Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0018133 (graft-versus-host disease)
 18,032 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Murine sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease (Scl GVHD), produced by transplanting B10.D2 bone marrow and spleen cells to lethally irradiated BALB/cJ mice, is a model for human scleroderma. Mice with Scl GVHD have skin thickening, lung fibrosis, cutaneous mononuclear cell infiltration, and upregulation of cutaneous transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) and type I collagen mRNAs by day 21 after bone marrow transplantation. Elevated TGF-beta1 appears to be the critical cytokine driving fibrosis in Scl GVHD, which can be prevented with antibodies to TGF-beta administered early in disease. Here we demonstrate that we can also prevent skin thickening in mice with Scl GVHD with a naturally occurring antagonist to TGF-beta1, human latency-associated peptide (LAP). By quantitative real-time PCR analysis and immunostaining, LAP treatment also abrogates the upregulation of cutaneous TGF-beta1 and connective tissue growth factor mRNAs and type I collagen synthesis in Scl GVHD. In contrast to anti-TGF-beta antibodies, LAP at 4 ng total per mouse has no significant suppressive effect on cutaneous influx of T cells and monocytes or immune cell activation. LAP may be a potential new therapy in scleroderma and other TGF-beta-driven fibrosing disease that targets TGF-beta more specifically, without affecting systemic critical roles of TGF-beta on immune cell function.
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PMID:Latency-associated peptide prevents skin fibrosis in murine sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease, a model for human scleroderma. 1463 86

Latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection has been implicated in diseases characterized by tissue remodeling. Because of recent evidence indicating the possibility of a partial HCMV reactivation, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of the HCMV immediate early (IE) genes in the regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) related host genes. Adenoviral vector expressing IE1 was generated to allow efficient gene delivery into human fibroblasts. IE1 stimulated the prolonged expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) and TIMP1. IE1-dependent stimulation of CTGF was partially mediated by TGF-beta. Moreover, whereas collagenous proteins and collagen type 1 mRNA were only transiently induced by IE1 in the majority of fibroblasts, in selected fibroblast strains IE1 induced persistent ECM upregulation for up to 120 hours. This study suggests that transient or limited HCMV reactivation may play a direct role in abnormal matrix remodeling in GVHD, scleroderma, atherosclerosis and other HCMV-linked diseases.
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PMID:The 72-kilodalton IE-1 protein of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a potent inducer of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in human dermal fibroblasts. 1534 95

The molecular mechanisms governing skin fibrosis in murine sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease (Scl GVHD) are not known. We used Affymetrix DNA microarrays representing >14,000 mouse genes to characterize global gene expression in skin during development of Scl GVHD in lethally irradiated BALB/c (H-2d) mice transplanted with B10.D2 (H-2d) bone marrow and spleen cells. These mice develop skin thickening, whereas control mice transplanted with syngeneic BALB/c (H-2d) bone marrow and spleen cells do not develop disease. We found consistent differences between mice with Scl GVHD and controls in cytokine messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for both Th1-like (IFN-gamma) and Th2-like (IL-6, Il-10, and IL-13) inflammatory patterns. mRNAs for chemokines CCL2, CCL5, CCL17, IFN-gamma inducible chemokines (CXCL9/Mig, CXCL10/IP-10, and CXCL11/I-TAC), and for growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor-c, connective tissue growth factor, fibroblast growth factor 1, epidermal growth factor, nerve growth factor-beta, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-alpha, and VEGF-beta were elevated, similar to human scleroderma. mRNAs for cell adhesion molecules, such as L-selectin (selectin lymphocyte), P-selectin (selectin platelet), E-selectin (selectin endothelium), and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, were also upregulated. In separate experiments, we confirmed the increased synthesis of IFN-gamma and IL-2, unchanged IL-10, and absence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and IL-4 proteins by flow cytometry of isolated skin T cells. These constellations of immunologic changes provide a "fingerprint" for fibrosing autoimmune disease. They are useful to understand the pathogenesis of Scl GVHD, to identify markers for early diagnosis of disease, and to devise more effective strategies for intervention in early scleroderma and Scl GVHD.
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PMID:Cutaneous gene expression by DNA microarray in murine sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease, a model for human scleroderma. 1691 93

Graft-versus-host disease is the leading cause of non-relapse mortality after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. The cell-mediated immune mechanisms that underlie the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease remain unclear. In this study, 47 skin biopsies representing graft-versus-host disease grades 0-III, lichenoid, and sclerodermoid were included from 31 allogeneic bone marrow transplantation recipients. RNA from paraffin-embedded tissue was harvested. Transcript levels of the following markers were assessed and correlated with grade and survival: CD3, CD20, FoxP3, IL-17, gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma), transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), IL-6, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), allograft inflammatory factor-1(AIF-1), and IL-13. Levels of three markers significantly correlated with the length of survival (TGF-beta, correlation coefficient -20.8, P=0.016; AIF-1, 13.2, P=0.016; and CD20, 66, P=0.027). CD20 expression was limited to lichenoid cases. Levels of TGF-beta, AIF-1, and IFN-gamma appeared to correlate with histological progression, but did not reach statistical significance. Expression of FoxP3 correlated with worse survival, and approached statistical significance (P=0.053). Two potential mechanistic pathways were identified: the 'scleroderma' group (AIF-1 and TGF-beta) and the 'B-cell' group (CD20). Transcript levels of these markers were implicated in the progression from acute to chronic disease, and also correlated significantly with the duration of survival. Identification of these three markers may direct therapy selection with targeted agents, including the use of rituximab when B-lymphocytes are implicated.
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PMID:CD20, AIF-1, and TGF-beta in graft-versus-host disease: a study of mRNA expression in histologically matched skin biopsies. 2019 Jul 32