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Abstract Background The inhalation of allergens by allergic asthmatics results in the early asthmatic response (EAR), which is characterized by acute airway obstruction beginning within a few minutes. The EAR is the earliest indicator of the pathological progression of allergic asthma. Because the molecular mechanism underlying the EAR is not fully defined, this study will contribute to a better understanding of asthma. Methods In order to gain insight into the molecular basis of the EAR, we examined changes in protein expression patterns in the lung tissue of asthmatic rats during the EAR using 2-DE/MS-based proteomic techniques. Bioinformatic analysis of the proteomic data was then performed using PPI Spider and KEGG Spider to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism. Results In total, 44 differentially expressed protein spots were detected in the 2-DE gels. Of these 44 protein spots, 42 corresponded to 36 unique proteins successfully identified using mass spectrometry. During subsequent bioinformatic analysis, the gene ontology classification, the protein-protein interaction networking and the biological pathway exploration demonstrated that the identified proteins were mainly involved in glycolysis, calcium binding and mitochondrial activity. Using western blot and semi-quantitative RT-PCR, we confirmed the changes in expression of five selected proteins, which further supports our proteomic and bioinformatic analyses. Conclusions Our results reveal that the allergen-induced EAR in asthmatic rats is associated with glycolysis, calcium binding and mitochondrial activity, which could establish a functional network in which calcium binding may play a central role in promoting the progression of asthma.

Abstract Background Asthma has become an important public health issue and approximately 300 million people have suffered from the disease worldwide. Nowadays, the use of acupuncture in asthma is increasing. This study intended to systematically analyze and compare the gene expression profiles between the asthmatic and acupuncture-treated asthmatic rat lung, and tried to gain insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the early airway response (EAR) phase of asthma treated by acupuncture. Methods Four tag libraries of serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) were established from lung tissues of control rats (CK), asthmatic rats (AS), asthmatic rats treated by acupuncture (ASAC), and control rats treated by acupuncture (CKAC). Bioinformatic analyses were carried out by using the methods including unsupervised hierarchical clustering, functional annotation tool of the database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID), gene ontology (GO) tree machine, and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Results There were totally 186 differentially expressed tags (P < 0.05, PCK/AS) between the libraries of CK and AS, 130 differentially expressed tags between libraries of AS/ASAC (P < 0.05, PAS/ASAC), and 144 differentially expressed tags between libraries of CK/CKAC (P < 0.05, PCK/CKAC). The gene expression profiles of AS and ASAC were more similar than other libraries via unsupervised SAGE clustering. By comparison of PCK/AS and PAS/ASAC, the DAVID genes functional classification was found to be changed from "immune response" to "response to steroid hormone stimulus", and the GO term "antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen" disappeared in PAS/ASAC. Totally 3 same KEGG pathways were found among the three groups. Moreover, 21 specific tags of the acupuncture in treating asthma were detected using Venn diagrams. Conclusion Our SAGE research indicates that the gene expression profile of the EAR phase of asthma could be effectively and specifically regulated by acupuncture, which suggests that the gene expression of immune response and steroid hormone may play an important role in the treatment.

Release of alcohol from quinone propionic esters (QPEs) propelled by visible-light is reported. 1°, 2°, and allylic alcohols could be freed from the corresponding QPEs under radiation from blue LED bulb in the presence of a photocatalyst. Ten examples are listed and the yields are good to excellent. Possible mechanism has been proposed and further applications of quinone propionic acid (QPA) in photochemistry would be expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cells (DCs) are efficient antigen‐presenting cells that serve as a link between the innate and adaptive immune systems. These cells are broadly involved in cellular and humoral immune responses by presenting antigens to initiate T cell reactions, cytokine and chemokine secretion, T cell differentiation and expansion, B cell activation and regulation, and the mediation of immune tolerance. The functions of DCs depend on their activation status, which is defined by the stages of maturation, phenotype differentiation, and migration ability, among other factors. IL‐6 is a soluble mediator mainly produced by a variety of immune cells, including DCs, that exerts pleiotropic effects on immune and inflammatory responses through interaction with specific receptors expressed on the surface of target cells. Here, we review the role of IL‐6, when generated in an inflammatory context or as derived from DCs, in modulating the biologic function and activation status of DCs and emphasize the importance of searching for novel strategies to target the IL‐6/IL‐6 signaling pathway as a means to diminish the inflammatory activity of DCs in immune response or to prime the immunogenic activity of DCs in immunosuppressive conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]