During human thymic differentiation, interactions between fibronectin (Fn)/beta1 integrins and hyaluronan (HA)/RHAMM control motility and Fn/beta1 integrins mediate spontaneous Fn-dependent adhesion. Multinegative (MN, CD3-4-8-) thymocytes exhibit strong spontaneous adherence to Fn (75%) that was efficiently inhibited by anti-alpha5beta1 and only weakly inhibited by anti-alpha4beta1. The relati...

OBJECTIVE Hyaluronan (HA) is an important constituent of the extracellular matrix and is known to regulate cellular events through binding to CD44 and the receptor for HA-mediated motility (RHAMM). Here we investigated the role of these receptors and the signaling pathways involved in HA-mediated effects in arterial smooth muscle cells (ASMC). METHODS Effects of high-molecular weight HA (1 to...

Our objectives were to compare the expression of the hyaluronan receptors CD44 and RHAMM in knee synovial tissue of patients with and without advanced osteoarthritis (OA). Both receptors were detected immunohistochemically; the staining appeared more intense in the tissues from the patients with advanced OA. Expression of CD44 and RHAMM were each significantly increased (p < 0.05) in synovial t...

Although the immune status of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients is mostly characterized by immunosuppression, there is an accumulation of in vivo (graft-versus-leukemia effect) and in vitro (spontaneous remissions after infections) data that indicates that CLL might be effectively targeted by T-cell based immunotherapy. Recently, we characterized receptor for hyaluronic acid mediated ...

Background: Recently, we demonstrated immunological and clinical responses to a RHAMM-R3 peptide vaccine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and multiple myeloma (MM). To improve the outcome of the vaccine, a second cohort was vaccinated with a higher dose of 1,000μg peptide. Design and Methods: Nine patients received four vaccinations subcutaneously at a biw...

To explore the putative role of hyaluronan (HA) in tumor invasion in pancreatic cancer, we investigated the expression of the HA receptors CD44s and RHAMM in a panel of human pancreatic cancer cell lines. Expression of CD44s has been found in only 1 of 10 cell lines included in this study. This cell line exhibits a highly differentiated phenotype without any metastatic potential when injected i...

BACKGROUND Recently, we demonstrated immunological and clinical responses to a RHAMM-R3 peptide vaccine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and multiple myeloma. To improve the outcome of the vaccine, a second cohort was vaccinated with a higher dose of 1,000 microg peptide. DESIGN AND METHODS Nine patients received four vaccinations subcutaneously at a biweekly ...

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours (MPNST) are rare, hereditary cancers associated with neurofibromatosis type I. MPNSTs lack effective treatment options as they often resist chemotherapies and have high rates of disease recurrence. Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is an emerging target in cancer and an aurora kinase inhibitor (AKI), termed MLN8237, shows promise against MPNST cell lines in vitro...

PURPOSE Because hyaluronic acid (HA) is found in many surgical viscoelastic agents, this study aimed to determine (1) if HA receptors are present in the canine lens, (2) if the rate of lens epithelial cell (LEC) migration is altered following treatment with HA, and (3) if introduction of exogenous HA into the lens capsule promotes lenticular migration, thus contributing to posterior capsule opa...