Scientists learn why even treated genital herpes sores boost the risk of HIV infection Aug 3, 2009
Second, the scientists discovered that a significant proportion of these CD4+ T cells carried CCR5 or CXCR4, the cell-surface proteins that HIV uses (in addition to CD4) to enter cells. The percentage of CD4+ T cells expressing CCR5 during acute HSV-2 infection and after healing of genital sores was twice as high in biopsies from the sites of these sores as from unaffected control skin. (EurekAlert!)
Human term placenta a new abundant source of hematopoietic cells Jun 25, 2009
Hematopoietic stem cells which maintain their differentiation capacity, as well as stromal stem cells that support long-term culture of hematopoietic cells, can be harvested from perfusate of placenta following CXCR4 receptor blockade, said Dr. F. Kuypers. Importantly, live HPCs can similarly be obtained from whole cryopreserved placentas. (EurekAlert!)
Lupus Kidney Damage Linked To Malfunction Of Immune Cells Apr 28, 2009
They found that immune cells in those mice overproduced a particular molecule called CXCR4. In fact, the mice had up to twice as much CXCR4 as their normal counterparts in several types of immune cells ... The CXCR4 molecule was already known to play a role in creating various types of blood cells and also has been shown to be active in cancer and AIDS. Cells with CXCR4 on their surface are attracted to another molecule released by cells in various organs, so they migrate toward those organs,... (Science Daily)
