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- MacKinnon, Alison C, et al.
(författare)
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Regulation of alternative macrophage activation by galectin-3
- 2008
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Ingår i: Journal of Immunology. - 1550-6606. ; 180:4, s. 2650-2658
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alternative macrophage activation is implicated in diverse disease pathologies such as asthma, organ fibrosis, and granulomatous diseases, but the mechanisms underlying macrophage programming are not fully understood. Galectin-3 is a carbohydrate-binding lectin present on macrophages. We show that disruption of the galectin-3 gene in 129sv mice specifically restrains IL-4/IL-13-induced alternative macrophage activation in bone marrow-derived macrophages in vitro and in resident lung and recruited peritoneal macrophages in vivo without affecting IFN-gamma/LPS-induced classical activation or IL-10-induced deactivation. IL-4-mediated alternative macrophage activation is inhibited by siRNA-targeted deletion of galectin-3 or its membrane receptor CD98 and by inhibition of PI3K. Increased galectin-3 expression and secretion is a feature of alternative macrophage activation. IL-4 stimulates galectin-3 expression and release in parallel with other phenotypic markers of alternative macrophage activation. By contrast, classical macrophage activation with LPS inhibits galectin-3 expression and release. Galectin-3 binds to CD98, and exogenous galectin-3 or cross-linking CD98 with the mAb 4F2 stimulates PI3K activation and alternative activation. IL-4-induced alternative activation is blocked by bis-(3-deoxy-3-(3-methoxybenzamido)-beta-D-galactopyranosyl) sulfane, a specific inhibitor of extracellular galectin-3 carbohydrate binding. These results demonstrate that a galectin-3 feedback loop drives alternative macrophage activation. Pharmacological modulation of galectin-3 function represents a novel therapeutic strategy in pathologies associated with alternatively activated macrophages.
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| 2. |
- Mills, Bethany, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung through an optical fiber-based endoscope
- 2021
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Ingår i: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging. - : Springer Nature. - 1619-7070 .- 1619-7089. ; 48:3, s. 800-807
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose The relentless rise in antimicrobial resistance is a major societal challenge and requires, as part of its solution, a better understanding of bacterial colonization and infection. To facilitate this, we developed a highly efficient no-wash red optical molecular imaging agent that enables the rapid, selective, and specific visualization of Gram-positive bacteria through a bespoke optical fiber-based delivery/imaging endoscopic device. Methods We rationally designed a no-wash, red, Gram-positive-specific molecular imaging agent (Merocy-Van) based on vancomycin and an environmental merocyanine dye. We demonstrated the specificity and utility of the imaging agent in escalating in vitro and ex vivo whole human lung models (n = 3), utilizing a bespoke fiber-based delivery and imaging device, coupled to a wide-field, two-color endomicroscopy system. Results The imaging agent (Merocy-Van) was specific to Gram-positive bacteria and enabled no-wash imaging ofS. aureuswithin the alveolar space of whole ex vivo human lungs within 60 s of delivery into the field-of-view, using the novel imaging/delivery endomicroscopy device. Conclusion This platform enables the rapid and specific detection of Gram-positive bacteria in the human lung.
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