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Increasing evidence suggests that the deposition of amyloid plaques,composed primarily of the amyloid-beta protein (Abeta),within the cerebrovasculature is a frequent occurrence in Alzheimer's disease and may play a significant role in disease progression. Accordingly,the pathogenic mechanisms by which Abeta can alter vascular function may have therapeutic implications. Despite observations that Abeta elicits a number of physiological responses in endothelial cells,ranging from alteration of protein expression to cell death,the Abeta species accountable for these responses remains unexplored. In the current study,we show that isolated soluble Abeta aggregation intermediates activate human brain microvascular endothelial cells for both adhesion and subsequent transmigration of monocyte cells in the absence of endothelial cell death and monolayer disruption. In contrast,unaggregated Abeta monomer and mature Abeta fibril fail to induce any change in endothelial adhesion or transmigration. Correlations between average Abeta aggregate size and observed increases in adhesion illustrate that smaller soluble aggregates are more potent activators of endothelium. These results support previous studies demonstrating heightened neuronal activity of soluble Abeta aggregates,including Abeta-derived diffusible ligands,oligomers,and protofibrils,and further show that soluble aggregates also selectively exhibit activity in a vascular cell model. View Publication

The dynamic interplay between dendritic cells (DCs) and human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) is thought to result in viral dissemination and evasion of antiviral immunity. Although initial observations suggested that the C-type lectin receptor (CLR) DC-SIGN was responsible for the trans-infection function of the virus,subsequent studies demonstrated that trans-infection of CD4(+) T cells with HIV-1 can also occur through DC-SIGN-independent mechanisms. We demonstrate that a cell surface molecule designated DCIR (for DC immunoreceptor),a member of a recently described family of DC-expressing CLRs,can participate in the capture of HIV-1 and promote infection in trans and in cis of autologous CD4(+) T cells from human immature monocyte-derived DCs. The contribution of DCIR to these processes was revealed using DCIR-specific siRNAs and a polyclonal antibody specific for the carbohydrate recognition domain of DCIR. Data from transfection experiments indicated that DCIR acts as a ligand for HIV-1 and is involved in events leading to productive virus infection. Finally,we show that the neck domain of DCIR is important for the DCIR-mediated effect on virus binding and infection. These results point to a possible role for DCIR in HIV-1 pathogenesis by supporting the productive infection of DCs and promoting virus propagation. View Publication

Although natural Abs (NAbs) are present from birth,little is known about what drives their selection and whether they have housekeeping functions. The prototypic T15-NAb,first identified because of its protective role in infection,is representative of a special type of NAb response that specifically recognizes and forms complexes with apoptotic cells and which promotes cell-corpse engulfment by phagocytes. We now show that this T15-NAb IgM-mediated clearance process is dependent on the recruitment of C1q and mannose-binding lectin,which have known immune modulatory activities that also provide eat me" signals for enhancing phagocytosis. Further investigation revealed that the addition of T15-NAb significantly suppressed in vitro LPS-induced TNF-alpha and IL-6 secretion by the macrophage-like cell line� View Publication

A major mechanism of hypercoagulability in the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is antiphospholipid Ab-mediated upregulation of tissue factor (TF) on monocytes via activation of TLRs,p38 MAPK,and NF-kappaB pathways. We examined whether monocyte signaling pathways are differentially activated by IgG from patients with vascular thrombosis (VT) alone compared with IgG from patients with pregnancy morbidity (PM) alone. We purified IgG from 49 subjects. A human monocyte cell line and ex vivo healthy monocytes were treated with 100 microg/ml IgG for 6 h,and cell extracts were examined by immunoblot using Abs to p38 MAPK and NF-kappaB. To further investigate intracellular signaling pathways induced by these IgGs,specific inhibitors of p38 MAPK,NF-kappaB,TLR4,and TLR2 were used to determine their effect on TF activity. Only IgG from patients with VT but no PM (VT+/PM-) caused phosphorylation of NF-kappaBand p38 MAPK and upregulation of TF activity in monocytes. These effects were not seen with IgG from patients with PM alone (VT-/PM+),anti-phospholipid Ab-positive patients without APS,or healthy controls. TF upregulation caused by the VT+/PM- samples was reduced by inhibitors of p38 MAPK,NF-kappaB,and TLR4. The effects of VT+/PM- IgG on signaling and TF upregulation were concentrated in the fraction that bound beta-2-glycoprotein I. Our findings demonstrate that IgGs from patients with diverse clinical manifestations of APS have differential effects upon phosphorylation of NF-kappaB and p38 MAPK and TF activity that may be mediated by differential activation of TLR4. View Publication

The high risk of neonatal death from sepsis is thought to result from impaired responses by innate immune cells; however,the clinical observation of hyperinflammatory courses of neonatal sepsis contradicts this concept. Using transcriptomic,epigenetic and immunological approaches,we demonstrated that high amounts of the perinatal alarmins S100A8 and S100A9 specifically altered MyD88-dependent proinflammatory gene programs. S100 programming prevented hyperinflammatory responses without impairing pathogen defense. TRIF-adaptor-dependent regulatory genes remained unaffected by perinatal S100 programming and responded strongly to lipopolysaccharide,but were barely expressed. Steady-state expression of TRIF-dependent genes increased only gradually during the first year of life in human neonates,shifting immune regulation toward the adult phenotype. Disruption of this critical sequence of transient alarmin programming and subsequent reprogramming of regulatory pathways increased the risk of hyperinflammation and sepsis. Collectively these data suggest that neonates are characterized by a selective,transient microbial unresponsiveness that prevents harmful hyperinflammation in the delicate neonate while allowing for sufficient immunological protection. View Publication