The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of different CD44 and hyaluronan synthase isoforms in cartilage, their alterations during the chondrocyte dedifferentiation process in monolayer culture and during the redifferentiation process on 3D scaffolds. Chondrocytes isolated from human articular cartilage were cultured as a monolayer for up to 36 days and were seeded on two dif...

Hemopoiesis is regulated by the complex interplay between the bone marrow microenvironment and hemopoietic stem cells and progenitors. The local production of cytokines plays a critical role in this process. Using long-term bone marrow cultures, we show here that monoclonal antibodies directed against the CD44 v4 and CD44 v6 epitopes stimulate myelopoiesis (CD44 v4 and CD44 v6) and lymphopoiesi...

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive brain tumor that, by virtue of its resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, is currently incurable. Identification of molecules whose targeting may eliminate GBM cells and/or sensitize glioblastoma cells to cytotoxic drugs is therefore urgently needed. CD44 is a major cell surface hyaluronan receptor and cancer stem cell marker that has b...

Previous studies established that IL-5-producing CD4(+) T cells play a pivotal role in allergic respiratory inflammation. It was also reported that CD4(+) T cells express higher levels of CD44 in the airway than in peripheral blood of patients with allergic respiratory diseases. We have used experimental pulmonary eosinophilia induced in mice by Ascaris suum (Asc) extract to investigate the rol...

CD44, an adhesion molecule that binds to the extracellular matrix, primarily to hyaluronan (HA), has been implicated in cancer cell migration, invasion, and metastasis. CD44 has also recently been recognized as a marker for stem cells of several types of cancer. However, the roles of CD44 in the development of bone metastasis are unclear. Here, we addressed this issue by using bone metastatic c...

We previously reported that CD44-positive cells were candidates for astrocyte precursor cells in the developing cerebellum, because cells expressing high levels of CD44 selected by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) gave rise only to astrocytes in vitro. However, whether CD44 is a specific cell marker for cerebellar astrocyte precursor cells in vivo is unknown. In this study, we used im...

BACKGROUND The most common malignant salivary gland tumors that affect both adult and children is mucoepidermoid carcinoma. It usually affects both minor and major salivary glands but parotid gland is considering the most common site in which this tumor arises. CD44, a trans-membrane glycoprotein, is an adhesion molecule of cell surface that play a role in the connections between cell-cell and ...

The expression of osteopontin (OPN), CD44 variants, and integrins has been correlated with tumorigenesis and metastasis. Here we show that these proteins cooperate to enhance cell motility. First, we demonstrate that several different CD44 variants bind to OPN in an arginine-glycineaspartic acid-independent manner, but that the standard form of CD44 does not. These CD44 variants bind to both th...

CD44 is a ubiquitous surface molecule that exists as a number of isoforms, generated by alternative splicing of 10 "variant" exons. Little is known about the expression and function of the variant isoforms, except that certain isoforms may play a role in cancer metastasis. We produced mAbs against CD44 variant regions encoded by exons 4v, 6v, and 9v, by immunizing mice with a fusion protein spa...

CD44 and EpCAM play crucial roles in intraperitoneal ovarian cancer development. In this study, we developed an RNA-based bispecific CD44-EpCAM aptamer that is capable of blocking CD44 and EpCAM simultaneously by fusing single CD44 and EpCAM aptamers with a double stranded RNA adaptor. With the aid of a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that bispecific CD44-EpCAM aptamer was much mor...