Microbial components and the endogenous molecules released from damaged cells can stimulate germ-line-encoded pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to transduce signals to the hub of the innate immune signaling network-the adaptor proteins MyD88/TRIF/MAVS/STING/Caspase-1, where integrated signals relay to the relevant transcription factors IRF3/IRF7/NF-κB/ AP-1 and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) to trigger the expression of type I interferons and inflammatory cytokines or the assembly of inflammasomes. Most pleiotropic cytokines are secreted and bind to specific receptors, activating the signaling pathways including JAK-STAT for the proliferation, differentiation and functional capacity of immune cells. This review focuses on several critical adaptors in innate immune signaling cascades and recent progress in their molecular mechanisms.
Adaptive Immunity ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; immunology ; metabolism ; Animals ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Signal Transduction ; immunology

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are the archetypal pattern recognition receptors in sensing exogenous pathogens. Activation of TLRs is a first line of defense of the immune system, leading to the activation and recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages to sites of infection and enhances antimicrobial activity. The TLR signaling through different intracellular molecules, such as MAP kinases and IkappaB kinases which are conserved signaling elements for many receptors, leads to a distinct set of proinflammatory gene expressions. However, how these pathways differentially and precisely control the transcription of identical genes remains largely unknown. Our review focuses on the details of up-to- date signaling molecules including negative regulators and their role in controlling innate immune response. We also stress the importance of developing systemic approaches for the global understanding of TLR signaling so that appropriate drug therapeutic targets can be identified for regulating inflammatory diseases.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/*immunology ; Animals ; Humans ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/*immunology ; Receptor Cross-Talk ; Receptors, Interleukin-1/immunology ; *Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptors/*immunology

Vav1, as a key downstream signaling molecule of T cell receptor, includes a catalytic core DH-PH-ZF domain with the function as guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), and a SH3-SH2-SH3 domain with the function as adaptor protein. These two structures of Vav1 play different roles in the development, activation, proliferation and function of T cells, and thereby exert the different regulatory effect on the occurrence and development of autoimmune disease, graft rejection, cancer and other clinical conditions, implicating that Vav1 might be a potential therapeutic target for these diseases. This paper reviews the role of Vav1 in T cells and the occurrence of related diseases.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; Animals ; Autoimmune Diseases ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav ; chemistry ; immunology ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes

OBJECTIVETo find and identify HLA-A*0201 restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes from epidermal growth factor pathway substrate number 8 (Eps8) for specific immunotherapy based on Eps8-derived epitopes in clinic.

METHODSOnline biological softwares involved C-proteasomal cleavage, MHC class I binding affinity and TAP transport efficiency were used for prediction of HLA-A*0201 restricted epitopes from Eps8. Then, T2-binding assays and peptide/MHC complex stability tests were used to further verify the predicted epitopes. Specific secretion of IFN-γ from human CTL was assayed using the IFN-γ ELISPOT kit, and cytolytic activity was measured by a 4-h lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay. Finally, the functional effects in vivo were measured in HLA-A*0201/Kb transgenic (Tg) mice.

RESULTSFour natural epitopes were designed through online biological softwares. Of the four epitopes selected, p360-368 was found to have the high binding affinity to HLA-A*0201, while p101-109 and p276-284 showed moderate affinities. DC50 of peptide/MHC complexes of the natural epitopes mentioned were all longer than 8 h. In functional assays with human PBMNC in vitro and in HLA-A*0201/Kb transgenic mice in vivo, CTLs primed by each epitope (p101-109, p276-284 and p360-368) secreted IFN-γ and were toxic to cancer cells from a variety of tissue types in an HLA-A*0201-restricted and Eps8-specific manner.

CONCLUSIONNatural epitopes (p101-109, p276-284 and p360-368) may be the HLA-A*0201 restricted epitope derived from Eps8.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; immunology ; Animals ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; metabolism ; HLA-A2 Antigen ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic

BACKGROUND: Dense fine speckled (DFS) pattern in antinuclear antibody (ANA) test using indirect immunofluorescence method became to be known recently and it is detected in patients with various chronic inflammatory diseases as well as in healthy individuals. We investigated the relation between DFS pattern and various diseases. METHODS: ANA tests by indirect immunofluorescence method using HEp-2 cell line slide (Kallestad; Bio-Rad, USA) were performed in 2,654 patients for screening of systemic autoimmune diseases. The frequencies of ANA and DFS positivity were analyzed according to sex, age, clinical department and disease. RESULTS: ANA was positive in 13.3% (352/2,654) of the total patients, and the frequency of DFS pattern was observed in 3.8% (101/2,654) of the total patients and in 28.7% (101/352) of the patients with ANA positivity. Higher frequency of DFS positivity was observed in patients referred from Departments of Rheumatology and Nephrology, but there was no difference in the frequencies of DFS positivity among the patients with ANA positivity. The frequency of DFS pattern was higher in seborrheic dermatitis (14.3%), herpes zoster (11.1%), rheumatoid arthritis (16.9%), systemic lupus erythematosus (15.4%) and Sjogren syndrome (14.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The DFS pattern is a frequent finding (about 28% of ANA positivity) in ANA test using indirect immunofluorescence method. Relatively high frequency of DFS pattern was observed in autoimmune diseases, contrary to the previous observations that DFS pattern is not related with autoimmune diseases. Further studies including the confirmation tests of anti-DFS70 are needed for the identification of relation between DFS pattern and particular diseases.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/immunology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Antinuclear/*blood/diagnostic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/immunology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect/*methods ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Transcription Factors/immunology

PRAS40 (proline-rich Akt substrate 40 kD) associates with mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1(mTORC1), serine 183 site (Ser183) of PRAS40 can be phosphorylated by mTORC1. To prepare the phosphorylated PRAS40 (Ser183) antibody, We chosen 10-amino acid including Ser183 as antigen peptide through antigenicity and hydrophobicity analysis, hinged on keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and used the KLH-peptide to immunize rabbits. After antibody serum titer detection by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the antibody was purified with rProtein A sepharose fast flow and dephosphorylated antigen membrane. The antibody titrate reached 1:10 000 after purification and its special property was enhanced with absorption treatment of dephosphorylated antigen membrane. In addition, we used rabbit anti-PRAS40 antibody and the phosphorylated PRAS40 (Ser183) antibody to detect PRAS40 expression in several cell lines, including the normal cells HL7702, HEK293, tumor cells HepG2, A549 and S180. There were no quite difference among these cells; otherwise, we observed the decreased phosphorylation level of Ser183 after amino acid withdrawal treatment. Therefore, the polyclonal phosphorylated PRAS40 (Ser183) antibody was specific to PRAS40 (Ser183) site and could be used for the function study of PRAS40.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; Animals ; Antibodies ; analysis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Male ; Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1 ; Multiprotein Complexes ; Phosphoproteins ; chemistry ; immunology ; Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Serine ; metabolism ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic role of nuclear expression of bcl-10 protein in extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type.

METHODSOne hundred and forty cases of MALT lymphoma were collected from Cancer Hospital of Fudan University (including 38 cases from stomach, 35 cases from ocular adnexa, 16 cases from intestine, 15 cases from skin, 15 cases from salivary gland, 14 cases from lung, 3 cases from thyroid and 4 cases from other sites). Ten cases of reactive follicular hyperplasia of tonsil, 5 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia of orbit and 143 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma other than MALT lymphoma (including 20 cases of NK/T cell lymphoma, 20 cases of follicular lymphomas, 20 cases of anaplastic large cell lymphomas, 20 cases of nodal diffuse large cell B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 10 cases of gastric diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, 13 cases of nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, 12 cases of mantle cell lymphoma, 11 cases of splenic marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, 6 cases of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, 6 cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified, 3 cases of small lymphocytic lymphoma, 1 case of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and 1 case of plasmacytoma were used as controls. Immunohistochemical study for bcl-10, as well as dual staining with CD20, was performed by EnVision method in paraffin sections.

RESULTSIn reactive follicular hyperplasia of tonsil, bcl-10 was moderately or strongly expressed in the cytoplasm of germinal center B cells, while the mantle cells were negative and the marginal zone cells and paracortical T cells showed weak staining. In the 5 cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia of orbit, 2 were bcl-10-negative and the remaining 3 expressed bcl-10 in the cytoplasm of germinal center B cells. As for non-MALT lymphomas, 3 gastric DLBCL showed nuclear expression. The remaining cases showed variable cytoplasmic staining. In some cases of lymphoma, bcl-10 was expressed in tumor cells but not in reactive lymphoid cells. On the other hand, 92.1% (129/140) of MALT lymphoma were bcl-10 positive. Among those cases, 54.3% (76/140) showed cytoplasmic positivity and 37.9% (53/140) showed nuclear positivity. The nuclear positivity rate of bcl-10 in different anatomic sites was different. The staining was most intense in MALT lymphoma of ocular adnexa. Dual staining with CD20 showed that the bcl-10-positive cells were also CD20-positive, though the number of bcl-10-positive cells were less than that of CD20-positive cells.

CONCLUSIONSBcl-10 expression in lymphoid hyperplasia is a universal phenomenon. Cytoplasmic expression of bcl-10 is seen in many different kinds of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and reactive lymphoid conditions. In some cases of lymphoma, bcl-10 is expressed in tumor cells but not in reactive lymphoid cells, suggesting a possible role of abnormal bcl-10 expression in tumorgenesis. Nuclear expression of bcl-10 is seen mainly in MALT lymphoma, especially when occurring in ocular adnexa and lung. This is in contrast to loss of bcl-10 expression in residual germinal center cells.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; genetics ; Antigens, CD20 ; immunology ; B-Cell CLL-Lymphoma 10 Protein ; Cell Nucleus ; genetics ; Cytoplasm ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; pathology ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; genetics ; immunology ; pathology ; Palatine Tonsil ; pathology ; Pseudolymphoma ; genetics

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEBC047440 is a new gene related to cancer growth and proliferation. Due to the lack of specific antibodies, how BC047440 protein influences the liver cancer growth is unclear. This study aimed to determine the relationship between BC047440 protein expression and clinicopathologic parameters of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and to evaluate the prognostic value of BC047440 for HCC patients.

METHODSWe prepared the polyclonal antibodies of BC047440, and used Western blot and immunohistochemical staining to detect BC047440 expression in 68 specimens of HCC. The correlations of BC047440 expression to clinicopathologic features and prognosis of HCC patients were analyzed.

RESULTSThe polyclonal antibodies could effectively recognize endogenous BC047440 in HCC tissues. The positive rate of BC047440 protein was significantly higher in HCCs than in adjacent tissues (44.1% vs. 23.5%, P<0.05); the rate was significantly higher in patients with larger tumor (P<0.05) and portal vein invasion (P<0.01). The HCC patients with high BC047440 expression showed a significantly poorer prognosis than those with low BC047440 expression (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONBC047440 can promote the growth and invasion of HCC.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; immunology ; metabolism ; Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Antibodies ; analysis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Portal Vein ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of RhoA/mDia1 pathway in the process of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and regulatory effect of PI3K inhibitor on this process. The human platelets were isolated from peripheral blood, the activation of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 in the platelet aggregation was detected by GST pull-down assay and immune co-precipitation, the interaction of RhoA, Rac1 and Cdc42 with mDia1 and the formation of complex in the process of platelet aggregation were determined by immune coprecipitation, and the effect of PI3K inhibitor (wortmannin) on above-mentioned process was assayed. The results showed that thrombin elevated the activity of RhoA and the binding capability of RhoA with mDia1 during thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and spreading on Fg coated coverslips. Wortmannin inhibited the rising of RhoA activity and the binding level of RhoA with mDia1 induced by thrombin. Thrombin elevated the activity of Rac1 and Cdc42 during thrombin-induced platelet aggregation, but could not induce binding of Rac1 or Cdc42 with mDia1. Wortmannin could not inhibit the rising of Rac1 and Cdc42 activity induced by thrombin. It is concluded that the PI3-kinase regulates the thrombin-induced actin cytoskeleton reconstitution in platelets by RhoA-mDia1 pathway.
Actins ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; immunology ; metabolism ; Blood Platelets ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; pharmacology ; Platelet Aggregation ; drug effects ; Thrombin ; pharmacology ; rac1 GTP-Binding Protein ; metabolism ; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein ; metabolism ; pharmacology

GABARAP, a microtuble-associated protein, is identified to interact with GABAA receptor. Anchoring of the GABAA receptor to GABARAP helps to cluster the receptor at the synaptic termini and to mediate fast synaptic transmission. GABARAP may mediate interaction of gephyrin with the GABAA receptor to stabilize clusters by forming multimeric structures. Furthermore, GABARAP and gephyrin may play more of a role in receptor sorting and transport to the cell surface than in anchoring to the cytoplasm, because at inhibitory synapses GABARAP appears to associate with transport vesicles rather than the cell surface. The association of GABARAP with NSF (N-ethylmaleimide sensitive factor), a protein involved in intracellular vesicle transport, supports this hypothesis. We cloned cDNA encoding full-length human GABARAP by nested PCR and inserted it into eukaryon expression vector pcDNA6HA and GST fusion protein expression vector pGEX4T2. The recombinant plasmid pGEX4T2-hGABARAP was transformed into E. coli BL21, from which GST-hGABARAP fusion protein was purified after IPTG induction by affinity chromatography with glutathione Sepharose-4B column. The antiserum against GABARAP was generated by immunizing rabbits with the purified GST-hGABARAP and was purified with GST-hGABARAP coupled NHS-activated Sepherose 4 column. The purified polyclonal antibody was effective for Western blotting and immunostaining. The hGABARAP was located both in the cytoplasm and nucleus with an abundant distribution around the peripheral nucleus.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Animals ; Antibodies ; blood ; immunology ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Cloning, Molecular ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glutathione Transferase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunization ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology