Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:2.7.7.6 (RNA polymerase)
34,946 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is a T cell-mediated inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) which serves as a prime animal model for the human disease multiple sclerosis. Previous studies from these laboratories demonstrated excess nitric oxide (NO) in the CNS of EAE-affected mice, and amelioration of EAE with a selective inhibitor of the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Recent studies from other laboratories have indicated that prostaglandin PGE2 is increased in CNS tissues of EAE-affected rodents and that EAE is prevented by the inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity. The present study investigated the ability of encephalitogenic lymphoid cells to induce NOS and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) in the murine macrophage line, RAW 264.7. In order to mimic the extracellular milieu present in EAE lesions, conditioned medium (CM) of activated EAE-inducer cells was added to this macrophage line. CM caused a time-dependent increase in nitrite, indicating NO production. Reverse-transcriptase PCR demonstrated iNOS mRNA in RAW 264.7 cells, first detected at 3 h, and Western blots confirmed the induction in RAW cells of the 130-kDa iNOS protein. Production of nitrite by CM-exposed RAW 264.7 cells was blocked by inhibitors of NOS (L-N-methylarginine or aminoguanidine) or by antibodies to murine IFN-gamma or IL-1 beta. CM of activated encephalitogenic cells induced production of PGE2 by RAW 264.7 cells, as determined by ELISA, and Western blots identified the presence of the 70-80-kDa inducible COX (COX-2) protein. Induction of COX-2 could be inhibited by antibody to IFN-gamma. Thus, encephalitogenic cells are capable of inducing the expression of the inflammatory enzymes iNOS and COX-2 in a murine macrophage line via the T cell cytokine IFN-gamma, alone or in combination with IL-1 beta.
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PMID:Mediation of inflammation by encephalitogenic cells: interferon gamma induction of nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase 2. 759 55

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has been shown to be increased in brain tissue of AIDS patients and may function as a mediator of cerebral damage. We initiated a study to determine the cellular localization and degree of protein and mRNA expression of the two specific TNF-alpha receptors (TNF-Rs), p55 and p75, in brain tissues from AIDS patients. Cerebral white matter obtained at autopsy from 13 AIDS patients, 10 unhealthy controls, and 4 healthy controls was evaluated. Double-label immunohistochemistry revealed prominent up-regulation of p55 and p75 TNF-Rs on activated macrophages and microglial cells in all AIDS patients; no increased staining was found on astrocytes. Staining was most prominent in patients with opportunistic infection of the brain and in microglial nodules of patients with HIV encephalitis. Brain tissues also showed increased expression of interleukin (IL)-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha, cytokines known to up-regulate the TNF-Rs. Increased staining for TNF-Rs was also found in patients with multiple sclerosis, chronic cerebral edema, and radiation necrosis but not in an asymptomatic HIV-positive patient without AIDS. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction performed on adjacent sections from five AIDS patients revealed up-regulation from normal for p55 in all patients and for p75 in three patients. The up-regulation of both TNF-Rs in AIDS suggests that macrophages and microglial cells may be important in amplifying the TNF-alpha response.
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PMID:Increased expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptors in the brains of patients with AIDS. 854 30

SJL mice immunized with proteolipid protein (PLP) develop relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (R-EAE). R-EAE is a CD4+, Th1 cell-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that is used as a model for the human disease multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies showed that young (< 8 weeks) male SJL mice were resistant to active induction of EAE with CNS homogenate, while female mice were susceptible. We have recently observed that young male SJL mice immunized with a major encephalitogenic peptide of myelin, PLP 139-151, developed initial clinical and histological symptoms of EAE with a severity similar to age-matched females; however, unlike females, male mice did not relapse. Significant T cell proliferation to PLP 139-151, but not to other PLP and myelin basic protein (MBP) epitopes, was observed in both males and females during the initial episode, recovery, and first relapse of clinical disease. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of lymphokine mRNA revealed differences in IFN-gamma and IL-4 synthesis consistent with the hypothesis that Th2 T cells develop in young male SJL mice that regulate the relapsing phase of the disease. These data suggest that immunization of young male SJL mice with PLP 139-151 overrides a defect in antigen presentation responsible for the previously observed resistance to EAE, and that natural processing and presentation of neuroantigens during the course of acute EAE induces Th2 cells that prevent the relapse of disease.
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PMID:Male SJL mice do not relapse after induction of EAE with PLP 139-151. 889 79

Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infection of mice is used as a model to study pathogenic processes occurring in viral encephalitis and demyelinating disease. In this study, the long-term effects of infection by the avirulent M9 mutant of SPV on the central nervous system (CNS) of BALB/c and SJL mice were determined. The presence of infectious virus, viral RNA and cytokine mRNA in the brains of individual mice and the presence of lesions in the spinal cords of the same mice up to 360 days post-infection (d.p.i.) were analysed in order to detect any correlation between these parameters of pathogenesis. Infectious virus could not be detected beyond 7 d.p.i. for either mouse strain. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the presence of the E2 and nsP1 regions of the virus genome and mRNA for interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha. Viral RNA could be detected up to 90 d.p.i. for both mouse strains. Cytokine mRNA could be detected up to 28 d.p.i. for BALB/c mice but up to 360 d.p.i. for SJL mice. Inflammatory lesions, which were associated with cytokine mRNA expression, were not detected in BALB/c mice beyond 28 d.p.i. but were detected in two SJL mice at 90 d.p.i. It is concluded that M9-SFV infection induces long-term prolonged expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the CNS of the majority of SJL (but not BALB/c) mice which is not associated with persistence of the virus genome. M9-SFV infection of SJL mice may be a relevant model for the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis in man.
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PMID:Long-term effects of Semliki Forest virus infection in the mouse central nervous system. 922 33

The brain is an immunoprivileged organ isolated from the peripheral immune system. However, it has been shown that resident cells, notably astrocytes and microglia, can express numerous innate immune molecules, providing the capacity to generate a local antipathogen system. Perforin is a cytolytic protein present in the granules of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. Expression in cells other than those of the hemopoetic lineage has not been described. We report here that fetal astrocytes in culture (passages 2 to 15), astrocytoma, and adult astrocytes expressed perforin. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction followed by Southern blot was carried out using multiple specific primers and all cDNAs were cloned and sequenced. Human fetal astrocyte perforin cDNA sequence was approximately 100% identical to the reported perforin cDNA cloned from T cells. Western blot analysis using monoclonal and polyclonal antiperforin peptide antibodies revealed a protein of 65 kD in both human fetal astrocyte and rat natural killer cell lysates (n = 4). Immunostaining followed by FACS(R) and confocal and electron microscopy analysis revealed that perforin was expressed by 40-50% of glial fibrillary acidic protein positive cells present in the fetal brain culture (n = 11). Perforin was not localized to granules in astrocytes but was present throughout the cytoplasm, probably in association with the endoplasmic reticulum. Perforin was not detected in normal adult brain tissue but was present in and around areas of inflammation (white and grey matter) in multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative brains. Perforin-positive cells were identified as reactive astrocytes. These findings demonstrate that perforin expression is not unique to lymphoid cells and suggest that perforin produced by a subpopulation of astrocytes plays a role in inflammation in the brain.
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PMID:Identification of an astrocyte cell population from human brain that expresses perforin, a cytotoxic protein implicated in immune defense. 946 95

Oligodendrocytes in multiple sclerosis brain may be under a direct attack by proinflammatory cytokines, particularly tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interferon-gamma (IFNgamma). In this study, we have examined the in vitro cytotoxic effects of the two cytokines, individually and in combination, on oligodendrocyte lineage cells using morphological criteria, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide reduction assay (MTT), terminal deoxynucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL), and agarose-gel electrophoretic analysis of fragmented DNA. IFNgamma exerted a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on cultured CG4 cells, an oligodendrocyte progenitor cell line, and in primary cultures of purified oligodendrocyte progenitors. TNFalpha, while by itself being only mildly toxic, greatly potentiated the cytotoxicity of IFNgamma. The cytokine effects were developmentally modified in that their cytotoxic and cooperative effects became less evident in more differentiated cells. A cell-permeable peptide inhibitor (i.e., z-VAD.fmk) of caspases partially suppressed apoptotic changes elicited by the cytokine combination in CG4 cells but not in primary oligodendrocytes. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of mRNA prepared from cytokine-treated cultures revealed an increased expression of the death receptor, Fas. The results suggest particular vulnerability of oligodendrocyte progenitors to a combination of TNFalpha and IFNgamma involving an activation of the cell death program.
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PMID:TNFalpha potentiates IFNgamma-induced cell death in oligodendrocyte progenitors. 984 48

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) have been implicated as causative agents in diseases characterized by inflammation and macrophage activation, such as multiple sclerosis. Because monocyte activation and differentiation influence retroviral transcription and replication, we investigated the contribution of these processes to the expression of four HERV families (HERV-W, HERV-K, HERV-E, and HERV-H) in human monocytes, and autopsied brain tissue from patients with brain diseases associated with increased macrophage activity. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction analysis of primary macrophages and U937 monocytoid cells stimulated with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate or lipopolysaccharide revealed three- to ninefold increases in HERV-W, HERV-K, and HERV-H RNA levels. In addition, elevated reverse transcriptase activity and HERV RNA were detectable in supernatants from PMA-stimulated U937 cultures, properties that could be attenuated with the inhibitor of monocyte differentiation threonine-lysine-proline. In contrast, stimulation of monocytes decreased or had no effect on HERV-E expression. Compared with controls, HERV-W and HERV-K expression was increased in brain tissue from patients with multiple sclerosis or human immunodeficiency virus infection or AIDS, with concomitant elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels. Similarly, elevated HERV-W levels were detected in patients with Alzheimer's dementia only when tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression was also evident (2 of 6 cases). The detection of several HERVs in inflammatory brain diseases and the capacity to augment HERV expression in monocytes with compounds that influence cellular activity suggest that increased expression of these viruses is a consequence of increased immune activity rather than causative of distinct diseases.
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PMID:Monocyte activation and differentiation augment human endogenous retrovirus expression: implications for inflammatory brain diseases. 1160 92

Multiple sclerosis (MS) has an unknown cause, but its epidemiology suggests an interplay between environmental factors, possibly including viruses, and genetic components. Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are elements of the human genome that potentially may act as either genetic markers for polymorphisms related to MS, or markers of environmental/endogenous stress. Activation of the ERVs HERV-H/RGH, HERV-W and ERV-9 was reported when specific cell types (mainly B cells) from MS patients were cultivated in vitro. Viral RNA from these ERVs has been detected by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in sera/plasma and brain tissues from MS patients, although not exclusively from these patients. ERVs play unknown roles in MS: their activation may represent an inflammatory cytokine-mediated epiphenomenon; alternatively, preliminary evidence suggests that specific ERVs may act as auto-, super- or neoantigens with the potential to enhance inflammatory responses or induce autoimmune reactions. ERVs that occur in few copies in the human genome (e.g. ERV-3 and human endogenous retrovirus, HRES-1) may show polymorphic patterns in MS. Studies show that the sequences encoding the envelope protein of ERV-3 are polymorphic to a degree where it becomes impossible to link them with MS. In contrast, the HRES-1 long terminal repeat sequence has a polymorphic pattern with haplotypes characteristic of MS. Haplotypes from non-MS control groups were identical between different topographic areas, but haplotypes from MS patients were different, depending on the population.
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PMID:Endogenous retroviruses and MS: using ERVs as disease markers. 1290 66

CD40 is expressed on various immune cells, including macrophages and microglia. Aberrant expression of CD40 is associated with autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Interaction of Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) with the Gram-negative bacteria endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in the induction of an array of immune response genes. In this study, we describe that LPS is a strong inducer of CD40 expression in macrophages and microglia, which occurs at the transcriptional level and involves the activation of the transcription factors nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1alpha (STAT-1alpha). LPS-induced CD40 expression involves the endogenous production of the cytokine interferon-beta (IFN-beta), which contributes to CD40 expression by the activation of STAT-1alpha. Blocking IFN-beta-induced activation of STAT-1alpha by IFN-beta-neutralizing antibody reduces LPS-induced CD40 gene expression. Furthermore, LPS induces acetylation and phosphorylation of histones H3 and H4 and the recruitment of NF-kappaB, STAT-1alpha, and RNA polymerase II on the CD40 promoter in vivo in a time-dependent manner, all events important for CD40 gene transcription. These results indicate that both LPS-induced NF-kappaB activation and endogenous production of IFN-beta that subsequently induces STAT-1alpha activation play critical roles in the transcriptional activation of the CD40 gene by LPS.
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PMID:LPS induces CD40 gene expression through the activation of NF-kappaB and STAT-1alpha in macrophages and microglia. 1602 May 13

Costimulation between T cells and APCs is required for adaptive immune responses. CD40, an important costimulatory molecule, is expressed on a variety of cell types, including macrophages and microglia. The aberrant expression of CD40 is implicated in diseases including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, and inhibition of CD40 signaling has beneficial effects in a number of animal models of autoimmune diseases. In this study, we discovered that IL-10, a cytokine with anti-inflammatory properties, inhibits LPS-induced CD40 gene expression. We previously demonstrated that LPS induction of CD40 in macrophages/microglia involves both NF-kappaB activation and LPS-induced production of IFN-beta, which subsequently activates STAT-1alpha. IL-10 inhibits LPS-induced IFN-beta gene expression and subsequent STAT-1alpha activation, but does not affect NF-kappaB activation. Our results also demonstrate that IL-10 inhibits LPS-induced recruitment of STAT-1alpha, RNA polymerase II, and the coactivators CREB binding protein and p300 to the CD40 promoter, as well as inhibiting permissive histone H3 acetylation (AcH3). IL-10 and LPS synergize to induce suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)-3 gene expression in macrophages and microglia. Ectopic expression of SOCS-3 attenuates LPS-induced STAT activation, and inhibits LPS-induced CD40 gene expression, comparable to that seen by IL-10. These results indicate that SOCS-3 plays an important role in the negative regulation of LPS-induced CD40 gene expression by IL-10.
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PMID:IL-10 inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced CD40 gene expression through induction of suppressor of cytokine signaling-3. 1711 47


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