Norepinephrine up-regulates the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, and MMP-9 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma tumor cells.

Recent studies using ovarian cancer cells have shown that the catecholamine hormones norepinephrine (norepi) and epinephrine (epi) may influence cancer progression by modulating the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The purpose of this study is to determine if the stress hormone norepi can influence the expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and VEGF in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) tumors by using three NPC tumor cell lines. The NPC cell lines HONE-1, HNE-1, and CNE-1 were treated with norepi.

EBV-encoded dUTPase induces immune dysregulation: Implications for the pathophysiology of EBV-associated disease.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encodes for several enzymes that are involved in viral DNA replication. There is evidence that some viral proteins, by themselves, can induce immune dysregulation that may contribute to the pathophysiology of the virus infection. In this study, we focused on the EBV-encoded deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) and present the first evidence that the dUTPase is able to induce immune dysregulation in vitro as demonstrated by the inhibition of the replication of stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the upregulation of several proinflammatory cytokines including TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-6, and IL-10 produced by unstimulated PBMCs treated with purified EBV-encoded dUTPase.

Stress-associated changes in the steady-state expression of latent Epstein-Barr virus: implications for chronic fatigue syndrome and cancer.

Antibodies to several Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded enzymes are observed in patients with different EBV-associated diseases. The reason for these antibody patterns and the role these proteins might play in the pathophysiology of disease, separate from their role in virus replication, is unknown. In this series of studies, we found that purified EBV deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) can inhibit the replication of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro and upregulate the production of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10.

Epstein-Barr virus-encoded dUTPase modulates immune function and induces sickness behavior in mice.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis (IM). In addition, latent infections with EBV are associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and Burkitt's Lymphoma (BL). Antibodies to several EBV-encoded early antigens (EA) are often observed in patients with NPC and BL, however, the role of EBV-encoded proteins in the etiology of these and other EBV-associated diseases is not completely understood.