Objective Kawasaki disease (KD) is the most common cause of acute vasculitis and acquired cardiac disease among US children. We have previously shown that both TLR2/MyD88 and IL-1β signaling are required for the Lactobacillus casei cell wall extract (LCWE)-induced KD vasculitis mouse model. The objectives of this study were to investigate the cellular origins of IL-1 production, the role of CD11c+ Dendritic Cells (DCs) and macrophages and the relative contribution of hematopoietic and stromal cells for IL-1 responsive cells, as well the MyD88 signaling in LCWE-induced KD mouse model of vasculitis. Approach and Results Using mouse knockout models as well as antibody depletion, we found that both IL-1α and IL-1β were required for LCWE-induced KD. Both DCs and macrophages were necessary and we found that MyD88 signaling was required in both hematopoietic and stromal cells. However, IL-1 response and signaling was critically required in non-endothelial stromal cells, but not hematopoietic cells. Conclusions Our results suggest that IL-1α and IL-1β as well as CD11c+ DCs and macrophages are essential for the development of KD vasculitis and coronary arteritis in this mouse model. Bone marrow chimera experiments suggest that MyD88 signaling is important in both hematopoietic and stromal cells, while IL-1 signaling and response is required only in stromal cells, but not in endothelial cells. Determining the role IL-1α and IL-1β and of specific cell types in the KD vasculitis mouse model may have important implications for the design of more targeted therapies and understanding of the molecular mechanisms of KD immunopathologies.

The role of IL-17 in atherogenesis remains controversial. We previously reported that the TLR/MyD88 signaling pathway plays an important role in high-fat diet as well as Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection-mediated acceleration of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice. In this study, we investigated the role of the IL-17A in high-fat diet (HFD)- and C. pneumoniae-induced acceleration of atherosclerosis. The aortic sinus plaque and aortic lesion size and lipid composition as well as macrophage accumulation in the lesions were significantly diminished in IL-17A−/− mice fed an HFD compared with wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 control mice. As expected, C. pneumoniae infection led to a significant increase in size and lipid content of the atherosclerotic lesions in WT mice. However, IL-17A−/− mice developed significantly less acceleration of lesion size following C. pneumoniae infection compared with WT control despite similar levels of blood cholesterol levels. Furthermore, C. pneumoniae infection in WT but not in IL-17A−/− mice was associated with significant increases in serum concentrations of IL-12p40, CCL2, IFN-γ, and numbers of macrophages in their plaques. Additionally, in vitro studies suggest that IL-17A activates vascular endothelial cells, which secrete cytokines that in turn enhance foam cell formation in macrophages. Taken together, our data suggest that IL-17A is proatherogenic and that it plays an important role in both diet-induced atherosclerotic lesion development, and C. pneumoniae infection-mediated acceleration of atherosclerotic lesions in the presence of HFD.

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Background Microbial fermentation significantly affects the flavor and efficacy of tea. It is generally believed that fermented tea is more effective in lowering lipids, while unfermented tea can more effectively inhibit inflammation. However, there is not sufficient evidence to support this claim. To systematically compare the hypolipidemic, anti‐inflammatory, and anti‐atherosclerotic effects of tea before and after microbial fermentation, hyperlipidemic rats and inflammatory injury cells were treated with Monascus purpureus‐fermented pu‐erh tea water extract (MPT) and sun‐dried green tea water extract (SGT), respectively. Results MPT, with higher levels of theabrownins, flavonoids, gallic acid (GA), and lovastatin, was more effective in reducing serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), and inflammatory cytokines (TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6), while SGT, with higher levels of tea polyphenols, amino acids, (‐)‐epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and theaflavins, was more effective in increasing serum high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C) in hyperlipidemic rats. The foam cells on the arterial wall of the rats in the MPT group were visibly less, and the thrombosis time was longer than that in the SGT group. Cell experiments showed that MPT was more effective in protecting endothelial cells from damage than SGT. Conclusion Surprisingly, Monascus purpureus‐fermented pu‐erh tea not only had better hypolipidemic and anti‐atherosclerotic effects than its raw material (sun‐dried green tea), but also was superior in anti‐inflammatory effects to the latter, which was possibly attributable to the great changes in functional ingredients during microbial fermentation.

Estrogen unresponsiveness among primate species can result from overexpression of a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) that competes with estrogen receptor (ER) for binding to the estrogen-response element (ERE). This hnRNP has been coined the "ERE-binding protein" (ERE-BP). The ERE-BP is a member of the hnRNP C-like subfamily of hnRNPs, traditionally considered to be single-strand RNA binding proteins designed for the stabilization and handling of pre-mRNA. To verify in vivo the dominant-negative actions of the ERE-BP to inhibit ER-ERE-directed transactivation and to avoid the potential for lethality from global overexpression of an hnRNP, we generated transgenic mice that overexpressed ERE-BP in breast tissue under the control of a whey acidic protein gene promoter. Graded overexpression of ERE-BP in transgenic mice was established. Founders were viable and fertile. Female transgenics in all lines gave birth to pups, but their ability to nurse was dependent on the level of ERE-BP expression in breast; high-ERE-BP expressors were unable to lactate. A gradient of impaired breast pheno(histo)type, from near normal to failed ductal development and lactational capacity, correlated with the relative level of transgene expression. ERE-BP, expressed either endogenously as a transgene or after transfection, colocalized with ERalpha in the nucleus of target cells. This work confirms that tissue-targeted overexpression of the ERE-BP can effectively block estrogen-ERalpha-ERE-directed action in vivo.

Compared to Old World primates, including man, New World primates display target-tissue resistance to gonadal steroid hormones. In female New World primates this resistant phenotype is characterized by elevated concentrations of plasma estradiol and progesterone. Here we describe the discovery of an intracellular estrogen binding protein (IEBP) that acts to concentrate 17 beta-estradiol (E2) in the cytoplasm of New World primate target cells. IEBP was purified by E2-affinity chromatography from postnuclear extracts of the B95-8 cells established from an E2-resistant New World primate. Compared with unpurified extract, affinity-purified IEBP demonstrated a 300-fold enrichment in specific E2 binding activity; half-maximal displacement of [3H]E2 from affinity-purified IEBP was observed with 0.1 nM E2. Affinity-purified extracts were subjected to SDS-PAGE with isolation of a dominant 27-28 kDa protein. N-terminal sequencing of tryptic peptides of the protein showed sequence homology with human heat shock protein-27 (hsp27). By immunoblot and E2 binding capacity, IEBP was 1] 2-3-fold greater in New World than in Old World primate tissues and cell lines, 2] heat-inducible and 3] up-regulated in vivo in the presence of the functioning female gonad. In conclusion, IEBP is a specific E2-interacting heat shock protein in the hsp-27 family that is relatively overexpressed in estrogen-resistant cells.

Sleep interacts reciprocally with immune system activity, but its specific relationship with microglia – the resident immune cells in the brain – remains poorly understood. Here we show that microglia can regulate sleep through a mechanism involving Gi-coupled GPCRs, intracellular Ca2+signaling, and suppression of norepinephrine transmission. Chemogenetic activation of microglia Gi signaling strongly promoted sleep, whereas pharmacological blockade of Gi-coupled P2Y12 receptors decreased sleep. Two-photon imaging showed that P2Y12/Gi activation elevated microglia intracellular Ca2+, and blockade of this Ca2+elevation largely abolished the Gi-induced sleep increase. Microglia Ca2+level also increased at natural wake-to-sleep transitions, caused partly by reduced norepinephrine. Furthermore, imaging of norepinephrine activity with its biosensor showed that microglia P2Y12/Gi activation significantly reduced norepinephrine, partly by increasing the adenosine concentration. Thus, microglia can regulate sleep through reciprocal interactions with norepinephrine transmission.

IntroductionDetermination of pediatric Crohn's disease (CD) remains a major diagnostic challenge. However, the rapidly emerging field of artificial intelligence has demonstrated promise in developing diagnostic models for intractable diseases.MethodsWe propose an artificial neural network model of 8 gene markers identified by 4 classification algorithms based on Gene Expression Omnibus database for diagnostic of pediatric CD.ResultsThe model achieved over 85% accuracy and area under ROC curve value in both training set and testing set for diagnosing pediatric CD. Additionally, immune infiltration analysis was performed to address why these markers can be integrated to develop a diagnostic model.ConclusionThis study supports further clinical facilitation of precise disease diagnosis by integrating genomics and machine learning algorithms in open-access database.