(Press-News.org) Immune cells play a role in early pregnancy
Macrophages are white blood cells that help prevent and alert the immune system to the threat of a pathogenic infection. Interestingly, macrophages are present in the uterus and ovaries at the time of conception. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Sarah Robertson and colleagues at the University of Adelaide investigated the role of macrophages in early pregnancy. The team utilized a mouse model in which macrophages could be depleted immediately after embryo implantation. They found that without macrophages, embryos were unable to implant in the uterus. The failure to implant was thought to be caused by reduced levels of certain hormones, such as progesterone and vascular endothelial growth factors. Pregnancy could be completely restored by either the addition of macrophages or through administration of progesterone. These findings shed light on a new function of macrophages, as well as a potentially correctable cause of infertility.
TITLE:
Macrophages regulate corpus luteum development during embryo implantation in mice
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Sarah Robertson
The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, UNK, AUS
Phone: +618 8303 4094; Fax: +618 8303 4099; E-mail: sarah.robertson@adelaide.edu.au
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/60561?key=9221c3260eec6640345e
Removal of tumor-associated immune cell protein decreases tumor progression
The number of tumor-associated immune cells is correlated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. Reducing these cells in mouse models of breast cancer reduces tumor metastasis, indicating that tumor-immune interactions are critical for cancer progression. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shelley Earp and colleagues at the University of North Carolina a Chapel Hill demonstrate that removal of the protein MerTK from immune cells decreased tumor growth in mouse models of breast cancer, melanoma, and colon cancer. Loss of MerTK reduced the release of molecules associated with inflammation. These findings suggest that drugs that inhibit MerTK may stimulate anti-tumor responses and could potentially have clinical benefit.
TITLE:
MerTK inhibition in tumor leukocytes decreases tumor growth and metastasis
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Shelton Earp
UNC Lineberger Comp Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Phone: 919-966-2335; Fax: 919-966-3015; E-mail: hse@med.unc.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/67655?key=e88c1b7bc859757af917
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
TITLE: LXRβ/estrogen receptor-α signaling in lipid rafts preserves endothelial integrity
AUTHOR CONTACT: Michihisa Umetani
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
Phone: 214-648-9180; Fax: 214-648-2096; E-mail: michihisa.umetani@utsouthwestern.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66533?key=461f795c817b2d1fc3ec
TITLE: Metastasis-associated PRL-3 induces EGFR activation and addiction in cancer cells
AUTHOR CONTACT: Abdul Qader Omer Al-Aidaroos
A*STAR, Singapore, UNK, SGP
Phone: 65-6586-9883; E-mail: qaderaa@imcb.a-star.edu.sg
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/66824?key=8a6b8778cecc2abc9ce9
TITLE: Collagen VII plays a dual role in wound healing
AUTHOR CONTACT: Alexander Nystrom
Albert-Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Freiburg, UNK, DEU
Phone: +49 761 270 67850; E-mail: alexander.nystroem@uniklinik-freiburg.de
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68127?key=e74b8778bff17ce4e4d0
TITLE: FGFR2 signaling underlies p63 oncogenic function in squamous cell carcinoma
AUTHOR CONTACT: Leif Ellisen
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA, USA
Phone: (617)726-4315; Fax: (617)726-8623; E-mail: ellisen@helix.mgh.harvard.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/68899?key=24a14f82b5ff3651be30
TITLE: ARHGDIA mutations cause nephrotic syndrome via defective RHO GTPase signaling
AUTHOR CONTACT: Friedhelm Hildebrandt
HHMI/University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Phone: 734-615-7285; Fax: 1-734-615 1386; E-mail: fhilde@umich.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/69134?key=59198cc347b8c4a120f2
### END
JCI early table of contents for July 8, 2013
2013-07-08
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Immune cells play a role in early pregnancy
2013-07-08
Macrophages are white blood cells that help prevent and alert the immune system to the threat of a pathogenic infection. Interestingly, macrophages are present in the uterus and ovaries at the time of conception. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Sarah Robertson and colleagues at the University of Adelaide investigated the role of macrophages in early pregnancy. The team utilized a mouse model in which macrophages could be depleted immediately after embryo implantation. They found that without macrophages, embryos were unable to implant in the uterus. ...
Removal of tumor-associated immune cell protein decreases tumor progression
2013-07-08
The number of tumor-associated immune cells is correlated with poor prognosis in cancer patients. Reducing these cells in mouse models of breast cancer reduces tumor metastasis, indicating that tumor-immune interactions are critical for cancer progression. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shelley Earp and colleagues at the University of North Carolina a Chapel Hill demonstrate that removal of the protein MerTK from immune cells decreased tumor growth in mouse models of breast cancer, melanoma, and colon cancer. Loss of MerTK reduced the release of ...
African-Americans with blood cancer do not live as long as Caucasians, despite equal care
2013-07-08
A new analysis has found that among patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, African Americans more commonly present with advanced disease, and they tend to have shorter survival times than Caucasians despite receiving the same care. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results suggest that biological factors may account for some racial disparities in cancer survival.
Among cancer patients, minorities tend to have a worse prognosis than Caucasians for reasons that are unclear. In African American patients, lower ...
Using the sun to illuminate a basic mystery of matter
2013-07-08
Antimatter has been detected in solar flares via microwave and magnetic-field data, according to a presentation by NJIT Research Professor of Physics Gregory D. Fleishman and two co-researchers at the 44th meeting of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Physics Division. This research sheds light on the puzzling strong asymmetry between matter and antimatter by gathering data on a very large scale using the Sun as a laboratory.
While antiparticles can be created and then detected with costly and complex particle-accelerator experiments, such particles are otherwise ...
2 blood pressure drugs linked to lower risk of heart disease in diabetics
2013-07-08
Two drugs, telmisartan and valsartan, which are used to reduce blood pressure in people with diabetes, are associated with a lower risk of hospitalization for heart attack, stroke or heart failure, according to a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
For people with type 2 diabetes, disease-related vascular illnesses are the main causes of death. Angiotensin-receptor blockers including telmisartan, valsartan, candesartan, irbesartan and losartan, are generally used interchangeably to control blood pressure. However, there is some evidence from ...
New opportunities to treat bowel cancer
2013-07-08
Researchers have discovered the genetic processes that cause specific types of bowel cancer. Using this knowledge, they identified cancer drugs that target these genes. Their findings offer the opportunity to develop personalised treatment based on a person's genetic profile.
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Gunning for trouble: Study of young assault victims finds risky mix of gun possession and aggression
2013-07-08
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — They're young. They've been injured in an assault – so badly they went to the emergency room. And nearly one in four of them has a gun, probably an illegal one. What happens next?
A new study by the University of Michigan Injury Center provides data that could be important to breaking the cycle of gun violence that kills more teens and young adults than anything except auto accidents.
In the new issue of the journal Pediatrics, the team from the U-M Injury Center reports data from interviews with 689 teens and young adults who came to an emergency ...
Egg donation in European clinics: Why do women do it?
2013-07-08
London, 8 July 2013: Egg donation is now one of the major reasons why couples travel abroad for fertility treatment. Because this growing trend may circumvent regulations at home or raise concerns about financial inducement, it has also become one of the most controversial. Yet little is known about the women who provide the donor eggs in overseas clinics - their characteristics, their motivation and their compensation.
A study performed by ESHRE, which surveyed (by questionnaire) 1423 egg donors at 60 clinics in 11 European countries, has now found that the majority ...
Adverse effects of phthalates on ovarian response to IVF
2013-07-08
London, 8 July 2013: Phthalates are among a group of industrial chemicals shown in some
studies to have adverse effects on reproductive health and development, particularly in the
male. As such, they have been collectively defined as "endocrine disruptors", and proposed as
one of several possible environmental exposures responsible for a decline in fertility. They are
classified in two groups - high molecular weight phthalates are used in the production of
plastics, while low molecular weight phthalates are frequently used in the manufacture of
cosmetics.(1) Human ...
Early life and in utero factors found to influence testicular function in adulthood
2013-07-08
London, 8 July 2013: Studies over the past 20 years have suggested (though not unequivocally
confirmed) that semen quality is in decline, reflected most evidently in falling sperm counts and
reduced sperm motility.(1) The explanations have been controversially attributed to
environmental factors (such as exposure to toxins) and to male smoking. Now, a new study
based on a 20-year follow-up of one of the world's largest study cohorts, suggests that
exposure to several factors in utero and in early life may also lead to reduced semen
parameters in adulthood - and potentially ...