Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026936 (Mycoplasma)
14,761 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Chemokines play a key role in recruiting leukocytes into inflamed synovial environment, and the cells of the synovial membrane, which express high levels of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules, are a major source of these chemokines. Our data indicated that engagement of MHC class II molecules by staphylococcal enterotoxin A superantigen resulted in the induction of chemokine gene expression as well as protein synthesis. Pretreatment of the cells with cycloheximide potentiated the effect of superantigen on chemokine mRNA induction, suggesting that the expression of these genes may occur independently of prior protein synthesis. Ligation of MHC class II molecules in fibroblast-like synoviocytes by other ligands such as Mycoplasma arthritidis-derived superantigen and anti-class II antibody could also trigger an increase in the mRNA level of RANTES, MCP-1, and interleukin (IL)-8. The addition of dexamethasone to superantigen-treated fibroblast-like synoviocytes inhibited the mRNA expression of all three chemokines. IL-4 treatment decreased only the stimulating effect of superantigen on RANTES messanger suggesting that different mechanisms are involved in regulating these genes. The inhibitory effect of dexamethasone did not require a de novo protein synthesis, whereas that of IL-4 was protein-dependent. This report demonstrates that MHC class II ligands (superantigens and anti-MHC class II antibodies) may represent an important agent by which inflammatory chemokines can be induced and shows that this response can be modulated by the anti-inflammatory agents dexamethasone and IL-4.
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PMID:Induction of chemokine gene expression by major histocompatibility complex class II ligands in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes. Differential regulation by interleukin-4 and dexamethasone. 752 8

Interleukin-8 (IL-8) is a chemokine that belongs to the alpha-chemokine or CXC subfamily and is produced by a wide variety of human cells, including monocytes and polymorphonuclear cells (PMN). IL-8 is secreted in response to inflammatory stimuli, notably bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but little is known about the mechanisms by which these agents mediate IL-8 induction. In this report, we show that Mycoplasma fermentans lipid-associated membrane proteins (LAMPf) induce the production of high levels of IL-8 by THP-1 (human monocyte) cells and PMN at the same extent as LPS. It was previously demonstrated that stimulation of monocytic cells with either LPS or LAMPf led to a series of common downstream signaling events, including the activation of protein tyrosine kinase and of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascades. By using PD-98059 and SB203580, two potent and selective inhibitors of MEK1 (a kinase upstream of ERK1/2) and p38, respectively, we have demonstrated that both ERK1/2 and p38 cascades play a key role in the production of IL-8 by monocytes and PMN stimulated with bacterial fractions.
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PMID:Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in interleukin-8 production by human monocytes and polymorphonuclear cells stimulated with lipopolysaccharide or Mycoplasma fermentans membrane lipoproteins. 991 78

Bacterial infections are characterized by strong inflammatory reactions. The responsible mediators are often bacterially derived cell wall molecules, such as lipopolysaccharide or lipoteichoic acids, which typically stimulate monocytes and macrophages to release a wide variety of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Mycoplasmas, which lack a cell wall, may also stimulate monocytes very efficiently. This study was performed to identify mycoplasma-induced mediators. We investigated the induction of cytokines and chemokines in human monocytes exposed to the Mycoplasma fermentans-derived membrane component MALP-2 (macrophage-activating lipopeptide 2) by dose response and kinetic analysis. We found a rapid and strong MALP-2-inducible chemokine and cytokine gene expression which was followed by the release of chemokines and cytokines with peak levels after 12 to 20 h. MALP-2 induced the neutrophil-attracting CXC chemokines interleukin-8 (IL-8) and GRO-alpha as well as the mononuclear leukocyte-attracting CC chemokines MCP-1, MIP-1alpha, and MIP-1beta. Production of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-6 started at the same time as chemokine release but required 10- to 100-fold-higher MALP-2 doses. The data show that the mycoplasma-derived lipopeptide MALP-2 represents a potent inducer of chemokines and cytokines which may, by the attraction and activation of neutrophils and mononuclear leukocytes, significantly contribute to the inflammatory response during mycoplasma infection.
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PMID:Induction of cytokines and chemokines in human monocytes by Mycoplasma fermentans-derived lipoprotein MALP-2. 1056 41

A prominent feature of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infection is a lymphoproliferative response at the site of infection. In this study, artificial air cells (AACs) were made in eggs containing 16-day old chicken embryos. An MG culture and supernates from MG-infected RP-9 cells, HD-11 cells and monocytes were separately deposited on the membranes of the AAC. After incubation for 5 days, the eggs were opened and the AAC membranes were collected for histopathological examinations. Immunolabelling of MG-infected membranes showed a massive infiltration of lymphocytes possessing CD3 surface markers and the presence of cells that secreted lymphotactin, a chemokine. The supernates from MG-infected cells caused the infiltration of comparatively small numbers of lymphocytes. The culture medium-inoculated AACs had no obvious abnormalities of the membranes. It is suggested, therefore, that MG infection of the embryonic membranes causes the embryos to secrete lymphotactin, which induces the migration and accumulation of lymphocytes to the sites of infection.
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PMID:Chemotactic response of lymphocytes in chicken embryos infected with Mycoplasma gallisepticum. 1253 85

Because macrolide antibiotics are hypothesized to possess immunomodulatory activity independent of their antimicrobial activity, we evaluated the immunomodulatory effect of clarithromycin in a murine model of lung inflammation induced by either live or UV-killed Mycoplasma pneumoniae. BALB/c mice were intranasally inoculated once with live or UV-killed M. pneumoniae. Clarithromycin (25 mg/kg of body weight) or placebo was subcutaneously administered once daily in both groups of mice. In mice infected with live M. pneumoniae, clarithromycin treatment significantly reduced quantitative M. pneumoniae bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) culture, pulmonary histopathologic scores (HPS), and airway resistance-obstruction (as measured by plethysmography) compared with placebo. Concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha, gamma interferon, interleukin-6 (IL-6), mouse KC (functional IL-8), JE/MCP-1, and MIP-1alpha in BAL fluid were also significantly decreased in mice infected with live M. pneumoniae given clarithromycin. In contrast, mice inoculated with UV-killed M. pneumoniae had no significant reduction in HPS, airway resistance-obstruction, or BAL cytokine or chemokine concentrations in response to clarithromycin administration. Clarithromycin therapy demonstrated beneficial effects (microbiologic, histologic, respiratory, and immunologic) on pneumonia in the mice infected with live M. pneumoniae; this was not observed in the mice inoculated with UV-killed M. pneumoniae.
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PMID:Antimicrobial and immunologic activities of clarithromycin in a murine model of Mycoplasma pneumoniae-induced pneumonia. 1270 30

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection exacerbates asthma in children and may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic asthma. Because the airway epithelium is a preferential site for M. pneumoniae infection and a major source of the chemokine regulated on activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, we postulated that this microorganism may contribute to the disease by inducing these mediators through direct interaction with airway epithelial cells. We investigated the effects of M. pneumoniae on RANTES and TGF-beta1 production in primary cultures of normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells and small airway epithelial (SAEC) cells. Both cell types were permissive to M. pneumoniae infection in vitro, but their responses were different. TGF-beta1 was induced at higher levels in NHBE than in SAEC cultures, whereas RANTES was induced in SAEC cultures but not in NHBE cultures. These effects were attenuated by erythromycin and dexamethasone. In vitro adherence assays further indicated that the effects of erythromycin were mediated through its antimicrobial action, resulting in diminished adherence of the pathogen, whereas the effects of dexamethasone did not appear to be by inhibition of adherence. These results suggest that M. pneumoniae infection may contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic asthma at different levels of the airways, by inducing TGF-beta1 in large airways and the chemokine RANTES in small airways.
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PMID:Induction of regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted (RANTES) and transforming growth factor-beta 1 in airway epithelial cells by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. 1271 77

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a major etiologic agent of acute lower respiratory infections. We evaluated the antimicrobial and immunologic effects of cethromycin (ABT-773), a ketolide antibiotic, for the treatment of M. pneumoniae pneumonia in a mouse model. Eight-week-old BALB/c mice were inoculated intranasally once with 10(6) CFU of M. pneumoniae on day 0. Treatment was started 24 h after inoculation. Groups of mice were treated subcutaneously with cethromycin at 25 mg/kg of body weight or with placebo daily until sacrifice. Five to ten mice per group were evaluated at days 1, 4, 7, and 10 after inoculation. Outcome variables included bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) for M. pneumoniae quantitative culture and cytokine and chemokine concentration determinations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-alpha], gamma interferon [IFN-gamma], interleukin-1beta [IL-1beta], IL-2, IL-4, IL-12, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-8, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 [MCP-1], and macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha [MIP-1alpha]), histopathologic score of the lungs (HPS), and pulmonary function tests (PFT) using whole-body, unrestrained plethysmography at the baseline and post-methacholine exposure as indicators of airway obstruction (AO) and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), respectively. The cethromycin-treated mice had a greater reduction in M. pneumoniae culture titers than placebo-treated mice, reaching statistical significance on days 7 and 10 (P < 0.05). HPS was significantly reduced in cethromycin-treated mice compared with placebo-treated mice on days 4, 7, and 10 (P < 0.05). Cytokine concentrations in BAL samples were reduced in mice that received cethromycin, and the differences were statistically significant for 7 of the 10 cytokines measured (TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-12, MCP-1, and MIP-1alpha) on day 4 (P < 0.05). PFT values were improved in the cethromycin-treated mice, with AO and AHR significantly reduced on day 4 (P < 0.05). In this mouse model, treatment with cethromycin significantly reduced M. pneumoniae culture titers in BAL samples, cytokine and chemokine concentrations in BAL samples, histologic inflammation in the lungs, and disease severity as defined by AO and AHR.
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PMID:Impact of cethromycin (ABT-773) therapy on microbiological, histologic, immunologic, and respiratory indices in a murine model of Mycoplasma pneumoniae lower respiratory infection. 1527 98

Respiratory tract infections result in wheezing in a subset of patients. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common etiologic agent of acute respiratory infection in children and adults that has been associated with wheezing in 20-40% of individuals. The current study was undertaken to elucidate the host-dependent pulmonary and immunologic response to M. pneumoniae respiratory infection by studying mice with different immunogenetic backgrounds (BALB/c mice versus C57BL/6 mice). After M. pneumoniae infection, only BALB/c mice developed significant airway obstruction (AO) compared with controls. M. pneumoniae-infected BALB/c mice manifested significantly elevated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) compared with C57BL/6 mice 4 and 7 d after inoculation as well as BALB/c control mice. Compared with C57BL/6 mice, BALB/c mice developed worse pulmonary inflammation, including greater peribronchial infiltrates. Infected BALB/c mice had significantly higher concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, IL-12, KC (functional IL-8), and macrophage inflammatory protein 1alpha in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid compared with infected C57BL/6 mice. No differences in IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor concentrations were found. The mice in this study exhibited host-dependent infection-related AO and AHR associated with chemokine and T-helper type (Th)1 pulmonary host response and not Th2 response after M. pneumoniae infection.
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PMID:Mycoplasma pneumoniae induces host-dependent pulmonary inflammation and airway obstruction in mice. 1562 76

Respiratory Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) infection is involved in several acute and chronic lung diseases including community-acquired pneumonia, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. In the chronic disease process, recurrent respiratory bacterial infections could occur, which may result in varying degrees of symptoms and lung inflammation among patients. However, the lung immunologic differences of host responses to repeated bacterial (i.e., Mp) infections remain to be determined. In the present study, we examined cellular and humoral responses to multiple (up to 3) Mp infections in two genetically different strains of mice (BALB/c and C57BL/6). Mice were intranasally inoculated with one Mp infection, two or three Mp infections (4 weeks apart), and sacrificed on days 3, 7 and 14 after the last Mp infection. Overall, compared to C57BL/6 mice, BALB/c mice demonstrated a significantly higher degree of lung tissue inflammatory cell infiltrate, BAL cellularity, and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-alpha, keratinocyte-derived chemokine (KC, a mouse homolog of human chemokine Gro-alpha [CXCL1], and IFN-gamma). In addition, BALB/c mice presented higher levels of serum Mp-specific IgG and IgM, but not IgA. Consistently with lung and serum data, Mp load in BAL and lung specimens was significantly higher in BALB/c mice than C57BL/6 mice. Moreover, repeated Mp infections in BALB/c, but not C57BL/6 mice, produced a greater inflammatory response than did a single Mp infection. Our results suggest that hosts with different genetic background may have different susceptibility to repeated respiratory Mp infections along with inflammatory responses.
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PMID:Repeated respiratory Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in mice: effect of host genetic background. 1671 27

The progression of murine mycoplasma pneumonia is dependent on T cells and other immune cells. The role of cytokines in immunity are complex, and identifying the network of cytokines produced after infection of mice is essential in dissecting the key cytokine cascades involved mycoplasma disease pathogenesis. In the present study, mRNA expression of 143 different cytokines, chemokines, or receptors were evaluated in lung tissues from both susceptible (BALB/c and C3H/HeN) and resistant (C57BL/6) mice after Mycoplasma pulmonis infection. To accomplish this, membrane-based cDNA microarrays were used to monitor changes mRNA expression in lungs. There was a clear association with disease susceptibility and development of cytokine mRNA expression. In addition to proinflammatory cytokines, mRNA expression of an anti-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-10, increased with disease severity, suggesting an attempt to moderate the severity of the inflammatory response. Furthermore, it is clear that an array of chemokines produced in susceptible mice could contribute to the recruitment and maintenance of inflammatory cells at the site of disease. In support of this, there was an increase in macrophage inflammatory protein 1beta (MIP-1beta; CCL4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 2 (MCP-2; CCL8) mRNA levels from mycoplasma-infected mice and a corresponding accumulation of CD4+ Th cells expressing the MIP-1beta/MCP-2 receptor, CCR5, in the lungs of mice. Furthermore, MIP-1beta- and MCP-2-producing cells and CD4+ T cells were found to be in close association in pulmonary lesions. Thus, there was a significant cytokine response associated with disease pathogenesis, and these studies provide important leads and insights into ongoing cytokine- and chemokine-mediated processes in this persistent inflammatory disease.
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PMID:Cytokine and chemokine transcription profile during Mycoplasma pulmonis infection in susceptible and resistant strains of mice: macrophage inflammatory protein 1beta (CCL4) and monocyte chemoattractant protein 2 (CCL8) and accumulation of CCR5+ Th cells. 1698 74


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