Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with difficulty to diagnose. The association of natural resistance-associated macrophage protein-1 (NRAMP-1) gene polymorphisms with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the aim of this study. Methods: Two hundred individuals who were divided into two groups: RA patients group (100 Patients with RA) and control group: (100 apparently healthy subjects)....

BACKGROUND Senescent red blood cells (RBC) are recognized, phagocytosed and cleared by tissue macrophages. During this erythrophagocytosis (EP), RBC are engulfed and processed in special compartments called erythrophagosomes. We previously described that following EP, heme is rapidly degraded through the catabolic activity of heme oxygenase (HO). Extracted heme iron is then either exported or s...

Natural resistance-associated macrophage protein 1/solute carrier family 11 member 1 gene (Nramp1/Slc11a1) is a gene that controls the susceptibility of inbred mice to intracellular pathogens. Polymorphisms in the human Slc11a1/Nramp1 gene have been associated with host susceptibility to leprosy. This study has evaluated nine polymorphisms of the Slc11a1/Nramp1 gene [(GT)n, 274C/T, 469+14G/C, 5...

The Francisella genus comprises highly pathogenic bacteria that can cause fatal disease in their vertebrate and invertebrate hosts including humans. In general, Francisella growth depends on iron availability, hence, iron homeostasis must be tightly regulated during Francisella infection. We used the system of the professional phagocyte Dictyostelium and the fish pathogen F. noatunensis subsp. ...

An intravenous mouse infection model was used to compare the virulence of Enterococcus faecalis strains, to study bacterial localization and organ histopathology, and to examine the effects of Nramp1 and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) on the course of infection. Infection of BALB/c mice with 5 x 10(8) CFU of E. faecalis JH2-2, MGH-2, 418, DS16C2, or OG1X revealed the following virulence ranking (...

Many studies suggest significant genetic variation in the resistance of cattle and humans to infection with Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of zoonotic tuberculosis. The natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (NRAMP1), encoded by the SLC11A1 gene, plays a key role in the immunological control of a broad spectrum of infectious agents. The aim of the present study was to inve...