Meeting Report: The Next Interleukin?
Georg F. Weber*
Department of Radiation Oncology, New England Medical Center and Tufts University Medical School, NEMC 824, 750 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
Summary:
A report of the meeting "Third International Conference on Osteopontin and Related Proteins", San Antonio, TX, USA, 10 to 12 May 2002.
At a recent meeting, the structure and biology of the cytokine osteopontin were discussed. The molecule is essential for cellular immune responses and for the remodeling of cardiovasculature and bone. Osteopontin is extensively modified by posttranslational modifications, the consequences of which are only beginning to be understood. In disease, the expression of osteopontin by cancers may enhance their malignant phenotype, possibly reflecting the ability of the cytokine to induce cell migration after ligation of integrins and CD44 variants. A gene family with osteopontin as a member has been characterized.
*Contact information. Telephone, 617-636-9013; fax, 617-636-1766; e-mail, GWeber{at}Lifespan.org
