Acute-phase proteins are proteins whose plasma concentrations increase in response to inflammation. The variability in protein plasma levels, and following impact on drug binding extent, cause modifications in the mode of drug action, distribution, disposition and elimination. One of the most important acute phase proteins is a1-acid glycoprotein (AAG or AGP), principal binding protein for basi...

– A four states phase diagram for protein folding as a function of temperature and solvent quality is derived from an improved 2-d lattice model taking into account the temperature dependence of the hydrophobic effect. The phase diagram exhibits native, globule and two coil-type regions. In agreement with experiment, the model reproduces the phase transitions indicative of both warm and cold de...

This review is to evaluate the usefulness of acute phase proteins in monitoring transplant patients. Acute phase reaction is a non-specific immune response evoked by many different stimuli. Acute phase proteins (APPs) that play an important role in this reaction help to restore homeostasis. APPs concentration and glycosylation changes during acute and chronic inflammation are commonly known and...

The acute-phase response to inflammatory stimuli, characterized by increased synthesis of acute-phase proteins (APP), is often accompanied by changes in the glycosylation patterns of some of these proteins. While expression of APP genes in hepatocytes is regulated by monokines, mechanisms governing changes in glycosylation are not known. Exposure of human hepatoma cell line Hep 3B to conditione...

Interactions between tumor cells and the host microenvironment have been shown to play a significant role in the initiation, progression, and invasiveness of human cancer. The complex changes in the tumor microenvironment have been shown to modulate the activation of the different arms of the host immune system including the acute phase response. Acute phase changes are mediated by several seru...

Ferritin is a positive acute phase reactant, exhibiting increased levels in blood during the acute phase response. Nevertheless, the precise role of ferritin as an acute phase reactant remains to be clarified. As for other acute phase proteins, ferritin is produced and secreted by hepatocytes. However, ferritin is also produced and secreted by other cell types, including macrophages and cancer ...

This article provides a review of recent studies of the properties of unsolvated (and partially solvated) peptides and proteins. The methods used to produce vapor-phase peptide and protein ions are described along with some of the techniques used to study them, such as H/D exchange, blackbody infrared radiative dissociation, and ion mobility measurements. Studies of unsolvated peptides and prot...