Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is usually recognized as a chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum. However, increasing evidence indicates that GRP78 can be translocated to the cell surface, acting as a signaling receptor for a variety of ligands. Since little is known about the secretion of GRP78 and its role in the progression of colon cancer we here focused on GRP78 from colon cancer cel...

  Background and Objective: Presence of hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) in the absence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) is defined, as isolated anti-HBc. little is known about the clinical significance of the isolated anti-HBc in hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. The aim of this study was to assess the significance of anti-HBc as the onl...

BACKGROUND Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is highly expressed in first trimester cytrophoblastic cells (CTBs), especially in syncytiotrophoblast (STB). However, the role of GRP78 in these cells has never been investigated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study, we have examined the role of GRP78 in trophoblast fusion using the Bewo choriocarcinoma cell line as a model of cytotrop...

Despite the major advances in conventional forms of treatment (i.e. surgical techniques, radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and improved survival rates, cancer is still the second leading cause of death in developing countries. One major limitation of cytotoxic drugs and radiation in the treatment of cancer patients is their inability to discriminate between malignant and normal tissues. This in tu...

background: selective antibody deficiency with normal immunoglobulins (sadni) may be identified as part of distinct primary or secondary immunodeficiency disorders. the clinical manifestations include recurrent, often severe or prolonged, upper or lower respiratory tract infections. objectives: to evaluate sadni in patients with recurrent sinopulmonary infections and its relation to igg subclas...

background: anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-tpo antibody) is a member of thyroid autoantibodies which are important in inducing and also diagnosing autoimmune thyroid diseases. thyroid autoimmunity can cause several forms of thyroiditis and abnormal thyroid functions, ranging from hypothyroidism to hyperthyroidism. objective: to evaluate the relationship between serum levels of anti-tpo ...

OBJECTIVES REIC/Dkk-3 is down-regulated in a broad range of human cancer cells and is considered to function as a tumor suppressor. We previously reported that REIC/Dkk-3-expressing adenovirus vector (Ad-REIC) induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and cancer-specific apoptosis in human prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the therapeutic impact of Ad-REIC on non-small cell lung cance...

introduction: recurrent abortion (ra) may be a consequence of aberrant expression of immunological factors during pregnancy. although the relative importance of immunological factors in human reproduction remains controversial, substantial evidence suggests that autoantibodies contribute to reproductive failure. production of such antibodies is under the control of cytokines; and leptin, beside...

Berberine, an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from Coptidis Rhizoma, has been shown to induce cancer cell autophagic death. Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) is associated with stress-induced autophagy. However, the related mechanisms between berberine-induced cancer cell autophagy and GRP78 remain to be elucidated. Here, we report that berberine can induce autophagic cancer cell death by el...