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Prostaglandin (PG) E(2) is a potent lipid mediator that plays an essential role in inflammation, fever and pain. It is produced from arachidonic acid (AA) by a cascade of enzymatic reactions involving cyclooxygenases (COX-1 and -2) and prostaglandin E synthases (cPGES, mPGES-1 and -2). Functional coupling of the inducible enzymes COX-2 and mPGES-1 has been proposed for increased production of PGE(2) in different cell types. PGE(2) produced by macrophages plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Here, we have investigated the mechanisms involved in the regulation of COX-2 and mPGES-1 expressions in murine macrophages upon bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treatment. LPS stimulation induced the coordinated synthesis of COX-2 and mPGES-1 that resulted in an enhanced production of PGE(2) in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, we show the involvement of NF-kappaB and Egr-1 transcription factors in the transcriptional induction of these enzymes. LPS treatment promoted specific binding of NF-kappaB to both COX-2 and mPGES-1 promoters. Site-directed mutagenesis, electrophoretic mobility shift assays and ChIP assays allowed the identification of a sequence acting as a NF-kappaB recognition site in the murine mPGES-1 promoter. Furthermore, LPS induced the expression of Egr-1 that cooperated with NF-kappaB in the up-regulation of COX-2 and mPGES-1. Inhibition of Egr-1 expression reduced substantially LPS-mediated induction of COX-2 and mPGES-1 expression, resulting in a decrease in PGE(2) production. Our findings point out to Egr-1 and NF-kappaB cooperation as determinant for PGE2 synthesis by macrophages in inflammatory processes through the coordinated regulation of COX-2 and mPGES-1., (Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Anti-inflammatory efficacy of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has been related to their properties as inhibitors of cyclooxygenase (COX)-mediated prostaglandin (PG) synthesis. However, recent studies have suggested that variations of the in vivo anti-inflammatory actions among different NSAIDs could not be solely explained by COX inhibition. Here, we have analyzed the effects on T cell activation of novel 4,5-dihydro-3 trifluoromethyl pyrazole anti-inflammatory drugs with different potencies as COX-2 inhibitors, namely E-6087, E-6232, E-6231, E-6036 and E-6259 as well as the chemically related COX-2 inhibitor Celecoxib. These drugs inhibited mitogen-mediated T cell proliferation as well as Interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and Interferon (IFN)-γ synthesis by activated T cells, independently of their ability to inhibit COX-2 enzymatic activity. Immunosuppressive effects of these drugs seem to be due to their interference on transcription factor activation as induced transcription from Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB and Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT)-dependent enhancers was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, being the latter effect the most sensitive to the action of those compounds. Both NFAT dephosphorylation, required for its nuclear translocation, as well as transcriptional activity of a GAL4-NFAT chimera were diminished in the presence of these compounds. These findings provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory actions of NSAIDs, which may have important implications in anti-inflammatory therapy, through inhibition of NFAT., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Pseudorabies virus (PRV), also known as suid herpesvirus, is the aetiological agent of Aujeszky's disease in swine. In other animals, except higher-order primates, PRV infection is often fatal. The mechanisms of PRV pathogenesis and immune modulation are largely unknown. PRV codes for 11 glycoproteins. Among them, glycoprotein G (gG) is the most abundant PRV protein found in the supernatant of PRV-infected cell cultures. PRV-gG has low amino acid sequence similarity with gG from other animal alphaherpesviruses and its function is unknown. gG from other animal alphaherpesviruses, with the exception of at least equine herpesvirus 4, binds to chemokines. We show here that PRV-gG binds to the human chemokine CL1 and several CC and CXC human chemokines with high affinity. Chemokine-binding activity can be detected in the supernatants of PRV-infected cell cultures, and insertional inactivation of the gene encoding gG from the PRV genome results in loss of chemokine-binding activity. Binding of PRV-gG to chemokines inhibits chemokine-mediated cell migration, suggesting a role for PRV-gG in immune evasion.

Poxviruses encode a number of secreted virulence factors that modulate the host immune response. The vaccinia virus A41 protein is an immunomodulatory protein with amino acid sequence similarity to the 35-kDa chemokine binding protein, but the host immune molecules targeted by A41 have not been identified. We report here that the vaccinia virus A41 ortholog encoded by ectromelia virus, a poxvirus pathogen of mice, named E163 in the ectromelia virus Naval strain, is a secreted 31-kDa glycoprotein that selectively binds a limited number of CC and CXC chemokines with high affinity. A detailed characterization of the interaction of ectromelia virus E163 with mutant forms of the chemokines CXCL10 and CXCL12alpha indicated that E163 binds to the glycosaminoglycan binding site of the chemokines. This suggests that E163 inhibits the interaction of chemokines with glycosaminoglycans and provides a mechanism by which E163 prevents chemokine-induced leukocyte migration to the sites of infection. In addition to interacting with chemokines, E163 can interact with high affinity with glycosaminoglycan molecules, enabling E163 to attach to cell surfaces and to remain in the vicinity of the sites of viral infection. These findings identify E163 as a new chemokine binding protein in poxviruses and provide a molecular mechanism for the immunomodulatory activity previously reported for the vaccinia virus A41 ortholog. The results reported here also suggest that the cell surface and extracellular matrix are important targeting sites for secreted poxvirus immune modulators.