The 18 glycosyl hydrolase family of chitinases is an ancient gene family that is widely expressed
from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. In mammals, despite the absence of endogenous chitin, …

Interleukin (IL)-13 is a key mediator of tissue fibrosis caused by T helper cell type 2
inflammation. We hypothesized that the fibrogenic effects of IL-13 are mediated by transforming …

Fibrosis and apoptosis are juxtaposed in pulmonary disorders such as asthma and the
interstitial diseases, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β 1 has been implicated in the …

Background The evolutionarily conserved 18-glycosyl-hydrolase family contains true chitinases
and chitinase-like proteins that lack enzymatic activity. Acidic mammalian chitinase has …

Exaggerated levels of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) are present in persons with
asthma, but the role(s) of VEGF in normal and asthmatic lungs has not been defined. We …

Mouse breast regression protein 39 (BRP-39; Chi3l1) and its human homologue YKL-40
are chitinase-like proteins that lack chitinase activity. Although YKL-40 is expressed in …

Asthma is a disease whose ability to cause episodic symptomatology has been appreciated
since antiquity. Although the fine points of the definition can be debated, it is reasonable to …

Chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature, is commonly found in lower
organisms such as fungi, crustaceans, and insects, but not in mammals. Although the non-…

Epithelial injury, alternative macrophage accumulation, and fibroproliferation coexist in the
lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Chitinase 3–like 1 (CHI3L1) is a …

OBJECTIVE Insulin resistance is a major characteristic of type 2 diabetes and is causally
associated with obesity. Inflammation plays an important role in obesity-associated insulin …