Comparative Biochemical and Functional Analysis of Viral and Human Secreted Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) Decoy Receptors

The blockade of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by etanercept, a soluble version of the human TNF receptor 2 (hTNFR2), is a well established strategy to inhibit adverse TNF-mediated inflammatory responses in the clinic. A similar strategy is employed by poxviruses, encoding four viral TNF decoy receptor homologues (vTNFRs) named cytokine response modifier B (CrmB), CrmC, CrmD, and CrmE. These vTNFRs are differentially expressed by poxviral species, suggesting distinct immunomodulatory properties. Whereas the human variola virus and mouse ectromelia virus encode one vTNFR, the broad host range cowpox virus encodes all vTNFRs. We report the first comprehensive study of the functional and binding properties of these four vTNFRs, providing an explanation for their expression profile among different poxviruses. In addition, the vTNFRs activities were compared with the hTNFR2 used in the clinic. Interestingly, CrmB from variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is the most potent TNFR of those tested here including hTNFR2. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new immunomodulatory activity of vTNFRs, showing that CrmB and CrmD also inhibit the activity of lymphotoxin β. Similarly, we report for the first time that the hTNFR2 blocks the biological activity of lymphotoxin β. The characterization of vTNFRs optimized during virus-host evolution to modulate the host immune response provides relevant information about their potential role in pathogenesis and may be used to improve anti-inflammatory therapies based on soluble decoy TNFRs.

Decoy Receptor DcR1 Is Induced in a p50/Bcl3-Dependent Manner and Attenuates the Efficacy of Temozolomide

Temozolomide is used widely to treat malignant glioma, but the overall response to this agent is generally poor. Resistance to DNA-damaging drugs such as temozolomide has been related to the induction of antiapoptotic proteins. Specifically, the transcription factor NF-κB has been suggested to participate in promoting the survival of cells exposed to chemotherapy. To identify factors that modulate cytotoxicity in the setting of DNA damage, we used an unbiased strategy to examine the NF-κB-dependent expression profile induced by temozolomide. By this route, we defined the decoy receptor DcR1 as a temozolomide response gene induced by a mechanism relying upon p50/NF-κB1. A conserved NF-κB-binding sequence (κB-site) was identified in the proximal promoter and was demonstrated to be required for DcR1 induction by temozolomide. Loss-of-function and gain-of-function studies reveal that the atypical IκB protein, Bcl3, is also required for induction of DcR1 by temozolomide. Mechanistically, DcR1 attenuates temozolomide efficacy by blunting activation of the Fas receptor pathway in p53(+/+) glioma cells. Intracranial xenograft studies show that DcR1 depletion in glioma cells enhances the efficacy of temozolomide. Taken together, our results show how DcR1 upregulation mediates temozolomide resistance and provide a rationale for DcR1 targeting as a strategy to sensitize gliomas to this widely used chemotherapy.

Molecular cloning and preliminary expression analysis of banded dogfish (Triakis scyllia) TNF decoy receptor 3 (TNFRSF6B)

Decoy receptor 3 (DcR3), a member of TNF receptor superfamily, is a soluble receptor without death domain and cytoplasmic domain, and secreted by cells and binds with FasL, LIGHT and TL1A. The principal function of DcR3 is the inhibition of apoptosis by the binding cytotoxic ligands. Expression of DcR3 has been reported in a wide array of normal human tissues as well as tumors and tumor cell lines. Recently, DcR3 was reported to modulate a variety of immune responses in mammals. TNFR or DcR3 has been identified in some teleost fishes. However, DcR3 is not reported in cartilaginous fish which is the lowest vertebrate possessing the adaptive immune system. Here we identified DcR3 cDNA in shark (Trsc-DcR3) from an SSH library prepared from peripheral white blood cells stimulated with PMA. Four cysteine-rich domains (CRDs) in common with TNF receptor family members are present in the Trsc-DcR3 sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of Trsc-DcR3 showed highest identity with the chicken (50.4%), followed by human (46.8%) and rainbow trout (36.5%) DcR3. In a phylogenetic tree of known TNFRSF sequences, the Trsc-DcR3 grouped with the chicken and human DcR3. Trsc-DcR3 mRNA was detected strongly in the gill, moderately in the brain, and weakly in the kidney, thymus and leydig. These data strongly suggest that the gene encoding Trsc-DcR3 in banded dogfish is a homolog of the human gene. mRNA expression of Trsc-DcR3 in the thymus and leydig suggests that DcR3 may act as a modulator in the immune system even at the phylogenetic level of cartilaginous fish.