A simple, rapid, and reproducible method of fetal hepatoblast purification was established to investigate mechanisms controlling interactions between hepatoblasts and nonparenchymal cells during… (More)
Dendritic cells (DCs) have the ability to present antigen and play a critical role in the induction of the acquired immune response. Skin DCs uptake antigen and subsequently migrate to regional… (More)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences…
2013
Hyaluronan (HA) has an extraordinarily high turnover in physiological tissues, and HA degradation is accelerated in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. CD44 (a cell surface receptor) and two… (More)
Three human hyaluronan synthase genes (HAS1, HAS2, and HAS3) have been cloned, but the functional differences between these HAS genes remains obscure. The purpose of this study was to examine which… (More)
The glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan (HA) is a structural component of extracellular matrices and also interacts with cell surface receptors to directly influence cell behavior. To explore functions of… (More)
We have developed a new tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) RNA vector and have used it initially to systemically produce an angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitor peptide (ACEI) in tobacco and tomato… (More)
It has not been confirmed whether tight junctions (TJs) function as a paracellular permeability barrier in adult human skin. To clarify this issue, we performed a TJ permeability assay using human… (More)
Hepatic blood vessels consist of the hepatic artery and three types of venous channels (the portal veins, the sinusoids, and the hepatic veins). This study was undertaken to analyze, by… (More)
Carotenoids have been reported to have potent antioxidant activities and to protect tissues and cells from certain diseases and environmental insults. The molecular mechanism of the action of… (More)
Chemokine-dependent trafficking is indispensable for the effector function of antigen-experienced T cells during immune responses. In this study, we report that the water/glycerol channel aquaporin-3… (More)