Small molecule analogues of the immunomodulatory parasitic helminth product ES-62 have anti-allergy properties.

ES-62, a glycoprotein secreted by the filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae, exhibits anti-inflammatory properties by virtue of covalently attached phosphorylcholine moieties. Screening of a library of ES-62 phosphorylcholine-based small molecule analogues (SMAs) revealed that two compounds, termed 11a and 12b, mirrored the helminth product both in inhibiting mast cell degranulation and cytokine responses in vitro and in preventing ovalbumin-induced Th2-associated airway inflammation and eosinophil infiltration of the lungs in mice. Furthermore, the two SMAs inhibited neutrophil infiltration of the lungs when administered therapeutically. ES-62-SMAs 11a and 12b thus represent starting points for novel drug development for allergies such as asthma.

Mast Cell Subsets and Their Functional Modulation by the Acanthocheilonema viteae Product ES-62.

ES-62, an immunomodulator secreted by filarial nematodes, exhibits therapeutic potential in mouse models of allergic inflammation, at least in part by inducing the desensitisation of Fc ε RI-mediated mast cell responses. However, in addition to their pathogenic roles in allergic and autoimmune diseases, mast cells are important in fighting infection, wound healing, and resolving inflammation, reflecting that mast cells exhibit a phenotypic and functional plasticity. We have therefore characterised the differential functional responses to antigen (via Fc ε RI) and LPS and their modulation by ES-62 of the mature peritoneal-derived mast cells (PDMC; serosal) and those of the connective tissue-like mast cells (CTMC) and the mucosal-like mast cells derived from bone marrow progenitors (BMMC) as a first step to produce disease tissue-targeted therapeutics based on ES-62 action. All three mast cell populations were rendered hyporesponsive by ES-62 and whilst the mechanisms underlying such desensitisation have not been fully delineated, they reflect a downregulation of calcium and PKC α signalling. ES-62 also downregulated MyD88 and PKC δ in mucosal-type BMMC but not PDMC, the additional signals targeted in mucosal-type BMMC likely reflecting that these cells respond to antigen and LPS by degranulation and cytokine secretion whereas PDMC predominantly respond in a degranulation-based manner.

Gelsolin induces colorectal tumor cell invasion via modulation of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator cascade.

Gelsolin is a cytoskeletal protein which participates in actin filament dynamics and promotes cell motility and plasticity. Although initially regarded as a tumor suppressor, gelsolin expression in certain tumors correlates with poor prognosis and therapy-resistance. In vitro, gelsolin has anti-apoptotic and pro-migratory functions and is critical for invasion of some types of tumor cells. We found that gelsolin was highly expressed at tumor borders infiltrating into adjacent liver tissues, as examined by immunohistochemistry. Although gelsolin contributes to lamellipodia formation in migrating cells, the mechanisms by which it induces tumor invasion are unclear. Gelsolin's influence on the invasive activity of colorectal cancer cells was investigated using overexpression and small interfering RNA knockdown. We show that gelsolin is required for invasion of colorectal cancer cells through matrigel. Microarray analysis and quantitative PCR indicate that gelsolin overexpression induces the upregulation of invasion-promoting genes in colorectal cancer cells, including the matrix-degrading urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA). Conversely, gelsolin knockdown reduces uPA levels, as well as uPA secretion. The enhanced invasiveness of gelsolin-overexpressing cells was attenuated by treatment with function-blocking antibodies to either uPA or its receptor uPAR, indicating that uPA/uPAR activity is crucial for gelsolin-dependent invasion. In summary, our data reveals novel functions of gelsolin in colorectal tumor cell invasion through its modulation of the uPA/uPAR cascade, with potentially important roles in colorectal tumor dissemination to metastatic sites.

The helminth product ES-62 protects against septic shock via Toll-like receptor 4-dependent autophagosomal degradation of the adaptor MyD88.

Sepsis is one of the most challenging health problems worldwide. Here we found that phagocytes from patients with sepsis had considerable upregulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and TLR2; however, shock-inducing inflammatory responses mediated by these TLRs were inhibited by ES-62, an immunomodulator secreted by the filarial nematode Acanthocheilonema viteae. ES-62 subverted TLR4 signaling to block TLR2- and TLR4-driven inflammatory responses via autophagosome-mediated downregulation of the TLR adaptor-transducer MyD88. In vivo, ES-62 protected mice against endotoxic and polymicrobial septic shock by TLR4-mediated induction of autophagy and was protective even when administered after the induction of sepsis. Given that the treatments for septic shock at present are inadequate, the autophagy-dependent mechanism of action by ES-62 might form the basis for urgently needed therapeutic intervention against this life-threatening condition.

IL-33 exacerbates autoantibody-induced arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis comprises dysregulation in both innate and adaptive immunity. There is therefore intense interest in the factors that integrate these immunologic pathways in rheumatoid arthritis. In this paper, we report that IL-33, a novel member of the IL-1 family, can exacerbate anti-glucose-6-phosphate isomerase autoantibody-induced arthritis (AIA). Mice lacking ST2 (ST2(-/-)), the IL-33 receptor alpha-chain, developed attenuated AIA and reduced expression of articular proinflammatory cytokines. Conversely, treatment of wild-type mice with rIL-33 significantly exacerbated AIA and markedly enhanced proinflammatory cytokine production. However, IL-33 failed to increase the severity of the disease in mast cell-deficient or ST2(-/-) mice. Furthermore, mast cells from wild-type, but not ST2(-/-), mice restored the ability of ST2(-/-) recipients to mount an IL-33-mediated exacerbation of AIA. IL-33 also enhanced autoantibody-mediated mast cell degranulation in vitro and in synovial tissue in vivo. Together these results demonstrate that IL-33 can enhance autoantibody-mediated articular inflammation via promoting mast cell degranulation and proinflammatory cytokine production. Because IL-33 is derived predominantly from synovial fibroblasts, this finding provides a novel mechanism whereby a host tissue-derived cytokine can regulate effector adaptive immune response via enhancing innate cellular activation in inflammatory arthritis.

VAMP8 is essential in anaphylatoxin-induced degranulation, TNF-alpha secretion, peritonitis, and systemic inflammation.

VAMP8, a member of the soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor (SNARE) family of fusion proteins, initially characterized in endosomal and endosomal-lysosomal fusion, may also function in regulated exocytosis. VAMP8 physiological function in inflammation has not been elucidated. In this paper, we show that deficiency of VAMP8 protects mice from anaphylatoxin (C5a)-induced neutropenia, peritonitis, and systemic inflammation. We show that, in vivo, VAMP8 deletion inhibits neutropenia and phagocyte recruitment. We also show that in macrophages, VAMP8 localizes on secretory granules and degranulation is inhibited in VAMP8-deficient macrophages. Moreover, VAMP8(-/-) mice show reduced systemic inflammation with inhibition of serum TNF-alpha levels, whereas IL-1beta, IL-6, and MIP1alpha release are not affected. In wild-type macrophages, TNF-alpha colocalizes with VAMP8-positive vesicles, and in VAMP8-deficient macrophages, the TNF-alpha release is inhibited. Furthermore, VAMP8 regulates the release of TNF-alpha and beta-hexosaminidase triggered by fMLP, and VAMP8(-/-) mice are protected from fMLP-induced peritonitis. These data demonstrate that the VAMP8 vesicle-associated-SNARE is required for the proper trafficking of secretory lysosomal granules for exocytosis in macrophages and for the release of the potent proinflammatory cytokine, TNF-alpha.

The cytokine interleukin-33 mediates anaphylactic shock.

Anaphylactic shock is characterized by elevated immunoglobulin-E (IgE) antibodies that signal via the high affinity Fc epsilon receptor (Fc epsilonRI) to release inflammatory mediators. Here we report that the novel cytokine interleukin-33 (IL-33) potently induces anaphylactic shock in mice and is associated with the symptom in humans. IL-33 is a new member of the IL-1 family and the ligand for the orphan receptor ST2. In humans, the levels of IL-33 are substantially elevated in the blood of atopic patients during anaphylactic shock, and in inflamed skin tissue of atopic dermatitis patients. In murine experimental atopic models, IL-33 induced antigen-independent passive cutaneous and systemic anaphylaxis, in a T cell-independent, mast cell-dependent manner. In vitro, IL-33 directly induced degranulation, strong eicosanoid and cytokine production in IgE-sensitized mast cells. The molecular mechanisms triggering these responses include the activation of phospholipase D1 and sphingosine kinase1 to mediate calcium mobilization, Nuclear factor-kappaB activation, cytokine and eicosanoid secretion, and degranulation. This report therefore reveals a hitherto unrecognized pathophysiological role of IL-33 and suggests that IL-33 may be a potential therapeutic target for anaphylaxis, a disease of considerable unmet medical need.

Sphingosine kinase 1 is pivotal for Fc epsilon RI-mediated mast cell signaling and functional responses in vitro and in vivo.

Mast cell degranulation is pivotal to allergic diseases; investigating novel pathways triggering mast cell degranulation would undoubtedly have important therapeutic potential. FcepsilonRI-mediated degranulation has contradictorily been shown to require SphK1 or SphK2, depending on the reports. We investigated the in vitro and in vivo specific role(s) of SphK1 and SphK2 in FcepsilonRI-mediated responses, using specific small interfering RNA-gene silencing. The small interfering RNA-knockdown of SphK1 in mast cells inhibited several signaling mechanisms and effector functions, triggered by FcepsilonRI stimulation including: Ca(2+) signals, NFkappaB activation, degranulation, cytokine/chemokine, and eicosanoid production, whereas silencing SphK2 had no effect at all. Moreover, silencing SPHK1 in vivo, in different strains of mice, strongly inhibited mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis, including inhibition of vascular permeability, tissue mast cell degranulation, changes in temperature, and serum histamine and cytokine levels, whereas silencing SPHK2 had no effect and the mice developed anaphylaxis. Our data differ from a recent report using SPHK1(-/-) and SPHK2(-/-) mice, which showed that SphK2 was required for FcepsilonRI-mediated mast cell responses. We performed experiments in mast cells derived from SPHK1(-/-) and SPHK2(-/-) mice and show that the calcium response and degranulation, triggered by FcepsilonRI-cross-linking, is not different from that triggered in wild-type cells. Moreover, IgE-mediated anaphylaxis in the knockout mice showed similar levels in temperature changes and serum histamine to that from wild-type mice, indicating that there was no protection from anaphylaxis for either knockout mice. Thus, our data strongly suggest a previously unrecognized compensatory mechanism in the knockout mice, and establishes a role for SphK1 in IgE-mediated mast cell responses.

Differential signal transduction, membrane trafficking, and immune effector functions mediated by FcgammaRI versus FcgammaRIIa.

Receptors for the fragment crystallizable region of immunoglobulin-G (FcgammaRs) play an important role in linking the humoral and cellular arms of the immune response. In this study, we present a comprehensive functional comparison of 2 human Fc-receptors, FcgammaRI and FcgammaRIIa. Activation of FcgammaRI results in a novel signaling cascade that links phospholipase D1 to sphingosine kinase-1 in U937 cells and primary human monocytes. This induces the expression of proinflammatory mediators and is associated with trafficking of immune complexes into human leukocyte antigen-DM positive antigen-processing compartments coupled with improved MHC class II-mediated antigen presentation to T lymphocytes. In contrast, activation of FcgammaRIIa elicits signaling through phospholipase Cgamma1, resulting in increases in intracellular calcium, activation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidative burst, and differential membrane trafficking combined with impaired antigen presentation and proinflammatory cytokine expression. These data provide a mechanistic insight into the disparate activities associated with Fc receptors in immunity, namely, reinforcement of immune responses through stimulation of proinflammatory signaling and antigen presentation, versus the maintenance of immunologic homeostasis through the noninflammatory clearance of immune complexes.

Phagocytosis: a repertoire of receptors and Ca(2+) as a key second messenger.

Receptor-mediated phagocytosis is a complex process that mediates the internalization, by a cell, of other cells and large particles; this is an important physiological event not only in mammals, but in a wide diversity of organisms. Of simple unicellular organisms that use phagocytosis to extract nutrients, to complex metazoans in which phagocytosis is essential for the innate defence system, as a first line of defence against invading pathogens, as well as for the clearance of damaged, dying or dead cells. Evolution has armed multicellular organisms with a range of receptors expressed on many cells that serve as the molecular basis to bring about phagocytosis, regardless of the organism or the specific physiological event concerned. Key to all phagocytic processes is the finely controlled rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, in which Ca(2+) signals play a major role. Ca(2+) is involved in cytoskeletal changes by affecting the actions of a number of contractile proteins, as well as being a cofactor for the activation of a number of intracellular signalling molecules, which are known to play important roles during the initiation, progression and resolution of the phagocytic process. In mammals, the requirement of Ca(2+) for the initial steps in phagocytosis, and the subsequent phagosome maturation, can be quite different depending on the type of cell and on the type of receptor that is driving phagocytosis. In this review we discuss the different receptors that mediate professional and non-professional phagocytosis, and discuss the role of Ca(2+) in the different steps of this complex process.

Inhibition of Fc epsilon RI-mediated mast cell responses by ES-62, a product of parasitic filarial nematodes.

Atopic allergy is characterized by an increase in IgE antibodies that signal through the high-affinity Fcepsilon receptor (FcepsilonRI) to induce the release of inflammatory mediators from mast cells. For unknown reasons, the prevalence of allergic diseases has recently increased steeply in the developed world. However, this increase has not been mirrored in developing countries, even though IgE concentrations are often greatly elevated in individuals from these countries, owing to nonspecific IgE induction by universally present parasitic worms. Here we offer one explanation for this paradox based on the properties of ES-62, a molecule secreted by filarial nematodes. We found that highly purified, endotoxin-free ES-62 directly inhibits the FcepsilonRI-induced release of allergy mediators from human mast cells by selectively blocking key signal transduction events, including phospholipase D-coupled, sphingosine kinase-mediated calcium mobilization and nuclear factor-kappaB activation. ES-62 mediates these effects by forming a complex with Toll-like receptor 4, which results in the sequestration of protein kinase C-alpha (PKC-alpha). This causes caveolae/lipid raft-mediated, proteasome-independent degradation of PKC-alpha, a molecule important for the coupling of FcepsilonRI to phospholipase D and mast cell activation. We also show that ES-62 is able to protect mice from mast cell-dependent hypersensitivity in the skin and lungs, indicating that it has potential as a novel therapeutic for allergy.

Genome-wide gene expression profiling of human mast cells stimulated by IgE or FcepsilonRI-aggregation reveals a complex network of genes involved in inflammatory responses.

BACKGROUND: Mast cells are well established effectors of IgE-triggered allergic reactions and immune responses to parasitic infections. Recent studies indicate that mast cells may play roles in adaptive and innate immunity, suggesting an innovative view of the regulation of immune responses. Here, we profiled the transcriptome of human mast cells sensitized with IgE alone, or stimulated by FcepsilonRI aggregation. RESULTS: Our data show that among 8,793 genes examined, 559 genes are differentially regulated in stimulated mast cells when compared with resting/unstimulated mast cells. The major functional categories of upregulated genes include cytokines, chemokines, and other genes involved in innate and adaptive immune-responses. We observed the increased expression of over 63 gene-transcripts following IgE-sensitization alone. Our data was validated using Real-Time-PCR; ELISA and western blot. We confirmed that IgE alone does not trigger mast cell-immediate responses, such as calcium signals, degranulation or protein-phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: This report represents a substantial advance in our understanding of the genome wide effects triggered by "passive sensitization" or active stimulation of human mast cells, supporting mast cells' potential involvement in a wide range of inflammatory responses.

Fcgamma RI-triggered generation of arachidonic acid and eicosanoids requires iPLA2 but not cPLA2 in human monocytic cells.

Aggregation of receptors for immunoglobulin G (FcgammaRs) on myeloid cells activates a series of events that are key in the inflammatory response and that can ultimately lead to targeted cell killing by antibody-directed cellular cytotoxicity. Generation of lipid-derived proinflammatory mediators is an important component of the integrated cellular response mediated by receptors for the constant region of immunoglobulins (Fc). We have demonstrated previously that, in interferon-gamma-primed U937 cells, the high affinity receptor for IgG, FcgammaRI, is coupled to a novel intracellular signaling pathway that involves the sequential activation of phospholipase D, sphingosine kinase, calcium transients, and protein kinase C isoforms, leading to the activation of the NADPH-oxidative burst. Here, we investigate the nature of the phospholipase that regulates arachidonic acid and eicosanoid production. Our data show that FcgammaRI couples to iPLA(2)beta for the release of arachidonic acid and the generation of leukotriene B(4) and prostaglandin E(2). Activation of iPLA(2)beta was protein kinase C-dependent; on the other hand, platelet-activating factor triggered cPLA(2)alpha by means of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway. These studies demonstrate that intracellular PLA(2)s can be selectively regulated by different stimuli and suggest a critical role for iPLA(2)beta in the intracellular signaling cascades initiated by FcgammaRI and its functional role in the generation of key inflammatory mediators.