Asthma and atopy show epidemiological association and are biologically linked by T-helper type 2 (T(h)2) cytokine-driven inflammatory mechanisms. IL-4 operates through the IL-4 receptor (IL-4R, a heterodimer of IL-4Ralpha and either gammac or IL-13Ralpha1) and IL-13 operates through IL-13R (a heterodimer of IL-4Ralpha and IL-13Ralpha1) to promote IgE synthesis and IgE-based mucosal inflammation which typify atopy. Recent animal model data suggest that IL-13 is a central cytokine in promoting asthma, through the stimulation of bronchial epithelial mucus secretion and smooth muscle hyper-reactivity. We investigated the role of common genetic variants of IL-13 and IL-13Ralpha1 in human asthma, considering IgE levels. A novel variant of human IL-13, Gln110Arg, on chromosome 5q31, associated with asthma rather than IgE levels in case-control populations from Britain and Japan [peak odds ratio (OR) = 2.31, 95% CI 1.33-4.00]; the variant also predicted asthma and higher serum IL-13 levels in a general, Japanese paediatric population. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated that both subunits of IL-13R are prominently expressed in bronchial epithelium and smooth muscle from asthmatic subjects. Detailed molecular modelling analyses indicate that residue 110 of IL-13, the site of the charge-modifying variants Arg and Gln, is important in the internal constitution of the ligand and crucial in ligand-receptor interaction. A non-coding variant of IL-13Ralpha1, A1398G, on chromosome Xq13, associated primarily with high IgE levels (OR = 3. 38 in males, 1.10 in females) rather than asthma. Thus, certain variants of IL-13 signalling are likely to be important promoters of human asthma; detailed functional analysis of their actions is needed.

Both treatments were generally well-tolerated. Clinically significant AEs were observed in 35.1% of patients in the GC arm and 29.9% in the GS arm.Conclusions: GS, which does not require hydration, should be considered a new, convenient standard of care option for patients with advanced/recurrent BTC.Clinical Trial number: This trial has been registered with the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index. htm), number UMIN000010667.

The Hakata antigen is a novel, thermolabile ␤ 2 -macroglycoprotein that reacts with sera from patients suffering from systemic lupus erythematosus. In this study we present the structure and the function of the Hakata antigen. We have identified cDNA clones encoding the Hakata antigen and analyzed its function. The cDNA included a possible open reading frame of 897 nucleotides, encoding 299 amino acids. The Hakata antigen consisted of a collagen-like domain in the middle section and a fibrinogen-like domain in the COOH terminus, both of which are homologous to human ficolin-1 and opsonin P35, indicating that these three molecules form a distinct family. The molecular mass of the Hakata antigen expressed in transfected cells was 35 kDa under reduced conditions, and it formed ladder bands under nonreducing conditions compatible with the previous result that the Hakata antigen exists in serum as homopolymers. Purified Hakata antigen sustained lectin activity, showing affinity with GalNAc, GlcNAc, D-fucose as mono/oligosaccharide, and lipopolysaccharides from Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella minnesota. These results suggest that the Hakata antigen, a new member of the ficolin/opsonin P35 family, plays a role in the serum exerting lectin activity under physiological conditions. Inaba and Okochi (1) reported that sera from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 1 contained an antibody that reacted with normal sera. The antibody was shown to react against a novel thermolabile ␤ 2 -macroglycoprotein, designated the "Hakata antigen" (2). A similar thermolabile substance had been reported by Epstein and Tan (3), but it was not known whether the two proteins are the same. The molecular mass of the Hakata antigen in serum was 650 kDa as determined by gel filtration. The antigen was thermolabile because it lost antigenicity upon heating to 56°C for 1 min. The Hakata antigen was separated as a single band of 35 kDa by SDS-PAGE under reducing conditions. However, under nonreducing conditions it separated as ladder bands from 35 kDa to nearly the top of the gel, suggesting that the Hakata antigen exists in serum as homopolymers consisting of the 35 kDa subunit (2). All sera from 10,050 Japanese healthy blood donors, 99.99% of 751,352 Japanese patients' sera, and 99.98% of 41,430 Swedish patients' sera contained the Hakata antigen (4), thus implying that the Hakata antigen is a normal serum protein. The reference range of the Hakata antigen was 7-23 g/ml (2). The antibody against the Hakata antigen was possessed by 4.3% of 349 SLE patients and 0.3% of 703 patients with other autoimmune diseases (4). Among patients with other autoimmune diseases who possessed the antibody against the Hakata antigen, one patient was found among those with chronic glomerulonephritis and another in the group with primary biliary cirrhosis.In this study, we have cloned and characterized cDNA clones encoding the Hakata antigen revealing that the Hakata antigen is a novel serum protein that has Ca 2ϩ -independent lectin activity. The pri...

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