10 M-T7: measuring chemokine-modulating activity.

Mee Y Bartee, Erbin Dai, Liying Liu, Ganesh Munuswamy-Ramanujam, Colin Macaulay, Dana McIvor, Grant McFadden, Alexandra R Lucas

Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.

Methods in enzymology 2009

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Chemokines are important for activation of a host of cellular immune and inflammatory responses including cell signaling, activation, and communication. M-T7, a myxoma virus protein, inhibits the activity of chemokines by direct binding to chemokines and/or with glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). To study the effects of this chemokine-modulating protein (CMP), we use a variety of in vitro and in vivo techniques to evaluate M-T7 inhibition of inflammatory cells. To quickly analyze the effects of M-T7, changes in cell adhesion and membrane fluidity are measured as well as cell migration in mouse ascites. For more physiological analyses, an aortic transplant model in rodents is used to assess change in inflammatory cell infiltrates and vascular plaque growth (rejection). Utilization of the combination of these in vitro and in vivo techniques allows for a more complete study of the chemokine-modulating activity of M-T7, and can be used to study other immune and inflammation-modulating proteins.

Citation

Mee Y Bartee, Erbin Dai, Liying Liu, Ganesh Munuswamy-Ramanujam, Colin Macaulay, Dana McIvor, Grant McFadden, Alexandra R Lucas. 10 M-T7: measuring chemokine-modulating activity. Methods in enzymology. 2009;460:209-28