scholarly journals The Mycobacterial 38-Kilodalton Glycolipoprotein Antigen Activates the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway and Release of Proinflammatory Cytokines through Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 in Human Monocytes

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 2686-2696 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saet-Byel Jung ◽  
Chul-Su Yang ◽  
Ji-Sook Lee ◽  
A-Rum Shin ◽  
Sung-Soo Jung ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although the 38-kDa glycolipoprotein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv is known to evoke prominent cellular and humoral immune responses in human tuberculosis (TB), little information is known about intracellular regulatory mechanisms involved in 38-kDa antigen (Ag)-induced host responses. In this study, we found that purified 38-kDa glycolipoprotein activates mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs; extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 [ERK1/2] and p38) and induces tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) in human monocytes. When the 38-kDa Ag was applied to monocytes from TB patients and healthy controls, the activation of ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK and the subsequent cytokine secretion were greater in the monocytes from the active pulmonary TB patients than in monocytes from the healthy controls. Additionally, neutralizing antibodies for Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) or TLR4 significantly reduced the ERK1/2 and p38 activation induced by the 38-kDa protein when the antibodies were applied to HEK293 cells overexpressing TLR2 or TLR4 as well as human primary monocytes. Furthermore, the inhibition of TLR2 significantly, and that of TLR4 partially, decreased the 38-kDa Ag-induced secretion of TNF-α and IL-6 in human monocytes. The intact protein moieties of the 38-kDa protein were responsible for biologic activities by this Ag. These data collectively demonstrate that the 38-kDa glycolipoprotein, acting through both TLR2 and TLR4, induces the activation of the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK pathways, which in turn play an essential role in TNF-α and IL-6 expression during mycobacterial infection.

2013 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 1396-1404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Brudecki ◽  
Donald A. Ferguson ◽  
Charles E. McCall ◽  
Mohamed El Gazzar

ABSTRACTAutotoxic production of proinflammatory mediators during early sepsis induces excessive inflammation, and their later suppression may limit the immune response. We previously reported that sepsis differentially represses transcription and translation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) to reprogram sepsis inflammation. This switch is gene specific and plays a crucial role in the clinically relevant syndrome of endotoxin adaptation/tolerance, multiorgan failure, and poor sepsis outcome. To further define the mechanisms responsible for translation disruption that follows inflammation induction, we used THP-1 human promonocytes as a model of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) responses found in sepsis. We showed that phosphorylation-dependent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and translation disruption of TNF-α and IL-6 follow increased MAPK phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) expression and that MKP-1 knockdown rephosphorylates p38 and restores the capacity to translate TNF-α and IL-6 mRNAs. We also observed that the RNA-binding protein motif 4 (RBM4), a p38 MAPK target, accumulates in an unphosphorylated form in the cytosol in endotoxin-adapted cells, suggesting that dephosphorylated RBM4 may function as a translational repressor. Moreover, MKP-1 knockdown promotes RBM4 phosphorylation, blocks its transfer from the nucleus to the cytosol, and reverses translation repression. We also found that microRNA 146a (miR-146a) knockdown prevents and miR-146a transfection induces MKP-1 expression, which lead to increases or decreases in TNF-α and IL-6 translation, respectively. We conclude that a TLR4-, miR-146a-, p38 MAPK-, and MKP-1-dependent autoregulatory pathway regulates the translation of proinflammatory genes during the acute inflammatory response by spatially and temporally modifying the phosphorylation state of RBM4 translational repressor protein.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (16) ◽  
pp. 10147-10154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davy C. W. Lee ◽  
Chung-Yan Cheung ◽  
Anna H. Y. Law ◽  
Chris K. P. Mok ◽  
Malik Peiris ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 can infect humans to cause a severe viral pneumonia with mortality rates of more than 30%. The biological basis for this unusual disease severity is not fully understood. We previously demonstrated that in contrast to human influenza A virus subtypes including H1N1 or H3N2, the H5N1 virus associated with the “bird flu” outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 (H5N1/97) hyperinduces proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), in primary human macrophages in vitro. To delineate the molecular mechanisms involved, we analyzed the role of transcription factor NF-κB and cellular kinases in TNF-α dysregulation. H5N1 and H1N1 viruses did not differ in the activation of NF-κB or degradation of IκB-α in human macrophages. However, we demonstrated that unlike H1N1 virus, H5N1/97 strongly activates mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), including p38 MAPK and extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2. Specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK significantly reduced the H5N1/97-induced TNF-α expression in macrophages. Taken together, our findings suggest that H5N1/97-mediated hyperinduction of cytokines involves the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. These results may provide insights into the pathogenesis of H5N1 disease and rationales for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.


2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 3918-3928 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Xu ◽  
Ashish Bhattacharjee ◽  
Biswajit Roy ◽  
Hong-Min Xu ◽  
David Anthony ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Interleukin-13 (IL-13) is a cytokine secreted by Th2 lymphocytes that is capable of inducing expression of 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) in primary human monocytes. We recently demonstrated that induction of 15-LO requires the activation of Jak2 and Tyk2 kinases and Stats 1, 3, 5, and 6. Since IL-13-induced 15-LO expression was inhibited by H7 (a serine-threonine kinase inhibitor), we predicted that Stat serine phosphorylation may also be crucial for 15-LO expression. In this study, we present evidence indicating that IL-13-induced 15-LO mRNA expression was detectable as early as 1 h by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. We found that IL-13 induced a time-dependent serine phosphorylation of both Stat1 and Stat3, detectable at 15 min after IL-13 treatment. In addition, the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was detected in a time-dependent fashion, with peak phosphorylation at 15 min after IL-13 treatment. SB202190, a p38 MAPK-specific inhibitor, markedly inhibited IL-13-induced Stat1 and Stat3 serine phosphorylation as well as DNA binding. Furthermore, treatment of cells with Stat1 or Stat3 decoys significantly impaired IL-13-induced 15-LO expression. Taken together, our results provide the first evidence that IL-13 induces p38 MAPK phosphorylation/activation, which regulates Stat1 and Stat3 serine 727 phosphorylation. Both of these events are important steps in IL-13-induced 15-LO expression in human monocytes.


1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 7336-7343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shino Nemoto ◽  
Joseph A. DiDonato ◽  
Anning Lin

ABSTRACT IκB kinases (IKKα and IKKβ) are key components of the IKK complex that mediates activation of the transcription factor NF-κB in response to extracellular stimuli such as inflammatory cytokines, viral and bacterial infection, and UV irradiation. Although NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK) interacts with and activates the IKKs, the upstream kinases for the IKKs still remain obscure. We identified mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1) as an immediate upstream kinase of the IKK complex. MEKK1 is activated by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-1 and can potentiate the stimulatory effect of TNF-α on IKK and NF-κB activation. The dominant negative mutant of MEKK1, on the other hand, partially blocks activation of IKK by TNF-α. MEKK1 interacts with and stimulates the activities of both IKKα and IKKβ in transfected HeLa and COS-1 cells and directly phosphorylates the IKKs in vitro. Furthermore, MEKK1 appears to act in parallel to NIK, leading to synergistic activation of the IKK complex. The formation of the MEKK1-IKK complex versus the NIK-IKK complex may provide a molecular basis for regulation of the IKK complex by various extracellular signals.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingzhao Ji ◽  
Xiujuan Zhang ◽  
Heqiao Li ◽  
Lina Sun ◽  
Xuexin Hou ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of Nocardia is not fully known. The Nfa34810 protein of Nocardia farcinica has been predicted to be a virulence factor. However, relatively little is known regarding the interaction of Nfa34810 with host cells, specifically invasion and innate immune activation. In this study, we aimed to determine the role of recombinant Nfa34810 during infection. We demonstrated that Nfa34810 is an immunodominant protein located in the cell wall. Nfa34810 protein was able to facilitate the uptake and internalization of latex beads coated with Nfa34810 protein into HeLa cells. Furthermore, the deletion of the nfa34810 gene in N. farcinica attenuated the ability of the bacteria to infect both HeLa and A549 cells. Moreover, stimulation with Nfa34810 triggered macrophages to produce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and it also activated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways by inducing the phosphorylation of ERK1/2, p38, JNK, p65, and AKT in macrophages. Specific inhibitors of ERK1/2, JNK, and NF-κB significantly reduced the expression of TNF-α, which demonstrated that Nfa34810-mediated TNF-α production was dependent upon the activation of these kinases. We further found that neutralizing antibodies against Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) significantly inhibited TNF-α secretion. Taken together, our results indicated that Nfa34810 is a virulence factor of N. farcinica and plays an important role during infection. Nfa34810-induced production of TNF-α in macrophages also involves ERK, JNK, and NF-κB via the TLR4 pathway.


Blood ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 703-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teru Hideshima ◽  
Masaharu Akiyama ◽  
Toshiaki Hayashi ◽  
Paul Richardson ◽  
Robert Schlossman ◽  
...  

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a member of the MAPK family which is activated by cytokines and growth factors, but its role in pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM) is unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that the specific p38 MAPK inhibitor VX-745 inhibits interleukin 6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) secretion in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), without affecting their viability. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)–induced IL-6 secretion in BMSCs is also inhibited by VX-745. Importantly, VX-745 inhibits both MM cell proliferation and IL-6 secretion in BMSCs triggered by adherence of MM cells to BMSCs, suggesting that it can inhibit paracrine MM cell growth in the BM milieu and overcome cell adhesion–related drug resistance. These studies therefore identify p38 MAPK as a novel therapeutic target to overcome drug resistance and improve patient outcome in MM.


2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 655-663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Li Wang ◽  
Chang-Hung Kuo ◽  
Yu-Te Chu ◽  
Ching-Hua Huang ◽  
Ka-Pan Lam ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 1115-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew K. Stone ◽  
Glynis L. Kolling ◽  
Matthew H. Lindner ◽  
Tom G. Obrig

ABSTRACTEscherichia coliO157:H7 Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2), one of the causative agents of hemolytic-uremic syndrome, is toxic to endothelial cells, including primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). This sensitivity of cells to Stx2 can be increased with either lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). The goal of the present study was to identify the intracellular signaling pathway(s) by which LPS and TNF-α sensitize HUVEC to the cytotoxic effects of Stx2. To identify these pathways, specific pharmacological inhibitors and small interfering RNAs were tested with cell viability endpoints. A time course and dose response experiment for HUVEC exposure to LPS and TNF-α showed that a relatively short exposure to either agonist was sufficient to sensitize the cells to Stx2 and that both agonists stimulated intracellular signaling pathways within a short time. Cell viability assays indicated that the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors SB202190 and SB203580 and the general protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide inhibited both the LPS and TNF-α sensitization of HUVEC to Stx2, while all other inhibitors tested did not inhibit this sensitization. Additionally, SB202190 reduced the cellular globotriaosylceramide content under LPS- and TNF-α-induced conditions. In conclusion, our results show that LPS and TNF-α induction of Stx2 sensitivity in HUVEC is mediated through a pathway that includes p38 MAPK. These results indicate that inhibition of p38 MAPK in endothelial cells may protect a host from the deleterious effects of Stx2.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lipei Liu ◽  
Megumi Watanabe ◽  
Norikazu Minami ◽  
Mohammad Yunizar ◽  
Tetsuo Ichikawa

Abstract Metal allergy is one of the typical immune disorders encountered during the application of dental/medical materials and has a highly complex pathogenic mechanism. Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A), a member of the semaphorin family, is reported to be involved in various immune disorders. However, its role in metal allergy has not been clarified yet. Herein, we show that Sema3A promoted nickel (Ni) allergy by mediating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) production and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation in keratinocytes. Sema3A was upregulated in NiCl2-stimulated mouse keratinocytes and in Ni allergy-induced mouse ear tissue. TNF-α production and MAPK activation were altered when Sema3A was suppressed in keratinocytes. The specific deletion of Sema3A in keratinocytes alleviated Ni allergy and regulated the macrophage polarization towards an anti-inflammatory direction. Our results demonstrate that Sema3A promotes the development of metal allergy and should be explored as a potential target for the prevention and treatment of metal allergy.


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