Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders-Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders) - Volume 8, Issue 1, 2008

Reg proteins constitute a conserved family in human and rodents; their production in the pancreas (including the islets of Langerhans) is induced upon β-cell damage. While some members of the family (Reg1 and islet neogenesisassociated protein, i.e. INGAP) have been implicated in β-cell replication and/or neogenesis, including from in vivo studies using transgenic and knockout mice; the roles of the other five members ha Read More

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor, that inhibits the de novo pathway of guanosine nucleotide synthesis, the proliferative responses of T and B lymphocytes as well as antibody production by B-lymphocytes. It is indicated for the prophylaxis of organ rejection after allogeneic cardiac, hepatic and renal transplants . It has recently also been used with good success in patients with Read More

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is one of the worlds' most successful and sophisticated pathogens. It is estimated that over 2 billion people today harbour latent M. tuberculosis infection without any clinical symptoms. Since most new cases of active tuberculosis (TB) arise from this (growing) number of latently infected individuals, urgent measures to control TB reactivation are required, including more effective Read More

Various proteins that are required for the building of new complete human immunodeficiency type 1 virions (HIV-1) are coded by unspliced or partly spliced virus-derived mRNAs. HIV-1 has developed special strategies for moving these mRNAs to the cytoplasm to be translated. In the nucleus of the infected cell the virus-derived protein Regulator of expression of viral proteins (Rev) can bind both the viral intron-containing mRNAs Read More

Vitamin A is essential for development and differentiation of multiple tissues. Its derivatives, the retinoids, are potent drugs used to treat and prevent a variety of diseases. Retinoid effects are mediated by retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs). There are three known RARs (α, β, and γ), and multiple isoforms of each receptor exist. Many of the therapeutic effects of retinoids including cancer che Read More

G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) are extremely important drug targets and the β-arrestin intracellular scaffolding and adaptor proteins regulate major aspects of their pharmacology. β-arrestin binding to activated, GPCR kinase (GRK)-phosphorylated receptors has the capacity to terminate G protein coupling, internalize the receptors into clathrincoated vesicles and establish a secondary signaling complex independent of G pro Read More

Conventional treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) comprises corticosteroids and splenectomy and/or other immunosuppressive drugs for refractory/relapsed patients. Monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) rituximab and alemtuzumab have gained widespread acceptance in the management of B-cell malignancies. More recently, they have been used to treat a number of autoantibody-mediated diseases, such as Read More

Fibrotic diseases are characterized by the appearance of myofibroblasts, the key cell type involved in the fibrogenic reaction, and by excess accumulation of extracellular matrix with resultant tissue contraction and impaired function. Myofiborblasts are generated by fibroblast-myofibrobalst conversion, and in certain tissues through epithelialmesenchymal transition (EMT), a process through which an epithelial c Read More