Search results for "INNATE IMMUNITY"

Microgravity-induced alterations in signal transduction in cells of the immune system

2010

Since decades it is known that the activity of cells of the immune system is severely dysregulated in microgravity, however, the underlying molecular aspects have not been elucidated yet. The identification of gravity-sensitive molecular mechanisms in cells of the immune system is an important and indispensable prerequisite for the development of counteractive measures to prevent or treat disturbed immune cell function of astronauts during long-term space missions. Moreover, their sensitivity to altered gravity renders immune cells an ideal model system to understand if and how gravity on Earth is required for normal mammalian cell function and signal transduction. We investigated the effec…

Physico-chimie des lipopolysaccharides et réponse inflammatoire : rôle des lipoprotéines

2014

LPS is a potent bacterial pro-inflammatory agent, consisting of hydrophilic, polysaccharide part and of a lipid A which is considered like active moiety. Nevertheless, the O chain of LPS influences their aggregation in aqueous media. Therefore, our goal has been to determine the role of O chain on the LPS biological and physiopathological effects. Our work was organized according to three main axes, and led to the following findings :- development of a new LPS assay by LC-MS/MS. The combination of this new technique with LAL test allowed us to calculate an inactivation ratio which reflects the ability of host organism to inactivate LPS, especially through their transfer to HDL by PLTP. The …

Localization of antimicrobial peptides in the tunic of Ciona intestinalis (Ascidiacea, Tunicata) and their involvement in local inflammatory-like rea…

2011

AbstractTunicates comprising a wide variety of different species synthesize antimicrobial peptides as important effector molecules of the innate immune system. Recently, two putative gene families coding for antimicrobial peptides were identified in the expressed sequence tag database of the tunicate Ciona intestinalis. Two synthetic peptides representing the cationic core region of one member of each of the families displayed potent antibacterial and antifungal activities. Moreover, the natural peptides were demonstrated to be synthesized and stored in distinct hemocyte types. Here, we investigated the presence of these natural peptides, namely Ci-MAM-A and Ci-PAP-A, in the tunic of C. int…

Immune mediators of sea-cucumber Holothuria tubulosa (Echinodermata) as source of novel antimicrobial and anti-staphylococcal biofilm agents

2013

The present study aims to investigate coelomocytes, immune mediators cells in the echinoderm Holothuria tubulosa, as an unusual source of antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents. The activity of the 5kDa peptide fraction of the cytosol from H. tubulosa coelomocytes (5-HCC) was tested against a reference group of Gram-negative and Gram-positive human pathogens. Minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranging from 125 to 500 mg/ml were determined against tested strains. The observed biological activity of 5-HCC could be due to two novel peptides, identified by capillary RP-HPLC/nESI-MS/MS, which present the common chemical-physical characteristics of antimicrobial peptides. Such peptides were c…

A preliminary study on antimicrobial peptides in the naturally damaged tunic of Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata)

2011

Has innate immunity evolved through different routes?

2010

Invertebrate self/non-self recognition, defense responses, mating and development share innate immune surveillance and functions challenged by competition and linked to fitness. Independent evolutionary branches of immune responses may use conserved gene traits. On the other hand immunity genes may be conserved due to their role in development. Finally, upregulation of innate immunity genes during ascidian metamorphosis supports the danger hypothesis.

Keratinocytes Determine Th1 Immunity during Early Experimental Leishmaniasis

2010

Experimental leishmaniasis is an excellent model system for analyzing Th1/Th2 differentiation. Resistance to Leishmania (L.) major depends on the development of a L. major specific Th1 response, while Th2 differentiation results in susceptibility. There is growing evidence that the microenvironment of the early affected tissue delivers the initial triggers for Th-cell differentiation. To analyze this we studied differential gene expression in infected skin of resistant and susceptible mice 16h after parasite inoculation. Employing microarray technology, bioinformatics, laser-microdissection and in-situ-hybridization we found that the epidermis was the major source of immunomodulatory mediat…

Transcriptomic and Bioinformatic Analyses Identifying a Central Mif-Cop9-Nf-kB Signaling Network in Innate Immunity Response of Ciona robusta

2023

The Ascidian C. robusta is a powerful model for studying innate immunity. LPS induction activates inflammatory-like reactions in the pharynx and the expression of several innate immune genes in granulocyte hemocytes such as cytokines, for instance, macrophage migration inhibitory factors (CrMifs). This leads to intracellular signaling involving the Nf-kB signaling cascade that triggers downstream pro-inflammatory gene expression. In mammals, the COP9 (Constitutive photomorphogenesis 9) signalosome (CSN) complex also results in the activation of the NF-kB pathway. It is a highly conserved complex in vertebrates, mainly engaged in proteasome degradation which is essential for maintaining proc…

Routes in Innate Immunity Evolution: Galectins and Rhamnose-binding Lectins in Ascidians

2013

A role for Toll-like receptor mediated signals in neutrophils in the pathogenesis of the anti-phospholipid syndrome.

2012

The anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by recurrent thrombosis and occurrence of anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL). aPL are necessary, but not sufficient for the clinical manifestations of APS. Growing evidence suggests a role of innate immune cells, in particular polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and Toll-like receptors (TLR) to be additionally involved. aPL activate endothelial cells and monocytes through a TLR4-dependent signalling pathway. Whether this is also relevant for PMN in a similar way is currently not known. To address this issue, we used purified PMN from healthy donors and stimulated them in the presence or absence of human monoclonal aPL and the TLR4 agonis…