Interplay between Podoplanin, CD44s and CD44v in Squamous Carcinoma Cells.

Podoplanin and CD44 are transmembrane glycoproteins involved in inflammation and cancer. In this paper, we report that podoplanin is coordinately expressed with the CD44 standard (CD44s) and variant (CD44v) isoforms in vivo-in hyperplastic skin after a pro-inflammatory stimulus with 12--tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-and in vitro-in cell lines representative of different stages of mouse-skin chemical carcinogenesis, as well as in human squamous carcinoma cell (SCC) lines. Moreover, we identify CD44v10 in the mouse-skin carcinogenesis model as the only CD44 variant isoform expressed in highly aggressive spindle carcinoma cell lines together with CD44s and podoplanin.

Publisher Correction: The tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The tuatara genome reveals ancient features of amniote evolution.

The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)-the only living member of the reptilian order Rhynchocephalia (Sphenodontia), once widespread across Gondwana-is an iconic species that is endemic to New Zealand. A key link to the now-extinct stem reptiles (from which dinosaurs, modern reptiles, birds and mammals evolved), the tuatara provides key insights into the ancestral amniotes. Here we analyse the genome of the tuatara, which-at approximately 5 Gb-is among the largest of the vertebrate genomes yet assembled.

Podoplanin in Inflammation and Cancer.

Podoplanin is a small cell-surface mucin-like glycoprotein that plays a crucial role in the development of the alveoli, heart, and lymphatic vascular system. Emerging evidence indicates that it is also involved in the control of mammary stem-cell activity and biogenesis of platelets in the bone marrow, and exerts an important function in the immune response. Podoplanin expression is upregulated in different cell types, including fibroblasts, macrophages, T helper cells, and epithelial cells, during inflammation and cancer, where it plays important roles.

Interaction of the α7-nicotinic subunit with its human-specific duplicated dupα7 isoform in mammalian cells: Relevance in human inflammatory responses.

The α7 nicotinic receptor subunit and its partially duplicated human-specific dupα7 isoform are coexpressed in neuronal and non-neuronal cells. In these cells, α7 subunits form homopentameric α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7-nAChRs) implicated in numerous pathologies. In immune cells, α7-nAChRs are essential for vagal control of inflammatory response in sepsis.