Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor in adults with a median survival of 14.6 months despite surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. One hallmark of GBM is the accumulation of potently immunosuppressive regulatory T cells (Tregs) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). However, the factors underlying Treg and MDSC trafficking to GBM have not been...

Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2), also known as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, plays a critical role in leukocyte recruitment and activation. In the present study, we identify an additional role for CCL2 that of neuroprotection against HIV-1 transactivator protein (Tat) toxicity in rat primary midbrain neurons. Furthermore, we report the involvement of transient receptor potential can...

The dramatic responses tumors display to targeted therapies are limited by acquired or pre-existing mechanisms of therapy resistance. We recently discovered that androgen receptor blockade by the anti-androgen enzalutamide paradoxically enhanced metastasis and that these pro-metastatic effects were mediated by the chemoattractant CCL2. CCL2 is regulated by TNF, which is negatively regulated by ...

Adipose tissue inflammation is present in insulin-resistant conditions. We recently proposed a network of microRNAs (miRNAs) and transcription factors (TFs) regulating the production of the proinflammatory chemokine (C-C motif) ligand-2 (CCL2) in adipose tissue. We presently extended and further validated this network and investigated if the circuits controlling CCL2 can interact in human adipo...

CCL2 chemokine and its receptor CCR2 may contribute to neuropathic pain development. We tested the hypothesis that injury to peripheral nerves triggers CCL2 release from afferents in the dorsal horn spinal cord (DHSC), leading to pronociceptive effects, involving the production of proinflammatory factors, in particular. Consistent with the release of CCL2 from primary afferents, electron micros...

Chronic exposure to ethanol produces a number of detrimental effects on behavior. Neuroadaptive changes in brain structure or function underlie these behavioral effects and may be transient or persistent in nature. Central to the functional changes are alterations in the biology of neuronal and glial cells of the brain. Recent data show that ethanol induces glial cells of the brain to produce e...

CC chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) is the most potent monocyte chemoattractant and inter-individual differences in its expression level have been associated with genetic variants mapping to the cis-regulatory regions of the gene. An A to G polymorphism in the CCL2 enhancer region at position -2578 (rs1024611; A>G), was found in most studies to be associated with higher serum CCL2 levels and increased...

BACKGROUND Decidua is in close contact with the fetal trophoblasts, and involved in immune relationship of mother to fetus. However, the roles of decidua and decidual stromal cells (DSC) in materno-fetal immune regulation remain to be elucidated. In the present study, the expression and regulation of chemokines and their receptors in decidua and DSCs were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS The...

Chemokines and chemokine receptors play a key role in the transmigration of leucocytes across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). CCR2 is the major receptor for CCL2, a potent monocyte and T cell chemoattractant. CCR2 and CCL2 have been consistently associated with a pathogenic role in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, using knockout and transgenic mice, neutralizing antibodies, peptide ant...

CCL2 [chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2] contributes to the inflammation-induced neuropathic pain through activating VGSC (voltage-gated sodium channel)-mediated nerve impulse conduction, but the underlying mechanism is currently unknown. Our study aimed to investigate whether PKC (protein kinase C)-NF-κB (nuclear factor κB) is involved in CCL2-induced regulation of voltage-gated sodium Nav1.8 cur...