Mechanisms of Acute Eosinophil Mobilization from the Bone Marrow Stimulated by Interleukin 5: The Role of Specific Adhesion Molecules and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase

Mobilization of bone marrow eosinophils is a critical early step in their trafficking to the lung during allergic inflammatory reactions. We have shown previously that the cytokine interleukin (IL)-5, generated during an allergic inflammatory reaction in the guinea pig, acts systemically to mobilize eosinophils from the bone marrow. Here, we have investigated the mechanisms underlying this release process. Examination by light and electron microscopy revealed the rapid migration of eosinophils from the hematopoietic compartment and across the bone marrow sinus endothelium in response to IL-5. Using an in situ perfusion system of the guinea pig hind limb, we showed that IL-5 stimulated a dose-dependent selective release of eosinophils from the bone marrow. Eosinophils released from the bone marrow in response to IL-5 expressed increased levels of β2 integrin and a decrease in L-selectin, but no change in α4 integrin levels. A β2 integrin–blocking antibody markedly inhibited the mobilization of eosinophils from the bone marrow stimulated by IL-5. In contrast, an α4 integrin blocking antibody increased the rate of eosinophil mobilization induced by IL-5. In vitro we demonstrated that IL-5 stimulates the selective chemokinesis of bone marrow eosinophils, a process markedly inhibited by two structurally distinct inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, wortmannin and LY294002. Wortmannin was also shown to block eosinophil release induced by IL-5 in the perfused bone marrow system. The parallel observations on the bone marrow eosinophil release process and responses in isolated eosinophils in vitro suggest that eosinophil chemokinesis is the driving force for release in vivo and that this release process is regulated by α4 and β2 integrins acting in opposite directions

Cdk1 inactivation terminates mitotic checkpoint surveillance and stabilizes kinetochore attachments in anaphase

Two mechanisms safeguard the bipolar attachment of chromosomes in mitosis. A correction mechanism destabilizes erroneous attachments that do not generate tension across sister kinetochores [1]. In response to unattached kinetochores, the mitotic checkpoint delays anaphase onset by inhibiting the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/CCdc20) [2]. Upon satisfaction of both pathways, the APC/CCdc20 elicits the degradation of securin and cyclin B [3]. This liberates separase triggering sister chromatid disjunction and inactivates cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) causing mitotic exit. How eukaryotic cells avoid the engagement of attachment monitoring mechanisms when sister chromatids split and tension is lost at anaphase is poorly understood [4]. Here we show that Cdk1 inactivation disables mitotic checkpoint surveillance at anaphase onset in human cells. Preventing cyclin B1 proteolysis at the time of sister chromatid disjunction destabilizes kinetochore-microtubule attachments and triggers the engagement of the mitotic checkpoint. As a consequence, mitotic checkpoint proteins accumulate at anaphase kinetochores, the APC/CCdc20 is inhibited, and securin reaccumulates. Conversely, acute pharmacological inhibition of Cdk1 abrogates the engagement and maintenance of the mitotic checkpoint upon microtubule depolymerization. We propose that the simultaneous destruction of securin and cyclin B elicited by the APC/CCdc20 couples chromosome segregation to the dissolution of attachment monitoring mechanisms during mitotic exit

Synthesis of triazole-linked morpholino oligonucleotides via Cu1 catalysed cycloaddition

Triazole-linked morpholino (TLMO) oligonucleic acids were synthesised using the CuI catalysed (3 + 2) azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) reaction. The modified DNA analogues were incorporated into 13-mer sequences via solid phase synthesis. UV melting experiments showed that the TLMO modification gives higher Tm values than the corresponding TLDNA modification

Bub1-Mediated Adaptation of the Spindle Checkpoint

During cell division, the spindle checkpoint ensures accurate chromosome segregation by monitoring the kinetochore–microtubule interaction and delaying the onset of anaphase until each pair of sister chromosomes is properly attached to microtubules. The spindle checkpoint is deactivated as chromosomes start moving toward the spindles in anaphase, but the mechanisms by which this deactivation and adaptation to prolonged mitotic arrest occur remain obscure. Our results strongly suggest that Cdc28-mediated phosphorylation of Bub1 at T566 plays an important role for the degradation of Bub1 in anaphase, and the phosphorylation is required for adaptation of the spindle checkpoint to prolonged mitotic arrest

Fission Yeast Cells Undergo Nuclear Division in the Absence of Spindle Microtubules

Through a previously undescribed mechanism, fission yeast cells can undergo nuclear division and enter the next cell cycle, even in the absence of spindle microtubules

A quantitative systems view of the spindle assembly checkpoint

The idle assembly checkpoint acts to delay chromosome segregation until all duplicated sister chromatids are captured by the mitotic spindle. This pathway ensures that each daughter cell receives a complete copy of the genome. The high fidelity and robustness of this process have made it a subject of intense study in both the experimental and computational realms. A significant number of checkpoint proteins have been identified but how they orchestrate the communication between local spindle attachment and global cytoplasmic signalling to delay segregation is not yet understood. Here, we propose a systems view of the spindle assembly checkpoint to focus attention on the key regulators of the dynamics of this pathway. These regulators in turn have been the subject of detailed cellular measurements and computational modelling to connect molecular function to the dynamics of spindle assembly checkpoint signalling. A review of these efforts reveals the insights provided by such approaches and underscores the need for further interdisciplinary studies to reveal in full the quantitative underpinnings of this cellular control pathway

HIV/SIV Infection Primes Monocytes and Dendritic Cells for Apoptosis

Subversion or exacerbation of antigen-presenting cells (APC) death modulates host/pathogen equilibrium. We demonstrated during in vitro differentiation of monocyte-derived macrophages and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) that HIV sensitizes the cells to undergo apoptosis in response to TRAIL and FasL, respectively. In addition, we found that HIV-1 increased the levels of pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak molecules and decreased the levels of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and FLIP proteins. To assess the relevance of these observations in the context of an experimental model of HIV infection, we investigated the death of APC during pathogenic SIV-infection in rhesus macaques (RMs). We demonstrated increased apoptosis, during the acute phase, of both peripheral blood DCs and monocytes (CD14+) from SIV+RMs, associated with a dysregulation in the balance of pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules. Caspase-inhibitor and death receptors antagonists prevented apoptosis of APCs from SIV+RMs. Furthermore, increased levels of FasL in the sera of pathogenic SIV+RMs were detected, compared to non-pathogenic SIV infection of African green monkey. We suggest that inappropriate apoptosis of antigen-presenting cells may contribute to dysregulation of cellular immunity early in the process of HIV/SIV infection

Cardiac lymphatics in health and disease

The lymphatic vasculature, which accompanies the blood vasculature in most organs, is indispensable in the maintenance of tissue fluid homeostasis, immune cell trafficking, and nutritional lipid uptake and transport, as well as in reverse cholesterol transport. In this Review, we discuss the physiological role of the lymphatic system in the heart in the maintenance of cardiac health and describe alterations in lymphatic structure and function that occur in cardiovascular pathology, including atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. We also briefly discuss the role that immune cells might have in the regulation of lymphatic growth (lymphangiogenesis) and function. Finally, we provide examples of how the cardiac lymphatics can be targeted therapeutically to restore lymphatic drainage in the heart to limit myocardial oedema and chronic inflammation.Peer reviewe