The Effects of High School Basketball Player's Sports Participation Motivation on Achievement Goal Orientation and Achievement Behaviors.

Background: Although the motivation to set goals and taking steps to achieve them is essential for athletes wishing to progress to a professional level, motives for participating in sports vary depending on personal and physical characteristics. We aimed to investigate the effect of motivation to participate in sports on achievement goal orientation and achievement behavior in high-school basketball players.

Methods: The study included 256 female high-school basketball players from Busan, Korea, and was conducted between September and October 2020.

Serum amyloid A inhibits dendritic cell differentiation by suppressing GM-CSF receptor expression and signaling.

In this study, we report that an acute phase reactant, serum amyloid A (SAA), strongly inhibits dendritic cell differentiation induced by GM-CSF plus IL-4. SAA markedly decreased the expression of MHCII and CD11c. Moreover, SAA decreased cell surface GM-CSF receptor expression.

Phospholipase Cγ in Toll-like receptor-mediated inflammation and innate immunity.

Among the phospholipase C (PLC) isoforms, PLCγ not only has unique structural characteristics in terms of harboring SH2 and SH3 domains but also mediates growth factor-induced signaling pathways. PLCγ isoforms are expressed in several innate immune cell types, including macrophages, natural killer cells, mast cells, and neutrophils. Stimulation of Fc receptor or integrin in innate immune cells induces PLCγ activation, which leads to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and calcium increase.

Promotion of formyl peptide receptor 1-mediated neutrophil chemotactic migration by antimicrobial peptides isolated from the centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans.

We investigated the effects of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) isolated from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans on neutrophil activity. Stimulation of mouse neutrophils with the two AMPs elicited chemotactic migration of the cells in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. The two AMPs also stimulated activation of ERK and Akt, which contribute to chemotactic migration of neutrophils.

Antimicrobial peptide scolopendrasin VII, derived from the centipede Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, stimulates macrophage chemotaxis via formyl peptide receptor 1.

In this study, we report that one of the antimicrobial peptides scolopendrasin VII, derived from Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans, stimulates actin polymerization and the subsequent chemotactic migration of macrophages through the activation of ERK and protein kinase B (Akt) activity. The scolopendrasin VII-induced chemotactic migration of macrophages is inhibited by the formyl peptide receptor 1 (FPR1) antagonist cyclosporine H. We also found that scolopendrasin VII stimulate the chemotactic migration of FPR1-transfected RBL-2H3 cells, but not that of vector-transfected cells; moreover, scolopendrasin VII directly binds to FPR1.

Mouse neutrophils express functional umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3.

Neutrophils play an important role in the initiation of innate immunity against infection and injury. Although many different types of G-protein coupled receptors are functionally expressed in neutrophils, no reports have demonstrated functional expression of umami taste receptor in these cells. We observed that mouse neutrophils express the umami taste receptor T1R1/T1R3 through RNA sequencing and quantitative RT-PCR analysis.

A membrane-tethering pepducin that inhibits formyl peptide receptor 2-induced signaling.

Since formyl peptide receptor 2 (FPR2) plays a key role in the regulation of innate immune response and inflammation, it has been a hot topic to develop molecules which inhibit FPR2-induced cellular responses. In this study, we investigated the effect of an FPR2-derived pepducin in human neutrophils and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The pepducin (F2pal-12) selectively inhibited FPR2 agonists (MMK-1 and serum amyloid A)-stimulated neutrophil chemotaxis.

Wnt5a stimulates chemotactic migration and chemokine production in human neutrophils.

Wnt5a is a ligand that activates the noncanonical Wnt signaling pathways (β-catenin-independent pathways). Human neutrophils expressed several Wnt5a receptors, such as Frizzled 2, 5 and 8. Stimulation of human neutrophils with Wnt5a caused chemotactic migration and the production of two important chemokines, CXCL8 and CCL2.

Role of CXCR2 on the immune modulating activity of α-iso-cubebenol a natural compound isolated from the Schisandra chinensis fruit.

Previously, we demonstrated that α-iso-cubebenol, a natural compound isolated from the fruits of Schisandra chinensis, strongly enhances therapeutic efficacy against cecal ligation and puncture challenge-induced sepsis. In this study, we found that α-iso-cubebenol stimulated calcium increase and degranulation in human neutrophils. α-Iso-cubebenol also strongly induced neutrophil chemotaxis, which was completely blocked by a CXCR2 antagonist, SB225002.

Phospholipase C activator m-3M3FBS protects against morbidity and mortality associated with sepsis.

Although phospholipase C (PLC) is a crucial enzyme required for effective signal transduction and leukocyte activation, the role of PLC in polymicrobial sepsis remains unclear. In this study, we show that the direct PLC activator m-3M3FBS treatment significantly attenuates vital organ inflammation, widespread immune cell apoptosis, and mortality in a mouse sepsis model induced by lethal cecal ligation and puncture challenge. Mechanistically, m-3M3FBS-dependent protection was largely abolished by pretreatment of mice with the PLC-selective inhibitor U-73122, thus confirming PLC agonism by m-3M3FBS in vivo.

Identification of novel peptides that stimulate human neutrophils.

Neutrophils play a key role in innate immunity, and the identification of new stimuli that stimulate neutrophil activity is a very important issue. In this study, we identified three novel peptides by screening a synthetic hexapeptide combinatorial library. The identified peptides GMMWAI, MMHWAM, and MMHWFM caused an increase in intracellular Ca2+ in a concentration-dependent manner via phospholipase C activity in human neutrophils.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine stimulates CCL2 production from human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) is a component of high-density lipoprotein particles. We investigated the functional role of SPC in HUVECs. SPC stimulation induced production of the CCL2 chemokine in a PTX-sensitive G-protein-dependent manner.