Journal of Clinical and Cellular Immunology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9899
ISSN: 2155-9899
Jie Zhou
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Clin Cell Immunol
Cyclooxygenases (COXs) and their prostanoid products play important roles in a diverse range of physiological processes, including in the immune system. Here, evidence was provided that COX-1 is an essential regulator in early stages of B cell development. COX-1-deficient mice displayed systematic reduction in total B cells, which was attributed to the arrest of early B cell development from pro-B to pre-B stage. Further it was demonstrated that this defect was mediated through down- regulation of the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (JAK/STAT5) signaling and its target genes, including Pax5, in COX-1-/- mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that COX-1 derived thromboxane A 2 (TxA 2 ) could regulate JAK3/STAT5 signaling through cAMP-PKA pathway, via binding with its receptor-TP. Administration of TP agonist could be able to rescue the defective B cell development and JAK/STAT5 signaling activity in COX-1-deficient mice. Moreover, administration of low-dose aspirin caused a significant reduction in total B cells in peripheral blood of healthy human volunteers, coincidentally with reduced TxA 2 production and downregulation of JAK/STAT5 signaling. Taken together, our results demonstrate that COX-1 derived TxA 2 plays a critical role in the stage transition of early B cell development through regulation of JAK/STAT5 signaling, and indicate potential immune-suppressive effect of low-dose aspirin in humans.
Jie Zhou received PhD degree (2004) in Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South Univerisity, China. She did her Postdoctoral training in University of Pittsburgh and H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in USA till 2009. She is Professor in Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen University since 2010. Her research focuses on the mechanisms regulating immune cell differentiation (including B cell and myeloid cells), as well as their significance in immune related disorders. She has published 20 papers in peer-reviewed journals.