2014
American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2014 Feb 7. [Epub ahead of print]
Transforming Growth Factor β-induced Protein Promotes Severe Vascular Inflammatory Responses.
Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
Service type: Knockout mice
Abstract
Rationale: Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory condition resulting from bacterial infections; it has a high mortality rate and limited therapeutic options. Despite extensive research into the mechanisms driving bacterial sepsis, the target molecules controlling vascular leakage are still largely unknown. Transforming growth factor β-induced protein (TGFBIp) is an extracellular matrix protein expressed in several cell types, which is known to interact with integrins. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the roles of TGFBIp in vascular proinflammatory responses, and the mechanisms of action driving these responses. Methods and Results: Circulating levels of TGFBIp were measured in patients admitted to the intensive care unit with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock; levels of this protein were significantly elevated compared with healthy controls, and were strongly correlated with disease severity. High blood TGFBIp levels were also observed in cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced septic mice. The absence of the TGFBIp gene in mice attenuated CLP-induced sepsis. TGFBIp enhanced multiple vascular proinflammatory responses including vascular permeability, adhesion and migration of leukocytes, and disruption of adherence junctions through interacting with integrin αvβ5. Conclusions: Collectively, our findings demonstrate that the TGFBIp-αvβ5 axis can elicit severe inflammatory responses, suggesting it to be a potential target for development of diagnostics and therapeutics for sepsis.
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