| 1. |
- Engblom, David, 1975-
(author)
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Prostaglandin E2 in immune-to-brain signaling
- 2003
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Upon immune-challenge, signaling from the immune system to the brain triggers an array of central nervous responses that include fever, anorexia, hyperalgesia and activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal axis. These symptoms are dependent on cytokines produced at the site of inflammation. However, because cytokines cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier, the mechanism by which cytokines activate the central nervous system has remained elusive. Among several hypotheses, it has been suggested that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesized at the blood-brain interface and subsequently binding to PGE2 receptors expressed on deep neural structures may be responsible for the immune-to-brain signaling.During inflammatory conditions PGE2 is produced from prostaglandin H2 by the inducible isomerase microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). By using in situ hybridization, we investigated the expression of this enzyme in the brain of rats subjected to immune challenge induced by intravenous injection of interleukin-1ß. We found that mPGES-1 mRNA had a very restricted and low expression in the brain of naive rats. However, in response to inunune challenge it was rapidly and heavily induced in cells of the cerebral vasculature. Further, we found that the cells expressing mPGES-1 co-expressed cyclooxygenase-2 mRNA and interleukin-1 receptor type 1 mRNA. Thus, circulating interleukin-1 may bind to brain vascular cells and induce the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and mPGES-1, leading to the production of PGE2 that can diffuse into the brain and trigger central nervous responses. We also showed that the same mechanism may be operating in a model for autoimmune disease. Thus, rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis, a model of rheumatoid arthritis, displayed a similar mPGES-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 induction in interleukin-1 receptor bearing brain endothelial cells.To examine the functional role of the central induction of mPGES-1, we studied the febrile response in mice deficient in the gene encoding mPGES-1. These mice showed no fever and no central PGE2 production in response to immune challenge induced by intraperitoneal injection of the bacterial fragment lipopolysaccharide, demonstrating that PGE2 synthesized by mPGES-1 is critical for immune-induced fever.We also studied the expression of receptors for PGE2 in the parabrachial nucleus, an autonomic brain stem structure involved in the regulation of food intake, blood pressure and nociceptive processing. We found that neurons in the para brachial nucleus express PGE2 receptors of type EP3 and EP4 and that many of the EP3 and some of the EP4 expressing neurons in this nucleus are activated by immune challenge. The PGE2 receptor expressing neurons also expressed mRNAs for various neuropeptides, such as dynorphin, enkephalin, calcitonin gene related peptide and substance P. Taken together with previous observations, these findings indicate that the PGE2 receptor expressing cells in the parabrachial nucleus are involved in alterations in food intake and in nociceptive processing during immune challenge.In summary, these data show the presence of a mechanism, involving cerebrovascular induction of mPGES-1, that conveys an inflammatory message from the blood-stream through the blood-brain barrier to relevant deep neural structures. Further, the findings show that this mechanism is critical for the febrile response and is activated during both acute and prolonged inflammatory conditions. This identifies mPGES-1 as a potential drug target for the alleviation of central nervous symptoms of inflammatory disease, such as fever, pain and anorexia.
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| 2. |
- Kilk, Kalle, et al.
(author)
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Targeting of antisense PNA oligomers to human galanin receptor type 1 mRNA
- 2004
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In: Neuropeptides. - : Elsevier BV. - 0143-4179 .- 1532-2785. ; 38:5, s. 316-324
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this work, we have targeted positions 18–38 of the human galanin receptor type 1 (GalR1) mRNA coding sequence with different peptide nucleic acid (PNA) oligomers. This region has previously been shown to be a good antisense region and therefore we aimed to identify the subregions and/or thermodynamic parameters determining the antisense efficacy. Nine different PNA oligomers were conjugated to a cell-penetrating peptide, transportan, to enhance their cellular uptake. Concentration-dependent down-regulation of GalR1 protein expression in human melanoma cell line Bowes was measured by radioligand binding assay. No reduction of GalR1 mRNA level was observed upon PNA treatment, thus, the effect was concluded to be translational arrest. Judging from the EC50 values, antisense PNA oligomers targeting regions 24–38 (EC50 = 70 nM) or 27–38 (EC50 = 80 nM) were the most potent suppressors of protein expression. No parameter predicted by M-fold algorithm was found to correlate with the measured antisense activities. Presence of some subregions was found not to increase antisense efficiency of PNA. Presence of a short unpaired triplet between nucleotides 33 and 35 in the target region was, on the other hand, found to be the most critical for efficient GalR1 down-regulation. Thus, the results are of high impact in designing antisense oligomers. Specific results of this study demonstrate 20-fold more efficient antisense down-regulation of GalR1 as achieved before.
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| 3. |
- Kokaia, Merab, et al.
(author)
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Suppressed kindling epileptogenesis in mice with ectopic overexpression of galanin
- 2001
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 98:24, s. 14006-14011
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The neuropeptide galanin has been shown to suppress epileptic seizures. In cortical and hippocampal areas, galanin is normally mainly expressed in noradrenergic afferents. We have generated a mouse overexpressing galanin in neurons under the platelet-derived growth factor B promoter. RIA and HPLC analysis revealed up to 8-fold higher levels of galanin in transgenic as compared with wild-type mice. Ectopic galanin overexpression was detected especially in dentate granule cells and hippocampal and cortical pyramidal neurons. Galanin-overexpressing mice showed retardation of seizure generalization during hippocampal kindling, a model for human complex partial epilepsy. The high levels of galanin in mossy fibers found in the transgenic mice were further increased after seizures. Frequency facilitation of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials, a form of short-term synaptic plasticity assessed in hippocampal slices, was reduced in mossy fiber-CA3 cell synapses of galanin-overexpressing mice, indicating suppressed glutamate release. This effect was reversed by application of the putative galanin receptor antagonist M35. These data provide evidence that ectopically overexpressed galanin can be released and dampen the development of epilepsy by means of receptor-mediated action, at least partly by reducing glutamate release from mossy fibers.
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| 4. |
- Pooga, Margus, et al.
(author)
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Cellular translocation of proteins by transportan
- 2001
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In: The FASEB Journal. - : Wiley. - 0892-6638 .- 1530-6860. ; 15:6, s. 1451-1453
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Proteins with molecular masses ranging from 30 kDa. (green fluorescent protein, GFP) to 150 kDa (monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies) were coupled to the cellular translocating peptide transportan. We studied the ability of the resulting protein-peptide constructs to penetrate into Bowes melanoma, BRL, and COS-7 cells. After 0.5-3 h incubation with recombinant GFP coupled to transportan, most of the GFP fluorescence was found in intracellular membranes of BRL and COS-7 cells, which suggests that transportan could internalize covalently linked proteins of about 30 kDa in a folded state. Transportan could internalize covalently coupled molecules of even larger size; that is, avidin and antibodies, (up to 150 kDa). The covalent bond between the transport peptide and its cargo is not obligatory because streptavidin was translocated into the cells within 15 min as a noncovalent complex with biotinylated transportan. Inside the cells, the delivered streptavidin was first located mainly in close proximity to the plasma membrane and was later distributed to the perinuclear region. Most of the internalized streptavidin was confined to vesicular structures, but a significant fraction of the protein was distributed in the cytoplasm. Our data suggest that transportan can deliver proteins and other hydrophilic macromolecules into intact mammalian cells, and this finding demonstrates good potential as powerful cellular delivery vector for scientific and therapeutic purposes.
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