Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:2.7.12.2 (MEK)
 18,161 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Exogenous CD1d-binding glycolipid (alpha-Galactosylceramide, alpha-GC) stimulates TCR signaling and activation of type-1 natural killer-like T (NKT) cells. Activated NKT cells play a central role in the regulation of adaptive and protective immune responses against pathogens and tumors. In the present study, we tested the effect of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (LT) on NKT cells both in vivo and in vitro. LT is a binary toxin known to suppress host immune responses during anthrax disease and intoxicates cells by protective antigen (PA)-mediated intracellular delivery of lethal factor (LF), a potent metalloprotease. We observed that NKT cells expressed anthrax toxin receptors (CMG-2 and TEM-8) and bound more PA than other immune cell types. A sub-lethal dose of LT administered in vivo in C57BL/6 mice decreased expression of the activation receptor NKG2D by NKT cells but not by NK cells. The in vivo administration of LT led to decreased TCR-induced cytokine secretion but did not affect TCR expression. Further analysis revealed LT-dependent inhibition of TCR-stimulated MAP kinase signaling in NKT cells attributable to LT cleavage of the MAP kinase kinase MEK-2. We propose that Bacillus anthracis-derived LT causes a novel form of functional anergy in NKT cells and therefore has potential for contributing to immune evasion by the pathogen.
 ...
PMID:Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin disrupts TCR signaling in CD1d-restricted NKT cells leading to functional anergy. 1977 59

The etiologic agent of inhalational anthrax, Bacillus anthracis, produces virulence toxins that are important in the disease pathogenesis. Current studies suggest that mouse and human macrophages are susceptible to immunosuppressive effects of one of the virulence toxins, lethal toxin (LT). Thus a paradigm has emerged that holds that the alveolar macrophage (AM) does not play a significant role in the innate immune response to B. anthracis or defend against the pathogen as it is disabled by LT. This is inconsistent with animal models and autopsy studies that show minimal disease at the alveolar surface. We examined whether AM are immunosuppressed by LT. We found that human AM were relatively resistant to LT-mediated innate immune cytokine suppression, MEK cleavage, and induction of apoptosis as compared with mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. Mouse AM and murine bone marrow-derived macrophages were also relatively resistant to LT-mediated apoptosis despite intermediate sensitivity to MEK cleavage. The binding component of LT, protective Ag, does not attach to human AM, although it did bind to mouse AM, murine bone marrow-derived macrophages, and RAW 264.7 macrophages. Human AM do not produce significant amounts of the protective Ag receptor anthrax toxin receptor 1 (TEM8/ANTXR1) and anthrax toxin receptor 2 (CMG2/ANTXR2). Thus, mature and differentiated AM are relatively resistant to the effects of LT as compared with mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. AM resistance to LT may enhance clearance of the pathogen from the alveolar surface and explain why this surface is relatively free of B. anthracis in animal models and autopsy studies.
 ...
PMID:Resistance of human alveolar macrophages to Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin. 1981 8

Anthrax spores can be aerosolized and dispersed as a bioweapon. Current postexposure treatments are inadequate at later stages of infection, when high levels of anthrax toxins are present. Anthrax toxins enter cells via two identified anthrax toxin receptors: tumor endothelial marker 8 (TEM8) and capillary morphogenesis protein 2 (CMG2). We hypothesized that host cells would be protected from anthrax toxins if anthrax toxin receptor expression was effectively silenced using RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Thus, anthrax toxin receptors in mouse and human macrophages were silenced using targeted siRNAs or blocked with specific antibody prior to challenge with anthrax lethal toxin. Viability assays were used to assess protection in macrophages treated with specific siRNA or antibody as compared with untreated cells. Silencing CMG2 using targeted siRNAs provided almost complete protection against anthrax lethal toxin-induced cytotoxicity and death in murine and human macrophages. The same results were obtained by prebinding cells with specific antibody prior to treatment with anthrax lethal toxin. In addition, TEM8-targeted siRNAs also offered significant protection against lethal toxin in human macrophage-like cells. Furthermore, silencing CMG2, TEM8, or both receptors in combination was also protective against MEK2 cleavage by lethal toxin or adenylyl cyclase activity by edema toxin in human kidney cells. Thus, anthrax toxin receptor-targeted RNAi has the potential to be developed as a life-saving, postexposure therapy against anthrax.
...
PMID:Targeted silencing of anthrax toxin receptors protects against anthrax toxins. 2474 82