| 1. |
- Agrawal, Smriti, et al.
(author)
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Dystroglycan is selectively cleaved at the parenchymal basement membrane at sites of leukocyte extravasation in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
- 2006
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In: Journal of Experimental Medicine. - : Rockefeller University Press. - 1540-9538 .- 0022-1007. ; 203:4, s. 1007-1019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The endothelial cell monolayer of cerebral vessels and its basement membrane (BM) are ensheathed by the astrocyte endfeet, the leptomeningeal cells, and their associated parenchymal BM, all of which contribute to establishment of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). As a consequence of this unique structure, leukocyte penetration of cerebral vessels is a multistep event. In mouse experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a widely used central nervous system inflammatory model, leukocytes first penetrate the endothelial cell monolayer and underlying BM using integrin β1-mediated processes, but mechanisms used to penetrate the second barrier defined by the parenchymal BM and glia limitans remain uninvestigated. We show here that macrophage-derived gelatinase (matrix metalloproteinase [MMP]-2 and MMP-9) activity is crucial for leukocyte penetration of the parenchymal BM. Dystroglycan, a transmembrane receptor that anchors astrocyte endfeet to the parenchymal BM via high affinity interactions with laminins 1 and 2, perlecan and agrin, is identified as a specific substrate of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Ablation of both MMP-2 and MMP-9 in double knockout mice confers resistance to EAE by inhibiting dystroglycan cleavage and preventing leukocyte infiltration. This is the first description of selective in situ proteolytic damage of a BBB-specific molecule at sites of leukocyte infiltration.
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| 2. |
- Bergin, Philip, 1975, et al.
(author)
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Gastric gelatinase B/matrix metalloproteinase-9 is rapidly increased in Helicobacter felis-induced gastritis.
- 2008
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In: FEMS immunology and medical microbiology. - 0928-8244. ; 52:1, s. 88-98
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It has previously been shown that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) levels, originating from macrophages, are considerably increased in human Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis. Here, the early kinetics of the MMP-9 response resulting from Helicobacter infection in C57BL/6 and MMP-9 knock-out mice using the murine Helicobacter felis model were examined. H. felis infection induced severe gastritis in the murine stomach at just 2 weeks after infection. Before gastritis, an increase was observed in MMP-9-positive cells detected by immunohistochemistry in the basal lamina propria. This finding was corroborated by gelatin zymography of stomach samples. As the gastritis increased so did the concentration of MMP-9 and the incidence of gastric MMP-9-positive cells, their location corresponding to that of macrophages. In contrast, systemic levels of MMP-9 remained unchanged. When MMP-9-deficient mice were infected with H. felis, no significant difference in gastritis development was detected compared with disease development in wild-type animals. We conclude that MMP-9 production is an early event in the response to gastric Helicobacter infection, a feature that may favor the recruitment of immune cells early during infection. At later stages, however, the increased levels of MMP-9 may damage the integrity of the stomach mucosa.
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| 3. |
- Calander, Ann-Marie, 1957, et al.
(author)
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Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (gelatinase B) deficiency leads to increased severity of Staphylococcus aureus-triggered septic arthritis.
- 2006
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In: Microbes and infection / Institut Pasteur. - : Elsevier BV. - 1286-4579. ; 8:6, s. 1434-9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Matrix metalloproteinases constitute a family of structurally related endopeptidases that are crucial for the normal turnover of the extracellular matrix. Elevated levels of MMP-9 have been demonstrated in synovial fluids of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and a correlation with the severity of the disease has been described. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of MMP-9 expression on joint inflammation and destruction in a model of bacterially induced septic arthritis. MMP-9 knock-out mice and C57Bl6 congenic controls were inoculated intravenously or intra-articularly with Staphylococcus aureus. Arthritis was evaluated clinically and by means of histology. Zymographic analyses were performed to study ex vivo induction of MMP-9 following exposure to S. aureus. The MMP-9 knock-out mice displayed a significantly higher frequency and severity, but not destructivity, of arthritis than did the wild-type mice. The knock-out mice also proved to harbour an increased number of bacteria locally in joints and systemically in kidneys, possibly by impaired extravasation and recruitment of leukocytes and a deficient early defence against infection. Our findings indicate that deficiency in MMP-9 increases the degree of joint inflammation due to decreased bacterial clearance.
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| 4. |
- Christoffersson, Gustaf, et al.
(author)
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Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Is Essential for Physiological Beta Cell Function and Islet Vascularization in Adult Mice
- 2015
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In: American Journal of Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0002-9440 .- 1525-2191. ; 185:4, s. 1094-1103
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The availability of paracrine factors in the islets of Langerhans, and the constitution of the beta cell basement membrane can both be affected by proteolytic enzymes. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the extraceaular matrix-degrading enzyme gelatinase B/matrix metalloproteinase-9 (Mmp-9) on islet function in mice. Islet function of Mmp9-deficient (Mmp9(-/-)) mice and their wild-type Littermates was evaluated both in vivo and in vitro. The pancreata of Mmp9(-/-) mice did not differ from wild type in islet mass or distribution. However, Mmp9(-/-) mice had an impaired response to a glucose toad in vivo, with lower serum insulin levels. The glucose-stimulated insulin secretion was reduced also in vitro in isolated Mmp9(-/-) islets. The vascular density of Mmp9(-/-) islets was lower, and the capillaries had fewer fenestrations, whereas the islet blood flow was threefold higher. These alterations could partly be explained by compensatory changes in the expression of matrix-related proteins. This in-depth investigation of the effects of the loss of MMP9(-/-) function on pancreatic islets uncovers a deteriorated beta cell function that is primarily due to a shift in the beta cell phenotype, but also due to islet vascular aberrations. This likely reflects the importance of a normal islet matrix turnover exerted by MMP-9, and concomitant release of paracrine factors sequestered on the matrix.
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| 5. |
- Christoffersson, Gustaf, et al.
(author)
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VEGF-A recruits a proangiogenic MMP-9-delivering neutrophil subset that induces angiogenesis in transplanted hypoxic tissue
- 2012
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In: Blood. - : American Society of Hematology. - 0006-4971 .- 1528-0020. ; 120:23, s. 4653-4662
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recruitment and retention of leukocytes at a site of blood vessel growth are crucial for proper angiogenesis and subsequent tissue perfusion. Although critical for many aspects of regenerative medicine, the mechanisms of leukocyte recruitment to and actions at sites of angiogenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we investigated the signals attracting leukocytes to avascular transplanted pancreatic islets and leukocyte actions at the engraftment site. Expression of the angiogenic stimulus VEGF-A by mouse pancreatic islets was elevated shortly after syngeneic transplantation to muscle. High levels of leukocytes, predominantly CD11b+/Gr-1+/CXCR4hi neutrophils, were observed at the site of engraftment, whereas VEGF-A–deficient islets recruited only half of the amount of leukocytes when transplanted. Acute VEGF-A exposure of muscle increased leukocyte extravasation but not the levels of SDF-1α. VEGF-A–recruited neutrophils expressed 10 times higher amounts of MMP-9 than neutrophils recruited to an inflammatory stimulus. Revascularization of islets transplanted to MMP-9–deficient mice was impaired because blood vessels initially failed to penetrate grafts, and after 2 weeks vascularity was still disturbed. This study demonstrates that VEGF-A recruits a proangiogenic circulating subset of CD11b+/Gr-1+ neutrophils that are CXCR4hi and deliver large amounts of the effector protein MMP-9, required for islet revascularization and functional integration after transplantation.
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| 6. |
- Li, Sandra, et al.
(author)
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Interference with Glycosaminoglycan-Chemokine Interactions with a Probe to Alter Leukocyte Recruitment and Inflammation In Vivo
- 2014
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:8, s. e104107-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In vivo leukocyte recruitment is not fully understood and may result from interactions of chemokines with glycosaminoglycans/GAGs. We previously showed that chlorite-oxidized oxyamylose/COAM binds the neutrophil chemokine GCP-2/CXCL6. Here, mouse chemokine binding by COAM was studied systematically and binding affinities of chemokines to COAM versus GAGs were compared. COAM and heparan sulphate bound the mouse CXC chemokines KC/CXCL1, MIP-2/CXCL2, IP-10/CXCL10 and I-TAC/CXCL11 and the CC chemokine RANTES/CCL5 with affinities in the nanomolar range, whereas no binding interactions were observed for mouse MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1 alpha/CCL3 and MIP-1 beta/CCL4. The affinities of COAM-interacting chemokines were similar to or higher than those observed for heparan sulphate. Although COAM did not display chemotactic activity by itself, its co-administration with mouse GCP-2/CXCL6 and MIP-2/CXCL2 or its binding of endogenous chemokines resulted in fast and cooperative peritoneal neutrophil recruitment and in extravasation into the cremaster muscle in vivo. These local GAG mimetic features by COAM within tissues superseded systemic effects and were sufficient and applicable to reduce LPS-induced liver-specific neutrophil recruitment and activation. COAM mimics glycosaminoglycans and is a nontoxic probe for the study of leukocyte recruitment and inflammation in vivo.
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| 7. |
- Pereira, Rafaela Vaz Sousa, et al.
(author)
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Chlorite-Oxidized Oxyamylose (COAM) Has Antibacterial Activity and Positively Affects Skin Wound Healing
- 2022
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In: Journal of Inflammation Research. - : DOVE MEDICAL PRESS LTD. - 1178-7031. ; 15, s. 4995-5008
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To verify the antibacterial and immunomodulatory effects of the amylose derivative - chlorite-oxidized oxyamyloseMethods: In vitro antibacterial effects of COAM against opportunistic bacterial pathogens common to skin wounds, including Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), were determined by cultivation methods. The effects of COAM on myeloid cell infiltration into full thickness skin wounds were investigated in wild-type and in transgenic CX3CR1-GFP mice.Results: On the basis of in vitro experiments, an antibacterial effect of COAM against Staphylococcus species including MRSA was confirmed. The minimum inhibitory concentration of COAM was determined as 2000 mu g/mL against these bacterial strains. Control full thickness skin wounds yielded maximal neutrophil influxes and no additive effect on neutrophil influx was observed following topical COAM-treatment. However, COAM administration increased local CX3CR1 macrophage counts at days 3 and 4 and induced a trend towards better wound healing.Conclusion: Aside from its known broad antiviral impact, COAM possesses in vitro antibacterial effects specifically against Grampositive opportunistic pathogens of the skin and modulates in vivo macrophage contents in mouse skin wounds.
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