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| 2. |
- Antonsson, Åsa, 1972-
(författare)
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Regulation of NF-κB by Calmodulin
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Cells experience numerous external signals which they must respond to. Such signals arriving at the cell surface are transduced via various signal transduction pathways and often ultimately result in regulation of transcription. NF-κB is a family of transcription factors involved in the regulation of genes important for processes such as immune and inflammatory responses, cell growth, development and cell survival. NF-κB proteins are normally kept inactive in the cytoplasm due to masking of their nuclear localisation signal (NLS) by inhibitory IκB proteins. A large number of stimuli lead to the activation of IκB-kinase (IKK). Active IKK phosphorylates IκB and thereby labels it for ubiquitination and, subsequently, degradation by the proteasome. Liberated NF-κB enters the nucleus, where it takes part in the regulation of its target genes.Calmodulin (CaM) is a ubiquitous Ca2+-binding protein which is considered to be the predominant intracellular Ca2+ sensor. CaM plays a major role in the Ca2+-dependent regulation of a wide variety of cellular processes, including transcription. CaM regulates transcription both indirectly through CaM-dependent kinases and phosphatases and directly through interaction with transcription factors.CaM was found to bind directly and in a Ca2+-dependent fashion to the two NF-κB family members c-Rel and RelA. The CaM-NF-κB interactions were strongly enhanced by NF-κB activating stimuli and this enhancement was blocked by the addition of IκB, suggesting that c-Rel and RelA can bind CaM after their signal-induced release from IκB. Compared to wild-type c-Rel, CaM binding-deficient mutants were shown to exhibit an increased nuclear accumulation and transcriptional activity on Ca2+-regulated cytokine promoters. The results suggest that CaM can inhibit transport of c-Rel, but not of RelA, to the nucleus and thereby differentially regulate the activation of NF-κB proteins following cell stimulation. CaM was also found to affect NF-κB activity indirectly through the action of a CaM-dependent kinase (CaMK). Studies of the events leading to IκBα phosphorylation revealed that CaM and CaMKII inhibitors blocked phorbol ester induced activation of IKK. Furthermore, CaM and CaMKII inhibitors also blocked T cell receptor/CD3 induced IκBα degradation, and expression of an inhibitor-resistant derivative of the γ isoform of CaMKII caused the inhibitors lose their effect on phorbol ester induced IκBα degradation. Finally, expression of a constitutively active CaMKII resulted in the activation of NF-κB. These results identify CaMKII as a mediator of IKK activation, specifically in response to T cell receptor/CD3 and phorbol ester stimulation.In conclusion, this thesis describes the identification of CaM as a dual regulator of NF-κB proteins, acting both directly and indirectly to affect the activity of this family of transcription factors.
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| 3. |
- Araghi, Marzieh, et al.
(författare)
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No association between moist oral snuff (snus) use and oral cancer : pooled analysis of nine prospective observational studies
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : Sage Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 49:8, s. 833-840
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: Worldwide, smokeless-tobacco use is a major risk factor for oral cancer. Evidence regarding the particular association between Swedish snus use and oral cancer is, however, less clear. We used pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use to assess the association between snus use and oral cancer.Methods: A total of 418,369 male participants from nine cohort studies were followed up for oral cancer incidence through linkage to health registers. We used shared frailty models with random effects at the study level, to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for confounding factors.Results: During 9,201,647 person-years of observation, 628 men developed oral cancer. Compared to never-snus use, ever-snus use was not associated with oral cancer (adjusted HR 0.90, 95% CI: 0.74, 1.09). There were no clear trends in risk with duration or intensity of snus use, although lower intensity use (<= 4 cans/week) was associated with a reduced risk (HR 0.65, 95% CI: 0.45, 0.94). Snus use was not associated with oral cancer among never smokers (HR 0.87, 95% CI: 0.57, 1.32).Conclusions: Swedish snus use does not appear to be implicated in the development of oral cancer in men.
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| 4. |
- Araghi, Marzieh, et al.
(författare)
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Smokeless tobacco (snus) use and colorectal cancer incidence and survival : Results from nine pooled cohorts
- 2017
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Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. - : SAGE Publications. - 1403-4948 .- 1651-1905. ; 45:8, s. 741-748
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: Although smoking is considered to be an established risk factor for colorectal cancer, the current evidence on the association between smokeless tobacco and colorectal cancer is scant and inconclusive. We used pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use to assess this association.METHODS: A total of 417,872 male participants from nine cohort studies across Sweden were followed up for incidence of colorectal cancer and death. Outcomes were ascertained through linkage to health registers. We used shared frailty models with random effects at the study level to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).RESULTS: During 7,135,504 person-years of observation, 4170 men developed colorectal cancer. There was no clear association between snus use and colorectal cancer overall. Exclusive current snus users, however, had an increased risk of rectal cancer (HR 1.40: 95% CI 1.09, 1.79). There were no statistically significant associations between snus use and either all-cause or colorectal cancer-specific mortality after colorectal cancer diagnosis.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings, from a large sample, do not support any strong relationships between snus use and colorectal cancer risk and survival among men. However, the observed increased risk of rectal cancer is noteworthy, and in merit of further attention.
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| 5. |
- Araghi, Marzieh, et al.
(författare)
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Use of moist oral snuff (snus) and pancreatic cancer : Pooled analysis of nine prospective observational studies
- 2017
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - : Wiley. - 0020-7136 .- 1097-0215. ; 141:4, s. 687-693
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While smoking is a well-established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the effect of smokeless tobacco is less well understood. We used pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use to assess the association between Swedish snus use and the risk of pancreatic cancer. A total of 424,152 male participants from nine cohort studies were followed up for risk of pancreatic cancer through linkage to health registers. We used shared frailty models with random effects at the study level, to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for confounding factors. During 9,276,054 person-years of observation, 1,447 men developed pancreatic cancer. Compared to never-snus use, current snus use was not associated with risk of pancreatic cancer (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.83-1.11) after adjustment for smoking. Swedish snus use does not appear to be implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer in men. Tobacco smoke constituents other than nicotine or its metabolites may account for the relationship between smoking and pancreatic cancer. What's new? While smoking is a well-established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the effect of smokeless tobacco is less well understood. Smokeless tobacco like snus yields lower exposure to tobacco carcinogens compared with smoking, because it does not undergo combustion, but delivers an equivalent dose of nicotine. Using pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use, here the authors show that Swedish snus use does not appear to be implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer in men. Tobacco smoke constituents other than nicotine or its metabolites may account for the relationship between smoking and pancreatic cancer.
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| 6. |
- Bergman, P., et al.
(författare)
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Drosophila as a Model for Human Diseases-Focus on Innate Immunity in Barrier Epithelia
- 2017
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Ingår i: Fly Models of Human Diseases. - San Diego, CA : Elsevier. - 9780128029046 ; 121, s. 29-81
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Epithelial immunity protects the host from harmful microbial invaders but also controls the beneficial microbiota on epithelial surfaces. When this delicate balance between pathogen and symbiont is disturbed, clinical disease often occurs, such as in inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, or atopic dermatitis, which all can be in part linked to impairment of barrier epithelia. Many innate immune receptors, signaling pathways, and effector molecules are evolutionarily conserved between human and Drosophila. This review describes the current knowledge on Drosophila as a model for human diseases, with a special focus on innate immune-related disorders of the gut, lung, and skin. The discovery of antimicrobial peptides, the crucial role of Toll and Toll-like receptors, and the evolutionary conservation of signaling to the immune systems of both human and Drosophila are described in a historical perspective. Similarities and differences between human and Drosophila are discussed; current knowledge on receptors, signaling pathways, and effectors are reviewed, including antimicrobial peptides, reactive oxygen species, as well as autophagy. We also give examples of human diseases for which Drosophila appears to be a useful model. In addition, the limitations of the Drosophila model are mentioned. Finally, we propose areas for future research, which include using the Drosophila model for drug screening, as a validation tool for novel genetic mutations in humans and for exploratory research of microbiota-host interactions, with relevance for infection, wound healing, and cancer.
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| 7. |
- Beskow, Anne, 1983-
(författare)
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The Path to Destruction : Understanding the mechanism and regulation of proteasomal degradation
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- A majority of intracellular proteins are degraded by the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS). In this thesis, both the mechanism of the degradation and the regulation of UPS have been investigated. The importance of the p97 ATPase for proteasomal degradation of cytosolic substrates was examined. It was shown that tightly folded model substrates were dependent on p97 for their degradation. In addition to this, it was shown that an extended flexible peptide sequence on the substrate allowed degradation to occur directly by the proteasome. We propose that p97 works as an unfoldase on substrates that lack initiation regions. These results were originally achieved with experiments using Drosophila melanogaster S2 cell culture. Corresponding experiments were carried out in human cell lines. We observed that the human proteasome also needed assistance from the human p97 protein complex when model substrates lacked unfolded tagged regions. To identify the transcription factor(s) that regulate the expression of proteasomal genes, a large scale RNAi screen was performed. A library consisting of dsRNA to all known and predicted transcription factors in Drosophila was used. Drosophila S2 cells expressing the cytosolic UbG76V-GFP substrate were used in the screen. Since thisfusion protein isdependent on the UPS for its degradation,failure in UPS can easily be detected viafluorescent stabilization.When dsRNA targeted the bZIP transcription factor Cnc-C,it lead to a reduction of the proteasome subunit protein levels as well as decreased mRNA levels. Phylogenetic analysis together with sequence alignments were used to learn how Cnc-C is related to the bZIP CNC genes in other metazoans and in particular mammalian cells. In mammalian cells, NF-E2, Nrf1, Nrf2 and Nrf3 are present and we propose that Cnc-C is related to a common ancestor transcription factor for all these four genes. This contradicts earlier studies proposing that Cnc-C is a homolog of the mammalian Nrf2 protein.In the last study, theproteasome recovery pathway was examined tounderstand which bZIPtranscription factor in human cells is responsible for the expression of proteasome genes after proteasome inhibition.Different cancer cell lines were used to examine theexpression level of proteasome genes after treating the cells with proteasome inhibitors when either the bZIP protein Nrf1 or Nrf2 wereknocked down. It was shown that Nrf1-/- cellslacked the ability toupregulate proteasome genes after proteasomeinhibition. In contrast, Nrf2-/- cells still had the capacity to restore proteasome levels. This lead to the conclusion thatNrf1 is responsible for the proteasome recovery pathway in mammalian cells.
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| 8. |
- Byhamre, Marja Lisa, et al.
(författare)
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Swedish snus use is associated with mortality : a pooled analysis of eight prospective studies
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Epidemiology. - : Oxford University Press. - 0300-5771 .- 1464-3685. ; 49:6, s. 2041-2050
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The health consequences of the use of Swedish snus, including its relationship with mortality, have not been fully established. We investigated the relationship between snus use and all-cause and cause-specific mortality (death due to cardiovascular diseases, cancer diseases and all other reasons, respectively) in a nationwide collaborative pooling project.METHODS: We followed 169 103 never-smoking men from eight Swedish cohort studies, recruited in 1978-2010. Shared frailty models with random effects at the study level were used in order to estimate adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of mortality associated with snus use.RESULTS: Exclusive current snus users had an increased risk of all-cause mortality (aHR 1.28, 95% CI 1.20-1.35), cardiovascular mortality (aHR 1.27, 95% CI 1.15-1.41) and other cause mortality (aHR 1.37, 95% CI 1.24-1.52) compared with never-users of tobacco. The risk of cancer mortality was also increased (aHR 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.26). These mortality risks increased with duration of snus use, but not with weekly amount.CONCLUSIONS: Snus use among men is associated with increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, with death from other causes and possibly with increased cancer mortality.
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| 9. |
- Chabes, Anna Lena, 1973-
(författare)
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Regulation of the Expression of Mouse Ribonucleotide Reductase Small Subunit at the Levels of Transcription and Protein Degradation
- 2003
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) carries all the genetic information of a cell. Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) provides balanced pools of all four dNTPs, the building blocks of DNA. These building blocks are needed during DNA synthesis and repair. A failure in the control of the dNTP levels and/or their relative amounts leads to cell death or genetic abnormalities. Because of its central role in dNTP metabolism, RNR is highly regulated on multiple levels.The active RNR enzyme consists of two non-identical subunits called proteins R1 and R2. In mammalian cells, during an unperturbed cell cycle, the activity of RNR is highest during S and G2 phases. This is achieved by de novo synthesis of the limiting R2 protein at the onset of S phase, and by controlled degradation of the R2 protein during mitosis.This thesis deals with both the S phase-specific transcription of the mouse R2 gene, and the M phase-specific degradation of the mouse R2 protein. Sequence comparison of the mouse R2 promoter to human and guinea pig R2 promoters revealed some conserved elements. These putative regulatory elements were tested in both in vitro and in vivo transcription assays. We demonstrated that the previously identified,NF-Y binding CCAAT box is essential for high-level expression from the R2 promoter, but not for its S phase specificity. In addition, the conserved TATA box is dispensable both for basal and S phase-specific R2 transcription as long as the first 17 basepairs of the 5’ untranslated region are present. However, if this 5’ untranslated region is absent, the TATA box is needed for correct initiation of transcription.Focusing on the S phase specificity of the R2 gene expression, we demonstrated that the S phase-specific activity of the mouse R2 promoter is dependent on a protein-binding region located ~500 basepairs upstream of the transcription start site and an E2F binding site close to the transcription start site. Deletion of the upstream activating region results in an inactive promoter. In contrast, mutation of the E2F site leads to premature promoter activation in G1 and increased overall promoter activity. However, if the activating mutation of the E2F site is combined with mutation of the upstream activating region, the promoter becomes inactive. These results suggest that the E2F-dependent regulation is important but not sufficient for cell-cycle specific R2 transcription, and that the upstream activating region is crucial for the overall R2 promoter activity.In our studies of the M phase-specific R2 degradation, we found that it is dependent on a KEN sequence in the N-terminus of the R2 protein, recognized by the Cdh1-APC complex. Mutating the KEN box stabilizes the R2 protein during mitosis and G1 phase.In summary, these studies further extend our understanding of the regulation of the limiting R2 subunit of the enzyme ribonucleotide reductase. The S phase-specific transcription of the R2 gene and the M phase-specific degradation of the R2 protein may serve as importantmechanisms to protect the cell against unscheduled DNA synthesis.
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| 10. |
- Dantoft, Widad, 1982-
(författare)
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Role of POU/Oct transcription factors in Drosophila immunity
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- In response to infection, Drosophila melanogaster relies on the ability to mount a robust and potent innate immune response, characterized by induction of cellular and humoral processes. While rapid immune induction is of utmost importance, it is equally important to restrict and repress immune gene expression, where and when it is not needed. The aim of my studies was to elucidate the in vivo role of the Oct1/POU2F1 homolog Nubbin (Nub), an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, in innate immunity.The transcription factor Nub-PD, a product of the nub gene, was studied in wild type and mutant (nub1) flies, as well as in transgenic flies that either overexpress or down-regulate Nub-PD. Infection-studies were conducted after both oral and septic infection. Expression analysis of target genes using quantitative mRNA measurements and microarray analysis of wild type and nub1, reveal that Nub-PD acts as a bona fide repressor of NF-κB/Relish-dependent expression of immune defense genes, e.g. antimicrobial peptides. I show that Nub-PD represses transcription in uninfected flies by binding to oct DNA sequence motifs located upstream of a number of immune genes. In the event of infection, repression by Nub-PD is alleviated through rapid signal-dependent degradation, in a proteasome- and Imd-dependent manner, allowing initiation of antimicrobial peptide gene expression in both fat body and intestine. Lastly, we show that nub1 mutants also exhibit a shortened lifespan as well as elevated loads of gut bacteria with altered composition. We suggest that the aberrant immune gene activation, elevated bacterial loads, and altered bacterial composition in nub1 can collectively explain the shortened lifespan.In conclusion, this work reveals a novel function of Nub-PD as a negative regulator of immune and stress response genes in vivo. Furthermore, my work sheds light on the importance of Nub-PD in host survival and in supporting a balanced composition of the gut microbiota.
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