T-helper (Th) 2 cytokines are thought to mediate most features of allergic inflammation in atopic asthma. However, it remains unclear whether chemokine pathways direct selective recruitment of Th2 cells to the airways during human allergic responses. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed in 15 nonsmoking mild atopic asthmatics before and 24 h after a fibreoptic segmental allergen challenge...

Immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) to IgE is a tightly regulated process central to atopic disease. To profile the B-cell transcriptional responses underlying the activation of the germinal centre activities leading to the generation of IgE, naïve human B-cells were stimulated with IL-4 and anti-CD40. Gene expression and alternative splicing were profiled over 12 days using the Aff...

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related death, which is due to migration of tumor cells to distant sites of metastasis. Accumulating data indicate that mciroRNAs play an important role in several aspects of colon cancer cell biology. Herein, we examined the role of miR-155-5p in colon cancer cell migration induced by the CCL17-CCR4 axis in HT-29 colon cancer cells. W...

We compared gene expression in blood neutrophils (polymorphonuclear leukocytes, or PMNs) collected from healthy subjects with those of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients devoid of bacterial colonization. Macroarray analysis of 1050 genes revealed upregulation of 62 genes and downregulation expression of 27 genes in CF blood PMNs. Among upregulated genes were those coding for vitronectin, some chemok...

The success of the cutaneous immune system reflects its ability to rapidly and efficiently recruit leukocytes to areas of trauma and infection. Skin-homing memory T cells expressing cutaneous lymphocyte-associated Ag tether on the walls of postcapillary venules in inflamed skin via interaction with endothelial E-selectin and roll in response to the shear stress imparted by flowing blood. Rollin...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the tape strip sampling technique in the assessment of stratum corneum levels of inflammatory mediators in a clinical trial setting. METHODS Thirty-eight inflammatory mediators were analyzed by a multiplex-assay in the stratum corneum, collected by adhesive tapes before and after 6 weeks of therapy, in mild and moderate atopic dermatitis (AD) pat...

The serum levels of Th2 markers, including CCL17 (thymus and activation-regulated chemokine [TARC]), CCL22 (macrophage-derived chemokine [MDC]), and soluble CD30, were measured in 101 HIV-negative tuberculosis patients, 103 healthy community controls, and 18 tuberculosis patients in recovery. The levels of CCL17/TARC (249.8 ± 19.91 versus 143.9 ± 10.54, P < 0.0001) and sCD30 (7.78 ± 0.44 versus...

Previous studies have found that tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote cancer progression. We previously reported that TAMs promote prostate cancer metastasis via activation of the CCL2-CCR2 axis. The CCR4 (receptor of CCL17 and CCL22) expression level in breast cancer was reported to be associated with lung metastasis. The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of CCR2 and CCR4 in p...

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a lymphoproliferative disease, which differs in its morphology and therapeutic response from other lymphomas. Neoplastic cells represent only a minor cell population of the tumour, while the major part of the tumour is formed by inflammatory cells. It results from the production of cytokines and chemokines both by neoplastic cells and by inflammatory cells. An important pr...

Interleukin (IL)-22 is an effector cytokine, which acts primarily on epithelial cells in the skin, gut, liver and lung. Both pro- and anti-inflammatory properties have been reported for IL-22 depending on the tissue and disease model. In a murine model of allergic airway inflammation, we found that IL-22 is predominantly produced by innate lymphoid cells in the inflamed lungs, rather than TH ce...