To improve the current knowledge on the involvement of peripheral lymphocytes in hepatitis E virus (HEV) associated pathogenesis, we analyzed alterations in (1) immunophenotypic expressions (by flow cytometry) and (2) gene expression patterns (by TaqMan Low Density Array) of activatory, inhibitory, integrin, homing, ectonucleotidase machinery, costimulatory, inflammatory markers, and T regulato...

Hyperphosphatemia causes endothelial dysfunction as well as vascular calcification. Management of serum phosphate level by dietary phosphate restriction or phosphate binders is considered to be beneficial to prevent chronic kidney disease patients from cardiovascular disease, but it has been unclear whether keeping lower serum phosphate level can ameliorate endothelial dysfunction. In this stud...

Allergic, inflammatory, and immune responses carried out by eosinophils are regulated by the cross talk between activatory and inhibitory signals. While much data has been obtained on activatory signals, inhibitory receptors on these cells have received scant attention. Therefore, we screened the surface of human peripheral blood eosinophils for inhibitory receptors using monoclonal antibodies ...

PURPOSE Cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis (CGGN) is a type of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) that develops in patients with systemic cryoglobulinemia. To date the exact pathogenesis of CGGN remains unclear. It has been suggested that macrophages may be significant contributors to the glomerular injury in this disease. In our study we attempt to characterize the macrophages in...

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors impacting key developmental processes including embryogenesis, organogenesis, and cell differentiation. Reflecting their tight transcriptional control, homeobox genes are often embedded in large non-coding, cis-regulatory regions, containing tissue specific elements. In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) homeobox genes are frequently deregula...

NK cells express both inhibitory and activatory receptors that allow them to recognize target cells through HLA class I Ag expression. KIR3DL1 is a receptor that recognizes the HLA-Bw4 public epitope of HLA-B alleles. We demonstrate that polymorphism within the KIR3DL1 receptor has functional consequences in terms of NK cell recognition of target. Inhibitory alleles of KIR3DL1 differ in their a...

GTP evoked both an activatory and an inhibitory response from adipocyte adenylate cyclase. This paper describes the persistence of the bimodal response under a variety of assay conditions. Additionally, manipulations are described which eliminate one or other of these actions. Treatment of adipocyte plasma membranes with cholera toxin A1 peptide and NAD+ abolishes the inhibitory phase of GTP ac...

Platelets are critical for haemostasis and blood clotting. However, since under normal circumstances blood should flow without clotting, its function is regulated via a complex interplay of activating and inhibiting signal transduction pathways. Understanding this network is crucial for treatment of cardiovascular and bleeding diseases. Detailed protein interaction and phosphorylation data are ...

The signaling system is a fundamental part of the cell, as it regulates essential functions including growth, differentiation, protein synthesis, and apoptosis. A malfunction in this subsystem can disrupt the cell significantly, and is believed to be involved in certain diseases, with cancer being a very important example. While the information available about intracellular signaling networks i...

Viruses exploit the ubiquitin system by targeting cell-surface receptors recognized by immune cells for internalization, thereby evading recognition. We have characterized the KSHV (Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus)-encoded E3 ubiquitin ligases, K3 and K5. We find their activities not only prevent recognition by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, but also promote evasion of NK (natural killer) cel...