T-kininogen, a cystatin-like molecule, inhibits ERK-dependent lymphocyte proliferation

The kinin-kallikrein system: physiological roles, pathophysiology and its relationship to cancer biomarkers

The kinin-kallikrein system (KKS) is an endogenous multiprotein cascade, the activation of which leads to triggering of the intrinsic coagulation pathway and enzymatic hydrolysis of kininogens with the consequent release of bradykinin-related peptides. This system plays a crucial role in inflammation, vasodilation, smooth muscle contraction, cardioprotection, vascular permeability, blood pressure control, coagulation and pain. In this review, we will outline the physiology and pathophysiology of the KKS and also highlight the association of this system with carcinogenesis and cancer progression.

Normalizing effect of SJSZ glycoprotein (38 kDa) on proliferating cell nuclear antigen and interferon-γ in diethylnitrosamine-induced mice splenocytes

One of the immunosuppressive responses when hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develops in mammals is defective proliferation in the spleen. The objective of this study was to investigate the protective effect of the Styrax japonica Siebold et al. Zuccarini (SJSZ) glycoprotein on the proliferation of splenocytes induced by diethlynitrosamine (DEN). To assess whether the SJSZ glycoprotein modulates splenocyte proliferation, Balb/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with DEN (50 mg/kg, BW) for 7 weeks. After 7 weeks, the mice were sacrificed, and spleens were isolated. We evaluated [(3) H]-thymidine incorporation, extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), cell cycle-related factors [p53, p21, p27, cyclin D1/cyclin dependent kinase (CDK) 4], proliferating cell nuclear antigen and interferon (IFN)-γ using radiation activity, immunoblot analysis, and the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The results revealed that the SJSZ glycoprotein (10 mg/kg, BW) increased [(3) H]-thymidine incorporation, ERK phosphorylation, expression levels of cyclin D1/cyclin dependent kinase 4, and IFN-γ. However, the SJSZ glycoprotein decreased levels of p53, p21, and p27. Taken together, these results suggest that the SJSZ glycoprotein inhibited defective splenocyte proliferation induced by DEN.

Lipopolysaccharide inhibits the channel activity of the P2X7 receptor

The purinergic P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) plays an important role during the immune response, participating in several events such as cytokine release, apoptosis, and necrosis. The bacterial endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is one of the strongest stimuli of the immune response, and it has been shown that P2X7R activation can modulate LPS-induced responses. Moreover, a C-terminal binding site for LPS has been proposed. In order to evaluate if LPS can directly modulate the activity of the P2X7R, we tested several signaling pathways associated with P2X7R activation in HEK293 cells that do not express the TLR-4 receptor. We found that LPS alone was unable to induce any P2X7R-related activity, suggesting that the P2X7R is not directly activated by the endotoxin. On the other hand, preapplication of LPS inhibited ATP-induced currents, intracellular calcium increase, and ethidium bromide uptake and had no effect on ERK activation in HEK293 cells. In splenocytes-derived T-regulatory cells, in which ATP-induced apoptosis is driven by the P2X7R, LPS inhibited ATP-induced apoptosis. Altogether, these results demonstrate that LPS modulates the activity of the P2X7R and suggest that this effect could be of physiological relevance.

Oxidative damage in lymphocytes of copper smelter workers correlated to higher levels of excreted arsenic

Arsenic has been associated with multiple harmful effects at the cellular level. Indirectly these defects could be related to impairment of the integrity of the immune system, in particular in lymphoid population. To characterize the effect of Arsenic on redox status on this population, copper smelter workers and arsenic unexposed donors were recruited for this study. We analyzed urine samples and lymphocyte enriched fractions from donors to determinate arsenic levels and lymphocyte proliferation. Moreover, we studied the presence of oxidative markers MDA, vitamin E and SOD activity in donor plasma. Here we demonstrated that in human beings exposed to high arsenic concentrations, lymphocyte MDA and arsenic urinary levels showed a positive correlation with SOD activity, and a negative correlation with vitamin E serum levels. Strikingly, lymphocytes from the arsenic exposed population respond to a polyclonal stimulator, phytohemaglutinin, with higher rates of thymidine incorporation than lymphocytes of a control population. As well, similar in vitro responses to arsenic were observed using a T cell line. Our results suggest that chronic human exposure to arsenic induces oxidative damage in lymphocytes and could be considered more relevant than evaluation of T cell surveillance.

Genetic variations at loci involved in the immune response are risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma

Primary liver cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a rising incidence in Western countries. Little is known about the genetic etiology of this disease. To identify genetic factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis (LC), we conducted a comprehensive, genome-wide variation analysis in a population of unrelated Asian individuals. Copy number variation (CNV) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assayed in peripheral blood with the high-density Affymetrix SNP6.0 microarray platform. We used a two-stage discovery and replication design to control for overfitting and to validate observed results. We identified a strong association with CNV at the T-cell receptor gamma and alpha loci (P < 1 × 10(-15)) in HCC cases when contrasted with controls. This variation appears to be somatic in origin, reflecting differences between T-cell receptor processing in lymphocytes from individuals with liver disease and healthy individuals that is not attributable to chronic hepatitis virus infection. Analysis of constitutional variation identified three susceptibility loci including the class II MHC complex, whose protein products present antigen to T-cell receptors and mediate immune surveillance. Statistical analysis of biologic networks identified variation in the "antigen presentation and processing" pathway as being highly significantly associated with HCC (P = 1 × 10(-11)). SNP analysis identified two variants whose allele frequencies differ significantly between HCC and LC. One of these (P = 1.74 × 10(-12)) lies in the PTEN homolog TPTE2.

CONCLUSION

Combined analysis of CNV, individual SNPs, and pathways suggest that HCC susceptibility is mediated by germline factors affecting the immune response and differences in T-cell receptor processing.

Tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor-3 sensitizes melanoma and colon cancer to biotherapeutics and chemotherapeutics

Drug resistance is a major obstacle in cancer treatments and diminishes the clinical efficacy of biological, cytotoxic, or targeted therapeutics. Being an antiapoptotic mediator of chemoresistance in breast and lung cancer cells, MKP1 phosphatase might be targeted for overcoming chemoresistance and improving therapeutic efficacy. In this work, tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor-3 (TPI-3) was identified as a novel small molecule inhibitor of MKP1 and was capable of sensitizing tumors to bio- and chemotherapeutics in mice as a tolerated oral agent. Effective against recombinant MKP1, TPI-3 selectively increased MKP1 phosphosubstrates in Jurkat cells and induced cell death via apoptosis at nanomolar concentrations. TPI-3 also increased MKP1 phosphosubstrates in WM9 human melanoma cells and synergized with biotherapeutic IFN alpha 2b in the growth inhibition of melanoma cells in vitro (combination index, <1). WM9 xenografts unresponsive to individual agents were significantly inhibited (62%, P = 0.001) in mice by a tolerated combination of oral TPI-3 (10 mg/kg, 5 d/wk) and IFN alpha 2b. MKP1 expression was detected in human melanoma cell lines and tissue samples at levels up to six times higher than those in normal or nonmalignant melanocytes. TPI-3 also interacted positively with chemotherapeutics, 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, against MC-26 colon cancer cells in vitro and in mice. Altogether, our data show the preclinical activities of TPI-3 in overcoming cancer resistance to bio- and chemotherapeutics, implicate MKP1 as a drug-resistant molecule in melanoma, and support the targeting of MKP1 for improving cancer therapeutic efficacy.

Molecular cloning and characterization of cystatin, a cysteine protease inhibitor, from Angiostrongylus cantonensis

Cystatins are thiol proteinase inhibitors ubiquitously present in mammalian body and serve various important physiological functions. In the present study, a novel cystatin molecule (AcCystatin) was cloned from a cDNA library of Angiostrongylus cantonensis fourth-stage larvae. The putative 14-kDa protein contained 120 residues with cystatin-conserved motifs known to interact with the active site of cysteine peptidases and showed high identities with cystatins from other nematodes. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression pattern of AcCystatin was equal at the time points of third-stage larvae, fourth-stage larvae, and adults of the parasite life cycle. The recombinant AcCystatin (rAcCystatin) expressed and purified from Escherichia coli has been demonstrated to possess an obvious inhibitory activity against cathepsin B and could significantly upregulate nitric oxide production from IFN-gamma activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Sera from mice (non-permissive host) infected with A. cantonensis detected rAcCystatin by Western blot, while the sera from infected rats (permissive host) could not. The results implied that AcCystatin might be an immunoregulator in A. cantonensis infection.

Kininogens: More than cysteine protease inhibitors and kinin precursors

Two kininogens are found in mammalian sera: HK (high molecular weight kininogen) and LK (low molecular weight kininogen) with the exception of the rat which encompasses a third kininogen, T-Kininogen (TK). Kininogens are multifunctional glycosylated molecules related to cystatins (clan IH, family I25). They harbor three cystatin domains but only two of them are tight-binding inhibitors of cysteine cathepsins. HK and LK, but not TK, are precursors of potent peptide hormones, the kinins, which are released proteolytically by tissue and plasma kallikreins. Besides these classical features novel functions of kininogens have been recently discovered; they are described in the second part of this review. HKa, which corresponds to the kinin-free two-chain HK and its isolated domain D5 (kininostatin), possesses angiostatic and pro-apoptotic properties, inhibits the proliferation of endothelial cells and participates in the regulation of angiogenesis. Moreover, some HK-derived peptides display potent and broad-spectrum microbicidal properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and thus may offer a promising alternative to conventional antibiotic therapy. Of seminal interest, a kininogen-derived peptide inhibits activation of the contact phase system of coagulation and protects mice with invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infection from pulmonary lesions. On the other hand, TK is a biomarker of aging at the end of lifespan of elderly rats. However, although TK has been initially identified as an acute phase reactant, and earlier known as alpha-l-acute phase globulin, the increase of TK in liver and plasma is not known to relate to any inflammatory event during the senescence process.

Cystatin B associates with signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 in monocyte-derived and placental macrophages

Cystatin (CSTB, also known as stefin B), a cysteine protease inhibitor, recently was found to be down-regulated in the proteome of uninfected and HIV-1-infected placental macrophages (PMs) and associated with restricted HIV-1 replication in PM but not in monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs). We investigated CSTB interactions with signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT-1) by immunoprecipitation studies because this molecule is known to activate HIV-1 replication. Since both CSTB and STAT-1 are related to HIV-1 replication, we hypothesized that these proteins could be interacting. We applied immunoprecipitation assays to determine STAT-1-CSTB interaction in uninfected and HIV-1-infected PM as compared with MDM. We found that CSTB associates with STAT-1 in PM and MDM. Further analyses indicated that the levels of STAT-1 tyrosine phosphorylation were higher in PM than MDM. High levels of tyrosine phosphorylation previously have been associated with HIV-1 inhibitory activity. This is the first report to demonstrate that cystatin B interacts with STAT-1 and that the levels of STAT-1 tyrosine phosphorylation (but not serine phosphorylation) between uninfected and HIV-infected PM and MDM are differentially regulated.

Hesperidin inhibits expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha and inflammatory cytokine production from mast cells

The citrus unshiu peel has been used traditionally as a medicine to improve bronchial and asthmatic conditions or cardiac and blood circulation in Korea, China, and Japan. Here, we report the effects of citrus unshiu peel water extract (CPWE) on the phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)+calcium ionophore A23187-induced hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) activation and inflammatory cytokine production from the human mast cell line, HMC-1 cells. We compared CPWE with hesperidin, a common constituent of citrus unshiu. CPWE and hesperidin inhibited the PMA+A23187-induced HIF-1alpha expression and the subsequent production of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). In addition, CPWE suppressed PMA+A23187-induced phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). We also show that the increased cytokines interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha level was significantly inhibited by treatment of CPWE or hesperidin. In the present study, we report that CPWE and hesperidin are inhibitors of HIF-1alpha and cytokines on the mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses.

Differential expression of neutrophilic granule proteins between Th1 and Th2 cells

T helper cell type 1 (Th1) and 2 (Th2) play central roles in immune regulation. To identify the novel genes differentially expressed between Th1 and Th2 cells, CD4+ T cells were isolated from DO11.10 transgenic mice and induced under Th1 or Th2 conditions. Microarray showed differential expression of neutrophilic granule proteins (NGP) between Th1 and Th2 cells. NGP was first identified as a myeloid-specific granule protein with homology to the cystatin superfamily. Here we confirmed greater expression of NGP in Th2 cells by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. We also showed that the expression of NGP mRNA had a peak expression after 5 d culture under Th2- but not Th1-biasing conditions. Antibody against NGP was prepared, and in concert with the results of mRNA analysis, the level of NGP protein in Th2 cells detected by Western blot analysis was also higher than that in Th1 cells. GFP-NGP fusion proteins overexpressed in HeLa cells were localized to the cytoplasm. These results suggest NGP is a novel marker distinguishing Th2 from Th1 cells and maybe a novel cytokine secreted by Th2 cells.

T-kininogen: a biomarker of aging in Fisher 344 rats with possible implications for the immune response

T-kininogen (T-KG) is a reliable biomarker of aging in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Here we confirm, in a longitudinal study, a similar behavior in Fisher 344 rats of both sexes. In males, the increase in serum levels of T-KG follows an exponential curve, whereas in females the increase is best fitted by a linear curve. In both genders, dietary restriction delays the increase in T-KG. We have previously shown that T-KG inhibits T lymphocyte proliferation. Here we show that serum T-KG levels correlate negatively with the ability of splenocytes (most likely B cells) to proliferate in response to lipopolysaccharide. A similar correlation was not observed with other markers of inflammation, including alpha1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), haptoglobin, or interleukin-10. We conclude that the increase in serum T-KG represents a useful biomarker of aging in Fisher 344, and it correlates with decreased lymphocyte proliferation with age, although a cause-effect relationship has not been established.