Cellular FLICE-inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) is an inhibitor of caspase-8 and is required for macrophage survival. Recent studies have revealed a selective role of caspase-8 in noncanonical IL-1b production that is independent of caspase-1 or inflammasome. Here we demonstrated that c-FLIP L is an unexpected contributor to canonical inflammasome activation for the generation of caspase-1 and active IL-1b. Hemizygotic deletion of c-FLIP impaired ATP-and monosodium uric acid (MSU)-induced IL-1b production in macrophages primed through Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Decreased IL-1b expression was attributed to a reduced activation of caspase-1 in c-FLIP hemizygotic cells. In contrast, the production of TNF-a was not affected by downregulation in c-FLIP. c-FLIP L interacted with NLRP3 or procaspase-1. c-FLIP is required for the full NLRP3 inflammasome assembly and NLRP3 mitochondrial localization, and c-FLIP is associated with NLRP3 inflammasome. c-FLIP downregulation also reduced AIM2 inflammasome activation. In contrast, c-FLIP inhibited SMAC mimetic-, FasL-, or Dectin-1-induced IL-1b generation that is caspase-8-mediated. Our results demonstrate a prominent role of c-FLIP L in the optimal activation of the NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes, and suggest that c-FLIP could be a valid target for treatment of inflammatory diseases caused by overactivation of inflammasomes.
We studied the spatial and temporal expression of BDNF immunoreactivity and mRNA in the hippocampal formation after transient forebrain ischemia in gerbils. Our study demonstrated that in the vulnerable CA1 neurons, there was a prolonged expression disparity between BDNF immunoreactivity and mRNA and the BDNF level was reduced, in contrast to the ischemia-resistant dentate gyrus neurons that showed transient expression disparity and maintained the BDNF level. This expression disparity of the neurotrophic factor may be related to delayed neuronal death. Double immunostaining showed that reactive astroglia and microglia could express BDNF, suggesting a possible involvement of these cells in the mechanism of neuronal survival after ischemia.
A 32 nm BEOL with PVD CuMn seedlayer and conventional PVD-TaN/Ta liner was fully characterized by fundamental, integrated, and reliability methods. CuMn was confirmed to have fundamental advantages over CuAl, such as higher electromigration (EM) reliability for the same Cu line resistance (R). Both low R and high reliability (EM, SM, and TDDB) were achieved. Improved extendibility of CuMn relative to CuAl was also supported by studies of alloy interactions with advanced liner materials Ru and Co, and by enhancement of ultra-thin TaN barrier performance.
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