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Alternatively activated macrophages engage in homotypic and heterotypic interactions through IL-4 and polyamine-induced E-cadherin/catenin complexes
No full textAlternatively activated macrophages (AAMs), triggered by interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13, play a modulating role during Th2 cytokine-driven pathologies, but their molecular armament remains poorly characterized. Here, we established E-cadherin (Cdh1) as a selective marker for IL-4/IL-13-exposed mouse and human macrophages, which is STAT6-dependently induced during polarized Th2 responses associated with Taenia crassiceps helminth infections or allergic airway inflammation. The IL-4-dependent, arginase-1/ornithine decarboxylase-mediated production of polyamines is important for maximal Cdh1 induction, unveiling a novel mechanism for IL-4-dependent gene transcription. At the macrophage surface, E-cadherin forms a functional complex with the catenins that accumulates at sites of cell contact. Macrophage-specific deletion of the Cdh1 gene illustrates the implication of E-cadherin in IL-4-driven macrophage fusion and heterotypic interactions with CD103(+) and KLRG1(+) T cells. This study identifies the E-cadherin/catenin complex as a discriminative, partly polyamine-regulated feature of IL-4/IL-13-exposed alternatively activated macrophages that contributes to homotypic and heterotypic cellular interactions
Survival and mortality in older adults living at high altitude in Bolivia: a preliminary report [letter]
No full textVaccination of immunocompromised patients with inflammatory diseases; adapted and updated, version 19th November 2009
No full textAssessment of the impact of the non-human use of antimicrobial agents on the selection, transmission and distribution of antimicrobial resistant bacteria: executive summary
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Serological and genetic evidence for the presence of Seoul hantavirus in Rattus norvegicus in Flanders, Belgium
No full textThis is an electronic version of an article published in Scand J Infect Dis. 2009;41(1):51-6. Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases is available online at informaworldTMSeoul hantavirus (SEOV), carried by Rattus rattus (black rat) and R. norvegicus (Norway, brown rat), was reported to circulate as well as cause HFRS cases in Asia. As Rattus sp. are present worldwide, SEOV has the potential to cause human disease worldwide. In Europe however, only SEOV prevalence in rats from France was reported and no confirmed cases of SEOV infection were published. We here report genetic and serological evidence for the presence of SEOV virus in brown rat populations in Belgium. We also serologically screened an at-risk group that was in contact with R. norvegicus on a daily basis and found no evidence for SEOV infection