Semaphorin 4D cooperates with VEGF to promote angiogenesis and tumor progression

The semaphorins and plexins comprise a family of cysteine-rich proteins implicated in control of nerve growth and development and regulation of the immune response. Our group and others have found that Semaphorin 4D (SEMA4D) and its receptor, Plexin-B1, play an important role in tumor-induced angiogenesis, with some neoplasms producing SEMA4D in a manner analogous to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in order to attract Plexin-B1-expressing endothelial cells into the tumor for the purpose of promoting growth and vascularity. While anti-VEGF strategies have been the focus of most angiogenesis inhibition research, such treatment can lead to upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors that …

Effect of some illegal drug in sport (AAS) on neuron-like cells (PC12)

THE ANABOLIC-ANDROGENIC STEROIDS EXERT DIRECT TOXIC EFFECTS ON NEURON-LIKE CELLS

INTRODUCTION Intake of AAS by atheletes and others in an attempt to gain muscle strength and improve perfor- mance is often associated with toxic effects on the liver, the cardiovascular system, the male and female reproductive systems, and the central nervous system (Trifunovic et al., 1995). In vivo administration of high doses of androgens has been linked to neurobehavioral changes that could be the outward manifestation of neuronal damage. METHODS PC12 cells are a cell line that have been widely used as a model in neurobiological investigations (Fujita et al., 1989; Vaudry et al., 2002). Following exposure to nerve growth factor (NGF), PC12 cells differentiate into a sympathetic-like ne…

The role of semaphorin 4D in perineural invasion