Spines are dendritic protrusions that receive most of the excitatory input in the brain. Early after the onset of cerebral ischemia dendritic spines in the peri-infarct cortex are replaced by areas of focal swelling, and their re-emergence from these varicosities is associated with neurological recovery after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) is a serine pr...

Considerable evidence links urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) bound to its surface receptor (uPAR) with enhanced invasiveness of cancer cells. By blocking uPAR expression in human epidermoid carcinoma cells (HEp3), we have now identified an additional and novel in vivo function for this receptor by showing that receptor-deficient cells enter a state of dormancy reminiscent of that observed ...

A lectin function within CD11b mediates both cytotoxic priming of Mac-1/complement receptor type 3 (CR3) by beta-glucan and the formation of transmembrane signaling complexes with GPI-anchored glycoproteins such as CD16b (FcgammaRIIIb). A requirement for GPI-anchored urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR; CD87) in neutrophil adhesion and diapedesis has been demonstrated with uPAR-knock...

The hypothesis of this study was the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is required for accumulation of inflammatory cells in injured skeletal muscle and for efficient muscle regeneration. Expression of uPAR was elevated at 1 and 3 days after cardiotoxin-induced muscle injury in wild-type mice before returning to baseline levels. Neutrophil accumulation peaked 1 day postinjury...

The structural basis of the interaction between single-chain urokinase-type plasminogen activator (scuPA) and its receptor (uPAR) is incompletely defined. Several observations indicated the kringle facilitates the binding of uPA to uPAR. A scuPA variant lacking the kringle (Delta K-scuPA) bound to soluble uPAR (suPAR) with the similar "on-rate" but with a faster "off-rate" than wild-type (WT)-s...

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is involved in the regulation of cell motility in a variety of cell types. We show here that expression of human uPAR in growing murine fibroblasts leads to a dramatic reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. uPAR expression induces multiple rapidly advancing protrusions that resemble the leading edge of migrating cells. The cytoskeletal...

Diabetes-induced breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) has been linked to hyperglycemia-induced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and is likely mediated by an increase in oxidative stress. We have shown that VEGF increases permeability of retinal endothelial cells (REC) by inducing expression of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR). The purpose of this st...

Urokinase receptor (urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor [uPAR], CD87), a GPI-anchored protein, is considered to play an important role in inflammation and fibrinolysis. The Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei is able to survive and replicate within leukocytes and causes melioidosis, an important cause of pneumonia-derived community-acquired sepsis in Southeast Asia. In t...

Vascular cell adhesion and migration, proliferation or differentiation are cellular responses that are induced by haemostatic factors of the urokinase/plasminogen activation complex, but the respective underlying mechanisms are largely undefined. The direct and indirect contributions of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) system in inflammatory processes, as they relate to ...

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked membrane protein with no cytosolic domain that localizes to lipid raft microdomains. Our laboratory and others have documented that lung fibroblasts from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) exhibit a hypermotile phenotype. This study was undertaken to elucidate the molecular mechanism...