Of Natural Killer cells and Hepatitis C Virus

Natural Killer (NK) cells are important effector cells in Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infection, a virus that chronically infects around 2.5% of the world population and is a major cause of liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. The exact mechanisms, however, through which NK cells are activated in response to HCV remain elusive. Using the well-established HCV replicon cell-culture model we show that after co- culture of HCV replicon-carrying hepatocytes with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), NK cells increase expression of the high-affinity IL-2 receptor chain CD25, proliferate rapidly and produce IFN-gamma. Activation of NK cells was dependent on IL-2, most likely produced by T cells and on cell-cell contact mediated signals from monocytes. Monocytes from replicon-carrying co-cultures showed increased expression of OX40L, a member of the tumor necrosis factor family and concurrently its receptor OX40 was increased on NK cells. Blocking of OX40L in those co-cultures, as well as depletion of CD14+ monocytes abrogated the virus-induced activation and effector functions of NK cells. Together, our data reveals a novel mechanism of monocyte mediated NK cell activation against virus-infected cells involving the OX40/OX40L axis with potential relevance for therapeutic intervention by e.g. agonistic antibodies against OX40, which are already tested in cancer therapy

Molecular evolution of Cide family proteins: Novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence-5

Algorithm. The CIDE-N domain is indicated by a dark line on top of the alignment. The alignment of the most conserved region of 37 amino acids encompassing the EDGT signature motif is framed with a red rectangle. The signatures of Cide and Dff family proteins are framed with a green rectangle. The exon boundaries are marked by black vertical lines. (B) Sequence alignment of the CIDE-C domains of Cide family proteins found in human and mouse using MAFFT algorithm. The CIDE-C domain is indicated by a dark line on top of the alignment. The alignment of most conserved 35 amino acids is framed with a red rectangle. The exon boundaries are marked by black vertical lines.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Molecular evolution of Cide family proteins: Novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/159</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2008;8():159-159.</p><p>Published online 23 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2426694.</p><p></p

Molecular evolution of Cide family proteins: Novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence-1

Ain and the rest representing the NCD domains. The most conserved EDGT signature is highlighted in red. The RPXRV signature of Cide family proteins is highlighted in yellow, the VDDXXYF signature of Dffa in purple, and the LPXXGSR signature of Dffb in green. The exon boundaries are marked by black vertical lines. The potential exon boundaries are marked by black dotted lines. The secondary structure of the human Cideb's CIDE-N domain is presented on the top of the alignment [17]; cylinders and arrows represent α helices and β strands, respectively.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Molecular evolution of Cide family proteins: Novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/8/159</p><p>BMC Evolutionary Biology 2008;8():159-159.</p><p>Published online 23 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2426694.</p><p></p

Data_Sheet_1_Effects of whole-body electromyostimulation training on upper limb muscles strength and body composition in moderately trained males: A randomized controlled study.docx

Resistance training has been known to have a positive effect on muscle performance in exercisers. Whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) is advertised as a smooth, time-efficient, and highly individualized resistance training technology. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of WB-EMS training on maximum isometric elbow muscle strength and body composition in moderately trained males in comparison to traditional resistance training. The study was a randomized controlled single-blind trial. Twenty, moderately trained, male participants (25.15 ± 3.84, years) were randomly assigned to the following groups: a WB-EMS training group (n = 11) and a traditional resistance training group (the control group [CG]: n = 9). Both training intervention programs consisted of 18 training sessions for six consecutive weeks. All subjects performed dynamic movements with the WB-EMS or external weights (CG). The primary outcome variables included maximum isometric elbow flexor strength (MIEFS), maximum isometric elbow extensor strength (MIEES) and surface electromyography amplitude (sEMGRMS). Secondary outcomes involved lean body mass, body fat content, arm fat mass, and arm lean mass. ANOVAs, Friedman test and post hoc t-tests were used (P = 0.05) to analyze the variables development after the 6-week intervention between the groups. Significant time × group interactions for MIEFS (η2 = 0.296, PBonferroni = 0.013) were observed, the increase in the WB-EMS group were significantly superior to the CG [23.49 ± 6.48% vs. 17.01 ± 4.36%; MD (95% CI) = 6.48 (1.16, 11.80); d = 1.173, P = 0.020]. There were no significant differences were observed between interventions regarding MIEES, sEMGRMS and body composition. These findings indicate that in moderately trained males the effects of WB-EMS were similar to a traditional resistance training, with the only exception of a significantly greater increase in elbow flexor strength. WB-EMS can be considered as an effective exercise addition for moderately trained males.</p