Publications by authors named "Deirdre La Placa"

Objective: Although Ceacam1 male mice become obese on normal chow, the effect of bone marrow transplantation or introduction of the carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) gene has not been studied, to the knowledge of the authors.

Methods: This study analyzed Ceacam1 mice on normal diet or high-fat diet (HFD), including effects of bone marrow transplantation or introduction of the CEACAM1 gene.

Results: Male Ceacam1 mice on normal diet versus HFD for 24 weeks gained significantly more weight than controls, and Ceacam1 mice aged up to 2 years had a high frequency of liver cancer.

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Recent studies have identified long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as potential regulators of adipogenesis. In this study, we have characterized a lncRNA, LIPE-AS1, that spans genes to in man with conservation of genomic organization and tissue expression between mouse and man. Tissue-specific expression of isoforms of the murine lncRNA were found in liver and adipose tissue, one of which, designated mLas-V3, overlapped the gene encoding hormone-sensitive lipase in both mouse and man suggesting that it may have a functional role in adipose tissue.

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Immunomodulatory peptide cathelicidin/LL-37 induces human monocyte differentiation into a novel bone repair cell, the monoosteophil. We now demonstrate that LL-37 is endocytosed by monocytes over a period of 6 days producing large (10 × 2 μm), specialized LL-37 and integrin α3 positive vesicles. CXCR2, a membrane receptor previously associated with the binding of LL-37 to neutrophils, was co-endocytosed with LL-37 where both markers remained within the cytosol over a 16 h observation period.

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Background: Systemic inflammation and the fever response to pathogens are coordinately regulated by IL-6 and IL-1β. We previously showed that CEACAM1 regulates the LPS driven expression of IL-1β in murine neutrophils through its ITIM receptor.

Results: We now show that the prompt secretion of IL-6 in response to LPS is regulated by CEACAM1 expression on bone marrow monocytes.

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Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with a high incidence in females that may involve activation of the immune system. We performed exome sequencing on chemokine genes in a region of chromosome 17 identified in a genome-wide family association study.

Methods And Findings: Exome sequence analysis of 100 FM probands was performed at 17p13.

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Humanized mice that express the human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1 locus have been developed in a Ugt1-null background as a model to improve predictions of human UGT1A-dependent drug clearance. Enzyme kinetic parameters (K(m) and V(max)) and pharmacokinetic properties of three probe drugs were compared using wild-type and humanized UGT1 mice that express the Gilbert's UGT1A1*28 allele [Tg(UGT1(A1*28)) Ugt1(-/-) mice]. The well characterized substrate for UGT1A1, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin (SN-38), showed the greatest difference in parent drug exposure ( approximately 3-fold increase) and clearance ( approximately 3-fold decrease) in Tg(UGT1(A1*28)) Ugt1(-/-) mice after intravenous administration compared with wild-type and phenobarbital-treated animals.

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