The WRKY proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors(TFs)that are widely involved in plant development and anti-stress responses.Arabidopsis WRKY11(AtWRKY11)functions in regulating plant defense agai...The WRKY proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors(TFs)that are widely involved in plant development and anti-stress responses.Arabidopsis WRKY11(AtWRKY11)functions in regulating plant defense against abiotic stress and belongs to the Ild subgroup of WRKY TFs.We herein report the expres sion,purification and preliminary structural characterization of AtWRKY11 DNA-binding domain(DBD)using solution NMR Almost complete backbone chemical shift assignments of AtWRKY11-DBD have been ob-tained.Chemical shift-based secondary structure analysis suggests that AtWRKY11-DBD may exhibit local conformational diferences from the X-ray structure of the C-terminal WRKY domain of AtWRKY1,particularly in the β1 and β5 strands.Our current study provides the basis for further structural and interactional studies.展开更多
Objective To investigate the anti-inflammation effect and possible mechanism of Salvianic acid A(SAA)in mouse peritoneal macrophages.Methods Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from BALB/c mice.LPS induced nitric oxi...Objective To investigate the anti-inflammation effect and possible mechanism of Salvianic acid A(SAA)in mouse peritoneal macrophages.Methods Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from BALB/c mice.LPS induced nitric oxide(NO),tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in supernatant,protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and activation of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)in the extract were measured.Results SAA strongly inhibited the excessive production of NO,TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS-induced peritoneal macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner and blocked the expression of iNOS and MMP-9.Treatment with LPS alone increased the translocation of NF-κB(p65)from cytosol to the nucleus,but the SAA inhibited the translocation of NF-κB(p65).Conclusions The results showed that SAA had strong anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages.The important mechanism is due to its inhibition of NF-κB activation.展开更多
Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis that related to age. Methods Immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot were adopted to determine the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kap...Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis that related to age. Methods Immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot were adopted to determine the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and expression of platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) co-cultured with low density lipoprotein (LDL), oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), and ox-LDL+high density lipoprotein (HDL) originated from rats of 2 and 10 months old respectively. Fat stain was used to identify the lipid intake in SMCs. Results The optimal stimulation time of ox-LDL to SMCs was 12 hours. NF-κB intensity increased in most nuclei of SMCs that originated from rats of either 2 or 10 months old co-cultured with ox-LDL. The intensity of NF-κB and the amount of intracellular lipid taken in SMCs were more obvious in cells from 10-month-old rats than from the younger ones. Change of PDGF-B expression in SMCs was not remarkable in each group of rats. Conclusions The 10-month-old rats are more susceptive to ox-LDL than 2-month-old rats in activating nuclear transloca- tion of NF-κB. Maybe this is one of the important reasons contributing to the difference between the older and younger rats on the initiation and development of atherosclerosis lesion. Expression of PDGF-B is not associated with the activity of nuclear translocation of NF-κB.展开更多
Objective： To investigate the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors δ （PPARδ） in inflammatory reaction and its possible mechanism in adipocyte. Methods：Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference （RNAi）...Objective： To investigate the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors δ （PPARδ） in inflammatory reaction and its possible mechanism in adipocyte. Methods：Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference （RNAi） was used to block the expression of PPARδ in 3T3-L1 cells. In order to induce inflammation in 3T3-L1, cells were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α（TNFα, 20 ng/ml） for 4 h. The expression of PPARδ, nuclear factor κB （NFκB） and C reactive protein （CRP） were determined by Western blot analysis. Results：The expression of PPARδ was reduced by 80% after RNAi. Blockage of PPARδ promoted the expression of CRP and NFκB in cells stimulated with TNFα but had no effect on normal cells. Conclusion： PPARδ is involved in inflammatory reaction in adipocyte. Blockage of PPARδ can promote the inflammation mediated by inflammatory factors and increase the expression of NFκB and CRP in 3T3-L1 cells stimulated with TNFα.展开更多
Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease featured by patches on the skin.It is caused by malfunction of immune cells and keratinocytes with inflammation as one of its key features.Apigenin(API)is a natural flavonoid ...Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease featured by patches on the skin.It is caused by malfunction of immune cells and keratinocytes with inflammation as one of its key features.Apigenin(API)is a natural flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties.Therefore,we speculated that API can ameliorate psoriasis,and determined its effect on the development of psoriasis by using imiquimod(IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model.Our results showed that API attenuated IMQ-induced phenotypic changes,such as erythema,scaling and epidermal thickening,and improved splenic hyperplasia.Abnormal differentiation of immune cells was restored in API-treated mice.Mechanistically,we revealed that API is a key regulator of signal transducer activator of transcription 3(STAT3).API regulated immune responses by reducing interleukin-23(IL-23)/STAT3/IL-17A axis.Moreover,it suppressed IMQ-caused cell hyperproliferation by inactivating STAT3 through regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)pathway.Furthermore,API reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines through inactivation of NF-κB.Taken together,our study demonstrates that API can ameliorate psoriasis and may be considered as a strategy for psoriasis treatment.展开更多
Background:G-protein coupled receptors(GPCRs)are recognized as attractive targets for drug therapy.However,it remains poorly understood how GPCRs,except for a few chemokine receptors,regulate the progression of liver ...Background:G-protein coupled receptors(GPCRs)are recognized as attractive targets for drug therapy.However,it remains poorly understood how GPCRs,except for a few chemokine receptors,regulate the progression of liver fibrosis.Here,we aimed to reveal the role of GPR65,a proton-sensing receptor,in liver fibrosis and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.Methods:The expression level of GPR65 was evaluated in both human and mouse fibrotic livers.Furthermore,Gpr65-deficient mice were treated with either bile duct ligation(BDL)for 21 d or carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)for 8 weeks to investigate the role of GPR65 in liver fibrosis.A combination of experimental approaches,including Western blotting,quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),confocal microscopy and rescue studies,were used to explore the underlying mechanisms of GPR65’s action in liver fibrosis.Additionally,the therapeutic potential of GPR65 inhibitor in the development of liver fibrosis was investigated.Results:We found that hepatic macrophage(HM)-enriched GPR65 was upregulated in both human and mouse fibrotic livers.Moreover,knockout of Gpr65 significantly alleviated BDL-and CCl4-induced liver inflammation,injury and fibrosis in vivo,and mouse bone marrow transplantation(BMT)experiments further demonstrated that the protective effect of Gpr65knockout is primarily mediated by bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMMs).Additionally,in vitro data demonstrated that Gpr65 silencing and GPR65 antagonist inhibited,while GPR65 overexpression and application of GPR65 endogenous and exogenous agonists enhanced the expression and release of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β),all of which subsequently promoted the activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)and the damage of hepatocytes(HCs).Mechanistically,GPR65 overexpression,the acidic pH and GPR65 exogenous agonist induced up-regulation of TNF-αand IL-6 via the Gαq-Ca^(2+)-JNK/NF-κB pathways,while promoted the expression of TGF-βthrough the Gαq-Ca^(2+)-MLK3-MKK7-JNK pathway.Notably,pharmacological GPR65 inhibition retarded the development of inflammation,HCs injury and fibrosis invivo.Conclusions:GPR65 is a major regulator that modulates the progression of liver fibrosis.Thus,targeting GPR65 could be an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of liver fibrosis.展开更多
基金This work was supported by grants 2018YFE0202300,2018YFA0704002 from the National Key R&D Program of Chinagrant 21735007 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China to M.L.grant 21991083 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China to Y.H.
文摘The WRKY proteins are a family of plant-specific transcription factors(TFs)that are widely involved in plant development and anti-stress responses.Arabidopsis WRKY11(AtWRKY11)functions in regulating plant defense against abiotic stress and belongs to the Ild subgroup of WRKY TFs.We herein report the expres sion,purification and preliminary structural characterization of AtWRKY11 DNA-binding domain(DBD)using solution NMR Almost complete backbone chemical shift assignments of AtWRKY11-DBD have been ob-tained.Chemical shift-based secondary structure analysis suggests that AtWRKY11-DBD may exhibit local conformational diferences from the X-ray structure of the C-terminal WRKY domain of AtWRKY1,particularly in the β1 and β5 strands.Our current study provides the basis for further structural and interactional studies.
文摘Objective To investigate the anti-inflammation effect and possible mechanism of Salvianic acid A(SAA)in mouse peritoneal macrophages.Methods Peritoneal macrophages were obtained from BALB/c mice.LPS induced nitric oxide(NO),tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)in supernatant,protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)and activation of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)in the extract were measured.Results SAA strongly inhibited the excessive production of NO,TNF-α and IL-6 in LPS-induced peritoneal macrophages in a concentration-dependent manner and blocked the expression of iNOS and MMP-9.Treatment with LPS alone increased the translocation of NF-κB(p65)from cytosol to the nucleus,but the SAA inhibited the translocation of NF-κB(p65).Conclusions The results showed that SAA had strong anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophages.The important mechanism is due to its inhibition of NF-κB activation.
文摘Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of atherosclerosis that related to age. Methods Immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot were adopted to determine the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) and expression of platelet-derived growth factor B (PDGF-B) in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) co-cultured with low density lipoprotein (LDL), oxidized LDL (ox-LDL), and ox-LDL+high density lipoprotein (HDL) originated from rats of 2 and 10 months old respectively. Fat stain was used to identify the lipid intake in SMCs. Results The optimal stimulation time of ox-LDL to SMCs was 12 hours. NF-κB intensity increased in most nuclei of SMCs that originated from rats of either 2 or 10 months old co-cultured with ox-LDL. The intensity of NF-κB and the amount of intracellular lipid taken in SMCs were more obvious in cells from 10-month-old rats than from the younger ones. Change of PDGF-B expression in SMCs was not remarkable in each group of rats. Conclusions The 10-month-old rats are more susceptive to ox-LDL than 2-month-old rats in activating nuclear transloca- tion of NF-κB. Maybe this is one of the important reasons contributing to the difference between the older and younger rats on the initiation and development of atherosclerosis lesion. Expression of PDGF-B is not associated with the activity of nuclear translocation of NF-κB.
文摘Objective： To investigate the role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors δ （PPARδ） in inflammatory reaction and its possible mechanism in adipocyte. Methods：Lentivirus-mediated RNA interference （RNAi） was used to block the expression of PPARδ in 3T3-L1 cells. In order to induce inflammation in 3T3-L1, cells were stimulated with tumor necrosis factor-α（TNFα, 20 ng/ml） for 4 h. The expression of PPARδ, nuclear factor κB （NFκB） and C reactive protein （CRP） were determined by Western blot analysis. Results：The expression of PPARδ was reduced by 80% after RNAi. Blockage of PPARδ promoted the expression of CRP and NFκB in cells stimulated with TNFα but had no effect on normal cells. Conclusion： PPARδ is involved in inflammatory reaction in adipocyte. Blockage of PPARδ can promote the inflammation mediated by inflammatory factors and increase the expression of NFκB and CRP in 3T3-L1 cells stimulated with TNFα.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC)(81973316,82173807)the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2020M681914)+1 种基金the Fund from Tianjin Municipal Health Commission(ZC200093)the Open Fund of Tianjin Central Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Tianjin Key Laboratory of human development and reproductive regulation(2021XHY01)。
文摘Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease featured by patches on the skin.It is caused by malfunction of immune cells and keratinocytes with inflammation as one of its key features.Apigenin(API)is a natural flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties.Therefore,we speculated that API can ameliorate psoriasis,and determined its effect on the development of psoriasis by using imiquimod(IMQ)-induced psoriasis mouse model.Our results showed that API attenuated IMQ-induced phenotypic changes,such as erythema,scaling and epidermal thickening,and improved splenic hyperplasia.Abnormal differentiation of immune cells was restored in API-treated mice.Mechanistically,we revealed that API is a key regulator of signal transducer activator of transcription 3(STAT3).API regulated immune responses by reducing interleukin-23(IL-23)/STAT3/IL-17A axis.Moreover,it suppressed IMQ-caused cell hyperproliferation by inactivating STAT3 through regulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB)pathway.Furthermore,API reduced expression of inflammatory cytokines through inactivation of NF-κB.Taken together,our study demonstrates that API can ameliorate psoriasis and may be considered as a strategy for psoriasis treatment.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32171125,81971331 and 82170630).
文摘Background:G-protein coupled receptors(GPCRs)are recognized as attractive targets for drug therapy.However,it remains poorly understood how GPCRs,except for a few chemokine receptors,regulate the progression of liver fibrosis.Here,we aimed to reveal the role of GPR65,a proton-sensing receptor,in liver fibrosis and to elucidate the underlying mechanism.Methods:The expression level of GPR65 was evaluated in both human and mouse fibrotic livers.Furthermore,Gpr65-deficient mice were treated with either bile duct ligation(BDL)for 21 d or carbon tetrachloride(CCl4)for 8 weeks to investigate the role of GPR65 in liver fibrosis.A combination of experimental approaches,including Western blotting,quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR),and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),confocal microscopy and rescue studies,were used to explore the underlying mechanisms of GPR65’s action in liver fibrosis.Additionally,the therapeutic potential of GPR65 inhibitor in the development of liver fibrosis was investigated.Results:We found that hepatic macrophage(HM)-enriched GPR65 was upregulated in both human and mouse fibrotic livers.Moreover,knockout of Gpr65 significantly alleviated BDL-and CCl4-induced liver inflammation,injury and fibrosis in vivo,and mouse bone marrow transplantation(BMT)experiments further demonstrated that the protective effect of Gpr65knockout is primarily mediated by bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMMs).Additionally,in vitro data demonstrated that Gpr65 silencing and GPR65 antagonist inhibited,while GPR65 overexpression and application of GPR65 endogenous and exogenous agonists enhanced the expression and release of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin-6(IL-6)and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β),all of which subsequently promoted the activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs)and the damage of hepatocytes(HCs).Mechanistically,GPR65 overexpression,the acidic pH and GPR65 exogenous agonist induced up-regulation of TNF-αand IL-6 via the Gαq-Ca^(2+)-JNK/NF-κB pathways,while promoted the expression of TGF-βthrough the Gαq-Ca^(2+)-MLK3-MKK7-JNK pathway.Notably,pharmacological GPR65 inhibition retarded the development of inflammation,HCs injury and fibrosis invivo.Conclusions:GPR65 is a major regulator that modulates the progression of liver fibrosis.Thus,targeting GPR65 could be an effective therapeutic strategy for the prevention of liver fibrosis.
