Project description:The effects of stimulating intestinal epithelial cells with Th17 cytokines, IL17 and IL22, was investigated Experiment Overall Design: The human colonic epithelial cell line, T84 was grown to confluency in standard transwell plates and either mock treated, or treated with cytokines IL17 and IL22
Project description:The effects of stimulating intestinal epithelial cells with Th17 cytokines, IL17 and IL22, was investigated Keywords: dose response
Project description:Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is considered indispensable for host defence against Citrobacter rodentium (CR), with 100% mortality of Il22-/- mice post infection. While IL-22 promotes epithelial barrier integrity and antimicrobial peptide production, the precise mechanism underlying Il22-/- lethality remains unclear. Here, we show that Il22-/- mice succumb to CR infection due to dehydration rather than uncontrolled bacterial burden or inability to regenerate intestinal epithelium. Proteomic analysis at 9 days post infection (dpi) revealed significant downregulation of ion transporters (Slc26a3, Aqp8, Ca2, Ca4, Slc5a8, Pept1) in Il22-/- colonic epithelial cells, suggesting an association between IL-22 deficiency and impaired fluid-electrolyte balance. Fluid therapy (FT), initiated at 5 dpi and lasted for 2 weeks, fully rescued Il22-/- mice, restoring survival without reducing bacterial burden, or affecting immune responses or epithelial integrity. Recovered Il22-/- mice exhibited epithelial regeneration and protection against reinfection, demonstrating that IL-22-independent pathways support long-term mucosal recovery. Notably, advanced AI models consistently failed to predict IL-22’s dispensability. These findings overturn the long-standing paradigm that IL-22 is indispensable for recovery from enteric infection, suggesting that alternative mechanisms can drive epithelial repair and host recovery.
Project description:To investigate the influence of Interleukin-22 (IL-22) on colonic intestinal stem cells, we assessed gene expression in these cells during homeostasis and after induction of DNA damage. IL-22 is a lymphocyte-derived cytokine that targets exclusively non-hematopoietic cells. The receptor is expressed on intestinal epithelial cells, including Lgr5+ stem cells. The colonic Lgr5+ epithelial stem cells were highly purified as DAPI-EpCam+CD45-CD24MedLgr5+. DNA damage was induced by whole body irradiation with 8 Gy and cells were isolated 24h after exposure. The following populations were analyzed: Wildtype, unirradiated (Ctrl) Il22-/-, unirradiated (Ctrl) Wildtype, 24h after 8Gy Il22-/-, 24h after 8Gy
Project description:Kynureninase is a member of a large family of catalytically diverse but structurally homologous pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP) dependent enzymes known as the aspartate aminotransferase superfamily or alpha-family. The Homo sapiens and other eukaryotic constitutive kynureninases preferentially catalyze the hydrolytic cleavage of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine to produce 3-hydroxyanthranilate and l-alanine, while l-kynurenine is the substrate of many prokaryotic inducible kynureninases. The human enzyme was cloned with an N-terminal hexahistidine tag, expressed, and purified from a bacterial expression system using Ni metal ion affinity chromatography. Kinetic characterization of the recombinant enzyme reveals classic Michaelis-Menten behavior, with a Km of 28.3 +/- 1.9 microM and a specific activity of 1.75 micromol min-1 mg-1 for 3-hydroxy-dl-kynurenine. Crystals of recombinant kynureninase that diffracted to 2.0 A were obtained, and the atomic structure of the PLP-bound holoenzyme was determined by molecular replacement using the Pseudomonas fluorescens kynureninase structure (PDB entry 1qz9) as the phasing model. A structural superposition with the P. fluorescens kynureninase revealed that these two structures resemble the "open" and "closed" conformations of aspartate aminotransferase. The comparison illustrates the dynamic nature of these proteins' small domains and reveals a role for Arg-434 similar to its role in other AAT alpha-family members. Docking of 3-hydroxy-l-kynurenine into the human kynureninase active site suggests that Asn-333 and His-102 are involved in substrate binding and molecular discrimination between inducible and constitutive kynureninase substrates.
Project description:To elucidate the epithelial cell diversity within the nasal inferior turbinates, a comprehensive investigation was conducted comparing control subjects to individuals with house dust mite-induced allergic rhinitis. This study aimed to delineate the differential expression profiles and phenotypic variations of epithelial cells in response to allergic rhinitis. This research elucidated distinct subpopulations and rare cell types of epithelial cells within the nasal turbinates, discerning alterations induced by allergic rhinitis. Furthermore, by interrogating transcriptomic signatures, the investigation provided novel insights into the cellular dynamics and immune responses underlying allergic rhinitis pathogenesis
Project description:As the evolution of miRNA genes has been found to be one of the important factors in formation of the modern type of man, we performed a comparative analysis of the evolution of miRNA genes in two archaic hominines, Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens denisova, and elucidated the expression of their target mRNAs in bain.A comparative analysis of the genomes of primates, including species in the genus Homo, identified a group of miRNA genes having fixed substitutions with important implications for the evolution of Homo sapiens neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens denisova. The mRNAs targeted by miRNAs with mutations specific for Homo sapiens denisova exhibited enhanced expression during postnatal brain development in modern humans. By contrast, the expression of mRNAs targeted by miRNAs bearing variations specific for Homo sapiens neanderthalensis was shown to be enhanced in prenatal brain development.Our results highlight the importance of changes in miRNA gene sequences in the course of Homo sapiens denisova and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis evolution. The genetic alterations of miRNAs regulating the spatiotemporal expression of multiple genes in the prenatal and postnatal brain may contribute to the progressive evolution of brain function, which is consistent with the observations of fine technical and typological properties of tools and decorative items reported from archaeological Denisovan sites. The data also suggest that differential spatial-temporal regulation of gene products promoted by the subspecies-specific mutations in the miRNA genes might have occurred in the brains of Homo sapiens denisova and Homo sapiens neanderthalensis, potentially contributing to the cultural differences between these two archaic hominines.