Tumor necrosis factor-␣ (TNF-␣) and interleukin-1␤ (IL-1␤), essential components in the pathogenesis of immunoinflammatory diseases, are strongly induced in monocytes by direct contact with stimulated T lymphocytes. This study demonstrates that adult human serum (HS) but not fetal calf or cord blood serum displays inhibitory activity toward the contact-mediated activation of monocytes by stimulated T cells, decreasing the production of both TNF-␣ and IL-1␤. Fractionation of HS and N-terminal microsequencing as well as electroelution of material subjected to preparative electrophoresis revealed that apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I), a "negative" acute-phase protein, was the inhibitory factor. Functional assays and flow cytometry analyses show that highdensity lipoprotein (HDL)-associated apo A-I inhibits contact-mediated activation of monocytes by binding to stimulated T cells, thus inhibiting TNF-␣ and IL-1␤ production at both protein and messenger RNA levels. Furthermore, apo A-I inhibits monocyte inflammatory functions in peripheral blood mononuclear cells activated by either specific antigens or lectins without affecting cell proliferation. These results demonstrate a new antiinflammatory activity of HDL-associated apo A-I that might have modulating functions in nonseptic conditions. Therefore, because HDL has been shown to bind and neutralize lipopolysaccharide, HDL appears to play an important part in modulating both acute and chronic inflammation. IntroductionTumor necrosis factor-␣ (TNF-␣) and interleukin-1␤ (IL-1␤) are strongly induced in monocytes by direct contact with stimulated T lymphocytes, both cells involved in immunoinflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and atherosclerosis. The importance of TNF-␣ and IL-1 in chronic inflammation has been well established. Based on the premise that T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases, we demonstrated that direct cell-cell contact with stimulated T lymphocytes is a major stimulus triggering the production of large amounts of TNF-␣ and IL-1␤ in monocytes. [1][2][3] Various stimuli are able to induce T cells to activate monocytes by direct cellular contact: (1) mitogens, for example, a combination of phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), 1,4-6 (2) cross-linking of CD3 by immobilized anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb) with or without cross-linking of the costimulatory molecule CD28, 7,8 (3) antigen-recognition on antigen-specific T-cell clones, 8 and (4) cytokines. 9 The identity of the ligands on plasma membrane of stimulated T cells that trigger the signaling of monocytemacrophages as well as that of the counter-ligands on monocytes is still elusive. However, in the human system some of the signaling may be attributed to ␤ 2 -integrins, CD69, CD23, CD40-CD40L and lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3). 1,4,5,10-14 Membrane-associated TNF-␣ and IL-1 do not play a crucial part in this cellular interaction, contrasting with their sign...

ObjectiveCircadian clocks are functional in all light-sensitive organisms, allowing an adaptation to the external world in anticipation of daily environmental changes. In view of the potential role of the skeletal muscle clock in the regulation of glucose metabolism, we aimed to characterize circadian rhythms in primary human skeletal myotubes and investigate their roles in myokine secretion.MethodsWe established a system for long-term bioluminescence recording in differentiated human myotubes, employing lentivector gene delivery of the Bmal1-luciferase and Per2-luciferase core clock reporters. Furthermore, we disrupted the circadian clock in skeletal muscle cells by transfecting siRNA targeting CLOCK. Next, we assessed the basal secretion of a large panel of myokines in a circadian manner in the presence or absence of a functional clock.ResultsBioluminescence reporter assays revealed that human skeletal myotubes, synchronized in vitro, exhibit a self-sustained circadian rhythm, which was further confirmed by endogenous core clock transcript expression. Moreover, we demonstrate that the basal secretion of IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 by synchronized skeletal myotubes has a circadian profile. Importantly, the secretion of IL-6 and several additional myokines was strongly downregulated upon siClock-mediated clock disruption.ConclusionsOur study provides for the first time evidence that primary human skeletal myotubes possess a high-amplitude cell-autonomous circadian clock, which could be attenuated. Furthermore, this oscillator plays an important role in the regulation of basal myokine secretion by skeletal myotubes.

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The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic affected several African countries, claiming more than 11,000 lives and leaving thousands with ongoing sequelae. Safe and effective vaccines could prevent or limit future outbreaks. The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus-vectored Zaire Ebola (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine has shown marked immunogenicity and efficacy in humans but is reactogenic at higher doses. To understand its effects, we examined plasma samples from 115 healthy volunteers from Geneva who received low-dose (LD) or high-dose (HD) vaccine or placebo. Fifteen plasma chemokines/cytokines were assessed at baseline and on days 1, 2 to 3, and 7 after injection. Significant increases in monocyte-mediated MCP-1/CCL2, MIP-1β/CCL4, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1Ra, and IL-10 occurred on day 1. A signature explaining 68% of cytokine/chemokine vaccine-response variability was identified. Its score was higher in HD versus LD vaccinees and was associated positively with vaccine viremia and negatively with cytopenia. It was higher in vaccinees with injection-site pain, fever, myalgia, chills, and headache; higher scores reflected increasing severity. In contrast, HD vaccinees who subsequently developed arthritis had lower day 1 scores than other HD vaccinees. Vaccine dose did not influence the signature despite its influence on specific outcomes. The Geneva-derived signature associated strongly (ρ = 0.97) with that of a cohort of 75 vaccinees from a parallel trial in Lambaréné, Gabon. Its score in Geneva HD vaccinees with subsequent arthritis was significantly lower than that in Lambaréné HD vaccinees, none of whom experienced arthritis. This signature, which reveals monocytes' critical role in rVSV-ZEBOV immunogenicity and safety across doses and continents, should prove useful in assessments of other vaccines.