Modulations of glycerophosphorylcholine and phosphorylcholine in Friend erythroleukemia cells upon in vitro-induced erythroid differentiation: a 31P NMR study

AbstractA 31P NMR study has been carried out on Friend erythroleukemia cells (FLC) induced to undergo erythroid differentiation in vitro. Significant levels of glycerophosphorylcholine (GroPCho) and phosphorylcholine (P-Cho) were identified both in the untreated cells and in their PCA extracts. In FLC treated 4 days in vitro with either dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) or hexamethylenebisacetamide (HMBA), the intracellular concentration of P-Cho was markedly increased, whereas that of GroPCho appeared to be significantly reduced. HMBA was more effective than DMSO in producing this effect. The concomitant modulations of GroPCho and P-Cho in differentiated FLC suggest the hypothesis that erythroid differentiation involves modifications of the regulatory mechanisms controlling biosynthesis and catabolism of phospholipids

Editorial: diet, inflammation and colorectal cancer

This Research Topic was designed to provide the reader with an overview of the impact of body weight and adiposity, as well as of specific food compounds on the inflammatory status in health and disease states, such as CRC. We collected original and review articles featuring the role of specific food compounds in the regulation of immune response and their potential therapeutic implications, the effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), oligosaccharides, polyphenols and body weight in the modulation of inflammation and long-term disease outcomes, highlighting the link between diet, inflammation, and CRC

Inhibition of interferon response by cystatin B: implication in HIV replication of macrophage reservoirs

Cystatin B and signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT-1) phosphorylation have recently been shown to increase human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) replication in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM), but the molecular pathways by which they do are unknown. We hypothesized that cystatin B inhibits the interferon (IFN) response and regulates STAT-1 phosphorylation by interacting with additional proteins. To test if cystatin B inhibits the IFN-β response, we performed luciferase reporter gene assays in Vero cells, which are IFN deficient. Interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE)-driven expression of firefly luciferase was significantly inhibited in Vero cells transfected with a cystatin B expression vector compared to cells transfected with an empty vector. To determine whether cystatin B interacts with other key players regulating STAT-1 phosphorylation and HIV-1 replication, cystatin B was immunoprecipitated from HIV-1-infected MDM. The protein complex was analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Protein interactions with cystatin B were verified by Western blots and immunofluorescence with confocal imaging. Our findings confirmed that cystatin B interacts with pyruvate kinase M2 isoform, a protein previously associated cocaine enhancement of HIV-1 replication, and major vault protein (MVP), an IFN-responsive protein that interferes with JAK/STAT signals. Western blot studies confirmed the interaction with pyruvate kinase M2 isoform and MVP. Immunofluorescence studies of HIV-1-infected MDM showed that upregulated MVP colocalized with STAT-1. To our knowledge, the current study is the first to demonstrate the coexpression of cystatin B, STAT-1, MVP, and pyruvate kinase M2 isoform with HIV-1 replication in MDM and thus suggests novel targets for HIV-1 restriction in macrophages, the principal reservoirs for HIV-1 in the central nervous system

Linking estrogen receptor β expression with inflammatory bowel disease activity

Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) whose pathogenesis is only poorly understood. Estrogens have a complex role in inflammation and growing evidence suggests that these hormones may impact IBD pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrated a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of estrogen receptor (ER)β expression in peripheral blood T lymphocytes from CD/UC patients with active disease (n = 27) as compared to those in remission (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 29). Accordingly, in a subgroup of CD/UC patients undergoing to anti-TNF-α therapy and responsive to treatment, ERβ expression was higher (p < 0.01) than that observed in not responsive patients and comparable to that of control subjects. Notably, ERβ expression was markedly decreased in colonic mucosa of CD/UC patients with active disease, reflecting the alterations observed in peripheral blood T cells. ERβ expression inversely correlated with interleukin (IL)-6 serum levels and exogenous exposure of both T lymphocytes and intestinal epithelial cells to this cytokine resulted in ERβ downregulation. These results demonstrate that the ER profile is altered in active IBD patients at both mucosal and systemic levels, at least in part due to IL-6 dysregulation, and highlight the potential exploitation of T cell-associated ERβ as a biomarker of endoscopic disease activity

Rapamycin treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis protocol for a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, clinical trial (RAP-ALS trial)

Introduction: Misfolded aggregated proteins and neuroinflammation significantly contribute to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pathogenesis, hence representing therapeutic targets to modify disease expression. Rapamycin inhibits mechanistic target of Rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and enhances autophagy with demonstrated beneficial effects in neurodegeneration in cell line and animal models, improving phenotype in SQSTM1 zebrafish, in Drosophila model of ALS-TDP, and in the TDP43 mouse model, in which it reduced neuronal loss and TDP43 inclusions. Rapamycin also expands regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg) and increased Treg levels are associated with slow progression in ALS patients. Therefore, we planned a randomized clinical trial testing Rapamycin treatment in ALS patients. Methods: RAP-ALS is a phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter (8 ALS centers in Italy), clinical trial. The primary aim is to assess whether Rapamycin administration increases Tregs number in treated patients compared with control arm. Secondary aims include the assessment of safety and tolerability of Rapamycin in patients with ALS; the minimum dosage to have Rapamycin in cerebrospinal fluid; changes in immunological (activation and homing of T, B, NK cell subpopulations) and inflammatory markers, and on mTOR downstream pathway (S6RP phosphorylation); clinical activity (ALS Functional Rating Scale-Revised, survival, forced vital capacity); and quality of life (ALSAQ40 scale). Discussion: Rapamycin potentially targets mechanisms at play in ALS (i.e., autophagy and neuroinflammation), with promising preclinical studies. It is an already approved drug, with known pharmacokinetics, already available and therefore with significant possibility of rapid translation to daily clinics. Findings will provide reliable data for further potential trials. Ethics and dissemination: The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria of Modena and by the Ethics Committees of participating centers (Eudract n. 2016-002399-28) based on the Helsinki declaration

Bovine Lactoferrin Counteracts Toll-Like Receptor Mediated Activation Signals in Antigen Presenting Cells

Lactoferrin (LF), a key element in mammalian immune system, plays pivotal roles in host defence against infection and excessive inflammation. Its protective effects range from direct antimicrobial activities against a large panel of microbes, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, to antinflammatory and anticancer activities. In this study, we show that monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MD-DCs) generated in the presence of bovine LF (bLF) fail to undergo activation by up-modulating CD83, co-stimulatory and major histocompatibility complex molecules, and cytokine/chemokine secretion. Moreover, these cells are weak activators of T cell proliferation and retain antigen uptake activity. Consistent with an impaired maturation, bLF-MD-DC primed T lymphocytes exhibit a functional unresponsiveness characterized by reduced expression of CD154 and impaired expression of IFN-γ and IL-2. The observed imunosuppressive effects correlate with an increased expression of molecules with negative regulatory functions (i.e. immunoglobulin-like transcript 3 and programmed death ligand 1), indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, and suppressor of cytokine signaling-3. Interestingly, bLF-MD-DCs produce IL-6 and exhibit constitutive signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 activation. Conversely, bLF exposure of already differentiated MD-DCs completely fails to induce IL-6, and partially inhibits Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist-induced activation. Cell-specific differences in bLF internalization likely account for the distinct response elicited by bLF in monocytes versus immature DCs, providing a mechanistic base for its multiple effects. These results indicate that bLF exerts a potent anti-inflammatory activity by skewing monocyte differentiation into DCs with impaired capacity to undergo activation and to promote Th1 responses. Overall, these bLF-mediated effects may represent a strategy to block excessive DC activation upon TLR-induced inflammation, adding further evidence for a critical role of bLF in directing host immune function

The effect of starch-based biomaterials on leukocyte adhesion and activation in vitro

Leukocyte adhesion to biomaterials has long been recognised as a key element to determine their inflammatory potential. Results regarding leukocyte adhesion and activation are contradictory in some aspects of the material’s effect in determining these events. It is clear that together with the wettability or hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity, the roughness of a substrate has a major effect on leukocyte adhesion. Both the chemical and physical properties of a material influence the adsorbed proteins layer which in turn determines the adhesion of cells. In this work polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells and a mixed population of monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes (mononuclear cells) were cultured separately with a range of starch-based materials and composites with hydroxyapatite (HA). A combination of both reflected light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used in order to study the leukocyte morphology. The quantification of the enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) was used to determine the number of viable cells adhered to the polymers. Cell adhesion and activation was characterised by immunocytochemistry based on the expression of several adhesion molecules, crucial in the progress of an inflammatory response. This work supports previous in vitro studies with PMN and monocytes/macrophages, which demonstrated that there are several properties of the materials that can influence and determine their biological response. From our study, monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes adhere in similar amounts to more hydrophobic (SPCL) and to moderately hydrophilic (SEVA-C) surfaces and do not preferentially adhere to rougher substrates (SCA). Contrarily, more hydrophilic surfaces (SCA) induced higher PMN adhesion and lower activation. In addition, the hydroxyapatite reinforcement induces changes in cell behaviour for some materials but not for others. The observed response to starch-based biodegradable polymers was not significantly different from the control materials. Thus, the results reported herein indicate the low potential of the starch-based biodegradable polymers to induce inflammation especially the HA reinforced composite materials