Academic literature on the topic 'HBND2'

The biofilm production of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) is central to establishing chronic infection in the airways in cystic fibrosis. Epithelial cells secrete an array of innate immune factors, including antimicrobial proteins and lipids, such as human beta defensin 2 (HBD2) and cholesteryl lineolate (CL), respectively, to combat colonization by pathogens. We have recently shown that HBD2 inhibits biofilm production by PA, possibly linked to interference with the transport of biofilm precursors. Considering that both HBD2 and CL are increased in airway fluids during infection, we hypothesized that CL synergizes with HBD2 in biofilm inhibition. CL was formulated in phospholipid-based liposomes (CL-PL). As measured by atomic force microscopy of single bacteria, CL-PL alone and in combination with HBD2 significantly increased bacterial surface roughness. Additionally, extracellular structures emanated from untreated bacterial cells, but not from cells treated with CL-PL and HBD2 alone and in combination. Crystal violet staining of the biofilm revealed that CL-PL combined with HBD2 effected a significant decrease of biofilm mass and increased the number of larger biofilm particles consistent with altered cohesion of formed biofilms. These data suggest that CL and HBD2 affect PA biofilm formation at the single cell and community-wide level and that the community-wide effects of CL are enhanced by HBD2. This research may inform future novel treatments for recalcitrant infections in the airways of CF patients.

IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-2 overexpression confers resistance to high-fat feeding and inhibits the differentiation of preadipocytes in vitro. However, whether administration of IGFBP-2 can regulate adipogenesis in vivo and the domains that mediate this response have not been defined. IGFBP-2 contains 2 heparin-binding domains (HBD), which are localized in the linker region (HBD1) and C-terminal region (HBD2) of IGFBP-2. To determine the relative importance of these domains, we used synthetic peptides as well as mutagenesis. Both HBD1 and HBD2 peptides inhibited preadipocyte differentiation, but the HBD2 peptide was more effective. Selective substitution of charged residues in the HBD1 or HBD2 regions attenuated the ability of the full-length protein to inhibit cell differentiation, but the HBD2 mutant had the greatest reduction. To determine their activities in vivo, pegylated forms of each peptide were administered to IGFBP-2−/− mice for 12 weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging scanning showed that only the HBD2 peptide significantly reduced (48 ± 9%, P < .05) gain in total fat mass. Both inguinal (32 ± 7%, P < .01) and visceral fat (44 ± 7%, P < .01) were significantly decreased by HBD2 whereas HBD1 reduced only visceral fat accumulation (24 ± 5%, P < .05). The HBD2 peptide was more effective peptide in reducing triglyceride content and serum adiponectin, but only the HBD2 peptide increased serum leptin. These findings demonstrate that the HBD2 domain of IGFBP-2 is the primary region that accounts for its ability to inhibit adipogenesis and that a peptide encompassing this region has activity that is comparable with native IGFBP-2.

Background: Defensins are natural antimicrobial peptides that the human body secretes to protect itself from an infection. Thus, they are ideal molecules to serve as biomarkers for infection. This study was conducted to evaluate the levels of human β-defensins in patients with inflammation. Methods: CRP, hBD2 and procalcitonin were measured in 423 sera of 114 patients with inflammation and healthy individuals using nephelometry and commercial ELISA assays. Results: Levels of hBD2 in the serum of patients with an infection were markedly elevated compared to those of hBD2 in patients with inflammation of non-infectious etiology (p < 0.0001, t = 10.17) and healthy individuals. ROC analysis demonstrated that hBD2 showed the highest detection performance for infection (AUC 0.897; p < 0.001) followed by PCT (AUC 0.576; p = ns) and CRP (AUC 0.517; p = ns). In addition, analysis of hBD2 and CRP in patients’ sera collected at different time points showed that hBD2 levels could help differentiate inflammation of infectious and non-infectious etiology during the first 5 days of hospitalization, while CRP levels could not. Conclusions: hBD2 has the potential to serve as a diagnostic biomarker for infection. In addition, the levels of hBD2 may reflect the efficacy of antibiotic treatment.

AIM: To detect the quantitative expression levels of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-8 (IL8), antimicrobial peptides human beta defense-2 (HBD2), and human beta defense-3 (HBD3) genes in bacterial conjunctivitis. METHODS: The human conjunctival epithelial cells were obtained using the impression cytology technique from healthy controls and patients. The genes expression levels were determined utilizing a reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The contribution of causative agent type, the number of isolates and severity of clinical features, in the increase of genes expression was also determined. RESULTS: The RT-qPCR showed that IL8, HBD2, and HBD3 expression increased in bacterial conjunctivitis as compared to healthy control (P&#x003C;0.001). In gram-negative bacterial conjunctivitis, HBD2 was highly up-regulated (P&#x003C;0.001) compared to other types of bacterial conjunctivitis. In mixed bacterial conjunctivitis, a direct correlation between HBD2 up-regulation and HBD3 up-regulation was observed (P&#x003C;0.05). The severity of clinical features was related to the up-regulation of IL8 and HBD2 (P&#x003C;0.05). CONCLUSION: IL8, HBD2, and HBD3 are immune-effectors in infectious conjunctivitis. HBD2 is active during different bacterial conjunctivitis but is more released with gram-negative bacteria compared to gram-positive bacteria. HBD3 is an obvious defender in different bacterial conjunctivitis.

Oral epithelia are constantly exposed to non-pathogenic (commensal) bacteria, but generally remain healthy and uninflamed. Fusobacterium nucleatum, an oral commensal bacterium, strongly induces human β-defensin-2 (hBD2), an antimicrobial and immunomodulatory peptide, in gingival epithelial cells (GECs). hBD2 is also expressed in normal oral tissue leading to the hypothesis that oral epithelia are in an activated state with respect to innate immune responses under normal in vivo conditions. In order to test this hypothesis, global gene expression was evaluated in GECs in response to stimulation by an F. nucleatum cell wall (FnCW) preparation and to hBD2 peptide. FnCW treatment altered 829 genes, while hBD2 altered 209 genes (P<0.005, ANOVA). Many induced genes were associated with the gene ontology categories of immune responses and defence responses. Consistent with the hypothesis, similar responses were activated by commensal bacteria and hBD2. These responses included up-regulation of common antimicrobial effectors and chemokines, and down-regulation of proliferation markers. In addition, FnCW up-regulated multiple protease inhibitors, and suppressed NF-κB function and the ubiquitin/proteasome system. These global changes may protect the tissue from inflammatory damage. Both FnCW and hBD2 also up-regulated genes that may enhance the epithelial barrier. The findings suggest that both commensal bacteria and hBD2 activate protective responses of GECs and play an important role in immune modulation in the oral cavity.

Abstract INTRODUCTION Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor with a median overall survival of 12-15months. GBM aggressiveness and poor response to treatment are often attributed to a small population of stem-like cells referred to as glioma stem cells (GSCs). Human Beta-Defensins (HBDs), a family of small molecules initially thought to function as anti-microbials, have been implicated in various cancers with functions that are cancer type specific, including proinflammatory and immunosuppressive roles. GOAL: This study aimed to elucidate HBDs expression in GSCs and differentiated gioma cells (DGSs). METHODS We identified HBD2 and HBD3 in glioma and GSCs and DGSs by immunofluorescence (IF) and immunohistochemistry (IHC). We also assessed the role HBD2/3 play in GBM oncogenesis by investigating their effects on the self-renewal capacity of GSCs. RESULTS HBD2 and HBD3 are found in both bulk tumor and GSCs by IHC and IF. Expression of HBD2 and HBD3 mRNA levels are elevated in GBM patient tissue in comparison to lower grade gliomas by 16.2 & 1.9 fold (respectively; p &lt; 0.0001). Additionally, transcriptional expression of HBD2 and HBD3 are increased by 0.68 and 1.15 fold respectively in GSCs versus autologous DGCs (p &lt; 0.05; p&lt; 0.005 respectively), suggesting a role for HBD 2/3 in oncogenesis. Interestingly however, HBD2 and HBD3 pretreatment of GSC cell lines showed decreased self-renewal capacity by 34.2 and 66.4% (p &lt; 0.001), determined by the reduced number of large neurospheres ( &gt;250mm). CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the presence of HBD2/3 in GBM samples by IHC and IF with increased HBD2/3 mRNA expression in GBM samples. Interestingly DGCs contain less HBD2/3 than their GCS counterparts, and clonogenicity assays demonstrate a decrease in oncogenesis, suggesting that HBD’s role in proliferation and clonogenicity of DGCs and GSCs may be context dependent, leading to additional questions and future studies.

ABSTRACT Antimicrobial peptides, human β-defensin (hBD), and the 18-kDa cationic antimicrobial protein (CAP18) are components of innate immunity. These peptides have antimicrobial activity against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans is a gram-negative facultative anaerobe implicated in the initiation of periodontitis. The innate immunity peptides have antibacterial activity against A. actinomycetemcomitans. We investigated the molecular mechanism of human gingival epithelial cells (HGEC) responding to exposure to A. actinomycetemcomitans. HGEC constitutively express hBD1 and inducibly express hBD2, hBD3, and CAP18 on exposure to A. actinomycetemcomitans. The level of expression varies among clinical isolates. In the signaling pathway for hBD2 induction by the bacterial contact, we demonstrate that the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and not the NF-κB transcription factor pathway is used. We found the outer membrane protein 100 (Omp100; identified by molecular mass) is the component inducing the hBD2 response. Omp100 binds to fibronectin, an extracellular matrix inducing hBD2 via the MAP kinase pathway. Anti-integrin α5β1, antifibronectin, genistein, and PP2 suppress the Omp100-induced expression of hBD2, suggesting that Src kinase is involved through integrin α5β1. The inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6 and IL-8, produced by HGEC on contact with A. actinomycetemcomitans also stimulate expression of hBD2. Further, neutralizing antibody against TNF-α or IL-8 partially inhibits the induction of hBD2 on bacterial contact. Therefore, we found that the induction of the antimicrobial peptides is mediated by a direct response principally through an Omp100-fibronectin interaction, and using secondary stimulation by inflammatory cytokines induced by the bacterial exposure.

ABSTRACT The evolution of orthologous genes coding for β-defensin 2 (BD2) in primates has been subject to positive selection during the divergence of the platyrrhines from the catarrhines and of the Cercopithecidae from the Hylobatidae, great apes, and humans. Three peptides have been selected for a functional analysis of the effects of sequence variations on the direct antimicrobial activity: human BD2 (hBD2), Macaca fascicularis BD2 (mfaBD2), and a variant of the human peptide lacking Asp4, (−D)hBD2, which is characteristic only of the human/great ape peptides. hBD2 and mfaBD2 showed a significant difference in specificity, the former being more active towards Escherichia coli and the later towards Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Asp4 in the human peptide appears to be important, as (−D)hBD2 was less structured and had a markedly lower antimicrobial activity. The evolution of β-defensin 2 in primates may thus have been driven, at least in part, by different environmental pressures so as to modulate antimicrobial activity.

ABSTRACT β-Defensins are small (3 to 5 kDa in size) secreted antimicrobial and antiviral proteins that are components of innate immunity. β-Defensins are secreted by epithelial cells, and they are expressed at high levels in several mucosae, including the mouth, where the concentration of these proteins can reach 100 μg/ml. Because of these properties, we wondered whether they could be part of the defenses that lower oral transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compared to other mucosal sites. Our data show that select β-defensins, especially human β-defensin 2 (hBD2) and hBD3, inhibit R5 and X4 HIV infection in a dose-dependent manner at doses that are compatible with or below those measured in the oral cavity. We observed that β-defensin treatment inhibited accumulation of early products of reverse transcription, as detected by PCR. We could not, however, detect any reproducible inhibition of env-mediated fusion, and we did not observe any modulation of HIV coreceptors following treatment with hBD1 and hBD2, in both resting and phytohemagglutinin-activated cells. Our data instead suggest that, besides a direct inactivation of HIV virions, hBD2 inhibits HIV replication in the intracellular environment. Therefore, we speculate that β-defensins mediate a novel antiretroviral mechanism that contributes to prevention of oral HIV transmission in the oral cavity. Immunohistochemical data on hBD2 expression in oral mucosal tissue shows that hBD2 is constitutively expressed, forming a barrier layer across the epithelium in healthy subjects, while in HIV-positive subjects levels of hBD2 expression are dramatically diminished. This may predispose HIV-positive subjects to increased incidence of oral complications associated with HIV infection.

Objective. To evaluate the levels of human beta-defensin 2 (HBD2), secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), and lysozyme in various biological specimens from children with atopic dermatitis and to assess their correlation with the severity of clinical manifestations. Patients and methods. This study included 96 children with atopic dermatitis and 31 healthy controls. We measured serum HBD2, salivary and fecal sIgA, and salivary and fecal lysozyme using special ELISA Kits (CUSABIO, Korea). Results. In children with atopic dermatitis, median levels of serum HBD2 (544 pg/mL [range: 288; 719]), salivary sIgA (120 ng/mL [range: 89.5; 214.5]), fecal sIgA (244 ng/mL [range: 196; 367]), and salivary lysozyme (0.59 ng/ml [range: 0.25; 1.82]) were significantly lower than those in controls (1136 pg/mL [range: 741; 1511], 313 ng/mL [range: 208.5; 356.0], 1582 ng/mL [range: 855; 1710], and 1.65 ng/mL [range: 0.18; 2.58], respectively). We found a strong negative correlation between the SCORAD index and serum HBD2 level (ρ = -0.71, p = 0.005), as well as fecal sIgA (ρ = -0.74, p = 0.032). There was also a negative correlation between the SCORAD index and salivary sIgA (ρ = -0.64, p = 0.032) and salivary lysozyme (ρ = -0.58, p = 0.046). Conclusion. Our findings support the hypothesis that children with atopic dermatitis have reduced production of humoral factors of natural resistance and immunity. The level of HBD2, sIgA, and lysozyme can serve as a biomarker of disease severity. Key words: atopic dermatitis, children, defensins, lysozyme, secretory immunoglobulin A

Higher eukaryotes produce a vast range of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that play important roles in their defence against microbial infection. Beta defensins are small (3-5 kDa), cationic peptides that display broad, potent antimicrobial activity against a range of microbes and also act as chemoattractants of important immunomodulatory cells. To generate highly pure peptides for structural and functional studies, we developed a method to prepare recombinant human beta defensin-2 (HBD2). The HBD2 gene was synthesised by recursive PCR with codons optimised for expression in Escherichia coli. HBD2 was expressed as an insoluble fusion to a His-tagged ketosteroid isomerase. After cleavage from the fusion with cyanogen bromide, 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry confirmed that the oxidised HBD2 was folded and possessed the correct b-defensin disulfide bond topology. The recombinant HBD2 was active against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and C. albicans and was also a chemoattractant against HEK293 cells expressing the chemokine receptor CCR6. 15N-labelled HBD2 was also prepared and was highly suitable for future structural studies. Since defensins are thought to interact with bacterial membranes we also tested the recombinant HBD2 in biophysical studies (surface plasmon resonance, SPR, Biacore). We observed different binding to artificial model membranes containing either E. coli Kdo2-lipid A or phospholipids. Bacterial resistance to AMPs has been linked to the covalent modification of the outer membrane lipid A by 4-amino-4-deoxy-L-arabinose (L-Ara4N). This neutralises the charge of the LPS, thereby decreasing the electrostatic attraction of cationic peptides to the bacterial membrane. The pathogen Burkholderia cenocepacia displays extremely high resistance to AMPs and other antibiotics and the Ara4N pathway appears to be essential. To explore this further we expressed recombinant forms of two enzymes (ArnB and ArnG) from the B. cenocepacia Ara4N pathway. Purified ArnB is a pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminase and we tested its ability to bind amino acid substrates. We investigated the binding of inhibitors L- and D-cycloserine to ArnB and tested their antibiotic activity against Burkholderia strains. We also studied the B. cenocepacia ArnG – a proposed membrane protein undecaprenyl-L-Ara4N flippase – and showed that the protein behaved as a dimer by non-denaturing gel analysis. The B. cenocepacia ArnG failed to complement E. coli knock-out strains encoding the equivalent flippase proteins ArnE and ArnF, suggesting that ArnG is a Burkholderia-specific protein.

Ferric ABC Transporters. Pathogenic bacteria have evolved specialised iron acquisition systems that allow them to effectively colonise a host. One of these systems is the ferric binding protein (Fbp) complex that is a member of the ATP-Binding Cassette (ABC) superfamily of small molecule transporters. The Fbp complex is made up of three-components (FbpABC) that transports ferric iron from the periplasm to the cytoplasm of many Gram negative bacteria. FbpA binds iron in the periplasm and transports it to the FbpB transporter complex that permeates the cytoplasmic membrane. Here the iron is actively transported by FbpB through the membrane that is powered by ATP hydrolysis catalysed by FbpC, the cytoplasmic ATPase. Burkholderia cenocepacia is an opportunist pathogen that colonises the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and is particularly resistant to antibiotic treatment. In this study the iron uptake system of B. cenocepacia strain J2315 is investigated. A putative FbpA from B. cenocepacia J2315 was expressed in the periplasm of Escherichia coli cells and the recombinant FbpA B. cenocepacia protein purified. The structural and electrochemical properties of native FbpA B. cenocepacia were investigated using UV Visible spectroscopy, spectro-electrochemistry, mass spectrometry and crystallographic techniques. It appears that FbpA B. cenocepacia is a novel member of the FbpA superfamily that selectively utilises citrate as an exogenous anion in ferric iron co-ordination. This is the first instance that a recombinant ferric binding protein has been documented as preferentially utilising citrate in this manner. The putative ATPase from B. cenocepacia (FbpC B. cenocepacia) was also expressed in E. coli but it was found to be insoluble. A number of expression systems were tested but none were found to be successful in generating sufficient quantities of FbpC B. cenocepacia for structural studies. Human β-defensin 2. Despite daily contact with a range of microorganisms, mammals do not regularly succumb to pathogenic invasion. One reason is the presence of an important defence mechanism uses a reservoir of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) that are expressed in eukaryotes as a means of innate immunity. The AMP superfamily is composed of over 900 members, displays broad structural and sequence diversity and is active against a wide range of bacteria, fungi and viruses. β-defensins are small (3-5 kDa), cationic peptides that display antimicrobial activity against a range of microbes and have also been shown to act as chemo-attractants (chemokines) within the adaptive immune system. In this study we obtained milligram amounts of pure human β-defensin 2 (HBD2) for functional studies by the development of a method for the rapid expression and purification of the recombinant peptide. A clone encoding a thioredoxin-HBD2 fusion protein was designed for the expression of soluble peptide in E. coli cells that was purified by simple affinity chromatography. The HBD2 peptide was cleaved from the fusion by an efficient protease step and further purified to yield pure HBD2. This recombinant HBD2 defensin was shown to be active against a Mycobacterium tuberculosis mutant strain.

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a common chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease affecting 15 - 20% of children and 2 - 10% of adults worldwide, with significant morbidity. A hallmark of AD is disruption of the critical barrier function of upper epidermal layers, causatively linked to environmental stimuli, genetics and infections. Another typical feature of AD is skin infections, especially from Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), which closely relates with the disease severity. Although not a normal flora, S. aureus is found on 75-100% of AD lesions (< 30% on healthy skin). S. aureus secrete a range of virulence factors, including extracellular toxins and proteases which contribute to disease pathogenesis. S. aureus serine protease A (SspA/V8) is a well-characterised extracellular protease widely expressed among different S. aureus strains. The pathogenic effect of V8 protease has been demonstrated in vivo, damaging murine skin integrity via effects on the stratum corneum (SC), but the targets for this V8-mediated damage remains unclear. The capacity of proteases to induce barrier dysfunction has been proposed as a key driving force in the initiation and exacerbation of AD. Thus, understanding the host factors that maintain barrier function is a priority in developing novel therapeutic approaches. This thesis therefore aimed at detecting host factors which can combat the barrier dysfunction caused by pathogenic proteases, assessing their relevance in vitro and ex vivo and elucidating the underlying mechanisms. Firstly, an in vitro skin barrier integrity model was developed, using both immortalized and primary keratinocytes, to evaluate the barrier damage mediated by pathogenic proteases. The results revealed that S. aureus protease SspA/V8 is the dominant secreted factor (in laboratory and AD clinical strains of S. aureus) inducing barrier integrity impairment. In addition, studies demonstrated that V8 protease itself was sufficient to induce barrier disruption, and this phenotype was not dependent on cell death, but rather on breaking down of cell-cell junctions. Key tight junction proteins including claudin-1 and occludin were found to be degraded by V8 protease. Next, a wide range of host and bacterial factors were investigated to determine whether they could promote protection of keratinocytes against V8 damage. Several factors, including IL-1β, TNF-α, heat-killed Staphylococcus epidermidis (which is the main skin normal flora), were found to induce protection against V8 protease, with IL-1β having the strongest effect. In addition, data indicated that this IL-1β-mediated protection was independent of effects on claudin-1 but occurred via secretion of a transferrable host factor. Induction of keratinocyte expression of the antimicrobial/host defence peptide human beta-defensin 2 (hBD2) was found to be the mechanism underpinning this IL-1β- induced protective effect. Endogenous hBD2 expression was required and sufficient for protection against V8 protease-mediated integrity damage, and exogenous application of hBD2 was also protective. An ex vivo model using human skin tissue was also established to address this novel function of hBD2, and preliminary data indicated that exogenous hBD2 protected against V8-mediated damage in this system. Overall, my data reveal a novel function for the antimicrobial/host defence peptide hBD2. This modulatory property of hBD2, independent of its antibacterial effects, gives new significance to the defective induction of hBD2 in the barrier-defective skin lesions of AD and indicates therapeutic potential to prevent S. aureus-mediated aggravation of skin barrier dysfunction in AD.

2008/2009
We are exposed daily to a myriad of potential pathogens, mainly through dermal contact, ingestion and inhalation. The innate immune system is of crucial importance in preventing pathogens from colonizing and growing to a point where they can cause life-threatening infections. Different types of cationic antimicrobial peptides (AMP), also known as host defense peptides (HDP), are among the innate immune mechanisms involved in this protective activity. -defensins are an important class of antimicrobial peptides that are present in human beings and have been widely reported to display a direct, salt and medium sensitive bactericidal activity, in vitro, against a broad spectrum of bacteria and fungi. Moreover, there is increasing evidence that they may play a significant role in alerting and enhancing other components of innate and adaptive immunity, thus also playing an indirect role in defense against microbes. Human -defensins are induced in vivo at the sites of microbial invasion, where they are thought to provide a bactericidal barrier, and to form chemotactic gradients that contribute to the recruitment of immune cells to the site of infection. Their interaction with the biological membranes of both microbial and host cells, appears to play a central role in both these types of activities. In this thesis, I was interested in characterizing the role of -defensin hBD2 in modulating activities of important immune host cells, such as monocytes, macrophages and immature dendritic cells, and its ability to bind to and/or be internalized within those cells, in relation to a possible immunomodulatory role. Initially, hBD2 was chosen amongst the human -defensins, and the native peptide synthesized, folded and characterized for antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity. A fluorescent conjugate, as well as several structural analogues were also designed and prepared, and were respectively used to probe internalization and structure/activity relationships for this defensin. Subsequently, the immunomodulatory potential of hBD2 was probed, considering its possible effects in modulating important processes such as chemotaxis, degranulation, phagocytosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of immune cells it comes into contact with. From this investigation, it emerged that hBD2 displays different effects depending on the cell type which comes into contact with it, and the exposure time. In particular, we confirmed the ability of hBD2 to induced chemotaxis of myeloid derived immature dendritic cells (iDC), contributing to recruitment of these cells to site of infection, although, from our studies, the mechanism of action turned out to be rather more complex than that which had been previously been proposed, and our observations may help reconcile apparently conflicting literature reports. Some novel additional properties of hBD2 were then described. In particular, a short exposure of iDC to hBD2 causes a cell type-dependent degranulation process, which could be involved in the tolerogenic/immunogenic roles of these cells, supporting a further immunomodulatory role for the defensin. A longer term exposure to hBD2 seems to augment the ability iDC to recognize bacteria and interact with them, possibly improving their ability to present antigens and activate adaptive immune responses. An equivalent treatment of macrophages resulted in a significant increase in their phagocytic activity and release of ROS, thus allowing these immune cells to better respond against a bacterial invasion. All these activities were evidenced in vitro at relatively low (micromolar) and sub-cytotoxic concentrations, which are compatible with the likely hBD2 concentration at sites of infection. Moreover, contrary to the direct bactericidal activity, these activities were not found to be salt or medium sensitive, but occur in conditions closely resembling the physiological ones. The activities of hBD2 were also compared to those of the structural analogues to study whether specific structural features of this defensin are required for its activity on immune cells. Results were somewhat puzzling because the evolutionarily conserved defensin scaffold seems to be quite important for exerting some biological function, such as the antimicrobial activity and phagocytosis, but not others, such as chemotaxis. This observation and the time and cell-type dependent activity may point to the concurrent existence of multiple modes of action. In the last part of this thesis, I describe the interaction of fluorescently labelled hBD2 with immune cells, with the aim of determining whether a cellular internalization could play a part for its biological effects. hBD2 was able to interact in a cell specific manner with different types of immune cells, upon short term exposure, leading to differentiated binding and cellular uptake, in a process devoid of cytotoxic or permeabilizing consequences. Macrophages were the most efficient in peptide internalization, whereas iDC seemed to be more avid for peptide surface binding than peptide internalization. The mechanism by which this occurs is as yet unknown, but our preliminary flow-cytometric data indicated that uptake of the defensin was an energy-dependent and temperature-sensitive process, which depends on actin fibers and can reasonably be supposed to involve lipid rafts, and/or clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Moreover, confocal microscopy of macrophages treated with labelled peptide showed that it may interact with specific patches on the membrane and, on binding, the peptide rapidly re-localized in the cytoplasm of cells with a characteristic punctate distribution. Taken together, these data could suggest that the peptide selectively binds to specific sites on membrane, such as lipid rafts, and that endocytosis could be a general mechanism of hBD2 internalization. These observations may thus indicate that hBD2 is capable of modulating activities of host cells not only by interacting with the membrane and surface receptors, but also with cytoplasmic targets. Noi siamo costantemente esposti a una miriade di potenziali patogeni, principalmente attraverso il contatto, l’ingestione e l’inalazione. Il sistema immunitario innato è di importanza cruciale nel prevenire la colonizzazione e la proliferazione dei patogeni che possono causare infezioni pericolose per la sopravvivenza. Tra i diversi meccanismi del sistema immunitario innato coinvolti in questa azione protettiva si contano diversi tipi di peptidi antimicrobici di natura cationica (AMP), anche noti come peptidi di difesa dell’ospite (HDP). Le -defensine sono un’importante classe di peptidi antimicrobici presenti anche nell’uomo che hanno dimostrato di possedere in vitro un’azione battericida diretta sensibile alla concentrazione salina nei confronti di un largo spettro di batteri e funghi. Inoltre è stato dimostrato che esse giocano un ruolo significativo nell’allertare e potenziare altri componenti dell’immunità innata e adattativa, esercitando così anche un’azione indiretta nella difesa contro i patogeni. Le -defensine umane vengono indotte in vivo nei siti dove si verifica un’invasione batterica, formando così una barriera battericida e creando un gradiente chemiotattico che contribuisce a reclutare cellule immunitarie nel sito d’infezione. La loro interazione con le membrane biologiche, sia dei microbi che delle cellule dell’ospite, sembra essere centrale in entrambe le attività. In questa tesi l’interesse principale è caratterizzare il ruolo della -defensina hBD2 nel modulare l’attività di importanti cellule immunitarie, quali monociti, macrofagi e cellule dendritiche immature, e la sua abilità di legarsi a tali cellule e/o di essere internalizzata da esse. Inizialmente, tra le -defensine umane è stata scelta hBD2 e il peptide naturale è stato sintetizzato, “foldato” e caratterizzato per l’attività antimicrobica e la citotossicità. Un coniugato fluorescente e molti analoghi strutturali sono stati inoltre progettati e sintetizzati e sono stati utilizzati, rispettivamente, per indagare l’eventuale internalizzazione e per fare studi di relazione fra struttura e attività. Successivamente è stato analizzato il potenziale immunomodulatorio di hBD2, considerando i suoi possibili effetti nel regolare importanti processi delle cellule immunitarie con cui il peptide viene in contatto, quali ad esempio la chemiotassi, la degranulazione, la fagocitosi e la produzione di specie reattive dell’ossigeno (ROS). Da questa analisi è emerso che hBD2 esercita diverse azioni a seconda del tipo cellulare con cui viene a contatto e del tempo di esposizione delle cellule alla defensina. In particolare, è stata confermata l’abilità di hBD2 a indurre la chemiotassi di cellule dendritiche immature (iDC), contribuendo a reclutare tali cellule al sito d’infezione. Negli studi condotti è però emerso che il meccanismo d’azione potrebbe essere più complesso di quanto proposto fino ad ora; tuttavia le osservazioni proposte in questa tesi appaiono in grado di conciliare i dati contrastanti riportati in letteratura. Sono inoltre emerse alcune nuove proprietà per hBD2. In particolare, un breve tempo di esposizione delle iDC alla defensina causa un processo di degranulazione che risulta dipendente dal tipo cellulare e che potrebbe essere coinvolto nel ruolo immunogenico/tolerogenico di queste cellule, supportando un ruolo immunomodulatorio per hBD2. Un’esposizione per tempi più lunghi a hBD2 sembra incrementare l’abilità delle iDC di riconoscere i batteri e interagire con loro, probabilmente aumentando la loro capacità di presentare gli antigeni e attivare le risposte immunitarie. Un trattamento equivalente sui macrofagi risulta invece in un aumento significativo della loro attività fagocitaria e della produzione di ROS, permettendo così a queste cellule di rispondere meglio ad un’invasione batterica. Tutte queste attività sono state evidenziate in vitro a concentrazioni relativamente basse (micromolari) e sub-citotossiche, compatibili con quelle che hBD2 raggiunge ai siti d’infezione. Inoltre, contrariamente all’attività battericida diretta, l’attività immunomodulatoria non è risultata sensibile alla concentrazione salina, ma si esplica in condizioni simili a quelle fisiologiche. L’attività di hBD2 è stata anche paragonata a quella di analoghi strutturali per studiare quali siano le caratteristiche di questa defensina che sono richieste per le attività sulle cellule immunitarie. I risultati sono per certi versi inspiegabili in quanto la struttura evolutivamente conservata delle defensine sembra essere importante per alcune attività biologiche, come l’attività antimicrobica diretta o la fagocitosi, mentre non lo è in altre, come la chemiotassi. Questa osservazione e la dipendenza dell’attività da tempo di esposizione e dal tipo cellulare considerato potrebbero indicare che esistono diversi meccanismi d’azione. Nell’ultima parte della tesi vengono descritti gli studi effettuati con il coniugato fluorescente di hBD2 con l’obiettivo di determinare se l’internalizzazione del peptide può giocare un ruolo nella sua attività biologica nei confronti delle cellule immunitarie. È emerso che hBD2 è capace di interagire in modo specifico già dopo una breve esposizione con i diversi tipi di cellule immunitarie considerati in questa tesi. Si è evidenziata una diversa capacità di legame e di internalizzazione a seconda del tipo cellulare, ma il processo è risultato sempre non accompagnato da effetti citotossici o permeabilizzazione delle cellule. In particolare, i macrofagi sono risultati i più efficienti nell’internalizzare del peptide, mentre le iDC sembrano più avide nel legare il peptide sulla superficie che nell’internalizzazione. Il meccanismo attraverso cui avvengono legame e internalizzazione è ancora ignoto, ma i nostri dati al citofluorimetro indicano che l’uptake della defensina è un processo che dipendente dall’energia e dalla temperatura, che è legato alla polimerizzazione delle fibre di actina e probabilmente coinvolge un processo di endocitosi mediata dai lipid rafts e/o dalla clatrina. Inoltre, la microscopia confocale di macrofagi trattati con il peptide fluorescente ha mostrato che esso interagisce con specifiche zone della membrana e, dopo il legame, si localizza rapidamente nel citoplasma della cellula con una caratteristica distribuzione puntata. Nell’insieme, questi dati suggeriscono che il peptide si leghi selettivamente a zone specifiche della membrana, come ad esempio i lipid rafts, e che l’endocitosi potrebbe essere un meccanismo generale per l’internalizzazione di hBD2. Tutti queste osservazioni suggeriscono quindi che hBD2 è capace di modulare le attività delle cellule dell’ospite non solo interagendo con le membrane o i recettori di superficie, ma anche con target citoplasmatici.
XXI Ciclo
1981

碩士
國立陽明大學
口腔生物研究所
106
Periodontitis is a common oral inflammatory disease caused by bacterial infection which leads to destruction of periodontal tissues. Successful periodontal regenerative therapy requires reduction of bacteria-related pathogenic factors and promotion of tissue regeneration. Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is a major pathogen of periodontitis. Pg lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and IL-8, and plays an important role in Pg’s pathogenic mechanism. Human β-defensin 2 (hBD2) is an important antimicrobial peptide of innate immune system. Previous studies indicated that hBD2 is effective against Pg. The positive charge of hBD2 potentially can neutralize the negative-charged LPS. Stem cell therapy is an effective treatment strategy for regenerative therapies including the regeneration of periodontal defects. Application of hBD2-overexpressing bone marrow stem cell (hBD2/BMSC) in treatment of bacteria-contaminated bone defect shows excellent antimicrobial and bone regenerative effects. Thus, hBD2/BMSC shows great potential in periodontal regenerative therapies. It has been reported that LPS induces production of proinflammatory cytokines in bone marrow stem cells. However, the effects of Pg-LPS on hBD2/BMSC may be different. We hypothesized that hBD2 produced by hBD2/BMSC can neutralize Pg-LPS and reduce the expression of proinflammatory cytokines from cells stimulated by Pg-LPS. The purpose of this study was to determine the Pg-LPS-induced proinflammatory cytokine expression of hBD2/BMSC. Human bone marrow stem cells (3A6) overexpressing red fluorescent protein (RFP) or hBD2, namely RFP/3A6 and hBD2/3A6, were produced by lentiviral infection method. The red fluorescence of RFP/3A6 was verified under fluorescent microscope. The secreted hBD2 from hBD2/3A6 was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Various concentrations of Pg-LPS (0, 0.1, 1 μg/ml) were used to treat RFP/3A6 and hBD2/3A6. The induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β、IL-6, and IL-8) of RFP/3A6 and hBD2/3A6 was determined by quantitative PCR and compared. The results indicated that the secretion of hBD2 can be increased through repeated lentiviral infection strategy. Pg-LPS stimulation dose-dependently increase the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β、IL-6, and IL-8) of RFP/3A6 and hBD2/3A6. The trend of expression increase is significantly smaller in hBD2/3A6 when compared with RFP/3A6. When treated with Pg-LPS (0.1 or 1 μg/ml))，hBD2/3A6 showed lower expression of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β、IL-6, and IL-8) than RFP/3A6. In conclusion, the overexpression of hBD2 of BMSCs can lower the Pg-LPS-induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines. The phenomenon may reduce the local inflammation during periodontal regenerative therapy and benefit the periodontal regeneration