Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) promotes leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation. However, whether this stems from a direct effect on leukocyte migration is unknown. Furthermore, the role of the MIF-binding protein CD74 in this response has not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the contributions of MIF and CD74 to chemokine-induced macrophage...

BACKGROUND Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory response of the arterial wall to injury. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a cytokine with potent inflammatory functions, was thus considered to be important in atherosclerotic lesion evolution. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied the presence and distribution of MIF immunoreactivity (MIF-IR) and MIF mRNA in internal mammary arteries...

Constitutively expressed by innate immune cells, the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) initiates host responses and drives pathogenic in infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) express high levels of MIF, but role MIF DC function remains poorly characterized. As is critical for surveillance, we investigated whether promoted DCs. In classical tran...

OBJECTIVES Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple inflammatory disorders. We determined changes in circulating MIF levels, explored the cellular source of MIF, and studied the role of MIF in mediating inflammatory responses following acute myocardial infarction (MI). METHODS AND RESULTS We recruited 15 pat...

BACKGROUND Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is not only a cytokine which has a critical role in several inflammatory conditions but also has endocrine and enzymatic functions. MIF is identified as an intracellular signaling molecule and is implicated in the process of tumor progression, and also strongly enhances neovascularization. Overexpression of MIF has been observed in tumors ...

BACKGROUND Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has emerged as a pivotal mediator of innate immunity and has been shown to be an important effector molecule in severe sepsis. Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important cause of community-acquired sepsis in Southeast-Asia. We aimed to characterize the expression and function of MIF in melioidosis. METHODOLOGY AND ...

The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) gene is located on human chromosome 22q11.2 and is linked to atopic phenotypes. Plasma MIF and log [total IgE] levels are significantly elevated in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between two MIF polymorphisms, -173 G to C and -794 CATT5-8, and total plasma IgE levels in AD patients in Korea...

The macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been increasingly implicated in cancer development and progression by promoting inflammation, angiogenesis, tumor cell survival and immune suppression. MIF is overexpressed in a variety of solid tumor types in part due to its responsiveness to hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) driven transcriptional activation. MIF secretion, however, is a poorl...

The proinflammatory cytokine MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) is involved in physiological and pathological processes in pregnancy. MIF maternal serum levels are increased in preeclampsia (PE). We hypothesize that pregnancy tissues are the source of MIF overexpression in PE. MIF protein was studied in maternal sera, placental tissues, fetal membranes, and umbilical cord of 8 control...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE MIF has been implicated to function in many inflammatory processes. This study examined whether MIF expression was affected in stroke and its underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS ELISA and qRT-PCR were used to detect MIF protein and mRNA in PBMCs from stroke patients, the ischemic rat brains, and controls. A MIF promoter assay under hypoxia was performed. RESULTS M...