It has been proposed that ligand occupancy of integrin alphavbeta3 with extracellular matrix ligands (e.g. vitronectin) plays a critical role in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling. We found that expression of alphavbeta3 enhanced IGF-1-induced proliferation of Chinese hamster ovary cells in serum-free conditions (in the absence of vitro...
The purposes of this study were to characterize the direct effect of the C-terminal fragment of fibrinogen gamma chain (gammaC) on microvascular endothelial permeability and to examine its molecular mechanism of action. Intravital microscopy was performed to measure albumin extravasation in intact mesenteric microvasculature, followed by quantifica...
Secretory phospholipase A2 group IIA (sPLA2-IIA) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. Catalytic activity of this enzyme that generates arachidonic acid is a major target for development of anti-inflammatory agents. Independent of its catalytic activity, sPLA2-IIA induces pro-inflammatory signals in a receptor-mediat...
The prototypic acute phase reactant C-reactive protein (CRP) is not only a marker but also a potential contributor to inflammatory diseases. CRP exists as the circulating native, pentameric CRP (pCRP) and the monomeric isoform (mCRP), formed as a result of a dissociation process of pCRP. mCRP is highly pro-inflammatory, but pCRP is not. The mechani...
Using the "one-bead one-peptide" combinatorial technology, a library of random cyclic octapeptides and nonapeptides, consisting of natural and unnatural amino acids, was synthesized on polystyrene beads. This library was used to screen for peptides that promoted attachment and proliferation of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma cells (H1650), employing a...
Small peptide-based agents have attracted wide interest as cancer-targeting agents for diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy. There is a need to develop new high-affinity and high-specificity peptidomimetic or small-molecule ligands against cancer cell surface receptors. Here we report on the identification of a high-affinity peptidomimetic ligan...
The membrane-bound chemokine fractalkine (FKN, CX3CL1) on endothelial cells plays a role in leukocyte trafficking. The chemokine domain (FKN-CD) is sufficient for inducing FKN signaling (e.g., integrin activation), and FKN-CD binds to its receptor CX3CR1 on leukocytes. Whereas previous studies suggest that FKN-CD does not directly bind to integrins...
Rotavirus outer capsid proteins VP5(*), VP8(*) and VP7 elicit neutralizing, protective antibodies. The alpha 2 beta 1 integrin is a cellular receptor for rotavirus that is bound by VP5(*). Some rotaviruses also recognize the alpha 4 beta 1 integrin. In this study, the effects of antibodies to rotavirus on virus binding to recombinant alpha 2 beta 1...
Group A rotaviruses are major intestinal pathogens that express potential alpha4beta1 and alpha4beta7 integrin ligand sequences Leu-Asp-Val and Leu-Asp-Ile in their outer capsid protein VP7, and Ile-Asp-Ala in their spike protein VP4. Monkey rotavirus SA11 can use recombinant alpha4beta1 as a cellular receptor. In this study a new potential alpha4b...
