CXC chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri): structure, expression and function

Guiyuan Chen; Wei Wang; Shengke Meng; Lichao Zhang; Wenxue Wang; Zongmin Jiang; Min Yu; Qinghua Cui; Meizhang Li

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0098231

CXC chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri): structure, expression and function

PLoS One. 2014 May 23;9(5):e98231. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098231. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Guiyuan Chen¹, Wei Wang², Shengke Meng³, Lichao Zhang⁴, Wenxue Wang³, Zongmin Jiang³, Min Yu³, Qinghua Cui³, Meizhang Li³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Dali University, Dali, China.
² Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China; Department of Rheumatology & Immunology, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.
³ Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
⁴ Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China.

Abstract

Chemokines are small secreted proteins functionally involved in the immune system's regulation of lymphocyte migration across numerous mammalian species. Given its growing popularity in immunological models, we investigated the structure and function of chemokine CXCL12 protein in tree shrews. We found that CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 in tree shrew had structural similarities to their homologous human proteins. Phylogenetic analysis supports the view that tree shrew is evolutionarily-close to the primates. Our results also showed that the human recombinant CXCL12 protein directly enhanced the migration of tree shrew's lymphocytes in vitro, while AMD3100 enhanced the mobilization of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from bone marrow into peripheral blood in tree shrew in vivo. Collectively, these findings suggested that chemokines in tree shrews may play the same or similar roles as those in humans, and that the tree shrew is a viable animal model for studying human immunological diseases.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Anti-HIV Agents / pharmacology
Benzylamines
Chemokine CXCL12* / biosynthesis
Chemokine CXCL12* / genetics
Chemokine CXCL12* / immunology
Cyclams
Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
Gene Expression Regulation / physiology*
Heterocyclic Compounds / pharmacology
Humans
Models, Immunological*
Phylogeny*
Receptors, CXCR4* / biosynthesis
Receptors, CXCR4* / genetics
Receptors, CXCR4* / immunology
Tupaia* / genetics
Tupaia* / immunology

Substances

Anti-HIV Agents
Benzylamines
Chemokine CXCL12
Cyclams
Heterocyclic Compounds
Receptors, CXCR4
plerixafor

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81271330, No . 31160237, and No . 31260276), Yunnan Province Science and Technology Innovation Team (No . 2011CI123), Talent Program of Yunnan Province (No . W8110305), Foundation of School of Life Sciences of Yunnan University (No . 2012S301), and the Natural Science Foundation of Yunnan Province (No . 2011BC003). The funders had no roles in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript.