Upregulation of ADAM19 in chronic allograft nephropathy.

ADAM19 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 19) is involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha shedding. We studied ADAM19 in chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) nephrectomies and in normal human kidneys. Reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR revealed an upregulation of ADAM19 mRNA in CAN when compared with control kidneys (p = 0.

Strongly enhanced IL-10 production using stable galectin-1 homodimers.

Galectin-1 is the homodimeric form of a protein, which is present in a dynamic equilibrium with the beta-galactoside monomeric form and has potent anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects. These favorable effects are probably related to the induction of apoptosis in activated T cells and the induction of IL-10, which have been demonstrated to be characteristic for the dimeric form of the protein. Based on these findings it can be speculated that the in vivo effects of galectin-1 can be improved by the generation of stable galectin-1 homodimers (dGal).

High expression of calcium-binding proteins, S100A10, S100A11 and CALM2 in anaplastic large cell lymphoma.

Anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) are characterised by the presence of CD30-positive large cells, which usually are of T-cell type. Based on the presence or absence of translocations involving the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) locus, ALCL cases can be divided into two groups. To gain more insight in the biology of ALCL, we applied serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) on the Karpas299 cell line and identified 25 up- and 19 downregulated genes.

Dimeric galectin-1 induces IL-10 production in T-lymphocytes: an important tool in the regulation of the immune response.

Galectin-1, a beta-galactoside binding protein that can occur as both a monomer and a homodimer, binds to leucocyte membrane antigens such as CD7, CD43, and CD45, and has immune-regulatory functions in several animal models of autoimmune disease. However, its mechanism of action is only partially understood. In this study, a marked increase in IL-10 mRNA and protein levels was demonstrated in non-activated and activated CD4(+) and CD8(+) T-cells, following treatment with a high concentration (dimeric form), but not a low concentration (monomeric form), of recombinant galectin-1 protein.