Ghislain Opdenakker - Selected Publications#


1. Identification of the human 26-kD protein, interferon ß2 (IFN-ß2), as a B cell hybridoma/plasmacytoma growth factor induced by interleukin- 1 and tumor necrosis factor.
J. Van Damme, G. Opdenakker, R.J. Simpson, M.R. Rubira, S. Cayphas, A. Vink, A. Billiau and J. Van Snick.
J. Exp. Med., 165: 914-919 (1987). (Comment: discovery of interleukin-6. This paper was for two years ranked in the top 100 of cited publications by ISI)

2. Purification and identification of 91 kDa neutrophil gelatinase: release by the activating peptide interleukin-8.
S. Masure, P. Proost, J. Van Damme and G. Opdenakker.
Eur. J. Biochem., 198: 391-398 (1991). (Comment: At the 50th Anniversary of The Federation of European Biochemistry Societies (FEBS), every European country was honored with a virtual issue with the most cited studies of the last 50 years. Our manuscript appeared in the Belgian list on the following link. https://www.febs.org/our-publications/febs-50th-anniversary-virtual-issues/belgium

3. Structural and functional identification of two human, tumor-derived monocyte chemotactic proteins (MCP-2, MCP-3) belonging to the chemokine family.
J. Van Damme, P. Proost, J.-P. Lenaerts and G. Opdenakker.
J. Exp. Med., 176: 59-65 (1992). (Comment: discovery of two new CC-chemokines).

4. Resistance of young gelatinase B-deficient mice to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and necrotising tail lesions.
B. Dubois, S. Masure, U. Hurtenbach, L. Paemen, H. Heremans, J. van den Oord, R. Sciot, T. Meinhardt, G. Hämmerling, G. Opdenakker and B. Arnold.
J. Clin. Invest., 104: 1507-1515 (1999). (Comment: establishment of a unique non-leaky mouse knock-out line and phenotype in developmental immunology).

5. Prevention of interleukin-8-induced mobilization of haematopoietic progenitor cells in rhesus monkeys by antibodies to the metalloproteinase gelatinase B.
J.F.M. Pruijt, W.E. Fibbe, L. Laterveer, R. Willemze, S. Masure, L. Paemen and G. Opdenakker.
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96: 10863-10868 (1999). (Comment: proof of the role of MMP-9 in hematology).

6. Neutrophil gelatinase B potentiates interleukin-8 tenfold by aminoterminal processing, whereas it degrades CTAP-III, PF-4 and GRO-α and leaves RANTES and MCP-2 intact.
P.E. Van den Steen, P. Proost, A. Wuyts, J. Van Damme and G. Opdenakker.
Blood, 96: 2673-2681 (2000). (Comment: proof of positive feedback between matrix metalloproteinases and chemokines).

7. Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors as therapy for inflammatory and vascular diseases.
J. Hu, P.E. Van den Steen, Q.-X. A. Sang and G. Opdenakker.
Nature Reviews Drugs Discovery., 6: 480-498 (2007). (Comment: seminal review, illustrating that MMP inhibitors may be better drugs for inflammatory and vascular diseases (with normal host genetics) than for cancer (with genetic aberrations)).

8. Zymography methods for visualizing hydrolytic enzymes.
J. Vandooren, N. Geurts, E. Martens, P.E. Van den Steen and G. Opdenakker
Nature Methods., 3: 211-220 and supplements (2013). (Comment: broad technology review for the next generation).

9. Inhibition of gelatinase B/MMP-9 does not attenuate colitis in murine models of inflammatory bowel disease.
M. de Bruyn, C. Breynaert, I. Arijs, G. De Hertogh, K. Geboes, G. Thijs, J. Hu, J. Van Damme, B. Arnold, M. Ferrante, S. Vermeire, G. Van Assche and G. Opdenakker.
Nature Communications, 8: 15384: 1-15 with supplementary data (2017). (Comment: rectification of previous (wrong) literature, which formed the basis for halting phase III clinical studies for treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases with andecaliximab GS-5745.)

10. Remnant epitopes generating autoimmunity: from model to useful paradigm.
G. Opdenakker, A. Abu El-Asrar and J. Van Damme.
Trends in Immunology, 41(5): 367-378 (2020). (Comment: explanation how proteolysis and other posttranslational modifications build autoantigen repertoires in common autoimmune diseases.)

11. Matrix metalloproteinases in arthritis: towards precision medicine.
B. Grillet, R.V.S. Pereira, J. Van Damme, A. Abu El-Asrar, P. Proost and G. Opdenakker.
Nature Reviews Rheumatology, 19(6): 363-376 (2023). (Comment: Role of matrix metalloproteinases for diagnosis and therapy of common and rare forms of arthritis.)

ISI Total Citations: > 30.000; Hirsh-index: >90

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