Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Sone

Publications and source records attributed to S Sone.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Protease-induced leukocyte chemotaxis and activation: roles in host defense and inflammation.

The migration of leukocytes such as neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes into inflamed lesions is one of the critical events of inflammation. Although the traditional function of neutrophil-derived antimicrobial proteases is to ingest and kill bacteria, some neutrophil serine proteases have been shown to induce leukocyte migration and activation. Mast cell-derived chymase also has the chemotactic activity for leukocytes. During the acute phase of inflammatory and allergic diseases, the predominantly migrated cells are neutrophils and mast cells, respectively, and in the subsequent chronic phase, monocytes and lymphocytes are mainly migrated. The chemotactic activity for monocytes and lymphocytes of neutrophil-derived serine proteases and mast cell-derived chymase may have a role in switching acute inflammation to chronic inflammation and delayed-type hypersensitivity. Recently, aminopeptidase N and endothelin were shown to induce chemotactic migration of leukocytes. Thus, protease-induced leukocyte chemotaxis and activation may play an important role in immunologic events of inflammatory and allergic diseases.

Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides↗

Autoantibodies to IL-1 alpha in sera from rapidly progressive idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

To clarify the clinical significance of autoantibodies to interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha autoantibodies) in rapidly progressive idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), we measured the level of IL-1 alpha autoantibodies in serum of 11 patients on the first hospital day, when patients were admitted due to severe symptoms, and on the 21st hospital day. IL-1 alpha autoantibodies in serum were measured using radioimmunoassay, and the limitation of this assay for IL-1 alpha autoantibodies was 5 ng/ml. These antibodies were detected in 5 of 11 patients on the first hospital day. On the 21st hospital day, these antibodies were detected in all patients, and its level was increased compared with that on the first hospital day. IL-1 alpha autoantibodies that appeared in patients corresponded to that of IgG. The half life of exogenous autoantibodies was investigated following administration of autoantibody rich plasma obtained from healthy blood donors to 6 control patients (CP) and 6 progressive IPF patients. These autoantibody levels in their serum were less than 5 ng/ml before administration. Serum was obtained at the indicated time after administration of IL-1 alpha autoantibodies and the level of these autoantibodies in serum was measured, then the half life was calculated. Half life of exogenous IL-1 alpha autoantibodies in progressive IPF patients was significantly shorter than that in CP (71.3 +/- 31.8 hr vs 352.0 +/- 98.3 hr, p < 0.01). These findings suggested that IL-1 alpha autoantibodies were generated in response to the inflammatory process of rapidly progressive IPF and may act as a regulatory factor for IL-1 alpha.

Aged↗

Increased CCR4 expression in active systemic lupus erythematosus.

CC chemokine receptor (CCR)4 is selectively expressed on Th2-type T cells and has been shown to be responsible for Th2-dominant immune responses. In this study, we analyzed the expression of CCR4 in active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients by FACS analysis using anti-human CCR4 monoclonal antibody and determined the clinical relevance in this disease. Higher expression of CCR4 was found on peripheral blood CD4+ T lymphocytes of active SLE patients than was found with healthy controls and inactive SLE patients. The CCR4 expression significantly correlated with the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) scores. The expression was dramatically decreased after the corticosteroid therapy in parallel with a serum level of double-stranded DNA antibody and SLEDAI scores. Moreover, we found that serum levels of IL-10 were increased in active SLE patients and significantly correlated with the CCR4 expression. This study suggests that Th2 immune response is predominant in the active state of SLE, and CCR4 may have relevance in regard to the disease course in SLE patients.

Adolescent↗

[Comparison of management of advanced cancer in various organs].

The management of advanced cancer presents the greatest challenge to physicians involved in oncology. There will usually be a large burden of disease; cure is unlikely; and the needs of the patient in terms of pain control and palliation will also be important over and above the direct treatment of the disease. Different issues will arise depending on the site and pathological type of the cancer. Increasingly over the past few years, treatment protocols and guidelines have been developed for different cancers, but these can only be rough guides rather than definite treatment recommendations. Additionally in most cancers advanced disease offers the opportunity for evaluation of new treatments in Phase II studies and other trials. With the new generation of molecular targeted therapies, such as EGFR inhibitors, striking results are being seen in advanced disease that compare favourably with what has been seen previously. Other agents such as those which attack the tumour vasculature may also have promise in this setting. Palliation is also an important aspect of the management of advanced disease, and pain control in particular is an important component of patient management. In summary, the treatment of advanced disease provides a test bed for new agents, but this need to develop better cancer therapies must be balanced against patient needs for a pain-free and comfortable end to life.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗

Natural killer cell-dependent suppression of systemic spread of human lung adenocarcinoma cells by monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 gene transfection in severe combined immunodeficient mice.

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a chemokine with various biological activities, including augmentation of cytotoxic activity of monocytes and natural killer (NK) cells. The present study was undertaken to determine whether transfection of the MCP-1 gene into lung cancer cells affected their tumorigenicity and metastatic potential by the NK cell-mediated mechanism. The human MCP-1 gene inserted into an expression vector (BCMGSNeo) was transfected into human lung adenocarcinoma (PC-14) cells. There was no difference in in vitro proliferation between MCP-1 gene-transfected PC-14 cells and the parent cells or mock-transfected cells. The tumorigenicity and in vivo tumor growth of MCP-1 gene-transfected PC-14 cells were similar to those of the parent cells or mock-transfected cells when tumor cells were injected into the s.c. space of NK cell-intact severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Although parent cells and mock-transfected cells inoculated i.v. formed lung metastatic colonies and pleural effusion, MCP-1 gene transfectants reduced the systemic spread in NK cell-intact SCID mice. Interestingly, these modulations in a systemic spread by MCP-1 gene transfection were not observed in NK cell-depleted SCID mice. Decreased survival of MCP-1 gene transfectants in the lung was observed in NK cell-intact SCID mice but not in NK cell-depleted SCID mice. Recombinant MCP-1 or the supernatant of MCP-1 gene transfectants enhanced the cytotoxicity of human CD56+ NK cells and spleen cells of SCID mice against PC-14 cells. These findings suggest that locally produced MCP-1 suppresses tumor progression by a NK cell-mediated mechanism, depending on organ microenvironment.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Identification of a 428-kb homozygously deleted region disrupting the SEZ6L gene at 22q12.1 in a lung cancer cell line.

Frequent allelic losses on chromosome 22q in small cell lung carcinomas (SCLCs) and advanced non-small cell lung carcinomas indicate the presence of tumor suppressor gene(s) on this chromosome arm. We detected a homozygous deletion at 22q12.1 in a SCLC cell line, Lu24. Cloning of the breakpoints of the Lu24 deletion revealed that the deletion was interstitial and 428, 131 bp in size. The deleted region contained the SEZ6L (Seizure 6-like) gene, whose structure had been partially determined by the chromosome 22 sequencing project. We determined the full length cDNA sequence for the SEZ6L gene based on the genomic sequence for the SEZ6L locus using the GENSCAN program and the RT - PCR method. The deduced SEZ6L protein was a transmembrane protein of 1024 amino acids with multiple domains involved in protein - protein interaction and signal transduction. SEZ6L expression was detected in a variety of human tissues, including lung, while its expression was detected in 14 (30%) of 46 lung cancer cell lines examined. Missense mutations were detected in three (7%) of the 46 cell lines, and a 1 bp deletion in the polypyrimidine tract preceding exon 4 was detected in one (2%) of 46 primary lung cancers. Therefore, it is possible that genetic and/or epigenetic SEZ6L alterations are involved in the development and/or progression in a subset of lung cancer, although functional analysis of the SEZ6L gene as well as molecular analysis of other genes in the homozygously deleted region is necessary to understand the pathogenetic significance of 22q deletions in human lung carcinogenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Expression of a TGF-beta1 inducible gene, TSC-36, causes growth inhibition in human lung cancer cell lines.

TSC-36 (TGF-beta1-stimulated clone 36) is a TGF-beta1 inducible gene whose product is an extracellular glycoprotein that contains a single follistatin module. TSC-36 is highly expressed in the lung, but its physiological function is unknown. In an attempt to elucidate it, we investigated the effect of TSC-36 on proliferation of human lung cancer cell lines. We found a correlation between expression of TSC-36 and cell growth: TSC-36 mRNA was not detected in cells derived from small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cells, a highly aggressive neoplasm, but was detected in some non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells, a moderately aggressive neoplasm. This suggested an antiproliferative function for TSC-36. To address this question, NSCLC PC-14 cells, which express very low level of TSC-36 protein, were transfected with TSC-36 cDNA and the proliferative capacity of stable transfectants was determined by measuring the doubling time, colony forming activity in soft agar and the level of incorporation of (3)H-thymidine into DNA. Under normal culture conditions, the transfected cells showed a longer doubling time, lower plating efficiency and lower rate of DNA synthesis than the parental cells and the control neo transfectant cells. These findings suggested that expression of TSC-36 caused growth inhibition in human lung cancer cells.

Blotting, Northern↗

Macrophage infiltration correlates with tumor stage and angiogenesis in human malignant melanoma: possible involvement of TNFalpha and IL-1alpha.

We examined whether macrophage infiltration is associated with angiogenesis in cutaneous melanoma. The numbers of macrophages and microvessels increased significantly with increasing depth of tumor and with tumor angiogenesis. Macrophage infiltration thus appeared to provide a useful diagnostic marker for the progression of cutaneous melanoma. We further examined whether human melanoma cells produce angiogenic factors in response to macrophage-derived cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha). Treatment of melanoma cells with TNFalpha and IL-1alpha in vitro enhanced the production of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) to a lesser degree, in human melanoma cells. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated human monocytes enhanced production of IL-8, VEGF, TNF alpha, as well as IL-1alpha, but not bFGF. Co-culture of human monocytes and human melanoma cells was also found to significantly enhance production of IL-8 and VEGF in the absence and presence of LPS, compared with either monocytes or melanoma cells alone. The production of IL-8 and VEGF from co-cultured melanoma cells and LPS-activated monocytes was blocked when anti-TNF-alpha antibody or anti-IL-1alpha antibody was co-administrated. This is direct evidence that production of the potent angiogenic factors IL-8 and VEGF from melanoma cells is up-regulated through TNFalpha and/or IL-1alpha secreted by activated monocytes/macrophages, influencing both tumor growth and angiogenesis in melanomas.

Adult↗

Chymase is a potent chemoattractant for human monocytes and neutrophils.

Chymase is a major chymotrypsin-like serine protease expressed in the secretory granules of mast cells in many mammalian species. In this study, we revealed the chemotactic activity of chymase for human mononuclear cells and neutrophils with a 48-well microchemotaxis chamber technique. Human chymase showed the potent chemotactic activity for monocytes and neutrophils dose-dependently in a concentration range from 0.1 to 10 microg/mL, corresponding to about 4-400 microM. The activity was as potent as that of N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine. Chymase also stimulated cell migration of lymphocytes and purified T cells, but checkerboard analysis revealed that the effect was chemokinetic rather than chemotactic. Inhibition of chymase activities with chymase inhibitors, such as antileukoprotease and Bowman-Birk soybean trypsin inhibitor, significantly inhibited the chemotactic activity of chymase, suggesting that the proteolytic activity of chymase participates in the chemotactic activity. Our results suggest that mast cell chymase acts as a chemoattractant, and may play a role in the accumulation of inflammatory cells in development of the chronic inflammatory responses of allergic and nonallergic diseases.

Chemotactic Factors↗

Correlation between high-resolution computed tomographic, magnetic resonance and pathological findings in cases with non-cancerous but suspicious lung nodules.

Computed tomography scans, including thin-section high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), occasionally fail to differentiate between small non-cancerous nodules from lung cancers. We describe nine such lesions ( < 20 mm in diameter) initially identified through our screening program for lung cancer using CT scanning. Pathological diagnoses included nodular fibrosis (n = 4), granuloma (n = 1), cryptococcoma (n = 1), localised organising pneumonia (n = 1), inflammatory pseudo-tumour (n = 1) and sclerosing haemangioma (n = 1). High-resolution CT findings, together with MRI findings with contrast-enhanced dynamic studies, were retrospectively evaluated. Additional cases should be identified and radiologically characterised in order to reduce the number of non-cancerous tumours that are treated by unnecessary surgery.

Aged↗

Protective effects of murine recombinant interferon-beta administered by intravenous, intramuscular or subcutaneous route on mouse hepatitis virus infection.

The significance of the route for administration of murine recombinant interferon-beta (IFN-beta) for inducing its therapeutic effects has been studied. BALB/c mice were daily injected intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously with 1.5x10(3), 1. 5x10(4), or 1.5x10(5) IU of IFN-beta, from one day before to 8th day after mouse hepatitis virus (MHV-2) challenge. All mice received IFN-beta survived significantly longer than those without IFN. In the liver of those IFN-treated mice, viral growth and the histopathological damages were extremely alleviated. These results suggest that, irrespective of the differences in the route of administration, IFN-beta markedly suppressed viral activity when its administration was started prior to viral infection. For clinical use, however, further studies are needed on the optimal route for administration if IFN-beta is given after viral infection.

Animals↗

Intrapleural therapy with MDP-Lys (L18), a synthetic derivative of muramyl dipeptide, against malignant pleurisy associated with lung cancer.

N2-[(N-acetylmuramoyl)-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl]-N6-stearoyl-L-lysine (MDP-Lys (L18), romurtide) is a synthetic muramyl dipeptide derivative, and has immunomodulating activities including activation of cells of monocyte-macrophage lineage. We examined the effect of intrapleural instillation of MDP-Lys (L18) against malignant pleurisy associated with lung cancer. Six patients with cytologically-positive malignant pleural effusion (four with adenocarcinoma, one with small cell carcinoma and one with large cell carcinoma) were treated with single intrapleural instillation of MDP-Lys (L18) of 200 microg. Clinically, no reaccumulation of pleural effusion for at least 4 weeks was observed in four patients. No major side effects were observed. Total cell number elevated remarkably 4 h after instillation, and main increased population was that of neutrophils. Levels of chemotactic cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-8, and monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interleukin (IL)-1beta and IL-6, elevated in pleural effusion, and peak IL-1beta and IL-6 levels tended to be higher in clinical responders than non-responders. These results suggest MDP-Lys (L18) instilled by intrapleural route had a potential local immunomodulatory activity. Further study is warranted to further determine the critical factors which correlate with the clinical response.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine↗

Down-regulation by a new anti-inflammatory compound, FR167653, of differentiation and maturation of human monocytes and bone marrow CD34+ cells to dendritic cells.

FR167653 (1-[7-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-8 (4-pyridyl) pyrazoro [5-1-c] [1,2,4] triazin-2-yl]-2-phenylethanedion sulfate monohydrate), one of the pyridinyl imidazoles, is an immunosuppressive agent which was developed to inhibit proinflammatory cytokine production. We examined the effect of FR167653 on the differentiation and maturation phases of both human bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DC) and blood monocyte-derived DC (Mo-DC). DC induced from either BM-DC or Mo-DC progenitors in the presence of FR167653 had lower expression of CD1a, CD83 and CD86 (B7.2). FR167653 also significantly suppressed the ability of Mo-DC to produce both TNF-alpha and IL-1beta in response to LPS stimulation. Mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) stimulation was significantly lower in FR167653-treated Mo-DC than in control Mo-DC, although the suppressive effect of FR167653 was much less on BM-DC. These results indicate novel immunosuppressive properties of FR167653, which may be therapeutically useful in controlling chronic immune and/or inflammatory diseases through down-regulation of DC differentiation and maturation.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗