Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

CD40 is a type I membrane-bound molecule belonging to the TNFR superfamily that is expressed on various immune cells including macrophages and microglia. The aberrant expression of CD40 is involved in the initiation and maintenance of various human diseases including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Inhibition of CD40 signaling has been shown to provide a significant beneficial effect in a number of animal models of human diseases including the aforementioned examples. We have previously shown that IFN-gamma induces CD40 expression in macrophages and microglia. IFN-gamma leads to STAT-1alpha activation directly and up-regulation of NF-kappaB activity due to the secretion and subsequent autocrine signaling of TNF-alpha. However, TNF-alpha alone is not capable of inducing CD40 expression in these cells. Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 protein (SOCS-1) is a cytokine-inducible Src homology 2-containing protein that regulates cytokine receptor signaling by inhibiting STAT-1alpha activation via a specific interaction with activated Janus kinase 2. Given the important role of CD40 in inflammatory events in the CNS as well as other organ systems, it is imperative to understand the molecular mechanisms contributing to both CD40 induction and repression. We show that ectopic expression of SOCS-1 abrogates IFN-gamma-induced CD40 protein expression, mRNA levels, and promoter activity. Additionally, IFN-gamma-induced TNF-alpha secretion, as well as STAT-1alpha and NF-kappaB activation, are inhibited in the presence of SOCS-1. We conclude that SOCS-1 inhibits cytokine-induced CD40 expression by blocking IFN-gamma-mediated STAT-1alpha activation, which also then results in suppression of IFN-gamma-induced TNF-alpha secretion and subsequent NF-kappaB activation.
 ...
PMID:Suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 inhibits cytokine induction of CD40 expression in macrophages. 1219 1

CD40 is a 48kDa phosphorylated transmembrane glycoprotein that belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and may play a role in formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Here, we investigated the effect of chylomicron remnants on CD40 expression in the human premonocytic cell line, THP-1 cells. Chylomicron remnants upregulated the expression of CD40 protein and mRNA in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Further, chylomicron remnants increased the generation of reactive oxygen species as determined by an increasing level of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescein. Pretreatment with the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, inhibited chylomicron remnant-induced CD40 protein expression by 60%. On the other hand, chylomicron remnants transiently increased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK 1/2) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Pretreatment with the MAPK kinase inhibitor, U0126, completely inhibited chylomicron remnants-induced CD40 protein expression, whereas the p38 MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, had no effect. Pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine had no effect on chylomicron remnant-induced ERK 1/2 phosphorylation. These data suggest that CD40 expression stimulated by chylomicron remnants in THP-1 cells is dependent on ERK 1/2-mediated pathway, which is followed by redox-sensitive mechanism-dependent and independent pathway. Thus, chylomicron remnants may contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques via their immunological and proinflammatory effects.
Atherosclerosis 2006 Aug
PMID:Chylomicron remnants upregulate CD40 expression via the ERK pathway and a redox-sensitive mechanism in THP-1 cells. 1635 5

Ghrelin is a brain-gut peptide that serves as a natural ligand for growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR). It also exists abundantly in the cardiovascular system. In order to evaluate the possible role of ghrelin in the development of atherosclerosis, the effect of ghrelin on the expression of cell differentiation antigen 40 (CD40) were studied. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) line-ECV 304 was pre-treated with different concentrations of ghrelin, des-acyl ghrelin or [d-Lys]-GHRP-6 (a ghrelin receptor antagonist), and then induced with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma). The mRNA levels of CD40 were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and the expressions of CD40 protein in the cells were measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and Western blotting. The results showed that exogenous ghrelin could significantly inhibit TNF-alpha/IFN-gamma induced CD40 expression in HUVEC cells in a concentration-dependent manner. When treated with 1000 ng/ml of ghrelin, the mRNA level of CD40 in the cells was decreased by approximately 77%, but when treated with both 1000 ng/ml of ghrelin and 1000 ng/ml of [d-Lys]-GHRP-6, the mRNA level of CD40 in the cells was decreased by only 42%, suggesting that [d-Lys]-GHRP-6 could counteract the inhibitory effect of ghrelin in these cells. However, CD40 expression was not inhibited by des-acyl ghrelin at 1000 ng/ml. The results in protein expression analysis detected by FCM and Western blotting further confirmed these results. Our results suggested that in the cardiovascular system, ghrelin not only has an anti-inflammatory effect, but also has a significant immunoregulatory effect that may be mediated through the GHSR-1a receptor.
 ...
PMID:Effect of exogenous ghrelin on cell differentiation antigen 40 expression in endothelial cells. 1806 90