Lian-Li Ma

Vanderbilt University, Nashville, MI, USA

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Publications (6)27.3 Total impact

  • Article: Assessment of different bariatric surgeries in the treatment of obesity and insulin resistance in mice.
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    ABSTRACT: To assess the effects of different bariatric surgical procedures on the treatment of obesity and insulin resistance in high fat diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. Bariatric surgery is currently considered the most effective treatment for morbid obesity and its comorbidities; however, a systematic study of their mechanisms is still lacking. We developed bariatric surgery models, including gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), modified RYGB (mRYGB) and biliopancreatic diversion (BPD), in DIO mice. Body weight, body fat and lean mass, liver steatosis, glucose tolerance and pancreatic beta cell function were examined. All bariatric surgeries resulted in significant weight loss, reduced body fat and improved glucose tolerance in the short term (4 weeks), compared with mice with sham surgery. Of the bariatric surgery models, sleeve gastrectomy and mRYGB had higher success rates and lower mortalities and represent reliable restrictive and gastrointestinal (GI) bypass mouse bariatric surgery models, respectively. In the long term, the GI bypass procedure produced more profound weight loss, significant improvement of glucose tolerance and liver steatosis than the restrictive procedure. DIO mice had increased insulin promoter activity, suggesting overactivation of pancreatic beta cells, which was regulated by the mRYGB procedure. Compared with the restrictive procedure, the GI bypass procedure showed more severe symptoms of malnutrition following bariatric surgery. Both restrictive and GI bypass procedures provide positive effects on weight loss, fat composition, liver steatosis and glucose tolerance; however, in the long term, the GI bypass shows better results than restrictive procedures.
    Annals of surgery 07/2011; 254(1):73-82. · 7.90 Impact Factor
  • Article: CpG oligodeoxynucleotide triggers the liver inflammatory reaction and abrogates spontaneous tolerance.
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    ABSTRACT: Liver allografts are spontaneously accepted in the liver transplantation mouse model; however, the basis for this tolerance and the conditions that abrogate spontaneous tolerance to liver allografts are incompletely understood. We examined the role of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) in triggering the liver inflammatory reaction and allograft rejection. Bioluminescence imaging quantified the activation of nuclear transcriptional factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) at different time points post-transplantation. Intrahepatic lymphocyte subsets were analyzed by immunofluorescence assay and flow cytometry. The results showed that liver allografts survived for more than 100 days without a requirement for any immunosuppressive therapy. Donor-matched cardiac allografts were permanently accepted, whereas third-party cardiac grafts were rejected with delayed kinetics; this confirmed donor-specific tolerance. NF-kappaB activation in the liver allografts was transiently increased on day 1 and diminished by day 4; in comparison, it was elevated up to 10 days post-transplantation in the cardiac allografts. When CpG ODN was administered at a high dose (50 microg per mouse x 1) to the recipients on day 7 post-transplantation, it induced an acute liver inflammatory reaction with elevated NF-kappaB activation in both allogeneic and syngeneic liver grafts. Multiple doses of CpG ODN (10 microg per mouse x 3) elicited acute rejection of the liver allografts with significant T cell infiltration in the liver allografts, reduced T regulatory cells, and enhanced interferon gamma-producing cells in the intrahepatic infiltrating lymphocytes. These data demonstrate that CpG ODN initiates an inflammatory reaction and abrogates spontaneous tolerance in the liver transplantation mouse model. Liver Transpl 15:915-923, 2009. (c) 2009 AASLD.
    Liver Transplantation 09/2009; 15(8):915-23. · 3.39 Impact Factor
  • Article: Deficiency of protein kinase C-theta facilitates tolerance induction.
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    ABSTRACT: Protein kinase C-theta (PKCtheta) mediates critical T-cell receptor signals required for T-cell activation. We have recently shown that PKCtheta knockout (PKCtheta, H-2b) T cells, when transferred into T/B cell-deficient mice, failed to reject fully allogeneic (H-2d) cardiac grafts and that transgenic expression of antiapoptotic Bcl-xL gene in PKCtheta T cells restored allograft rejection. We used PKCtheta mice as recipients of cardiac allografts, compared with wild-type (WT) cardiac allograft transplantation. Anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody (MR1) and human CTLA4Ig were sued to induce donor-specific tolerance. T-cell proliferation, T-cell subsests, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) activation, and Bax and Bcl-xL were analyzed. Although suboptimal anti-CD154 monoclonal antibody or human CTLA4Ig failed to delay cardiac allograft rejection in WT mice, the same therapy induced long-term survival of cardiac allografts in PKCtheta mice. Donor-type second cardiac allografts (H-2d) were accepted, and third-party heart allografts (H-2k) were rejected by tolerant PKCtheta mice. However, tolerance state could not be effectively transferred with T cells from tolerance PKCtheta mice. Compared with WT mice, reduced NF-kappaB activation, T-cell proliferation, and T-cell infiltration in PKCtheta spleens were observed. PKCtheta mice reveal reduced CD4/CD25/FoxP3, Th1/Th17 subsets, and mouse MHC class II (IE)-reactive CD4Vbeta11 T cells. Apoptotic molecule, Bax, was increased and antiapoptotic molecule, Bcl-xL, was reduced in PKCtheta spleen cells. We concluded that PKCtheta mice have a defected alloimmune response and are susceptible to tolerance induction, which is associated with a clonal deletion of T-cell subsets.
    Transplantation 03/2009; 87(4):507-16. · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: CD4+ T cells are sufficient to elicit allograft rejection and major histocompatibility complex class I molecule is required to induce recurrent autoimmune diabetes after pancreas transplantation in mice.
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    ABSTRACT: We characterized the role of T cell subsets and major histocompatibility complex molecules in allograft rejection and recurrence of autoimmune diabetes. Adoptive cell transfer and vascularized segmental pancreas transplantation were performed in mice. In an alloimmune response model, transfer of nondiabetic CD4, but not CD8 T cells, elicited pancreas allograft rejection in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic NOD/scid mice. Pancreas allografts were acutely rejected in STZ-induced diabetic NOD/beta2m mice (confirmed the absence of major histocompatibility complex [MHC] class I and CD8 T cells) and permanently accepted in NOD/CIIT mice (confirmed the absence of MHC class II and CD4 T cells). The results suggest that rejection of pancreas allograft is CD4-dependent and MHC class I-independent. In the autoimmune diabetes model, whole spleen cells obtained from diabetic NOD mice induced autoimmune diabetes in NOD/scid and NOD/CIIT mice, but the onset of diabetes was delayed in NOD/beta2m mice. However, the purified diabetic T cells failed to elicit autoimmune diabetes in NOD/beta2m mice. NOD/scid and NOD/CIIT pancreas grafts were acutely destroyed whereas four of six NOD/beta2m pancreas grafts were permanently accepted in autoimmune diabetic NOD mice. CD4 T cells are sufficient for the induction of allograft rejection, and MHC class I molecule is required to induce recurrent autoimmune diabetes after pancreas transplantation in mice.
    Transplantation 05/2008; 85(8):1205-11. · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: Role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the rejection of concordant pancreas xenografts.
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    ABSTRACT: We studied the ability of CD4 and CD8 T cells to induce rejection of pancreas xenografts in a concordant combination using rat pancreas xenografts as donors and chemically induced diabetic mice as recipients. Lewis rat (2 to 3 weeks old) pancreas xenografts were transplanted into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production were analyzed in vitro. All pancreas xenografts were assessed by functional (blood glucose) and histopathologic examinations. Lewis rat pancreas grafts were rejected within 10 to 13 days, with mononuclear cell infiltrate and tissue necrosis in STZ-induced diabetic mice. A predominant T cell receptor alphabeta -CD4 cell (on day 4) and T cell receptor alphabeta -CD8 cell (on day 8) infiltrate and IgM deposition were found in the pancreas xenografts after transplantation. Anti-CD4 (GK1.5), but not anti-CD8 (YTS169.4), monoclonal antibodies resulted in a prolonged survival of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts. Lewis pancreas xenografts were permanently accepted by CD4 knockout mice but not by CD8 knockout mice. The pancreas xenografts were acutely rejected with a mean survival time of 15.3 days in B cell-deficient mice (microMT/microMT). Transfer of CD4 but not CD8 spleen cells from naïve C57BL/6 mice into Rag2 mice led to acute rejection of transplanted pancreas xenografts. However, activated CD8 spleen cells elicited rejection of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts in SZT-induced diabetic mice. The current results show that CD4 T cells are necessary and sufficient for mediating the rejection of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts in STZ-induced diabetic mice. However, CD8 cells, when activated, can also induce acute rejection of concordant pancreas xenografts.
    Transplantation 12/2002; 74(9):1236-41. · 4.00 Impact Factor
  • Article: Role of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the rejection of concordant pancreas xenografts1
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    ABSTRACT: Background. We studied the ability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to induce rejection of pancreas xenografts in a concordant combination using rat pancreas xenografts as donors and chemically induced diabetic mice as recipients. Methods. Lewis rat (2 to 3 weeks old) pancreas xenografts were transplanted into streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production were analyzed in vitro. All pancreas xenografts were assessed by functional (blood glucose) and histopathologic examinations. Results. Lewis rat pancreas grafts were rejected within 10 to 13 days, with mononuclear cell infiltrate and tissue necrosis in STZ-induced diabetic mice. A predominant T cell receptor αβ+-CD4+ cell (on day 4) and T cell receptor αβ+-CD8+ cell (on day 8) infiltrate and IgM deposition were found in the pancreas xenografts after transplantation. Anti-CD4 (GK1.5), but not anti-CD8 (YTS169.4), monoclonal antibodies resulted in a prolonged survival of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts. Lewis pancreas xenografts were permanently accepted by CD4 knockout mice but not by CD8 knockout mice. The pancreas xenografts were acutely rejected with a mean survival time of 15.3 days in B cell-deficient mice (μMT/μMT). Transfer of CD4+ but not CD8+ spleen cells from naïve C57BL/6 mice into Rag2-/- mice led to acute rejection of transplanted pancreas xenografts. However, activated CD8+ spleen cells elicited rejection of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts in SZT-induced diabetic mice. Conclusion. The current results show that CD4+ T cells are necessary and sufficient for mediating the rejection of Lewis rat pancreas xenografts in STZ-induced diabetic mice. However, CD8+ cells, when activated, can also induce acute rejection of concordant pancreas xenografts.
    Transplantation 11/2002; 74(9):1236-1241. · 4.00 Impact Factor