Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P05231 (interleukin-6)
 23,907 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Analysis of the genome of human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) led to the discovery of several novel genes, unique among the characterized gammaherpesviruses. These include cytokines (interleukin-6 and chemokine homologues), two putative signal-transducing transmembrane proteins encoded by genes K1 and K15 at the genome termini, and an OX-2 (CD200) receptor homologue that had not previously been identified in a gammaherpesvirus. HHV-8 also specifies a diverged version of the gammaherpesvirus-conserved G protein-coupled chemokine receptor (vGCR) and a latently expressed protein unique to HHV-8 specified by open reading frame (ORF) K12. These cytokine and receptor homologues mediate signal transduction or modulate the activities of other endogenous cytokines and receptors to enhance viral productive replication, regulate latent-lytic switching, evade host attack, or mediate cell survival. The viral signalling ligands and receptors are also potential contributors to virus-associated diseases, Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman's disease, and so represent potentially important targets for therapeutic and antiviral drugs. Understanding these proteins' modes of action and functions in viral biology and disease is therefore of considerable importance, and the subject of this review.
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PMID:Human herpesvirus-8-encoded signalling ligands and receptors. 1292 88

We postulated that a novel free radical scavenger, 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (edaravone; EDA), would attenuate inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression in the liver after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge through its antioxidant effect. Rats were administered EDA (0.3, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0, and 12.0 mg/kg) or the same volume of saline intravenously just after LPS (10 mg/kg) injection and then was continued intermittently every 2 h (five administrations in total). Survival was assessed for the next 24 h. In separate experiments, rats were sacrificed at 60 min, 90 min, 6 h, and 9 h after LPS injection. Serum and liver sections were collected for further analysis. Survival was improved by EDA in a dose-dependent manner up to 3 mg/kg, and maximum effects were observed at a dose of 3 mg/kg. After LPS injection, alanine aminotransferase levels increased significantly to about 1,250 IU/l in the vehicle-treated group, whereas values were blunted by about 80% by EDA. Furthermore, increases in 4-hydroxynonenal-modified proteins were also blunted in the liver by EDA. Moreover, mRNA expressions of macrophage infiltrating protein-2, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and MCP-5 were attenuated by EDA. As a result, increases in the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells and mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 were significantly blunted in the liver by EDA. This reduction was accompanied by a significant reduction of their serum levels. In conclusion, EDA prevented liver injury by both inhibition of recruitments of inflammatory cells and expression of inflammatory cytokine levels in the liver.
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PMID:Edaravone, a novel free radical scavenger, prevents liver injury and mortality in rats administered endotoxin. 1295 92

Although human mucosal linings are continuously exposed to microbes, the microbes rarely induce disease. This is because mucosal surfaces are protected by a first line of defence termed the innate immunity system. Inflammatory processes are activated as a consequence of a complex interplay between microbes and host target cells. Although inflammation is essential for clearing out infectious agents, it can also be harmful to the host and is therefore subjected to tight control at multiple levels. It was recently discovered that the bacterial protein toxin alpha-haemolysin (HlyA), secreted by uropathogenic Escherichia coli, induces constant, low-frequency Ca2+ oscillations in renal epithelial cells. Ca2+ oscillation occurs at a characteristic periodicity of 12 min, and affects gene expression in target epithelial cells. Specifically, the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) and chemokine IL-8 were induced by HlyA-induced Ca2+ oscillations. A few additional bacterial protein toxins have been reported to induce Ca2+ oscillations in target epithelial cells, although their effects are poorly understood. However, the pioneering work on HlyA demonstrates a novel feature of bacterial protein toxins on host target cells: as inducers of second messenger responses which fine-tune gene expression in target epithelial cells.
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PMID:Bacterial protein toxins and inflammation. 1462 Jan 46

Orientia tsutsugamushi, an obligate intracellular bacterium, is the causative agent of scrub typhus which is histopathologically characterized by inflammatory manifestations, indicating that rickettsiae induce mechanisms that amplify the inflammatory response. To understand the pathogenesis of scrub typhus, we examined chemokine and cytokine production after infection with O. tsutsugamushi in mice. The mRNAs that were upregulated included lymphotactin, RANTES (regulated upon activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted), macrophage inflammatory proteins 1alpha/beta (MIP-1alpha/beta), MIP-2, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, lymphotoxin beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-6, gamma-interferon, transforming growth factor beta1, and migration inhibition factor. Peak expression of these chemokines and cytokines was observed between 4 and 8 days after infection. Gene induction was followed by the secretion of chemokine and cytokine proteins. Chemokine profile in infected mice was well correlated with kinetics of inflammatory cell infiltration. Thus, O. tsutsugamushi appears to be a strong inducer of chemokines and cytokines which may, by the attraction and activation of phagocytic leukocytes, significantly contribute to inflammation observed in scrub typhus.
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PMID:Chemokine and cytokine production during Orientia tsutsugamushi infection in mice. 1464 40

Periodontopathic anaerobes such as Porphyromonas gingivalis are frequently found in aspiration pneumonia and lung abscesses. However, defense mechanisms and responses to these bacterial infections in the lung in vivo remain poorly understood. The coexistence of P. gingivalis with Treponema denticola has been found at higher levels and proportions in periodontally diseased sites. We hypothesized that mixed infections with P. gingivalis and T. denticola can cause severe respiratory disease. In the present study, inflammatory responses to mono- and mixed inoculations with P. gingivalis and T. denticola in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were investigated. Acute pneumonia and lung abscesses in mice with the mixed infection resulted in a 40% mortality rate within 72 h, compared with only 10% mortality for the respective monoinfections. Pulmonary clearance of P. gingivalis was delayed in the mice with mixed infections with P. gingivalis and T. denticola. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels from BAL fluid of mice with mixed infections at 24 h after inoculation were significantly higher than those after P. gingivalis monoinfection (TNFalpha: P < 0.05, Il-1beta: P < 0.001, IL-6: P < 0.05). The chemokine KC level from BAL fluid of mice at 48 h (P < 0.05) and 72 h after mixed infection was also significantly increased when compared with that after P. gingivalis monoinfection (P < 0.001). The present study demonstrates that a mixed infection of P. gingivalis with T. denticola in mouse causes a marked bronchopneumonia and lung abscess in the mouse model.
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PMID:Mixed infections with Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola cause excessive inflammatory responses in a mouse pneumonia model compared with monoinfections. 1467 Apr 48

The molecular pathways involved in the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors are unknown. Here we report that chemokine-mediated interactions of megakaryocyte progenitors with sinusoidal bone marrow endothelial cells (BMECs) promote thrombopoietin (TPO)-independent platelet production. Megakaryocyte-active cytokines, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-11, did not induce platelet production in thrombocytopenic, TPO-deficient (Thpo(-/-)) or TPO receptor-deficient (Mpl(-/-)) mice. In contrast, megakaryocyte-active chemokines, including stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) and fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4), restored thrombopoiesis in Thpo(-/-) and Mpl(-/-) mice. FGF-4 and SDF-1 enhanced vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1)- and very late antigen-4 (VLA-4)-mediated localization of CXCR4(+) megakaryocyte progenitors to the vascular niche, promoting survival, maturation and platelet release. Disruption of the vascular niche or interference with megakaryocyte motility inhibited thrombopoiesis under physiological conditions and after myelosuppression. SDF-1 and FGF-4 diminished thrombocytopenia after myelosuppression. These data suggest that TPO supports progenitor cell expansion, whereas chemokine-mediated interaction of progenitors with the bone marrow vascular niche allows the progenitors to relocate to a microenvironment that is permissive and instructive for megakaryocyte maturation and thrombopoiesis. Progenitor-active chemokines offer a new strategy to restore hematopoiesis in a clinical setting.
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PMID:Chemokine-mediated interaction of hematopoietic progenitors with the bone marrow vascular niche is required for thrombopoiesis. 1470 36

During neuropathological conditions, high concentrations of adenosine are released, stimulating adenosine receptors in neurons and glial cells. It has recently been shown that stimulation of adenosine receptors in glial cells induces the release of neuroprotective substances such as NGF, S-100beta, and interleukin-6 (IL-6). It has therefore been suggested that glial adenosine receptors are involved in neuroprotection. Since recently neuroprotective effects of the chemokine CCL2 (formerly known as MCP-1) have been reported, we investigated the possible effect of adenosine receptor stimulation on glial CCL2 synthesis. Here we show that stimulation of cultured murine astrocytes with the selective adenosine A3 receptor agonist 2-chloro-N6-(3-iodobenzyl)-N-methyl-5'-carbamoyladenosine (CL-IB-MECA) induced the release of CCL2. Specific ligands for adenosine A1 or A2 receptors did not affect CCL2 release. Furthermore, CL-IB-MECA-induced CCL2 synthesis was inhibited by adenosine A3 receptor antagonists. These results show that stimulation of adenosine A3 receptors in astrocytes induced the release of CCL2, thus supporting the assumption that adenosine receptors in glial cells regulate the synthesis of neuroprotective substances.
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PMID:Adenosine A3 receptor-induced CCL2 synthesis in cultured mouse astrocytes. 1509 71

Interleukin-6 signaling via its soluble receptor (sIL-6R) differentially regulates inflammatory chemokine expression and leukocyte apoptosis to coordinate transition from neutrophil to mononuclear cell infiltration. sIL-6R activities may, however, be influenced in vivo by the occurrence of two sIL-6R isoforms that are released as a consequence of differential mRNA splicing (DS) or proteolytic cleavage (PC) of the cognate IL-6R (termed DS- and PC-sIL-6R). Using human peritoneal mesothelial cells and a murine model of peritoneal inflammation, studies described in this work have compared the ability of both isoforms to regulate neutrophil recruitment. In this respect, DS- and PC-sIL-6R were comparable in their activities; however, these studies emphasized that IL-6 trans signaling differentially controls neutrophil-activating CXC chemokine expression. In vitro, stimulation of mesothelial cells with IL-6 in combination with either DS-sIL-6R or PC-sIL-6R showed no induction of CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL)1 (GRO alpha) and CXCL8 (IL-8), whereas both isoforms enhanced CXCL5 (ENA-78) and CXCL6 (granulocyte chemotactic protein-2) expression. Moreover, when complexed with IL-6, both isoforms specifically inhibited the IL-1 beta-induced secretion of CXCL8. These findings were paralleled in vivo, in which induction of peritoneal inflammation in IL-6-deficient (IL-6(-/-)) mice resulted in enhanced keratinocyte-derived chemokine and macrophage-inflammatory protein-2 (the murine equivalent of CXCL1 and CXCL8) levels, but reduced LPS-induced CXC chemokine (the murine equivalent of CXCL5) expression. Reconstitution of IL-6 signaling in IL-6(-/-) mice with IL-6 and its soluble receptor isoforms corrected this chemokine imbalance and suppressed overall neutrophil infiltration. These data confirm that sIL-6R-mediated signaling primarily limits neutrophil influx; however, induction of CXCL5 and CXCL6 may regulate other neutrophil responses.
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PMID:Differential regulation of neutrophil-activating chemokines by IL-6 and its soluble receptor isoforms. 1510 Mar 12

Endothelin peptides play active roles in different aspects of inflammation. This study investigates the contribution of endogenous endothelins to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pulmonary inflammation by assessing the influence of ET(A) receptor antagonism on leukocyte accumulation, granulocyte adhesion molecule expression, and chemokine/cytokine modulation. Local pretreatment with BQ-123 or A-127722 (150 pmol), two selective and chemically unrelated endothelin ET(A) receptor antagonists, inhibits neutrophil and eosinophil accumulation in LPS-induced pleurisy at 24 h but not neutrophil migration at 4 h. The effect of endothelin antagonism on neutrophil accumulation at 24 h was concomitant with inhibition of eosinophil and CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte influx. It is surprising that the ET(A) receptor blockade did not inhibit the accumulation of gammadelta T lymphocytes, cells that are important for granulocyte recruitment in this model. Blockade of ET(A) receptors did not influence the expression of adhesion molecules (CD11b, CD49d) on granulocytes but abrogated the increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha levels 4 h after LPS stimulation and also markedly inhibited increases in levels of interleukin-6 and keratinocyte-derived chemokine/CXC chemokine ligand 1 but not eotaxin/chemokine ligand 11. Thus, acting via ET(A) receptors, endogenous endothelins play an important role in early cytokine/chemokine production and on granulocyte and lymphocyte mobilization in LPS-induced pleurisy.
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PMID:Effects of endothelin ETA receptor antagonism on granulocyte and lymphocyte accumulation in LPS-induced inflammation. 1510 59

Estrogens and estrogen-receptor signaling function in establishing and regulating the female immune system and it is becoming increasingly evident that they may play a similar role in males. We report that B10.PL/SnJ male mice with a disrupted estrogen receptor-1 (alpha) gene (Esr1(-/-)) develop less severe clinical experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) compared to either Esr1(+/-) or wild-type (Esr1(+/+)) controls when immunized with myelin basic protein peptide Ac1-11 (MBP(Ac1-11)). In contrast, the disease course in B10.PL/SnJ male mice with a disrupted estrogen receptor-2 (beta) gene (Esr2(-/-)) does not differ from that of wild-type (Esr2(+/+)) mice. However, Esr2(+/-) mice do develop more severe clinical disease with an earlier onset indicating that heterosis at Esr2 plays a significant role in regulating EAE in males. No significant differences in central nervous system histopathology or MBP(Ac1-11)-specific T-cell responses as assessed by proliferation and interleukin-2 production were observed as a function of either Esr1 or Esr2 genotype. An analysis of cytokine/chemokine secretion by MBP(Ac1-11)-specific T cells revealed unique Esr1 and Esr2 genotype-dependent regulation. Interferon-gamma secretion was found to be negatively regulated by Esr1 whereas interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha secretion exhibited classical Esr2 gene dose responses. Interestingly, MCP-1 displayed distinctively unique patterns of genotype-dependent regulation by Esr1 and Esr2. The contribution of the hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cellular compartments associated with the heterotic effect at Esr2 in regulating the severity of clinical EAE was identified using reciprocal hematopoietic radiation bone marrow chimeras generated between male wild-type and Esr2(+/-) mice. Wild-type --> Esr2(+/-) mice exhibited EAE equivalent in severity to that seen in Esr2(+/-) --> Esr2(+/-) control constructs; both of which were more severe than the clinical signs observed in Esr2(+/-) --> wild-type and wild-type --> wild-type mice. These results indicate that the heterotic effect at Esr2 is a function of the nonhematopoietic compartment.
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PMID:Estrogen receptor-1 (Esr1) and -2 (Esr2) regulate the severity of clinical experimental allergic encephalomyelitis in male mice. 1516 28


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