TY - JOUR A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Gunreben, Ignaz A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Kraft, Peter T1 - Immunohistochemical Analysis of Cerebral Thrombi Retrieved by Mechanical Thrombectomy from Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Mechanical thrombectomy is a novel treatment option for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Only a few studies have previously suggested strategies to categorize retrieved clots according to their histologic composition. However, these reports did not analyze potential biomarkers that are of importance in stroke-related inflammation. We therefore histopathologically investigated 37 intracerebral thrombi mechanically retrieved from patients with AIS, and focused on the composition of immune cells and platelets. We also conducted correlation analyses of distinctive morphologic patterns (erythrocytic, serpentine, layered, red, white, mixed appearance) with clinical parameters. Most T cells and monocytes were detected in erythrocytic and red clots, in which the distribution of these cells was random. In contrast, von Willebrand factor (vWF)-positive areas co-localized with regions of fibrin and collagen. While clots with huge amounts of vWF seem to be associated with a high National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at admission, histologic findings could not predict the clinical outcome at discharge. In summary, we provide the first histologic description of mechanically retrieved intracerebral thrombi regarding biomarkers relevant for inflammation in ischemic stroke. KW - thrombus formation KW - immune cells KW - lymphocytes KW - mechanical thrombectomy KW - ischemic stroke KW - inflammation Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166206 VL - 17 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rau, Monika A1 - Schmitt, Johannes A1 - Berg, Thomas A1 - Kremer, Andreas E. A1 - Stieger, Bruno A1 - Spanaus, Katharina A1 - Bengsch, Bertram A1 - Romero, Marta R. A1 - Marin, Jose J. A1 - Keitel, Verena A1 - Klinker, Hartwig A1 - Tony, Hans-Peter A1 - Müllhaupt, Beat A1 - Geier, Andreas T1 - Serum IP-10 levels and increased DPPIV activity are linked to circulating CXCR3+ T cells in cholestatic HCV patients JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background & aims Serum interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) is elevated in cholestatic liver diseases and predicts response to antiviral therapy in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Dipeptidylpeptidase 4 (DPPIV) cleaves active IP-10 into an inactive form, which inhibits recruitment of CXCR3+ T cells to the liver. In this study the link between IP-10 levels, DPPIV activity in serum and CXCR3+ T cells is analysed in cholestatic and non-cholestatic liver patients. Methods In serum DPPIV activity (by enzymatic assay), IP-10 (by ELISA) and bile acids (BA) (by enzymatic assay) were analysed in 229 naive HCV genotype (GT) 1 patients and in 16 patients with cholestatic liver disease. In a prospective follow-up (FU) cohort of 27 HCV GT 1 patients peripheral CD3+CXCR3+, CD4+CXCR3+ and CD8+CXCR3+ cells were measured by FACS. Results In 229 HCV patients serum IP-10 levels correlated positively to DPPIV serum activity. Higher IP-10 levels and DPPIV activity were detected in cholestatic and in cirrhotic HCV patients. Increased IP-10 serum levels were associated with therapeutic non-response to antiviral treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin. In the HCV FU cohort elevated IP-10 serum levels and increased BA were associated with higher frequencies of peripheral CD3+CXCR3+, CD4+CXCR3+ and CD8+CXCR3+ T cells. Positive correlation between serum IP-10 levels and DPPIV activity was likewise validated in patients with cholestatic liver diseases. Conclusions A strong correlation between elevated serum levels of IP-10 and DPPIV activity was seen in different cholestatic patient groups. Furthermore, in cholestatic HCV patients a functional link to increased numbers of peripheral CXCR3+ immune cells could be observed. The source of DPPIV release in cholestatic patients remains open. KW - hepatitis C virus KW - T cells KW - liver diseases KW - chemokines KW - cytotoxic T cells KW - immune cells KW - cirrhosis KW - bile Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-177674 VL - 13 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraft, Peter A1 - Drechsler, Christiane A1 - Schuhmann, Michael K. A1 - Gunreben, Ignaz A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph T1 - Characterization of Peripheral Immune Cell Subsets in Patients with Acute and Chronic Cerebrovascular Disease: A Case-Control Study JF - International Journal of Molecular Science N2 - Immune cells (IC) play a crucial role in murine stroke pathophysiology. However, data are limited on the role of these cells in ischemic stroke in humans. We therefore aimed to characterize and compare peripheral IC subsets in patients with acute ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack (AIS/TIA), chronic cerebrovascular disease (CCD) and healthy volunteers (HV). We conducted a case-control study of patients with AIS/TIA (n = 116) or CCD (n = 117), and HV (n = 104) who were enrolled at the University Hospital Würzburg from 2010 to 2013. We determined the expression and quantity of IC subsets in the three study groups and performed correlation analyses with demographic and clinical parameters. The quantity of several IC subsets differed between the AIS/TIA, CCD, and HV groups. Several clinical and demographic variables independently predicted the quantity of IC subsets in patients with AIS/TIA. No significant changes in the quantity of IC subsets occurred within the first three days after AIS/TIA. Overall, these findings strengthen the evidence for a pathophysiologic role of IC in human ischemic stroke and the potential use of IC-based biomarkers for the prediction of stroke risk. A comprehensive description of IC kinetics is crucial to enable the design of targeted treatment strategies. KW - chronic cerebrovascular disease KW - lymphocytes KW - leukocytes KW - immune cells KW - biomarker KW - monocytes KW - regulatory T cells KW - ischemic stroke KW - thromboinflammation Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126319 VL - 16 IS - 10 ER - TY - THES A1 - Kohl, Bianca Dorothea T1 - PMP22-overexpressing mice as a model for Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A neuropathy implicate a role of immune-related cells T1 - PMP22-überexprimierende Mäuse als Modell einer Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A Neuropatie. N2 - Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) is a cohort of human hereditary disorders of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) which exhibit symptoms like sensory dysfunction, muscle weakness and gait disturbances. Different mutations are described as causation for this neuropathy, such as a duplication of chromosome 17 comprising the gene for the peripheral myelin protein-22 (PMP22). Based on different animal models former studies identified immune cells, i.e. macrophages and T-lymphocytes, as crucial mediators of pathology in these neuropathies. In this study, PMP22-overexpressing mice (PMP22tg, C61), serving as a model for a specific type of CMT – CMT1A – were crossbred with immune-deficient mutant mice to examine the impact of the immune system on nerve pathology. Crossbreeding of PMP22tg mice with recombination activating gene-1 (RAG-1) deficient mice, lacking mature T- and B-lymphocytes, caused no striking alterations of pathogenesis in peripheral nerves of mutant mice. In contrast, crossbreeding of PMP22tg myelin mutants with mice deficient in the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1, CCL2) caused an amelioration of the demyelinating phenotype of peripheral nerves when MCP-1 was either reduced or completely absent. Furthermore, functional investigations, i.e. neurographic recordings and examinations of the grip strength of the extremities, revealed an amelioration in PMP22tg/MCP-1-/- mice in regard to a symptomatic improvement in the compound action muscle potential (CMAP) and stronger grip strength of the hindlimbs. Interestingly, peripheral nerves of PMP22tg mice showed an irregular distribution of potassium channels in presence of MCP-1, whereas the absence of MCP-1 in the myelin mutants rescued the ion channel distribution and resulted in a more wild type-like phenotype. Having shown the impact of MCP-1 as an important mediator of nerve pathology in PMP22/MCP-1 double mutants, the regulation of this chemokine became an important target for potential treatment strategies. We found that the signaling cascade MEK1/2/ERK1/2 was more strongly activated in peripheral nerves of PMP22tg mice compared to nerves of wild type mice. This activation corresponded to an increase in MCP-1 mRNA expression in peripheral nerves at the same age. Furthermore, a MEK1/2-inhibitor was used in vivo to confirm the regulation of MCP-1 by the MEK1/2/ERK1/2 pathway. After a treatment period of three weeks, a clear reduction of ERK1/2-phosphorylation as well as a reduction of MCP-1 mRNA expression was observed, accompanied by a decline in macrophage number in peripheral nerves of PMP22tg mice. These observations suggest that the expression of MCP-1 is crucial for the neuropathological progression in a mouse model for CMT1A. Therefore, this chemokine could provide a basis for a putative treatment strategy of inherited neuropathies. N2 - Die Charcot-Marie-Tooth Erkrankungen (CMT) sind eine Gruppe von humanen, erblichen Erkrankungen des peripheren Nervensystems (PNS), welche Symptome wie sensible Störungen, Muskelschwäche und Gangstörungen verursachen können. Verschiedene Mutationen, z.B. eine Duplikation des Chromosoms 17, welches das Gen für das periphere Myelinprotein-22 (PMP22) enthält, sind als Ursache für diese Neuropathie beschrieben. Anhand verschiedener Tiermodelle wurde in früheren Studien gezeigt, dass Immunzellen, insbesondere Makrophagen und T-Lymphozyten, maßgeblich an der Pathogenese dieser Neuropathien beteiligt sind. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden PMP22-überexprimierende Mäuse (PMP22tg, C61) als Modell einer spezifischen CMT-Form – CMT1A – mit immun-defizienten Mutanten verkreuzt, um die modulierende Rolle des Immunsystems innerhalb der Pathogenese peripherer Nerven untersuchen zu können. Die Verkreuzung von PMP22tg Mäusen mit „recombination activating gene-1“-defizienten Mutanten (RAG-1-/-), die keine reifen T- und B-Lymphozyten besitzen, resultierte in keiner deutlich veränderten Pathologie der peripheren Nerven. Im Gegensatz hierzu führte die Verkreuzung der Myelinmutanten mit Mäusen, defizient für das Chemokin „monocyte chemoattractant protein-1“ (MCP-1), zu einer Abschwächung des demyelinisierenden Phänotyps in peripheren Nerven, wenn MCP-1 reduziert war oder völlig fehlte. Funktionelle Analysen, wie elektrophysiologische Messungen und Untersuchungen der Kraft in den Extremitäten, zeigten zudem in PMP22tg/MCP-1-/- Mäusen eine symptomatische Verbesserung, was sich in einer höheren Amplitude (compound muscle action potential, CMAP) und einer erhöhten Kraft in den Hinterpfoten der Mäuse widerspiegelte. Interessanterweise zeigten periphere Nerven der PMP22tg Mäuse eine abnorme Verteilung von Kalium-Kanälen, wohingegen das Fehlen von MCP-1 in den Myelinmutanten zu einer Verteilung dieser Ionenkanäle führte, die ähnlich zu Wildtyp-Mäusen war. Da MCP-1 in den PMP22/MCP-1 Doppelmutanten einen deutlichen Einfluss auf die Pathogenese aufwies, wurde die Regulation dieses Chemokins im Hinblick auf mögliche Therapie-Ansätze untersucht. Diese Untersuchung zeigte, dass die MEK1/2/ERK1/2-Signalkaskade in peripheren Nerven von PMP22tg Mäusen stärker aktiviert wird als in Nerven von Wildtyp-Tieren. Die Aktivierung dieser Signalkaskade ging dabei mit einer erhöhten MCP-1 mRNA Expression in peripheren Nerven von Tieren des gleichen Alters einher. Ergänzend wurde ein MEK1/2-Inhibitor in vivo verwendet, um die Regulation von MCP-1 durch die MEK1/2/ERK1/2 Kaskade zu bestätigen. Nach einer Behandlungszeit von drei Wochen wurde eine deutliche Reduktion der ERK1/2-Phosphorylierung, sowie eine Reduktion der MCP-1 mRNA Expression und eine geringere Makrophagen-Anzahl in peripheren Nerven von PMP22tg Mäusen detektiert. Diese Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die Expression von MCP-1 entscheidend für den neuropathologischen Verlauf in einem Mausmodell für CMT1A ist. Somit bietet dieses Chemokin eine Basis für die Entwicklung neuer Behandlungsstrategien peripherer Neuropathien. KW - Myelin KW - Makrophage KW - Entmarkung KW - Schwann Zellen KW - PMP22 KW - MCP-1 KW - Immunzellen KW - Periphere Nerven KW - Schwann cells KW - PMP22 KW - MCP-1 KW - immune cells KW - peripheral nerves Y1 - 2009 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-43066 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Klein-Hessling, Stefan A1 - Muhammad, Khalid A1 - Klein, Matthias A1 - Pusch, Tobias A1 - Rudolf, Ronald A1 - Flöter, Jessica A1 - Qureischi, Musga A1 - Beilhack, Andreas A1 - Vaeth, Martin A1 - Kummerow, Carsten A1 - Backes, Christian A1 - Schoppmeyer, Rouven A1 - Hahn, Ulrike A1 - Hoth, Markus A1 - Bopp, Tobias A1 - Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike A1 - Patra, Amiya A1 - Avots, Andris A1 - Müller, Nora A1 - Schulze, Almut A1 - Serfling, Edgar T1 - NFATc1 controls the cytotoxicity of CD8\(^{+}\) T cells JF - Nature Communications N2 - Cytotoxic T lymphocytes are effector CD8\(^{+}\) T cells that eradicate infected and malignant cells. Here we show that the transcription factor NFATc1 controls the cytotoxicity of mouse cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Activation of Nfatc1\(^{-/-}\) cytotoxic T lymphocytes showed a defective cytoskeleton organization and recruitment of cytosolic organelles to immunological synapses. These cells have reduced cytotoxicity against tumor cells, and mice with NFATc1-deficient T cells are defective in controlling Listeria infection. Transcriptome analysis shows diminished RNA levels of numerous genes in Nfatc1\(^{-/-}\) CD8\(^{+}\) T cells, including Tbx21, Gzmb and genes encoding cytokines and chemokines, and genes controlling glycolysis. Nfatc1\(^{-/-}\), but not Nfatc2\(^{-/-}\) CD8\(^{+}\) T cells have an impaired metabolic switch to glycolysis, which can be restored by IL-2. Genome-wide ChIP-seq shows that NFATc1 binds many genes that control cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. Together these data indicate that NFATc1 is an important regulator of cytotoxic T lymphocyte effector functions. KW - cytotoxic T cells KW - lymphocyte activation KW - signal transduction KW - gene regulation KW - immune cells KW - NFATc1 Y1 - 2017 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170353 VL - 8 IS - 511 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chopra, Martin A1 - Lang, Isabell A1 - Salzmann, Steffen A1 - Pachel, Christina A1 - Kraus, Sabrina A1 - Bäuerlein, Carina A. A1 - Brede, Christian A1 - Jordán Garrote, Ana-Laura A1 - Mattenheimer, Katharina A1 - Ritz, Miriam A1 - Schwinn, Stefanie A1 - Graf, Carolin A1 - Schäfer, Viktoria A1 - Frantz, Stefan A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Wajant, Harald A1 - Beilhack, Andreas T1 - Tumor Necrosis Factor Induces Tumor Promoting and Anti-Tumoral Effects on Pancreatic Cancer via TNFR1 JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Multiple activities are ascribed to the cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in health and disease. In particular, TNF was shown to affect carcinogenesis in multiple ways. This cytokine acts via the activation of two cell surface receptors, TNFR1, which is associated with inflammation, and TNFR2, which was shown to cause anti-inflammatory signaling. We assessed the effects of TNF and its two receptors on the progression of pancreatic cancer by in vivo bioluminescence imaging in a syngeneic orthotopic tumor mouse model with Panc02 cells. Mice deficient for TNFR1 were unable to spontaneously reject Panc02 tumors and furthermore displayed enhanced tumor progression. In contrast, a fraction of wild type (37.5%), TNF deficient (12.5%), and TNFR2 deficient mice (22.2%) were able to fully reject the tumor within two weeks. Pancreatic tumors in TNFR1 deficient mice displayed increased vascular density, enhanced infiltration of CD4+ T cells and CD4+ forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)+ regulatory T cells (Treg) but reduced numbers of CD8+ T cells. These alterations were further accompanied by transcriptional upregulation of IL4. Thus, TNF and TNFR1 are required in pancreatic ductal carcinoma to ensure optimal CD8+ T cell-mediated immunosurveillance and tumor rejection. Exogenous systemic administration of human TNF, however, which only interacts with murine TNFR1, accelerated tumor progression. This suggests that TNFR1 has basically the capability in the Panc02 model to trigger pro-and anti-tumoral effects but the spatiotemporal availability of TNF seems to determine finally the overall outcome. KW - Bioluminescence KW - cancer treatment KW - cell staining KW - cytokines KW - immune cells KW - metastasis KW - regulatory T cells KW - T cells Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-97246 ER -