Search results for "AMMA"

Microevolutionary response of a gut nematode to intestinal inflammation.

2017

7 pages; International audience; Parasitic helminths interfere with the immune response of their hosts to establish long-lasting, chronic infections. While favorable to the parasite, the capacity to dampen the immune response can also provide a benefit to the host in terms of reduced risk of immune disorders and immunopathology. The immunomodulatory role of nematodes has been exploited in clinical trials to treat a number of inflammatory and immune diseases. However, how parasites adapt to an inflammatory environment remains a poorly explored question. Here, we conducted a serial passage experiment where the gut nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus was maintained for nine generations in mice …

Identification of a classic nuclear localization signal at the N terminus that regulates the subcellular localization of Rbfox2 isoforms during diffe…

2016

Nuclear localization of the alternative splicing factor Rbfox2 is achieved by a C-terminal nuclear localization signal (NLS) which can be excluded from some Rbfox2 isoforms by alternative splicing. While this predicts nuclear and cytoplasmic localization, Rbfox2 is exclusively nuclear in some cell types. Here, we identify a second NLS in the N terminus of Rbfox2 isoform 1A that is not included in Rbfox2 isoform 1F. Rbfox2 1A isoforms lacking the C-terminal NLS are nuclear, whereas equivalent 1F isoforms are cytoplasmic. A shift in Rbfox2 expression toward cytoplasmic 1F isoforms occurs during epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and could be important in regulating the activity and fu…

2020

Communication with the hematopoietic system is a vital component of regulating brain function in health and disease. Traditionally, the major routes considered for this neuroimmune communication are by individual molecules such as cytokines carried by blood, by neural transmission, or, in more severe pathologies, by the entry of peripheral immune cells into the brain. In addition, functional mRNA from peripheral blood can be directly transferred to neurons via extracellular vesicles (EVs), but the parameters that determine their uptake are unknown. Using varied animal models that stimulate neuronal activity by peripheral inflammation, optogenetics, and selective proteasome inhibition of dop…

Inducible knockdown of procollagen I protects mice from liver fibrosis and leads to dysregulated matrix genes and attenuated inflammation.

2017

Organ fibrosis is characterized by a chronic wound-healing response, with excess deposition of extracellular matrix components. Here, collagen type I represents the most abundant scar component and a primary target for antifibrotic therapies. Liver fibrosis can progress to cirrhosis and primary liver cancer, which are the major causes of liver related morbidity and mortality. However, a (pro-)collagen type I specific therapy remains difficult and its therapeutic abrogation may incur unwanted side effects. We therefore designed tetracycline-regulated procollagen alpha1(I) short hairpin (sh)RNA expressing mice that permit a highly efficient inducible knockdown of the procollagen alpha1(I) gen…

Shifts in gut microbiota composition in an APP/PSS1 transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease during lifespan.

2017

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and one of the major causes of disability and dependency in older people. Accumulating evidences link gut microbiota with different diseases and its relationship with neurodegenerative diseases is becoming most intriguing. This study was aimed to compare the gut microbiota of transgenic APP/PS1 (TG) mice, a well‐established deterministic mouse model of AD, with their C57BL/6 wild‐type (WT) littermates. Faecal samples were collected from 3‐, 6‐ and 24‐month‐old mice and analysed by pyrosequencing of the V1–V3 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Bacterial profiles were similar in all young mice (3 months old), and started to div…

Cytoskeletal transgelin 2 contributes to gender-dependent adipose tissue expandability and immune function

2019

During adipogenesis, preadipocytes' cytoskeleton reorganizes in parallel with lipid accumulation. Failure to do so may impact the ability of adipose tissue (AT) to shift between lipid storage and mobilization. Here, we identify cytoskeletal transgelin 2 (TAGLN2) as a protein expressed in AT and associated with obesity and inflammation, being normalized upon weight loss. TAGLN2 was primarily found in the adipose stromovascular cell fraction, but inflammation, TGF-β, and estradiol also prompted increased expression in human adipocytes. Tagln2 knockdown revealed a key functional role, being required for proliferation and differentiation of fat cells, whereas transgenic mice overexpressing Tagl…

Gradual development of psoriatic skin lesions by constitutive low-level expression of IL-17A

2016

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease restricted to humans. The understanding of its pathogenesis has long been hampered by the lack of suitable chronic mouse models. The cytokine IL-17A has emerged as a key player in epithelial immune responses and the defense against extracellular pathogens. Moreover, enhanced expression of IL-17A can turn pathologic and is closely associated with psoriasis. In this study, we generated a novel transgenic mouse model that recapitulates many characteristics of psoriasis. DC-1L-17A(ind) mice with constitutive low-level expression of IL-17A by CD11c(+) cells gradually develop skin lesions during adult life. The lesions preferentially occur a…

Production Conditions Affect the In Vitro Anti-Tumoral Effects of a High Concentration Multi-Strain Probiotic Preparation.

2016

A careful selection of the probiotic agent, standardization of the dose and detailed characterization of the beneficial effects are essential when considering use of a probiotic for the dietary management of serious diseases. However, changes in the manufacturing processes, equipment or facilities can result in differences in the product itself due to the live nature of probiotics. The need to reconfirm safety and/or efficacy for any probiotic product made at a different factory is therefore mandatory. Recently, under the brand VSL#3®, a formulation produced by a manufacturer different from the previous one, has been commercialized in some European countries (the UK and Holland). VSL#3 is a…

Clinical efficacy of α4 integrin block with natalizumab in ankylosing spondylitis

2016

We describe the impact of α4-β1/7 blockade with natalizumab, a recombinant humanised immunoglobulin (Ig) G4κ monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeted to the α4 subunit of the α4β1 and α4β7 integrins, on the gut and spine inflammation in a patient with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who developed multiple sclerosis after treatment with tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking agents. A 45-year-old man with human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-B27-positive AS was admitted in January 2007. He had been diagnosed with AS 4 years earlier based on the presence of inflammatory back pain, peripheral arthritis, radiographic bilateral grade 2 sacroiliitis, HLA-B27 positivity. At that time, he had evidence of chronic int…

DNA Damage Signaling Instructs Polyploid Macrophage Fate in Granulomas.

2018

Granulomas are immune cell aggregates formed in response to persistent inflammatory stimuli. Granuloma macrophage subsets are diverse and carry varying copy numbers of their genomic information. The molecular programs that control the differentiation of such macrophage populations in response to a chronic stimulus, though critical for disease outcome, have not been defined. Here, we delineate a macrophage differentiation pathway by which a persistent Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 signal instructs polyploid macrophage fate by inducing replication stress and activating the DNA damage response. Polyploid granuloma-resident macrophages formed via modified cell divisions and mitotic defects and not…