| 1. |
- Adam, Lucille, et al.
(författare)
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Early Resistance of Non-virulent Mycobacterial Infection in C57BL/6 Mice Is Associated With Rapid Up-Regulation of Antimicrobial Cathelicidin Camp
- 2018
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : Frontiers Media SA. - 1664-3224. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Early clearance of tuberculosis is the successful eradication of inhaled bacteria before the development of an adaptive immune response. We previously showed, by utilizing a non-virulent mycobacteria infection model, that C57BL/6 mice are more efficient than BALB/c in their control of bacterial growth in the lungs during the first weeks of the infection. Here, we assessed early (within 1-3 days) innate immune events locally in the lungs to identify factors that may contribute to the control of non-virulent mycobacterial burden. We confirmed that C57BL/6 mice are more resistant to infection compared with BALB/c after intranasal inoculation with mycobacterium. Transcriptomic analyses revealed a remarkably silent signature in C57BL/6 mice despite effective control of bacterial growth. In contrast, BALB/c mice up-regulated genes associated with neutrophil and myeloid cell chemotaxis and migration. Flow cytometry analyses corroborated the transcriptomic analyses and demonstrated influx of both neutrophil and myeloid cell populations in BALB/c mice, while these did not increase in C57BL/6 mice. We further detected increased release of TNF-alpha from BALB/c lung cells but limited release from C57BL/6-derived cells. However, C57BL/6 mice showed a marked early up-regulation of the Camp gene, encoding the cathelicidin CRAMP peptide, post-mycobacterial exposure. CRAMP (LL-37 in human) expression in the lungs was confirmed using immunofluorescence staining. Altogether, these findings show that C57BL/6 mice can clear the mycobacterial infection early and that this early control is associated with high CRAMP expression in the lungs without concomitant influx of immune cells. The role of CRAMP/LL-37 during mycobacterial infection may be relevant for novel protective strategies, and warrants further studies of human cohorts.
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| 2. |
- Albrecht, Inka, et al.
(författare)
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Development of autoantibodies against muscle-specific FHL1 in severe inflammatory myopathies
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical Investigation. - : AMER SOC CLINICAL INVESTIGATION INC. - 0021-9738 .- 1558-8238. ; 125:12, s. 4612-4624
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mutations of the gene encoding four-and-a-half LIM domain 1 (FHL1) are the causative factor of several X-linked hereditary myopathies that are collectively termed FHL1-related myopathies. These disorders are characterized by severe muscle dysfunction and damage. Here, we have shown that patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) develop autoimmunity to FHL1, which is a muscle-specific protein. Anti-FHL1 autoantibodies were detected in 25% of IIM patients, while patients with other autoimmune diseases or muscular dystrophies were largely anti-FHL1 negative. Anti-FHL1 reactivity was predictive for muscle atrophy, dysphagia, pronounced muscle fiber damage, and vasculitis. FHL1 showed an altered expression pattern, with focal accumulation in the muscle fibers of autoantibody-positive patients compared with a homogeneous expression in anti-FHL1-negative patients and healthy controls. We determined that FHL1 is a target of the cytotoxic protease granzyme B, indicating that the generation of FHL1 fragments may initiate FHL1 autoimmunity. Moreover, immunization of myositis-prone mice with FHL1 aggravated muscle weakness and increased mortality, suggesting a direct link between anti-FHL1 responses and muscle damage. Together, our findings provide evidence that FHL1 may be involved in the pathogenesis not only of genetic FHL1-related myopathies but also of autoimmune IIM. Importantly, these results indicate that anti-FHL1 autoantibodies in peripheral blood have promising potential as a biomarker to identify a subset of severe IIM.
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| 3. |
- Anandapadamanaban, Madhanagopal, et al.
(författare)
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E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase TRIM21-mediated lysine capture by UBE2E1 reveals substrate-targeting mode of a ubiquitin-conjugating E2
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Biological Chemistry. - : American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. - 0021-9258 .- 1083-351X. ; 294:30, s. 11404-11419
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase TRIM21, of the RING-containing tripartite motif (TRIM) protein family, is a major autoantigen in autoimmune diseases and a modulator of innate immune signaling. Together with ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E1 (UBE2E1), TRIM21 acts both as an E3 ligase and as a substrate in autoubiquitination. We here report a 2.82-angstrom crystal structure of the human TRIM21 RING domain in complex with the human E2-conjugating UBE2E1 enzyme, in which a ubiquitin-targeted TRIM21 substrate lysine was captured in the UBE2E1 active site. The structure revealed that the direction of lysine entry is similar to that described for human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-targeted substrate, and thus differs from the canonical SUMO-targeted substrate entry. In agreement, we found that critical UBE2E1 residues involved in the capture of the TRIM21 substrate lysine are conserved in ubiquitin-conjugating E2s, whereas residues critical for SUMOylation are not conserved. We noted that coordination of the acceptor lysine leads to remodeling of amino acid side-chain interactions between the UBE2E1 active site and the E2-E3 direct interface, including the so-called linchpin residue conserved in RING E3s and required for ubiquitination. The findings of our work support the notion that substrate lysine activation of an E2-E3-connecting allosteric path may trigger catalytic activity and contribute to the understanding of specific lysine targeting by ubiquitin-conjugating E2s.
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| 4. |
- Anandapadamanaban, Madhanagopal
(författare)
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Structural insights into protein-protein interactions governing regulation in transcription initiation and ubiquitination
- 2015
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Virtually every aspect of the cellular processes in eukaryotes requires that the interactions between protein molecules are well coordinated in different regulatory pathways. Any protein dysfunction involved in these regulatory pathways might lead to various pathological conditions. Understanding the structural and functional peculiarities of these proteins molecular machineries will help in formulating structure-based drug design.The first regulatory process studied here is the RNA polymerase-II mediated transcription of the eukaryotic protein-coding genes to produce mRNAs. This process requires the formation of the ‘transcription initiation’ by the assembly of Pre-Initiation Complex (PIC) formation at a core promoter region. Regulation at this initiation level is a key mechanism for the control of gene expression that governs cellular growth and differentiation. The transcription Factor IID (TFIID) is a conserved multiprotein general transcription factor with an essential role in nucleating the PIC formation, composed of TATA Binding Protein (TBP) and about 14 TBP Associated Factors (TAFs). The here presented crystal structure (1.97Å) of TBP bound to TAND1 and TAND2 domains from TAF1 reveals a detailed molecular pattern of interactions involving both transcriptionally activating and repressing regions in TBP, thereby uncovering central principles for anchoring of TBP-binding motifs. Together with NMR and cellular analysis, this work provides the structural basis of competitive binding with TFIIA to modulate TBP in promoter recognition.In eukaryotes, another fundamental mechanism in the regulation of cellular physiology is the posttranslational modification of substrate proteins by ubiquitin, termed ‘ubiquitination’. Important actors in this mechanism are the ubiquitin-ligases (E3s) that culminate the transfer of ubiquitin to the substrate and govern the specificity of this system. One E3 ligase in particular, TRIM21, defines a subgroup of the Tripartite Motif (TRIM) family, which belongs to the major RING-type of E3 ubiquitin ligases, and plays an important role in pathogenesis of autoimmunity by mediating ubiquitination of transcription factors. The crystal structure (2.86Å) of the RING domain from TRIM21 in complex with UBE2E1, an E2 conjugating enzyme, together with the NMR and SAXS analysis as well as biochemical functional analysis, reveals the molecular basis for the dynamic binding interfaces. The TRIM21 mode of ubiquitin recognition and activation for catalytic transfer of ubiquitin can be modeled onto the entire TRIM family.Finally, we explored the concepts of conformational selection in proteins as a possible key component for protein-mediated transcriptional regulation. In this framework, MexR, a bacterial repressor of the MexAB-OprM efflux pump, and its mutant Arg21Trp were studied as an example for proteins presenting different conformations. The residue Arg21Trp mutation is clinically identified to cause of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) by attenuated DNA binding, and leads to the overexpression of the MexAB-OprM efflux pump. With the crystal structure (2.19Å) of MexR mutant Arg21Trp, in combination with MD-simulations and SAXS for both wild-type and mutant, we could unravel the atomic details of the wild-type conformations consisting in subsets of populations of DNA bound and unbound forms. Remarkably, the mutant Arg21Trp stabilize the DNA unbound state and shifts MexR in a pre-existing equilibrium, from a repressed to a derepressed state.Taken together, these studies substantially broaden our knowledge at a molecular level in protein interactions that are involved in transcriptional regulation and ubiquitination, studied by a carefully selected combination of complementary structural methods spanning different resolutions and time scales.
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| 7. |
- Brauner, Susanna, et al.
(författare)
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H1N1 vaccination in Sjogren's syndrome triggers polyclonal B cell activation and promotes autoantibody production
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 76:10, s. 1755-1763
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesVaccination of patients with rheumatic disease has been reported to result in lower antibody titres than in healthy individuals. However, studies primarily include patients on immunosuppressive therapy. Here, we investigated the immune response of treatment-naive patients diagnosed with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) to an H1N1 influenza vaccine.Methods Patients with Sjogren's syndrome without immunomodulatory treatment and age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls were immunised with an H1N1 influenza vaccine and monitored for serological and cellular immune responses. Clinical symptoms were monitored with a standardised form. IgG class switch and plasma cell differentiation were induced in vitro in purified naive B cells of untreated and hydroxychloroquine-treated patients and healthy controls. Gene expression was assessed by NanoString technology.ResultsSurprisingly, treatment-naive patients with Sjogren's syndrome developed higher H1N1 IgG titres of greater avidity than healthy controls on vaccination. Notably, off-target B cells were also triggered resulting in increased anti-EBV and autoantibody titres. Endosomal toll-like receptor activation of naive B cells in vitro revealed a greater propensity of patient-derived cells to differentiate into plasmablasts and higher production of class switched IgG. The amplified plasma cell differentiation and class switch could be induced in cells from healthy donors by preincubation with type 1 interferon, but was abolished in hydroxychloroquine-treated patients and after in vitro exposure of naive B cells to chloroquine.ConclusionsThis comprehensive analysis of the immune response in autoimmune patients to exogenous stimulation identifies a mechanistic basis for the B cell hyperactivity in Sjogren's syndrome, and suggests that caution is warranted when considering vaccination in non-treated autoimmune patients.
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| 8. |
- Brito-Zerón, Pilar, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the phenotypic expression of primary Sjögren's syndrome at diagnosis in 8310 patients : a cross-sectional study from the Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium
- 2017
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 0003-4967 .- 1468-2060. ; 76:6, s. 1042-1050
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: To analyse the influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the clinical presentation of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) at diagnosis.METHODS: The Big Data Sjögren Project Consortium is an international, multicentre registry designed in 2014. By January 2016, 20 centres from five continents were participating. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed.RESULTS: We included 7748 women (93%) and 562 men (7%), with a mean age at diagnosis of primary SjS of 53 years. Ethnicity data were available for 7884 patients (95%): 6174 patients (78%) were white, 1066 patients (14%) were Asian, 393 patients (5%) were Hispanic, 104 patients (1%) were black/African-American and 147 patients (2%) were of other ethnicities. SjS was diagnosed a mean of 7 years earlier in black/African-American compared with white patients; the female-to-male ratio was highest in Asian patients (27:1) and lowest in black/African-American patients (7:1); the prevalence of sicca symptoms was lowest in Asian patients; a higher frequency of positive salivary biopsy was found in Hispanic and white patients. A north-south gradient was found with respect to a lower frequency of ocular involvement in northern countries for dry eyes and abnormal ocular tests in Europe (OR 0.46 and 0.44, respectively) and Asia (OR 0.18 and 0.49, respectively) compared with southern countries. Higher frequencies of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) were reported in northern countries in America (OR=1.48) and Asia (OR=3.80) while, in Europe, northern countries had lowest frequencies of ANAs (OR=0.67) and Ro/La (OR=0.69).CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first evidence of a strong influence of geolocation and ethnicity on the phenotype of primary SjS at diagnosis.
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