Publicaties

1 - 10 of 11 resultaten

Sorteren op
Zoek term:

Influence of the cellular environment on ligand binding kinetics at membrane-bound targets Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Patrick Vanderheyden, Nerdjes Benachour

While historically 'in vitro' binding data were obtained by analyzing equilibrium experiments, kinetic data are increasingly appreciated to provide information on the time a particular compound remains bound to its target. This information is of biological importance to understand the molecular mechanism of a drug not only to evaluate the time a particular receptor/enzyme is blocked in the case of antagonists/inhibitors but also to ...

Cell aggregation on agar as an indicator for cell-matrix adhesion: effects of opioids Universiteit Gent

Delphine Debruyne, Marcus Mareel, Barbara Vanhoecke, Marc Bracke
The slow aggregation assay is generally used to study the functionality of cell–cell adhesion complexes. Single cells are seeded on a semisolid agar substrate in a 96-well plate and the cells spontaneously aggregate. We used HEK FLAG-MOP cells that stably overexpress the mu opioid receptor and the mu-opioid-receptor-selective agonists DAMGO and morphine to study whether other factors than functionality of cell–cell adhesions complexes can ...

Agonist-induced internalization of CC chemokine receptor 5 as a mechanism to inhibit HIV replication KU Leuven

Dominique Schols
The chemokine G protein-coupled receptor CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) is used as an entry gate by CCR5-tropic and dual- or CCR5/CXC chemokine receptor 4-tropic strains of HIV to enter the human host cells. Thus, CCR5 antagonists (i.e., maraviroc) have been proven to be clinically effective by preventing the interaction between viral glycoprotein 120 and CCR5 and thus impeding viral entry into host cells. However, the emergence of HIV strains ...

ADAM17-mediated reduction in CD14++CD16+ monocytes ex vivo and reduction in intermediate monocytes with immune paresis in acute pancreatitis and acute alcoholic hepatitis Universiteit Gent

Kathryn Waller, Charlotte James, Anja de Jong, Laura Blackmore, Yun Ma, Andrew Stagg, David Kelsell, Michael O'Dwyer, Robert Hutchins, William Alazawi, et al.
Impaired immune responses and increased susceptibility to infection characterize acute inflammatory conditions such as pancreatitis and alcoholic hepatitis and are major causes of morbidity and mortality. However, the mechanisms that drive this apparent immune paresis remain poorly understood. Monocytes mediate host responses to damage and pathogens in health and disease, and three subsets of monocytes have been defined based on CD14 and CD16 ...

Regulation of beta2-Adrenergic Receptor Function by Conformationally Selective Single-Domain Intrabodies Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Dean P. Staus, Els Pardon, Seungkirl Ahn, Jan Steyaert, Brian K Kobilka, Robert J. Lefkowitz
The biologic activity induced by ligand binding to orthosteric or allosteric sites on a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) is mediated by stabilization of specific receptor conformations. In the case of the ?2 adrenergic receptor, these ligands are generally small-molecule agonists or antagonists. However, a monomeric single-domain antibody (nanobody) from the Camelid family was recently found to allosterically bind and stabilize an active ...

Development and biological evaluation of PET-tracers for in vivo visualisation of the endovanilloid/endocannabinoid system KU Leuven

Daisy van Veghel
The transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1) channel is classified as a member of the TRP family of ion channels. It is a pH- and heat-sensitive cation channel, but can also be activated by endogenous or naturally occurring or synthetic exogenous ligands. The most general known agonist of TRPV1 is capsaicin, the pungent compound of the red chilli pepper. TRPV1 is mainly expressed in a subset of nociceptive neurons, ...

The role of invariant natural killer T cells in cancer Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Haneen Nur, Els Van Valckenborgh
Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are a unique subset of T lymphocytes that recognize
glycolipid antigens presented by the class I-like non-polymorphic histocompatibility
complex (MHC) molecule, CD1d. They express both innate and adaptive immune cells'
surface receptors, but act more like cells of the innate immune system. Although iNKT
cells represent a relatively small population of T lymphocytes, they can rapidly produce ...

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor prompts platelet aggregation and secretion KU Leuven

Kathleen Freson
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has both autocrine and paracrine roles in neurons, and its release and signaling mechanisms have been extensively studied in the central nervous system. Large quantities of BDNF have been reported in circulation, essentially stored in platelets with concentrations reaching 100- to 1000-fold those of neurons. Despite this abundance, the function of BDNF in platelet biology has not been explored. At low ...

Modulation of innate immune responses at birth by prenatal malaria exposure and association with malaria risk during the first year of life Instituut voor Tropische Geneeskunde Universiteit Antwerpen

Hamtandi Magloire Natama natama, Gemma Moncunill, Eduard Rovira Vallbona, Hector Sanz, Hermann Sorgho, Ruth Aguilar, Maminata Traore Coulibaly, M Athanase Somé, Susana Scott, Innocent Valéa, et al.

BackgroundFactors driving inter-individual differences in immune responses upon different types of prenatal malaria exposure (PME) and subsequent risk of malaria in infancy remain poorly understood. In this study, we examined the impact of four types of PME (i.e., maternal peripheral infection and placental acute, chronic, and past infections) on both spontaneous and toll-like receptors (TLRs)-mediated cytokine production in cord blood and ...

Acquisition of adult-like TLR4 and TLR9 responses during the first year of life Universiteit Antwerpen

Muriel Nguyen, Elke Leuridan, Tong Zhang, Dominique de Wit, Fabienne Willems, Pierre Van Damme, Michel Goldman, Stanislas Goriely
Background Characteristics of the human neonatal immune system are thought to be responsible for heightened susceptibility to infectious pathogens and poor responses to vaccine antigens. Using cord blood as a source of immune cells, many reports indicate that the response of neonatal monocytes and dendritic cells (DC) to Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists differs significantly from that of adult cells. Herein, we analyzed the evolution of these ...