Recently we demonstrated that a high percentage of atopic dermatitis (AD) patients displayed specific immunoglobulin E reactivity to human proteins. Here we show that IgE autoreactivity is found predominantly in AD patients with severe skin manifestations and reveal the molecular nature of four IgE autoantigens. An expression cDNA library constructed from a human epithelial cell line (A 431) wa...

high levels of regulated oncogen-alpha (gro-a) expression have been observed in the liver. gro-a stimulates proliferation of epithelial cells and induction of rolling and extravascular migration of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. given the above observations, this chemokine was chosen to be analyzed in freshly isolated and cultured hepatocytes. in this study, hepatocytes (2×106 cell/ml) were...

Transcription factor E26 transformation-specific sequence-1 (ETS-1) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of a variety of genes, including growth factors, chemokines, and adhesion molecules. We recently demonstrated that angiotensin II increases the glomerular expression of ETS-1 and that blockade of ETS-1 ameliorates the profibrotic and proinflammatory effects of angiotensin ...

As a phenotypically plastic cellular population, macrophages change their physiology in response to environmental signals. Emerging evidence suggests that macrophages are capable of tightly coordinating their metabolic programs to adjust their immunological and bioenergetic functional properties, as needed. Upon mitogenic stimulation, quiescent macrophages enter the cell cycle, increasing their...

BACKGROUND HER2/neu (HER2) is a proto-oncogen of the EGF Receptor family. The assessment of serum HER2 level is useful for predicting the patients' response to chemotherapy or hormonal therapy and selection of proper patients for treatment with Herceptin. We aimed to compare serum HER2 levels with immunohistochemistry in tumoral tissues and investigate correlation between these levels and vario...

Cancer of the breast is one of the most common human neoplasm, many environmental, personal and genetic factors have been implicated as a risk factors to develop breast cancer. Tumor size, histological subtype, grading, lympho-vascular permeation, and lymph node involvement are the cardinal independent factors influence prognosis and response to different therapeutic modalities. Among other pro...

High levels of regulated oncogen-alpha (GRO-a) expression have been observed in the liver. GRO-a stimulates proliferation of epithelial cells and induction of rolling and extravascular migration of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. Given the above observations, this chemokine was chosen to be analyzed in freshly isolated and cultured hepatocytes. In this study, hepatocytes (2×106 cell/ml) were...

Background: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) constitute the majority of gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors. They usually express a proto-oncogen protein called CD117 detected by immunohistochemistry. This study investigated the differentiation of GISTs as well as the risk of aggressive behaviors in GISTs from surgically-treated patients in university affiliated hospitals. Methods: The c...

Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common extra cranial malignant solid tumor of childhood. Various molecular and cytogenetic factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma, some of which have proven useful in predicting clinical behavior. Over expression of the oncogen N-myc, is an important indicator of prognosis. Materials and Methods: Our study was performed from 20...

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) BARF1 (BamHI-A rightward frame 1) protein is a viral oncogen and immunomodulator. BARF1 mRNA is highly and selectively expressed in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and gastric carcinoma (GC), however, evidence for presence of BARF1 protein in situ is lacking. In vitro, the hexameric form of BARF1 is rapidly secreted (sBARF1). Secretion of BARF1 from NPC tumor cells may r...