Establishment of a human model of the blood-brain barrier has proven to be a difficult goal. To accomplish this, normal human brain endothelial cells were transduced by lentiviral vectors incorporating human telomerase or SV40 T antigen. Among the many stable immortalized clones obtained by sequential limiting dilution cloning of the transduced cells, one was selected for expression of normal endothelial markers, including CD31, VE cadherin, and von Willebrand factor. This cell line, termed hCMEC/D3, showed a stable normal karyotype, maintained contact-inhibited monolayers in tissue culture, exhibited robust proliferation in response to endothelial growth factors, and formed capillary tubes in matrix but no colonies in soft agar. hCMEC/D3 cells expressed telomerase and grew indefinitely without phenotypic dedifferentiation. These cells expressed chemokine receptors, up-regulated adhesion molecules in response to inflammatory cytokines, and demonstrated blood-brain barrier characteristics, including tight junctional proteins and the capacity to actively exclude drugs. hCMEC/D3 are excellent candidates for studies of blood-brain barrier function, the responses of brain endothelium to inflammatory and infectious stimuli, and the interaction of brain endothelium with lymphocytes or tumor cells. Thus, hCMEC/D3 represents the first stable, fully characterized, well-differentiated human brain endothelial cell line and should serve as a widely usable research tool.

Statins have been prescribed extensively for their cholesterol-lowering properties and efficacy in cardiovascular disease. Compelling evidence now exists, however, that statins also possess extensive immunomodulatory properties that operate independently of lipid lowering. Consequently, much attention has been directed towards their potential as therapeutic agents in the treatment of autoimmune disease. Modulation of post-translational protein prenylation seems to be a key mechanism by which statins alter immune function. In this article, the effect of statin therapy on immune function, and how this impacts on the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, will be reviewed alongside current opinion of the key biological targets.The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, generically referred to as statins, have emerged as the leading therapeutic regimen for treating HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA and reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The clinical use of statins has become so prevalent that they are now prescribed to more than 25 million people worldwide, with the number estimated to rise rapidly. These compounds exert their biological effect by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase, which is an upstream ratelimiting enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway (FIGURE 1). The consequent reduction in circulating LOW-DENSITY LIPOPROTEIN (LDL) CHOLESTEROL, which provided the original rationale for treating cardiovascular disease, was until recently believed to be the major therapeutic effect 1 . It has become increasingly apparent, however, that the beneficial effects of statins in cardiovascular medicine cannot be ascribed solely to their lipid-lowering properties 2,3 . So, just as it emerged that coronary disease comprises a major inflammatory component 4,5 , so it became evident that statins modulate the immune response 6 . This revelation resulted in extensive clinical and laboratory studies that generated compelling evidence that statins possess comprehensive immune-modulating properties that affect many facets of the inflammatory response. Because of the diverse effects of statins on the immune system, considerable interest has arisen in their therapeutic potential for treating autoimmune disease [7][8][9][10] . Statins are particularly attractive as their safety profile is generally good and, as they are administered orally, provide an additional advantage over parenterally administered agents. As is discussed below, the pleiotropic actions of statins and their ability to attenuate experimental inflammatory disease is impressive but the relative importance of each modified pathway in bestowing improved clinical outcome remains poorly understood. Here, we highlight, in the context of autoimmune disease, the different facets of the immune response that are modulated by statins and review current opinion regarding their mechanism of action, with particular reference to the inhibition of protein prenylation. Europe PMC Funders Group Statin pharmacologyThe statin family of drugs compris...

Aberrant neovascularisation contributes to diseases such as cancer, blindness and atherosclerosis and is the consequence of inappropriate angiogenic signalling. While many regulators of pathogenic angiogenesis have been identified, our understanding of this process is incomplete. Here we explored the transcriptome of retinal microvessels isolated from mouse models of retinal disease that exhibit vascular pathology and uncovered an up-regulated gene, leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein-1 (Lrg1), of previously unknown function. We show that in the presence of TGFβ1, LRG1 is mitogenic to endothelial cells and promotes angiogenesis. Mice lacking Lrg1 develop a mild retinal vascular phenotype but exhibit a significant reduction in pathological ocular angiogenesis. LRG1 binds directly to the TGFβ accessory receptor endoglin which, in the presence of TGFβ1, results in promotion of the pro-angiogenic Smad1/5/8 signalling pathway. LRG1 antibody blockade inhibits this switch and attenuates angiogenesis. These studies reveal a novel regulator of angiogenesis that mediates its effect through modulating TGFβ signalling.

The Moulton Foundation [charity number 1109891], Berkeley Foundation [268369], the Multiple Sclerosis Trials Collaboration [1113598], the Rosetrees Trust [298582] and a personal contribution from A Pidgley, UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) University College London Hospitals/UCL Biomedical Research Centres funding scheme.

Endothelium of the cerebral blood vessels, which constitutes the blood-brain barrier, controls adhesion and trafficking of leukocytes into the brain. Investigating signaling pathways triggered by the engagement of adhesion molecules expressed on brain endothelial cells using two rat brain endothelial cell lines (RBE4 and GP8), we report in this paper that ICAM-1 cross-linking induces a sustained tyrosine phosphorylation of the phosphatidylinositol-phospholipase C (PLC)γ1, with a concomitant increase in both inositol phosphate production and intracellular calcium concentration. Our results suggest that PLC are responsible, via a calcium- and protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway, for p60Src activation and tyrosine phosphorylation of the p60Src substrate, cortactin. PKCs are also required for tyrosine phosphorylation of the cytoskeleton-associated proteins, focal adhesion kinase and paxillin, but not for ICAM-1-coupled p130Cas phosphorylation. PKC’s activation is also necessary for stress fiber formation induced by ICAM-1 cross-linking. Finally, cell pretreatment with intracellular calcium chelator or PKC inhibitors significantly diminishes transmonolayer migration of activated T lymphocytes, without affecting their adhesion to brain endothelial cells. In summary, our data demonstrate that ICAM-1 cross-linking induces calcium signaling which, via PKCs, mediates phosphorylation of actin-associated proteins and cytoskeletal rearrangement in brain endothelial cell lines. Our results also indicate that these calcium-mediated intracellular events are essential for lymphocyte migration through the blood-brain barrier.

Leucocyte migration into the central nervous system is a key stage in the development of multiple sclerosis. While much has been learnt regarding the sequential steps of leucocyte capture, adhesion and migration across the vasculature, the molecular basis of leucocyte extravasation is only just being unravelled. It is now recognized that bidirectional crosstalk between the immune cell and endothelium is an essential element in mediating diapedesis during both normal immune surveillance and under inflammatory conditions. The induction of various signalling networks, through engagement of cell surface molecules such as integrins on the leucocyte and immunoglobulin superfamily cell adhesion molecules on the endothelial cell, play a major role in determining the pattern and route of leucocyte emigration. In this review we discuss the extent of our knowledge regarding leucocyte migration across the blood-brain barrier and in particular the endothelial cell signalling pathways contributing to this process.

Immunity declines during aging, however the mechanisms involved in this decline are not known. In this study, we show that cutaneous delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses to recall antigens are significantly decreased in older individuals. However, this is not related to CC chemokine receptor 4, cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen, or CD11a expression by CD4+ T cells or their physical capacity for migration. Instead, there is defective activation of dermal blood vessels in older subject that results from decreased TNF-α secretion by macrophages. This prevents memory T cell entry into the skin after antigen challenge. However, isolated cutaneous macrophages from these subjects can be induced to secrete TNF-α after stimulation with Toll-like receptor (TLR) 1/2 or TLR 4 ligands in vitro, indicating that the defect is reversible. The decreased conditioning of tissue microenvironments by macrophage-derived cytokines may therefore lead to defective immunosurveillance by memory T cells. This may be a predisposing factor for the development of malignancy and infection in the skin during aging.

Increased resistance to chronic oxidative stress with differentiation in ARPE-19 cells correlated with higher steady state levels of Hsp27 and Hsp70. Oxidative stress disrupted RPE cell junction and barrier integrity, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases related to RPE through disruption of the blood-retinal barrier.