to a diversified NK cell repertoire. To date, the molecular basis for generation of clonally distributed KIR expression patterns has been elusive. Here, analyses of DNA methylation patterns of KIR genes in NK cell lines as well as in NK cells, freshly isolated from peripheral blood, demonstrated that a small CpG island surrounding the transcriptional start site of each KIR gene is consistently demethylated in expressed KIR and methylated in unexpressed KIR. DNA-demethylating treatment resulted in a rapid and stable induction of transcription and cell surface expression of all formerly unexpressed KIR in NK cell lines, NK cell clones, and freshly isolated NK cells, but not in other cell types. In vitro methylation of KIR CpG islands repressed reporter gene expression in NK cells. We conclude that clonal patterns of KIR expression are mainly epigenetically determined and maintained through DNA methylation.

5' Untranslated Regions↗

Molecular recognition in fungal mating.

Fungal cells need to recognize that they are genetically different in order to mate. Cells signal to each other by secreting small peptide pheromones which are detected by cell surface receptors. New transcriptional regulators are formed that alter the pattern of gene transcription. Basidiomycete fungi are unusual in having several thousands of different mating types. In these fungi, mating partner recognition demands a remarkable degree of specificity on the part of the proteins and peptides involved.

Fungi↗

Both membrane-bound and soluble forms of CD14 bind to gram-negative bacteria.

Tissue macrophages and their precursors-the blood monocytes-respond rapidly to a bacterial infection with the release of inflammatory mediators. These mediators are involved in the recruitment of phagocytic cells, principally neutrophils, from the blood to the site of infection. To initiate this process macrophages and monocytes must be able to detect the presence of bacteria in a reliable, but nevertheless nonspecific, fashion. It is thought that this is achieved by means of receptors on the cell surface which recognize structures common to many different bacteria. One candidate for such a "pattern recognition element" is the cell surface glycoprotein CD14. CD14 has been shown to bind components of the Gram-positive cell wall and it also binds soluble lipopolysaccharide released from Gram-negative bacteria. In both cases the interaction with CD14 leads to an activation of the cell. Here we show that human peripheral blood monocytes can, in addition, bind intact Gram-negative bacteria in the presence of serum and this process involves CD14. When CD14 expression is induced on the myelomonocytic cell line U937 by treatment with vitamin D3 the cells concomittently acquire the capacity to bind bacteria. Furthermore, a non-monocytic cell line which does not bind bacteria acquires the capacity to do so when transfected with either the human or mouse CD14 gene. This binding can be inhibited by blocking the CD14 receptor with anti-CD14 antibody or by blocking the ligand on the bacteria with soluble CD14. Finally we demonstrate binding of sCD14 to Escherichia coli. We conclude that in the presence of serum both membrane-bound and soluble forms of CD14 can bind to Gram-negative bacteria. This suggests that CD14 may play a role in the detection and elimination of intact bacteria in vivo.

Animals↗

Identification of rat IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha in activated splenocytes by intracellular immunostaining.

We have developed a sensitive three-step indirect immunofluorescence method to identify individual rat cells that produce cytokines including IL-1beta, IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Cultured rat splenocytes were polyclonally activated to cytokine synthesis by mitogens such as lipopolysaccharide or a combination of a protein kinase C activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) and a calcium ionophore (ionomycin). Careful selection of either antigen affinity-purified polyclonal or monoclonal cytokine-detecting antibodies combined with gentle fixation and permeabilization of the cells enabled discrimination of cytokine-producing cells based on distinct morphological staining criteria. Cells making IL-2, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha could be identified by a characteristic, intracellular, rounded, juxtanuclear immunofluorescence signal. This staining pattern reflected the accumulation of the intracellularly processed cytokines in the Golgi organelle of producer cells. The staining of cells that synthesized IL-1beta, which is not transported intracellularly via the endoplasmatic reticulum-Golgi pathway, generated a different, but distinct and reproducible staining pattern, IL-1beta producing macrophages expressed intense nuclear immunofluorescence with additional reticular, cytoplasmic signals. Furthermore, the use of biologically neutralizing detecting antibodies against the cytokines under study prevented recognition of surface-stained target cells that had bound secreted cytokines by cytokine-specific receptors. This modified staining technology enabled analysis of the kinetic pattern and the frequency of cytokine-producing cells in cultures of rat splenocytes after various modes of polyclonal activation.

Animals↗

A variant C178T in the regulatory region of the serotonin receptor gene HTR3A modulates neural activation in the human amygdala.

Converging evidence in neurophysiological and neuroimaging studies has suggested that the limbic and prefrontal systems play important roles in emotion and cognition. These structures are activated when we see a human face, assuming that we automatically evaluate the biological significance of the stimuli. The serotonin (5-HT) system within the brain has been tied to various behaviors such as mood and anxiety and to the biology of neuropsychiatric disorders. To investigate the link between the 5-HT system and limbic/prefrontal activity, normal subjects (n = 26) who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging and faced recognition tasks were genotyped for the single nucleotide polymorphism C178T in the regulatory region of the serotonin receptor type 3 gene (HTR3A). We found that the subjects with C/C alleles had greater activity in the amygdala and dorsal and medial prefrontal cortices than those with C/T alleles. The C/C group also showed a faster reaction time during the task than the C/T group. The temperamental predisposition of the subjects had a significant correlation with brain activity in the C/C group. The genotype effect in the right amygdala and prefrontal cortex was largest during the first run of the experiment. These results indicate that the C178T variation in the HTR3A has a critical influence on the amygdaloid activity and on human face processing, probably through regulation of the receptor expression. The present study may contribute to elucidating a possible link among genes, the brain, and behavior in normal populations and may help reveal the biological basis of neuropsychiatric disorders.

Adult↗

Spatial working and reference memory in rats bred for autonomic sensitivity to cholinergic stimulation: acquisition, accuracy, speed, and effects of cholinergic drugs.

Rat lines were selected by breeding for sensitivity to signs of autonomic stimulation (hypotherma, loss of body weight, and reduced water intake) induced by the cholinesterase inhibitor diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). These lines have since been maintained for 10 generations by continued selection for hypothermic responsiveness to the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine. The sensitive rats (Flinders Sensitive Line, FSL) differ from the resistant rats (Flinders Resistant Line, FRL) both neurochemically and behaviorally, particularly in aversively motivated test situations in which response speed is assessed. This study was conducted to determine whether the selected differences in cholinergic autonomic sensitivity would be expressed as differences in cognitive ability based on choice accuracy in appetitive tasks. The working and reference memory of rats of these two strains was thus assessed using operant delayed matching-to-position/visual discrimination (DMTP/VD) and the radial-arm maze. A Long-Evans (L-E) reference group was included in the DMTP/VD study. FSL rats responded more slowly than the other rats during acquisition of both tasks, but showed no differences in response accuracy either during acquisition or during asymptotic performance of either task. In addition, challenges with muscarinic and nicotinic antagonists and agonists [scopolamine (0.06-1.0 mg/kg), pilocarpine (1.0-4.0 mg/kg), mecamylamine (1.0-10.0 mg/kg), and nicotine (0.1-0.3 mg/kg)] demonstrated predicted differences in sensitivity among the lines only on performance measures such as response latency and trial completion. Counter to prediction, the sensitivity of the FRL rats to the ability of scopolamine to reduce matching accuracy was lower than those of the L-E and FSL rats. Thus selection based upon physiological endpoints related to cholinergic autonomic homeostasis did not produce analogous differences in cognitive function in rats.

Animals↗

A novel interpretation of immune redundancy and duality in reperfusion injury with important implications for intervention in ischaemic disease.

The majority of ischaemia related injury occurs upon tissue reperfusion. Knock-out mouse models have recently shed light on the underlying molecular mechanisms, and suggest that this may be the result of an innate autoimmune response. Based on these new findings we present a novel model of immune redundancy and duality in reperfusion injury. Natural antibody, mannan-binding lectin and toll-like receptor 4 are three pre-formed innate immune receptors that recognise pathogenic molecular patterns. Removing either significantly ameliorates reperfusion injury. We propose that these three receptors serve as key parallel recognition elements that respond to the same or similar ischaemic neo-antigens, of which at least one may have a lipopolysaccharide-like motif. This would fit both with the ligand preference of the three receptors, and the observation that giving monoclonal antibody to lipopolysaccharide reduces reperfusion injury. The consequent injury caused by receptor activation appears to be mainly related to the complement anaphylatoxins, and less to phagocytes, oxidative radicals, and the membrane attack complex. C5a levels in particular are predictive of overall injury, and we suggest this anaphylatoxin causes most of reperfusion injury via both direct toxic effects and a generalised immune activation. The former is illustrated by the recent observation that excess C5a alone can cause cardiac dysfunction. As for the latter, there is evidence that adaptive immunity (especially CD4+ cells) and other serum cascades (coagulation and kallikrein) are involved, and may have been recruited by complement. Furthermore, excess C5a can cause innate immune overactivation that paralyses neutrophils, reduces complement lytic function, and leads to systemic inflammation. This is analogous to what happens in sepsis, and would explain the passive role in IRI of normal immune effectors. Finally, there is a duality complement's function in reperfusion, as some elements are conductive of damage, whilst others may help inflammatory resolution. Most important among the latter are the opsonins, like C3b and apparently C1q, which help macrophages clear apoptosing cells before they undergo secondary necrosis. This model has important implications for clinical interventions. Firstly, redundancy means that inhibiting multiple receptors may achieve a larger mortality reduction than the small and inconsistent one seen in the published monotherapy trials. Secondly, duality means that a non-specific inhibition of complement would reduce both injury and resolution. Therefore, a specific inhibition of the lectin pathway and/or an inhibition of the downstream effectors upon which the receptors converge (e.g. C5a) seem to be a better interceptive strategy.

Animals↗

Using noise signature to optimize spike-sorting and to assess neuronal classification quality.

We have developed a simple and expandable procedure for classification and validation of extracellular data based on a probabilistic model of data generation. This approach relies on an empirical characterization of the recording noise. We first use this noise characterization to optimize the clustering of recorded events into putative neurons. As a second step, we use the noise model again to assess the quality of each cluster by comparing the within-cluster variability to that of the noise. This second step can be performed independently of the clustering algorithm used, and it provides the user with quantitative as well as visual tests of the quality of the classification.

Action Potentials↗

Tandem repeats finder: a program to analyze DNA sequences.

A tandem repeat in DNA is two or more contiguous, approximate copies of a pattern of nucleotides. Tandem repeats have been shown to cause human disease, may play a variety of regulatory and evolutionary roles and are important laboratory and analytic tools. Extensive knowledge about pattern size, copy number, mutational history, etc. for tandem repeats has been limited by the inability to easily detect them in genomic sequence data. In this paper, we present a new algorithm for finding tandem repeats which works without the need to specify either the pattern or pattern size. We model tandem repeats by percent identity and frequency of indels between adjacent pattern copies and use statistically based recognition criteria. We demonstrate the algorithm's speed and its ability to detect tandem repeats that have undergone extensive mutational change by analyzing four sequences: the human frataxin gene, the human beta T cellreceptor locus sequence and two yeast chromosomes. These sequences range in size from 3 kb up to 700 kb. A World Wide Web server interface atc3.biomath.mssm.edu/trf.html has been established for automated use of the program.

Algorithms↗