Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8, also known as Kaposi's sarcoma [KS]-associated herpesvirus) has been implicated as an etiologic agent for KS, an angiogenic tumor composed of endothelial, inflammatory, and spindle cells. Here, we report that transgenic mice expressing the HHV8-encoded chemokine receptor (viral G protein–coupled receptor) within hematopoietic cells develop angioproliferative lesions in multiple organs that morphologically resemble KS lesions. These lesions are characterized by a spectrum of changes ranging from erythematous maculae to vascular tumors, by the presence of spindle and inflammatory cells, and by expression of vGPCR, CD34, and vascular endothelial growth factor. We conclude that vGPCR contributes to the development of the angioproliferative lesions observed in these mice and suggest that this chemokine receptor may play a role in the pathogenesis of KS in humans.

AIM:To investigate the effect of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) on production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), cytokines and chemokines in human monocytes. METHODS:Human neutrophils and monocytes were isolated from human whole blood by using 1-Step Polymorph and RosetteSep Human Monocyte Enrichment Cocktail, respectively. Human GPR41 and GPR43 mRNA expression was examined by quantitative realtime polymerase chain reaction. The calcium flux assay was used to examine the biological activities of SCFAs in human neutrophils and monocytes. The effect of SCFAs on human monocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was studied by measuring PGE2, cytokines and chemokines in the supernatant.The effect of SCFAs in vivo was examined by intraplantar injection into rat paws. RESULTS:Human GPR43 is highly expressed in human neutrophils and monocytes. SCFAs induce robust calcium flux in human neutrophils, but not in human monocytes. In this study, we show that SCFAs can induce human monocyte release of PGE2 and that this effect can be enhanced in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, we demonstrate that PGE2 production induced by SCFA was inhibited by pertussis toxin, suggesting the involvement of a receptor-mediated mechanism. Furthermore, SCFAs can specifically inhibit constitutive monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) production and LPS-induced interleukin-10 (IL-10) production in human monocytes without affecting the secretion of other cytokines and chemokines examined. Similar activities were observed in human PBMC for the release of PGE2, MCP-1 and IL-10 after SCFA treatment. In addition, SCFAs inhibit LPS-induced production of tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ in human PBMC. Finally, we show that SCFAs and LPS can induce PGE2 production in vivo by intraplantar injection into rat paws (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION:SCFAs can have distinct antiinflammatory activities due to their regulation of PGE2, cytokine and chemokine release from human immune cells.

The human CXC chemokines IP-10 (10-kDa interferon-inducible protein), MIG (monokine induced by human interferon-␥), and I-TAC (interferon-inducible T cell ␣ chemoattractant) attract lymphocytes through activation of CXCR3. In the studies presented here, we examined interaction of these chemokines with human CXCR3 expressed in recombinant cells and human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). IP-10, MIG, and I-TAC were agonists in stimulating [35 S]GTP␥S binding in recombinant cell and PBL membranes but had no effect in the absence of hCXCR3 expression.125 I-IP-10 and 125 I-I-TAC bound hCXCR3 with high affinity, although the 125 I-I-TAC B max value in saturation bindings was 7-to 13-fold higher than that measured with 125

BackgroundObesity and inflammation are highly integrated processes in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Molecular mechanisms underlying inflammatory events during high fat diet-induced obesity are poorly defined in mouse models of obesity. This work investigated gene activation signals integral to the temporal development of obesity.MethodsGene expression analysis in multiple organs from obese mice was done with Taqman Low Density Array (TLDA) using a panel of 92 genes representing cell markers, cytokines, chemokines, metabolic, and activation genes. Mice were monitored for systemic changes characteristic of the disease, including hyperinsulinemia, body weight, and liver enzymes. Liver steatosis and fibrosis as well as cellular infiltrates in liver and adipose tissues were analyzed by histology and immunohistochemistry.ResultsObese C57BL/6 mice were fed with high fat and cholesterol diet (HFC) for 6, 16 and 26 weeks. Here we report that the mRNA levels of macrophage and inflammation associated genes were strongly upregulated at different time points in adipose tissues (6-16 weeks) and liver (16-26 weeks), after the start of HFC feeding. CD11b+ and CD11c+ macrophages highly infiltrated HFC liver at 16 and 26 weeks. We found clear evidence that signals for IL-1β, IL1RN, TNF-α and TGFβ-1 are present in both adipose and liver tissues and that these are linked to the development of inflammation and insulin resistance in the HFC-fed mice.ConclusionsMacrophage infiltration accompanied by severe inflammation and metabolic changes occurred in both adipose and liver tissues with a temporal shift in these signals depending upon the duration of HFC feeding. The evidences of gene expression profile, elevated serum alanine aminotransferase, and histological data support a progression towards nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and steatohepatitis in these HFC-fed mice within the time frame of 26 weeks.

We studied the content and metabolism of thymidylate synthase mRNA in cultured mouse fibroblasts that were undergoing a serum-induced transition from the resting to growing state. The studies were performed with a 5-fluorodeoxyuridine-resistant 3T6 cell line (LU3-7) that overproduces the enzyme and its mRNA about 50-fold and that regulates the expression of the thymidylate synthase gene in the same manner as the parental cell line. We have previously shown that the rate of synthesis of thymidylate synthase increases at least ninefold when the serum-stimulated cells traverse the S phase. Here we show, by Northern blot analysis, that thymidylate synthase mRNA increased 20-to 40-fold as cells progressed from resting to late S phase. About 85% of poly(A)+ thymidylate synthase mRNA was associated with polysomes at all times. The increase in thymidylate synthase poly(A)+ mRNA content was the result of an eightfold increase in the rate of production of this species, as shown by pulse-labeling studies. Pulse-chase analysis revealed that the half-life of thymidylate synthase poly(A)+ mRNA was similar in resting (9 h) and growing (7 h) cells. The rate of transcription of the thymidylate synthase gene, as determined in isolated nuclei, increased only by a factor of three to four during the S phase. Since the content of the message increased to a much greater extent than the rate of transcription of the gene, posttranscriptional controls must also play a role in regulating the content of thymidylate synthase mRNA under these conditions. Our results suggest that the cell may regulate the distribution of thymidylate synthase mRNA between a relatively stable poly(A)+ RNA species and a labile poly(A)f RNA species.Thymidylate synthase (TS; EC 2.1.1.45) is the enzyme that catalyzes the reductive methylation of dUMP during the de novo synthesis of TMP. Because TS is an essential enzyme in proliferating cells, it is an important target enzyme in cancer chemotherapy (6). Many laboratories have shown that in mammalian as well as in yeast cells, the level and enzymatic activity of TS are high when cells are engaged in DNA replication but very low at other times in the cell cycle or in nondividing cells (5,13,17,22,27). We have shown that when resting (GO) mouse 3T6 fibroblasts are stimulated with serum to reenter the cell cycle, the amount of TS increases about 10-fold between 10 and 25 h following serum addition (21). Although the increase in TS activity is closely coordinated in time with DNA replication, it is not blocked by the presence of inhibitors of DNA synthesis. This shows that these two events are not directly coupled.To facilitate a more direct analysis of TS gene expression, we isolated a 5-fluorodeoxyufidine (FdUrd)-resistant 3T6 cell line (LU3-7) that overproduces TS by a factor of about 50 (23). The overproduced TS appears to be the same as the normal enzyme, as determined by several different criteria. Recently, we cloned DNA corresponding to nearly the entire length of TS mRNA into pBR322 (7). Using this plasmid as a...

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Background: The CXCR3 receptor and its three interferon-inducible ligands (CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11) have been implicated as playing a central role in directing a Th1 inflammatory response. Recent studies strongly support that the CXCR3 receptor is a very attractive therapeutic target for treating autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis, and to prevent transplant rejection. We describe here the in vitro and in vivo pharmacological characterizations of a novel and potent small molecule CXCR3 antagonist, SCH 546738. Results: In this study, we evaluated in vitro pharmacological properties of SCH 546738 by radioligand receptor binding and human activated T cell chemotaxis assays. In vivo efficacy of SCH 546738 was determined by mouse collageninduced arthritis, rat and mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, and rat cardiac transplantation models. We show that SCH 546738 binds to human CXCR3 with a high affinity of 0.4 nM. In addition, SCH 546738 displaces radiolabeled CXCL10 and CXCL11 from human CXCR3 with IC 50 ranging from 0.8 to 2.2 nM in a non-competitive manner. SCH 546738 potently and specifically inhibits CXCR3-mediated chemotaxis in human activated T cells with IC 90 about 10 nM. SCH 546738 attenuates the disease development in mouse collagen-induced arthritis model. SCH 546738 also significantly reduces disease severity in rat and mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. Furthermore, SCH 546738 alone achieves dose-dependent prolongation of rat cardiac allograft survival. Most significantly, SCH 546738 in combination with CsA supports permanent engraftment.