Two-pore domain potassium channels, like KCNK2, are known to play an important role in inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Upregulation of cellular adhesion molecules in mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (MBMECs) of Kcnk2-/- mice resulted in elevated leukocyte trafficking into the central nervous system under inflammatory conditions. The current project aims to gain...

Resting platelet adhesion to inflammatory vascular endothelium is thought to play a causal role in secondary thrombus formation or microcirculatory disturbance after vessel occlusion. However, though adhesion receptors involved in platelet-matrix interactions have been extensively studied, the molecular mechanisms involved in platelet-endothelium interactions are incompletely characterized and ...

Epidemiological studies have shown that arsenic exposure increases atherosclerosis, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unknown. Monocytes, macrophages and platelets play an important role in the initiation of atherosclerosis. Circulating monocytes and macrophages bind to the activated vascular endothelium and migrate into the sub-endothelium, where they become lipid-laden foam ...

Human blood outgrowth endothelial cells (HBOECs) are expanded from circulating endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood and thus could provide a source of autologous endothelial cells for tissue-engineered vascular grafts. To examine the suitability of adult HBOECs for use in vascular tissue engineering, the shear stress responsiveness of these cells was examined on bioartificial tissue...

Neutrophil-endothelial cell interactions are mediated by interacting sets of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) and chemoattractant/activator molecules to form an "adhesion cascade." The initial phase of inflammation, a transient slowing of neutrophils in postcapillary venules, is mediated by selectins. Subsequently, firm adhesion of neutrophils to the vessel wall occurs via interaction of the CD11...

kcnk2 was previously shown to regulate immune-cell trafficking into the central nervous system (cns). kcnk2-/- mice demonstrated a more severe disease course in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis, due to an increased immune-cell migration into the cns. an upregulation of the cellular adhesion molecules icam1 and vcam1 on brain endothelial cells in k...

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1 or CD31) is a molecule expressed on all cells within the vascular compartment, being expressed to different degrees on most leukocyte sub-types, platelets, and on endothelial cells where its expression is largely concentrated at junctions between adjacent cells. As well as exhibiting adhesive properties, PECAM-1 is an efficient signaling mo...