Proteases, particularly serine proteases like dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DP4) and fibroblast activation protein (FAP), play an important role in cancer invasion and angiogenesis. Aberrant expression of DP4 and FAP is associated with numerous cancers, including breast and epithelial ovarian carcinoma. We investigated the mRNA levels, protein expressio...

AIMS To determine whether fasting plasma Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 (DPP4) activity and active Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) were predictive of the onset of metabolic syndrome. METHODS A prospective cohort study was conducted of 2042 adults (863 men and 1,179 women) aged 18-70 years without metabolic syndrome examined in 2007(baseline) and 2011(follow-up). Baseline plasma DPP4 activity was dete...

A subset of prolyl oligopeptidases, including dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPP IV or CD26, EC ), specifically cleave off N-terminal dipeptides from substrates having proline or alanine in amino acid position 2. This enzyme activity has been implicated in the regulation of the biological activity of multiple hormones and chemokines, including the insulinotropic peptides glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-...

BACKGROUND The only treatment for celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-free diet (GFD). However, there is interest among patients in a medical therapy to replace or help with a GFD. Therapies include gluten-degrading enzymes (glutenases). There are glutenases available marketed as dietary supplements that have not been demonstrated to digest the toxic epitopes of gluten. METHODS We investigated th...

Fibroblast-Activation Protein-α (FAP) is a membrane-bound serine protease that is expressed on the surface of reactive stromal fibroblasts present within the majority of human epithelial tumors but is not expressed by normal tissues. FAP is a postprolyl peptidase that differs from other dipeptidyl prolyl peptidases such as diprolylpeptidase 4 in that it also has gelatinase and collagenase endop...

BACKGROUND The results of recent studies suggest that dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors have antiatherogenic effects. However, whether or not dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors could suppress arterial inflammation and intimal hyperplasia after injury remains undetermined. The present study aims to clarify the anti-inflammatory effects of the dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitor, alogliptin (AGP), on...

AIMS/INTRODUCTION In treatment algorithms of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Western countries, biguanides are recommended as first-line agents. In Japan, various oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) are available, but prescription patterns are unclear. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data of 7,108 and 2,655 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in study 1 and study 2, respectively, were extracted from the Medical ...

It has been hypothesized that autism results from an 'opioid peptide excess'. The aims of this study were to (1) confirm the presence of opioid peptides in the urine of children with autism and (2) determine whether dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV/CD26) is defective in children with autism. Opioid peptides were not detected in either the urine of children with autism (10 children; nine males, on...

C D26, the T cell activation molecule, is a 110-kD gly-coprotein that is also present on epithelial cells of various tissues, including the liver, kidney, and intestine. CD26 possesses a known dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)IV activity in its extracellular domain (1). A paper by Wesley et al. in this issue indicates a possible role for CD26/DPPIV in suppressing malignant transformation of melanocyte...

Current type 2 diabetes therapies are mainly targeted at stimulating pancreatic beta-cell secretion and reducing insulin resistance. A number of alternative therapies are currently being developed to take advantage of the actions of the incretin hormones Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) and Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide (GIP). These hormones are released from the small intestine i...