Epithelial Cells Isolated (epithelial + cell_isolated)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Defective regulation of cholangiocyte Cl,/HCO,3 and Na+/H+ exchanger activities in primary biliary cirrhosis

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 6 2002
Saida Melero
Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a disorder of unknown origin with autoimmune features. Recently, impaired biliary secretion of bicarbonate has been shown in patients with PBC. Here we have investigated whether bile duct epithelial cells isolated from PBC patients exhibit defects in transepithelial bicarbonate transport by analyzing the activities of 2 ion exchangers, Cl,/HCO,3 anion exchanger 2 (AE2) and Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE) in isolated cholangiocytes. AE2 and NHE activities were studied in basal conditions and after stimulation with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP), respectively. Cholangiocytes were grown from needle liver biopsies from 12 PBC patients, 8 normal controls, and 9 patients with other liver diseases. Also, intrahepatic cholangiocytes were cultured after immunomagnetic isolation from normal liver tissue (n = 6), and from recipients undergoing liver transplantation for end-stage PBC (n = 9) and other forms of liver disease (n = 8). In needle-biopsy cholangiocytes, basal AE2 activity was significantly decreased in PBC as compared with normal livers and disease controls. In addition, we observed that though cAMP increased AE2 activity in cholangiocytes from both normal and non-PBC livers, this effect was absent in PBC cholangiocytes. Similarly, though in cholangiocytes from normal and disease control livers extracellular ATP induced a marked enhancement of NHE activity, cholangiocytes from PBC patients failed to respond to purinergic stimulation. In conclusion, our findings provide functional evidence that PBC cholangiocytes exhibit a widespread failure in the regulation of carriers involved in transepithelial H+/HCO,3 transport, thus, providing a molecular basis for the impaired bicarbonate secretion in this cholestatic syndrome. [source]


Antigen Presentation by Human Uterine Epithelial Cells to Autologous T Cells

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
John V. Fahey
Problem, Epithelial cells, as sentinels of immune protection in the endometrium, use innate immune mechanisms to protect against infection from pathogenic microbes. Our goal in this study was to assess the ability of human uterine epithelial cells to present antigen to cells of the adaptive immune system. Method of study, Highly purified preparations of uterine epithelial cells from 11 patients were assessed for their ability to present tetanus toxoid (TT) to autologous T cells. Leukocyte contamination in the epithelial cell preparations was numerically and functionally determined. Using confocal microscopy, epithelial cells were tested for the expression of CD40 and CD1d. Results, Purified preparations of endometrial epithelial cells isolated from every patient presented TT recall antigen to autologous T cells. Leukocyte contamination of epithelial cell preparations was insignificant. Uterine epithelial cells express CD40 and CD1d. Conclusion, Antigen presentation is an additional aspect of uterine epithelial cell function in maintaining women's health. [source]


Vitamin E inhibition of normal mammary epithelial cell growth is associated with a reduction in protein kinase C, activation

CELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 6 2001
P. W. Sylvester
Tocopherols and tocotrienols represent the two subclasses within the vitamin E family of compounds. However, tocotrienols are significantly more potent than tocopherols in suppressing epidermal growth factor (EGF)-dependent normal mammary epithelial cell growth. EGF is a potent mitogen for normal mammary epithelial cells and an initial event in EGF-receptor mitogenic-signalling is protein kinase C (PKC) activation. Studies were conducted to determine if the antiproliferative effects of specific tocopherol and tocotrienol isoforms are associated with a reduction in EGF-receptor mitogenic signalling and/or PKC activation. Normal mammary epithelial cells isolated from midpregnant BALB/c mice were grown in primary culture, and maintained on serum-free media containing 10 ng/mL EGF as a mitogen, and treated with various doses (0,250 µm) of ,-, ,-, or ,-tocopherol or ,-, ,-, or ,-tocotrienol. Treatment with growth inhibitory doses of ,-tocopherol (100 µm), ,-tocotrienol (50 µm), or ,- or ,-tocotrienol (10 µm) did not affect EGF-receptor levels, EGF-induced EGF-receptor tyrosine kinase activity, or total intracellular levels of PKC,. However, these treatments were found to inhibit EGF-induced PKC, activation as determined by its translocation from the cytosolic to membrane fraction. Treatment with 250 µm,- or ,-tocopherol had no affect on EGF-receptor mitogenic signalling or cell growth. These findings demonstrate that the inhibitory effects of specific tocopherol and tocotrienol isoforms on EGF-dependent normal mammary epithelial cell mitogenesis occurs downstream from the EGF-receptor and appears to be mediated, at least in part, by a reduction in PKC, activation. [source]


Induction of glucocorticoid receptor-, expression in epithelial cells of asthmatic airways by T-helper type 17 cytokines

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 9 2010
A. Vazquez-Tello
Summary Background Corticosteroid insensitivity in asthmatics is associated with an increased expression of glucocorticoid receptor-, (GR-,) in many cell types. T-helper type 17 (Th17) cytokine (IL-17A and F) expressions increase in mild and in difficult-to-treat asthma. We hypothesize that IL-17A and F cytokines alone or in combination, induce the expression of GR-, in bronchial epithelial cells. Objectives To confirm the expression of the GR-, and IL-17 cytokines in the airways of normal subjects and mild asthmatics and to examine the effect of cytokines IL-17A and F on the expression of GR-, in bronchial epithelial cells obtained from normal subjects and asthmatic patients. Methods The expression of IL-17A and F, GR-, and GR-, was analysed in bronchial biopsies from mild asthmatics and normal subjects by Q-RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry for IL-17 and GR-, was performed in bronchial biopsies from normal and asthmatic subjects. The expression of IL-6 in response to IL-17A and F and dexamethasone was determined by Q-RT-PCR using primary airway epithelial cells from normal and asthmatic subjects. Results We detected significantly higher levels of IL-17A mRNA expression in the bronchial biopsies from mild asthmatics, compared with normal. GR-, expression was significantly lower in the biopsies from asthmatics compared with controls. The expression of IL-17F and GR-, in biopsies from asthmatics was not significantly different from that of controls. Using primary epithelial cells isolated from normal subjects and asthmatics, we found an increased expression of GR-, in response to IL-17A and F in the cells from asthmatics (P0.05). This effect was only partially significant in the normal cells. Dexamethasone significantly decreased the IL-17-induced IL-6 expression in cells from normal individuals but not in those from asthmatics (P0.05). Conclusion Evidence of an increased GR-, expression in epithelial cells following IL-17 stimulation suggests a possible role for Th17-associated cytokines in the mechanism of steroid hypo-responsiveness in asthmatic subjects. Cite this as: A. Vazquez-Tello, A. Semlali, J. Chakir, J. G. Martin, D. Y. Leung, D. H. Eidelman and Q. Hamid, Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 2010 (40) 1312,1322. [source]