title: Effects of Japanese mistletoe lectin on cytokine gene expression in human colonic carcinoma cells and in the mouse intestine.
abstract: Mistletoe lectins have various biological activities including anti-cancer and immunomodulatory effects. We previously isolated a lectin (ML-J) from Japanese mistletoe. In the present study, we examined the effects of ML-J on cytokine gene expression in human colon adenocarcinoma Caco-2 cells and in the mouse intestine. The results of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction indicated that ML-J caused an upregulation of the gene expression of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-6 in Caco-2 cells and TNF-alpha and IL-6 in the duodenum. This study provides the first example to show that a perorally administered plant lectin affects gene expression in the duodenum.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, and Global COE, University of Shizuoka, Yada, Shizuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Pervin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monira
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Koyama
authors.forename: Ryuuta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fukutomi
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isemura
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokogoshi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018938:Caco-2 Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007422:Intestines / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D014784:Mistletoe / Q000737:chemistry*; D037121:Plant Lectins / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D037121:Plant Lectins