Medical
Chapters
Activin, TGF‑b and Menin in Pituitary Tumorigenesis
Jean-Jacques Lebrun
Pituitary adenomas are common monoclonal neoplasms accounting for approximately one fifth of primary intracranial tumors. Prolactin‑secreting pituitary adenomas (prolactinomas) are the most common form of pituitary tumors in humans. They are associated with excessive release of the hormone pro...
Analysis of Molecular Epidemiological Data
Michel Tibayrenc
From the outset, it is useful to try and define sharply the term “molecular epidemiology”. The definition given by the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta1 is as follows: “the various biochemical and molecular techniques used to type and subtype pathogens”. Two remarks can be made: (i) th...
Cellular Functions of Menin
Geoffrey Hendy, Hiroshi Kaji and Lucie Canaff
Since its discovery as a novel protein some 10 years ago, many cellular functions of menin have been identified. However, which ones of these relate specifically to menin’s role as a tumor suppressor and which ones not remains unclear. Menin is predominantly nuclear and acts as a scaffold protein ...
Current Role of Laprascopic Surgery for Liver Malignancies
Andrew A. Gumbs and Brice Gayet
Since the first report of a laparoscopic liver resection, laparoscopic hepatic resection has become increasingly more common in the surgical treatment of both benign and malignant tumors. The minimally invasive approach to resections of the entire liver including the posterior and deep segments, how...
Developing Pharmacological Modulators of STAT Signaling
Erik A. Nelson and David A. Frank
As cancer continues to cause over 500,000 deaths per year in the United States alone, it is clear that the cytotoxic drugs commonly in use for cancer treatment are not adequately effective. As we have increased our understanding of the molecular abnormalities in cancer cells, the opportunity arises ...
Future of Organ Procurement and Preservation
Luis H. Toledo-Pereyra
As we advance with the use of better organs for transplantation and as we identify better means of recovering and preserving organs, we need to characterize the molecular and metabolic landscape of maximally protected organs prior to, during and after transplantation. A fundamental question for the ...
Involvement of Leptin in the Endometrial Function
Ana Cervero and Carlos Simon
Leptin was discovered in 1994 as the product of the OB gene and was originally thought to be produced by only adipocytes governing energy homeostasis. Nevertheless, it has since been described as a pleiotrophic hormone secreted by many tissues affecting different processes. Numerous data have been p...
JAK/STAT Pathway Signalling in Drosophila Melanogaster
Samira Bina and Martin Zeidler
Drosophila melanogaster is a developmentally and genetically highly tractable animal model and many significant advances in the field of signal transduction have been made and elucidated in this system. One example is the JAK/STAT cascade-a pathway conserved throughout evolution and present as a \"c...
Janus Kinase (JAK)‑Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) Pathway in Heart Disease
Aneta E. Rybka, Anastasis Stephanou and Paul A. Townsend
The JAK‑STAT (Janus Kinases‑Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription) intracellular signal transduction pathway plays a critical role in many human disease scenarios and especially in multiple aspects of the response of the myocardium to various cardiac insults. The JAK‑S...
Mathematical Modeling of the Epidemiology of Tuberculosis
Peter J. White and Geoff P. Garnett
Despite the infectious agent that causes tuberculosis having been discovered in 1882, many aspects of the natural history and transmission dynamics of TB are still not fully understood. This is reflected in differences in the structures of mathematical models of TB, which in turn produce differences...
Mutations in the Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated (ATM) Gene
Akira Tachibana
Ataxia telangiectasia (AT) is a multisystem autosomal recessive disorder by mutations in a single gene, ATM. A large number of mutations in this gene have been identified so far. In most cases of AT patients, null ATM mutations lead to truncated or greatly destabilized protein. AT variants, who show...
Partial Hepatectomy after Liver Transplantation: Inclusion Criteria, Timing of Surgery and Outcome
Franco Filipponi and Franco Mosca
Partial hepatectomy is uncommon after liver transplantation (LT) but can be a graft saving procedure in selected cases. Inclusion criteria, outcome and timing of a single Center series are here presented.
STAT 5 - Mediated Self-Renewal of Normal and Leukemic Stem Cells
Jan Jacob Schuringa
The level of transcription factor activity critically regulates cell fate decisions such as hematopoietic stem cell self‑renewal and differentiation. The balance between hematopoietic stem cell self‑renewal and differentiation needs to be tightly controlled, as a shift towards differenti...
STAT Protein Regulation of Inflammatory T-Helper Cell Phenotypes
Mark H. Kaplan and John T. O'Malley
The stability and commitment of T-helper cells is controlled by three factors; the cytokines present in the microenvironment, the acquisition and/or downregulation of cytokine receptors on the surface of the T‑cell and heritable chromatin remodeling of subset specific genes. STAT proteins, dow...
STAT1 and STAT3 in Tumorigenesis: Two Sides of the Same Coin?
Sara Pensa, Gabriella Regis, Daniela Boselli, Francesco Novelli and Valeria Poli
The transcription factors STAT1 and STAT3 appear to play opposite roles in tumorigenesis. While STAT3 promotes cell survival/proliferation, motility and immune tolerance and is considered as an oncogene, STAT1 enhances inflammation and innate and adaptive immunity, triggering in most instances anti&...
Stat5 as Hematopoietic Gatekeeper and Oncogene Upon Tyrosine Kinase‑Induced Transformation
Katrin Friedbichler, Marc A. Kerenyi, Ernst W. Müllner and Richard Moriggl
The transcription factors Stat5a and Stat5b are crucial gene regulators for all hematopoietic cell types. Stat5 proteins play essential roles in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance as well as lineage commitment. Mutations in upstream molecules involved in controlling Stat5 activity are frequently ob...
STATs and Infection
Silvia Stockinger and Thomas Decker
The seven members of the mammalian signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) family participate in a wide range of biological processes with impact both on the generation and the functional regulation of cells involved in antimicrobial immunity. Activation of STATs is a hallmark of inn...
Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling: Functions in Normal Biology and Roles in Disease
Anna C. Barry, Lynda A. O'Sullivan and Alister C. Ward
Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins have been identified as key negative regulators of cytokine and growth factor signaling. Therefore, given the diverse roles played by cytokines and growth factors in development and disease, it is not surprising that the SOCS proteins themselves posse...
The Role of Leptin During Early Life in Imprinting Later Metabolic Responses
Mark H. Vickers, Stefan O. Krechowec, Peter D. Gluckman and Bernhard H. Breier
A robust regulatory physiologic system has evolved to maintain relative constancy of weight; an equilibrium broken by modern lifestyles leading to the development of obesity, type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Epidemiological and experimental studies have highlighted a relationship betwe...
The Role of Menin in Parathyroid Tumorigenesis
Colin Davenport and Amar Agha
Primary hyperparathyroidism is a common disorder that involves the pathological enlargement of one or more parathyroid glands resulting in excessive production of parathyroid hormone (PTH). The exact pathogenesis of this disease remains to be fully understood. In recent years interest has focussed o...
The Role of the JAK/STAT Pathway in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Raja Atreya and Markus F. Neurath
Although the exact pathogenic mechanisms in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) still remain unclear, increasing evidence has implicated proinflammatory cytokines and their related transcription factors as crucial mediators of the inflammatory reaction. It has been shown that cytokine signaling pathwa...
Use of Anti‑Leptin or Anti‑Leptin Receptor Antibodies as Blockers of Immune Response
Giuseppe Matarese and Veronica De Rosa
Leptin, a hormone produced primarily by adipose cells, is known to be critically involved in regulating nutrient intake and metabolism. Increasing evidence has indicated that leptin also plays crucial role in modulating immune response. Several studies including our recent findings have demonstrated...
Use of Leptin Antagonists as Anti‑Inflammatory and Anti‑Fibrotic Reagents
Erah Elinav and Arieh Gertler
Leptin has been implicated as a pro‑inflammatory cytokine, involved in the activation of effector T‑cells as well as various other components of the innate and adaptive immune response. Leptin‑deficient ob/ob mice exhibit resistance to several T‑cell‑mediated autoimmune...
