Editorial
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2007; 13(2): 170-174
Published online Jan 14, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i2.170
Pancreatitis-associated protein: From a lectin to an anti-inflammatory cytokine
Daniel Closa, Yoshiharu Motoo, Juan L Iovanna
Daniel Closa, Department of Experimental Pathology, IIBB-CSIC, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
Yoshiharu Motoo, Department of Medical Oncology, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan
Juan L Iovanna, INSERM U.624, Stress Cellulaire, Marseille, France
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Dr. Daniel Closa, Experimental Pathology Dept., IIBB-CSIC, c/ Rosselló 161, 7º, Barcelona 08036,Spain. dcabam@iibb.csic.es
Telephone: +34-93-3638307 Fax: +34-93-3638301
Received: July 7, 2006
Revised: July 25, 2006
Accepted: October 12, 2006
Published online: January 14, 2007
Abstract

Pancreatitis-associated protein (PAP) was discovered in the pancreatic juice of rats with acute pancreatitis. PAP is a 16 kDa secretory protein structurally related to the C-type lectins although classical lectin-related function has not been reported yet. Then, it was demonstrated that PAP expression may be activated in some tissues in a constitutive or injury- and inflammation-induced manner. More recently, it has been found that PAP acts as an anti-inflammatory factor in vitro and in vivo. PAP expression can be induced by several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and by itself through a JAK/STAT3-dependent pathway. PAP is able to activate the expression of the anti-inflammatory factor SOCS3 through the JAK/STAT3-dependent pathway. The JAK/STAT3/SOCS3 pathway seems to be a common point between PAP and several cytokines. Therefore, it is reasonable to propose that PAP is a new anti-inflammatory cytokine.

Keywords: Pancreatitis-associated protein; Pancreatitis; Janus kinases; STAT3; SOCS3; Anti-inflammatory; Lectin