Foam cell formation from macrophages with subsequent fatty streak formation plays a key role in early atherogenesis. Foam cell formation is thought to be induced by Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL), including oxidized LDL (OxLDL) or minimally modified LDL (mmLDL). Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in OxLDL-and mmLDL-induced foam cell formation is of fundamental importance for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. The expression of many genes is likely modulated during macrophage transformation into a foam cell. In this mini-review we describe functional consequences of modulation of three groups of genes: Scavenger Receptors (SR-A, CLA-1/SR-BI, CD36, CD68, LOX-1, and SR-PSOX), the PPAR family of nuclear receptors, and a number of genes involved in eicosanoid biosynthesis, including lipoxygenases and leukotriene receptors. Scavenger receptors appear to play a key role in uptake of OxLDL, while mmLDL appears to interact with CD14/TLR4. The regulation of scavenger receptors is, in part, mediated by the PPAR family of nuclear receptors. PPARα and PPARγ agonists, such as thiazolidinediones and fibrates, and PPARδ agonists were tested as atheroprotective drugs and showed some beneficial effects. Eicosanoids are naturally occuring agonists for PPARs. Recent observations indicate a role of the components of the eicosanoid cascade, such as 5-lipoxygenase, 15-lipoxygenase and the leukotriene receptors in foam cell formation. Selective inhibitors of lipoxygenases and leukotriene receptors could be useful in the treatment of atherosclerosis by preventing or reducing foam cell formation.
Strains of Francisella tularensis secrete a siderophore in response to iron limitation. Siderophore production is dependent on fslA, the first gene in an operon that appears to encode biosynthetic and export functions for the siderophore. Transcription of the operon is induced under conditions of iron limitation. The fsl genes lie adjacent to the fur homolog on the chromosome, and there is a canonical Fur box sequence in the promoter region of fslA. We generated a ⌬fur mutant of the Schu S4 strain of F. tularensis tularensis and determined that siderophore production was now constitutive and no longer regulated by iron levels. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis with RNA from Schu S4 and the mutant strain showed that Fur represses transcription of fslA under iron-replete conditions. We determined that fslE (locus FTT0025 in the Schu S4 genome), located downstream of the siderophore biosynthetic genes, is also under Fur regulation and is transcribed as part of the fslABCDEF operon. We generated a defined in-frame deletion of fslE and found that the mutant was defective for growth under iron limitation. Using a plate-based growth assay, we found that the mutant was able to secrete a siderophore but was defective in utilization of the siderophore. FslE belongs to a family of proteins that has no known homologs outside of the Francisella species, and the fslE gene product has been previously localized to the outer membrane of F. tularensis strains. Our data suggest that FslE may function as the siderophore receptor in F. tularensis.
We identified in the Entamoeba histolytica genome a family of over 80 putative transmembrane kinases (TMKs). The TMK extracellular domains had significant similarity to the intermediate subunit (Igl) of the parasite Gal/GalNAc lectin. The closest homolog to the E. histolytica TMK kinase domain was a cytoplasmic dual-specificity kinase, SplA, from Dictyostelium discoideum. Sequence analysis of the TMK family demonstrated similarities to both serine/threonine and tyrosine kinases. TMK genes from each of six phylogenetic groups were expressed as mRNA in trophozoites, as assessed by spotted oligoarray and real-time PCR assays, suggesting nonredundant functions of the TMK groups for sensing and responding to extracellular stimuli. Additionally, we observed changes in the expression profile of the TMKs in continuous culture. Antisera produced against the conserved kinase domain identified proteins of the expected molecular masses of the expressed TMKs. Confocal microscopy with anti-TMK kinase antibodies revealed a focal distribution of the TMKs on the cytoplasmic face of the trophozoite plasma membrane. We conclude that E. histolytica expresses members of each subgroup of TMKs. The presence of multiple receptor kinases in the plasma membrane offers for the first time a potential explanation of the ability of the parasite to respond to the changing environment of the host.The Gal/GalNAc lectin of Entamoeba histolytica mediates parasite adherence to the host and signals the initiation of cytolysis (41,44,45,49). It is a heterotrimer consisting of covalently linked heavy (Hgl) and light (Lgl) subunits with a noncovalently linked intermediate (Igl) subunit (9,36,37,43,46). The Igl subunit of the Gal/GalNAc lectin has two known family members, Igl1 and Igl2. The Igl subunit has sequence similarity to the variant surface protein (VSP) of Giardia. We have previously identified a large number of proteins in the genome of E. histolytica containing CXXC motifs similar to those of Igl (8). Here we show that these CXXC-rich proteins form a large family of E. histolytica transmembrane kinases (TMKs) with highly variable extracellular domains homologous to Igl and VSPs of Giardia and with cytoplasmic kinase domains.Amebic trophozoites have been demonstrated to persist in humans for longer than 6 months (21,22). This prolonged period of infection suggests that the amebae evade the immune system. Other protozoan parasites, such as Plasmodium, Giardia, and Trypanosoma brucei, are also able to infect the host for long periods in spite of inducing robust immune responses. The mechanism(s) of persistence of these organisms is thought in part to be due to the variation of surface proteins. Plasmodium falciparum has three families of var genes that are independently expressed (29). The highest variation rate of these families is 2% per generation (52). Giardia encodes a family of 100 to 150 VSPs whose surface expression changes at a rate of one variation every 5 to 13 generations (38). T. brucei has a family of over 1,000 variant surface g...
Host-tumor interaction is considered critical in carcinogenesis, tumor invasion, and metastasis. To explore the reciprocal effects of host-tumor interaction, we developed a system to assess the gene expression patterns of A2058 human melanoma cells cocultured in fibrillar collagen with HS-68 primary human fibroblasts. The gene expression pattern of the cocultured A2058 cells was only modestly affected, whereas the HS-68 fibroblast gene expression pattern was significantly altered. Interleukin-11 and inhibitor of DNAbinding domain-1 gene expression in the cocultured A2058 cells was down-regulated, indicative of a proinflammatory response and resistance to apoptosis, respectively. The overall pattern of up-regulated genes indicated triggering of the proinflammatory process. In addition, the melanoma growth and migration stimulatory chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 were significantly up-regulated in the cocultured fibroblasts. These results were corroborated by additional coculture experiments with the melanoma cell lines WM-164, BLM, and SK-Mel-28 and immunohistochemistry on invasive human melanoma sections. Taken together, these results indicate that tumor cells cause a proinflammatory and melanoma growth-promoting response in stromal fibroblasts. The role of inflammation in carcinogenesis, tumor promotion, invasion, and metastasis is viewed as being increasingly important and the results of these studies underscore this as well as identify certain key proteins that are expressed as a result of the complex interactive processes in the host-tumor microenvironment. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(10): 4134-46)
Snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) are members of the Reprolysin family of metalloproteinases to which the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) proteins also belong. The disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich domains of the ADAMs have been implicated in their function. In the case of the SVMPs, we hypothesized that these domains could function to target the metalloproteinases to key extracellular matrix proteins or cell surface proteins. Initially we detected interaction of collagen XIV, a fibril-associated collagen with interrupted triple helices containing von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domains, with the PIII SVMP catrocollastatin. Next we investigated whether other VWA domain-containing matrix proteins could support the binding of PIII SVMPs. Using surface plasmon resonance, the PIII SVMP jararhagin and a recombinant cysteine-rich domain from a PIII SVMP were demonstrated to bind to collagen XIV, collagen XII, and matrilins 1, 3, and 4. Jararhagin was shown to cleave these proteins predominantly at sites localized at or near the VWA domains suggesting that it is the VWA domains to which the PIII SVMPs are binding via their cysteine-rich domain. In light of the fact that these extracellular matrix proteins function to stabilize matrix, targeting the SVMPs to these proteins followed by their specific cleavage could promote the destabilization of extracellular matrix and cell-matrix interactions and in the case of capillaries could contribute to their disruption and hemorrhage. Although there is only limited structural homology shared by the cysteine-rich domains of the PIII SVMPs and the ADAMs our results suggest an analogous function for the cysteine-rich domains in certain members of the expanded ADAM family of proteins to target them to VWA domain-containing proteins.One of the hallmarks of viperid envenoming is local hemorrhage caused by the snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs) 2 (1, 2). SVMPs are members of the Reprolysin subfamily of the M12 family of metalloproteinases (3). Of the SVMPs, the PIII class is distinguished by being comprised of proproteinase, proteinase, disintegrin-like, and cysteine-rich domains (4). The proteinase domain of all the SVMP hemorrhagic toxins is believed to function to degrade capillary basement membranes, endothelial cell surfaces, and stromal matrix ultimately causing extravasation of capillary contents into the surround stroma (5, 6). Interestingly the PIII class of SVMPs is typically much more potent in causing hemorrhage compared with the PI and PII classes that lack the cysteine-rich domain found in the PIII class (4) suggesting a role for this domain in the pathophysiology of the PIII hemorrhagic toxins. Indeed the disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich domains of certain hemorrhagic toxins have been shown to be potent inhibitors of collagen-induced platelet aggregation as a result of interaction of the cysteine-rich domain with the ␣21 integrin on platelets (7,8). Proteolytic degradation of capillary basement membrane structures and inhibition of platelet aggregation have...
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