The migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from the media to the intima is proposed to be a key event in the development of atherosclerosis. Recently, we reported that Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is involved in VSMC migration. However, the exact mechanisms for C. pneumoniae infection-induced VSMC migration are not yet well elucidated. In this study, we examined the role of the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) activation-related signaling pathway in VSMC migration induced by C. pneumoniae infection. An Affymetrix-based gene expression array was conducted to identify the changes of gene expression in rat primary VSMCs (rVSMCs) infected with C. pneumoniae. Both the microarray analysis and quantitative real-time reverse transcription (RT)-PCR revealed that TLR2 mRNA expression was strongly upregulated 12 h after C. pneumoniae infection. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis further showed that the expression levels of TLR2 mRNA and protein significantly increased at the different time points after infection. Immunocytochemical analysis suggested a TLR2 recruitment to the vicinity of C. pneumoniae inclusions. Cell migration assays showed that the TLR2-neutralizing antibody could significantly inhibit C. pneumoniae infection-induced rVSMC migration. In addition, C. pneumoniae infection stimulated Akt phosphorylation at Ser 473, which was obviously suppressed by the PI3K inhibitor LY294002, thereby inhibiting rVSMC migration caused by C. pneumoniae infection. Furthermore, both the infection-induced Akt phosphorylation and rVSMC migration were suppressed by the TLR2-neutralizing antibody. Taken together, these data suggest that C. pneumoniae infection can promote VSMC migration possibly through the TLR2-related signaling pathway.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/IAI.01087-13 | DOI Listing |
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2025
Institute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, 200444 Shanghai, China.
Background: Dexamethasone has proven life-saving in severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and COVID-19 cases. However, its systemic administration is accompanied by serious side effects. Inhalation delivery of dexamethasone (Dex) faces challenges such as low lung deposition, brief residence in the respiratory tract, and the pulmonary mucus barrier, limiting its clinical use.
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January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Huoqiu First People's Hospital, Lu'an, Anhui, China.
Lobar pneumonia is an acute inflammation with increasing incidence globally. Delayed treatment can lead to severe complications, posing life-threatening risks. Thus, it is crucial to determine effective treatment methods to improve the prognosis of children with lobar pneumonia.
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1st Department of Internal Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Background: Cognitive function decline is a problem in aging people living with HIV (PLWHIV). COVID-19 infection is associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations that may persist. The aim of our study was to evaluate cognitive function in PLWHIV before and after COVID-19 infection.
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January 2025
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, G. Eliava Institute of Bacteriophages, Microbiology and Virology, 0160 Tbilisi, Georgia.
The rapid worldwide spread of antibiotic resistance is quickly becoming an increasingly concerning problem for human healthcare. Non-antibiotic antibacterial agents are in high demand for many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including . -targeting phages are among the most promising alternative therapy options.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViruses
January 2025
School of Engineering and Sciences, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 64849, Mexico.
Detection and quantification of disease-related biomarkers in wastewater samples, denominated Wastewater-based Surveillance (WBS), has proven a valuable strategy for studying the prevalence of infectious diseases within populations in a time- and resource-efficient manner, as wastewater samples are representative of all cases within the catchment area, whether they are clinically reported or not. However, analysis and interpretation of WBS datasets for decision-making during public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, remains an area of opportunity. In this article, a database obtained from wastewater sampling at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and university campuses in Monterrey and Mexico City between 2021 and 2022 was used to train simple clustering- and regression-based risk assessment models to allow for informed prevention and control measures in high-affluence facilities, even if working with low-dimensionality datasets and a limited number of observations.
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