Obesity and Protein kinase Cε epsilon expression in peripheral blood cells

The so-called Metabolic Syndrome is a clustering of metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension, mainly caused by overnutrition and sedentary lifestyles particularly in developed countries as well as genetic predisposition. Obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are associated and caused by the upregulation of the protein kinase C (PKC)e expression in hepatic, adipose, pancreatic and skeletal tissue. It is well known that PKCe affects insulin receptor (IR) singaling and regulates both insulin secretion and clearance. Here, we have studied the expression levels of PKCe and IR in peripheral blood cells of obese children. Moreover, we have analyzed the correlation between PKCe/IR ratio with the BMI in adult underwent to high caloric food diet. As a final point, the role of PKCe as therapeutic target for management of obesity was discussed

GPIIbIIIa modulates Ca2+-induced delta-granule release from human platelets.

31st National Congress of the Italian Society of Histochemistry, Pisa, 15-17 giugno 2005

The response of human natural killer cells to interleukin-2

Natural killer cells play a key role in the defence of organisms against virus infections and in the control of tumor onset. Interleukin-2 is a multifunctional inflammatory cytokine able to activate natural killer cells, essentially inducing cell proliferation, lymphokine-activated-killer cell generation and cytokine production. Here we discuss some signaling events generated by interleukin-2 in the cell nucleus of primary human natural killer cells, specifically focusing on the lipid signal transduction and the induction of the cyclic adenosine-5'-monophosphate response element binding protein transcription factor. The implications of these nuclear events in the response of natural killer cells to interleukin-2 are also discussed