Regulated chemokine gene expression in mouse mesothelioma and mesothelial cells: TNF-α upregulates both CC and CXC chemokine genes.

Many cancers express an array of chemokines which have the capacity to modulate the nature and function of intratumoural leukocyte infiltrates. In malignant mesothelioma (MM) neither the chemokine signalling networks nor their regulation have been investigated despite the prominence of leucocytic infiltrates in both clinical and experimental tumours. In this study, we examined constitutive and cytokine-regulated expression of CC and CXC chemokine genes in mesothelioma and mesothelial cell cultures derived from two different mouse strains (BALB/C and CBA/CaH).

Inclusion body myositis: new insights into pathogenesis.

Purpose Of Review: The pathogenesis of sporadic inclusion body myositis is complex and the disease has a relentless course. Recent observations regarding possible mechanisms of disease may provide targets for therapy.

Recent Findings: Evidence is strengthening that specific T-cell and B-cell responses are ongoing in skeletal muscle in sporadic inclusion body myositis and that cytokines and chemokines generated by an autoimmune response are likely to influence antigen presentation by intramuscular dendritic cells and muscle cells, expression of amyloid precursor protein and the endoplasmic reticulum stress response.

Apolipoprotein epsilon alleles in sporadic inclusion body myositis: a reappraisal.

Previous studies have differed as to whether APOE epsilon4 is a susceptibility factor for developing sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), with a positive association being found only in an Australian cohort of cases. We have now re-examined this in a larger cohort of 57 sIBM cases and have also carried out a meta-analysis of all the published studies looking for evidence of a risk association or effect of APOE alleles on disease expression. Our findings argue against a specific role for any APOE alleles in conferring susceptibility to sIBM but have demonstrated a non-significant trend towards an earlier age-of-onset in patients with the epsilon2 allele.

Cisplatin and TNF-alpha downregulate transcription of Bcl-xL in murine malignant mesothelioma cells.

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is an aggressive and highly chemo-resistant tumour. In this study, we examined cisplatin-induced apoptosis in mouse models of this disease and investigated the role of constitutive and inducible expression of apoptosis related genes in this process. All of the four mouse MM cell lines examined expressed Bax, Bcl-xL, c-Myc, and caspase-3 but not Bcl-2.

Identification of differentially expressed genes in murine mesothelioma cell lines of differing tumorigenicity using suppression subtractive hybridization.

We have previously prepared two B7-1 transfectant clones (AC29 B7-6 and AC29 B7-7) from the AC29 murine mesothelioma (MM) cell line which displayed markedly different in vivo growth rates and susceptibility to cytotoxic T cell killing. Using suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH), we searched for factors which may determine the biological distinction seen in these clones. We isolated 19 cDNA clones from two SSH generated libraries by screening using subtracted cDNA probes and characterised them using Northern hybridisation, sequencing, RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR.

Inflammatory myopathies: clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

The three major forms of immune-mediated inflammatory myopathy are dermatomyositis (DM), polymyositis (PM), and inclusion-body myositis (IBM). They each have distinctive clinical and histopathologic features that allow the clinician to reach a specific diagnosis in most cases. Magnetic resonance imaging is sometimes helpful, particularly if the diagnosis of IBM is suspected but has not been formally evaluated.

Seasonal occurrence of relapses in inflammatory myopathies: a preliminary study.

The seasonal occurrence of relapses was analysed retrospectively in a group of 53 patients with treated dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM). In DM, the incidence of both myositic and cutaneous relapses was highest in summer whereas in the PM group relapses was more evenly distributed throughout the seasons but lowest in summer. The present findings suggest that environmental factors such as intercurrent infections and light exposure may be involved in reactivating the disease process and causing relapses in DM but less so in PM.