Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 by many cancers correlates with aggressive clinical behavior. As part of the initial studies in a project whose goal was to quantify CXCR4 expression on cancers non-invasively, we examined CXCR4 expression in cancer samples by immunohistochemistry using a validated anti-CXCR4 antibody. Among solid tumors, we found expression of CXCR4 on significant per...

Aberrant chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor CXCR4 expressions in malignant tissues have been reported, but its role in gastric cancer prognosis remains unknown. Our studies were designed to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of CXCR4 in patients with gastric cancer. CXCR4 expression was retrospectively analyzed by immunohistochemistry in 97 patients with gastric adenocarcinoma...

BACKGROUND Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is highly expressed in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and is involved in tumorigenesis and development. However, EGFR expression alone has limited clinical and prognostic significance. Recently, the cross-talk between EGFR and G-protein-coupled chemokine receptor CXCR4 has become increasingly recognized. METHODS In the present study,...

Using microarray gene analysis, we found that carboxyl-terminal Src kinase homologous kinase (CHK) regulated the expression of the chemokine receptor, CXCR4. Northern blot and fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analyses showed that CHK down-regulated CXCR4 mRNA and protein levels, respectively. Mutated CHK, which contains a mutation within the ATP binding site of CHK, failed to inhibit CXCR4 e...

CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and its ligand, stromal-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α; also known as CXCL12), are crucial for the redistribution of immune cells after acute exercise. We investigated the relationships between acute exercise and CXCR4 expression on natural killer (NK) cells. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were cultured with cortisol and analyzed for CXCR4 expression on C...

Tumor heterogeneity is a major impediment to cancer cures. Tumor cell heterogeneity can arise by irreversible genetic mutation, as well as by non-mutational mechanisms, which can be reversibly modulated by the tumor microenvironment and the epigenome. We recently reported that the chemokine receptor CXCR4 is induced in Ewing sarcoma cells in response to microenvironmental stress. In the current...

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is an important G protein-coupled receptor. Signaling via CXCL12 regulates a number of important biologic processes, including immune responses, organogenesis, or hematopoiesis. Dysregulation of CXCR4 signaling is associated with a variety of diseases, such as cancer development and metastasis, immunodeficiencies, or chronic inflammation. Here, we review our finding...

This study focuses on the effect of mu-opioid receptor agonists on CXCR4 signaling in neurons and the mechanisms involved in regulation of neuronal CXCR4 by opiates. The data show that CXCR4 is negatively modulated by long-term morphine treatments both in vitro and in vivo; CXCR4 inhibition is caused by direct stimulation of mu-opioid receptors in neurons, leading to alterations of ligand-induc...

This study investigated the role of stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)/CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) axis in brain and endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and explored the efficacy of CXCR4 primed EPCs in treating ischemic stroke in diabetes. The db/db diabetic and db/+ mice were used in this study. Levels of plasma SDF-1α and circulating CD34+CXCR4+ cells were measured. Brain SDF-1α a...

CXCR4 is a negative prognostic marker in acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs). Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel ways to inhibit CXCR4 expression in leukemia. AMD3100 is an inhibitor of CXCR4 currently used to mobilize cancer cells. CXCR4 is a target of microRNA (miR)-146a that may represent a new tool to inhibit CXCR4 expression. We then investigated CXCR4 regulation by miR-146a in primary...