Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Piotr Sklepkiewicz, Barbara Dymek, Michal Mlacki, Agnieszka Zagozdzon, Magdalena Salamon, Anna Maria Siwinska, Marcin Piotr Mazurkiewicz, Natalia de Souza Xavier Costa, Marzena Mazur, Thais Mauad, Adam Golebiowski, Karolina Dzwonek, Jakub Golab, Zbigniew Zaslona
Summary: Chitotriosidase (CHIT1) is an enzyme that regulates macrophages and their role in asthma development was investigated. The expression of CHIT1 was examined in lung tissues of individuals with severe, uncontrolled, steroid-naive asthma, and a chitinase inhibitor called OATD-01 was tested in a mouse model of chronic asthma. The results showed that inhibiting CHIT1 had beneficial effects, reducing inflammation and airway remodeling in asthma.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eri Tabata, Ikuto Kobayashi, Takuya Morikawa, Akinori Kashimura, Peter O. Bauer, Fumitaka Oyama
Summary: The ancestors of placental mammals were insectivores, suggesting that modern mammals inherited the ability to digest insects. Acidic chitinase (Chia) is a crucial enzyme that hydrolyzes a significant component of insects' exoskeleton. Herbivorous animal groups, such as cattle, have very low chitinase activity compared to omnivorous species like mice, possibly due to a genetic mutation.
Review
Immunology
Yan Lin Fu, Rene E. Harrison
Summary: Phagocytosis is a crucial process for the uptake of large particulate matter by specialized cells in the body, enabled by cell surface receptors. Professional phagocytes, including macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells, play a key role in innate immunity through engaging target cells for destruction and recycling in phagosomes. Macrophages, in particular, produce a variety of cytokines that modulate the inflammatory response to microbes.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Cristina Sanfilippo, Paola Castrogiovanni, Manlio Vinciguerra, Rosa Imbesi, Martina Ulivieri, Francesco Fazio, Kaj Blennow, Henrik Zetterberg, Michelino Di Rosa
Summary: This study found that high levels of CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 in the brains of AD patients are associated with inflammatory transcriptomic signatures. High CHI3L1 and CHI3L2 expression is associated with inflammatory features, while low expression is associated with neuronal activation. Gene ontology analysis revealed immune response as a main biological process based on the common genes regulated by the two chitinases.
Article
Immunology
Feihong Liang, Huiting Guan, Wenhua Li, Xue Zhang, Tingting Liu, Yu Liu, Jie Mei, Cheng Jiang, Fengxue Zhang, Bangwei Luo, Zhiren Zhang
Summary: The research shows that erythropoietin (EPO) can promote resolution of infections caused by E. coli and S. aureus, while enhancing the actions of antibiotics. EPO increases macrophage clearance of bacteria, ameliorates inflammation, and reduces antibiotic requirements in resolving infections.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Sebastian Majewski, Karolina Szewczyk, Hanna Jerczynska, Joanna Milkowska-Dymanowska, Adam J. Bialas, Lukasz Gwadera, Wojciech J. Piotrowski
Summary: Elevated baseline serum CHIT1 activity and YKL-40 concentrations were found in IPF patients compared to control subjects. The study showed that longitudinal stable serum CHIT1 and YKL-40 levels may be associated with antifibrotic treatment response in IPF, with CHIT1 and YKL-40 potentially serving as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Further research is needed to validate these findings.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jingjiao Guan
Summary: This study developed a theoretical model to investigate the relationship between the phagocytic capacity of phagocytes and the geometries of both phagocytes and phagocytic objects. The model was applied to different types of objects and experimental data, resulting in an explicit equation that describes the phagocytic capacity as a function of other parameters.
ADVANCED THEORY AND SIMULATIONS
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Amit A. Patel, Florent Ginhoux, Simon Yona
Summary: Phagocytes are a crucial part of the immune cell family, playing a role in tissue maintenance and immune response orchestration. Understanding the kinetic profiles of these cells during inflammation can help in developing rational therapies to boost or reduce their production as needed.
Article
Immunology
Luka Krampert, Katharina Bauer, Stefan Ebner, Patrick Neubert, Thomas Ossner, Anna Weigert, Valentin Schatz, Martina Toelge, Agnes Schroeder, Martin Herrmann, Markus Schnare, Anca Dorhoi, Jonathan Jantsch
Summary: This study found that high salt impairs the ability of neutrophils to eliminate bacteria by reducing ROS production and granule release, while leaving cell viability unchanged. High salt also increases p38/MAPK activity and interleukin-8 release, but inhibition of p38/MAPK does not improve neutrophil defense. Pharmacological blockade of PHOX or genetic ablation mimicked the impaired antimicrobial activity under high salt conditions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Yiwen Liu, Yan Gong, Gaosi Xu
Summary: Although the multiple hits theory is widely accepted in IgA nephropathy, increasing evidence suggests that the mononuclear/macrophage system plays important roles in disease progression, but the exact mechanism is unclear.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Yu Sugimoto, Daiki Endo, Yasuaki Aratani
Summary: In a zymosan-induced systemic inflammation model, CGD mice deficient in the phagocyte NADPH oxidase gp91phox subunit exhibited severe thymic atrophy and lymphopenia, along with enhanced neutrophilic inflammation, while showing increased circulating and splenic neutrophils and enhanced granulopoiesis compared with wild-type mice.
Article
Immunology
Cristina Sanfilippo, Paola Castrogiovanni, Rosa Imbesi, Giuseppe Musumeci, Michele Vecchio, Giovanni Li Volti, Daniele Tibullo, Giuseppe Broggi, Rosario Caltabiano, Martina Ulivieri, Maria Kazakova, Rosalba Parenti, Nunzio Vicario, Francesco Fazio, Michelino Di Rosa
Summary: This study investigated the role of CHI3L1 in AD progression by analyzing microarray data from NDHC and AD patients. Results showed that high levels of CHI3L1 were associated with astrocyte activation in NDHC, while low levels were linked to neuronal activation in both NDHC and AD patients. Specific drug profiles targeting CHI3L1 were identified for AD patients based on sex differences.
JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maiko Uehara, Eri Tabata, Mikoto Okuda, Yukari Maruyama, Vaclav Matoska, Peter O. Bauer, Fumitaka Oyama
Summary: The crab-eating monkey has a diverse diet including plants and animals, with its CHIA enzyme showing higher activity under different conditions, especially in a broad range of temperature and pH levels. Mf-CHIA exhibits superior chitinolytic activity compared to Mm-CHIA towards polymeric chitin and an artificial chromogenic substrate.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Wei Liang, Napoleone Ferrara
Summary: Cells of the innate immune system, especially neutrophils and macrophages, play crucial roles in regulating cancer initiation, growth, metastasis, and responses to therapeutics in the tumor microenvironment. Alterations in iron metabolism are associated with increased risks of cancer development, highlighting the importance of understanding the contribution of innate immune cells in dysregulated iron metabolism in malignant cells. This review discusses the impact of iron metabolism on cancer growth and metastasis, and explores potential strategies for managing iron content in cancer cells through targeting the properties of macrophages and neutrophils in the tumor microenvironment.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cody J. Gurski, Bonnie N. Dittel
Summary: Macrophages are important cells in the body that maintain homeostasis and defend against microorganisms. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) can be used as a marker to differentiate between different subsets of monocytes/macrophages with pro-inflammatory and microbicidal activity.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Faezeh Nami, Maria Joao Ferraz, Thomas Bakkum, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Anjali Pandit
Summary: This study reports a method for tracking microbial fermentation, lipid metabolism, and structural dynamic changes using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. The results show that lipolysis under dark and anoxia conditions leads to the breakdown of cell and organelle membranes.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Nicholas G. S. McGregor, Chi-Lin Kuo, Thomas J. M. Beenakker, Chun-Sing Wong, Wendy A. Offen, Zachary Armstrong, Bogdan Florea, Jeroen D. C. Codee, Herman S. Overkleeft, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Gideon J. Davies
Summary: Researchers have synthesized beta-manno-configured cyclophellitol and its analogues for detecting exo-beta-mannosidases. These probes selectively label exo-beta-mannosidases from different GH families and structural studies confirm their mechanism of action.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martijn J. C. van der Lienden, Jan Aten, Rolf G. Boot, Marco van Eijk, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Chi-Lin Kuo
Summary: This study investigates the impact of 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) supplementation on the processing, lysosomal degradation, and total cellular enzyme level of GCase. It is found that HEPES supplementation reduces the maturation of other lysosomal enzymes and increases GCase activity in fibroblasts derived from Gaucher disease (GD) patients, complicating the use of cultured cells for diagnosing GD.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lindsey T. Lelieveld, Sophie Gerhardt, Saskia Maas, Kimberley C. Zwiers, Claire de Wit, Ernst H. Beijk, Maria J. Ferraz, Marta Artola, Annemarie H. Meijer, Christian Tudorache, Daniela Salvatori, Rolf G. Boot, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts
Summary: In Gaucher disease, excessive GlcSph has little impact on (neuro)inflammation or GlcCer-laden macrophages, but rather seems harmful to th1-positive dopaminergic neurons.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Duarte C. Barral, Leopoldo Staiano, Claudia Guimas Almeida, Dan F. Cutler, Emily R. Eden, Clare E. Futter, Antony Galione, Andre R. A. Marques, Diego Luis Medina, Gennaro Napolitano, Carmine Settembre, Otilia V. Vieira, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Peace Atakpa-Adaji, Gemma Bruno, Antonella Capuozzo, Elvira De Leonibus, Chiara Di Malta, Cristina Escrevente, Alessandra Esposito, Paolo Grumati, Michael J. Hall, Rita O. Teodoro, Susana S. Lopes, J. Paul Luzio, Jlenia Monfregola, Sandro Montefusco, Frances M. Platt, Roman Polishchuck, Maria De Risi, Irene Sambri, Chiara Soldati, Miguel C. Seabra
Summary: This review presents current methods used to analyze lysosome morphology, positioning, motility, and function, discussing the strategies for identifying and assessing lysosome characteristics and functions. It aims to stimulate further research on lysosomes and encourage groundbreaking discoveries on this intriguing organelle that continues to surprise and excite cell biologists.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rebecca E. Katzy, Maria J. Ferraz, Marc Hazeu, Hermen S. Overkleeft, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts
Summary: Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) play diverse roles in cells and abnormalities in their metabolism are associated with specific pathologies. Accurately measuring the in situ metabolism of GSLs and the modulatory impact of drugs is important for therapeutic purposes. In this study, the researchers developed a method using isotope-labelled precursors combined with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (MS)/MS analysis to monitor the de novo synthesis of glucosylceramide, which is a precursor of complex GSLs.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ken Kok, Chi-Lin Kuo, Rebecca E. Katzy, Lindsey T. Lelieveld, Liang Wu, Veronique Roig-Zamboni, Gijsbert A. van der Marel, Jeroen D. C. Codee, Gerlind Sulzenbacher, Gideon J. Davies, Herman S. Overkleeft, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Marta Artola
Summary: This study reports a new class of reversible alpha-glucosidase inhibitors that mimic the conformation of the substrate, showing excellent enzyme inhibitory activity. These inhibitors possess selectivity towards specific glucosidases and demonstrate good stability and efficacy in cell and animal experiments, offering a promising alternative treatment for Pompe disease.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Correction
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qin Su, Sybrin P. Schroder, Lindsey T. Lelieveld, Maria J. Ferraz, Marri Verhoek, Rolf G. Boot, Herman S. Overkleeft, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Marta Artola, Chi-Lin Kuo
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Marina Moraitou, Georgios Sotiroudis, Nikolaos Papagiannakis, Maria M. J. Ferraz, Aristotelis Xenakis, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Leonidas Stefanis, Helen Michelakakis
Summary: It is well established that patients with Gaucher disease, as well as carriers of the disease, have an increased risk for developing Parkinson's disease. The link between Gaucher disease and Parkinson's disease is the disturbed alpha-Synuclein homeostasis. In this study, alpha-Synuclein in red blood cell membranes was investigated in Gaucher disease patients, carriers, and patients undergoing Enzyme Replacement Therapy.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Eline C. B. Eskes, Martijn J. C. van der Lienden, Barbara Sjouke, Laura van Vliet, Marion M. M. G. Brands, Carla E. M. Hollak, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts
Summary: Plasma levels of GPNMB, a glycoprotein, were found to be elevated in ASMD patients and may serve as a potential biomarker for ASMD. GPNMB levels differed significantly between ASMD patients with mild to moderate visceral disease and those with severe visceral disease.
MOLECULAR GENETICS AND METABOLISM
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Daniel van der Gracht, Rhianna J. Rowland, Veronique Roig-Zamboni, Maria J. Ferraz, Max Louwerse, Paul P. Geurink, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Gerlind Sulzenbacher, Gideon J. Davies, Herman S. Overkleeft, Marta Artola
Summary: Lysosomal exoglycosidases are responsible for processing endocytosed glycans from the non-reducing end, and genetic mutations in these enzymes can cause lysosomal storage disorders. Developing effective therapeutic modalities to treat these diseases is a major objective in biomedicine. This study focuses on the development of screening assays to discover effective inhibitors for specific lysosomal glucosidases, with the aim of developing pharmacological chaperone therapeutics.
Article
Chemistry, Organic
Chi-Lin Kuo, Qin Su, Adrianus M. C. H. van den Nieuwendijk, Thomas J. M. Beenakker, Wendy A. Offen, Lianne I. Willems, Rolf. G. Boot, Alexi J. Sarris, Andre R. A. Marques, Jeroen D. C. Codee, Gijsbert A. van der Marel, Bogdan I. Florea, Gideon J. Davies, Herman S. Overkleeft, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts
Summary: This study introduces a method using fluorescent and biotin-carrying activity-based probes to assess the activity of GLB1 and GALC. These probes can assist in the research of various β-galactosidases causing lysosomal storage disorders.
ORGANIC & BIOMOLECULAR CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jolanda M. P. Liefhebber, Giso Brasser, Ilma Revers, Lieke Paerels, Maria J. Ferraz, Roelof Ottenhoff, Lukas K. Schwarz, Giorgia Squeri, Ines L. Pereira, Leonie Allart, Shrijana Tripathi, Nikoleta Efthymiopoulou, Greg Dobrynin, Paula S. Montenegro-Miranda, Carlie J. M. de Vries, Johannes M. F. G. Aerts, Ying Poi Liu
