Alarmins

Although interleukin (IL)-33, a member of the IL-1 cytokine family, plays pro-inflammatory roles in immune cells as an "alarmin", little is known regarding the biological actions of IL-33 on vascular endothelial cells. To investigate the effects of IL-33 on vascular endothelial cells, we first screened the IL-33-regulated proteins in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using a dot blot array, and observed that IL-33 markedly increased growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-α, a chemokine that is also known as CXCL1...

BACKGROUND: Recently, some studies demonstrated that HMGB1, as proinflammatory mediator belonging to the alarmin family, has a key role in different acute and chronic immune disorders. Asthma is a complex disease characterised by recurrent and reversible airflow obstruction associated to airway hyper-responsiveness and airway inflammation. OBJECTIVE: This literature review aims to analyse advances on HMGB1 role, employment and potential diagnostic application in asthma...

Obesity has emerged as an imminent global public health concern over the past several decades. It has now become evident that obesity is characterized by the persistent and low-grade inflammation in the adipose tissue, and serves as an independent risk factor for many metabolic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Particularly, adipocytes originated from obese mice and humans likely predominate necrosis upon stressful insults, leading to passive release of cellular contents including the high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) into the extracellular milieu...

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common inflammatory skin disease affecting up to 20% of children and 3% of adults worldwide and is associated with dysregulation of the skin barrier. Although type 2 responses are implicated in AD, emerging evidence indicates a potential role for the IL-17A signaling axis in AD pathogenesis. In this study we show that in the filaggrin mutant mouse model of spontaneous AD, IL-17RA deficiency (Il17ra(-/-) ) resulted in severe exacerbation of skin inflammation. Interestingly, Il17ra(-/-) mice without the filaggrin mutation also developed spontaneous progressive skin inflammation with eosinophilia, as well as increased levels of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) and IL-5 in the skin...

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that requires urgent care. Thus, the identification of specific and sensitive biomarkers for its early diagnosis and management are of clinical importance. The alarmin prothymosin alpha (proTα) and its decapeptide proTα(100-109) are immunostimulatory peptides related to cell death. In this study, we generated bacterial models of sepsis in mice using two Klebsiella pneumoniae strains (L-78 and ATCC 43816) and monitored sepsis progression using proTα(100-109) as a biomarker...

The alarmin IL-33 has been described to be upregulated in human and murine viral hepatitis. However, the role of endogenous IL-33 in viral hepatitis remains obscure. We aimed to decipher its function by infecting IL-33-deficient mice (IL-33 KO) and their wild-type (WT) littermates with pathogenic mouse hepatitis virus (L2-MHV3). The IL-33 KO mice were more sensitive to L2-MHV3 infection exhibiting higher levels of AST/ALT, higher tissue damage, significant weight loss, and earlier death. An increased depletion of B and T lymphocytes, NKT cells, dendritic cells, and macrophages was observed 48 h postinfection (PI) in IL-33 KO mice than that in WT mice...

Severe inflammatory complications are a potential consequence in patients with predetermined conditions of infections, pulmonary diseases, or cardiovascular disorders. Notably, the amplitude of the inflammatory response towards these complications can dictate the disease progression and outcome. During the recent years, evidence from basic research as well as from clinical studies has identified self-extracellular nucleic acids as important players in the crosstalk between immunity and cardiovascular diseases...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by the destruction of cartilage. The greatest risk factors for the development of OA include age and obesity. Recent studies suggest the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of OA. The two most common locations for OA to occur are in the knee and hip joints. The knee joint experiences more mechanical stress, cartilage degeneration, and inflammation than the hip joint. This could contribute to the increased incidence of OA in the knee joint. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), including high-mobility group box-1, receptor for advanced glycation end products, and alarmins (S100A8 and S100A9), are released in the joint in response to stress-mediated chondrocyte and cartilage damage...

INTRODUCTION: Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a cell damage-induced alarmin. The plasma concentration of suppression of tumorogenicity (sST2), a surrogate marker of IL-33 production, is a prognostic marker of cardiovascular disease. OBSERVATION: Recently, we reported that sST2 plasma levels were elevated in early HIV-1 infection and linked to markers of microbial translocation and of T cell activation. RESULTS: Here we show that it is not the case in patients with suppressed viremia...

Viral infections lead to alarmin release and elicit potent cytotoxic effector T lymphocyte (CTL(eff)) responses. Conversely, the induction of protective tumour-specific CTL(eff) and their recruitment into the tumour remain challenging tasks. Here we show that lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) can be engineered to serve as a replication competent, stably-attenuated immunotherapy vector (artLCMV). artLCMV delivers tumour-associated antigens to dendritic cells for efficient CTL priming. Unlike replication-deficient vectors, artLCMV targets also lymphoid tissue stroma cells expressing the alarmin interleukin-33...

IL-1 is a pleiotropic cytokine that controls inflammation, immunity, and hemopoiesis. The major IL-1 agonistic molecules are IL-1α and IL-1β, which bind to IL-1R type I (IL-1R1) and induce similar biologic functions. The IL-1R antagonist (IL-1Ra) is a physiologic inhibitor of IL-1R1 signaling. In the tumor microenvironment, IL-1 is expressed by malignant, stromal, and infiltrating cells and supports tumor invasiveness and progression. We have shown that in the tumor microenvironment, the IL-1 agonistic molecules act different as a result of their local amounts and their compartmentalization within the producing cells...

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Prothymosin alpha (proTα) is a ubiquitous polypeptide first isolated by Haritos in 1984, whose role still remains partly elusive. We know that proTα acts both, intracellularly, as an anti-apoptotic and proliferation mediator, and extracellularly, as a biologic response modifier mediating immune responses similarly to molecules termed "alarmins". Our research team pioneered the elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the observed activities of proTα. RESULTS: We were the first to demonstrate that proTα levels increase during normal and abnormal cell proliferation...

Contact sensitization is common and affects up to 20% of the general population. The clinical manifestation of contact sensitization is allergic contact dermatitis. This is a clinical expression that is sometimes difficult to distinguish from other types of dermatitis, for example irritant and atopic dermatitis. Several studies have examined the pathogenesis and severity of allergic contact dermatitis by measuring the absence or presence of various biomarkers. In this review, we provide a non-systematic overview of biomarkers that have been studied in allergic contact dermatitis...

In arthritis, inflammatory processes are triggered by numerous factors that are released from joint tissues, promoting joint destruction and pathological progression. During inflammation, a novel family of pro-inflammatory molecules called alarmins is released, amplifying inflammation and joint damage. Areas covered: With regard to the role of the alarmins S100A8 and S100A9 in the pathogenesis of arthritis, recent advances and the future prospects in terms of therapeutic implications are considered. Expert opinion: There is still an urgent need for novel treatment strategies addressing the local mechanisms of joint inflammation and tissue destruction, offering promising therapeutic alternatives...

Fulminant hepatitis (FH) is characterized by rapid liver failure and high mortality. The pathogenesis of viral FH includes virus-induced immune activation, inflammation, and subsequent hepatic apoptosis and necrosis. However, the mechanisms that underlie FH progression are unclear. IL-33 is a member of the IL-1-related cytokines, considered to be an "alarmin" that participates in various diseases, but its precise role in the coagulation of FH is not very clear. In our study, we found that IL-33 is significantly elevated in mice infected with murine hepatitis virus strain 3 (MHV-3)...

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a devastating condition, often leading to life-long consequences for the patients. Even though modern neurointensive care has improved functional and cognitive outcomes, efficient pharmacological therapies are still lacking. Targeting peripherally derived, or resident inflammatory cells that are rapid responders to brain injury is promising, but complex, since the contribution of inflammation to exacerbation versus improved recovery varies with time after injury. The injury-induced inflammatory response is triggered by release of alarmins, and in the present study we asked if Interleukin-33 (IL-33), an injury-associated nuclear alarmin, is involved in TBI...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease that degrades the joints and is often associated with increasing age and obesity. The two most common sites of OA in adults are the knee and hip joints. Increased mechanical stress on the joint from obesity can cause the articular cartilage to degrade and release damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). These DAMPs are involved in various molecular pathways that interact with nuclear factor-kappa B and result in the transcription of inflammatory cytokines and activation of matrix metalloproteinases that progressively destroy cartilage...

Cell death is a fundamental biological phenomenon that is essential for the survival and development of an organism. Emerging evidence also indicates that cell death contributes to immune defense against infectious diseases. Pyroptosis is a form of inflammatory programmed cell death pathway activated by human and mouse caspase-1, human caspase-4 and caspase-5, or mouse caspase-11. These inflammatory caspases are used by the host to control bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoan pathogens. Pyroptosis requires cleavage and activation of the pore-forming effector protein gasdermin D by inflammatory caspases...

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...

Bronchi are exposed daily to irritants, microbes and allergens as well as extremes of temperature and acid. The airway mucosal epithelium plays a pivotal role as a sentinel, releasing alarmins when danger is encountered. To maintain homeostasis, an elaborate counter-regulatory network of signals and cellular effector mechanisms are needed. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) are chemical mediators that enact resolution programs in response to injury, infection or allergy. SPMs are enzymatically derived from essential polyunsaturated fatty acids with potent cell-type specific immunoresolvent properties...