• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.281-286
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• 2003

To design gene deliver systems which can deliver higher amounts of genes into stem cells, we studied the expression of receptors involved in the receptor-mediated endocytosis of bone marrow stromal stem cells. Bone marrow was isolated from ICR mice, and bone marrow stromal stem cells were isolated based on their plastic adherence property. Several culture conditions were screened for effective and continuous culture of marrow stromal stem cells. MesenCult medium was finally used to cultivate marrow stromal stem cells in vitro. As candidate receptors, various chemokine receptors were studied. Both bone marrow cells ad marrow-derived stromal stem cells showed expression of CC chemokine receptors (CCR) and CXC chemokine receptors (CXCR). Marrow stromal stem cells showed higher expression of CCR5 ad CXCR4 chemokine receptors as compared to other types of chemokine receptors. Moreover, though the expression of chemokine receptors generally decreased in most chemokine receptors with the cultivaton of marrow stromal stem cells, CCR5 and CXCR4 chemokine receptors retained the higher level of receptor expressions over prolonged periods. These results suggest that the ligands exhibiting specific binding to CCR5 or CXCR4 might be used to modify gene delivery systems for increased levels of receptor-mediated gene delivery into stromal stem cells.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2012

Chemokine receptor antagonists have potential applications in field of drug discovery. Although the chemokine receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors, their cognate ligands are small proteins (8 to 12 kDa), and so inhibiting the ligand/receptor interaction has been challenging. The application of structure-based in-silico methods to drug discovery is still considered a major challenge, especially when the x-ray structure of the target protein is unknown. Such is the case with human CCR2 and CCR5, the most important members of the chemokine receptor family and also a potential drug target. Herein, we review the success stories of combined receptor modeling/mutagenesis approach to probe the allosteric nature of chemokine receptor binding by small molecule antagonists for CCR2 and CCR5 using Rhodopsin as template. We also urged the importance of recently available ${\beta}2$-andrenergic receptor as an alternate template to guide mutagenesis. The results demonstrate the usefulness and robustness of in-silico 3D models. These models could also be useful for the design of novel and potent CCR2 and CCR5 antagonists using structure based drug design.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.308-313
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• 2006

Stromal cell-derived factor (SDF-1) is a CXC chemokine that selectively activates the CXCR4 chemokine receptor. Fibronectin is an intracellular matrix component that binds integrin and mediates cell-matrix adhesion. Activation of the integrin receptor can occur in two ways: by ligand binding (outside-in signaling), and in response to intracellular events (inside-out signaling). In the current study we showed that SDF-$1{\alpha}$ inhibited adhesion of T lymphocyte Jurkat cells resulting from binding high concentrations of fibronectin as well as that of THP-1 monocytes. The effect of SDF-$1{\alpha}$ on fibronectin-mediated adhesion was partly reversed by the CXCR4 receptor antagonist T140. Our results suggest that an SDF-1/CXCR4 signal pathway modulates fibronectin-mediated lymphocytes adhesion.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.164-175
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• 2015

CXCR3 is a C-X-C chemokine receptor type 3 also known as GPR9 and CD183. CXCR3 is a G-Protein coupled chemokine receptor which interacts with three endogenous interferon inducible chemokine's (CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11) and is proved to play a vital role in the Th1 inflammatory responses. CXCR3 has been implicated to be associated with various disease conditions like inflammatory diseases, autoimmune diseases, type I diabetes and acute cardiac allograft rejection. Therefore CXCR3 receptor is found to be an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Inorder to decipher the biological function of a CXCR3, 3D structure is of much important but the crystal structure for CXCR3 has not yet been resolved. Hence, in the current study Homology modeling of CXCR3 was performed against various templates and validated using different parameters to suggest the best model for CXCR3. The reported best model can be used for further studies such as docking to identify the important binding site residues.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.234-240
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• 2014

C-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CCR4) is a chemokine receptor with seven transmembrane helices and it belongs to the GPCR family. It plays an important role in asthma, lung disease, atopic dermatitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, the mosquito-borne tropical diseases, such as dengue fever and allergic rhinitis. Because of its role in wide spectrum of disease processes, CCR4 is considered to be an important drug target. Three dimensional structure of the protein is essential to determine the functions. In the present study homology modeling of human CCR4 was performed based on crystal structure of CCR5 chemokine receptor. The generated models were validated using various parameters. Among the generated homology models the best one is selected based on validation result. The model can be used for performing further docking studies to identifying the critical interacting residues.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.634-639
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• 1998

Seven transmembrane segment (7TMS) receptors for chemokines and related molecules have been demonstrated to be essential, in addition to CD4, for HIV and SIV infection. The beta-chemokine receptor CCR5 is the primary, perhaps sole, coreceptor for HIV-1 during the early and chronic phases of infection, and supports infection by most primary HIV-1 and many SIV isolates. Late-stage primary and laboratory-adapted HIV-1, HIV-2, and SIV isolates can use other 7TMS receptors. CXCR4 appears especially important in late-stage HIV infection; several related receptors can also be used. The specificity of SIV viruses is similar. Commonalities among these receptors, combined with analyses of mutated molecules, indicate that discrete, conformationally-depenclent sites on the chemokine receptors determine their association with the third variable and conserved regions of viral envelope glycoproteins. These studies are useful for elucidating the mechanism and molecular determinants of HIV-1 entry, and of inhibitors to that entry.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.10
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• pp.4643-4646
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• 2016

The CC chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) delta 32 allele results in a nonfunctional form of the chemokine receptor and has been implicated in a variety of immune-mediated diseases. $CCR5{\Delta}32$ may also predispose one to chronic liver disease or be linked with resistance to HBV infection. This study was undertaken to investigate any association between CCR5 polymorphism with resistance to hepatitis B or susceptibility to HBV infection. A total of 812 Iranian individuals were enrolled into two groups: HBV infected cases (n=357), who were HBsAg-positive, and healthy controls (n=455). We assessed polymorphisms in the CCR5 gene using specific CCR5 oligonucleotide primers surrounding the breakpoint deletion. Genotype distributions of the HBV infected cases and healthy controls were determined and compared. The CCR5/CCR5 (WW) and $CCR5/CCR5{\Delta}32$ (W/D) genotypes were found in (98%) and (2%) of HBV infected cases, respectively. The $CCR5{\Delta}32/{\Delta}32$genotype was not found in HBV infected cases. Genotype distributions of CCR5 in healthy controls were W/W genotype in (87.3%), W/D genotype in (11.2%) and D/D genotype in (1.5%). Heterozygosity for $CCR5/CCR5{\Delta}32$ (W/D) in healthy controls was greater than in HBV infected cases (11.2% vs 2%, p < 0.001). W/D and D/D genotypes were more prominent in healthy controls than in HBV infected cases. This study provides evidence that the $CCR5{\Delta}32$ polymorphism may have a protective effect in resistance to HBV infection at least in the Iranian population.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2016

CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) is a prominent chemokine receptor on neutrophils. The neutrophilic inflammation in the lung diseases is found to be largely regulated through CXCR2 receptor. Antagonist of CXCR2 may reduce the neutrophil chemotaxis and alter the inflammatory response. Hence, in the present study, ligand based Comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA) was performed on a series of CXCR2 antagonist named pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile-6-alkyl derivatives. The optimum CoMFA model was obtained with statistically significant cross-validated coefficients ($q^2$) of 0.568 and conventional coefficients ($r^2$) of 0.975. The contour maps suggest the important structural modifications and this study can be used to guide the development of potent CXCR2 antagonist.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.209-215
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• 2017

CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) is a prominent chemokine receptor on neutrophils. CXCR2 antagonist may reduce the neutrophil chemotaxis and alter the inflammatory response because the neutrophilic inflammation in the lung diseases is found to be largely regulated through CXCR2 receptor. Hence, in the present study, Topomer based Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (Topomer CoMFA) was performed on a series of CXCR2 antagonist named pyrimidine-5-carbonitrile-6-alkyl derivatives. The best Topomer COMFA model was obtained with significant cross-validated correlation coefficient ($q^2$ = 0.487) and non cross-validated correlation coefficients ($r^2$ = 0.980). The model was evaluated with six external test compounds and its $r^2{_{pred}}$ was found to be 0.616. The steric and electrostatic contribution map show that presence of bulkier and electropositive group around cyclopropyl ring may contribute more for improving the biological activities of these compounds. The generated Topomer CoMFA model could be helpful for future design of novel and structurally related CXCR2 antagonists.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.187-196
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• 2008

Background: Upregulation of one type of the pro-inflammatory chemokine (CCL2) and its receptor (CCR2) following peripheral nerve injury contributes to the induction of neuropathic pain. Here, we examined whether another type of chemokine (CCL3) is involved in neuropathic pain. Methods: We measured changes in mechanical and thermal sensitivity in the hind paws of naïve rats or rats with an L5 spinal nerve ligation (SNL) after intra-plantar injection of CCL3 or met-RANTES, an antagonist of the CCL3 receptor, CCR1. We also measured CCL3 levels in the sciatic nerve and the hind paw skin as well as CCR1 expression in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells from the lumbar spinal segments. Results: Intra-plantar injection of CCL3 into the hind paw of naive rats mimicked L5 SNL-produced hyperalgesia. Intra-plantar injection of met-RANTES into the hind paw of rats with L5 SNL attenuated hyperalgesia. L5 SNL increased CCL3 levels in the sciatic nerve and the hind paw skin on the affected side. The number of CCR1-positive DRG cells in the lumbar segments was not changed following L5 SNL. Conclusions: Partial peripheral nerve injury increases local CCL3 levels along the degenerating axons during Wallerian degeneration. This CCL3 binds to its receptor, CCR1, located on adjacent uninjured afferents, presumably nociceptors, to induce hyperalgesia in the neuropathic pain state.