Aberrant expression of chemokine receptor CCR4 in human gastric cancer contributes to tumor-induced immunosuppression.

The chemokine receptor CCR4 is preferentially expressed on certain immune cells and some hematological tumor cells, which play pivotal roles in suppression of host immune response. However, the reasons for the upmodulation of CCR4 and its immune functions in solid tumors remain unclear. Herein, we aimed to determine the expression profiles of CCR4 in gastric cancer cells and its role in regulating antitumor immunity.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 attenuates atherosclerotic lesions by targeting vascular cells.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a newly discovered homolog of ACE whose actions oppose those of angiotensin II (AngII). However, the underlying mechanisms by which ACE2 effectively suppresses early atherosclerotic lesions remain poorly understood. Here, we show, both in vitro and in vivo, that ACE2 inhibited the development of early atherosclerotic lesions by suppressing the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and improving endothelial function.

ACE2 overexpression ameliorates left ventricular remodeling and dysfunction in a rat model of myocardial infarction.

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that overexpression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) may favorably affect left ventricular (LV) remodeling and function after myocardial infarction (MI). The left anterior descending coronary artery was ligated to produce anterior MI in 100 Wistar-Kyoto rats that were randomly divided into Ad-ACE2, Ad-ACE2+A779, Ad-EGFP, model, and sham groups. Two weeks later, rats in the Ad-ACE2 and Ad-EGFP groups received direct intramyocardial injection of Ad-ACE2 and Ad-EGFP, respectively.

Detection of serum proteomic changes and discovery of serum biomarkers for Kashin-Beck disease using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS).

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the changes of serum proteome and discover potential biomarkers for Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) using surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS). The serum protein profiles from 102 cases (36 KBD patients, 16 controls in KBD areas, 33 controls in non-KBD areas, and 17 osteoarthritis controls) were detected by SELDI-TOF MS and weak cation-exchange protein chip. Differently expressed peaks in KBD were identified by comparing the data among the four groups using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test with Bonferroni correction at a significance level of 0.

Overexpression of ACE2 enhances plaque stability in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that ACE2 overexpression may enhance atherosclerotic plaque stability by antagonizing ACE activity and converting angiotensin II to angiotensin 1-7.

Methods And Results: Atherosclerotic plaques were induced in the abdominal aorta of 114 rabbits by endothelial injury and atherogenic diet. Gene therapy was performed in group A at week 4 and in group B at week 12, respectively.

Membrane type 1-matrix metalloproteinase is involved in the migration of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DC) are highly mobile APC. The trafficking of both immature and mature DC is crucial for their functions, which depends mainly on chemotactic attraction and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) activity. MMP that are in a transmembrane form belong to membrane type (MT)-MMP, among which MT1-MMP has been shown to possess strong proteolytic activity that is capable of degrading extracellular matrix molecules.