(Press-News.org) Bethesda, MD -- A new discovery in mice may lead to new treatments that could make bone marrow transplants more likely to succeed and to be significantly less dangerous. According to new research findings published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (https://www.jleukbio.org) Brazilian scientists may have found a way to prevent the immune system from attacking transplant grafts and damaging the host's own cells after a bone marrow transplant.
Specifically, they found that a receptor for a mediator of the inflammatory process, known as platelet activating factor plays a crucial role in the development of graft-versus-host disease. Platelet activating factor receptor appears to contribute to the attraction of immune cells that lead to graft-versus-host disease. When this mechanism was blocked, there was reduced tissue damage and mortality.
"Platelet activating factor receptor antagonists may decrease suffering caused by graft-versus-host disease in patients undergoing bone marrow transplant," said Vanessa Pinho, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil. "As graft-versus-host disease also may decrease quality of life, patients treated with platelet activating factor receptor antagonists may live longer and with better quality of life."
To make this discovery, scientists induced graft-versus-host disease by transferring cells between mice which were genetically incompatible. In mice subjected to graft-versus-host disease, there was significant injury to target organs, especially the liver and the intestine. In mice that received cells from genetically modified mice bred to not have platelet activating factor receptors, or in mice treated with platelet activating factor receptor antagonist, there was reduced tissue injury and reduced lethality.
"Immune rejection is one of the biggest risks of any transplant procedure, and this study sheds a new light on a receptor and pathway amenable to therapeutic intervention to reduce the serious complication of graft-versus-host disease," said John Wherry, Ph.D., Deputy Editor of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. "The next step is to take these observations from the lab and see if the potential suggested by studies in mice hold true in humans with disease."
###
The Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org) publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts on original investigations focusing on the cellular and molecular biology of leukocytes and on the origins, the developmental biology, biochemistry and functions of granulocytes, lymphocytes, mononuclear phagocytes and other cells involved in host defense and inflammation. The Journal of Leukocyte Biology is published by the Society for Leukocyte Biology.
Details: Marina G. M. Castor, Bárbara M. Rezende, Carolina B. Resende, Priscila T. T. Bernardes, Daniel isalpino, Angélica T. Vieira, Danielle G. Souza, Tarcília A. Silva, Mauro M. Teixeira, and Vanessa Pinho. Platelet-activating factor receptor plays a role in the pathogenesis of graft-versus-host disease by regulating leukocyte recruitment, tissue injury, and lethality. J Leukoc Biol. April 2012 91: 629-639; doi:10.1189/jlb.1111561 ; http://www.jleukbio.org/content/91/4/629.abstract
New discovery may lead to effective prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host dsease
New research in mice published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that the platelet activating factor receptor plays a role in graft-versus-host disease, a major complication of bone marrow transplants
2012-04-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Gene variations linked to intestinal blockage in newborns with cystic fibrosis
2012-04-02
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers working as part of the International Cystic Fibrosis Consortium have discovered several regions of the genome that may predispose cystic fibrosis (CF) patients to develop an intestinal blockage while still in the uterus.
A report of this international study appears online April 1, 2012 in the journal Nature Genetics. It was the work of the North America CF Gene Modifier Consortium, which brought together dozens of investigators from the United States, Canada, and from France, to identify genetic ...
Picky females promote diversity: UBC-IIASA study
2012-04-02
Picky females play a critical role in the survival and diversity of species, according to a Nature study by researchers from the University of British Columbia and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.
To date, biodiversity theories have focused on the role played by adaptations to the environment: the species best equipped to cope with a habitat would win out, while others would gradually go extinct. The new study presents the first theoretical model demonstrating that selective mating alone can promote the long-term coexistence ...
DNA sequencing lays foundation for personalized cancer treatment
2012-04-02
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis are using powerful DNA sequencing technology not only to identify mutations at the root of a patient's tumor – considered key to personalizing cancer treatment – but to map the genetic evolution of disease and monitor response to treatment.
"We're finding clinically relevant information in the tumor samples we're sequencing for discovery-oriented research studies," says Elaine Mardis, PhD, co-director of The Genome Institute at the School of Medicine. "Genome analysis can play a role at multiple time ...
Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer, Farhad Hamdam, is Now Offering Representation for All Personal Injury Cases Involving Car Accidents
2012-04-02
Minor accidents take place every single day in Southern California. These ordeals can often be resolved with the assistance of an insurance company and a fair settlement that is going to quickly pay for injuries, damage to property, or any other associated costs. When drivers are not receiving the financial assistance that they need in order to pay for serious or ongoing medical expenses though, it will not take much for the situation to enhance into a messy legal situation. In order to assist victims, the leading Los Angeles personal injury lawyer, Farhad Hamdam, is now ...
Epigenetic changes in twins of dieting mothers increases risk of obesity and diabetes
2012-04-02
Bethesda, MD—If you're expecting, this might make you feel a little better about reaching for that pint of ice cream: New research published online in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that twins, and babies of mothers who diet around the time of conception and in early pregnancy, may have an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes throughout their lives. This study provides exciting insights into how behavior can lead to epigenetic changes in offspring related to obesity and disease.
"This study may provide a new understanding of why twins can ...
PI3K/mTOR pathway proteins tied to poor prognosis in breast cancer
2012-04-02
CHICAGO - Four proteins involved in translation, the final step of general protein production, are associated with poor prognosis in hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer when they are dysregulated, researchers reported at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012.
All of the aberrantly activated translational proteins are regulated by the PI3K/mTOR molecular signaling pathway, which has been implicated in development and progression of several cancers.
More recently, mTOR activation has been tied to resistance to standard endocrine therapy in estrogen-receptor positive breast ...
Scientists uncover clue to preventing, and possibly reversing, rare childhood genetic disease
2012-04-02
Rutgers scientists think they have found a way to prevent and possibly reverse the most debilitating symptoms of a rare, progressive childhood degenerative disease that leaves children with slurred speech, unable to walk, and in a wheelchair before they reach adolescence.
In today's online edition of Nature Medicine, Karl Herrup, chair of the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences provides new information on why this genetic disease attacks the cerebellum – a part of the brain that controls movement coordination, equilibrium, and ...
How black holes grow
2012-04-02
SALT LAKE CITY -- A study led by a University of Utah astrophysicist found a new explanation for the growth of supermassive black holes in the center of most galaxies: they repeatedly capture and swallow single stars from pairs of stars that wander too close.
Using new calculations and previous observations of our own Milky Way and other galaxies, "we found black holes grow enormously as a result of sucking in captured binary star partners," says physics and astronomy Professor Ben Bromley, lead author of the study, which is set for online publication April 2 in Astrophysical ...
The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley Offers a Culinary Adventure in Napa
2012-04-02
Tracy Hayward, Founder of The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley, announced today the kick-off of an Enter-to-Win sweepstakes. Entitled "Whisk, Shake & Stir The Perfect Puree," the sweepstakes will offer one lucky winner a week in Napa, California, during the renowned Culinary Institute of America's Worlds of Flavor Conference on November 1 - 3, 2012.
The online sweepstakes is open to all and there is no purchase necessary to enter. Entrants simply sign up at the "Whisk, Shake, and Stir" contest page on the Perfect Puree website between April 2 and ...
Mayo Clinic study finds dramatic rise in skin cancer in young adults
2012-04-02
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Even as the rates of some cancers are falling, Mayo Clinic is seeing an alarming trend: the dramatic rise of skin cancer, especially among people under 40. According to a study by
Mayo Clinic researchers published in the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, the incidence of melanoma has escalated, and young women are the hardest hit.
"We anticipated we'd find rising rates, as other studies are suggesting, but we found an even higher incidence than the National Cancer Institute had reported using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New College of AI, Cyber and Computing launched at UT San Antonio
Collaborative team earns five-year renewal grant from NINDS to continue stroke research
Vitamin K analogues may help transform the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
Cyclic triaxial tests: Evaluation of liquefaction resistance in chemically treated soils
Uniting the light spectrum on a chip
Hundreds of new bacteria, and two potential antibiotics, found in soil
Smells deceive the brain – are interpreted as taste
New species survival commission fills critical gap in conservation
New conservation committee led by Applied Microbiology International calls on science community to get on board with microbial conservation
Scientists uncover key stabilizing role of small molecules
“Black Hole Stars” could solve JWST riddle of overly massive early galaxies
Mysterious ‘red dots’ in early universe may be ‘black hole star’ atmospheres
A gene mutation found in East Asian people increases liver disease risk by an ‘aldehyde storm’
Artificial intelligence‑assisted conductive hydrogel dressings for refractory wounds monitoring
Scalable fabrication of methylammonium‑free wide‑bandgap perovskite solar cells by blade coating in ambient air
Wearable devices could revolutionize pregnancy monitoring and detect abnormalities
Efficient cation recognition strategies for cationic compounds
US COVID-19 school closures were not cost-effective, but other non-pharmaceutical interventions were, new study finds
Human activities linked to declines of big seeds
North-south autism assessment divide leaves children waiting three years longer
Want to publish in Nature? Webinar with Prof. Willie Peijnenburg shares insider tips
Cataract surgery on both eyes can be carried out safely and effectively in one go
Personalized brain stimulation shows benefit for depression
AI uncovers hidden rules of some of nature’s toughest protein bonds
Innovative approach helps new mothers get hepatitis C treatment
Identifying the Interactions That Drive Cell Migration in Brain Cancer
ORNL receives 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award
University of Oklahoma researchers aim to reduce indigenous cancer disparities
Study reveals new evidence, cost savings for common treatments for opioid use disorder in mothers and infants
Research alert: Frequent cannabis users show no driving impairment after two-day break
[Press-News.org] New discovery may lead to effective prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host dseaseNew research in mice published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that the platelet activating factor receptor plays a role in graft-versus-host disease, a major complication of bone marrow transplants