HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein gp120 induces, independently of infection, the release of CCL2 from macrophages. In turn, this chemokine acts as an autocrine factor enhancing viral replication. In this study, we show for the first time that phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) is required for the production of CCL2 triggered by gp120 in macrophages. Using a combination of confocal las...

BACKGROUND Mucosal CXC chemokines recruit inflammatory cells to the infected urinary tract. The chemokine response repertoire of the urinary tract and the relationship to disease severity have not been examined, however. METHODS This study quantified CXC (CXCL1, CXCL3, CXCL5, CXCL8, CXCL9, and CXCL10) and CC (CCL2, CCL4, and CCL5) chemokines in sequential urine samples obtained from 50 patien...

The therapeutic efficacy of anthracyclines relies, at least partially, on the induction of a dendritic cell– and T-lymphocyte–dependent anticancer immune response. Here, we show that anthracycline-based chemotherapy promotes the recruitment of functional CD11bþCD11cþLy6ChighLy6G MHCIIþ dendritic cell–like antigenpresenting cells (APC) into the tumor bed, but not into lymphoid organs. Accordingl...

Analogues of the mRNA 5'-cap are useful tools for studying mRNA translation and degradation, with emerging potential applications in novel therapeutic interventions including gene therapy. We report the synthesis of novel mono- and dinucleotide cap analogues containing dihalogenmethylenebisphosphonate moiety (i.e. one of the bridging O atom substituted with CCl2 or CF2) and their properties in ...

Bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) reside in the anterior stroma of the central and paracentral cornea, as well as all stromal layers of the peripheral cornea, in normal human eyes. We investigated the factors regulating the constitutive distribution of BMCs in normal human corneal stroma. Cultured human corneal keratocytes expressed several chemokines (growth-related oncogene/CXCL1-3, IL-8/CXCL8...

Lectins are non-immunoglobulin carbohydrate-binding proteins without enzymatic activity towards the bound carbohydrates. Many lectins of e.g. plants or fungi have been suggested to act as toxins to defend the host against predators and parasites. We have previously shown that the Coprinopsis cinerea lectin 2 (CCL2), which binds to α1,3-fucosylated N-glycan cores, is toxic to Caenorhabditis eleg...

TLR6 forms a heterodimer with TLR2 and TLR4. While proinflammatory roles of TLR2 and TLR4 are well documented, the role of TLR6 in inflammation is poorly understood. In order to understand mechanisms of action of TLR6 in inflammatory responses, we investigated the effects of FSL-1, the TLR6 ligand, on expression of chemokine CCL2 and cytokine IL-1β and determined cellular factors involved in FS...

HIV-associated dementia (HAD) correlates with infiltration of monocytes into the brain. The accessory HIV-1 negative factor (Nef) protein, which modulates several signaling pathways, is constitutively present in persistently infected astroctyes. We demonstrated that monocytes responded with chemotaxis when subjected to cell culture supernatants of nef-expressing astrocytic U251MG cells. Using a...

To understand the roles of purinergic receptors and cellular molecules below the receptors in the vascular inflammatory response, we determined if extracellular nucleotides up-regulated chemokine expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Human aortic smooth muscle cells (AoSMCs) abundantly express P2Y(1), P2Y(6), and P2Y(11) receptors, which all respond to extracellular nucleotides. E...

BACKGROUND Asthma is characterized by variable airflow obstruction, airway inflammation, airway hyper-responsiveness and airway remodelling. Airway smooth muscle (ASM) hyperplasia is a feature of airway remodelling and contributes to bronchial wall thickening. We sought to investigate the expression levels of chemokines in primary cultures of ASM cells from asthmatics vs healthy controls and to...