Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can localize in injured, inflamed, and cancerous tissues after systemic infusion. However, the dynamic homing profile of MSCs in the peripheral blood is not well characterized. Here, using in vivo flow cytometry to noninvasively monitor the dynamics of fluorescence-labeled cells, we found different clearance kinetics of systemically infused MSCs...

T cells reactive to microbiota regulate the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). As T cell trafficking to intestines is regulated through interactions between highly specific chemokine-chemokine receptors, efforts have been made to develop intestine-specific immunosuppression based on blocking these key processes. CCR9, a gut-trophic chemokine receptor expressed by lymphocytes and ...

Interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R) signaling is critical for multiple stages of T-cell development, but a role in the establishment of the mature thymic architecture needed for T-cell development and thymocyte selection has not been established. Crosstalk signals between developing thymocytes and thymic epithelial cell (TEC) precursors are critical for their differentiation into cortical TECs (cTEC...

Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by perivascular and periadnexal lymphohistiocytic infiltrate interface dermatitis. Using suction blister biopsies of lesional nonlesional from four CLE patients three healthy donors, we did spectral flow cytometry to study the immune cells infiltrating cytokines in interstitial fluid. We identified a significant i...

Depleted uranium (DU) is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process and shares chemical properties with natural and enriched uranium. To investigate the toxic effects of environmental DU exposure on the immune system, we examined the influences of DU (in the form of uranyl nitrate) on viability and immune function as well as cytokine gene expression in murine peritoneal macrophages and sple...

The focus of this study was to determine which chemokine receptors are present on oral fibroblasts and whether these receptors influence proliferation, migration, and/or the release of wound healing mediators. This information may provide insight into the superior wound healing characteristics of the oral mucosa. The gingiva fibroblasts expressed 12 different chemokine receptors (CCR3, CCR4, CC...

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) contribute to breast cancer progression by releasing soluble factors that sustain tumor progression. MSCs express functional epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and breast cancer cells secrete EGFR-ligands including transforming growth factor-α (TGFα). Using RNA-sequencing, we analysed the whole transcriptome of MSCs stimulated with TGFα. We...

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with extra-intestinal manifestations which occur either at the same time as flares of bowel inflammation (skin and eye disease) or run a course that is independent to inflammation in the bowel (liver and some joint syndromes). It has been suggested that the skin and eye complications occur as a consequence of the recruitment of activated effector cells r...