Phenotypic, Metabolic, and Functional Characterization of Experimental Models of Foamy Macrophages: Toward Therapeutic Research in Atherosclerosis.

Different types of macrophages (Mφ) are involved in atherogenesis, including inflammatory Mφ and foamy Mφ (FM). Our previous study demonstrated that two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) imaging of NADH and FAD autofluorescence (AF) could distinguish experimental models that mimic the different atherosclerotic Mφ types. The present study assessed whether optical differences correlated with phenotypic and functional differences, potentially guiding diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

In Vivo Human Single-Chain Fragment Variable Phage Display-Assisted Identification of Galectin-3 as a New Biomarker of Atherosclerosis.

Background Atherosclerosis is a complex pathology in which dysfunctional endothelium, activated leucocytes, macrophages, and lipid-laden foam cells are implicated, and in which plaque disruption is driven by many putative actors. This study aimed to identify accurate targetable biomarkers using new in vivo approaches to propose tools for improved diagnosis and treatment. Methods and Results Human scFv (single-chain fragment variable) selected by in vivo phage display in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis was reformatted as scFv fused to the scFv-Fc (single-chain fragment variable fused to the crystallizable fragment of immunoglobulin G format) antibodies.

Two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) may be useful to identify macrophage subsets based on their metabolic activity and cellular responses in atherosclerotic plaques.

Background And Aims: Atherosclerosis is characterized by the formation of lipid plaques within the arterial wall. In such plaques, the massive and continuous recruitment of circulating monocyte-derived macrophages induces inflammation, leading to plaque destabilization and rupture. Plaque vulnerability is linked to the presence of (i) a large lipid core that contains necrotic, "foamy" macrophages (FMs), (ii) a thin fibrous cap that cannot limit the prothrombotic lipid core, and potentially (iii) an imbalance between inflammatory and immunoregulatory macrophages.

Recent Advances in the Molecular Imaging of Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the major underlying cause of cardiovascular diseases, the prevalence of which is continuously increasing, thus currently standing as the leading global cause of death. This pathology gradually develops over the course of 50 or more years throughout the life of an individual under the influence of a vast number of factors, both environmental and pathophysiological. This wealth of factors has elicited much research into molecular imaging, with purely diagnostic purposes or with the hope of engineering an efficient theranostic tool.

An innovative flow cytometry method to screen human scFv-phages selected by in vivo phage-display in an animal model of atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease that may develop into vulnerable lesions leading to thrombosis. This pathology is characterized by the deposition of lipids within the arterial wall and infiltration of immune cells leading to amplification of inflammation. Nowadays there is a rising interest to assess directly the molecular and cellular components that underlie the clinical condition of stroke and myocardial infarction.

Pacific Biosciences Sequencing and IMGT/HighV-QUEST Analysis of Full-Length Single Chain Fragment Variable from an Selected Phage-Display Combinatorial Library.

Phage-display selection of immunoglobulin (IG) or antibody single chain Fragment variable (scFv) from combinatorial libraries is widely used for identifying new antibodies for novel targets. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has recently emerged as a new method for the high throughput characterization of IG and T cell receptor (TR) immune repertoires both and . However, challenges remain for the NGS sequencing of scFv from combinatorial libraries owing to the scFv length (>800 bp) and the presence of two variable domains [variable heavy (VH) and variable light (VL) for IG] associated by a peptide linker in a single chain.

Murine Models for Trypanosoma brucei gambiense disease progression--from silent to chronic infections and early brain tropism.

Background: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense remains highly prevalent in west and central Africa and is lethal if left untreated. The major problem is that the disease often evolves toward chronic or asymptomatic forms with low and fluctuating parasitaemia producing apparently aparasitaemic serological suspects who remain untreated because of the toxicity of the chemotherapy. Whether the different types of infections are due to host or parasite factors has been difficult to address, since T.

Transcriptome annotation using tandem SAGE tags.

Analysis of several million expressed gene signatures (tags) revealed an increasing number of different sequences, largely exceeding that of annotated genes in mammalian genomes. Serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) can reveal new Poly(A) RNAs transcribed from previously unrecognized chromosomal regions. However, conventional SAGE tags are too short to identify unambiguously unique sites in large genomes.

Interferon gene expression following HIV type 1 infection of monocyte-derived macrophages.

Macrophages represent one of the primary targets of HIV-1 infection. Changes in gene expression in primary human monocyte-derived macrophages following virus exposure were assessed using oligonucleotide arrays. Over a third of the 100 most modulated genes belonged to the interferon system.